Page 6 of His Last Nerve

Something was up.

Carson Waters never just stopped by unannounced, and he sure as shit didn’t do it wearing a new hat. He stopped about two feet from me, looking around at the pens and my barn.

“New paint job?” he asked, gesturing to the barn behind me.

Had it painted last summer. Red, with black metal roof.

I nodded, knowing the man in front of me wasn’t here to discuss paint choices.

“Yep,” I answered, moving to the stack of hay bales that needed to be brought in.

“Looks real good, Denver.”

I ground my teeth, bending down to heave a bale over my shoulder. These fuckers were heavy to some, but not to me. “Appreciate that, Waters.” I lifted up and placed it on my shoulder.

My eyes caught Mags riding up to the barn on his black mare. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, his tight shoulders and thinned lips told me everything I needed to know.

He didn’t like that Carson Waters was here either.

I turned back to the man in question. His eyes went to the hay bale and then back to me. “Jesus, Den, you load your own hay?”

My jaw tightened.What fucking rancher didn’t?

“How can I help you, Carson?” I asked, no longer in the fucking mood to entertain him.

“I just wanted to let you know I’m thinking of selling.”

He was selling his ranch.His ranch ran along the south side of mine, about a thousand acres or so. Most of that land was flat pastures, good for grazing.

“How much are you wanting for it?” I asked. I felt Mags walk up behind me.

Carson looked shocked. “Uh, actually…” he trailed off, drawing his brows together in confusion.

I let out a heavy sigh through my nose—I didn’t have time for this bullshit—and took the hay bale into the barn, dropping it in the storage area just inside. When I reemerged, the man was looking at me funny.

I didn’t like that, either.

It made me want to punch him in the fucking jaw.

“Carson, I don’t have all fucking day,” I started.

“I’m selling it to the state.”

I blinked.

There was only one reason he was selling it to the state. He was in debt and needed to cut ties. Pity curled inside my stomach, but I squashed that shit as quick as it came. I didn’t have time to pity anyone.

“Let me guess; they wanted you to come out here and see if I would follow suit,” I deadpanned.

“No. No—Denver that’s not it,” he stammered.

“What’s happening to your livestock?” Mags asked as he came out of the barn.

“That’s why I’m here,” Carson said, gesturing to my cowboy.

“Six of your cows dropped dead last month,” I said. I’d heard about it at the livestock exchange last week.

“Yes but—”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com