Chapter 7
Cheyenne
“Are you sure about this?”
Tiffany sighed in exasperation as she climbed up into the passenger seat. She closed the door before giving me a long look.
“Yes,” she said. “Colt and I discussed it. In fact, he had already cleaned out the stables to make room for the horses before I even brought it up. It’s not going to be a problem.”
I was still uneasy when I put the truck into gear, slowly easing forward with the trailer behind me. While I appreciated Tiffany’s friendship and the incredibly generous gesture from the two of them, I still felt wary of the entire situation.
Guilt bubbled in my stomach. Calm down, Cheyenne. Not every single person in the world is out to hurt you.
“Thank you,” I repeated for the hundredth time since Tiffany arrived at my house with the news. “I really appreciate everything that you and Colt are doing.”
“Don’t mention it, Cheyenne. We hate Bill Coates, and well, we like you a lot.” Tiffany sent me a sly smile. “And who knows, maybe Colt is expecting some sort of benefit in return.”
“Ha-ha. Not funny, Tiffany,” I replied with a smile, even though my body had flushed hotly at the thought. A small part of me wouldn’t mind paying Colt back in other ways. “I’m sure your brother isn’t like that anyway. He seems like a gentleman to me.”
“He is, absolutely,” Tiffany agreed. “He’s never mistreated any woman, though it’s been a while since he’s been in a relationship, now that I think about it.”
“Why is that?” I asked as I glanced over at her, dumbfounded and curious now.
“Who knows?” she shrugged. “I’m sure Colt has his reasons. He’s been focused on getting his restaurant launched, and then when our parents died, you know it was…”
Tiffany’s voice failed her just as I turned onto the highway. I didn’t have to look over to see the tears in her eyes. I could hear it in her voice.
“I’m sorry that your parents died the way they did,” I said sincerely. “I can only imagine how hard that has been on the both of you. They would be proud of you for many things I would expect, but especially for your kindness.”
“Thank you,” Tiffany said, smiling now. “My mom always threatened to kick our butts if we were mean to other people. I’m sure that expectation hasn’t changed with her death.”
We shared a smile as we continued north on the highway in the direction of the Smith Ranch. My blood went hot with anger when we drove by Robert, who was parked alongside the highway, his radar gun pointed directly at us. He checked the reading before waving at the both of us with a wide smile.
“Has this place always been corrupt?” I asked in disgust, tempted to throw him the middle finger in response.
Tiffany glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was still parked alongside the road.
“Yes, from what I remember. Bill Coates hated my parents, and well, Robert is friends with Bill. You know how it goes in a small town.” She smiled grimly at me. “Colt and I grew up dealing with that shit show. We are still dealing with it.”
“What was the feud even over in the first place?”
We hit the edge of town, and instead of driving down Main Street, Tiffany directed me to a side street to avoid traffic.
“It’s all over a contract that Bill Coates lost to my father,” she explained quietly. “It was a lot of money—a huge corporation. Losing it nearly put Coates into bankruptcy. We knew it was war when one of our horses wandered onto his property through a broken fence, and he just shot it.”
“He didn’t get in trouble for that?” I asked, horrified at the thought, though not entirely surprised.
Tiffany shook her fair head. “Nope, he didn’t. He told Robert that he didn’t know whose horse it was, but Colt saw him smiling when we found our horse laying there suffering, all but dead. He knew who the horse belonged to all along.”
“That’s horrible,” I said. “I don’t understand how or why he takes things out on animals. They did nothing to him.”
“Trying to figure him out is a lost cause. My dad spent years trying to do it,” Tiffany replied with a sigh. “We’re almost there. Take this next right.”
The Smith Ranch sat on over two hundred acres of land. There were three barns supporting the needs of various animals, and everything about the property was well-maintained. The fences were sturdy and new. The lawn in front of the spacious two-story log home was neatly trimmed. Flowers, still clinging to the last bits of fading summer, were bright and vibrant in their beds.
Horses grazed happily in the pasture next to the barn. They lifted their heads to look up at us as I pulled the trailer up to the gate.
“What do you think?” Tiffany asked, walking along the trailer after we had hopped out. She reached up to scratch the neck of a horse when it poked its head out to look at the other horses in interest. “It’s a nice place, huh? Look at the other happy horses over there. We have chickens and tons of cows, too.”
I took it all in with a surprised shake of my head. Even without Colt ranching full-time, the place was orderly and nice.
“It’s amazing here,” I said.
I jumped when a man in his late forties approached from inside the barn. While we were loading up the horses, Tiffany had mentioned that Colt was at the Iron Stallion helping out the cooks, so I didn’t expect to see anyone else at the ranch. He gave Tiffany a tight hug before turning to smile at me.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I’m Rick Brigs. I’m the stablehand here.”
“The one and only stablehand,” Tiffany jested, nudging him in the ribs. “He’s done such a good job we promoted him to be the only person around besides Colt and me.”
“It’s just the three of you maintaining this entire ranch?” I asked, shocked at the thought. Both of them worked all day long doing other things outside of the ranch. I couldn’t imagine coming back to do even more work.
“At the moment,” Rick replied. We have folks come on at different times of the year when we need them. I’m the only full-timer for now.” He glanced at the horse trailer. “I heard about the fire. Your horses will be safe here; I can promise you that. We have a security system here.” He lifted his thin jacket to show the butt of his gun. “Coates comes anywhere over here, he knows that a bullet from my gun will greet him.”
“Does Bill honestly have that many enemies here?” I felt sick to my stomach as I twisted and fidgeted with my blistered hands.
Rick and Tiffany exchanged a short look.
“Yes,” they replied in unison and gestured for me to follow them into the barn.
For the next ten minutes, Rick showed me everything I would need to care for the horses, then he helped Tiffany and I lead the three we had trailered over out to the pasture. I watched with a smile as they galloped over to the other horses. They would be happy and content here, and I couldn’t ask for anything more, given the situation.
“We’ll have to make several more trips,” Tiffany told Rick, closing the trailer. “You’ll be seeing us coming and going all afternoon.”
Rick nodded, “Give me a holler if you need anything. I’ll be here past sundown.”
“What do you think?” Tiffany asked once we pulled back down the road. “It’s going to be fine, right? I told you we had enough room at the ranch.”
“More than enough, it seems,” I said wryly, but I still felt uneasy. I couldn’t shake Bill Coates out of my head or what Robert had said about a long list of enemies. I knew that Colt and Tiffany already had enemies given their parents’ history, but I didn’t want to add to their problems by moving my horses there.
That unease grew as we passed Robert again on the side of the highway. I kept on eye trained on the rear-view mirror but didn’t see a flash of lights.
“Stop it,” Tiffany said.
I looked up in surprise at her tone.
“Stop what?”
“Stop doubting whether or not this is a good thing,” she said. “I can see the look on your face. You’re worried about something.”
“I’m just worried that Bill Coates will go after you and Colt now that I’m over there.”
“He won’t bother us,” Tiffany scoffed. “He’s terrified of my brother. He won’t admit it, but Bill would be stupid to try and mess with our ranch. He’d cause an uproar and get unwelcome attention. He knows that.”
“He burned my barn,” I said, as fresh anger filled me again. “He shot your horse, and he even abuses his own animals. What’s ever going to stop him?”
“The fact that PETA and residents of Green Point are watching him like a hawk now. That’s what will stop him, trust me. The man cares about his reputation because of his clients. If word that he is acting like a jackass reaches his clients, he’ll end up losing his ranch. He can’t afford to drop any more contracts if he wants to remain solvent.” A frown spread across Tiffany’s face then. “Which isn’t entirely a bad idea, given the fact that he probably abuses every single animal he owns. Colt said that the cows and horses at his ranch weren’t the same ones he had before PETA came.”
“You think he got new ones?”
“Yep. From Jim Staffer, I would imagine,” Tiffany mused, tapping a finger against her chin. “Who knows? At this point, you’re better off just staying clear of him. You can hang out with me. We have a guest room and—”
“That’s too much, Tif,” I exclaimed, shaking my head at her. “I can’t stay at your house for free. That’s way too much for me to ask and—”
“Look, Cheyenne, you’re my friend. I wouldn’t offer this to a person I didn’t trust.” She hesitated for a moment as we pulled up my driveway. “I’m worried too that someone might come back for you. You don’t even own a gun or know how to use one for protection.”
“I can learn,” I argued, shutting the engine off. “I don’t think Colt would appreciate it either. I can’t just invade his personal space.”
“He doesn’t care. Besides, I think he’d enjoy it.”
“How so?”
“Really? Do I have to say it again?” Tiffany opened the passenger door with an arched eyebrow. “I mean, he’s obviously into you. He won’t mind you being around, trust me.”
“You should ask him first though,” I said, ignoring the exasperated look Tiffany shot me as we walked back to the corral. “I mean it. I don’t want to stay if I don’t hear him say okay.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, shrugging. “Ask him when you see him. Just go get a bag packed for the night. If you don’t get the answer you want, you can come back. No questions asked.”
She walked towards the area where the remaining horses were grazing. I stopped at the gate before turning to look back at the empty space where the barn used to be. A pile of black ash and a few wooden beams. That was all that was left of my dream—my sanctuary for these horses. A pile of ash where I used to pour myself into this operation. The area felt empty, lacking life. I felt it in my heart as well when I turned away from remnants of the barn.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to take the offer. I shoved my hands into the front pockets of my jeans, only to jerk them back out and swear as I got yet another harsh reminder that they were burned. I walked slowly in the direction of my house, feeling Tiffany’s smug stare on my back the entire way. I wouldn’t stay if Colt gave any indication of discomfort. I had a feeling that while Tiffany ran the ranch, Colt wouldn’t be necessarily pleased with some of his sister’s decisions. I also had a feeling that he had no idea that Tiffany had offered me a place to stay.
Unless Tiffany was telling the truth when it came to the notion of him wanting me around. Damn. That thought was even more unnerving than the idea of sleeping under the same roof as Mr. Colt Smith.