I glance at him. "What?"
"That." He nods toward the pen. "The timing. Most people would've yanked the rope by now."
"He's just nervous."
"Yeah, and you're reading him like a book." Chace grins,genuine warmth in it. "Forgot how good you were at this."
The compliment warms me more than it should.
"So," Chace says, and his tone shifts just slightly. "Does Eli know you're in here working the colt?"
I frown. "Why would Eli need to—"
“Get out of that pen, Hazel. Now."
The voice cuts across the yard like a whip.
I turn as Eli storms toward us, long strides eating up the distance between the barn and the round pen. His jaw is set hard, eyes locked on the colt before snapping to me with something that looks an awful lot like fury.
"He's not ready," Eli says, already climbing the fence. "Get out."
My temper flares hot and immediate. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." He's moving between me and the colt now, deliberately placing himself in the space. "Get. Out."
I plant my feet. "I was handling him just fine."
"You don't know what you're handling." His voice drops, dangerous and controlled. "You've been gone five years. You don't get to walk back in here and pretend you know how things work."
The hit lands sharp and precise.
"That colt's been through hell and he spooks at everything," Eli continues, eyes hard. "He doesn't trust handlers yet. One wrong move and he could hurt himself. Or you."
"I know what I'm—"
“We're liable for that horse. Owner pulls him if something happens, and right now we need every bit of income we can get."Eli's voice is flat, matter-of-fact, which somehow makes it worse. "So no. You don't get to risk our boarding contract because you feel like playing cowgirl again."
The words sink in, spreading through my chest like ice water.
"Okay, okay," Chace says, hopping off the fence and stepping between us with his hands up. "How about we all take a breath here before—"
"Stay out of it, Chace," Eli snaps without even looking at him.
"Can't do that." Chace's tone is light but his eyes are sharp, tracking between us. "You're about to say something you'll regret."
"I regret plenty already." The words point straight at me like an arrow.
Pain flares, quick and sharp. I shove it down.
I look between them, voice harder than intended. "Why do you—" I gesture at Eli, at the pen, at his commanding presence here. "What gives you the right to—"
"I'm foreman," Eli cuts in, flat and matter-of-fact. "Have been for years now."
The words hit like cold water.
Foreman. Of my family's ranch. For years.
"Mae didn't..." I trail off, looking at Chace for confirmation.
