Chapter 13 Connor
Connor
Larry had been on edge since dawn, and I had no idea why.
None of the boys seemed to know either. But it wasn’t like Larry to have an off day.
In the two months I’d been on McGrath Ranch, he was a picture of contentment.
But today something was wrong. And it seemed to have started after his morning meeting with Pete.
I tried to stay out of Larry’s way as we worked the fence line, watching from the corner of my eye as he barked orders at the other guys for the smallest infractions. Even Sam, who usually got special treatment for being the youngest, caught hell for taking too long with the post-hole digger.
“The fuck is going on with him?” Joey muttered, sidling up beside me as we collected tools from the truck.
I shrugged. “No clue. But whatever Pete said to him this morning, it’s got him wound tighter than barbed wire.”
“You think it’s about Ryder?” Joey kept his voice low. “Haven’t seen him around all morning.”
My stomach clenched at the mention of Ryder’s name. He hadn’t been at breakfast this morning. I’d assumed he was avoiding the bunkhouse because of our arrangement, keeping things discreet. But now I wasn’t so sure.
“Move your asses!” Larry shouted from across the field. “This fence ain’t gonna fix itself!”
We hustled back to work, exchanging glances with the other guys. Everyone was walking on eggshells, afraid to set Larry off again. I focused on my section of fence, driving staples with more force than necessary as worry gnawed at me. Where was Ryder? Was he okay?
Around midday, the sound of tires on gravel made us all look up. A familiar truck was barreling down the dirt road toward us, dust billowing behind it. Evelyn’s truck.
“Oh shit,” Darius whispered. “That can’t be good.”
Larry straightened up, wiping sweat from his forehead as Evelyn’s truck skidded to a halt nearby.
She climbed out, slamming the door with enough force to make me wince.
I’d never seen the older woman look so angry.
Her face was flushed, her silver hair escaping its usual neat bun.
Larry looked just as surprised and terrified to see her as well.
For half a second, he looked like he was going to try to intercept her, but at the last moment he just stopped and leaned against the fence.
“Peter Matthew McGrath!” she shouted toward the main house. “Get your sorry ass out here right NOW!”
We all froze, tools forgotten in our hands. Nobody yelled for Pete like that. Nobody.
“Keep working,” Larry ordered, but his voice lacked conviction. He was as transfixed as the rest of us.
The front door of the main house opened, and Pete emerged, his expression thunderous. He stalked across the yard toward Evelyn, black cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes. His gait was a little cockeyed, and he seemed to lack his usual presence.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, coming onto my property screaming like a banshee?” he demanded when he reached her.
Evelyn didn’t back down an inch. If anything, she stepped closer, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Don’t you ‘what the hell’ me, Pete McGrath. I’ve known you too long to take any of your bullshit.”
“This isn’t the time or place, Evelyn,” Pete growled, glancing our way. “I’ve got men working,” I heard him say.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your men right now.” Evelyn’s voice carried across the yard, sharp and unforgiving. “What I care about is what you did to that boy.”
The other guys exchanged confused glances, but my blood ran cold. I set down my hammer, every muscle in my body tensing as I strained to hear more.
“Keep your voice down,” Pete hissed, grabbing Evelyn’s arm.
She yanked it away with surprising strength. “Don’t you dare touch me. You’ve done enough damage with those hands.”
Larry shifted uncomfortably beside me, his face drawn. He knew something, that much was clear. And whatever it was had been eating at him all morning.
“Evelyn, this is family business,” Pete said, his voice lower but still carrying on the still Montana air. “You have no right—”
“No right?” She laughed, a harsh sound with no humor in it. “I held that boy when he was three days old, Pete. I’ve watched you destroy him bit by bit for twenty-two years. And now this?”
Pete’s face darkened. “He disrespected me in my own home. He’s lucky all he got was—”
The sharp crack of Evelyn’s palm against Pete’s cheek silenced him mid-sentence. Even from where I stood, I could see the red imprint of her hand blooming on his weathered skin.
“Holy shit,” Joey whispered beside me.
“He finally fought back, didn’t he?” Evelyn said, her voice suddenly quiet but no less intense. “And you couldn’t handle it, could you? You fuckin’ sack of shit.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. Had Ryder fought back? Against Pete? Jesus Christ, what had happened after I’d left him at the wedding?
“That ungrateful little shit raised his hand to me,” Pete snarled, touching his jaw gingerly. “After everything I’ve done for him—”
“Everything you’ve done TO him, you mean,” Evelyn cut in. “That boy has endured more abuse from you than anyone should have to bear. And for what? For looking like his mother? For being born?”
The other guys had completely abandoned any pretense of working now. We all stood, rooted to the spot, watching the confrontation unfold like a car crash in slow motion.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pete said, but his voice had lost some of its conviction.
“I know exactly what I’m talking about.” Evelyn’s voice broke slightly. “I know what you told him last night. That you never wanted him. That he killed his mother just by being born.”
My stomach lurched. I gripped the fence post beside me, my knuckles white. Pete had said that to Ryder? His own son?
“I was drunk,” Pete muttered, glancing around as if just realizing they had an audience.
“And that makes it better?” Evelyn stepped closer until she was nearly nose to nose with him. “You always have an excuse, don’t you, Pete? You were drunk. You were grieving. You were angry. Well, guess what? The rest of us manage to be human beings without terrorizing our children.”
Larry finally stepped forward, placing himself between Pete and the rest of us. “Alright, that’s enough of a show. Back to work, all of you.”
Nobody moved. This was too important, too raw to just walk away from. I couldn’t take my eyes off Pete’s face, searching for any sign of remorse, any indication that he felt even a shred of guilt for what he’d done to Ryder. But all I saw was the same hard, unyielding expression he always wore.
“Where is he?” Pete demanded, his voice lower now. “Where’s my son?”
“Somewhere safe,” Evelyn replied. “Somewhere you can’t hurt him anymore.”
Pete’s face twisted with rage. “You can’t keep him from me. He’s my son. My blood.”
“Blood doesn’t give you the right to abuse him.” Evelyn’s voice was steel. “And he’s a grown man now. He makes his own choices.”
The implications of their conversation hit me like a physical blow.
Ryder had left. He’d finally stood up to his father, and he’d left.
A confusing mix of pride and panic surged through me.
Pride that he’d finally found the courage to break free, panic at the thought of him out there somewhere, hurting and alone.
No, not alone. He was with Evelyn. She’d take care of him. But still, I needed to see him, to make sure he was okay.
“This isn’t over, Evelyn,” Pete growled, taking a step back. “Not by a long shot.”
“Oh, I think it is,” she replied, her voice steady despite the emotion behind it. “You’ve lost him, Pete. And deep down, I think you know it.”
Pete’s eyes darted around, landing briefly on each of us before returning to Evelyn.
I could see the calculation in his gaze, the realization that this very public confrontation had cost him something precious.
His reputation. In a small ranch community like Hell Creek, word would spread like wildfire. Pete McGrath, abuser of his own son.
“Get off my property,” he finally said, his voice cold. “Now.”
Evelyn didn’t budge. “I’ve got one more thing to say, and you’re going to listen.
” She took a deep breath. “If you try to hurt any of these men,” she gestured toward us, “if you try to take out your anger on them or send any of them back to prison because you’re pissed at Ryder, I will make sure every person in this county knows exactly what kind of monster you are. ”
Pete’s face went white. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m promising you,” Evelyn replied. “And if you ever raise a hand to that boy again… well… you’ll need to start talking to your men about how to survive in prison.” He raised a finger, jabbing him in the chest again. “I heard people in there don’t take kindly to men who abuse children.”
Pete’s face went pale, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Evelyn had rendered him speechless, something I’d never thought possible. The silence stretched between them, electric and dangerous, before Pete finally took a step back.
“You’ve said your piece,” he muttered, his voice barely audible across the yard. “Now get off my property.”
Evelyn stood her ground a moment longer, her small frame somehow towering over Pete’s bulky figure.
Then she turned and walked back to her truck with her head held high.
As she passed by our group, her eyes met mine briefly.
There was a message there, something meant just for me.
She was telling me to come see Ryder as soon as I could.
She climbed into her truck and slammed the door. The engine roared to life, and she spun the tires in the dirt as she pulled away, leaving Pete standing alone in a cloud of dust.
For a long moment, nobody moved. Pete stared after Evelyn’s truck, his shoulders slumped in a way I’d never seen before. Then, as if suddenly remembering we were all watching, he straightened up and turned toward us.
“What the hell are you all staring at?” he barked. “Get back to work!”
Nobody rushed to move. The power dynamic had shifted, and we all felt it. Pete’s authority had been undermined in the most public way possible. His face darkened as he registered our hesitation.
“I said get back to work!” he shouted, his voice cracking slightly. “Or I’ll have half of you back in prison by nightfall!”
That got us moving. We might have witnessed his humiliation, but he still held our freedom in his hands. I picked up my hammer, my mind racing as I tried to process what had just happened. Was Ryder okay? What happened after the wedding that led to blows?
Pete stalked back toward the house, his gait stiff and unnatural. When he was out of earshot, Joey sidled up to me.
“Jesus Christ,” he whispered. “Did you see that? Evelyn’s got more balls than all of us combined.”
I nodded, unable to form words. My chest felt tight with worry. If what Evelyn said was true, and I had no reason to doubt her, Ryder had truly stood up to his father. And it had cost him his home, his inheritance, and his future.
“You think the kid’s alright?” Greg asked, joining our huddle.
“I hope so,” I muttered, driving a staple into the fence post with more force than necessary.
Larry approached, his face grim. “Alright, that’s enough gossip. Back to work, all of you.”
“Did you know?” I asked before I could stop myself. “This morning, when you came out here all wound up. Did you know what happened? Is that why you’ve been snapping at us all damn morning?”
Larry’s eyes narrowed, but I saw the guilt there. “Not everything. Just that there’d been a... disagreement between Pete and Ryder. I… I only heard Pete’s side of it.”
“And you did nothing?”
Larry opened his mouth like he was going to yell at me for my insolence. But then he stopped, letting out a long sigh instead. Finally, he nodded, the guilt fully taking over his features.
“I’ve been doin’ nothing for a long time,” he said. He glanced up at me, setting his jaw. “But not anymore. I’ve known Ryder his whole damn life. He’s as good as my own son. And I haven’t been doin’ right by him. That stops now.”
With a huff, Larry threw down the hammer he’d been holding and stomped off toward the house after Pete. It seemed McGrath Ranch was about to experience and full-blown mutiny in the span of a single day.
And honestly… I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.