Page 6 of Rough
I’ve got the rope around his neck and give him a little pat to his rump, then gently tug him to follow me. Emmett is behind us, following my movements. Slow and steady.Calm. He’s got his arms wide, tapping the rest of the cattle as we approach them to guide them to follow me and the little guy I’ve got lassoed at my side.
Blessedly, it only takes us about ten minutes to get them through the opening in the fence, and I finally let my shoulders relax. I scrub Lucy’s ears where she’s sitting in the opening, watching the herd as they roam deeper into the field. When Mr.Meyers honks his horn at us in thanks, I throw an arm up to wave and enjoy the quiet once all the vehicles have disappeared.
“I got the wood,” Jeff calls out, head hanging from my window as he backs my truck up next to the damaged fence.
Planting my hands on my hips, I scowl at the damage, and take a good look for the first time. It doesn’t look like regular wear and tear. The wood is literally shattered in pieces, like someone lifted the boards and split them over their knee.
“Fuck a duck. How the hell did this happen?” I ask them, knowing neither has an answer.
Emmett reaches behind his neck and scratches the back of his head. “Looks like someone drove through it. Don’t it?” He eyes me, clearly worried I’ll be upset by what he’s saying.
I hum, then jerk my head for him to follow me so we can grab the wood from the bed. “Maybe. Wonder if one of your buddies at school drove into it and pussied out with the informin’ part. No use frettin’ about it, I suppose. Let’s just get it fixed up.”
It takes us another three hours, well past dark, before we’ve got the damaged stretch of fence repaired. The last hour, I turned the truck around so we could use the headlights to light the area for us.
As we drive back to the farm, I let my hand slide through the silky fur on Lucy’s back while she’s curled up in the passenger seat. Glancing into the rearview mirror, I eye the way the two boys are curled up in the bed, exhausted from the unexpected work tonight.
I chew my lip guiltily because they stayed late with me. Typically, I do my best to get them home before seven. I never want this to interfere with school shit, and it’s well after nine now.
Deciding to slip them each something extra for today’s work, I pull up next to their trucks and wait for them to hop out, waving and hollering goodnight to me. With a roll of myshoulders, I ease the ache leftover from hauling posts and over sixteen hours of work today.
Ignoring the sluggish way I drag my feet up my front steps, I make it to the porch and sit down, Lucy leaning heavily against my thigh, just as tired as I am. I breathe in the evening’s air deeply and feel a small smile tip my lips up.Home.
“Come on, Lucy. Let’s get ya fed.”
Chapter Two
Wilder
Ignoring the third time my phone buzzes with a notification, I jump out of my truck and rush over to where Remy and Clyde are saddling up their horses in the barn.
Joe, our boss, wants us to ride the fence line this morning to ensure there aren’t any integrity issues. And I fucking woke up late. In my defense, Trina kept us out late last night for some extra photos and video filming to upload new material.
Trina Colby’s been around for a few years, since some teenage girl took a video of us working on the ranch and uploaded it. Apparently, women in this country are thirsty for cowboys because we wentviral. Trina showed up within a week offering her services for PR work and educated us quickly on how much money we can make in the social media world.
Clyde wasn’t, and still isn’t, thrilled about what we’ve got going on, but Remy and I are loving the cash in our pockets. Plus, there’s something to be said about thousands of women complimenting you on your ass. Life has been great since Trina showed up.
“The fuck, Wild?” Clyde’s low voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
Waving him off, I grab the saddle and pad, dropping it on the floor next to one of the ranch horses I prefer. “My bad. Overslept. Won’t take me but ten minutes to be ready to go.” I get my horse ready for our ride by brushing him down quickly before tacking up.
Remy’s leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, watching me work. “Trina wants to ride out with us.” That makes me pause and meet his eye. Clyde snorts from the stall next to us. Normally, she stays uninvolved when we’re actually on the clock, so this is new.
“Why?” I’m not annoyed about it, but I don’t think Joe is going to be onboard. He’d see it as a liability and that man is allergic to risk.
Remy shrugs. “Said somethin’ about needin’ new material. She thinks we’re becoming repetitive and wants to give our followers somethin’ new to, and I quote,sink their teeth into.”
“You clear it with Joe?” I ask, cinching the belt on the saddle around my horse’s belly. “‘Cuz Joe might take issue.”
“We sure did,” a silky voice flows from behind Remy just before Trina’s perfectly manicured nails slide over his shoulder. Slipping past him into the stall, I bite my cheek to keep from laughing at her getup. Damn woman is wearing cut off shorts, pristine boots, and a flannel tied around her waist.
When I see her holding a cowboy hat in her hand, I lose it. Laughing, I shake my head. “Woman, the hell are you wearin’? You’re gonna be miserable ridin’ with us. You got a pair of jeans with you?”
Remy steps up behind her and tries to give me a warning look to shut my mouth. But honest to God, if nothing else, her thighs are going to stick to the leather within twenty minutes.
The moment Clyde joins us, his eyes hidden under the brim of his had run down her body before he mutters, “For fuck’s sake.”
Trina is a beautiful woman, and she knows it. Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, tanning booth tan, and perfect skin. But where she has everything in looks, she’s missing a few screws of common sense. Another pair of sky blue eyes flash through my head briefly, and Betsy’s face appears as fast as it dissolves in front of me.Thatgirl has the right mind to know you don’t dress like this when you’re going riding. Betsy is sensible. Fuck, I should give her a call.
