Page 15 of Love, Hate, Love

I leaned back farther in my chair, getting more comfortable, as I had a feeling this was going to be a long one. This was the price I paid for leaving the door open for some fresh air. But it was Missy, who up until recently had seemed to brace herself to not run whenever she saw me. I couldn’t snap at her and tell her I wasn’t in the mood for whatever it was she wanted to tell me, even if I did want to tell her to get the hell out.

She walked right up to the other side of my desk, crossing her arms and glaring down at me. “You were out of line last night. She didn’t even want that beer. She told Adam that repeatedly. He put it there but she didn’t even touch it.”

I should let her get it off her chest so she’d leave faster, but that would imply guilt. I wasnotguilty.

“I realize that she might not have drunk, but she’s not allowed to be at a party. That looked like a party to me.”

I grabbed a file off my desk, flipping through some stats on the newest cutting horses making their way up the ranks. Perhaps she’d take the hint and leave.

“She came in to go to the bathroom and then we made her stay. What was she supposed to do? Pee in the bushes in the dark and not know if she’s getting poison ivy or bitten by something?” She was leaning forward, her voice getting louder, as if my reading affected my hearing.

I threw the file down. “How was I supposed to know that? Look at it from my perspective. I walk in and she’s hanging out at what looks like a party with a beer.” This day was already bad, and it wasn’t even noon.

“Maybe ask next time before you humiliate her like that.”

“I didn’t humiliate her. She was fine.” It wasn’t like she ran off crying or something. She pushed right back.

“Oh, so it’s okay if you’re mean because she can take it?” Her face was scrunched up as she threw her hands in the air.

“I’m notmean. I have responsibilities. I signed a legal document guaranteeing I’d hold to certain rules.” Why was it that no one other than me could understand this?

“Rules?Nowyou’re such a rule follower?” she scoffed. “What about when you?—”

“I don’t need a list of what I’ve done in my life.” Or what I’d done just since Leah had come to the ranch. I wasn’t the one who was doing a sentence. “Now if you’re done, I’ve got things to do.” My eyes shot to the door, making my meaning clear to anyone with half a brain.

Missy had a very competent mind, but it was frequently overridden by a stubborn streak, like someone else I knew. This seemed to be another of those occasions.

“She’s highly likable. Everyone likes her. You’re just being a bully.” She wasn’t just insulting me now—she was pointing at me.

“You’re callingmea bully?” I blinked several times.

“Yep, that’s you. Bully boy Kade.” She tilted her head back, trying to increase her height superiority.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” I said, about to get to my feet and reclaim the higher ground, if only physically.

“She’s right,” Chuck said as he walked in the open door and over to a stack of files on the side table. “You’re being mighty mean.”

“You’re jumping on this bandwagon, too?” Of all people, Chuck was turning on me?

“There was a chat about it at breakfast. There was a vote on it,” he said, flipping through papers as if their condemning my moral fabric was nothing.

“You took a vote?” What the hell was going on around here?

“Just an informal raise of hands. We didn’t put it in writing, but man, you took a beating.” He shuffled through another stack of papers. “Ah, here it is.”

“You need to do better,” Missy said.

“Can you get out so I can get some work done, please?”

She nodded, but then didn’t walk out.

“What?” I snapped.

“I’m not in trouble for this, am I?” Missy asked, her voice growing softer now that she’d unloaded her grievances.

I gave her a hard stare, about done with the lecture. “No, as long as you get out now.”

Chuck watched Missy leave and then stood there staring at me.

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