3. Jack #2
“You got it, boss,” he calls. Hank is probably one of the few wranglers that I can trust at this point. He’s older, and I grew up with him here. But he’s not like the other wranglers that were tight with my father and his shady ways.
I’m wound a little too tight, so I head to town for some supper.
When I drive out through the ridiculous iron arches of the Jessop ranch, laughter fills my chest. Cami was right.
It does look like a villain’s entrance or whatever she called it.
It’s ostentatious and ridiculous, and I make a mental note to add it to my list to get it removed.
The ranch still feels like my father’s place, and I’m not used to it being mine.
When I look over at the ranch, I see how much work I need to do to make it clean again.
Because the business practices that my father had on this ranch are not how I want things to run.
And my brothers and sister all agree. That’s the one thing we’re all in agreement on. Our father’s path was trash .
When I see the future of this ranch, I do not share the philosophies that generations before me had.
I can’t get behind the bully tactics, stealing, gambling, and hidden agendas from my father’s era.
I’ve got different plans, and I’m meeting resistance everywhere I turn on the ranch.
Old ways are not the way we’re going to do things moving forward.
The Black Dog is unusually quiet for a Thursday night. The low hum of conversation and the sound of clinking silverware fade into the country music playing on the jukebox.
The owners, Walker and Violet, are a couple of musicians.
I’ve known Walker since I was a kid, and he’s a great guy.
He and his daughter Mack have always been there for me.
They even flew out for my Navy graduation years back.
Walker is the closest thing I have to a father figure, but I think he’s only about eight years older than me, so maybe more like an older brother.
But he’s a solid man. He chose a good woman with Violet. Her aunt Maggie owns the Dogwood Inn.
Violet wipes down the counter and watches me. Finally, she stands before me and leans her elbows on the bar. “You doing okay, Jack?”
“I’m fine,” I say as I tip back my whiskey glass, which she just set down.
“You don’t look fine,” she says with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I’ve got a lot on my mind,” I admit.
“You mean you have her on your mind?” she says, her voice low.
I didn’t have to ask who she meant, she knows Cami and I have a connection.
She has a knack for calling me out on things, even when I don’t feel like talking about them.
Sometimes I text her when I have something on my mind.
And sometimes, she bakes me muffins and cookies with Mack.
She’s been good to me and my sister, who used to work at the bar as a bartender after high school and has filled in recently when Walker and Violet needed help.
I sigh, looking over the bar. “Can’t help it. She gets under my skin.”
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I reach down to check it. Think of the devil, it’s my sister, Jenna. I silence the call and make a mental note to call her later. I see that I’ve several missed calls from her. Shit. I’m really dropping the ball on everything these days.
Violet laughs. “When are you and Cami going to admit that you’re hopelessly in love with each other? It’s honestly so romantic. I could write a dozen songs about your epic love story,” she teases.
I grin at that. Violet and Walker have been working on starting their own music label and recording studio here in Bridger Falls, and they’ve played some of their songs here at The Black Dog, and they’re really good.
Walker used to be a country music legend, and now he’s a songwriter and owner of The Black Dog.
He’s a pretty big deal, but in Bridger Falls, he’s a great guy and friend.
Everyone treats him normal here. Because to us, he’s just Walker.
I know where I stand with Cami. Always have.
But I don’t know where she stands with me, and that’s the thing that scares me the most. I’m pretty sure Cami hates the sight of me most days.
But then there’s times when she thinks I’m not paying attention, and I could swear she’s looking at me with something other than loathing.
Sometimes it’ll be at the Black Dog when we’re all in a big group hanging out and I will catch her smiling if I say something.
Of course, she’ll pretend it doesn’t happen or she’ll look away if I meet her eyes.
It also could be wishful thinking on my part.
I shoot her a look, but she doesn’t back down. Not her style. Instead, she grabs a rag and begins to shine the bar, waiting for me to spill my guts like she knows I will.
“It’s…complicated.” I admit.
“Tell me something I don’t know. You’re both complicated.” Her tone softens, her eyes meet mine, and she nods, willing me to continue.
“You know why Cami is the way she is, right? Her dad is a mean son of a bitch and has been in and out of her life since she was a little kid. I don’t know anyone meaner than him other than my own father.
Everyone gave up on Wilder Ranch, even though it’s been in her family for generations.
They left Cami standing on her own, fighting for what’s left of her family’s ranch. ”
“Why do you think she pushes everyone away?” she asks as she leans against the bar, listening.
“She grew up thinking she had to handle everything because everyone around her lets her down. She doesn’t push me away; she just doesn’t know how to let me show her that I’m not giving up,” I say quietly.
Violet’s gaze softens, and she nods. “You’d stay.”
“I’ll always stay. I’m not going anywhere,” I admit, my voice hoarse. “She drives me fucking insane. I can never win with her. We’re like fire and gasoline.”
“Every time you show up for her, Jack, it means something. Every time you fight for her, even when she doesn’t ask you to, she sees it. Every time. Trust me. She feels it,” she says with a knowing glint in her eyes.
“She’s not the princess that needs saving. She’s the warrior that needs a safe place to rest in between all of her battles,” I say quietly. “She doesn’t want me to fight for her.”
She nods. “You need to be her home. Not her hero.”
I glance down at my glass, the weight lifting off my chest. “ Think she’ll ever let me in? Because I gotta be honest. I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle every day.”
Violet’s grin turns up as she grabs a bottle from the shelf. “If anyone is meant to break down Cami’s walls, it’s you. Just keep fighting for her, even when she doesn’t seem to need it. That’s when she needs it the most.”
She pats my arm as she moves down the bar to help another customer, leaving me with my thoughts. I don’t feel so lost for the first time in a long time. Maybe there’s hope for me and Cami. It’s not gonna be easy, but I have to keep fighting. She’s worth it.
I eat my supper and wind down some more at the bar, but my mind continues to drift back to Cami. No matter how much I bury myself in work, the bar, or planning out my future, she’s in it. She’s never far from my mind.
Cami would burn the world down for the people she loves.
I’ve never seen a heart bigger than hers.
She’s one of a kind. She was never meant to fit into a box.
She’s too powerful, wild, and unruly. The devil works hard, but Cami works harder.
If you’re lucky to have someone like her in your life, then you’re lucky as hell.
On my way home, I pull in by the Bridger Falls Firehouse. I walk up to the open bay, and Ollie’s there working on a piece of equipment. “Hey, Ol,” I say as I give him a clap on the back and sit on a stool next to him.
“What are you doing here, Jack?” he asks with a grin as he sets down his tools.
“I just had supper at The Black Dog and needed a word before I head home,” I say grimly, unsure how to broach this with him. He’s not gonna fuckin’ like it any more than I do.
Ollie’s a good guy, but he got the brunt of it growing up when it came to his father abusing and mistreating the family.
A lot of times, he had to shield Cami and her mom.
No one blamed him when he left the ranch for good and moved to town.
He still helps Cami whenever she needs him, but he wants little to do with the ranch anymore, and I can’t say I blame him.
“Granger was on the property messing with Cami this morning. He had a knife. She shot at him.”
He turns and looks at me. “What the hell? Why am I just now hearing this?”
I nod. “Yeah, well, you know your sister. She doesn’t want anyone knowing. I’m going to stay at Wilder Ranch tonight. She says it’s happened more than once. People have been poking around the property. I don’t like it, man. She’s not safe.”
“I’m on shift tonight, but I can take my turn. But you know she won’t like us babysitting her, right?” he says as he snaps the toolbox shut. “And especially not you. Hell, I’m not sure she won’t try to shoot at you .”
“No shit. There’s no telling what your sister would do to me,” I mutter, remembering how close we were at the bar and then how she seemed to want me gone off her property.
Ollie laughs and nods his head, agreeing.
“Plan on staying in the barn loft,” I say. “I’ll leave before she gets up.”
“She’s got that Heeler. She’s a mean little shit, might chase people off,” he muses.
“She’s a good dog. But it’s not enough. We need to keep an eye out.”
“You gonna let me fuck up Granger with you?” he asks with a smirk.
“Absofuckinglutely.”
Just after midnight, I ride out to the Wilder Ranch, take Pesto into the barn, put him in with Mouse, and get him turned down for the night.
Those two are happy to be side by side, based on their happy snorts.
Cami and I may fight like cats and dogs, but I’ll be damned if our horses aren’t friends.
It always bothers her, and she lets me know it.
Her truck is parked in the driveway, and I see a faint light coming through her kitchen window.
Love, her Heeler starts to growl and stops when she realizes it’s me. I lean down to give her scratches and whisper. “Hey, girl. You been keeping watch over your momma?”
I head up to the loft, shake my sleeping bag out, and settle in. I sigh with relief and drift off when I feel Love snuggle in beside me, resting her head on my arm. So much for watching out for her momma. I guess we’ll keep watch together tonight. She’ll let me know if she hears anything.