That was something he’d have to get used to. He’d never earned honest pay in his life, and he was about to be locked into the system which led to another opportunity—pay taxes or evade. The latter was new enough to entice his curiosity.
Travis went on as if Zach hadn’t spoken. “No stealing. No sneaking around. No alcohol or drugs.”
“But cow tipping is allowed. Yeehaw.”
Travis cut a look at Zach before turning his attention to the road ahead. The trees gave way to wide-open fields and blue skies. Thick wooden fence posts dotted the edge of the clearing, and a two-story barn towered over the valley that sloped to the right. The early morning sun cast an orange glow over everything.
There were plenty of ranches in northern Wyoming, but Zach spent most of his time under the cover of darkness and forests. The vast open area offered a level of vulnerability that made his skin itch. Everything was too exposed.
Travis parked in front of the barn and got out without a word to Zach. Would anybody notice if he stayed in the truck? He’d never watchedLittle House on the Prairie, and getting up close and personal with a cow wasn’t on his bucket list.
“I’m not getting the door for you!” Travis shouted as he headed into the barn.
Zach let his head bang against the window before lifting it and banging it again. Maybe if he gave himself a head injury, he could skip this nightmare.
The image of Lauren griping at him if he didn’t get out of the truck was enough to open the door. The biting wind had just slipped under his collar when a man stepped out of the barn with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. A worn cowboy hat shaded the eastern sun from his eyes.
“You must be Zach,” the man said, reaching out a rough hand.
Zach took the offered hand before he realized the binding nature of the gesture. “Zach Wilson.”
“Matt Benson. Welcome to Silver Falls Ranch.” He gestured behind him at everything from the browning grass to the peaceful sky. “She might not be much to look at, but she’s home.”
Zach shoved his hands into his pockets. “How big is it?”
“About a thousand acres.” Matt shifted his weight from one side to the other, but there was a casualness about it that said he was anything but nervous. “You see why I need some extra hands around here? I heard you’re in need of a job.”
“I guess I am,” Zach said. “I hope someone told you I have a record.”
Matt chuckled, and deep lines framed his mouth. “I heard that too. Let’s make a deal. I won’t hold the past over you, if you won’t let the past become the present. How’s that sound?”
Zach studied Matt for a few seconds. The lines on his face and the smattering of gray in the hair sticking out from beneath his hat said he was somewhere in his early fifties. He didn’t have the look of a fighter, but he didn’t have the handshake of a pushover. Their initial meeting reminded him so much of Lauren that it threw his walls up.
Lauren had wanted something from him. She probably still did, and she was a fool for thinking he’d change his mind. He didn’t know Matt Benson, but people with any kind of self-preservation instinctskept their heads on the swivel when Zach was around.
If the offer was true, it was a good one. One Zach couldn’t afford to pass up. “Deal.”
“Good. I’ll let my beautiful wife go over the paperwork with you later.” Matt clapped his hands as if signaling the end of the strategy huddle. “Now, let’s talk about transportation. Travis tells me you don’t have a ride.”
“Travis would be correct.”
Matt waved his hand in a follow me gesture as he turned back toward the barn. “Since Travis lives here on the ranch, it doesn’t make sense for him to go all the way to Blackwater to pick you up and take you home every day.”
Zach followed Matt through the wide opening of the barn. The other end of the breezeway framed a pasture with two horses grazing. Inside, stalls lined both sides, and Travis poured the contents of a bucket into a trough. The musty smell of hay and horses filled Zach’s nose. Hopefully, he’d get used to that soon.
“This is the stables. We have a smaller one by the main entrance for horses that need medical attention or extra care. It’s right by the house, so it’s easier for Tammy. She’s the nurturing one.”
Matt led Zach out the other side where an old white truck was parked. The paint had chipped along the rusted bottom and over the wheels, and a crack in the windshield stretched diagonally in front of the driver’s side.
“Gage said he could get this one running by the end of the week. Travis and I will pick you up and take you back home until it’s ready.”
Zach crossed his arms over his chest. The guy had a way of delivering big punches with little fanfare. “You’re loaning me a truck, and Gage is helping you do it?”
Matt clicked his tongue behind his teeth. “Yep. Gage is a good one. He knows everything about vehicles.”
“You know he killed my brother?” Zach asked.
Rome hadn’t done Zach any favors growing up, but they had a bond whether he liked it or not. Family wasn’t always the best, but at least you were scraping the bottom of the barrel together.
