Chapter 26
Ryder
It was one of those days when I wasn’t sure I wanted to be lying in bed feeling sorry for myself or so buried in work I couldn’t think. But the cattle made that decision for me. They didn’t take a day off and Cole needed my help to keep the place running smoothly.
So, despite the fact that my father had completely disowned me, now and forever, I still had to run chores, check fences, and help the other ranch hands do freeze-branding.
Cole and Jesse had brought in a ton of new calves that spring due to their business taking off, so there was a lot that still needed to be done.
As I worked, my mind wandered of course.
I couldn’t believe the things my father had said in front of the entire church congregation.
Two months ago, those church people were his entire world, the people he wanted to impress more than anyone else.
But last night, thanks to some whiskey and his perceptions about me and Connor, all of that went down the drain in an instant.
Everyone in town now knew exactly what kind of man he was.
And he deserved whatever bad things they thought of him. But it brought me no pleasure.
There was a time when I thought he might get over things, might let me come back home and pass the ranch onto me when the time came.
But that was gone now. He could overlook our disagreements and our fights.
And I think he might’ve even been able to forgive the fact that I was gay after a couple years.
But he would never forgive me going to bed with an ex-convict. That was too far in his book.
Part of me was relieved though. I’d never have to listen to him blame me for my mother’s death again or listen to his shitty homophobic comments over breakfast. But the easy life I’d been relying on was gone.
The only thing that stood in front of me now was a lot of very hard, endless work.
And it didn’t sound fun. But I supposed, with Connor at my side, I could manage.
Besides, did I really want to live at home for the rest of my life? Not really.
Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.
I hadn’t told Jesse or Cole about what happened with Connor yet.
How could I? The words caught in my throat every time I tried.
I was supposed to be focusing on my new life here, and instead I’d gone and fallen in love with an ex-con who was now.
.. I didn’t even know where he was or what had happened after last night.
I just hoped he hadn’t done anything stupid.
The uncertainty was killing me.
“Watch it, Ryder!” Jesse called out, snapping me back to reality just in time to dodge a calf that came barreling past me.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, wiping sweat from my forehead. The summer heat was brutal today, making everything ten times harder.
Jesse gave me a concerned look. “You’ve been a million miles away all morning. Everything okay?”
I nodded automatically, not ready to get into it. “Just tired.”
He didn’t believe me, which was obvious from the look on his face, but he didn’t push. That was one of the things I appreciated most about Jesse and Cole. They gave me space when I needed it, unlike my father who’d demand answers until I broke.
The thought of my father made my stomach twist. I wondered what he was doing right now. Probably nursing a hangover and figuring out how to make Connor’s life even more miserable.
I pulled out my phone for what felt like the hundredth time that day, checking for messages. Nothing from Evelyn, nothing from Larry, and Connor didn’t have a phone. At least there weren’t any emergencies. No news was good news, or so they said.
“If you’re waiting for that phone to sprout legs and dance, you’ll be waiting a long time,” Cole said, appearing beside me with a water jug. “Here, drink something before you pass out.”
I took the jug gratefully, gulping down water. “Thanks.”
“So,” Cole said, leaning against the fence beside me, “you gonna tell us what happened last night? Evelyn said there was some kind of scene at the church dinner.”
My heart sank. Of course Evelyn had told them. “It’s... complicated.”
“It usually is,” Cole replied with a small smile. “But we’ve got time.”
I took another long drink, stalling. “My dad showed up. He’d been drinking. He saw Connor and me coming back from...” I trailed off, my cheeks heating despite myself.
“Ah,” Cole nodded, understanding immediately. “And I’m guessing he didn’t take it well?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” I snorted. “He basically disowned me in front of the entire church, called Connor some pretty awful things, and then tried to punch me. Larry stepped in and took the hit instead.”
Cole winced. “Jesus.”
“Yeah. And now I can’t even call Connor to see if he’s alright.” My voice cracked a little. “I’m worried about what my dad might do to him.”
“Nothing, if he’s smart,” Cole said. “Not after a scene like that.”
“You don’t know my father very well then.”
Cole’s face darkened. “What do you think he’ll do?”
“Anything to get rid of Connor.” I swallowed hard, the fear that had been gnawing at me all morning suddenly overwhelming. “He won’t give up. Not when he’s already sacrificed so much of his reputation.”
“You really think your father would go that far?” Cole asked, his voice low.
“You didn’t see the look in his eyes last night. It was...” I shuddered, remembering the pure hatred on my father’s face. “It was like he wanted to kill us both.”
Cole was quiet for a moment, then nodded decisively. “Alright. Finish up here with Jesse. I’m going to make some calls.”
“Calls? To who?”
“I know people,” Cole said simply. “Including some at the sheriff’s office who owe me favors. I’m just gonna make sure Connor is okay.”
Hope flickered in my chest for the first time that day. “Thank you.”
Cole squeezed my shoulder before walking away, phone already in hand. I turned back to my work with renewed focus, grateful for his help but still sick with worry.
By lunchtime, my nerves were completely shot. I kept checking my phone, hoping for some message, any message that would tell me Connor was okay. The uncertainty was worse than anything.
“Ryder!”
I spun around to see Cole striding toward me, his expression grim. My heart plummeted.
“What is it? What happened?”
“Your father called the sheriff this morning. Said they found a gun under Connor’s mattress during a routine inspection.”
“That’s bullshit,” I snapped. “Connor would never be stupid enough to have a gun. He knows that would send him straight back to prison. Where the hell would he even get it?”
“I know,” Cole agreed. “They couldn’t give me any details other than they took him in. He’s being transported to the state prison this afternoon for violating his parole.”
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. “This afternoon? But that’s—they can’t just—”
“They can, and they have,” Cole said grimly. “Your father has friends everywhere. And we both know convicts aren’t exactly trusted.”
“I have to see him,” I said, already moving toward my truck. “I can’t just let them throw him back in prison again. Dad set him up. I know it.”
“What evidence do you have of that?” Cole asked, following quickly behind me. “Why would they believe you over Pete?”
“Because I’m his son, and I know him better than anyone,” I shot back, my voice cracking with desperation. “He’s been looking for a reason to get rid of Connor since the moment he found out about us. This is just too convenient.”
Cole grabbed my arm as I reached for the truck door. “I’ll go get Evelyn and Larry and see what we can do here. You go to his parole officer and see if she’ll hear us out.”
“She will,” I nodded confidently. “Her and I have history.”
I grabbed my keys from my pocket and jumped into the truck, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped them. This couldn’t be happening. Not to Connor. Not when we’d finally told each other we loved each other.
Ms. Randall’s office was about three hours away.
That would at least give me time to call and warn her that I was coming.
For half a moment I considered trying to catch up with the transport van, to stop them from taking Connor at all.
But I knew that would just end up getting us both in more trouble.
Ms. Randall could work from the inside and hopefully, if I could convince her, she could stop Connor from going back to prison at all.
I just hoped she’d listen.
I gripped the steering wheel so hard, my knuckles turned white, pushing the truck well past the speed limit as I tore down the highway toward Ms. Randall’s office.
Every second that ticked by was another second closer to Connor being thrown back into prison.
And for what? A gun my father had almost certainly planted?
The thought made bile rise in my throat. I knew my father was capable of cruelty, but this was beyond anything I’d imagined. He’d rather frame an innocent man than accept his son was gay. The realization shouldn’t have hurt after everything he’d done, but it did. It hurt like hell.
I fumbled for my phone, hitting Ms. Randall’s number on speed dial. She’d given it to me years ago when I first started working with the parolee program, back when I still thought I could make my father proud by helping out.
The phone rang three times before her crisp voice answered. “Randall speaking.”
“Ms. Randall, it’s Ryder McGrath,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic clawing at my chest. “I need to talk to you about Connor Martin.”
There was a pause. “I figured you’d be calling. I just got the paperwork on my desk about his violation.”
“He didn’t do it,” I blurted out. “My father set him up. Connor would never be stupid enough to have a gun.”
“Ryder,” she sighed, and I could picture her pinching the bridge of her nose like she always did when dealing with difficult cases. “I understand you’re upset, but they found the weapon under his mattress during a surprise inspection.”
“It wasn’t his,” I practically shouted, then forced myself to take a breath. “It couldn’t have been!”
“We know it wasn’t his,” she replied. “It was from your father’s gun safe. They found the tools Connor used to break into it and steal it.” She paused again. “You father claims Connor threatened his life last night.”
“That can’t be true,” I said, my voice shaking as my heart raced. “Dad found out about… something last night and threatened to hurt Connor in front of half the town. He wasn’t very happy with us.”
Another pause, longer this time. “About us? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
My heart hammered in my chest. I hadn’t meant to out myself or our relationship, but there was no going back now. Connor’s freedom was worth more than my privacy.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Connor and I are together. My father found out last night at the church dinner and completely lost it. He disowned me, tried to punch me, and Larry took the hit instead. There were at least fifty witnesses.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ms. Randall muttered. “Why didn’t Connor call me about this?”
“Because my father doesn’t have a phone in the bunkhouse and none of the parolees are allowed to have cell phones on the job.”
I heard papers shuffling on her end of the line. “This complicates things, Ryder. Even if what you’re saying is true… we’ll need evidence—”
“Do you remember what happened with Sam?!” I shouted, unable to hold myself back any longer. “After seeing those bruises on my neck, are you really going to sit there and say my father isn’t capable of this?”
“It’s not that simple…”
“Yes, it is,” I barked. “And I’ve got witnesses to prove it.
I can give you every detail about the ranch, the program, the guns, the tools, and anything else you want to know to prove Connor is innocent.
Now are you going to do the right thing or are you going to let my father get away with hurting more people than he already has? ”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line and then a sigh. “How long until you get here?”
“Three hours. Two and a half if I can help it.”
“I’m not making any promises to you, Ryder,” she said. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was something. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she muttered. “This is gonna be goddamn near impossible to pull off.” Then she added, “You better be right. I could lose my job over this.”
There was a click and the line went dead.
Three hours. That’s how long I had to wait until I learned if the man I loved would ever see the light of day again. It might as well have been a fucking eternity.