Page 57 of Bucked Hard

“Thanks.” I give Jenny a reserved smile as I stuff my wallet back into my canvas bag.

“Sure thing, honey.” She turns. “Hi, Lacy. Back again?”

“Yep. Ten sacks of cracked corn and two sacks of Purina Senior stock feed.” Lacy doesn’t take her eyes off me as I turn toward the door and she starts talking again. “I was just telling Rachel here what you were saying yesterday. About that new hand out there. You find out anything about him? If he’s new in town, and as good lookin’ as you say, I want to know more too.”

Well, that makes sense. She’s looking for fresh meat. Apparently she’s used up all the other potential men in this town. Done wore them out or sent them running.

She’s baiting me and I sigh, but it would be impolite to just turn and walk so I nibble on the jerky and wait to see what’s next. Truth is, I want to know more about him too.

Jenny folds her arms over her ample chest, her gray eyes jumping between me and Lacy before she answers. “Well, not much. He did tell me he was from Meyer up a couple hours north. And I did ask him about family when he came in, gave me his family name, he said his father passed not too long ago.”

Jenny’s voice keeps going up with her excitement. The exchange of information in small towns is better than cable TV, you’d think this was Peyton Place. Thank goodness no one knows exactly whyIcame to live here. Just that I had family trouble. Jessie’s a vault and because I was a minor, no one should know about what happened. At least I don’t think anyone knows, but with the way Jenny likes to snoop who knows.

Lacy breaks into a full smile, popping a stick of gum between her lips and chomping away.

Jenny reaches down on the counter to fuss with a clipboard, her eyes measuring my reaction. Jessie and I don’t even have internet out at the farm. I know most people would be searching up anything they could find on new people, but that’s just not our way.

“Is there something we should know?” My stomach turns on itself.

Jenny looks sheepish, but juts the clipboard my way. I step back toward the counter and take it from her as she answers. “I don’t think so. I found a death notice from his father that’s about it. I didn’t look much farther.”

My eyes scan the black and white printed page. The photo isn’t recent, it’s grainy, the man is in his mid-fifties in the picture, but the resemblance to Chad is shocking. I start to read the copy below the photo.

Raymond Chandler Butler, born August 15, 1944

The deceased leaves behind

Sarah Penelope Butler of Meyer, Michigan;

Chandler James Butler of Lynchfield, Oklahoma

and Leander Raymond Menfield of Jackson, Michigan.

“Where you going?” Lacy’s voice calls from behind me, the clipboard on the floor as I slam out the front door.

ChapterTwenty

Chad

There’s not much that scares me.

But right now, I’m terrified.

Rachel missed dinner.

It’s nearly seven o’clock and from the look on Jessie’s face, she’s worried.

“She’s been gone since then.” Jessie scrubs a pot in the sink, leaning forward every few seconds to look out the window and down the long driveway toward the road.

“She said she was just going out for feed? It’s not her night to work at Crutches?”

I make a mental note that we need to have a chat about her working at that bar. From what I saw that first night, I need to lead her away from all that. She worked there two nights ago but only because I sat in the back of the bar and watched her ass all night. Driving her there and home, and shadowing her if I thought any fuck was getting too close or not treating her right. I’ll take care of her, she doesn’t need that money; I’ll give her everything she needs.

Hell, I’m going to give her things she never knew she needed.

My fingers dig in my pocket for my keys, fuck if I’m standing here waiting.

Just as I turn to tell Jessie I’m going to go look, the house phone rings and Jessie’s head snaps around. She has one of those old wall phones with a cord and it rings around fifty decibels damn near shaking the fillings out of my teeth. I lunge at the phone before Jessie can dry her hands.

---