Her mouth and eyes went wide making her look like that Scream painting. “M-me?”
“If you want. You’ll be working alongside Jesse, his brother Caleb and Jesse’s daughter Clementine who he’s also training up. She’s a bit younger at eighteen, but I figure you’ll get on okay with her; if you decide to go, of course.”
“Yes, yes, yes I’ll go,” she yelled, jumping up and down before throwing her arms around me. “When do I go?”
Once she extricated herself from me, I was finally able to tell her she’d be going in a week’s time.
“Thank you so much, boss,” she squealed. “I really appreciate it, but you should know I have learned so much from you already. More than all the other trainers I’ve worked for put together.”
Grinning, I nodded. “I know, I’m pretty awesome, now get back to work.”
As she skipped off, Nash sauntered over with Wilder. Nash’s face held an impassive expression, while Wilder’s was full of fury. He must have been mad because he didn’t even glance Tally’s way.
“What’s up buttercup?” I asked, looking them both up and down.
“Nate just called.” Nash thrust his hands to his hips and tipped his head back with a groan.
“He’s not removing his sponsorship is he?” I kicked at the ground. “If he’s reneged on the deal about the meat packing plant I’ll?—”
“No,” Wilder ground out. “He’s found out who set fire to the stables. Well, his guy has.”
It was difficult to explain how that statement made me feel, a mixture of anger and something that couldn’t be described as joy or pleasure, but there was a certain level of elation. It felt like maybe we would finally get some answers, allowing us to move on toward our dreams, as a family.
“Well?” I braced myself, thinking for some bizarre fucking reason he might say our father’s name.
“A developer called Ernie Saint. Nate outbid him for the land,” Nash told me.
“The fucking bastard thought if he set our stables alight we’d go against the development, get rid of Jenkins and then Saint would swoop in and take over promising whatever we wanted. Nate said he’s well known for his dirty tactics.” Wilder’s nostrils flared.
“Yeah,” Nash added. “He gets the community on side and then once the build is underway changes the plans and goes against everything he promised.”
“Did Nate know this when he outbid him?” My chest was heaving with the exertion of not yelling, knowing it would scare the horses.
“Yeah, and as soon as he heard about the fire he had an inkling it might be him but needed to get the proof.” Nash put a strong hand on my arm and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry about Ariel, Gun, she didn’t deserve to be a victim of some fucking land deal.”
The pain of losing Ariel was always there but knowing the reason she’d died made me want to vomit. A greedy, spoiled man who hadn’t got what he wanted thought it was okay to take matters into his own hands. He felt that it was acceptable to put us all in danger to get what he wanted.
“You’d better tell me that he’s under lock and key because if he isn’t I’ll fucking kill him.”
Nash nodded. “Arrested this morning at four a.m. The cops have all the evidence they need, thanks to Nate’s ‘man’.”
“What kind of evidence?” I asked.
“It’s what took the time, but it was a bank transfer for the guy who lit the touch paper. Also, for some reason,” Nash smirked, “the guy decided to give himself up. I think there was some gentle persuasion involved. Seems like Nate came good on his promise to help.”
I didn’t know who I wanted to get my hands on the most, the fire starter or Ernie fucking Saint.
“I know you might feel you’ve missed out on getting your form of revenge for this, Gun, but this is for the best.” Nash’s eyes were full of resolve that this was the end of it. “Just think about what you’ve got with Cassidy and the camp, not what you’ve lost.”
He was right. I knew he was, but I at least needed a few minutes to let the anger flow like hot lava through my veins.
“Any more amazing news for me to digest on this beautiful sunny day?” I asked, glancing toward the office. “I have work to do.”
“Wilder found us a new bull and is going to see it tomorrow,” Nash offered.
Wilder grinned and nodded.
“That’s good news. Anything else?” I asked, sticking my hat back on my head.
