Page 2 of Stay for Me

That was the only thing I was certain of. “Hayden, Colorado.”

His eyes assessed me again, dropping down to my worn-out coat, lingering on the missing third button for a moment. “You get any injuries over there, solider?”

My next words were blunt, like the dull knife still lingering in my fucking back. “None that won’t keep me from work.”

“Can you ride a horse?”

“I’ll learn.”

The old man hummed, his eyes taking in my appearance. “You on drugs?”

“Nope.”

“You ever been on drugs?”

My jaw ticked and my grip tightened on the strap of my pack. I wasn’t in the mood to be interrogated. “Not by choice, no.”

He nodded and leaned back, sighing as he pulled out a notebook from underneath the register. “How much are you looking to make?”

“Enough to survive.”

The old man’s lips twitched. “Well, survival looks different for everyone.”

No, a lot of people confuse survival with greed. I inhaled through my nose and hit him with my definition. “Enough to put food in my gut and clothes on my back.”

His head tilted to the side, and, once again, silence fell between us as he studied me. “That’s all?”

I could feel eyes on my back as I nodded once. “That’s all.”

The man nodded, an understanding sigh leaving him. “Well, I don’t have any work for you, but Hallow Ranch might.”

The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I grunted, still feeling those eyes on me.

Fucking hell.

Taking a second, I looked around the quiet store, noting the few people in there, were no longer interested in me, having gone back to their business. My eyes stopped when they landed on a blonde head. The lights above created an illusion, giving the woman a halo of sorts, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure she was real.

“Denver Langston just got out,” the old man informed me, pulling me back into the conversation. I looked back over to him, waiting for more. “The new owner of Hallow Ranch. He got out of the Marines about a year ago and took over.”

That didn’t give me much, but knowing this cowboy was a fellow Marine was something. I looked back to the veteran’s hat displayed on the wall, wondering if the stranger had experienced anything remotely close to the hell I’d been forced to serve in.

“His father passed shortly after he got home, and his younger brother left town before that,” the man continued.

I didn’t give a rat’s ass about Hallow Ranch’s history.

I just needed a damn job.

The old man scratched his jaw, muttering something under his breath as he stumbled around behind the counter, looking for something. After a few moments, he handed me a business card, dated 1989. “Give that to him and tell him I sent you. That might give him some sway.”

I pocketed the card. “Going to need directions.”

He waved his hand, a smile on his face. “I’ll drive you.”

I shook my head, shutting him down. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be walking to Hallow Ranch, sir.”

His brows lifted so high, I was half convinced they would fly off his face. “It’s a five mile walk, soldier. You sure you’re up for that?”

I was silent again, staring at him and giving nothing away.

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