Page 2 of Swallow Your Fear
“And if he doesn’t show up?” Austin asked.
I waited for Henley to respond, and when he didn’t, I glanced his way.
“We find him instead,” he finally answered.
There was no telling what I’d do to protect Austin, Henley, and this ranch. I’d find this asshole, put him in his place, and make sure Henley stayed far the fuck away from any more gambling opportunities. Once the deed was in my hands, I’d make sure none of the guys could find it, lest Henley get any more brilliant ideas.
Leaning down to open the gate, I said, “I’ll head over there tomorrow.”
“I can come with,” Henley offered.
I swung it wide as Onyx side-stepped to let Austin and him pass. “Not a chance.”
Henley angled his horse toward me as I shut the gate. “Why not?”
Once the latch was back in place, I straightened, heading in the direction of the barn. “You think he’s not going to be suspicious if he sees you there?”
“I doubt he remembers me,” Henley said.
We stopped in front of the lit up barn, the light illuminating the surrounding area. Everything else was nearly nonexistent with the faint hue from the moon. Austin dismounted, getting to work on his latigo. “Hen, if I had to guess, you were the plastered one, not him. He knew exactly what he was doing, taking advantage of you.”
Henley and I followed suit. I just wanted to go the fuck back to bed, not be standing out here talking about Henley’s bad decisions. That was a conversation foraftercoffee, not before.
I glanced over Onyx’s back at Henley. The mopey look on his face wasn’t sitting right with me. “What happened?”
He looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Why’d you do it?” Henley had made some stupid decisions in the past, but this beat all of them by a long shot.
He shrugged, taking his sweet time on the latigo. “Aubree and I ended things, and I just… I drank too much and wasn’t thinking. Thought if I lost her, I had nothing else to lose.”
Austin and I paused, leaving the cinches dangling from our saddles.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Austin asked. We always went to each other with anything, regardless of what it was.
Henley took his hat off, setting it on the horn of his saddle. “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. Stopped by here to clear my head and thought ‘fuck it’ and ended up at the pool hall with the deed. Lost it to some asshole cheat named Chase.”
All three of us stood there a moment, letting it sink in, the only sound the crickets chirping in the fields.It was chilly being the middle of fall here in Whiskey Ridge, but no extreme temperature drops yet. One look at the grand farmhouse sitting a mere thirty yards from the barn sent a shiver down my spine, despite the layers I had on. We couldn’t lose the property. It was our livelihood, and without it, we’d be lost. Three men with no place to call home.
“We’ll get it back,” I told him, hefting the saddle off.
“You guys really don’t need to get involved. I can do it myself,” Henley said, shame coating his words.
Austin shook his head, setting a hand on Henley’s shoulder. “We’re in it together, Hen. We’ll figure it out.”
With a nod, we finished up, untacking the horses and putting them away before heading inside to get some rest. We all sure as fuck needed it with the unknown of what was to come tomorrow.
Chapter 2
Booker
“I’d much rather have the booth,” Austin mumbled as we followed the waitress through the run-down diner.
The blonde gestured to the small table in the center of the restaurant, her high ponytail swinging over her shoulder as she faced us. “Here you are.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” I said, ignoring Austin’s complaint and taking the seat facing the kitchens. The table gave us a clear view of the entire diner, including the front doors.
He sat across from me as she asked, “Can I get you two started with anything?”
