Chapter Four
Walker
Who knew that my own brother would be the first one I'd have to kill? It's a shame, really. I actually like the fucker. Usually.
"What the fuck did you do with Letty today?" I growl, stomping up to him and Bishop outside of the mess hall.
"What?"
"What did you do with Letty today?" I growl again, my hands shoved into my pockets. Maybe I should stitch the motherfuckers in there. Seems safer at this point, considering how often I'm thinking about throttling someone.
It's been all of twenty-four hours since Tanner hired her, and I've had murder on my mind for at least twenty-three of them.
This is going so well.
"Uh, I helped her move her shit in?" Wade says, a confused look on his face. "I told her about that time you got chased into a creek by a wild boar. She thought that was hilarious, by the way."
"Yeah, well, she thinks you're a eunuch."
"What the fuck? Why does she think that?"
"Because I told her you were a eunuch."
"Jesus Christ." Bishop damn near chokes on his own tongue trying not to fall over laughing.
"You son of a bitch," Wade mutters, scowling at me.
"Stop flirting with my future wife."
My brother stares at me for a long moment before his lips twitch into a grin.
"You jealous asshole," he says. "I wasn't flirting with her.
We were trauma bonding over you being a dick.
And newsflash, I'm pretty sure she'd rather marry the goddamn devil than you at this point.
" He slaps me on the back before sliding around me.
"Good luck changing that, motherfucker. I'm betting against you. "
I scowl at his back, then turn to scowl at Bishop.
He holds his hands up, flashing me a smirk. "I didn't do a damn thing," he says, fighting laughter before he strides after Wade. "Leave me and my cock out of this."
I stand right there for a long moment, trying to get my shit together before I give up, growl a curse, and stomp into the mess hall. It's dead silent. A literal fucking pin could drop, and you'd hear it right now.
What the fuck?
I don't have to wait long to get my answer.
Letty is carrying dishes out from the kitchen, and all eyes are on her. Every damn man in the room is staring like their eyes are about to bug out of their heads.
This ranch is going to have a mass grave soon.
"Are those…churros?" Blaze whispers in awe.
"Holy shit." Anderson snatches his hat off his head, licking his lips. "She made us churros?"
"It smells like real food in here," Bishop groans. "I might cry."
"You might cry?" Abel, who has been doing a lot of the cooking since our last cook quit, shoots him a look. "I might dance on a fuckin' table, boy."
Within seconds, everyone is talking at once, and I realize they aren't staring at Letty. They're all staring at the heaping dishes she's setting up buffet-style.
I push my way to the front of the room, lingering at the table beside her. I'm so close, I see the way her hands shake like she's nervous. She quickly busies herself, fussing with a tray like she doesn't want me to notice, but it's too late for that.
"Let me introduce you," I mutter.
She jerks when my hand lands on her elbow, then nods once.
I place two fingers in my mouth, blasting a sharp whistle across the mess hall. Everyone falls silent again.
"This is Letty Alvarez, our new cook," I say, raising my voice. "Letty, this is everyone."
"Um…hi?" she squeaks, giving everyone an awkward wave.
"Hey, Letty!" they all roar back.
"We love you, Letty!" someone shouts from the back. I don't see who, but I shoot a dark look back there anyway, earning scattered laughter from the men.
"You treat her with respect, or you're out of here," I remind everyone.
"I made you tacos," she says, her voice soft. "And churros for dessert. You can help yourself."
I snatch her out of the way just in time to avoid the stampede.
"Oh. Oh, wow," she says, gaping in shock before she laughs a little. "They must be hungry."
"They've been working all day."
"Oh." She smiles up at me, and for once, there's not a hint of annoyance on her face, just genuine pleasure, as if she's happy that they're happy. "What about you?"
"I'll eat once they do."
"Is that how you normally do it?"
I jerk my chin in a nod. "I've got my own place and the ability to cook for myself. Most of them live in the bunkhouses. Those of us with the ability and resources to cook usually hang back to make sure those who don't eat first. If we run out, we fend for ourselves."
"Oh," she whispers. "Well, I'm pretty sure I overprepared, so there should be plenty."
"Don't count on it, Sunshine." I nod at the men piling their plates high. "These motherfuckers haven't had a decent meal in months. They're going to gorge themselves tonight."
"What have they been eating?"
"Abel's been cooking." I point him out. "At least, he calls it cooking. Sometimes, it's edible. Most of the time, it's burned stew."
She laughs quietly. "Well, I'll mark stew off the menu then."
"Good idea. You should head back to the kitchen."
"What? Why?" She crosses her arms, scowling at me. "Jesus, Walker. I'm not going to cause a riot just because I'm out here."
"That's not—"
"Honestly, I don't even know why I bother with you!" she huffs, throwing her arms up before she stomps away, mad as hell all over again.
This time, I'm not even entirely sure what I did. I just wanted her to take a break after spending the last few hours working. Is that a goddamn crime?
Apparently so.
"Here."
I glance up just in time to see Letty plunk a plate down in front of me on the table, a scowl still firmly on her face.
"Since you wouldn't make it for yourself, I handled it," she mutters.
"Than—"
She stomps away before I can finish thanking her.
I shake my head, watching her go. Guess she's still pissed then.
I sigh heavily, glancing down at the tacos overflowing my plate. They look fucking delicious. I scoop one up, taking a big bite.
Oh.
Oh, fuck me.
It might be good. I don't know. I can't tell because I'm currently choking on the sheer amount of hot sauce poured on it. It's…a lot. A whole helluva lot.
"Problem?" Wade asks beside me, grinning like he knows something I don't.
"Is yours hot?"
"Nope." He crams a giant bite into his mouth for emphasis. "It's fucking delicious."
Oh, I am going to spank her gorgeous little…
I whip my head around, searching for her. She meets my gaze from the kitchen doorway, her chin up like she's just daring me to insult her cooking after I've already insulted her.
Fuck my life.
I hold her gaze, taking another giant bite.
She narrows her eyes at me, scowling.
Sweat trickles between my shoulder blades. My goddamn esophagus screams for mercy. But I just smile through the pain, shooting her a thumbs up.
She turns and stomps into the kitchen.
"She's going to murder you, bro," Wade says, chuckling.
"I know." I drop the taco, grabbing a bottle of water like my goddamn life depends on it. "Jesus Christ. I think she put ghost peppers in it."
I'm sure she hears his laughter in the kitchen.