Chapter 11
ETTA
Ilook around the dining hall. Boss is checking on the gate, and running around the perimeter of some field with Cutter and Stone, but most of the guys have come through for coffee over the past hour. Smoky has come in twice.
The guys have all been welcoming and polite. Heck, one of them even wiped the counter after some coffee splashed. They clearly take pride in their work and this ranch.
The only jobs I've ever had were in real estate, and they sucked. This feels much more productive. Even though I’m not doing any physical labor on the ranch, it feels like I’m helping an organization that matters, and I like being surrounded by people who are working on very different projects.
Boss gave me all the passwords for his laptop and left me with a list of things to try to straighten out. I've been taking notes and cleaning up his spreadsheets, trying to devise a system that will make it easier for him to maintain control over the chaos.
Or…possibly for us to maintain control. The more comfortable I get here, the more I think I might stay on, at least for a while. Everything is going so well between us.
The other men seem extremely down to Earth, too. I love that even if they’re tired or something goes wrong, everyone is calm about it. Nobody raises their voice or blames anyone else. It's just work and chores and another day.
Of course, the gorgeous rolling scenery outside every window is another huge perk of being here. I look out to the east to see three brown horses stroll over the top of a hill without a care in the world. Time itself slows down here. It feels deeply good.
I completely zone out while color coding a spreadsheet, then startle when I hear a car coming toward the building way too fast, skidding on the gravel. It sounds like it nearly spins out as it slams to a stop, and I jump to my feet.
"Where the fuck is she?" a man hollers.
My blood runs cold. I know that voice. And I know that tone.
Uncle David comes storming in, steps ahead of my father. "I give you one fucking errand and you go completely off grid?" he howls, marching toward me. "How dare you—"
The back door slams open, and a blurry plaid shirt fills my vision. "Lower your voice. Now." Hunter's voice is pure ice as he stands in front of me. “You will speak to Etta politely or you will not speak to her at all.”
Uncle David and my father jump back, startled, then jump again when Boss and Cutter charge in through the front door.
Cutter immediately stands in front of the two intruders as Boss runs to me and pulls me close. "Who are these guys, baby?"
"Uncle David is the loud one. The tall one is my dad, Ryan."
“Etta, these are horse thieves!” David shrieks. “You should hear what people say about this ranch. The whole town knows. They hide women here from their families. What kind of men do that? There was even something about cultivation of illegal substances.”
“They don’t pay their property taxes, either,” Dad chimes in. “We should be taking their land away, the scum-sucking—”
My field of vision is blocked by Boss’s massive chest, but I hear a couple of thumps and scuffles, then a muffled groan from my father’s direction, as David sputters. I don't know what Cutter did to them, but it made Hunter snort derisively.
“Baby.” Boss looks deep into my eyes. "Do you want to hear what they have to say, or do you want them gone?"
"You can’t just throw them out, can you?"
"They’re trespassing on our property. Legally, we can use any reasonable amount of force to get rid of them." His eyebrow raises. "Although my definition of reasonable might be different than the average person’s."
Stone and Smoky run in, blocking the doors. "Boss, what's going on?" Stone asks.
Boss turns to face the room, keeping me tucked into his side with his arm around me. My father looks stunned to see this man treating me like a girlfriend.
"Those city folk are Etta's uncle and father. The snakes who are trying to scoop up the Jensen farm."
Hunter's eyes narrow. "The Jensens are good people. Which tells me you two aren’t."
"Etta was just supposed to just bring back information," David whines. "One simple task and the stupid bitch can't even—"
"Be silent.” Boss points at my uncle with such fury that the man flinches. "You don't get to speak anymore."
"I'll call the sheriff!" my father screams. "We won't be treated like this."
Cutter grabs them both by the throat, slamming them against the wall. The helpless little squeak my father makes is strangely satisfying.
“You mean Sheriff Bill?" Stone scoffs. “The guy I play cards with every month?”
Hunter chuckles. "Pretty sure we know him a lot better than you, jackass."
The ranchers look toward me. "Do you want them thrown out, Etta?" Boss asks gently.
I shouldn't be enjoying this. They're my family. Then again, they're Grade A assholes. A deep breath does nothing to calm me, but it helps me speak clearly.
"Thank you, gentlemen. Please kick these two off the ranch and tell the sheriff if they're seen here again, they're to be charged with trespassing.
" I pause, hesitating, then realize it doesn't matter anymore. I’m not going back.
"In fact, if they’re seen anywhere near this town again, I'll be sending their true tax numbers to the powers that be. "
My uncle turns white. My father turns red. It’s an interesting contrast.
Then all I see is fabric as Boss pulls me close. "Photograph those two, the car, and the plates,” he commands. “Then send the pics to everyone in a hundred-mile radius."
Boss rubs my back gently, murmuring, "I've got you, baby. I will always protect you.”
I’ve known this man for less than a week, and yet I want to believe him. It’s just all so fast. And I still don’t know how this ranch even makes money.
I still have questions that require answers.