I thought about the woman she’d been talking to with the damaged barn door and assumed that was who she was referring to. “She gonna be okay having me there?”
Melvina smiled deviously, looking me over. “Can’t see why not. Long as you’re there to work and not keep up any trouble, no woman in their right mind would have a problem with having you around. You’re good with your hands, I assume?”
I chuckled, shaking my head, choosing to ignore the innuendo laced in her words. “I was raised on a ranch so I know a thing or two about keeping them running and in good shape. I’m definitely not afraid of doing a little hard work.”
“You’re exactly what she needs.” Her smile was bright and I sensed she had plans for me being there that extended beyondhelping out around the ranch. Unfortunately, I had no interest in putting down ties anywhere. I had too many demons chasing me, and until I was ready to deal with them or let go, I wasn’t in the space to do anything other than put one foot in front of the other day by day.
“Alright then, I’ll head out there now.” I pushed back, prepared to leave, and she shook her head.
“Nope, finish your coffee and get something on your stomach. There’s a barn door that’s going to need your attention as soon as you get there; so you might as well be prepared for it. I also don’t like sitting alone, so you’re gonna keep me company until I finish this.” She lifted her cup and suffered through another sip.
I nodded and unwrapped the blueberry muffin she’d ordered on my behalf and my stomach growled instantly. I’d give her my time because she earned it and also because I had a feeling this little woman had a bit of feistiness in her and was prepared to get what she wanted out of me and anyone else she locked in on.
Chapter 2
Sareece ‘Reece’ Allen
After I ended the call with Melvina, I got on the line with my best friend Wren, complaining about having to call her in the first place.
As much as I hated Mel was considering calling Wilde, I was pretty much stuck with whatever she had to offer. I would be willing to bet Wilde had not planned on spending his afternoon helping me fix a barn door, but if Melvina asked, he would surely agree. His parents and Melvina were close, which made them my chosen family.
She considered him a nephew, and after he lost his parents, she inserted herself into Wilde’s life even more to fill the void. While his brother was off playing for the Crescent Falls Badgers, Wilde stayed behind to run their family’s horse ranch.
His love was in training horses that were written off as a waste by everyone else and he was damn good at it. He and his wife Shore were the best but I still hated having to rely on them or anyone for that matter, and anyone was who I got.
Melvina called back not long after with information about some guy she ran across in town and I was still processing. I needed the help but wasn’t sure I’d be comfortable with having some guy I didn’t know here on the ranch with me.
“You’re so stubborn, Reece. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. You do know that doesn’t mean you’re not capable.”
“Capable means handling things, so that means I’m not.”
“You’re exhausting, Reece. You are more than capable of fixing the barn door, it just requires four hands and you only have two. Blame that on God and be grateful he shorted you or we could not be friends.”
I burst out laughing and rolled my eyes, lining up a nail before I let the hammer come down.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”
“Oh hell, three shits means it’s not looking good, Reece. What’s happening over there, friend?”
I cut my eyes toward the stack of hay where my phone was facing the barn ceiling, delivering my best friend Wren an evilglare she couldn’t see before I yanked my glove off and examined my finger to make sure my nail was intact. It throbbed like crazy but there didn’t appear to be any major damage.
“I’m fine, keep talking,” I grunted out before pushing my hand back into the thick leather glove and lifting the nail I’d dropped.
“Doesn’t sound fine. You smashed your hand, didn’t you?”
I rolled my eyes and smirked because that was exactly what I’d done. How she knew that without seeing what I was doing was beyond me. “Shouldn’t you be getting Amara up for school?”
“I’m about to. Heading inside now. I had to take care of a few things this morning because my day is going to be pretty much nonstop.”
“Your crack of dawn ass beat the sun up, didn’t you?” My girl was an early riser. The one thing we shared was the weight of carrying things around our ranches or nothing got done. Wren had about forty acres that housed a few chicken coops and goats, which were primarily the source of the natural soaps she made.
The ranchette was completely under her singular watch, same as my two hundred acres were solely on my shoulders. The land had been passed down from my father, which was given to him by his. I was the fifth generation of Allens to have ownership of this land, and although there wasn’t much to it other than the actual land, I made it work.
Upon having the pastures assessed, I learned my soils were optimal for hay production and grazing. My father raised beef cattle but that was too much for me to maintain on my own. I ended up selling them off and had to figure out a new way to maintain the ranch. It was suggested that I lease my land for hay and grazing. It turned out that earned me enough to survive with very little effort on my part which meant I could focus on my art and custom buckles.
“Are you currently up and smashing fingers while you patch that raggedy ass barn? We’re both the crack of dawn type.”
I grinned. “True, so what’s on your agenda for the day?”
