Chapter 27 Zach
Zach
Zach positioned a board on top of the previous one, and Travis zipped screws into it, fixing the wood to the posts behind it.
When the sun set early, it meant work often moved indoors on the ranch. Matt Benson said the stable stalls should have been replaced years ago, but today was their lucky day.
A bead of sweat raced down Zach’s temple, oblivious to the frigid temperatures. It continued to slide as he held up another board for Travis to secure. The whirring of another drill came from the other side of the stables as Gage and Matt mirrored Zach and Travis’s work on the other side.
Zach and Travis had just secured the top board on a stall when Bella walked into the breezeway carrying Ariana. The kid was bundled in what looked like a ball of fluff, covered from head to toe and nuzzled against her mother’s chest.
“Dinner is ready,” Bella sang. “Zach, are you staying to eat?”
Travis’s wife invited Zach to stay for dinner every night, and he always declined. Tonight, thoughts of Lauren and her date with some other guy made him hesitate.
“What’s wrong, bud? Cat got your tongue?” Travis asked as he clicked a lid onto a box of screws.
Zach rubbed the back of his head. “I think I’ll head home, but thanks for the invite.”
Bella sighed. “I really thought you were going to say yes this time. I know Lauren isn’t home. She would want you to stay.”
Great. He wasn’t the only one who knew Lauren was dating. Not just dating, but dating someone else. The reminder burned like a hot branding iron.
“Can we not talk about the date?” Zach asked. “Thinking about it makes me want to punch a wall.”
“That’s not saying much,” Travis said. “You wake up and choose violence one out of every three days.”
“Only one in three?” Zach asked.
Gage walked past with a drill in one hand and a box of screws in the other. “Yeah, but the other two are sarcasm and robbery, and those are decidedly less evil.”
Zach and Gage had managed not to maim each other over the last few months. No one mentioned Rome or the circles they used to run in.
Well, Zach was still heading up the Blackwater trade office. Hundreds of gun parts had passed through his organization since he claimed the throne, and every day felt like the prison walls were closing in on him again.
It was guilt. It took him months to figure out what the tightening in his chest was, and he’d finally given it a name.
Lauren still had no idea he’d gone back to running guns, and the secret could destroy everything between them.
The problem was, he couldn’t just step away.
Leaving the business wasn’t an option. Everyone on the inside knew too much, and traitors didn’t live long.
Bella chuckled, bouncing Ariana on her hip. “Stop picking on Zach,” she said, pointing at Gage. Then she turned to Zach, still wearing a casual smile. “Stay and eat with us. Tammy made chicken enchiladas, and they’re amazing.”
Gage walked up with his hands in his coat pockets. “Yeah. You won’t be as tempted to ruin Lauren’s date if you stay.”
“I promised I wouldn’t do anything this time,” Zach said. He had made that promise, and every single bone in his body wanted to rebel against it. “Why do you even know about that?”
“Hadley.” Gage shook his head. “She just wants a normal life. She can have that if you don’t act like a toddler.”
“Gage!” Bella pinned him with a piercing stare.
“You’re right. She’s a whole lot better off if I stay out of it. I’ll take you up on that dinner offer, then I’ll try to grab a couple of overtime hours if that’s okay.”
Matt walked up and shrugged. “Fine by me. We can frame some more stalls after dinner.”
Eating with everyone at Silver Falls Ranch felt like a family affair, except he wasn’t family. They made jokes and took turns playing with Ariana. Tammy Benson hugged Zach like he was her long-lost son, and there was enough food to feed an army.
Gage left as soon as he finished eating, claiming Hadley was getting off work early and he needed to shower before they met up. Bella and Travis said their quiet goodbyes when baby Ariana started rubbing her eyes and crying.
Zach took his empty plate to the sink where Tammy was already washing dishes. “Thanks for dinner.”
Tammy winked at him with a knowing grin. “You’re welcome. Thanks for staying. I don’t get to see you as often as I’d like.”
“You’re not missing anything,” Zach said.
“How is Lauren?” Tammy asked.
“Good. I think. She’s got a date tonight.”
“I heard. Any idea who it is?”
“Some guy she met at work.”
Tammy lowered the plate she was washing and turned to Zach. “At the women’s shelter?”
“The library. She’s still working there a couple of days a week.”
Why couldn’t the guy have decided to go to the library on a day when Lauren wasn’t working? What were the odds she’d find a boyfriend during the few hours she worked?
Tammy resumed her scrubbing. “Oh. That’s good. I worry about her sometimes. She just works too much, and she doesn’t ever take time for herself.”
“You have no idea. Plus, she’s been babysitting me for the last few months.”
Tammy shook her head. “You’re not a child, though, sometimes you’ve acted like one. I truly am proud of you. I can see how much you’ve grown since you started working here.”
“Don’t lose sleep over me. I’m probably a lost cause.”
“There’s no such thing. Besides, I’m secretly hoping you’ll wake up and see what a blessing you have right in front of you.”
Zach narrowed his eyes at Tammy. “What do you mean?”
“Lauren. That woman’s an angel, and she cares about you.”
Angel. He knew it better than he knew his own name. Lauren was unlike any woman he’d ever known. Caring about her and letting her continue to care about him was shackling her to a life sentence she didn’t deserve. She was innocent, and putting up with him and the mess he carried was a punishment.
“That’s her mistake. I’m just a waste of her time.”
Tammy glared at him. “That’s not true. I’m going to keep praying that both of you open your eyes.
Look around you. Do you think any of the people here are perfect?
We’ve all done things we regret. We’ve all made more than our fair share of mistakes.
Yet, here we are, helping each other heal one day at a time.
You’re part of that whether you like it or not. ”
Matt walked in and stepped up to Tammy’s side to press a kiss on her cheek. “We’re going back out to the barn.”
“Don’t work too hard.”
“I never do.” Matt jerked his head toward the door. “Ready?”
He pushed off the counter and followed his boss. “Yeah.” He was ready for anything that would keep his mind off Lauren for the rest of the night.