CHAPTER 14
KENDRICK
The sound of a dog barking in the distance rouses me and between one heartbeat and the next, I’m wide fucking awake.
Even though the last thing I want to do is leave Eliza alone in bed after being inside of her for the first time, if I have the chance to find out who has been fucking with the ranch, I have to take it.
I jump out of bed and grab my jeans, my movements jerky as I listen to the dog barking. The sound isn’t coming from far away which has me on edge. I pull a henley over my head while I fly out of the room, slowing down just enough to shove my feet in my boots and grab the jacket hanging by the door.
I’m out the door in record time. I notice the light from a flashlight in the distance not far from where he tried to cut the fence last time. The growl I let out is filled with frustration because, again, the asshole is on Ford’s land.
Did I believe Ford when I shouldn’t have? It would be really fucking stupid of him to send someone to fuck with the fence after I confronted him today. Or is it the perfect time and the man is diabolical. I don’t know and right now I don’t care.
I see some movement coming from the bunk house, but I don’t pay any attention to it. Cliff lives out there with whoever we have working for us, which, right now, is only a handful of guys. He keeps things straight out there and I’ll never be able to tell him how much I appreciate it.
My steps are, thankfully, quiet, as I race across the grass. The barking dog doesn’t let up, the sound becoming more insistent and almost panicked. One thing I do know is the dog has earned his ass a steak.
I don’t know how the guy cutting the fence doesn’t hear me, but I’m able to get to the fence and get a good grip on the fucker before he lets out a startled yelp. Then Cliff is next to me and grabbing ahold of him as well.
We work together to haul him over the barbed wire of the fence, not giving a single fuck if he gets hurt in the process. I’m quick to pull the bandana covering his face down around his neck. It takes all of my willpower not to use it to strangle the destructive piece of shit, but I manage.
Barely.
Cliff’s voice is filled with confusion, “Cody Hilton?”
“Hilton? As in Pastor Hilton?” I bark out the questions, still trying to process what the fuck is going on since sleep is still clinging to the edges of my consciousness.
I was just in bed with my woman minutes ago. Now, I’m holding onto the pissant who has been fucking with my ranch.
“Yeah,” Cliff grunts, “that Hilton.”
I get right in Cody’s face, not caring that his eyes are filled with fear. They fucking should be. “Why have you been fucking with my ranch? You’re really fucking lucky I didn’t just shoot you first instead of wanting to get some damn answers.”
Cody winces every time I cuss, and I almost bark out a laugh at the spineless piece of shit in front of me. His hands are raised in surrender and he’s practically shaking like a leaf. This kid is barely cut out for the sabotage he’s been committing, and I feel like I’m missing something.
“I wanted to buy it,” his voice wobbles and he’s not even looking at me as he answers me.
“No one sells any of these ranches and I knew it would be too hard to start one of my own,” he tries to explain, the words rushing out of him as if it’ll make it better.
It won’t. “I’ve been saving for years and Dad said he’d help me if a ranch were to come up for sale. ”
“You want to be a rancher?” Cliff’s voice is incredulous as fuck.
I can’t say I blame him. The thought of this kid working the land and raising cattle for slaughter is downright fucking comical. He barely has the constitution for the underhanded tricks he’s been pulling.
“Even with Daddy giving you some money,” my dad’s voice comes from close by and I barely stop myself from jumping out of my skin, “you wouldn’t be able to afford my ranch.”
“I could,” Cody whines.
When I look back at Dad, I glare at him and grit out, “You shouldn’t be out here.”
He huffs out an annoyed breath. “The dog barking woke me up. I heard the front door slam behind you and knew you were on the case. I called Sheriff Gaines.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, he turns and starts to slowly make his way back toward the house. Fucking hell.
“Thanks, Dad,” I say to his back.
Even though he doesn’t turn around, he throws up a hand in acknowledgement. I should count myself lucky that he doesn’t flip me off as he does. I was a dick to him for no reason. The man has been working this land his entire life.
“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath.
Since I can feel Cliff glaring at me, I don’t bother looking his way. Instead, I focus back on Cody. He’s clearly petrified. His reaction to being caught does lessen the need I have to kill him, but I’m still pissed.
“You came onto my land to fuck with us because you wanted to become a rancher?” My voice is filled with indignation as I spit the question at him. “You’ve never fucking run a ranch and you would be the worst rancher in the history of cattle raising.”
He tucks his chin against his chest in shame just as I see headlights in the distance. I give Cody a shake which has him whimpering. I roll my eyes hard, to the point I’m not sure if they’ll ever go back to normal.
Cliff starts grumbling under his breath while falling into step next to me as I haul the fucker messing with my land toward the house. I’m not paying attention to what Cliff is saying, but Cody whimpers with every step we take.
“You’ve been sneaking onto my land and fucking with our operations for far too long. What were you thinking? You were bound to be caught at some point.”
“My plan was working,” he fires back like I couldn’t do some damage to him before Gaines gets to the house.
“Your plan was stupid,” I bark at him.
“It would have worked.”
When I glance at him, the kid is fucking pouting. Pouting! I’m so stunned that I almost trip over my feet before I get my shit together. Is he fucking for real? Is he delusional or just dumb?
While it doesn’t matter, since I caught him, I’m stunned at his audacity. Did he really think he’d be able to swoop in, buy the ranch, and then turn it around and make it something he could be proud of?
“You wouldn’t have lasted six months,” I grit out.
The look he gives me, while coated in fear, is disbelieving. Even now he’s sure he could succeed in working the land and raising cattle. Being caught hasn’t helped reality crash into him at all.
We round the side of the house just as a car door slams. I look over to find Sheriff Gaines watching Cliff and I with weary eyes like we’re the ones who might be up to no good instead of the kid who is a sniveling mess between us.
I glance over at the porch to find Eliza standing next to where my dad is sitting in a rocking chair. Her hair is piled up on the top of her head, and her body is covered in a robe which looks soft and fluffy.
The growl I let out is a mixture of turned on and annoyed. The thought of anyone seeing her like this, including Dad and Cliff, has me seeing red. Then add in Gaines and Cody? I’m practically fucking frothing at the mouth in seconds.
When I glance over at Gaines, he’s glaring at Dad who has a smirk playing on his lips.
There is some sort of story there, but Dad has never told me and I’m not going to ask the Sheriff.
Whatever went down between them runs deep considering the hatred in their eyes whenever they see each other.
They’re about the same age and I think they were in the same graduating class.
Maybe their beef started way back then, and maybe Fred Conners was included in whatever happened.
Regardless of their history, Gaines has no choice but to help us with our problem now. Cody has been caught red-handed and I’m not going to stand for anything less than the book being thrown at him.
“Sheriff,” Dad greets the man which pulls Cody’s attention toward the porch.
I almost let go of the kid when he stiffens and then starts to thrash in my hold. His eyes are fixed on my woman, which has me letting out another growl, this one all warning. He completely ignores me and demands, “What are you doing here?”
Eliza’s eyebrows furrow together, and she actually looks behind her as if she’s trying to figure out if he’s talking to her or someone else. When her eyes meet mine, the confusion at his question is written all over her face.
“I live here now,” Eliza’s voice comes out strong and sure. “This is my home.”
“And I’m her man,” I add, not wanting there to be any room for doubt in anyone’s mind.
Sheriff Gaines blinks a few times before looking between Eliza, Dad, and myself. He shakes his head; the action filled with disappointment which makes me bristle. He can think she’s too good for me. She is, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing. She’s still mine.
“What?” Cody thrashes even harder and tries to move toward the porch. “No,” he shrieks and looks at Eliza with pleading eyes, “you can’t be serious. You’re supposed to be mine.”
“Cody,” Eliza sounds shocked as she takes a step back and Dad stands up from the rocking chair, “what are you talking about? We aren’t even friends. The only time we’ve talked is when you’ve come into Falls Market, but only if you needed my help finding something.”
Cody scoffs, his voice turning dark and threatening, “No one needs your help at the market, Eliza.” The way he says her name sets me on edge.
How can one word hold so much venom? “The layout hasn’t changed in over thirty years.
Do you really think people can’t find the same food they’ve been buying every week for their entire lives? ”
Eliza shrinks back, but Dad is there and wraps an arm around her shoulders as he glares at Cody. Cliff is blustering so hard that I eye him while wondering if he’s the next man going down with a heart attack.
“I was giving you time after breaking up with him,” he spits the word like saying the name of Eliza’s ex would cause him to be sick.
“It was just a matter of time before you noticed me and gave me a chance. We would make the perfect couple, and we could get the ranch off the ground together once I’m able to buy some land.
” His eyes travel down her body, and he leers, “You have the perfect hips for birthing lots of babies.”
Eliza’s mouth falls open and Gaines, finally, decides to get involved. He’s probably enjoying the show but recognizes I’m about a second away from losing my shit and pummeling the pastor’s son into the ground. It would be a righteous act as far as I’m concerned.
“Okay,” the Sheriff grunts while stepping up while I’m seething, “that’s enough, Cody. Let’s take you down to the station to get booked.”
Cody swings his gaze away from Eliza, which is clearly difficult for him to do. “I’ll get my phone call when I get there?”
The kid is not nearly as worried about this as he should be. It leaves a sour feeling in my gut, but I’m going to ensure Cody gets everything coming to him. He’s been breaking the law left and right for a while now.
I don’t let myself think about how his plan wasn’t too far off from working. I can’t.
Only once the Sheriff’s taillights are almost out of sight do I move up the steps and toward my woman. The moment I’m close enough, I hook my arm around her waist and pull her straight into my chest.
“I’m going to bed,” Cliff grumps from behind us, “sunrise doesn’t stop for some idiot kid with stupid plans.”
I hear him stomp off, but I don’t move from where I’ve buried my face in my woman’s hair. While breathing her in, my eyes close as my brain struggles to process everything that has happened. It almost feels like a dream, but I know it’s not. It was too real and too ridiculous.
My father’s hand comes down on my shoulder right before he murmurs, “I’m glad you’re home, son.”
Eliza and I stand there in each other’s arms as the sound of his footsteps recede. All I can do is breathe her in before I scoop her up in my arms and carry her back to bed. The problems dragged into the light tonight will be there tomorrow, right now all I need is the woman in my arms.