Page 29 of Operation Wolf: Hunter
CHAPTER 14
Hunter
THE NEXT WEEK PASSEDfairly quickly. I showed Kia how to muck out the stalls, clean tack, and feed and care for the horses. I spent an afternoon teaching her how to saddle and mount a horse and then ride one, and though she was nervous at first, she ended up taking to it like a duck to water. Once I was confident she could hold her own reasonably well, I took her with me on fence inspections, and we worked on the repairs together whenever we found them.
I also hired Johnny to come and help me herd the cattle to a different pasture and told the former ranch hand I’d hire him at least once a week to help with the task. The man was grateful for the opportunity, meager though it was, and I determined, once I was done here, I would convince Kia to hire Johnny back on to his old job as ranch hand.
Mrs. Jones also came to visit, declaring that she liked the looks of things so much that she would come back on as the housekeeper. Her cooking wasn’t quite as good as Leta’s, but it was still delicious, and Kia and I looked forward to her home-cooked breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
No longer worried about keeping the house clean or keeping up with the dishes, Kia somehow managed to dredge up the energy to work on home improvement projects during the evening, and though I would have much rather kicked back with a beer, I helped her out. I knew there was something soothing to her about working on the interior design projects, and besides, the house didneed to get done.
By the end of the week, the ranch was looking a hell of a lot better. The horses were well cared for, the house was coming together, and the fences and even some of the machinery had been repaired.
“It’s finally time for me to start training those horses,” I told Kia over dinner on Sunday night.
Mrs. Jones had made us steak, potatoes, and glazed carrots, the latter of which Kia seemed to be particularly relishing.
“Training them?” she asked, popping another carrot into her mouth. “What for? They don’t seem like they need to be broken in or anything.”
I laughed. “I forgot that you don’t know how Daniel made the majority of his money. He trained stock and cutting horses, selling them to cattle ranchers.”
“Cutting horses?” Kia frowned. “What are those?”
“They’re horses specially trained to separate a cow from the herd,” I explained. “Cutting horses are used in competition, while stock horses are used around the ranch to help herd cattle.”
“Huh. I guess I never thought about it, but it makes sense that you’d need horses specifically trained for that,” Kia mused. “And you know how to train cutting horses?”
I nodded. “It’s been a while, and I’m not as good as Daniel was, but he taught me the ropes. Some of these horses are already a fair way into their training from what Johnny told me, so I should have a few ready to sell by the end of the month.”
“That would be very exciting,” Mrs. Jones said as she came to clear some of the plates away. “It would do my heart good to see this ranch starting to turn a profit again. And I wager the townspeople would be happy too.”
The phone rang then, and Mrs. Jones started toward the living room to pick it up. “I wonder who on earth that could be.”
“I’ll get it.” I stood up and placed a hand on Mrs. Jones’s arm, already having a good idea of who it was. “You go ahead and finish what you were doing.”
Excusing myself, I went to the living room and picked up the phone resting on the side table next to the couch. “Bridle Hill Ranch,” I said, settling myself into the chair.
“Hey, Hunter,” Eric greeted me. “How are things going?”
“Pretty good.” I gave him a brief overview of what Kia and I had accomplished that week. “I’m pretty hopeful we can get this ranch back on its feet by the end of the month. In the beginning, I was worried Kia might end up being dead weight, but she’s really been holding her own.”
“That’s great,” Eric said. “Really good to hear. Listen, I got your message about that guy from Bradley and Radcliffe shaking Kia down about the ranch, and you’re right—they’re bad news. They pounce on ranches that are down on their luck, buy them up, and turn them into housing developments.”
“I knew it,” I hissed. My grip tightened on the phone, and I forced my hand to relax before I cracked the phone. Then I thought about what Eric had said and paused. “Wait, you said ranches down on their luck? But, from what I understand, Old Daniel’s ranch was going strong when he was approached to sell.”
“Well, maybe the guy who approached Daniel wasn’t the same guy who approached the two of you last week,” Eric suggested. “It follows the pattern that Bradley would approach Kia now, when the ranch is declining. I don’t see why he would have made an offer on the ranch when it was still functional. It would have cost him a hell of a lot more to buy it then than it would now.”
“What you’re saying makes sense,” I said, “except that Bradley offered Kia one hundred grand for the ranch, which is easily five times what it’s worth right now.”
“One hundred thousand!” Eric exclaimed. “That’s crazy!” There was silence for a moment. “He has to have an ulterior motive,” Eric said finally. “There’s some kind of strategic advantage Bradley will gain by buying that ranch, and I think it’s worth finding out what that is.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance you might be able to help me on that end?” I asked. “I’m not very good with business.”
Eric sighed. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make any promises. I’m pretty busy these days. I’ll let you know if I do find anything. But in the meantime, I suggest you do your own research.”
“Will do. Thanks, brother.” I hung up the phone and then stared into the empty grate of the fireplace for a long while, thinking on what my brother had said.
Is it possible that the man who approached Daniel a few years ago is completely unrelated to Bradley?
