Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Brynn
Istep inside the house, knowing that Olivia and Dad are probably hanging out already. My dad’s voice carries from the living room, sharp and agitated.
“Larsa? Is that you?”
My heart sinks and tears prick at my eyes. Larsa was my mom’s name.
“Dad?” I ask as I poke my head into the living room.
“Where’s your mom?” he demands. “She was supposed to bring me coffee.”
“Dad, it’s me, Brynn,” I say gently. “Mom’s not here.”
He blinks at me, confusion clouding his eyes. Then he shakes his head and mutters, “Right. Of course.”
Olivia looks up from her book, her brow furrowed with worry. She’s too young to carry the weight of what’s happening to her grandfather, but she’s old enough to understand that something’s wrong.
I kneel beside my dad’s chair and take his hand.
“How are you feeling?” I ask softly.
He shrugs, his shoulders slumping. “I’m fine, Brynn. You don’t need to fuss over me.”
But I do. Because every day, I see a little more of the man he used to be slipping away. And every day, I wonder how much longer I can keep pretending that everything is fine.
“Okay, let me get you that coffee.”
I stand and walk into the kitchen, fighting back the tears that want to fall. I can’t cry in front of my dad or Olivia, and I sure as hell can’t let any of the ranch hands walk in and see me crying, so I’ll push this down with everything else and deal with it later.
I start the coffee and then lean against the counter. I close my eyes, cross my arms in front of my chest, and focus on breathing and clearing out all the noise in my head.
Jack being the loudest noise of all. Damn, why does he have to be such a good kisser?
The smell of coffee fills the kitchen as I pour a fresh pot into my dad’s favorite mug. He’s been working too hard lately, and while he won’t admit it, I know he’s been struggling to keep up with everything. I’m not a fan of him hiring Jack, but maybe, maybe doing so will bring my dad back to me.
But Jack is… difficult. Intense. He has this way of taking over like he’s the one who owns the place.
And after that kiss earlier, I don’t know what to think.
My cheeks flush, just remembering the way his lips felt on mine, the way my body betrayed me, melting into him when I should’ve shoved him away.
Heat pools between my thighs, and I close my eyes to try and think of anything else.
If my vagina could get it together, that would be great.
I shake my head, trying to push the memory aside. I don’t have time for this.
The screen door slams open, and I nearly spill the coffee as Lane storms into the house, his face red and his fists clenched.
“Where is John?” Lane barks, his voice echoing through the kitchen.
I freeze, the mug halfway to the counter. “What are you yelling about?”
“Jack!” Lane growls, stomping past me and into the living room. “Your dad needs to know about that asshole!”
I follow him, my heart pounding. My dad looks up from his recliner, startled, as Lane bursts into the room.
“What the hell is going on?” Dad asks, sitting up straight.
“That son of a bitch just fired me!” Lane shouts, his voice shaking with anger. “He stormed into the barn, screaming and cussing at us like we were a bunch of idiots. And then he fired me. Me! After everything I’ve done for this ranch.”
Dad starts to rise, his expression darkening, but I step between them, holding up a hand. “Wait. Let’s calm down and talk about this. Lane, what happened?”
He takes a deep breath, his hands trembling as he points toward the barn.
“We were working, fixing the tools, and getting ready to head out to the south fence. And Jack comes in, yelling about how we’re lazy and useless.
He said I was letting you do all the work, and then—” He hesitates, his eyes flicking to my dad for a split second before landing on me.
“And then he said you’re a worthless woman who doesn’t belong out there.
That you should be in the kitchen where you belong. ”
I gasp. The words hit hard.
Damn, did I really kiss a misogynistic asshole? My radar is off.
My chest tightens, and heat rushes to my face. “He said that?” I ask, my voice low and dangerous.
Lane nods emphatically; his eyes dart away quickly. My eyes narrow at the quick tell.
“Yeah. He said you’re nothing but a distraction that you don’t have any business running a ranch.”
My hands clench into fists at my sides.
How dare he? Who does Jack think he is, coming onto our ranch, insulting me, and firing people without so much as a discussion?
“I’ll take care of this,” I hiss as I spin on my heel.
I’m halfway to the door when it opens, and Jack walks in, his expression hard and unreadable.
“Lane,” Jack says, his voice calm but firm. “You’re done here. Get your things and go. We’ll mail you your last paycheck.”
Lane steps forward, his face contorted with rage. “You can’t fire me! I’m family!”
Jack doesn’t flinch. “You’re lazy, disrespectful, and a liability. You have no place here.”
I step between them, my heart racing. “Jack, you don’t get to make that call. Dad and I do. You’re here to help, not to take over. Lane is Olivia’s uncle. He’s family. You can’t just—”
Jack holds up a hand, cutting me off. “John hired me to manage this ranch, Brynn. If you’re going to undermine my authority every time I make a decision, then you might as well fire me now. I’m not backing down on this. Lane is fired. End of discussion.”
I open my mouth to argue, but my dad steps forward, his expression stern. “Brynn, he’s right. Jack’s the manager. His decision is final.”
“Dad!” I protest, but he shakes his head.
“No. Lane, get your things and leave,” Dad says, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Lane glares at Jack, then at me, before storming past us and up the stairs. The sound of his heavy boots echoes through the house as I stand there, my mouth hanging open.
What just happened?
I glance at Jack, his jaw set and his eyes cold. My dad turns and walks back to his chair, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, my thoughts spinning.
Lane is family. Jack is just… Jack. And yet, somehow, he’s managed to turn everything upside down.
“How dare you come in here and—”
“If you’re so determined to run this place into the ground, don’t let me stop you.”
My mouth drops open, and Dad clears his throat behind us. “There will be no more argument over it.”
“I guess you’re going to keep my niece away from me, too,” Lane hisses as he comes barreling down the steps with two duffel bags in hand. “This is bullshit.”
He storms out of the house, and I pull in a breath. I instantly turn to glare at Jack. Olivia is on the couch, her eyes flitting between all of us before she grabs her headphones and puts them on. Dad stands up and gestures for us to walk out the back door.
“You know as well as I do that Lane had to go,” he says with a sigh. “He was lazy and causing issues with everyone.”
“He’s—”
“I know he’s Clay’s brother and that you were trying to help him out because he’s Olivia’s uncle, but just like his brother, he’s a piece of shit,” Dad says.
My eyes flit to Jack. I can feel my cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
Thanks, Dad. Let’s air out my dirty laundry.
“I don’t need to explain my decision, but the dead weight needed to be cut. I think the ranch is going to run much smoother with him gone,” Jack adds.
“Do you have any idea what problems you just caused?” I hiss.
“I made the decision. Not you. He’ll go back to whatever hole he crawled out of, and we won’t have to deal with him.”
“Not true,” I say with a groan. “He has nowhere to go.”
“It’s not your problem,” Jack says matter-of-factly. “You can thank me later.”
He walks off the porch and toward the barn, not waiting for my reply. I start after him. Dad puts a hand on my shoulder.
“There’s no point in arguing. He did what neither of us wanted to do. You’ve been picking up so much slack because of Lane. I overheard him threatening Paulo one day because he was working, and Lane didn’t want him to show him up.”
“Dad,” I sigh. “We need all the hands we can get.”
“We’ve been paying him, feeding and housing him, for him to drink beer and mess things up. We tried and tried to help him out, and we tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he’d get his act together. You don’t owe him or Clay anything.”
I inhale sharply. I hear the words that are coming out of his mouth. I even agree with them, but I know that Clay will not.
As if on cue, my phone begins ringing, and Clay’s name flashes on the screen.
I let out a long grumble and silence the call.
I am not in the mood to deal with him.
Jack Renfrew just made my life a lot harder by getting rid of Lane. My ex will be out for blood now, but only because his brother is now his problem.