Page 97 of Ashes of the Past
Chapter Forty
Jack
I’ve never been one to socialize a lot. Growing up, family dinner looked more like me, Jason, and Joanne eating pizza or whatever mom left in the fridge for us for dinner while we watched television or did homework. I’ve worked at other ranches, and we all just fended for ourselves.
Dinner with everyone every night is taking some getting used to, but I like it.
It’s Monday night, and the long wooden table is crowded with plates of food—roast beef, mashed potatoes, fresh-baked rolls.
“Brynn, I don’t know how you manage to feed all of us three meals a day with your schedule,” I tell her as I look around at the table in dismay.
“Crockpot, air fryer, and Blackstone,” she answers with a nonchalant shrug. “I’ve learned to minimize kitchen time as much as possible.”
“She’s a meal prep queen,” Paulo says with a grin. “Don’t let her fool you, she puts in a lot of hard work on Sundays when she meal preps for all of us.”
She shrugs again, her cheeks turning pink with the praise. “It’s not really meal prepping. It’s me putting a bunch of stuff in containers so that I can grab and go to put in the crockpot or whatever else.”
“Didn’t rain a drop today,” John says, cutting into his beef with a heavy sigh. “Third week straight of nothin’. If it don’t rain soon, we’re gonna have to start buying hay early. And Lord knows how expensive that’ll be.”
“Hay’s already up five bucks a bale,” Nick chimes in, reaching for the mashed potatoes. “Callahan said he had to drive a few hours just to find some at a halfway decent price.”
“Five bucks?” I shake my head. “If we don’t get rain in the next two weeks, it’s gonna be ten before we know it. And then what?”
“It’s going to get rough,” John says with a shake of his head.
“Speaking of bad luck,” Brynn says, looking over at me with a sharp eye. “Did you hear anything more about our cattle from Doc Sutton?”
Nick puts his fork down, frowning. “Not yet. Three dead in one night. A couple more are looking sick.”
“Do you think it’s the drought or poisoning?” Paulo asks.
“We won’t know until Doc tells us,” I say dismissively, my eyes flitting to Olivia’s.
She’s looking around the table, her face pale as she takes in the seriousness of what’s happening.
“Who would go after cattle like that? That’s…” Olivia says.
John wipes his mouth with his napkin, nodding. “I don’t like it. First a drought, now this? Feels like we can’t catch a damn break.”
A silence settles over the table before Paulo steers the conversation somewhere lighter. “Oh, and did you hear about Missy Reynolds? She ran off with that new mechanic over at Jansen’s.”
Brynn gasps. “Missy Reynolds? Are you sure?”
Olivia grins. “Saw ’em packing up his truck myself.”
“That girl’s always had a wild streak,” Nick mutters. “Bet her daddy’s fit to be tied.”
“You’re not wrong.” Paulo smirks. “Saw him down at the diner yesterday, red as a tomato.”
Nick chuckles and turns to Olivia. “So, what’s going on at school?”
She rolls her eyes. “Same old, same old. Tests, papers, and Mrs. Bennett is still out to get me.”
Brynn gives her a look. “Out to get you? What did you do?”
“Nothing!” Olivia throws up her hands. “She just doesn’t like me.”
Nick laughs. “I don’t think that’s possible, kiddo.”
