Chapter 14 Sam
SAM
Iknow she’s doing this to torture me. Logically, I know this.
Practically? I can’t take my eyes off her.
Dolly Redford’s ass was made to distract men from getting any fucking work done.
And I can’t be distracted right now. I have cattle to sort, brand, and vaccinate.
I have twenty-two ranch hands working here, who need organized, directed, and kept safe.
I have profit margins to worry about, decisions to make on which cows to keep, which steers to butcher, and which ones need to be taken to the sale barn.
I can’t afford to get caught up in the smell of her hair or the curve of her waist dipping into that ridiculously short skirt.
Who makes skirts that short, and why?
I need to fucking fight. I need to use my fist to beat a man’s face in so I can clear my head—preferably Joe’s because he’s been staring at Dolly more than the rest of them.
“Joe, you here for the sights or to fucking work for me?” I bellow across the arena.
Joe startles, eyes widening as he jumps up to tag the steer that’s waiting inside the chute. I make a mental note to fire him later.
“Yo, tight-ass, where’s the fire? We’re making good time,” Duke hollers at me from the top of the horse he’s riding as he sorts the cattle into the right pens.
Sterling chuckles, shaking his head. He’s beside me, keeping notes on a clipboard of the tag numbers of which cows we’ve vaccinated.
“Did we give fifty-two a shot?” I ask.
He consults his notes. “Yeah.”
“So, what brought you home early? Thought you had another year or so.”
“Injury. I have four months of leave to recover at home. I’m hoping to head back in two though.”
I look over at him. He looks fine, albeit a little sweaty after working for just one hour. “I had no idea. Glad you’re here for a bit though.”
He nods, his face solemn.
Sterling has always been the quietest Redford sibling. He’s right above Duke in age, the middle child. He’s an inch shorter than my six-three frame, and his shoulders are massive. He has a typical military haircut and the same dark hair as everyone in his family.
“Whoever this fucker is threatening my family will die before I leave though.”
I nod, not doubting for a second that he means it. Whoever it is, they have a rude awakening coming with the Redford men. Between Holden, Cash, Sterling, and Duke, they’d be a fool to try anything.
“Has Holden gotten any more letters?” I’m trying to focus on the cattle and this conversation while simultaneously blocking Dolly’s body from my peripheral vision.
Sterling’s face hardens. “Yeah, he did. He asked us to come over for a meeting tonight. He wants you there.”
“Fuck,” I curse.
My gaze automatically skirts to where Dolly is perched in a lawn chair on the platform near the middle of the arena. She’s reading a book, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around us. Her face is shaded by her pink cowboy hat, legs crossed at the knee.
My chest aches with the unbridled desire to keep her safe.
She’s okay. She’s here with you.
“She doesn’t need to know. You’re doing a big thing, keeping her here. We’re grateful to you, Sam. You’re like a brother to us.” Sterling’s gaze meets mine, a flicker of emotion in the depth of his dark eyes.
I nod, looking out over the arena. “I’d do anything to help y’all out.”
“We know that. And it means a hell of a lot more than you can imagine.”
I don’t reply, shoving down the emotions that coat my throat.
Sterling is more emotionally vulnerable than Duke has ever been.
Duke is always joking around, making threats about touching his sister that sound empty, but I know there’s a hidden sharpness to them.
Sterling is quiet, but when he does say something, he’s more real and raw.
“Hey, get that one! Don’t let him out!” I yell at Joe, who is once again focusing on Dolly instead of his job.
The cow escapes the chute, barreling toward the exit to the field before he can get his vaccines and my brand on his ass. I grab the rope hanging on the fence beside me and swing the lasso up in the air.
The calf flies by me, but he doesn’t get far because I throw the lasso around his neck and stop him. I hold it tight while Joe hurries over to scoop him up and carry him back to the chute.
“Sorry, boss,” he mumbles.
I glance up just in time to see Dolly’s gaze on me. She looks like a vintage pinup wet dream come to life, and I already know I’m going to have a hard time not thinking about the outfit she’s wearing later on—when I’m alone.
The Redford family dinner that night is hosted by Holden and Rosie at their house. After devouring the fajitas Holden cooked for us with beef from their ranch, Duke, Sterling, Holden, and I sit around the table for a game of poker while Rosie and Dolly play with the girls in the backyard.
Sterling mentioned to me that they don’t want Dolly knowing there’s a new development with the threat against the family. I don’t feel comfortable keeping it from her, but knowing Holden, I don’t think he would unless he had a damn good reason.
He lights up a cigar, the end glowing orange as he levels me with a heavy look. “How’s it going with Dolly at Moonlight?”
Duke is pouring four glasses of bourbon from the decanter. He hands me one.
“It’s fine.” I choose not to elaborate on the outfit choice today, but Duke takes matters into his own hands.
“It’s more than fine. Sam is getting to experience what it’s like to have a woman around, and get this: He tried telling her to go change her clothes.”
Holden’s lips twitch into a smirk. “And he’s still breathing?”
I lift the glass to my lips and take a long swig as a round of chuckles circles the felt table.
I catch a glimpse of her outside the window as she bends down to give Bonnie, one of the twins, a flower she picked.
The lower crease of her ass shows as the skirt rides up.
Birdie runs up to join her twin sister, reaching for her own flower. Dolly bends even farther down.
I shake my head and look away.
“I’m more amazed she didn’t immediately pack her bags and move back home,” Sterling muses.
Duke snickers. “She’s lasted longer than I thought both of you would be able to take. You’re a lone wolf. If she’s driving you out of your mind, we need to know.”
I take another long swig of the amber liquid, feeling the weight of all three of their gazes before answering. Cash must be busy somewhere with Monroe tonight.
“What’s the new development?” I ask.
Holden pulls another drag from his cigar. Duke is lighting up his own, and he offers me one. It smells damn good, so I nod.
Holden clears his throat. “I got two more letters. One of them was served certified mail from a lawyer’s office in Austin.
I’m being sued for wrongful death for the murder of Cain by a woman who’s claiming to be Cain’s former long-term partner.
Apparently, he supported her financially, and she was raising his child.
” He pauses, tapping the cigar gently on an old-fashioned ashtray.
“The second was addressed to Dolly. It appears to be from the original sender of the letters sent to me. This one targets her much more directly.”
He tosses the envelope on the table near me. I pick it up, my heart rate increasing as I see her name scribbled on the front with the address to Redford Ranch. I pull out the paper inside. It’s handwritten, like the last one. A picture falls out with it.
Sluts like you reek of desperate attempts to escape the consequences of your own actions. You think your safe. But I’m never far behind, never miss a thing. You will pay for what you caused. Your the reason he’s dead, and someday soon, you will join him in the grave.
I pick up the photo. It’s Dolly, smiling on the front porch of the main ranch house. She’s sitting next to Pops, drinking coffee.
A spike of cold, thick fear slices through me like a knife. This threat is more direct and targeted toward Dolly specifically, blaming her for Cain’s death even though Holden pulled the trigger.
I run a hand over my mouth. “Fuck.”
I finish off my bourbon before looking back up. Duke is already refilling my glass. Their faces are a mix of somber rage and quiet resolve.
“What if it’s a ranch hand working for one of us?” I ask.
Holden leans forward. “Have you hired anyone new in the last six months?”
I nod. “Couple of guys. One’s got a record, but he was locked up somewhere up north. The other one didn’t have much on his résumé. Said he worked for different ranches in Montana and Idaho.”
Duke shakes his head. “I don’t think that matters. Whoever it is has to be connected to Cain somehow. I think the letters are linked to the lawsuit. We should start there. Let’s hire a private investigator to follow that woman around.”
Sterling speaks up. “I agree. We can’t just go around firing all the new ranch hands or investigating all of them without the ranches suffering. We have a better chance at smoking this fucker out by following the one lead we have—the lawsuit.”
I try to remain calm, but my composure is crumbling.
Dolly is in danger. We have no idea who the man is or why he cares so much about Cain’s death.
The fierce protectiveness I feel for her is making me question my motives, but I can’t let myself get too dragged into the why.
What matters now is her well-being, not my growing attraction to her.
“How old is his kid she was supposedly raising?”
“The lawsuit states he’s an eight-year-old boy,” Holden answers.
Duke slaps his hand against the table. “I’m so sick of this shit coming back to haunt us. You were pardoned and released from prison. There’s no reason why anyone should have grounds for a lawsuit after all this time.”
His anger and frustration are justified.
Sterling sighs. “It’s fucked up, but people can sue you for almost anything. Have you talked to the lawyer?”
Holden nods, drumming his fingers on the felt table. “Warner is looking into it. The lawsuit isn’t the main problem at this point. Keeping our family safe is. If we have to settle, we’ll settle.”
Duke shakes his head. “Fuck no. She doesn’t deserve a dime. Cain was a worthless rapist scumbag.”
I’m on his side, but this is family business. I sit back, studying the poker chips in the center of the table that no one has touched.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, Sam, but I think Dolly staying at Moonlight indefinitely is a better option than her being here.
The letter was sent to Redford Ranch, so he probably doesn’t know she’s left.
Have we made sure she’s turned off her location on all her social media and her phone, in case he’s somehow added her on there? ”
Duke nods. “She gave it to Sterling earlier to make sure.”
Sterling has always been the most tech savvy of the brothers. I know he does something in the military with intelligence, but he can’t tell any of us what it is exactly.
Sterling nods. “She does have some new dating app though. It doesn’t share her location. She’s talking to a few different guys on it. And she’s texting someone named Ben who wants to take her out on a date.”
My blood chills.
She can talk to different men. She can go on dates.
What’s the app called?
Holden runs a hand over his face. “Fuck. I know I’m gonna sound like a dick for this, but she can’t meet up with anyone alone. Duke, you’ll have to be her chaperone.”
Duke holds up his palms. “She’s still pissed at me for the last time I crashed her date.”
“I’ll do it.”
Was that my voice?
Three pairs of eyes swing to meet mine.
Holden nods. “All right, that settles it. I’ll talk to her about it.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask Sterling which dating app it is. I’ve been suspicious that she could be @redreads on Soulties.
Okay, I’m not stupid. I’m ninety-nine percent sure it is her based on what she said about her brother and his friend fighting, but I didn’t know she knew we did that. And obviously, the name Red and the fact that Dolly reads so much is a clear indication that it could be her.
I keep my mouth shut as Holden starts shuffling the cards. Because there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to confirm if it’s her or not because as long as she’s still technically anonymous, I can talk to her without my guilty conscience eating me alive.