He nodded. “How many?”
“Four.”
“There’s room.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No. Do they need any special treatment?”
“Nope. Just fed and watered. And brushed, and bathed, and neutered…”
He grinned. “You never did like dogs. She must be something.”
“That about sums it up. Sure you don’t mind?”
“I said I don’t mind.”
“Thanks.”
“Put them in the pens at the east of the property, under the trees. I’ll get the food and water.”
“I owe you.”
“I’ve got a spare generator in the garage if you think you’ll need it in the cabin,” he said. “If not, candles and bug spray are in the storage room. Food, water in the pantry. Books in the library?—”
“Books?”
“Yeah, you know, printed work consisting of glued pages bound by a cover?”
I smirked. Loyalty wasn’t the only thing that didn’t die. My brother was always a smartass.
“I didn’t know you read.”
He didn’t say anything. I wondered if reading was how this “new man” passed the lonely time on the ranch.
He continued, “Get fresh sheets. There’s some in the laundry room. Extra guns in the cabinet. Condoms in the drawer.”
Wasn’t sure if I’d need the last two items, but better safe than sorry.
“Thanks, bro.” I maneuvered behind a wandering cow.
“Go. Dump the dogs and be on your way. I’ve got this.”
“I don’t mind to stay.”
“I know. She might.”
I glanced back at the Jeep.
“Go,” he said again. “I’ve almost got them in. Not my first rodeo.”
36
JAGG
It was one in the morning by the time we drove down the long, winding dirt road that led to the fishing cabin on the lake that Ryder had purchased a few weeks after getting released from prison. It would be my first time there. Guy wasn’t big on invitations.
A canopy of trees blocked the moonlight from the two dirt ruts my brother considered a driveway. The underbrush was gnarly and thick, crowding the road and scratching the sides of my Jeep. I was looking for a clearing ahead when the road abruptly stopped and my headlights bounced off the edge of an iron gate, barely noticeable through the bushes. I stopped the Jeep and looked in my rearview. Guess backing out was the only option.
