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“Sure thing, Mr. Kipp,” Cooper said as he bounded out the door. “Which one of you is Griff? You have to help me!” he yelled down the hallway. I couldn’t help but smile. The boy was my light.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Kipp asked as he stayed squatting beside me, his eyes narrowing in on me like they could see into my soul.
“I didn’t want to be in the way. You and the men have put in a long day and don’t need to worry about us.” Smiling, I tried to keep my voice light, but I didn’t feel light. I was starving, and I hated being weak.
“You eat with us. You’re part of this ranch. We don’t have a hierarchy here. You might not be out working cattle or breaking horses, but you will be working your ass off to keep us fed. Now get up and get some food into you. You’re too thin, you’re going to blow away when the winds pick up.”
He arched his brow and waited for me to respond. Taking a slow, deep breath, I noticed how he smelled. Pine, oranges, and something I couldn’t put my finger on made the hair on my arms stand up. Standing, I held my hand out for him to take as he groaned, moving out of the position he’d held for too long. “Thanks,” he mumbled, but didn’t let go of me. I stared down at his large tan, calloused hand against my smooth one. It seemed to engulf mine, but him standing next to me made me seem extra small. He towered over me and all the fears I had were gone when he was near. Pulling my hand away I walked out of the room ahead of Kipp. Closing my eyes briefly, I silently let out a breath, biting my lip. That man was something.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KIPP
Icould have wrung her neck for not eating with us. How could she think I would treat her so poorly as to eat the scraps that were left over? Grabbing my phone out of my shirt pocket, I opened it and scrolled through my contacts. I hadn’t used a Private Investigator in years. My life no longer required it, but I kept him around.
Me: Hey Phil, I need you to look someone up.
Phil: Hey Pal, long time no talk. You’re back in the game? Sure, what’s the name?
Me: No, just ranching these days. Name is Nora Belfort.
Phil: Give me a few days, I’ll call.
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, a wave of guilt washed over me, but I needed to know about her. If she needed help, I needed to know.
Cooper had taken a seat beside Griffin and was sitting on his knees looking at his plate with the widest eyes as Griff cut his food for him. “This is all I’ve ever wanted for him,” Nora whispered as she blinked and turned her back, wiping away a tear that had escaped.
“I don’t know what your situation is, Nora, but this will always be the way he’s treated here.” Suddenly, I realized my hand was on her back. Warmth emanated from her, and I realized I needed to keep her and Cooper here.
“Hey, Coop, I think we need to find you a horse in the morning,” I said, as I moved away from Nora. It was too dangerous being that close to her. Sitting back down at the table, I grabbed my napkin, placed it on my lap, and watched Nora come into the kitchen and sit down beside me. So much for not being close to her.
She scooped a piece of lasagna and set it on my plate before putting some on her own. We would have a talk about that later too. “I’m not sure a horse is a good idea.” Nora didn’t even turn her head, just moved her eyes to look at me.
“This is a ranch, Nora. Everyone needs to know how to ride.” Cutting my lasagna, I took my first bite and knew why the guys were so quiet. This was the most delicious thing I’d ever eaten. “That includes you,” I added between bites.
“I know how to ride. I don’t need lessons.” It was so nonchalant I was taken by surprise.
“You know how to ride a horse, Mamma?” Cooper asked, his eyes wider than the plate in front of him.
“Yep, kiddo, I do. Learned a long time ago, not much older than you.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip, because she knew she’d stepped in it and now there was no turning back. “Uh, I guess we’re horse shopping tomorrow.” Shaking her head, she took a bite of her meal as we all chuckled and nodded in agreement.
“Kipp, I have a request,” Nash, who was seated to my left, said as he pushed his plate away from him and leaned on the table. “Can you please not piss this cook off? She’s the best one we’ve had yet, and I don’t want you to make her so mad she up and quits.” Nash looked at me and smiled.
“Shut up,” I groaned as I wiped my face with my napkin. One meal, that’s how long she’d been here and already I felt like we were less backwoods. The table was set, there was cutlery beside plates, and the food wasn’t spread all across the kitchen.
“Mr. Kipp, that’s twenty-five cents in the jar.” Cooper laughed as he wiggled in his chair like he had ants in his pants.
“Oh no, Cooper, that’s just for you and me. Mr. Kipp doesn’t have to keep the rules I made for you.” She wiped her mouth and stood, starting to collect plates. She turned and walked to the sink.
“Fair is fair. Where’s the jar?” I dug around in my pocket and found a quarter.
“Well, I don’t know,” Cooper said, crossing his arms across his chest like Griff. “Mom always says to put it in the jar, but I’ve never seen a jar.” His little brows furrowed, and a thoughtful expression filtered over his face.
“If we’re going to talk about a swear jar, we better get one.” Pushing my chair back from the table, I walked over to the pantry where my mother used to keep all the canning supplies. Reaching way to the back, I grabbed an empty jar and brought it out. The quarter landed in the jar with an ear piercing tink, and I set it on the counter by the sink. “There now, we should take a bet on who’s going to put the most money in it.” I laughed as I looked at the four men at the table.
“Mommy will,” Cooper piped up, laughing as he covered his mouth with his hands. I watched Nora stop mid-step and turn to look at the boy.
“Excuse me?”
