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I’m assuming he means about Randy, so I hope last night went well between putting his daughter to bed and discussing treatment options. Pixie won’t be up for at least another hour, and then Randy can see her off to school. At least he’s been consistent with that. It’s the evenings that seem to haunt him most.
Speaking of the devil, Randy is pacing outside the bunkhouse as I approach, like maybe something’s worrying him. He blanches upon seeing me, but there’s something else in his expression, almost like he’s gloating about who knows what.
Is it related to our talk last night?
Just as I’m about to open my mouth to greet him, Wade charges toward me, wearing a grave expression. “We need to talk. It’s important.”
“What is it?” He leads me away from the bunkhouse and toward the firepit. “What’s going on?”
Wade reaches inside his coat and pulls out some papers. “Randy had these. Took ’em from the house.”
When my eyes spring toward Randy, he’s wearing that same smarmy expression. “What in the world? Why would he…”
As I rifle through the pages, my breath catches. It takes me a full minute to understand what I’m reading. The ground seems to sway as my vision blurs. This information can’t be accurate…or true. But the handwriting…
My entire life I defended my family to Porter. He always pushed back, and all this time I thought he was misinformed and being stubborn.
Warm bile climbs up my throat, and I hunch over, feeling nauseous.
“You all right, boss?”
“P—Porter?” is all I can get out.
“Randy showed them to him first.” There’s anger in Wade’s tone. “He took off.”
Now I understand why Randy is reveling in this. He thinks he’s hurting Porter with evidence of a deal struck on paper between our great-grandfathers. Gloating that Porter lost out on his family legacy. All because of envy mixed with addiction, a volatile combination. But not every alcoholic is a thief, which only makes him a despicable human being.
And now Randy thinks what? That when we lose Porter, he can fill his shoes?
I feel Wade’s hand on my shoulder. “I told Randy to wait for me outside the bunkhouse until I speak with you. But that didn’t stop him from spewing his venom to the other guys. And not only about the papers.”
He means about me and Porter sneaking around. But that revelation pales in comparison to the other. That my family took from Porter’s, turned the ranch into a thriving business while Porter’s family suffered and fell on hard times.
It no longer matters who knows about me and Porter—if there even is an us anymore. He’ll assume I’ve been hiding the information from him all this time. Porter will never be able to trust me again. And after this, I wouldn’t blame him.
In fact, maybe he’s already gone.
I square my jaw. “And?”
“Dunno. But I do know the men have been concerned about how erratic Randy’s been acting.”
Despair colors my vision as I spring up and stalk toward Randy. “You piece of shit! What gives you the right to search through our things and violate my family’s privacy?”
A flash of shock filters through his expression before he narrows his eyes. He was expecting a different reaction from me, maybe a bribe to keep the information on my family quiet, who knows? And at this point, it doesn’t matter. The Sullivan Ranch will be shaken by scandal one way or another. We either survive it or we don’t.
“Boss, I only wanted to—” But Randy’s pleading voice only stokes my anger.
“I’m not your boss anymore.” I jab a finger in his chest. “You’re finished. Get the fuck off our land.”
“I should’ve known you’d take up for your lover.” His face transforms with rage as his hands curl into fists. I haven’t even considered what this might mean for Pixie. But after this, there’s no way this man can continue to work for us. “You think he’s still yours after what you stole from him? No way he’s gonna want you anymore.”
Wade strategically places himself between us just as I step forward. “Now go on. Gather your things and be on your way.”
But Randy doesn’t pack up anything, just walks to his truck and tears off.
“What about Pixie, boss?”
“Fuck!” I pace with my hands linked over my head. “Not sure. First things first. I need to speak to my parents. For the record, I’ve never seen those papers before.”
