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“I know,” I say.
His jaw squares. Jensen appears beside him. Neither of them seem surprised by my announcement, but I can tell it’s not sitting right.
“Any sign of her horses?” I start walking around the rubble and head to the edge of the yard. The hills behind the house are quiet. The day after the fire, I moved her cattle into my pastures and put her people on my paycheck. All the worker housing sits empty.
“Nope,” says Jensen, leaning on the fence. His hat comes down low, shielding his eyes as the sun cuts over the mountain. “Are you sure you want us to tear this place down? It’s worth a lot.”
“I can eat the cost,” I say.
“But…can she?” Westin asks.
I turn, crossing my arms over my chest. “She’s in debt over her head. The only way she gets to keep anything is if I let her. She’s already fucked.”
“So your solution is fuck her too?” Westin says, appearing on my other side.
I push off the fence, adjusting my hat lower to keep the sun from my eyes. “My solution is to keep her alive.”
They shut up right away. Both of them know me and they know what I’ve been through. They also know how evil the Garrison brothers can be. Jensen brings me the paperwork and I spread it out on the hood of the truck. Westin lights a cigarette and I hear them talking as I go over each piece and sign my name.
I’m leaving a paper trail.
It’s not like she has anywhere to go if she finds out.
The drive back to Sovereign Mountain is quiet. Westin has a short span of attention and better things to do than try to persuade me my behavior is immoral. He jumps out of the truck when we get back and heads to the barn. I take my hat off and walk around the yard to the pasture where we keep Angel. Hoping for a glimpse of red hair.
She’s inside the paddock. Leaning on the fence with her cheek against the top rung. Big Dog is sleeping on the ground and she offers me a glance without raising her head.
I draw up to the other side and Keira jumps. Her expression shifts as I lean in and kiss her forehead. When did she stop looking at me with wariness? Because right now her sky blue gaze feels like warm sunshine.
“How’s it going?” I ask.
She nods, smiling. “Really good. We’ve just been doing laps around the paddock.”
Angel nickers, throwing her head. I send her a look to let her know I'm onto her—I've worked with this horse and I know she’s a menace. She’s more like me than I care to admit.
Keira turns and rests her hands on the fence. The way she’s looking up with her fiery hair falling down her back is doing things to me. My palm is itching to slide up her face and brush her waves back.
“Where’d you go today?” she asks brightly.
“Your place. We’re working on handling the damage to the house,” I say.
“Again?”
I nod. “Last time I stopped by your brother-in-law’s place on the way back.”
“Which one?” Her face falls. “Why?”
“Thomas. I went to warn him I don’t want any Garrisons on your land.”
“Yourland,” she says flatly.
“We’ll see, redbird. The world changes fast.”
Her eyes dart up. “Sometimes I don’t understand you.”
I slide my hand around the back of her neck, pull her close, and kiss her over the fence. Her breath hitches and she moans in her throat. She likes being kissed, maybe just as much as being fucked. Her entire body melts and I feel her blood pump fast in her veins.
When I break away, she’s flushed and her eyes are glassy.
