Page 30 of Boss and Brat

“Not going to happen in one day, Boss Carter.”

“Then always smoke outside away from animals and riders. And never… never smoke in that barn or inside anywhere.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay then. One month, no cigarettes anywhere. Agree?”

“Agree.” He paused. “Feels like I’m sleeping in a storage closet someone forgot about.”

“Not ideal but what’s going on is you’re suffering the consequences of your actions or lack thereof.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Ethan took a drag and exhaled slowly. “I don’t… feel like myself here.”

Carter waited

Ethan’s voice dropped. “Feels like I got dropped into someone else’s life. Like the version of me that existed yesterday didn’t make the trip.”

Carter leaned a shoulder against the wall beside him. “You’re a colt dropped in the wrong pasture. Anyone would feel off.”

“Yeah, well… I don’t know who I’m supposed to be now.”

Carter looked at him, then really looked. The kid’s eyes were tired, rimmed red from tears or the day or both. Smoke curled around his face, softening the edges.

“You don’t have to figure it out tonight,” Carter said. “Right now, you just need sleep.”

Ethan flicked the ashes to the ground. “I will. Just needed air.”

Carter nodded once. “Promise me you’ll get some rest.”

Ethan hesitated, then met his eyes. “Yeah. I promise.”

Carter wanted to believe him more than he didn’t.

He pushed off the wall. “If anything feels off, call me. Doesn’t matter the time.”

Ethan’s voice deepened. “Okay.”

Carter started back toward the front of the barn but paused long enough to glance over his shoulder. Ethan stood in the moonlight, small and stubborn and trying hard not to look shaken. That tug in Carter’s chest tightened.

The kid wasn’t safe out there. Not from the world. Not from whatever trouble followed him. Maybe not even from himself.

Carter headed back toward the cabin, jaw set. Tomorrow, he’d figure out a way to get Ethan closer. Tonight, he’d settle for the promise. And hoped the kid kept it.

Carter lay on his back, staring at the ceiling fan as it clicked through another slow rotation. Sleep didn’t come. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ethan sitting behind the barn with thatcigarette, shoulders tight, trying to pretend he wasn’t scared or lost.

The kid had been through hell today. Dropped off like a problem. Left in a drafty barn with nothing but a cot and a thin wall between him and the night. Carter exhaled hard and rolled onto his side. The cabin felt too quiet. Too empty. Ethan’s absence sat in the room like a weight.

Then his phone buzzed.

He grabbed it fast.

Ethan:Someone’s pounding on the barn door.

Carter:Don’t open it. Be right there.

Carter was out of bed before the message finished loading. Boots on. Shirt forgotten. Keys in hand. He didn’t bother with a jacket. He was already moving.

The motorcycle roared to life, headlights cutting through the dark as he tore across the yard. Gravel spat out behind him. The barn came into view—one dim bulb glowing inside, shadows shifting against the boards.