shut off the faucet, my soft bed beckoning to me. It was for the best. God willing, I would never see Jackson Wheeler again. I didn’t have the time for a distraction like him. Not with the care my mother needed and the bills piling up.
Collapsing onto my bed, I closed my eyes, knowing sleep would come easy, but the morning would still come too soon. We had an appointment in the late afternoon, but the two-hour drive to the clinic was always grueling on my wallet and my old pickup.
Forcing myself to push the worries from my mind, I found it drifting back to Jackson. As sleep overtook me, I smiled without intending to. Maybe seeing him again wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
5
Chapter Four (Jackson)
I didn’t normally come in days early for the usual Sunday dinner, but the change of location threw me for a loop. I’d spent days milling around the property with my brother, Walker. He was the eldest brother behind me. We’d always had a unique bond.
Our respective sections of LakeView ranch were continually vying for the top profit margin. We competed against each other in almost everything we did. Yet there was a comradery between us that was unmatched. He’d recently purchased several promising steers and wanted a second opinion.
I knew it was as much to brag as well. I’d bid against Walker, but he had slipped in the winning bid just hours before the auction closed. I’d been saving Hailey from that prick behind the bar. It wasn’t information I was going to share with him, though, at least not the timeline. I’d never live it down with my father. Missing out on top steers because of a woman.
As we walked to the quarantine pasture, standard for all new arrivals, Walker eyed the dark circle under my eye. I’d hoped that the bruising would go unnoticed. It was already fading to a putrid-yellow color. If I were careful with the tilt of my hat, I could keep it hidden enough. Walker was close enough that I could see the telling grin on his face.
“That’s a cute little shiner you got there. A lady friend give you that?”
I glared at him. “No, but it does bring up something I’ve been meaning to ask. You got a ranch around here called Setting Sun?”
Walker paused. “Sure do, a good man too. Parker West. He’s nearing Dad’s age and doesn’t have any kids yet. Doesn’t stop the old man from trying. Seems he’s got a new wife every few years.”
I chuckled but tucked the comment away for later. It sparked an idea in me I wanted more time to think about. Walker was about as honest as they came. If he said the rancher was a good man, I didn’t doubt it for a second. I wondered how the brute from the bar had managed to get hired on.
“Why are you asking about old West?” Walker asked.
“Had a run in a few nights back with one of his men. He was a mean bastard, tried forcing himself on a young lady. I saved her just a few seconds before he was looking to take a cattle prod to her.”
Walker skidded to a stop, his eyes narrowing. I could see his jaw clenching in anger. I knew just how he felt. There was nothing quite like the poke of a prod. It made your teeth hurt, and your brain felt like it was going to explode. I’d seen grown men piss themselves after a good stick. It wasn’t something you wanted to mess around with.
“You want me to have a talk with Parker? He won’t be happy. I hope you got a few good swings in on him.”
I chuckled. “I did, but that’s not what kept him down. The little lady grabbed that poker and ran it dead in the poor sucker's side. Hope he didn’t have any fillings.”
“If he did, he don’t now, that’s for sure,” Walker said.
We started walking again. “I’m going to go over there on my way out of town tomorrow. Figured it’s the least I could do for the woman.”
“Sounds like you’ve already done enough for her. Let me guess, she was so grateful for your help that those legs spread like the good Lord parting the Red Sea, huh?”
I flushed. “Naw. She was barely happy I saved her cute little ass. Sure did have a lot of fight in her.”
“Is that a blush I see there?” Walker asked. “Well, I’ll