Chapter Seventeen
Delilah’s confession rode high in Zero’s chest for two days before Tag finally cuffed him across the arm.
“What is wrong with you, man?” Tag asked as they worked side by side to lead the cows into the south pasture.
“Nothing,” he replied automatically, the response he’d been giving everyone for forty-eight of the longest hours he could remember.
And that included the days after he’d left the army and returned home to his shattered family. That period had passed in a blur, aided by the numbness that had crept through him and stayed put pretty much until the day Delilah blasted into his life.
It was only after she showed up that he’d realized the difference between existing and living.
He’d started to thaw out, to believe he could find his own happiness after all, that opening himself up to Delilah wasn’t a betrayal of Rob’s memory.
And then, she’d pulled the carpet out from under him, first by telling him she’d trained his dogs to be something other than cattle dogs and second by walking out the door.
Like he’d meant nothing to her.
But then, had he ever? She’d taken this job knowing she didn’t have the experience needed and then turned his dogs into pets. That betrayal stung.
But not as badly as his own betrayal of his family. Because he’d put himself and his selfish desires ahead of them instead of digging out the truth. He’d let Delilah into his heart, blinding himself to what was happening around his own ranch. If he’d done his job, none of this would have happened.
He literally did not know how to move forward, how to stay where he was at, or if it would be possible to go back to being numb, because frankly, he’d prefer that to the sharp pain stabbing his heart.
Especially given life didn’t pause just because you hurt.
He still had responsibilities and people who counted on him. Cattle that needed to be moved continually, dogs that weren’t earning their keep. Family that drifted around like ghosts of their former selves, convicting him every minute of his crimes against them.
“You can’t lie to me,” Tag scoffed and reset his hat as he went after Smiley, the Hereford that Hunter had claimed looked like she wore a perpetual grin on her cow face, that had wandered off to the left of the others. “I’m your oldest friend.”
Zero shut his eyes for a beat and let that wash over him. Tag still thought of himself as a friend. Not an employee. Zero had been the one to reframe their interaction. Compartmentalizing was what he did, maybe to his detriment, especially when Tag clearly didn’t think anything had changed.
Maybe this was where he could let go of the idea he was so large and in charge he should remain removed from those he’d elected himself caretaker of. It wasn’t like the other way had worked so splendidly he’d recommend it.
Plus, he was tired. So tired of trying to maintain everything. Delilah had been a refuge from that, a bright point in his life. And now she was gone. As he deserved.
“Thanks,” Zero told Tag with a fair amount of gruffness. “For sticking around. It’s been a tough year.”
Tag shot him a glance over his shoulder, grinning. “Was a lot less tough with new blood around here. I was sorry to see Delilah go.”
It wasn’t hard to keep a reaction off of his face as Tag blithely name checked the main source of Zero’s current level of angst—after all, he had a lot of practice not participating in his own emotions.
“She went back to school.” At least that was the impression he’d gotten from Sheridan when she’d returned from town after giving the former dog trainer a ride, since her key fob was still missing.
Not that he’d asked, but his sister had certainly been quick to inform him.
“Apparently she’s getting her doctorate. ”
Tag whistled. “That’s fancy. Shocking that some college girl would agree to spend a lot of time in your dusty barn.”
Yeah, shocking.
No wonder she’d tripped his radar back at the beginning. He should have listened more carefully to his gut. Might have saved him a heap of heartache.
“She didn’t want to come back on the weekends or something?” Tag asked casually and waved his hands at the cattle in a shooing motion. “After the other night, when you kicked us all out, I kind of got the impression maybe something was happening between you two.”
“Nothing happened,” Zero interjected, probably a little too quickly, given the look he got in return from Tag. “We agreed to part ways. That’s all there is to it.”
That and a mile of disappointment and sheer anger he’d let his guard down, only to have his heart stomped flat. Not just stomped. Delilah’s confession had left him with nothing.
He’d started imagining her with him on the ranch, by his side. As his partner in everything, but especially life. That’s why he never should have tried something like winging it. His own heart had gotten confused.
Then she’d left him alone again, with no way to move the ranch forward. No hope for his family to heal. No one to spend his days with. No sound of running water in the bathroom while she took her turn. Just a big, empty hole in his heart and a big void where all of his plans used to be.
That’s what he got for forgetting his family and their welfare came first. Exactly what he deserved. Nothing.
“But where does the training stand? You haven’t said anything about it. Did she train the dogs or what?” Tag asked.
Zero sighed. “I don’t know. It turns out she isn’t actually a dog trainer.”
Why he’d blurted that out, he had no idea.
Okay, maybe he had a small, minuscule hint of an idea.
The whole thing weighed him down to the point of exhaustion, and when Tag had reminded him that they were friends first and foremost…
well, that had meant something to him. Maybe a chance to unburden a little.
Unpack what had happened in case he’d missed something, anything that would make it hurt a little less.
“What?” Tag stopped dead still in the middle of the pasture, ignoring the cattle. “How can she not be a dog trainer? What are you talking about? She worked with the dogs every day. I saw her.”
Yeah, he’d seen her, too, but that didn’t change facts. “She lied about her credentials, plain and simple. So she might have worked with the crew, but she’s not a dog trainer by trade.”
Tag’s confusion mirrored his own. “So she lied about the famous guy being her dad.”
“No.” She might be a lot of things, but a good enough actress to fake the anguish he’d seen in her body language while talking about her father was not one of them. “That part was true.”
“Then help me out here. What did she lie about?”
Zero scowled. “Everything. She didn’t tell me she only took the job for the money.”
“Um, doesn’t everyone take jobs for money?” Tag laughed. “Except me, I guess. I took this job because I live here, and my boss is such a pleasure to work for.”
“Stop twisting this around,” he growled. “She should have told me the truth about her college degree and that she’d never actually trained dogs before.”
“Yeah, because you would have hired her in an instant if she had.” Tag spared him a glance that had far too much smart-aleck in it.
“Have you assessed the dogs at all? I mean, how do you know she didn’t train them?
What if she’s actually pretty good at it and we’re standing around here playing the part of herd dogs when we don’t have to? ”
Zero dug in his heels, about to contradict that nonsense with the truth.
But all at once, the truth didn’t seem so obvious, not after Tag had systematically dismantled all his arguments against Delilah.
She’d even said his grandpa had worked with them, a tidbit he’d glossed over as he’d tried to reconcile the bombshells she’d kept dropping.
Maybe he should have asked a few more questions, but when she’d walked away, the last thing he’d wanted to do was chase after her.
Okay, actually that’s exactly what he’d wanted to do, but he’d forced himself to sit tight and let her go.
“Yeah, okay, you’re right,” he agreed grudgingly, and the world did not in fact screech to a halt the moment he admitted he might not have all the answers. “I’ll grab a couple of them and see what’s what.”
Since Delilah wasn’t around to see him do it, Zero tucked the bag of treats they’d bought at Miller’s the other day into his pocket. When he lifted the latch to let Captain Barbossa out of his stall, the Australian Shepherd bounded out, clearly done with being cooped up.
“Figured you’d be my best bet.”
Zero gave him the command to sit, like he’d seen Delilah do, and without any fanfare, the dog did it. Just plopped his butt right down and cocked his head, staring straight at the pocket with treats, almost like he knew exactly where they were.
The dog was smart, he’d give him that. “Let’s see how smart you are when you meet the cattle.”
Captain Barbossa heeled behind Zero’s left leg as if he’d been doing it his whole life—and Zero had been issuing commands as long, when in fact, this was his first rodeo, something he’d elected not to share with the dog.
That was the key—never let on he had no idea what he was doing. Or at least that was his current plan.
Tag sat on the top rail of the fence, hat tipped back as he watched Zero and the Captain trot across the pasture.
“It’s not a dog show,” he grumbled in Tag’s direction.
“Oh, I beg to differ.” Tag snickered. “It so is. I’m putting my money on Delilah for this one, but either way, it’s going to be worth seeing.”
Ingrate. “Sure, bet against your best friend who also happens to be your boss.”
But if Tag was right, and Captain Barbossa could work with the cattle, that meant the dogs had learned some things from Delilah. Even if Grandpa had worked with the dogs, it hadn’t been around cattle—there hadn’t been any on the premises then.
And that meant Zero had possibly overreacted to her confession, which would be a bad thing to discover at this point.
But his heart leaped into overdrive, hope swelling along with it.