Page 18 of Red Hot Rancher

“The best cover.”

“Remember when you two used to spy on me?” Farah asked.

Jesse leaned forward. “Wait. I have to hear this.”

Caleb held up a finger. “One, we were, like, ten.”

“Thirteen,” Farah said.

“And two”—Caleb stuck up a second finger—“it just seemed like a good idea at the time. We asked you to ride horse and you said you were busy. Clearly, you don’t know the curiosity that inspires in a teenage kid.”

“I wanted to ride horse without you two dicking around and getting me in trouble.”

Caleb held up another finger. “Three, we didn’t know how not to get into trouble.” His serious expression dissolved into a grin. He took off his cowboy hat and brushed his hand over his hair. “Oh, man. I can’t believe your mom didn’t ban me from your property.”

Farah shook her head. “Mom and Dad never would’ve done that. Mom always said she’d been around enough bad people to know you’re not one of them.”

Brigit fought to keep her smile from dying. Mom and Dad would’ve never done that. How simply Farah said it, and with all the confidence in the world.

That boy is going to bring you down with him. What if he got you pregnant? How hard would college be then, and would he even stick around? He might be staying in Moore, but it doesn’t mean he’ll stay with you. Look at Adele Cruise. Do you want that for yourself, Brigit?

Mom had known Caleb for as long as Mrs. James.

“I wouldn’t have blamed her though.” Caleb’s own grin was still in place. “I was a shit.”

“Sometimes,” Farah agreed. “A lovable shit.”

Brigit eyed Caleb out of the corner of her eye. He’d made the claim so simply. He wouldn’t have blamed Mrs. James if she’d written him off as a lost cause and forbidden her daughter to have anything to do with him, like that was his lot in life and he accepted it.

“Why a fireman?” Jesse asked.

Farah cocked her head, like she’d never thought to ask. Neither had Brigit. “Caleb” and “fireman” had just gone together since she’d known him.

His expression turned grim and a flash of pain went through his eyes. “You haven’t met my mom, Jesse, but being responsible was never her strong suit. Neither was parenting. I was four when we were staying at her boyfriend’s place in Fergus Falls and they both fell asleep—well, passed out—with a cigarette burning away. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d each had more than a smoke lit.”

Brigit’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God. Did you all get out okay?” Obviously he had, and his mom had, but what about the boyfriend?

“They did.” His jaw was tight, his eyes pinched. “I woke to smoke and shouting, and I did what most terrified kids do and crawled under the bed.” The shop was the quietest it’d been all night as the three of them were riveted by Caleb’s story. “I should’ve been terrified. The fireman looked like an alien, but I always was a weird kid and when he held his hand out, I went.” Caleb shrugged. “When he carried me out, I felt like no flames in the world could touch us.”

Brigit stared at him. One simple question. How had she not thought to ask why he’d wanted to be a firefighter?

“Damn, dude.” Jesse shook his head.

“Yeah,” Caleb agreed. “That was the first time I was taken away from Mom.”

All three of them blinked. Taken away? As in by Social Services? Had Brigit been the most selfish friend in the universe to not know this about Caleb? Had he ever told Justin?

“What?” Farah asked, her expression matching the incredulity all of them felt.

Farah’s ignorance made Brigit feel a smidge better.

“Mom was too wasted to remember I was in the house. It was a neighbor who reported having seen a kid running around that day. I was only taken away twice before I went to live with my grandparents. I guess it’s not something I ever talked about.”

“Only twice?” Brigit said. He sounded so nonchalant about it.

“Mom moved back so I could start school, since her address was still here. Then after I was held back in first grade, Grandma gave her an ultimatum. I live with them, or Mom would get reported.”

Farah narrowed her eyes. “Reported for what?”

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