Chapter 18 Jennie
The next day was a blur of busy work. Everywhere I turned, a Coleman or Coleman hand was up my ass.
I couldn’t even get Jupiter saddled. I was starting to suspect they knew I’d found the guns, but when I checked the drone nobody had been there.
So I spent the day pretending to read test results on my laptop on the front porch.
It was hot, tedious, and so fucking boring.
By four I was done with it. I changed into fresh clothes, dark jeans, clean boots, and a shirt with no visible stains, which was the equivalent of black tie out here, and spent a full minute deciding whether to bring wine.
I didn’t, but only because I didn’t have any, and I’d had the idea way too late to drive into town and get some.
I gave myself the don't-fuck-this-up talk in the mirror and left.
The drive to the Maddox ranch was fast, too fast, just me and the open road and the knowledge that I was walking into a room where every single person could break me in half if they decided to stop pretending. It was just long enough for me to work myself into a nervous state.
Reid was waiting at the ranch gate on foot, just outside the cattle guard, hands in his pockets. I pulled up, and he opened the door and got in the passenger side before I could park. "This isn’t a formal thing," he said, settling back. He glanced at my boots. "Don’t be nervous."
“They’re terrifying,” I said. “Especially the thought of Midge.”
“She’s honest,” he countered. “But they’re all good people, the best.” He didn’t elaborate but he’d said the important stuff.
I drove up the gravel path and parked with the other trucks.
The large limestone house sat at the top of the rise.
The porch light was on with the screen door propped open with a chunk of river stone.
Something was baking inside, sharp and yeasty, and under it the rich smell of meat that had been stewing for hours.
Inside, the house looked nothing like I'd expected.
I'd braced for taxidermy and chipped china, but the great room had soaring beamed ceilings and a limestone fireplace that ran floor to ceiling, and the table filling the dining room was massive reclaimed barn wood, worn smooth from years of use.
The table was set for eight, each setting perfectly aligned, napkins folded.
Calder stood at the end of the table, holding a water pitcher. He wore a shirt with the sleeves rolled and the top button undone, forearms corded and tanned. He nodded at me, not a smile, but not the opposite, either. “Jennie,” he said. “I’m Calder. Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for the invite.”
He said nothing more but gestured to a seat at the end. “This is my mate, Tess.”
I hadn’t seen her up close before, just from a distance.
She was smaller than I’d guessed, lean, with eyes that seemed to miss nothing.
Her hair was up, but a few coppery auburn strands framed her face, and she wore a plain shirt.
Her hands were clasped tight in her lap, but her posture was pure dignity.
I took my seat. Tess glanced at me, not quite a smile, but a tilt of her head. She didn’t seem like the type to trust easily.
The blonde, Ash, bounded in from the hallway, a bottle of tequila in each hand, carrying the energy of someone who had invented fun.
She wore a tank top that just said FUCK and had three Band-Aids on her right arm.
I didn’t realize wolves could need Band-Aids.
According to lore, they healed fast. I’d have to ask Reid.
She slid into the chair next to Tess, set the bottles down, and winked at me. “I brought the good stuff,” she said, “because tonight’s gonna be a goddamn circus. Ash Navarro, pleasure to meet you finally.” She held out the bandaid-covered arm, and I shook her hand. Damn, what a grip.
“Jennie Cardin.” Saying my fake last name reminded me I hadn’t told Reid my real name yet. Ugh, I had so much to tell him.
Behind her, the woman I was pretty sure was Sloane entered with a tray of deviled eggs and an expression that would have withered a less determined human.
She was dressed for war in a black blouse, black slacks, and her hair slicked into an aggressively tight braid.
She set the tray down, met my gaze, and nodded once. “Nice to meet you, Jennie. I’m Sloane.”
“Likewise,” I said, and tried not to flinch at the way she assessed me, layer by layer. Jesus, she was peeling me apart like an onion. The woman was made of ice.
Midge emerged from the kitchen like a general reviewing her troops. She wore her a stained apron over a flowery shirt and carried a casserole so hot the steam fogged her glasses. She plopped the dish down in front of Calder, pointed at me with a serving spoon, and barked, "You better be hungry."
“Always,” I said, which was true. I loved to eat.
Buck was already at the table, belt buckle catching the light, white hair going every direction it pleased. He caught my eye and grinned like we were old friends, because compared to everyone else in the room, we were. "Good to see you again, Jennie."
A burly man sat two chairs down, coffee cup in both hands, with the air of a very quiet man. Reid said, "Jace Monroe, this is Jennie Cardin." Jace looked up, gave me a nod that said he knew who I was and had made some sort of peace with it, and went back to his coffee.
The first fifteen minutes were controlled chaos. Midge loaded my plate before anyone else. Sloane poured water and tea. Ash spent most of it trying to get Buck to arm-wrestle her before the food was even served, which he declined with the patience of a man who had learned his lesson the hard way.
It was Midge who finally dragged me into the fray. She set down her fork, fixed me with a glare that could have scared a judge, and said, “So. You’re a good eater. Do they not feed you over there?”
I chewed, swallowed, and said, “They eat good, but I really don’t like being around them, so I snatch what I can and take off.”
She grinned, teeth bared. “You come here any time. I’ll feed you. Get some meat on those bones.”
Ash howled, delighted. “Yes, we need more women around here. I can show you how to work a ranch.”
I grinned. “That actually sounds amazing.”
About halfway through the main course, Tess turned to me.
“So,” she said softly. “What do you do when you’re not wrangling the Colemans? Any hobbies?”
“I like to walk,” I said. “Put in my headphones and just keep going until I’m somewhere I don’t recognize.”
She nodded, eyes softening. “That sounds nice. Maybe we can walk together one day. What do you listen to?”
“Podcasts,” I said. “Or old country. Sometimes a comedian.”
She smiled, for real this time. “Oh, I love listening to comedians stand up shows.”
Something in the room relaxed. Maybe the others hadn’t realized how tense it had been, but I’d felt it in the way Sloane kept adjusting her cuffs, the way Ash kept fidgeting, the way Calder clocked every breath.
After that, the pace of dinner changed. Jace told a story about a horse with a taste for chewing tobacco.
Buck recited a limerick so filthy I thought Midge would hit him, but she just topped off his tea and told him he needed new material.
Sloane let her hair down, just a little, and figuratively, of course.
It was all going fine until the back door banged and two men came in through the kitchen, carrying enough field dust to coat the table.
The older one pulled his hat off before he cleared the threshold. "Sorry," he said, to the room rather than anyone specific. He found the empty chair nearest the door, settled in without ceremony, and reached for the bread.
Reid said, "Gray Renner, this is Jennie Cardin."
Gray looked up, met my eyes, and gave me one nod. That was all, but it was enough.
The younger one I was pretty sure was the Maddox younger brother. Eli. He came through behind Gray and didn’t apologize for anything.
He stopped when he spotted me, took in the full table, and said, "Didn't know we were having company."
Sloane arched a brow. “You’re late.”
He ignored her. Instead, he looked at me, eyes sharp. “You run out of people to spy on, or what?”
Calder didn’t move, but he said, “Eli. This is Jennie,” in a very warning tone of voice.
Eli’s lips curled. “What? Just asking.”
Ash said, “Don’t be an asshole,” but she was grinning.
I didn’t look away. “Just here for the food and to meet everyone.”
He shrugged, found a chair at the far end, and started shoveling food onto his plate. I got the sense that if it came to a fight, he’d rather lose than back down first. I respected that, but I also wanted to slap the smirk off his face.
Buck cleared his throat. “Jennie, did I ever tell you how I hurt my leg?”
Everyone around the table had a mixed reaction to his question. Mostly eyes were rolled, but Ash leaned forward with rapt attention.
I’d noticed he had a limp but hadn’t wanted to ask. “No, you haven’t.” Duh, we’d barely spoken, but clearly he was going somewhere with this.
"It was rough. I was attacked by a taxidermied deer at a county fair.”
The table burst out laughing but I was at a bit of a loss for words. “A taxidermied deer?”
“E-yeap. Poorly secured. Hit me at a good ten miles an hour."
The table had devolved into snorts, chortles, and belly laughs. As I began to giggle with them I asked, "A stuffed deer?"
Buck grabbed a biscuit. "Mmhmm. On a cart, careening downhill." He paused, thinking. "Still the fastest I've ever run."
Noah made his entrance ten minutes later and we were still chuckling.
He came through the kitchen with headphones half-on, a tablet in one hand, and a can of Coke in the other.
He grabbed a plate, loaded it up, kissed Midge on the cheek without breaking stride, and was heading for the door when he stopped.
He cocked his head, looked at me, and said, "Hi, I’m Noah. "
I beamed at him. He looked like he was fun. “Jennie.”
He grinned back, headphones snapped in place, and he disappeared into the hall.