16. Denton
DENTON
We were in court for nearly six hours. After three of those hours, we discovered the Kenzingtons have been buying up small parcels of land around bigger ranches for years.
They would purchase senior water rights and file a “corrected survey.” After that, they were able to manipulate easements and access to the river beds.
Somehow in the mumbo jumbo fucked-up world of laws and ownership they could claim the rights to that property. It’s what’s called a boundary dispute. And the Kenzingtons are so slimy they just hope the owner of the ranch doesn't notice. Eventually, no water equals no ranch.
Over time they set up a claim to the land and take possession of it. That’s exactly what they did to the Lazy C Ranch. It took a couple of years but eventually they got away with it.
Now they thought they could do the same thing with the Saxxon Ranch.
Luckily Sorrel is on top of her shit and caught them right away.
It turns out she was onto them months ago.
God, she was mind-blowing in there. She radiated confidence and had done her research.
She had every piece of paper the judge—who was clearly in on it with the Kenzingtons—asked for.
Surveys, title records, and public findings.
The judge tried to refuse some of the evidence—I think Mr. Saxxon had some dirt on him—after he went up and had some private words with the judge, he straightened out real quick. Gotta love small towns.
I could tell the Kenzingtons’ betrayal hurt Sorrel more than she let on.
She confided in me that Mrs. Kenzington started to feel like a second mom to her when they were together.
She said Huck and his dad were the conniving ones and that she actually felt sorry for his mom. I could absolutely believe that.
When Huck and I college rodeoed on the same team, his dad was always real hard on him.
Always rubbed the other parents the wrong way.
I felt bad for Huck until I realized he was just like his father.
Just because your old man is a dick, doesn't mean you have to be one too. I would know. But damn if I didn’t try to be his friend when we first started school.
He was always a great bareback rider but it was his cocky attitude that always got him in trouble. Clearly he never changed.
I’m waiting out in the hall for them to finish up, checking a few emails when I get a text from my buddy about performing at a pro rodeo this weekend. I start up a group FaceTime call with the guys to make sure they’re all in. I’m sure they’re itching to get back on stage.
“Hey, y’all, there’s a pro rodeo in Great Falls this weekend. The Big Sky pro rodeo. It’s three days and we got offered to perform every night. Y’all in?”
“I’m in,” Parker says while he’s brushing his teeth in the background.
Johnny pulls his wild dark hair out of his face. “As long as Sorrel's hot friend is gonna be there I’m in,” he chides.
Grady chimes in next. “She’s way out of your league, dude.”
“Yeah right, she totally wants me. We’d make the cutest little tan babies together.”
Johnny has a mischievous grin on his face. I look over my right shoulder and see Sorrel is standing behind me.
“Did you guys know she was there the whole time?”
They all start laughing, Sorrel too.
“Well, I guess you have some matchmaking to play,” I say to Sorrel and then look back at my phone. “All right y’all better be ready this weekend. I gotta go.” I hang up the phone and smile, looking up at Sorrel.
“What’s this weekend?” she asks.
“We just got an offer to perform at the Big Sky rodeo all weekend. Are you gonna enter?”
“I’m entered,” she says, giving me a smirk.
The corners of my mouth turn up. “And you weren't gonna tell me, were you?”
“Nope, figured you were playing anyways,” she says, walking away, changing the subject. “So, the rest of the family got hotel rooms to stay in town tonight, but I want to get back to the ranch since I left Dash. I can drive—”
“No, it’s fine. I’m good to drive.”
My stomach dips thinking about Sorrel and I being alone at the ranch together.
There’s always been someone around so it’s been difficult to get any alone time with her.
We would have over an hour car ride home and the rest of the night alone.
I can’t deny how excited I am to be around her some more.
Especially just the two of us. Still, I’m not trying to rush anything with her.
I know the kind of trauma she’s been through isn’t the kind of thing you just get over.
Something similar happened to my sister and it didn't just hurt her, it hurt us all. It took years of therapy before she was able to start dating. Hell, I probably should have gone to therapy too. The anger and hate I felt in my soul took time for me to move past but music helped. I wrote a song for my sister and it was healing for all of us. I’m a huge advocate for women who have been in similar situations and I do what I can to give back.
Any man who does something like that to a woman is no man in my eyes.
They’re the scum of the earth. I just wish the legal system were better.
If it were up to me, I would have taken things into my own hands and gotten justice for my sister—but I’d probably be in prison right now—and I’ve learned that you have to let the victim handle it how they want.
You can’t force anything on them. I know her situation is different from what happened to my sister.
But it still doesn't make what Huck did okay. So, I’ll do the best I can to be there for Sorrel—even if it’s never anything more than just friends.
On that thought maybe she doesn't feel comfortable being alone with me? Maybe I ought to let her drive herself home.
“Are you sure you’re comfortable with me driving you home alone tonight?”
“Uh yeah, just said I was. Why? Am I gonna find out you're like Garth Brooks and everyone thinks you’re actually a serial killer?”
I start full-blown belly-laughing. “People think he’s a serial killer?”
“Yeah, there’s a whole Reddit thread about it. Let’s just say I went down that rabbit hole one day, and honestly, I think they might be onto something.”
“Well, I’m not a serial killer. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable, that’s all.”
She purses her lips in thought. “I do feel comfortable with you, Denton.”
And there goes my heart again.
Sorrel asks all kinds of questions as we drive home.
Everything from wanting to know about me and my family, to being on the road and performing in honkytonk bars.
Anytime I try to turn the subject back to her, she changes it again and asks more about me.
Her curiosity’s peeked and I think she’s trying to figure me out.
If she doesn't know by now, I’m an open book.
I tell her everything she wants to know.
“So how are you feeling now that all that legality stuff is over? Was it hard seeing Kenzingtons’ parents again?” I ask, finally getting a question of my own in.
We’re almost back to the ranch now. Lightning strikes in the distance and it looks like a storm is coming in. There go my plans of sitting out on the porch with her all night. I want to know how she’s feeling before she can run off into her cabin.
“I feel relieved. I hope it will get him off my back. Part of me wishes Huck would have been there so I could see the look on his face when he realized they lost. But truthfully, I’m glad he wasn’t there,” she replies.
I feel my jaw clench when I think about him being anywhere near her.
I tried to be the nice guy with him but I’m threw with that shit.
Something in me feels protective over Sorrel now.
I probably don’t have the right to be but I can’t deny the feeling.
If he comes near her, I don’t know what I’ll do next.
“Honestly, Sorrel, if he doesn't quit harassing you, I think you might have to file a restraining order.”
“Look, Denton, I don’t need you to get involved in my drama any more than you already have. I’m a big girl and I can handle myself.”
My grip tightens on the steering wheel. Her reaction confuses me.
“Hey, I got involved by default and I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Just trying to give you some advice, Sorrel.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t—do you see that smoke?”
We’re curving around the last bend of the mountain, and down in the valley is a cloud of smoke growing bigger by the minute.
“That’s the ranch! Hurry up! Drive faster!”
I put my foot to the floorboard driving as fast as I can down the dirt road.
The gate is open to the ranch, which is strange this time of night.
There’s a small fire in one of the fields and the hands are already working on putting it out.
They have the water truck in the field spraying water all over the fire.
It looks like they have it under control but I still wonder if I should call for help.
“Oh thank God,” Sorrel says, putting her hand to her heart. “Drive up to the barn. I want to check on the horses.”
As we veer around to the barn, Sorrel opens up the truck door before I can even blink and jumps out while we’re still driving.
I slam on the brakes. She’s frantically screaming for help as she runs but no one is around to hear.
All of the hands are in the west field putting out the first fire we saw.
I throw the truck in park, running after Sorrel. She’s almost to the barn. The building is engulfed in flames. She runs straight in before I can stop her.
I follow her in shielding my face from the smoke and flames.
“SORREL! Where are you? Sorrel!” I scream for her but I can’t see her through the smoke.
Clint's office is to my right, and I try to turn the door handle, but the knob singes the skin on my palm. I kick with the heel of my boot over and over again until I kick the door down.
The fire hasn’t spread to the office but Sorrel isn't in there. Fear pierces my chest—if anything happens to her—I can’t let my mind go there right now. Staying cool under pressure is what I do.
I can do this.
I spot the red fire extinguisher and grab it before running farther into the flames.
I spray at the flames trying to clear a path. The smoke drifts away for a mere second. At the other opening of the barn is the silhouette of a figure in black wearing a cowboy hat. I can’t see who it is.
“Help! Please help!” I beg.
They take off running in the opposite direction.
Smoke begins to fill the barn again. I continue spraying, running through the barn looking in each stall when I finally see Sorrel. She’s in Duke's stall trying to coax him out. It looks like she got all of the other horses out, but he’s spooked and won’t leave his stall.
I run over to them still spraying with the fire extinguisher. Sorrel is trying to lead Duke by his jowls and I spray at the fire around them. Breathing is becoming difficult and I can feel myself losing oxygen.
Duke rears back as I spray and it all happens so fast. The fire extinguisher goes empty.
Duke is on his hind legs, and when he rears back, he hits Sorrel in the head knocking her unconscious.
He runs over her limp body, missing her by an inch.
I crouch down to try and pick her up but I feel so weak.
I take cover over her as pieces from the barn begin to fall.
“Sorrel…” I wheeze and begin coughing. I can’t get enough air into my lungs.
Next thing I know the world goes black.