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“Right,” Chuck said. He hadn’t meant to let Takis set the direction of the start of the conversation, but he didn’t want to stop the man in his flow.
“Well, you’ve done a great job sorting the problem with the coyotes, Chuck You turned things right around. People feel safe. It’s fantastic.”
“Wasn’t just me. We’ve got a great team here, Mr. Karas.” Chuck thought back to how things had been before Takis had taken over the place. The desperation he and his brothers had felt. The sadness. All the ranch had needed was for an outsider — someone who wasn’t steeped in the history of the place — to come and see its potential. Now, he had an unusual vision for the place, that was true, but the heart of the ranch remained the same. And the results were staggering. The place had completely transformed.
“Glad you think so,” Takis said. “Now, was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?”
Chuck had already decided that he was going to come out and say it. He didn’t have anything to hide from Takis. Both he and Millie were consenting adults, who’d gone into this relationship with a serious mindset. “Millie and I are a couple.”
Takis’ expression barely changed. He was still smiling, but there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“A couple?” he said, blankly.
“That’s right.”
“How long has this been going on?”
Chuck swallowed, his throat feeling dry. “For a while.”
“A week? Two weeks?”
“A month and a half.”
“Since she got here?” There was definitely a hint of anger in his voice now. This wasn’t going the way that Chuck had hoped.
“You gotta understand,” Chuck said, “Millie and I have known each other for—“
“So that’s why you didn’t want to work with her,” Takis said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I knew there was something off about you.”
“I should have told you sooner.”
Takis breathed in deeply. “Chuck, tell me why I shouldn’t fire you this instant.”
Chuck recoiled in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, unlike you, I am very,veryserious.”
“You don’t understand,” said Chuck. “We’ve done everything right. We’ve taken our time. We have a contract. Everything has been safe, sane, and consensual.”
Takis looked as though his eyes were about to pop out of his head. “You had a contract drawn up? Who else knew about this?”
“Uh…”
“Trent? Duke?” His eyes widened further. “Wait, does Bunny know about this?”
“Peopledoknow,“ Takis admitted. “Quite a few people know.”
“Sounds like basically everyone knows. Everyone except me.” A veil of sadness passed over Takis’ face. “Tell me, Chuck, what did I do to deserve this?”
Chuck was surprised by Takis.
“You told me there were to be no staff relationships,” Chuck said simply. “Said you’d fire any members of staff who got together. It wasn’t anything personal, Takis. You’re a good guy. I respect you.”
“You do not respect me.” The anger was back. “I’ve had enough of you lying to me, Chuck. Don’t make this worse by lying more. I swear if you tell me you respect me one more time, that’ll be the end of it.”
“Maybe I didn’t act respectful. But that don’t mean I don’t—“
“It’s like a damn conspiracy.” Takis was suddenly on his feet, pacing around the office. “All the people I’m learning to know, learning to trust and to love, they all kept this from me. Do you think it was a dumb rule?”
