Page 22 of Ashes of the Past
“John isn’t…John is pretty forgetful lately, and Brynn, I was protecting her. We all were. If she would have said something to him…his brother…” Paulo says.
Anyone who hurts an animal isn’t afraid to hurt a human, too.
So they were all just going to let him continue abusing the animals and wreaking havoc on the ranch? Seriously.
He clears his throat and looks down at the ground. He doesn’t want to finish what he’s saying and be labeled as a gossip, I assume. He seems to be a pretty quiet man who keeps his head down.
“You all were just going to sit back and let this continue?”
“No, sir. Lane has been talking about joining the rodeo circuit with his brother and said he was supposed to be leaving next weekend to join.”
“The Castings didn’t know that?”
He shrugs. “I’m just telling you what he’s told all of us. I also think you should know that he left a little too easily. I don’t think that’s the last we’ve seen of him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Ask anyone in town. John has bailed him out of jail a few times. So has Brynn. He gets into a lot of bar fights when he’sdrinking. He always walks away and then comes back when they’re not expecting it.”
Shit. Great.
“I’ll handle him if it comes to that. In the meantime, you guys get back to work. I don’t want to ever see John or Brynn Castings doing manual labor out here because you all failed to carry the load.”
“Yes, sir,” he says as he quickly disappears.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial my sister’s number. She’s a certified veterinary technician and the office manager for the local large animal veterinarian, Sutton Callahan.
Joanne answers on the second ring. “Jack! To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Got a problem,” I say, getting straight to the point. “One of the mares here has a gash on her leg. It’s deeper than I can handle, and it looks infected. Can you get me Doc Sutton’s number so she can come out and take a look?”
Joanne’s tone shifts, all business now. “How bad is it?”
“Bad enough that I don’t want to mess with it. I’d rather have you or Doc Sutton take care of it.”
“All right,” she says. “I’ll call Sutton and see what she wants me to do. I can probably just grab my kit and head out, but she’s closer. Should be there in about thirty minutes.”
“Appreciate it,” I say, about to hang up, but she stops me.
“Wait a second. When are you coming to dinner? The kids keep asking about Uncle Jack.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “Not tonight, Jo. Got too much on my plate.”
She’s quiet for a moment, and I can practically hear her smirking through the phone. “Too much on your plate, or is there a certain someone keeping you busy?”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, come on. How’s Brynn? I bet she’s giving you a run for your money. She’s a little pistol, all fire and…”
I can’t help but chuckle at that. “Yeah. She’s a pistol, all right.”
Joanne laughs. “That’s what I thought. All right, I or Doc will be there soon.”
“See you soon,” I say, hanging up.
I slide my phone back into my pocket and glance at Paulo, who’s been working in the stall next to where I am. “Go grab me some clean towels and a bucket of warm water. Let’s get this cleaned up before Joanne or Doc gets here.”
Paulo nods and hurries off, leaving me alone with the mare. I stroke her neck, murmuring softly to her as I try to push the anger out of my system. But it’s not easy. Every time I think about Lane and what he did, my blood boils all over again.
