Page 11 of Red Hot Rancher

“Justin won’t mind lending a hand, and Brigit seems to like doing this stuff.”

A dark brow cocked. “How’s it going?”

He wasn’t surprised Jesse knew about his troubles with Brigit. Jesse’s wife was Caleb’s sounding board. It wasn’t like he could go to Justin and lament that Brigit wasn’t talking to him after they’d slept together. And since he went out with coworkers and other law enforcement, Farah was often there to witness the tense interactions between him and Brigit.

“It’s all right.” It was torture. He planned to spend every daylight hour here so he didn’t have to coexist with the woman of his dreams, who barely saw him as a friend. “Her breakup hasn’t gotten uglier, so that’s good.” He shrugged and scrambled to change the subject before he started babbling about Brigit’s daily activities and how it was good to see her in cowboy boots with her hair strung through a ball cap again. “I’ve been talking to builders.”

Jesse tipped his head toward the spot where the house used to be. “Going with stick built?”

“I think it’s the way to go, but it’ll cost more.” He couldn’t build a less sturdy structure after what had happened.

“Keeping the same design?”

“I’ll be lucky if I can afford the same square footage, but I’ll try.” The numbers weren’t in his favor, though, not when the ranch was barely profitable. He rapped his knuckles on the tractor. “I’m going to stack bales. You guys have any I can throw around?”

“I did that yesterday. Derrick showed me how he likes them. I’m surprised you stack them so close to the yard.”

“Because it’s a fire hazard?” Caleb chuckled. “I have to balance my firefighter brain with my rancher side. Put them in small groups and if lightning hits, we won’t lose the whole batch. It doesn’t make sense to go out to the field every day for a bale and risk getting my tractor stuck in snow.”

“I’ve driven past farms all my life and had no clue there was a reason to everything you guys do.”

“You’re one of us now. I don’t think Farah will throw you out anytime soon.”

“I make sure of it.” Jesse toed the giant black tire of the tractor. “Come on over Saturday. We’ll get started with the cattle when you’re ready.”

“See you then.”

Jesse left, but Caleb didn’t start his chores right away. One of his favorite things about meeting Jesse was that the man hadn’t known him growing up.

A town like Moore was still small enough to remember all his antics. Maybe “antics” wasn’t the right word. People still laughed about the time he and Justin rode horse through a drive-thru to get a couple of burgers. Or when he’d leapt barbed wire fences to outrun the cops busting their bonfire. People still brought up the way he and a few firemen buddies had decked out their coworker’s car with streamers and a tin can tail a hundred feet long on his wedding night. Those were antics, and the town chuckled over them.

It was the strikes against him personally, like getting held back in first grade, that Moore never let anyone forget. They didn’t pass kids who missed half the school year out “sick.” When Social Services had pounded on the door, he’d gone to stay with Grandma, but the scholastic damage had been done.

Kids had long memories, and it was constantly pointed out that he should’ve been further along. Nor had kids been the only ones to say so. Joan Walker had brought up the fact at least once a year, often around Justin’s birthday.

Oh that’s right, you’re a year older than Justin. I keep forgetting.

Caleb hadn’t been allowed to forget. And Joan wasn’t the only one who’d mentioned it over the years. Being held back shouldn’t have been held against him. Kids got held back for all sorts of reasons.

He shook himself out of his own head and wandered out of the shop and across the round gravel drive. As he stared at the spot his future would be built on, he pictured the type of home he’d build. A giant house had never been his dream. No, his was a stable home—both in structure and livability. The builders he’d talked to had tried to convince him that one level was fine; then he could afford more amenities.

Was he being unreasonable to want a modern version of his grandparents’ place? An homage to them, yes, but also a promise to himself that once he drove up and stepped inside, he wasn’t going to be yanked back out.

Brigit’s finger hovered over the “learn more” button of the job opening. She sighed and closed the tab. After three days, she knew every position she was qualified for in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. And she’d only applied for three of them.

Each time she passed over an opening, she’d come up with valid reasons. Too far from home. Too low of a wage for the hours demanded. Poor benefits. If Mom were here, she’d say not to expect to step through the door and earn the same as someone there for twenty years. Then in the next breath, she’d command Brigit not to settle for anything less than being a CEO.

She didn’t need to start at the top, but upward mobility was a necessity. How long had she heard that she shouldn’t settle for less and never ever block herself into a job going nowhere?

That advice had come from Dad. Look at me, kiddo. I might be my own boss, but my raises are at the mercy of Mother Nature and she can be fickle. Find a place with a good reputation that allows you to grow. Yet he’d raised two boys who’d gone out into the world and come right back because this was where they wanted to be.

The focus was on her. Did they realize it? Once Travis had come home and taken over as one of the Walker Five, Mom had upped her inquiries. How’s school going? Did you hit the dean’s list again? Are you thinking about a graduate program?

Then Justin had moved home from Denver. Their second prodigal son, a sheep rancher.

The questions had increased yet again. Half the reason Mom loved Oliver so much was that Brigit could concentrate on graduate school while Oliver…paid attention to other women, apparently.

Three jobs. That was enough. She wanted to run through weekend chores with Justin so they didn’t double up. Offering to do his books had landed her a big “No. Got it taken care of.” He probably didn’t want her to learn the real reasons he was running back to Denver. He claimed he was wrapping up deals he’d started, unwilling to let his old company and clients down, and that might be true, but she wouldn’t be surprised if one of the “deals” he wanted to close was a woman.

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