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“That’s a great idea.” He started to get up. “Sit tight. I’ll wait on you.”
She sprang out of her chair like a rubber band. “No, let me. Then you won’t have to deal with Rocky.”
He smiled down at her. Gosh, she was pretty. “Absolutely not. Thank you for the offer, but I don’t trust him not to harass you. Please ...” He gestured to her chair. “I’ll be right back.”
Looking reluctant, she sat and thanked him.
He took a few steps towards the house before realizing that she might want something to drink, something to wash down her overly salty pizza. “Would you like a beverage?” he asked, nervous that there wasn’t any left in the fridge. He had bought plenty, but the hands seemed to have wiped him out of everything else.
“Water is fine,” she said.
That was a relief.
When Gunner got to the kitchen, only Bull was in there. “Do you need any help with the goats, boss?”
“No thanks. They are all tucked in and taken care of.”
“All right then.”
The oven beeped, but Gunner took a few more minutes to find some potholders. He wasn’t worried about anything getting burnt though as the oven was ancient and could probably use a few more minutes anyway. The pizza smelled better than it would taste, but he was still embarrassed that this is what he was serving Nova for supper. He put some on a plate for himself and some for her and then looked at Bull. “Would you mind telling Rocky that there’s food?”
Bull gave him a knowing look. “Sure, boss.”
Gunner thanked him and then headed for the back door. He wasn’t sure he was ever going to get used to anyone calling him boss. It was like he had designed his whole life to be the exact opposite of being a boss. After a whole lifetime of never being the boss of any people, he had then surrounded himself with hardheaded, stiff-necked goats, dozens of them, and almost every one of them thought that he or she was the boss of the whole ranch. He handed Nova a plate and then realized that he’d forgotten the water. He put his plate in his chair. “Be right back.” She protested, but he continued on, hoping to get back in and out before Rocky came for his grub.
It didn’t work out that way. He tried to pretend that the thug wasn’t there as he filled two glasses, but Rocky was stupid and drunk enough to say yet another untoward thing about Nova. Knowing that he would fire him in the morning, Gunner pretended that he hadn’t heard it. But then he worried that Bull had heard it. He didn’t want Bull to think he was a pushover. He stepped closer to his favorite employee and said under his breath, “I’ll deal with that tomorrow.”
Bull’s nod suggested that he knew exactly what that meant. His intuition surprised Gunner, but Gunner was encouraged that instead of looking defensive of his housemate, Bull looked relieved.
“What are you talking about over there?” Rocky slurred his words.
“Nothing,” Bull said.
Gunner headed for the door.
“Are you talking about me?”
Gunner let the screen door bang shut behind him before Rocky finished his sentence, but by the time he reached the chairs, he was second-guessing his decision to wait until tomorrow. The guy was getting more and more belligerent by the minute. But he really didn’t want to deal with kicking a drunk guy off the property. He couldn’t let him drive away, and he didn’t want to give him a ride somewhere only to have the guy have to come back for his pickup. No, it was best to wait till morning.
“You look annoyed,” Nova said and then thanked him for the glass of water. “Did you just have another run-in?”
“It’s all good,” Gunner lied.
Nova laughed, disbelievingly.
“Just make sure you lock your bedroom door tonight. He’s still drinking.”
“I’m so sorry that you have to deal with this.”
“It’s okay. Like I said, finding Bull was a stroke of good luck, so overall my batting average is pretty good.”
“I’m starting to believe in fate more than luck,” she said.
He looked at her, not wanting to admit that he was confused. “Aren’t they the same thing?”
“Maybe. What I meant is that I think God has a plan for each of us, and unless we’re actively fighting against that plan, I think we might pretty much end up where he wants us.”
“Gosh, I hope so.”
