Nick nodded his head to Keith, and he let open the small gate separating us from the raging stallion ahead. The other boys came up behind, urging the horse forward. He threw back his head and charged toward Nick with a huff.
The kid’s eyes widened before he threw himself out of the way, landing in the dirt with a thud. I swore I heard the breath leave his lungs as the stallion turned back toward him.
Lennox’s hands came up to her face. To anyone else, it probably looked like she was concerned, but she wasn’t.
She was laughing.
“Oh no! Are you okay?” she called.
Nick scrambled up and widened his stance. “I’m good!” He threw his arms out and slowly inched forward, not taking his eyes off the animal in front of him. “Woah, woah, woah,” he cooed. His hands were shaking. “Calm down now, boy.”
“Oh, he’s gonna get himself killed,” I muttered, shaking my head. The kid had no idea what he was doing.
“I’ll step in before that happens,” Lennox whispered back. “Really make him eat his words.”
As if on cue, the stallion charged, and Nick jumped out of the way. He tripped over his own feet, stumbling into the fence post. Before he could recover, the animal reared on his hind legs, coming dangerously near striking Nick down. He cowered on the ground, rolling into a little ball.
“Shit.” Lennox jumped down from the rail, running to pull Nick away from the fencing. I surged forward, damn near tripping over myself to step in front of them.
If I died for this idiot…
The animal landed on all fours, bobbing his head as I stepped forward with my arms out. I kept my gaze locked on his, even though I wanted nothing more than to check and see if Lennox had cleared the area. “I don’t like him either, boy, but you can’t kill him, okay? That’d put us in a whole mess of trouble.”
The horse stomped its feet, moving nervously from side to side.
“They’re good, B!” Reggie called, which was good enough for me. I slowly back away from the pissed-off creature. He wouldn’t do anything to me, but I didn’t feel like taking chances today.
Keith got the gate, swinging it wide so I could slip through quickly. The stallion reared up and took off when his hoovestouched the ground. He circled the pen, snorting and throwing a fit that he was still locked up.
“Holy shit, boss man,” Reggie said, clapping my back. “We got one hell of a job on our hands with that one.”
“Can’t wait to see you get your ass in there instead,” I said, picking my hat up and wiping the sheen of sweat from my forehead.
I looked over to see Lennox bending forward to check on Nick. He was sitting with his head between his knees, taking deep breaths.
“Christ,” I said, shaking my head and walking over. I nudged him with my boot, and he looked up. “Thirty horses, huh?”
Nick’s eyes widened slightly, suddenly remembering he was here for a goddamn job interview. “N—nonethatmean,” he stammered.
“Clearly,” I said, glancing down. “Listen, kid, I don’t think I have to tell you this isn’t gonna work. So, why don’t you head on out.”
He stared at me, slack-jawed for a moment, before pushing to his feet. “You let me go in there without knowing how crazy that thing is!”
I held up my hands. “I’m not the one trying to impress a pretty lady by being a jackass. Anything that happened in there… That’s on you.”
“You could’ve told me no.”
“And you’re a grown-ass man who should know better than to think with his dick. I’m not your father, and I’m not your friend. You decide to show off, then you better be ready to deal with whatever consequences are thrown your way,” I snapped back. “Now, get your shit, and get off this ranch.”
Nick’s eyes darted to the truck as his dog started barking. It was standing excitedly as Josie approached the truck with a water bowl. “Stupid bitch,” he muttered beneath his breath,storming their way. Lennox and I quickly followed, not knowing what he would do.
“Hey!” he called out, snapping his fingers. Josie looked his way, her eyebrow raised in question as we approached. “Get the fuck away from my dog.”
“Excuse me?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “She was thirsty. I was just giving her water.”
“She’s fine,” he spat, knocking the bowl off the bed of his truck. The dog yelped, skirting back. Josie stepped out of the way just in time, looking between the panting dog and the spilled water on the ground.
Oh shit. I knew she was on the move before I felt her.
