Page 29 of Stay for Me

I blinked. “Half of this town is scared of you—literally terrified—-and the other half doesn’t want to deal with you because you’re an asshole.”

He grunted, seeming to be impressed with himself, and turned back to the stove, working in silence for the next few minutes.

Both of us were lost in thought, and when he handed me a steaming bowl of taco soup, he said, “The entire town is grateful for Hallow Ranch, has been since my grandfather was running it. And this damn town knows I only give a fuck about a small group of people, Diana.Youare one of those people.”

My lip wobbled. “Thanks, Den.”

“Shut up and eat your soup.”

For once, I did what I was told, and when the Hallow Ranch owner left my house, despite all the information that had just been dumped on me, I could only think about Mags.

Chapter Five

Mags

Year Five. Hallow Ranch.

“Youcominguptothe house later?”

I looked up to find one of the newest ranch hands staring at me with a goofy smile on his face. I said nothing and returned to my book, ignoring the ache in my muscles, the new, yet repetitive, phantom pain on my left side. The walking fucking headache in front of me didn’t move, and I was seconds away from pulling out my gun when another voice spoke, halting my thoughts.

“That one doesn’t talk, Lance,” his twin brother said from across the bunkhouse.

“I can see that,” the headache, Lance, mumbled.

My eyes snapped back up to find his back to me as he walked over to his bunk. These new ranch hands had only been here a few months, and though they were fast learners, my patience had worn thin. Both of them liked to yap.

Like dogs.

The front door swung open then, and Beau walked in, his eyes as cold as the snowfall behind him. The shadow loomed over him hadn’t changed since I saw him this morning, and I knew that by the time night fell, it would consume him.

“Hey, Beau!” Lance greeted over his shoulder, oblivious. “You coming up to the main house tonight?”

Beau took off his hat, gloves, and coat and hung them up before grabbing a beer out of the fridge and taking a seat at the table, not saying a word. He twisted the cap off and took a healthy swig.

I studied him for a few more moments, and when he finally lifted his chin to the twin in greeting, my eyes dropped back to my book.

Abbie and Beau were no longer together.

She’d left him in the summer, and he was a fucking mess.

However, Denver, Jigs, and I were watching him closely to make sure he didn’t fall off the fucking deep end. We did the best we could not to leave him alone and drink his life away, but a man couldn’t blame him. He’d lost the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and nothing could compare to that pain.

“You coming up, Mags?”

Beau’s question floated throughout the silent space over to the leather chair I occupied. My eyes didn’t leave the page as I said, “Maybe.”

One of the twins broke out into laughter. “Yeah, that’s a no.”

It should’ve been a no.

I didn’t want to go, and Denver knew that.

Hallow Ranch was finally out of the deep end. It was a good year—a very good year. Denver hiring two new ranch hands was proof of that. Another sign was that Cathy, Caleb’s mother kept coming around, asking for money. She said that town was taking notice of how well the ranch was doing, thriving again after the loss of John Langston, and she felt like she was owed.

It was a bunch of bullshit, but then again, anything that came out of Cathy’s mouth usually was.

The year was so good that Denver’s spirits were higher than normal. I’d been at Hallow Ranch for almost five years now, and Christmas was usually a quiet day for Denver and me. He’d spend the day with his boy and by the time Caleb went to bed, I was waiting on the porch with a bottle of whiskey. Somewhere along the way, Denver had become not only my boss, but a damn good friend to me.

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