Page 4 of Dust Storm

“Love you, Daddy,” they said in chorus.

I rolled the door closed and watched as the van lumbered down the dirt path toward the service road that would take them into town.

I glanced at my watch. Not even 7:15 yet.

I jogged back up the porch steps and headed inside, snagging a pancake for myself on the way. I trapped it between my teeth as I stole Gracie’s purple hairbrush and used it to untangle my hair. I worked the knots out of the ends that hung past my shoulders before tying it into a bun.

“Boss, you there?”

I picked up the radio. “Go ahead.”

CJ’s voice crackled on the line. “Fence is down on the west border.”

“You need me out there?”

“Nah,” he said. “Just letting you know.”

“I’ll be in the office most of the day taking care of vax records. Holler if you need something.”

“10-4.”

Sadie came wandering in, her brindled tail thumping with excitement as she looked up at me.

“Sorry, girl. No cows for you today. Gotta do paperwork.”

She huffed, loping to the door as I slid on my boots and clipped the radio to my belt.

I emptied the coffee pot into a travel mug and jogged down the steps, not bothering to lock up.

There was a benefit to living on the ranch that had been in my family for generations. I could leave the door unlocked for the girls when they got home from school. I could leave my keysin my truck. And, while there was a limit to how far I’d let them go on their own, Bree and Gracie had plenty of space to run free.

My brother, Nate, had found peace in a warzone. But me?

I stepped out and surveyed the land as the February sun peeked over the horizon.

This was my kingdom.

My kingdom could goto hell.

I pinched the bridge of my nose to ward off a migraine, and wondered which Griffith was to blame for saddling me with a legacy of cattle ranching.

Fuckin’ animals trying to kill themselves.

The AC window unit sputtered as a steady dripthwoppedinto the bucket beneath it. At least it kept the condensation from pooling on the floor.

I’d gone through the vaccine records with a fine-toothed comb to make sure nothing was out of place. Bills had been paid. A sticky note with a hydraulic oil pressure switch I needed to get was in the trash after the order had been placed. I was waiting on a call from the livestock vet we kept on retainer, but waiting for that call was like watching paint dry. She was a busy woman.

Honestly, I missed doing what CJ did every day. I missed the camaraderie of working the land with the rest of the crew. I missed saddling up before daybreak and not returning to the stables until after sunset.

From the looks of things, Sadie missed it too.

But taking over for my dad on the management side gave him a chance to retire, and gave me a more stable schedule so I could prioritize the girls. CJ had stepped up to fill my old role and thrived in it.

It was great for everyone else.

I glanced at the clock. The girls were at dance class, and if the vet hadn’t called by now …

I pushed out of the rolling desk chair that was decades past its prime, and whistled for Sadie as I grabbed my hat and dropped it on my head.

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