Page 91 of The Texas Sterling Collection
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“Sheriff Johnson.” Jack’s commanding presence was authoritative and a bit cocky. Tall and lean, he wore his badge and gun proudly and wouldn’t take shit from anybody. He served as deputy before he ran for sheriff and easily won the election. Everyone in town liked and respected Jack.
“Hey, Jack. Wyl Sterling here. How are you?” Wyl had a smile in his voice.
“Hey, Wyl. Doing fine. You two doing okay?” Jack asked.
“Us two?” Wyl asked.
“Wyl, I saw you both sitting in the family pew at Walt’s funeral. And y’all got hitched in February. The county clerk in New Mexico sent a copy of the license to our county clerk, who notified me. Since the marriage is unusual, it’s best that we know in case trouble arises. It’s June. This is a small town. Word got around somehow, but I have no idea how people found out.” Jack chuckled. “Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thanks, Jack. Listen, I called to alert you to a potential situation. We let Shifty Anderson go today. He’s been with us only a year or so and raised an objection today about working for Rod and me.” Wyl kept his eye on Rod, searching for any nervous reaction.
“What kind of issue? I understand Rod is helping you at the ranch now.”
“Yeah, Rod is the business manager and half-owner of the ranch. But it’s not the ranch Shifty had a problem with; it’s our relationship. Shifty announced he wasn’t working for queers, which I took as his resignation. He picked up his final pay a few minutes ago. He’s probably headed for one of the local watering holes. He’ll have a few drinks, and there is no telling what he might pull.”
“Okay, Wyl. I’ll ask my men to keep an eye on him.”
“Jack, I don’t want any lynch mobs showing up at the ranch. I appreciate anything you can do to stop a problem before it becomes a situation,” Wyl said.
“Shifty doesn’t vary much in his drinking habits, so we’ll watch the bar he frequents,” Jack said.
“Oh…one more thing. After collecting his final pay, Shifty stomped to his old truck, muttering something about getting a gun and taking care of this. From our perspective, that constitutes a threat.”
“I agree, Wyl. We’ll find him, tail him, and make sure he doesn’t follow through.”
“Thanks, Jack. I knew we could count on you. Call us here at the ranch if something comes up.”
* * *
After Wyl hung up, he drew an uncertain Rod into his arms. “Babe, fired ranch hands always carry a grudge. We don’t fire many, but it never ends well when we have to. Jack will keep an eye on things so we’re safe.”
Rod buried his face in Wyl’s neck. “I went from cowardly to brave and back to cowardly in the last fifteen minutes. This is all my fault. Perhaps I should return to the campus and let you handle things here. I’m fucking things up.”
Wyl placed a knuckle under Rod’s chin. “Hey, cowboy, stop worrying, and let’s go to the house and have a drink.”
“But it’s noon,” Rod said.
Wyl grinned. “Noon-schmoon. After dealing with Shifty, we both need a shot of tequila. Let’s unsaddle and curry the horses, have that drink, then think about lunch.”
They closed the office and spent thirty minutes getting the horses settled before strolling back to the house. After washing up, Wyl poured each of them a tequila shot and handed Rod a glass.
“Here’s to overcoming the challenges of ranch life,” Wyl said. “Without challenges, we wouldn’t know the good times.”
They tapped their glasses and threw down the shot.
“Another?” Wyl asked.
“Hell yes,” Rod chuckled. “Like you said, we need it.”
Wyl poured another shot, and they downed those as well.
“Man… it’s getting hot in here.” Wyl tugged at his shirt collar. “I need to check the thermostat.”
“It’s not hot in here. It’s the tequila combined with your hot body.” Rod tugged at his own shirt collar, too.
Wyl grabbed Rod into a hug. “You’re the one with the hot body.”
