Caleb has picked up my love of horses. He’s good with them, knowledgeable, but more than that, they help him. His mom taking off did a number on him, and he’s been struggling since, but the horses help. He talks a bit more now, lets people in, which was something I didn’t think would happen a year ago.
We talk for a bit longer before he hands me over to Beth, an older woman who has been helping me out with the kids since they were small. She’s paid well, but she’s also an angel with those two children; they love her and she treats them like her own.
She fills me in on all the things the kids don’t, and I hang up knowing they’re well taken care of.
I release a breath, climbing up from the bed and stretch, my back cracking with it. I’d spent the day leaning over that fence, hours in the same position to allow the filly to get used to my presence. She’d come over at one point, not within reaching distance; she’s much too untrusting for that, but close enough for her to get a good look at me. Horses are curious animals; it’s in their nature once they feel safe enough to explore. She’d curled her lip to scent me, but then one of the ranch hands had come out to take her back to the stables. I’d watched with gritted teeth the entire time before I’d ordered everyone to stay clear of her. This is my job and all this place is doing is fucking her up.
I’d gone to visit her in the stables once she’d been put away for the night, but she’d shut down a little and wouldn’t respond to my smell or my voice. I’llhave to be sure I’m the first one she see’s in the morning, before anyone else can get to her.
Heading through to the small kitchen in this cabin, I grab a glass from the cupboard and pour a helping of whiskey into it, bringing it to my lips and reveling in the burn as it slides down my throat. My feet take me to the window. I’m close to the main house here, can see the lights brightening the darkness that has descended. Summer is here, and the nights are warm and humid; the air thick enough to stick to your skin, and even inside, I can hear the call of owls and the chirping of crickets. The mountains aren’t visible this far away from Knight Falls Ranch; their absence allowing the stars to reign in the sky.
A slamming door catches my attention, and I watch Calvin storm toward his truck. Behind him, the blonde woman watches from the doorway. Even from this distance, I can see she’s been crying, and she looks a little less put together. Her hair is a mess, her hands shaking. Her lips move as she yells something to Cal, but he ignores her, climbing into the truck before he speeds away from the house, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. Stepping out of view as the headlights swing my way, I watch him speed past, and only when he’s gone do I look back to the porch.
The woman steps out and lowers herself to the top step, covering her face with her hands.
I’m not sure what it is about the sight that has me moving. Grabbing another glass from the cupboard, Ipour her a shot of whiskey and then step out, walking toward her. I make my steps loud enough for her to know I’m coming, and when she lifts red-rimmed eyes to the sound, she doesn’t flee.
Silently, I offer her the glass.
Before she takes it, she looks behind me, to where the dust is still settling, and then her hand reaches for it.
“Sip—” My words cut off when she throws the entire shot back and then starts to cough. “It.” I finish.
She coughs into the crook of her arm, and I hide my chuckle by taking a sip of my own.
“You really shouldn’t make him angry,” she finally speaks.
“Who?” I cock my head, watching the woman closely. Her cheeks are wet with her tears, but she’s no longer crying, and the downturn of her mouth reveals a deeper sorrow. She looks defeated.
“Cal,” her eyes hold mine.
I scoff, “He doesn’t scare me.”
Her eyes close for a brief second. “I didn’t think he did.”
There’s a heaviness to her words, an underlying meaning that my brain is trying to unravel. She’s like a puzzle with thousands of pieces that all look the same. I can’t quite piece it together.
“Thanks for the drink,” she rises to stand and hands me back the glass.
“What’s going on here?” I ask her retreating form.
She pauses at the door but doesn’t look back. “Do yourself a favor and leave before you figure it out.”
The door clicks closed.
My molars grind, jaw aching with how hard I bite down. There is a reason I don’t like Cal; the way he treats his horses leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I’m starting to think there may be something far more sinister going on behind closed doors. I am no stranger to men on a power trip, have seen it firsthand, and this is shaping up to be exactly like what I have witnessed before.
But I will not heed her warning, I’m not leaving until I figure it out.
Heading back to the cabin, I close and lock the doors before I rip all the curtains closed and grab my laptop, bringing it to the table so I can sit and go through the data I’ve collected.
It’s simple information at first: his name, date of birth, the basics until a timeline starts to form.
He purchased the ranch seven years ago, started turning a profit—a high one—after two years, which then doubled the following year, and he’s been steadily growing since. He’s in a mix of businesses, owns a couple of racing horses that he has compete, and as far as I can see here, he’s clean. Legitimatemoney sources, he pays his taxes and his debts. That profit though seems steep, especially for such a young business. Knight Falls Ranch earns, but it’s taken generations of hard work to get it to where it is today. We failed as a business many times while figuring it out, but Cal seems to have hit the ground running with very little experience in the business.
I suppose it is a busy tourist attraction; I’ve seen large groups of people today, all of them soaking in the experiences the ranch has to offer, even so, nothing is sitting right. I need to go deeper, but I can’t do that here. Not when my IP can be traced.
Closing the laptop, I lean back in my chair, running my finger along my bottom lip.
