When Billy and I ride over the small hill that leads to the pasture where the others are, I see them gathered in a circle, talking. They’re on their horses, and Aiden is telling a story, his face animated and his arms outstretched, as if he’s discussing the size of a fish or his dick.
The others laugh.
“What did I miss?” I ask when I join them.
“We were just going to pair up and ride fence line,” Dusty says.
“I’ll take Aiden,” I tell him, and the others share a look.
I have men of all ages here. Some have worked summers out here before, and others are younger and new, but Aiden is the youngest at fifteen.
“Problem?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“No, boss.”
They shake their heads, and I notice one guy, Spike, clear his throat.
“Hey, boss,” he says, “Can I go with you today? I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll take Spike.” The man’s head nods in thanks. We pair off, and Spike and I ride for a couple of miles without saying a word.
We find a spot in the barbed wire that needs to be fixed, so we hop off the horses, and I grab the supplies out of my saddlebag.
“How’s it going, Spike?” I finally ask him when he continues to keep quiet.
“I’ve got a situation, boss.”
I nod and pass him a pair of pliers. “Okay, let’s talk about it. What’s up?”
He wiggles an old nail out of the post. “I don’t know what your old man told you about me.”
I frown as I pass him a new nail.
“Dad always had good things to say about you.” He glances at me in surprise. “How long have you been working out here?”
“About ten summers, I guess,” he says.
Spike sighs and stands up, tips his hat back so he can wipe the sweat off his brow. He’s about my age, but the years haven’t been kind to him. He’s overweight, his hair is thinning, and his skin is like leather. But what I said is true; Dad never had a bad thing to say about Spike or his work ethic.
“I’ve been going through a bitch of a divorce,” he says as he looks out at the pasture. “Been dragging on forever because we have a kid, and she doesn’t want me to see him. Thinks it gives her power to keep my boy from me.”
Shit.I shove my hands in my pockets and listen.
“I didn’t think I’d get to see him much this summer. Even though we have a court-ordered parenting plan that says I get him every weekend, she never abides by it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “But?”
“But now she has a boyfriend.”I see where this is going.“And she wants Micah to live with me this summer.”
“How old is Micah?”
“Sixteen.” He blows out a breath. “He’s a good kid, and I’m excited at the prospect of spending the summer with him, but I need this job.”
“Bring him.”
That has Spike blinking, and his eyes cut over to mine. “Just like that?”
“There’s room in the bunkhouse,” I reply. “And I’ll pay him to work for the summer. The two of you can be together. It’s a win-win for all of us.”
