Page 4 of Rough
Chapter One
Betsy
~ 5 years later ~
“Those idiots didn’t break up the hay bales when they dropped ‘em into the stalls.”
Shoving my hair out of my face as I stand up, I glance over my shoulder at Murphy Foxburg. He’s scowling at me with hands planted on his hips and sweat dripping down his temples.
“What are you talkin’ about?” I pant out. I’ve been pulling wood down from the rafters that Papy stored for the fence posts. We’ve got a couple of posts on the back field that are snapped but hanging on for dear life. Dropping the post on my pallet, I blink up at Murphy when he says nothing in answer to my question. “Murph?”
“The fuck are you doin’?”
Blinking down at the wood for a moment before raising a brow at him, I give him a confused look. “The hell do you mean? I’m gettin’ ready to fix some posts.”
Murphy is Wilder’s uncle. He’s been working here since Donny Landry, Remy’s dad, merged farms with me. And he doesnotlove it, or me, for that matter. Mr. Landry got sick about a year ago and couldn’t keep up with the workload. I tried to help after hours, but we decided after a few weeks that if we just move the cattle and horses to my place, it’ll make things a lot easier. Which it has, except for Murphy’s attitude.
“I fixed ‘em last week,” he snaps out before kicking at my pile of posts.
“Apparently not well enough. I’ve got half a dozen that need replacin’. What were you sayin’ about the bales?” Turning my back on him, I head back up my ladder to grab one more post. Thankfully, he takes the last post from me, so I don’t have to drop it down like I did the last five of them.
Setting the post on my pile, he continues his complaining. “Those kids you got runnin’ around here just dropped a full bale into each stall without breaking it up. Left the bale wire wrapped around it, too. If you want ‘em here to help, you gotta take the time to teach ‘em how to do the jobs right.”
“Look,” I say, brushing my gloves off on my jeans, ignoring the dirt already coating my thighs. “I’ll run through and cut the wires. It’ll only take fifteen minutes. They’re tryin’ and doin’ the best they can. Havin’ them here is better than no help at all.”
“You remember I gotta leave early today, right?” he asks, still clearly annoyed about the high school students I have working here.
I frown and cross my arms. “I forgot. Whatcha got goin’ on today again?”
“Personal stuff,” is all he says. “I’ll be back in the mornin’.”
Waving him off, I roll my shoulders and consider what he said about the kids working here. I can’t afford to hire another full-time employee. Mr. Landry is paying Murphy out of his cut. I offered up part-time positions for anyone at the school whowanted to make some extra cash on the side, and I’ve had a few kids that sneak over before and after school. They take care of feed and cleaning stalls so I can take care of the bigger shit around here, and they’re happy to get paid under the table.
Dragging the new posts out of the barn one by one, I toss them in the back of my truck, then drive over to the horse barn. When Mr. Landry and I merged, I took on his cattle, but I’ve had the horses since shortly after the boys left. Add in Pap’s horse, that’s five of them I’ve had to take care of. It’s definitely been a strain, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After ensuring the animals have their hay situated, I check the water and feed, then hop back into my truck and drive out to the first post needing repairs. My mind wanders as I take in the land Pap left me after he passed two years ago.
Just over one hundred acres, butted up next to the Landry farm. It’s a beautiful piece of land. My eyes wander over to the area where my pond is, and I wish I had time to go visit. It’s my favorite place to be when I need to get away from everything else.
Thoughts of one of the last times Clyde and I were there slam into me unexpectedly. My chest aches with the memory of the way we moved together, the way we clung to each other near the water’s edge. My heart kicks up before a sinking feeling of remorse overtakes me as I remember the way I woke alone without a word from him.
Shaking my head to dispel the hurt, I park next to the first post that needs fixing. I spend the rest of the morning replacing posts before heading back to the main house. My eyes wander to the horse barn, and I know I have to get all of them out this afternoon, maybe take a few of them out into the field for a ride. Murphy is supposed to help with this part, but he’s forever complaining of a bad back, so riding is out of the question most days.
With a sigh, I sit at the table after grabbing my ledgers to balance this month’s expenses. Every month, I have a farrier specialist come out to trim and replace the shoes on half the horses, then he comes the next month to do the other half. I’m sure it’d be cheaper if I did them all at once, but spreading the cost out makes it a bit easier for me. Remy’s dad helps with the cost of Remy’s horse when he can, but Clyde and Wilder’s families never stepped up to pay for boarding.
I did mention it to Murphy about Wilder’s horse, but it never went anywhere. I’ve tried asking the guys, but they never answered my calls or texts. Well, Clyde responds, but I refuse to ask himorhis family. I know he’d send money if he could, but I want him to save it so he never has to go back to that house. If I plan and manage my funds just right, I can get by. Cheap one dollar noodle packages are okay from time to time.
Jolting at the sound of my phone, I answer on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Betsy, honey. It’s Renee. You have a minute?”
Smiling, I cradle the phone between my shoulder and cheek. “Always. What’s going on?” I adore this woman who’s been more of a mother to me than my own ever was. Renee Landry would never have abandoned her child at her parents’ place and taken off, never to be heard from again.
I frown when Renee blows out a slow breath. “Donny isn’t doing so well, honey. I’m not calling for any particular reason, I just… I just wanted to talk to someone about it.”
Leaning back in my chair, I look at the ceiling and inhale slowly. “You can call me anytime. What’s happened? He had an appointment today, right?”
“He did. The tumor is back, and it’s so much bigger than the last time.”
