Page 92 of A Rancher's Love
But defensive with a reckless opponent meant hurting Jim enough to make him stop the bullshit. Tucker dodged another wild roundhouse, jabbing a fist into Jim’s gut that sent the other man staggering backward.
“Stand down,” Tucker ordered again.
Jim rushed him, screaming in anger. Fists flying, knees rising up. Tucker dodged the best he could, but some of the wild blows landed. By the time a set of ranch hands had pulled Jim back, Tucker had been hit by a sheer fluke in the eye and the nose, blood dripping over his lips.
“What the hell is going on?” Ashton stepped into view.
“He figures since he’s fucking the boss’s sister, he can do anything he wants.” Jim snapped a finger at Tucker. “She got all pissed at me the other day. Didn’t do a thing, but I knew she was gonna tell some lies to get me in shit.”
Ashton folded his arms over his chest and stepped directly in front of Jim. He looked him over with disdain. Tucker was happy to see that the other man’s face looked worse, in spite of Tucker only defending himself.
“If you’re talking about the fact you were put on probation and re-training, that was me,” Ashton said.
Jim’s head snapped up. “You?”
“Me. Because that’s what we usually do around here when a man’s not doing his job but has the potential to make things right.” Ashton shook his head. “But this nonsense is a clear violation of everything you agreed to when coming on board this ranch. You’re fired.”
Jim swore, but Ashton ignored him. He glanced at the hands standing nearby. “Mason. Cooper. Walk Jim to his room so he can clear it out. Be in my office in an hour and I’ll cut you your final cheque.”
“You can’t just kick me out.” Jim complained.
“I’m not kicking you out,” Ashton said calmly. “You broke the terms of your contract, so you terminated yourself. Now get the hell out of here. If you don’t go willingly, we’ll call the RCMP.”
Jim spat at the ground in front of Tucker. “Bastard.”
“Take care how you act right now,” Tucker said softly, a mirror imitation of his uncle. “Ranching is a tightknit community, and there’s not a whole lot of places out there that want to deal with your kind of bullshit. You want a new job anywhere local, you need an attitude adjustment.”
Jim left. He didn’t go quietly, but he did go, kicking things out of his way until the two men on either side of him moved in and all but straight-armed him into the snowy yard.
The men still gathered looked back and forth from Ashton to Tucker as if waiting to see what happened next.
“The troublemakers always make themselves known.” Ashton said it loud enough that everyone around them heard.
Tucker glanced around, meeting the men’s eyes. “Any questions?”
One hand rose in the back. “You really dating Ginny Stone?”
Tucker chuckled, slipping a hand across his mouth and examining the blood he wiped off. “I really am. So mind your manners, same as you would with any woman who comes around Silver Stone, understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the young man said quickly. Then he grinned. “Would it be improper to say good for you?”
Ashton made a noise that sounded remarkably like a smothered snicker before he growled out another order. “Back to work, all of you.”
Tucker waited until the crowd dispersed. “Okay with you if I finish taking care of Jim?”
His uncle stared at him for a moment then nodded slowly. “Don’t do anything that’ll get you arrested.”
“I’ll try.”
Tempting as it was to head off on his own, it was probably good to have some checks and balances in place. Tucker gave Luke a call and asked to meet at the mess hall.
His friend arrived quickly, eyeing Tucker’s bloody face with curiosity and concern until Tucker explained what had gone down, and then anger rose to take its place.
“He’s gone?” Luke demanded.
“Packing. I want to make sure he leaves with a full understanding of the situation.” A sense of dread slipped in even as Tucker made the decision to go ahead. His anger and sense of justice made the next step logical and inevitable, but it was also potentially trouble he couldn’t walk away from unscathed. Ginny was not going to approve. “This is mine to deal with, got it?”
Luke reluctantly nodded. “Don’t kill the man.”
