Page 50 of Pigeon

“You bringing food? Not sure Ivy can feed that many without stocking up first.”

“You think my sister would do that to her? I’m driving a fucking SUV because of the amounts of food the women made,” Axel says before shouting loudly, “Fuck you, Trigger!”

I laugh because I know the men well enough to know that Axel’s pouting because he’s in an SUV and not on his bike and that Trigger, most likely, just passed him on his. I’m sure someone got flipped off too.

“Ivy’s brother’s in the house doing God knows what, so don’t send the women or kids in there without one of the men. We’re down by the horse barns checking on the foals. I’ll watch for your convoy,” I say before disconnecting when Axel starts shouting at Gunner this time.

“Convoy?” Ivy asks with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re about to receive more help than you can imagine, and most of it won’t actually be helpful but will be well-intended.”

“Huh,” Ivy says noncommittally.

“One last thing before they roll in. The clown thing—that stays between us, woman. None of my club brothers need ammo to use against me. We clear on that?”

“Our secret, Pigeon.”

I almost believe her except for the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“You mean that?” I ask warily.

“Why would I give up my best leverage so quickly? I may need it somewhere down the road,” she replies.

“Leverage? Seriously? What the fuck, Ivy? Blackmail is such an ugly thing,” I tell her before walking off, grinning at her audacity.

Turning around while I continue walking backward, I tell her the one thing that will get her mind off clowns. “Reeves will be here soon. Please don’t flash my brother again.” I turn back around and stroll away, smiling huge when I hear her gasp, and I know if I were to look at her, her face would be blazing red right now.

Cutting hay will start tomorrow, so Trigger is checking over each of the tractors and making sure the equipment is in good working condition. Gunner and I changed a few tires on the hay wagons and greased the axels. Most of the hay will be done in large round bales, but square bales are needed for the stabled animals, so the wagons need to be ready. Ivy takes an inventory on twine, makes sure the large diesel tank is full, and a million other things to be prepared.

Kids are running around and peeking in barn doors and stalls, oohing and aahing, while Axel does his best to keep them corralled. When a flashy paint mare trots past me and Gunner, we laugh, knowing that Axel’s abilities are being tested. His loud swearing confirms it. Ivy calmly walks toward the mare, gives a loud whistle, and waits. The heelers immediately come to attention and wait impatiently for the signal to herd. Tossing her head a few times, the mare prances to Ivy and then follows her back to a gate. Ivy opens it, lets the mare pass, then closes it behind her. I laugh again when I see the two dogs deflate, knowing their moment has passed.

After giving Cash a quick lesson in operating one of the large John Deere tractors, he’s been busy moving round bales so the new hay can go to the back of the hay barns. Livi’s been kept busy opening and closing gates to save everyone time as we move the equipment around. Everyone is helping in one way or another, coming together for one of our own. It’s obvious as hell to me that’s exactly how my club views Ivy now. She’s mine, so by extension, she’s one of theirs too.

I saw Ted watching out the window a few times before he made his way to his truck and left. It was a smart decision because I’m not sure Trigger would have kept his hands to himself. Petey stood in the middle of the driveway, laughing loudly, and flipped Ted off as he roared down it.

After a few hours of work, I look around for Ivy. Not seeing her or Livi, Gunner and I walk toward the barns and find the two women tossing square bales of hay around like they weigh nothing. Laughing and chatting while they work, they’ve moved a large stack of hay already.

“Why the hell are you two doing that when you have a yard full of men?” I holler up to the two women standing at the top of the next stack.

“Uh, because we don’t want it fucked up?” Livi responds with a smirk. “No sense in moving all this hay just to have it topple over later.”

Ivy gives a loud snort of laughter before turning her head away, picking up another bale, and giving it a hard toss.

“Really, Ivy?” I ask in disgust, but I have to bite back my smile at my little ranch girl. Not that I’m dumb enough to use that phrase out loud. Nope, only Axel would make that mistake and only once.

“Your women have muscles,” Axel says, and I look to see the men standing behind me, grins in place. “Mine are bigger, though,” he adds before flexing his biceps at the women. “Jealous yet?” he asks with a smirk.

“Why would they be jealous? You have muscles, but they’re show muscles. Ivy has work muscles. Work muscles are always better. Everyone knows that,” Craig informs Axel with a serious look on his face.

“Show muscles? What the hell are you talking about, Craig?” Axel asks.

“It’s like show horses versus horses that do actual ranch work. You have muscle from lifting weights in a gym. Ivy has them from years of working hard. Show muscles look good but are fairly useless except for appearances. Muscles made from working hard know their job and get things done. Work muscles are better to have when there’s real work involved. Muscle memory and all that. Why do I always have to explain these things to you?” Craig questions with a sad shake of his head before walking off.

“Kid makes sense,” Petey adds with a chuckle.

“Kid’s a pain my ass,” Axel retorts. “Climb down, ladies, and let us men get our workout in.”

Shrugging, both women climb down and step back. An hour later, I’m wishing Axel had kept his mouth shut. Every muscle in my body is aching, so I know his are too. Gunner tosses another bale but aims it at the back of Axel’s knees. When Axel’s large-ass body hits the hay again, he doesn’t get up as quickly as he did the first few times Gunner put him down.

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