Chapter 12
Just Pull It Out
Clay
Brooky
Please tell me you fuckers didn’t burn down my ranch today.
Nope. Ranch is still standing.
Brooky
Thank fuck for that
I am curious as to why I’ve suddenly been put in charge?
Brooky
…
You’re kidding right?
No really. WTF man?
Brooky
Who the fuck else am I supposed to put in charge? Adler?
I mean…he actually works here…
Brooky
That’s not fucking funny
I’m not laughing
Brooky
He’s a fucking idiot. Speaking of…he still alive?
Yea. He’s not a child anymore Brooks.
Brooky
He might as well be.
…
You good bro?
Brooks, to no surprise, does not respond.
Well, at least whatever he has going on, I know he’s himself.
Unlike Mercer, who could barely even look at me after I told him about Leni’s visit.
That whole debacle in the sevens was a complete shit show, made worse by the fact that my partner wouldn’t look at me long enough to catch my cues, or bother to see where I was in all of it.
I could have been hit by one of the trucks screaming past us at highway speeds, and he wouldn’t have even looked my way.
That’s not true, he would have, but fuck, man.
In the twenty-plus years we’ve been friends, we’ve never fought.
Not about school, sports, or women…probably because I was constantly fantasizing about his sister.
Still, I don’t think he’s ever been genuinely mad at me… it’s fucking miserable.
Finalizing the assignments for tomorrow, I get up from behind Brooks’ desk in the big barn and make my way to my truck.
Toby is kicked back on his tailgate, a beer resting on his thigh, his head tipped toward the sky.
He’s the quiet Kane, not in a brooding kind of way, but more like a quiet observer.
He doesn’t see the attack coming. Adler strolls up behind him, pure chaos gleaming in his eyes.
Before I can even utter a warning, he strikes with perfect precision.
Sliding up beside Toby, he taps the bottom of his beer bottle to the top of Toby’s.
White foam instantly spills over the top.
Toby’s curses echo through the ranch yard as he bolts after a cackling Adler.
A smile tugs at my lips, exhaustion keeping it from taking hold. Toby saunters back, looking a lot like he pissed himself, his eyes promising revenge as he stomps to his truck and climbs into the cab. The slam of the door rings in my ears.
I crawl into my own truck, my body weary.
Wrecked from the physical labor of the day, not to mention the adrenaline.
Nothin’ quite sets your blood on fire like watching a big rig turn one of your beef cows into red mist. Fuck, that’s an image I won’t be erasing from my brain any time soon.
I drive the long way to Leni’s cabin, taking the highway.
Trying to kill more time, hoping she’ll be upstairs, or already in bed by the time I get home.
I’ll have to sneak through her room to grab a shower, but that might be worth it to avoid any potentially awkward situations. My phone buzzes when I finally get to the cabin, giving me an excuse to stay outside a little longer, avoiding confrontation like the pussy I am.
Kane Family Group Chat
Ma
Thanks for the help boys. looks like tomorrow will be a busy one again. Brooks won’t be back until after next week. Will pack family dinner to go tomorrow.
Addy
What do you mean after next week?! IS HE DYING?
Tobes
I’m going to go check on him
Ma
No you are not Tobias Russel. You will go back to your house and mind your business
Addy
Ma this is insane. Brooks doesn’t take vacation he doesn’t take personal time
E-Man
Just give him some space dude. He’ll let us know what’s going on when he’s ready
Tobes
What do you know
Addy
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!
Ma
Clayton worked out a schedule for tomorrow to reinforce the fences in the 7s. Looks like someone mighta driven through it.
Addy
Now Traeger’s doing paperwork? we are literally falling apart
I do paperwork at my day job. Dick
Addy
Oooh mister big shot police man.
You know what Addy? I think the troughs need cleaning tomorrow and I know just the guy
Addy
You wouldn’t dare
Wouldn’t I though?
Leni Rose
Wish I could have been there to help looks like you’re in good hands though boys. Let me know what’s up with Brooks.
Addy
Holy shit. Leni in the CHAT!
Leni Rose
Dramatic much?
Merc D
I have a theory on Brooky
Ma
No theories. Everyone go to sleep. The cows wait for no man or woman. Leni dear, I miss you.
Leni Rose
Miss you too ma
My body is screaming for a hot shower and a bed.
Shit. I forgot that I’ve been relegated to the couch because I’m an asshole.
The thought of sleeping on that tiny piece of cardboard makes me want to stomp my feet into the gravel like a toddler.
What will Addy say tomorrow if he spies and sees me sleeping on the couch again?
“Goddamnit, you fucking little pussy. Just pull it out!” Leni’s voice immediately assaults my ears as I walk through the door. I peek into the kitchen, taking in the scene before me.
Her brown hair is tied up in a knot on the top of her head, bangs held back with a red bandana.
She’s perched on the kitchen counter, legs crossed, tongue peeking out between her teeth as she concentrates on whatever task has her attention.
I can’t stop myself from wishing I could go over and free her tongue.
Set it loose from her teeth so it could tangle with mine.
I watch, completely entranced. Tonight she’s wearing tiny silk pajama shorts and a loose cotton bralette that barely contains her breasts.
The swell of their underside plays peekaboo with me as she moves.
My dick hardens the second I see the soft, plump flesh.
“Clay?” A mellower Leni speaks my name. Snapping my eyes back to her face, my breath catches when I see her looking at me, her big, glassy eyes meeting mine through thick eyelashes. “I got a sliver,” she whines.
There’s a pause before a laugh that I can’t help bursts out of me.
Leni has always been a baby when it comes to slivers.
She could fall off a two-thousand-pound animal at high rates of speed, and nothing.
Burn her hand on a hot dish in the kitchen?
Barely a tear. Tell her you need to dig a sliver out with a needle, and she’ll run for the hills. Every damn time.
“Glad to see some things don’t change.”
Her eyes narrow, hands dropping into her lap as she considers her options.
Toeing my boots off, I keep my eyes on her, walking into the kitchen to assess her wound. “Fuck, that’s a massive sliver.”
“I know!” she shrieks. The scowl melts from her face as she clutches her finger to her chest.
I wash my hands, then return to where she’s sitting. Using her knees to turn her body toward me, I step into her space. “Where the hell did you get this?”
I inspect the sliver closer; it’s definitely coming out in parts. Glancing at the counter, I notice the tweezers, needle, and peroxide she must have grabbed.
“Climbing out of my bedroom window.”
“What?” I drop her hand, looking her in the eyes. “You went to the main house?”
“I checked the group chat, and I knew everyone was out.”
“Why am I not surprised you used the group chat for evil?”
“Evil?” she scoffs, indignation lighting her voice as I work the wood out. “I’d hardly call walking through my parents’ house evil.”
“I mean, who’s to say you weren’t putting hex bags under their beds?”
She gasps as a jagged edge of the window frame scrapes across her skin. “I only did that one time.”
“Uh-huh.” My eyes meet hers, letting her see the humor in them.
“You would have too if Mercer kept eating your favorite cereal. He didn’t even like it. He only did it so I couldn’t have it.”
“That does sound like Mercer.” I wet a paper towel with peroxide, hoping I got most of the sliver out. I wrap it around her finger, my eyes meeting hers as she lets out a sharp gasp.
“Dick.” Her free hand reaches out to punch me in the shoulder.
“I’m sorry about last night.” I shift my hand to hold hers, keeping the paper towel pressed between her fingers. “I have no right to tell you what to do or how to live your life. I hate seeing you like this.”
She ducks her head, heat rising in her cheeks, and attempts to draw her knees up to her chest. I shake my head, pressing my palm against them to coax her legs back down to the counter.
“Not like that, Leni. You’re not a failure. Having to come back home and figure things out isn’t a bad thing. You’re lucky to have this place to fall back on.”
“I know,” she bites back, defensive.
“I hate seeing you distance yourself from the family. That’s all I meant.”
She stares at me, her gaze so intense I have to look away. I should go upstairs, shower, and make my peace with another night on the atrocity she calls a couch.
“I’m going to tell them. Just not everything,” she corrects, gently taking her finger from my hold to inspect it. “I just need a little bit of time. I filled out a couple of applications back in Benson. I just have to find the right one. You know?”
My chest aches at the thought of her leaving, going back to a life where I won’t see her, hear her voice, or feel her touch.
“Do you not want to teach anymore?” I shake out the thoughts, reminding myself that Leni isn’t mine to keep. Gathering the sliver extraction equipment, I put it back into the correct spots in her first aid kit.
“I don’t know.”
“If you didn’t teach, what would you do instead?”
“Write, maybe?” She brings a finger up, chewing on her nail, eyes searching mine, waiting for me to judge her.
“Like, books?” I turn back to her, barely containing the yawn that’s trying to rearrange my face.
“No, I don’t think books. Articles, maybe? Social media posts? I don’t know, that’s probably stupid.” She slides off the counter, heading for the electric kettle. “Tea?”