Rome made all the mistakes. He never thought things through, and his stupidity had cost them time and money in the past. Then, it cost him his life.
When Zach got word that Rome was dead, it wasn’t surprising. Hearing that their old business partner, Gage Howard, had done the job was the only interesting part of the story. Now that Rome was gone, there was a slim chance Zach would ever find out what they’d argued about.
Whatever it was, he needed to steer clear. With Rome dead and Bobby in prison, Zach was the last Wilson standing, and he had to keep it that way.
Matt looked toward the ground and nodded. “I do. In fact, I was there when it happened.”
Zach’s shoulders raised. He’d heard bits and piecesof the tale, but he’d never known the whole truth. Still, there might be some new information from an eyewitness, however biased the story might be. “What happened?”
“Rome tried to hurt Gage’s girlfriend.”
“Ah. A woman.” Zach chuckled. “I should have known.”
“Rome was using Hadley to force Gage to work with him again. Gage had already made up his mind to leave the past behind.” Matt shrugged. “If it makes any difference, I know Gage didn’t want to hurt anybody.”
That was rich. Gage Howard was as twisted as the rest of them. He might be claiming he was on the straight and narrow, but leopards don’t change their spots.
Matt lifted his chin and leveled his stare on Zach. “Are you going to have a problem working with Gage? I don’t want any more blood spilled on this land.”
Zach shrugged. “I guess that’s up to him.”
Matt rubbed a hand over the short scruff of his jaw. “I’m not worried about Gage. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but I expect peace here.”
Zach pressed his lips together, but he managed a nod. Peace was imaginary. It was a trick of the mind that simple people allowed to take over until the next time reality hit them between the eyes.
Matt jerked his head toward the stables. “Let’s meet the crew.”
The “crew” turned out to be horses. Zach got therundown on three massive beasts. Apparently, these animals were trained to herd cattle.
Travis walked up as the staff meeting came to a close. Sweat was already beading on his forehead, and a few twigs of hay stuck to the front of his flannel shirt. “We need to finish the fence on the south pasture today.”
Matt snapped his fingers. “I forgot all about that. You two get started. I’ll meet you after lunch. The vet is on her way to look at Darcy.”
Travis stalked toward the truck. Without much choice, Zach followed. They stopped at a weathered barn, and Travis hooked a trailer stacked with railroad crossties to the truck while Zach loaded an auger in the bed. A few minutes later, they were parked by the edge of a clearing near a line of fence posts sticking out of the ground.
“Have you ever used one of these?” Travis said, hefting the auger.
Zach took it from him and inspected the controls. “It looks self-explanatory.”
“Eight feet apart,” Travis said as he pulled something out of the back seat that had a handle on one end of a stick and a small wheel at the other. “Use this to measure the distance.”
Searing irritation fueled Zach through the first few hours, but all of the flames settled after lunch. Well, if you could call a pack of peanut butter crackers and beef jerky lunch. It didn’t do much to help the gnawing in his stomach.
The sun settled behind billowing clouds in the afternoon, and the monotony of managing the auger had the last bit of Zach’s energy seeping out with the sweat dripping down his back. Even pushing railroad ties into holes alongside Travis lost its edge, eventually. At least the guy had stopped lecturing. If Zach heard the word, “No” followed by another restriction, he might walk back to Blackwater.
When the sun went down, Travis tossed the tools into the bed of the truck. “Let’s go.”
They were the first words Zach had heard in hours, and he had no complaints. His shoulders and back would be sore tomorrow, but he hadn’t wanted to strangle Travis since lunch.
The low croon of the radio filled the cab as soon as Travis started the truck, and it was the only sound the entire drive back to Blackwater.
The grind and click of shifting gears jerked Zach out of a shallow slumber. A sharp, cold spot radiated on his temple where he’d fallen asleep against the window.
“I just want to say one more thing,” Travis said.
“There’s more?” Zach asked, straightening and stretching his back. “Can’t we resume class tomorrow?”
“You sound like a child,” Travis snapped. “All you do is complain.”
