Page 134 of Nothing Special X: The Last Stand

The place was a full working operation, not some rich-man fantasy playing rancher.

As the day wound to an end, employees were tending to the animals and shutting down for the night.

He saw a lot of sweat, brows being wiped, and shirts damp at the spine.

Two women walked past in khaki pants and green ranch shirts, both carrying clipboards.

They slowed, grinning in his direction.

One had dark curls tied high and a smile that radiated, even at dusk. The other had red hair braided over one shoulder, freckles across her nose, and eyes that swept over his whole body with outrageous confidence.

“Who’s your friend, Fox?” the redhead asked.

“Buddy from Atlanta,” he said.

“Buddy got a name?” the brunette smiled.

Syn tried not to stare back, but damn. Those women were not shy.

“Syn,” he said.

“Mm,” she hummed. “That fits.”

The redhead laughed. “I’m EmmaJean.”

“Louisa,” the brunette added. “Holler if you need anything…that is of course if you’d prefer to make me holler.”

Syn blinked. Good Lord. What the—?

Fox made a sharp sound. “Keep walking.”

Syn looked after them despite himself.

Louisa winked, still laughing.

Fox shook his head. “Stay clear of those two, brother. Absolute maneaters. They’ll feast on you and spit out the bones when they’re done.”

Syn laughed again. “You speaking from experience?”

“I’m speaking from watching grown-ass cowboys fall in love after one night.”

“They work here?”

“Louisa runs livestock operations, and EmmaJean’s the trail boss,” Fox said. “Between the two of them, they can wrangle horses, ranch hands, tourists, and stupid city men with thick wallets. Not always in that order.”

The first stable stood beside the largest barn with its wide doors already open.

Inside, the air changed. It was cooler, rich with hay, leather, cedar and that earthy animal scent that should’ve been unpleasant but somehow wasn’t. Dim orange sunlight filtered through high windows in long, dusty beams.

Stalls lined both sides, each with clean bedding, nameplates, water buckets, and big, curious heads peering out as Fox and Diablo walked through.

“This is where we keep the staff horses,” Fox said, leading Diablo toward a grooming bay with thick rubber mats on the floor. “Lesson horses and guest horses are in the east barn. Rescue cases in the smaller one past the pond.”

Fox hitched Diablo loosely to a post, went to a cabinet and began gathering supplies.

He pointed toward a horse already tethered in the next grooming space. “That’s Nimbus.”

Nimbus was almost the complete opposite of Diablo. A tall, spotted gray horse with a pale mane, and wide brown eyes. He turned his head towards him and blew softly through his nostrils.