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"When you gonna get yourself into this century, Kyle?" One of the new hands – Brett, maybe – flashed a plastic charge card in my face. It spun in his hand, then disappeared like a magician’s trick to be replaced by a handful of notes. "I mean, all this cash in hand... Are you even legal?"
That comment hit a little too hard to home, especially with that dark stare of his fixed on the features of mine that spoke of a south of the border heritage. And I didn’t mean the Montana line.
I swallowed back a wave of anger, and grinned crookedly at him, a survival mechanism I perfected before I turned ten. "What are you, a city boy?" I tossed his change into the air, and he caught it.
"Might've been once." he eyed me and grinned back, dispelling the mood.
I wondered that I hadn't been wrong and too judgemental. Too fucking sensitive over the heritage of my birth, or the lack of family Red Hart displayed like a badge of honor, even the ones who weren’t born to the land.
My parents were a maid on a big ranch, and a ranch hand past his prime taking up the solo life I currently inhabited. They crossed a few times like ships in the night and never saw each other again. Once to make baby Kyle and the second time to dump him. I doubted my father would even recognise my mother if he’d come across her again before his death. The age difference between them had to be at least twenty years. I never really knew for sure, and neither did they. My mother still worked at that ranch, a hundred miles south. Not that I want to see her. She had two kids after me or to different fathers and different heritages, according to local legend. I hadn’t seen her in person and she never, not once, asked after me. A blonde girl, a ginger and me. The dark horse. We were her trifecta all around.
"Move it along." Gage leaned over my shoulder to glare at a kid I didn’t recognise who looked about as young as I was when my father left me alone in the world with a truck full of trinkets. "Careful, Sunshine.” He slapped the kid’s hand with scarred fingers. A small pendant fell out between them. “Get the shit knocked out of you the next time."
That’s what I got for daydreaming on the job.
The kids who looked younger than Will Kirk blushed.
"Maybe you should take them down to the local brothel," I said quietly out of the corner of my mouth.
Travis shot me a hard glare and tapped my leg with his boot. “That’s enough."
Gage shrugged like he didn’t think my idea was so bad, but around here Trav’s word was law.
I folded up my first leather wrap, tucking a chain back into its folds. "Yes, sir.
I finished up my trade that ran a little longer that Trav might have liked, catching the bracelet that matched the necklace Will Kirk purchased. He’d asked for the matching piece, and while I usually brought out anything that went together, knowing theboys would come back for them sooner or later, I couldn’t bring myself to share this time.
My thoughts lingered on Sienna. I hadn’t spoken to her in months, but she was frequently on my mind. And the bracelet I scooped into my pocket suited her to perfection...if she’d let me give it to her. Hell, the girl hardly talked, let alone let anyone gift her trinkets.
Sometimes the hands didn't care if they got something matching, or even if it was for the same girl. Red Hart had a few regular romeos on the crew. Often their girl’s name changed faster than the seasons. And while I usually sold through my wraps and headed out east to top up after Red Hart, that bracelet...
I closed my cases, snapping the locks. "Thank you, kindly." I touched the brim of my hat in Travis’ direction.
The ranch owner didn't move. "You're not staying for dinner? Eve’s cooking the ham."
"Hope she's got ten of them."
That ham was one of Red Hart’s most famous dishes.
I knew hands who signed on for two seasons just to stay for her cooking. The girl was easily the master of her own home. Plenty of rumours abounded about her and her Texas Ranger lover all across the state. I doubted Eve knew how famous she was and for what reasons. For the man who scarred her body with an obsession out of control to the man who promised he’d stay with her but who never came back.
Plenty of rumours suggested her nearest neighbour had a thing for her as well, on the Black Hill side of the property.
"Thanks, but the road calls." I shook my head. “You know I've gotta keep moving."
Travis nodded at the sun as it lowered in the sky to the west. "Chasing that? Otherwise, you'll be driving in the dark. "
"Wherever the ride takes me." I raised a hand and shrugged.
“Safe travels."
“Will do.” I tried to keep my eyes on his face, but from the way he chuckled and shook his head, I failed.
"You got eyes for her?" Travis leaned a little closer, his face sobering. "Sienna... Don't fuck with the family. You don't fuck with her. She doesn't fuck around, and you won’t be the same if you do that with her. That girl’s like a sister here."
I rubbed a hand over my jaw. "Yeah?"
I wasn't asking permission, exactly, and Travis knew I never asked forgiveness.
