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Ruth arched an eyebrow at him. “Damn straight I am. I still have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”
Ruth turned to Reece, ignoring Jeremiah. “Would you tell me what your ignorant brother here is so worked up over?”
Would it sound really out of place to hold up my hand and ask, so um, about the sheriff—what time are they showing up? I looked at the road behind us. I didn’t hear or see another car coming up the drive, but God, it could be any second. I felt sweat breaking out all over my body. And like I was going to be sick. The fajita that had been so delicious only an hour ago was suddenly churning in my stomach.
“Someone’s been intentionally taking down the fence posts and letting out the cattle,” Reece offered cautiously, obviously still wary of the situation. “But they haven’t been stealing the cows.”
My eyebrows rose, distracted by Reece’s words. Whoa. Damn. I didn’t know much about cattle or ranching yet, but that seemed like a big deal. For a second I forgot about the sheriff and zoomed back into the drama.
“Son of a bitch,” Ruth said, hands on her waist as she started pacing back and forth.
Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “What? You’re saying it’s not you? Who then?”
Ruth laughed bitterly as she looked back his direction. “My father was not popular by the end of his time on this earth. It wasn’t just the bank he was in debt up to his eyeballs to.”
“But didn’t you clear all those debts when you sold this place?” Reece asked, far more kindly than I imagined his brother would have.
Ruth nodded frowning, and then her mouth dropped open and she twisted, looking at me. “Fuckface.”
My eyes widened. “Of course,” I said. I’d told her and Olivia about my internal nickname for Trent, to their great amusement.
“Of course, what?” Jeremiah butted in, sounding annoyed but also curious. “Who?”
“The guy from that day,” I said, looking between him and Reece. “The one who came over in the pickup truck who was so rude. We ran into him in town again today and he was really nasty. He and Ruth’s family have a past. He thinks this ranch should be his.” I felt my cheeks warm with anger just thinking about that asshole.
“Oh,” Jeremiah said, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Yeah,” Ruth said. “Oh. Maybe you should wait and get all the facts next time before you go around accusing people of shit.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “You aren’t off the hook. We don’t even know you and I still don’t understand your motives for being here.”
Ruth threw her arms in the air. “Would everybody shut up about that? I’m tired of people telling me how stupid they think I am to stay. My grandfather was born in a shack on that hill, right there.” She pointed to a rise to the left of the barn.
“My dad was a son of a bitch but I loved him and he spent his life trying to hold onto the land that his daddy and his daddy before him fought for. I grew up riding horses here and dreaming of raising a family of my own here someday. So I’m sorry if me trying to hold onto even a tiny square acre of that legacy is so hard for you to understand.”
With that she stormed past Jeremiah and up the stairs of the porch, slamming into the house.
Reece immediately smacked his brother on the arm. “I told you to go about it delicately. How was that delicate?”
Jeremiah shrugged off his brother, his face dark as he looked after where Ruth had disappeared into the house.
Reece looked at me, his features gentler than his brother’s. They usually were. It was one reason it was so easy to tell the brothers apart in spite of the fact they were otherwise identical.
“Can you tell us a little more about what happened in town? Who is this guy?
“I don’t know much more than she told you.” I would let Ruth reveal more of her past with Trent if she wanted to. It wasn’t my story to tell. “But you should know, he seemed connected around here. He threatened to take his business away from the hardware store like it would make a big impact, as if he and his father are the old man’s biggest customers. I guess they have one of the biggest ranches around here.”
And given my experience with entitled assholes, I added, “I wouldn’t underestimate him.” Then, because I felt bad about it, “I probably shouldn’t have antagonized him like that when he came here that day.”
Reece let out a scoffing noise. “You were awesome. Don’t ever let any assholes talk to you that way.”
Well, that had my insides warming. I found myself smiling up at Reece in spite of myself.
“It’s a clusterfuck any way you look at it,” Jeremiah said, then he looked at me. “Pardon my language.”
I held up my hands. “Please, not on my account. Besides, you think Ruth wasn’t cussing like a sailor the whole way into town and back?”
Jeremiah smiled at that, a little reluctantly, and his eyes went back to the house. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he admired her... Or was it more than admiration? They certainly sparked off each other, that was for sure.
