Page 89 of Live for Me

“Hallow Ranch is not our only concern,” Ricky bit off.

“A grizzly killing livestock should be a top concern,” I said, my voice low, watching Ricky’s reaction. He didn’t acknowledge me, and I shot a look over to Mason.

Denver leaned forward then, a shadow looming over his face. “You owe me three calves.”

“Excuse me?”

“Calves. Heifers usually give birth to them a few months after insemination,” I deadpanned.

Ricky’s head snapped back so fast, I was disappointed when it didn’t fall off. “Can I ask what the hell you’re doing in this meeting?”

“No, you may not,” I said, grinning.

His mouth flattened. “Last I checked, you weren’t the owner of Hallow Ranch or kin to said owner.”

“No,” Denver cut in, “but he is a shareholder.”

Ricky looked back at him. “He’s a what?”

I pushed off the wall. “The details of why I’m in this fucking meeting are of no concern to you. Denver and Mason wanted me here, so I’m fucking here. Now, stop fuckin’ stalling and get to the part where you tell us why you took so long to get out here,” I ordered, coming around to face him head on. “That bear has killed three calves in the last three weeks. That’s almost two grand of profit loss, Ricky.”

The man scoffed. “That’s what bears do. Surely, these aren’t the first calves you’ve lost.”

“No; usually, it’s wolves,” Mason clipped, stepping towards the warden. “And those are taken care of swiftly.”

Ricky’s throat bobbed before looking Denver once more. “Killing a bear is illegal.”

Denver sighed and leaned forward, reaching behind him and pulling out his pistol. He calmly set it on the table and leaned back, stroking his beard. “What gave you in the impression I’m a patient man?”

“I’m well aware of what kind of man you are, Denver Langston,” he spat, looking at the three of us with so much hatred in his eyes. “What kind of men all of you are, and if you think threatening an officer is going to get you anywhere—”

“—all I did was set my gun on the table, Mr. Johnson. If you think that’s a threat, then maybe I should get you a dictionary,” Denver said calmly, cutting him off.

I watched as Ricky’s upper lip curled, reminding me of how his father used to look anytime Pop and I would see him in town. “You cowboys are all the same, thinking you’re God’s fucking favorites, thinking you deserve anyone and anything.”

The hair on the back of my neck shot up, and suddenly, all I could see was the way he was looking at Abbie earlier. I hadn’t liked the possessive look in his eyes, like she was his, and I sure as shit didn’t like the look in them now. My jaw tightened,and while he pushed out some more bullshit, I remembered the night Abbie was nearly assaulted. I had to push Ricky’s father to the ground because he had been in on it. That grown man was helping his friend assault a child, keeping a look out.

I made a mental note to call Red Snake and have them run a background check on Ricky and Billy Johnson. I wanted to see what they’d been up to the last decade.

“We have a large male grizzly within the property lines, killing calves,” Mason cut in sharply. “We didn’t drag you up here for your damn opinion on us. We don’t give a single fuck, Johnson. Do your damn job and remove the animal.”

A tense silence filled the loft and, down below, I heard my father and the twins coming back in from mending the fence on the east side of the ranch. Mags was monitoring the herd in pasture four. Ricky shifted on his feet, pulling out his phone while glaring at the bull rider. He pressed it to his ear, and the three of us waited patiently. I shot a look to Denver, my mind now racing. For the last three days, I’d been trying to get information on who the hell forced Abbie to leave me. That, of fucking course, was easier said than done.

The first guess had been her mother, but Sheri Spears wasn’t the brightest woman on the planet, and she didn’t have much sway with Abbie anymore. After that, there were all the people in this town who loathed Sheri Spears, how easily she spread her legs, and all the families she’d broken apart. She had a ton of enemies, and when she secluded herself to that shitty trailer on the outside of town, her own daughter was subjected to the hate and violence on her behalf. That night changed my life, and my soul was forever tainted because of it.

I do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I would do anything to make sure Abbie was safe.

“Yeah, deploy the team to the Langston property,” Ricky ordered into the cell before looking at us. “Where was the last place you saw the animal?”

“My tracker spotted him on the northeast side by the mountain,” Denver replied, studying the man and tilting his head to the side.

Fuck, I really hoped he was seeing what I was.

After the other night, the next morning, I went directly to Denver and Mason to set the record straight.

Three Days Ago. Hallow Ranch.

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