from the house. “Can you see the boundary fence from here? I bet it reaches right to the edge of that cute little town.”
“You’d have to ask the Garcias about that. I’m only a visitor just like you.”
“It could be a nice place if it got a makeover.”
“It is a nice place, and we’re working on that.” Kaiden headed for his truck. “Excuse me. I’ve got to get some wire.”
By the time he returned, Blaine had gone back inside leaving only the remains of his smoldering cigarette behind. With one eye on the door, Kaiden took some pleasure in grinding the stub under the sole of his boot to make sure it was out. He decided he wouldn’t repeat his conversation with Blaine to Julia because it would only make things worse. She didn’t need him to tell her Blaine was a complete ass; she already knew.
Kaiden unwound the wire, attached the end to the first post, and hammered it into place. Normally, he liked to have someone else to work with because the wire could snap back, but he was so furious he was willing to tackle the job himself. The dismissive way Blaine had talked about Julia and her father had set his dander up. He wanted nothing more than to take the smug smile off the bastard’s face with his fist.
He reminded himself that Julia was quite capable of taking care of herself, and that punching a lawyer was never a good idea. He rarely lost his temper, but when he did it was memorable. So today he’d pour that energy into the chicken coop and ignore the unusual impulse to step out of line.
Weirdly enough, the last time he’d lost his temper had been with Miguel in this very spot. They’d ended up on the ground punching each other’s lights out until Juan had pulled them apart. He’d never forgotten Julia’s stricken expression, and the way she’d rushed to comfort her brother, sending him a scathing look over her shoulder. They hadn’t talked much after that, and Miguel had left town, something Julia probably blamed him for as well.
Kaiden let out a long, slow breath and steadied the coil of wire fencing. If he had any sense he’d listen to the signs pointing out that getting involved with the Garcias was never good for him. But maybe it was too late. He was already knee-deep in their concerns.
“Need a hand?”
He turned from his contemplation of the fence posts to find a man dressed in black with a clerical collar smiling at him.
“Hey.”
“Hi! I’m Father Pascal. I’ve come to see Mr. Garcia.”
“He’s inside.” Kaiden gestured at the wire. “Give me a minute to prop this up and I’ll take you in to him.”
The priest took off his jacket and set it on the back of the truck. “How about I help you finish this up first? It’ll go much faster if I do.”
Kaiden eyed him carefully. “You sure about that, Father? I wasn’t expecting a Sunday miracle.”
“Funny.” Father Pascal chuckled. “I grew up on a farm in County Cork in Ireland. I quite miss the work.”
“Then be my guest.” Kaiden grinned at him. “Which end do you want to take?”
Chapter Eight
Blaine came back into the farm office smelling of smoke and chewing mint-flavored gum, which didn’t make anything better. Julia looked up from the notes she was typing.
“Almost done.”
“About time, too. In future, this is how I want you to prep me for all my presentations, okay?”
Julia looked at him. “Basically, you expect me to write them for you.” She made it a statement rather than a question.
“Yeah, your job is to make me look good, and if you continue to do that, I’ll make sure you continue to have a job.”
God, she loathed him so much right now she was surprised she hadn’t erupted into a ball of fire and taken him out. She couldn’t even change the presentation to showcase his ignorance because the rest of her handpicked team would be in the room with him, and he’d have no hesitation in blaming them for any issues. She hated the fact that she’d promised them so much, and now Blaine had control of all their futures.
When she left MZB, she would make sure to take her protégés with her even if it took a while.
“So why is this place so run-down, Julie? What do you do with that huge salary we pay you?” Blaine sat opposite her and put his feet up on the desk.
“My