Page 14 of A Rancher's Vow
“One second. I want to be sure I have the full picture.” Tucker’s frown deepened the longer he stared at the computer screen. “By the way, do you have your phone on you?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t checked it since yesterday afternoon.” Because he wasn’t a glutton for punishment.
“Check it. Emails first.”
Dustin reluctantly pulled out his phone. “Anything in particular I’m looking for?”
“You’ll know it when you—”
“What the fuck?”
“Yeah, I figured.”
Dustin hadn’t cursed out loud on purpose, but shock loosened his tongue. He had over fifty unread emails when he’d usually have five to ten max overnight.
“What the hell is going on?” He checked the titles and this time cursed with real feeling. “Interview requests? This can’t be real.”
Tucker leaned back in the chair and folded his arms over his chest. “There are at least twenty that came to the Silver Stone email address that only horse buyers should know. And there’s over eighty to the ranch email. Some are legit queries into Silver Stone services, but a lot seem to be asking about you specifically. Any ideas why?”
Dustin’s frustration rose even as he apologized. “I’m sorry. It must be that stupid article.”
Tucker frowned. “What article?”
Embarrassment really did hit like a wave. “Clickbait nonsense about me being a billionaire bachelor.”
His brother-in-law snorted. “Good one. Ginny is going to love this. Send her the link.”
“My sister has a twisted sense of humour,” Dustin said dryly. “And I’ve been informed you can simply google me and get all the dirt you need.”
With an enormous sigh, Tucker closed his eyes. “Just great.”
“Can we please update the website and add a secured contact page?” Dustin begged. “It won’t help get rid of the people who already know how to contact us, but it’ll mean a buffer for the future. Shim will be here on Monday, and he could update it first thing.”
“Good idea.” Tucker shook his head. “A little like closing the barn doors after the cows are already out, but a good idea nevertheless.”
“It’ll stop the skunks from sneaking into the barn in the future.”
A burst of laughter escaped Tucker. “Okay. I don’t need to check with Ashton or Caleb to make these calls. My uncle might still be backup foreman here at Silver Stone, but he’s not a tech guy.”
Dustin nodded, attention on his phone. “Why on earth would people want to interview me other than for more bullshit articles?”
“You don’t want to talk to any of them?”
Raising a brow, Dustin gave Tucker his bestwhat the fuckexpression. “Do I look the type to want to be all over social media with people wondering what I eat for breakfast, how often I ride, and what size condoms I use?”
Tucker grinned harder. “You’ve grown up nicely, little brother-in-law. And hell, no, I don’t think being in the media eye is your thing at all. None of us, really.”
“Maybe Luke—he’s cocky enough to play for a crowd.”
“Maybe.” Tucker went thoughtful. “Fine. We go into defense mode. No interviews, no contact. We’ll update the website as soon as Shim gets here, and you can delete anything that comes to your phone. Maybe it will pass.”
“I hope so.” Dustin checked his watch. “I need to hit the chow line if I’m going to make my shift.”
“We’re done,” Tucker assured him, rising to his feet and coming around the desk to offer a brotherly pat on the shoulder. “Your time in the spotlight. May it be short and sweet.”
“Short. That’s all I ask.”
First thing Monday morning,Charity propped the heavy wooden door to the office open to give herself a clear view into the barn hallway. Cats strolled along the railings of the stalls outside the office on a regular basis, going about the important business of being barn cats. While Charity was getting work done, she was also enjoying watching them.
