Page 30 of Adam's Rising

Far as Adam could tell, no one was in charge when Brett wasn’t here. Frank disappeared a lot, and when Adam did see him, he moseyed around, doing nothing. George and Rusty kept busy but didn’t act like supervisors.

Adam, knowing that there was no use jockeying for anything beyond muck duty, had stuck close to the main barn — and he was glad he had. If he hadn’t been in Bolt’s stall, he would’ve missed Claire.

Hopefully, Clara Mae would announce soon that he was more than just a lowly stableboy.

Rusty jutted his chin toward the barn doors, then ambled over. “Claire, huh?”

Adam’s pulse spiked. “Whaddaya mean?” So far, he liked Rusty, but how old did the guy think Claire was?

“Down, boy,” Rusty said, smirking. “Just wanna make sure you know Clara Mae’s rule about owners and hands.”

“That rule go for you, too?” Adam shot back.

Rusty chuckled. “Told George not to mess with you. You might look like a teeny-bopper, but you’ve got some scrapper in you, don’t ya?”

Adam held his gaze but stayed quiet. His father’s lessons had been echoing in his head more in the last two days than they had in the last two years.

The man snorted. “Yeah, it goes for me, too. Not that I would ever look twice at Claire. I got my own girl; she just ain’t around right now.” Rusty sobered. “Just letting you know to steer clear. Her cousin Lala might be eighteen, but Claire’s only sixteen.Understand?”

“Lala’s her cousin?”

Rusty raised a brow. “Yeah… But you’re missing the point. Just… keep your head down, kid. Clara Mae don’t tolerate fraternizing with the owners.”

“Got it!” Adam said. But as Rusty turned to leave, Adam realized he needed his help. He’d liked Rusty from the beginning — even when he butted in on his moment with Claire. And now he liked him more, knowing he was looking out for her.

He didn’t want to lie, but maybe he could gain his confidence without telling him everything.

“Rusty?”

The man turned. “Yeah?”

“Claire said she had to leave the drive-in last night.”

The man’s jaw tightened.

Adam was glad Rusty hadn’t made that face yesterday when he handed him Bolt’s lead. He might have left the ranch right then.

Rusty bent forward, cocking his head. “That punk show up here today? He needs a good ass-kicking. Damn near all these kids who board here are spoiled, but he’s the worst. No clue what she sees in him.”

Now Adam understood Rusty’s demeanor and his question to Claire earlier. Someone — someguy— had hurt Claire. In the last two days, Adam lost his brother and his home, been shot at, belittled, and he needed sleep something awful, butClaire… A vein at his temple throbbed, and his vision blurred.

Adam breathed deeply, doing his utmost to keep his face calm. “She only said that she didn’t stay for the movie. Did someonehurtClaire?”

Rusty’s mouth curled in disgust. “Hurt her? Nah, she’s okay. But I’m damn certain that ass was gonna rape her. Right there in front of God and everybody. Pisses me off. And he’s got the nerve to throw slurs at me —” Rusty clenched his fists, then relaxed, jaw grinding. “I’m gonna have a long talk with Clara Mae when she gets back tonight.”

Adam swallowed hard. “Who — what’s his name?”

“Boyd!” Rusty snapped. “Punk. They’re all punks —”

“BoydLandrum?”

“You know him?” Rusty shook his head. “You know what? Forget it. What do I know? I’m just a lowlyDe-na. Well, technically, my father was Dena’ina; my mother was Inuit. Far as most folks are concerned, I’ll never be anything but an Eskimo — as if all Alaska Natives live in igloos and hunt fur seals!”

Adam didn’t know what to say to that. But he now knew that he could trust Rusty. He couldn’t fully relate to what Rusty had been through — most Alaska Natives were treated poorly when pioneers settled in Alaska. He understood what it meant to be judged before you ever had a chance to prove yourself, though.

People like Claire’s father applauded other rich folks like Boyd but looked down on boys like him because he mucked out stalls — as if working hard equaled lower-class citizen.

Adam had learned early on that men like his father could train their horses, but their sons weren’t allowed to associate with their daughters. He remembered the day clearly — Claire’s father had taught Adam this life-lesson while laughing with another man who’d come with him to pick up her horse.

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