Page 51 of Caffeine & Chaos

“Sorry mom, I’ve got to run. I’ll think about what you said,” Nadia didn’t wait for a response before ending the call.

If Nadia weren’t so intimidated by Justin, she might have mustered the courage to edge closer, to eavesdrop on their conversation. Instead, she remained rooted to her spot on the porch, a silent observer to the scene unfolding before her.

As Melanie and Justin disappeared into the barn, Nadia couldn’t shake the unease that settled over her like a heavy shroud. Minutes later, they emerged on horseback, their figures silhouetted against the setting sun. Even from a distance, Melanie’s beauty was striking. Her black hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her graceful movements atop the horse spoke of a confidence that Nadia couldn’t help but envy.

Jealousy and insecurity were unfamiliar emotions for Nadia. She knew she was beautiful, with a lifetime of validation to support that belief. Yet, in the presence of Melanie and the unspoken tension she seemed to evoke in Ryan, Nadia found herself questioning her own place at the ranch.

Him.

Ryan plodded along the fence line of the South field, his eyes scanning for any breaks in the wire. The sorry state of the fences stirred up a knot of guilt in his gut.

His dad was getting on in years, and the ranch always seemed to just scrape by. Ryan leaving had only made things tougher. Now, with him gone, they had to hire extra hands they couldn’t really afford.

Each step felt like a lead weight as he thought about the strain his absence had put on his family. Those busted fences were a constant reminder of his mistakes.

He tried to shake off his guilt, inhaling deeply as a light breeze whispered past his face. The smells of his childhood, and their associated memories rushed back to him. He had practiced roping calves with his father in this very field when he was a boy. When he finally got one, he remembered the flash of restrained pride in his father’s weathered face, and the exuberant celebration of his mom as he told her about it over dinner that same night. He had taken it all for granted.

The calves were lazily grazing alongside their mothers, with no sign of the coyotes so far. A rustling in the bushes about twenty yards off drew Ryan’s eye. He snatched the binoculars from his pocket and scanned the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of some fur. With a practiced motion, he shrugged the rifle’s strap off his shoulder, getting ready to take aim at first sight.

The rustling ceased, leaving him holding his breath, straining to detect any lingering presence. But whatever had been stirring in the bushes had vanished into thin air.

Damn. Nailing that coyote would’ve been just the confidence boost he needed to get back to feeling like his usual commanding self. Plus, he could rub it in his brother’s face that he had beaten him to it.

Ryan was just about to resume his patrol when movement caught his eye, this time from the West side of the field. Squinting, he discerned two riders in the distance. One of them, astride the chestnut quarter horse, was unmistakably Melanie. Her effortless grace in the saddle always left Ryan in awe, as if horse and rider were one.

“Justin,” Ryan muttered under his breath through clenched teeth, spotting his brother riding alongside Melanie, scanning the field. For a moment, a childish urge to startle Justin’s horse with a shot from his rifle flitted through Ryan’s mind. Immature, he scolded himself, pushing the thought aside.

Instead, he straightened up and strode purposefully toward them. At least he had beaten Justin to the field, giving him the upper hand in monitoring the situation.

“Nice of you to join me,” he nodded to Justin as he met them in the field.

“Fuck you, Ryan,” was all Justin spat out.

“Play nice, boys. I didn’t drag my ass over here to listen to you too carry on,” Melanie stated flatly.

“You out here just jerking off Ryan, or did you decide to be useful for once?” Justin continued, ignoring her protests.

“Beat you here, didn’t I?” Ryan retorted.

“I never left.”

Bastard. Justin’s simple reply cut deeper than any string of profane insults could have. Ryan strode over to Justin, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Without a word, Melanie nudged her horse with the reins and bolted off along the fence line, seemingly uninterested in their fight. The McKellen boys fighting was a rerun she had witnessed one too many times before.

“You want a piece of me, Justin? I’m right here. I’m finally here!” Ryan exclaimed, his arms outstretched as he spun in a wide circle. “Are we doing this or what?”

In one fluid motion, Justin dismounted his horse and advanced toward Ryan, fury blazing in his eyes. His fist shot out, connecting with Ryan’s cheek as he attempted to evade the blow.

Ryan retaliated swiftly, pivoting to land a punch on Justin’s torso, eliciting a guttural grunt. Following up with a solid right to Justin’s eye, Ryan watched as his brother staggered backward, momentarily stunned.

“You ready to call it quits?” Ryan taunted; his breaths fueled by adrenaline.

“Unlike you, Ryan, I’m not a quitter,” Justin shot back, faking him out with a leg sweep before delivering a solid right hook directly to Ryan’s mouth.

His lip instantly exploded in blood, flooding Ryan’s mouth with the metallic taste. Spitting out the thick fluid, Ryan charged at his brother, wrapping his arms around Justin’s waist in a brazen attempt to bring him down. But Justin remained as sturdy as ever, his years of ranching and riding having sculpted his sinewy leg muscles into immovable tree trunks. He didn’t budge.

As the brothers grappled against each other, the blood pouring from Ryan’s lip streaked stains down their shirts.

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