“My grandfather died and left me a small ranch. The old bastard raised me until I turned fifteen. My mother came for me then, and I lived with her, never seeing him again. I enlisted right out of high school, and they granted me leave to attend his funeral. My grandfather named me his sole heir, and my mother and her boyfriend disagreed with his decision. They burned the house down. I sold the land to a manufacturer and invested the money. Unfortunately, I’m not a man who can stay idle. I tried it for a few weeks and found it tiresome,” he admitted.
Mac glanced over at Matthew and tipped his hat forward.
“What made you suddenly take the bull by the horns, so to speak? Did something happen at Mystic Ranch?” Matthew asked.
Garett frowned as they turned the tables on him. “I don’t fit in there.”
“What makes you think you will here?” Mac asked, picking up one of the muffins and taking a bite out of it.
Rubbing his jaw, he glanced out over the fields. “I don’t. I hoped working alongside my brothers-in-arms might give me something in common with them. The last couple of days have felt like hell. Snow and I seemed to get along with one another, and suddenly, she doesn’t want me around.”
“Ahhh, it’s over a woman,” Mac deduced.
“No, not really. I seem to attract the wrong kind. Snow and I seemed…friendly. I thought she might want more, but it’s not in the cards. She prefers someone she met recently. You’ve investigated me. Then, you know, I don’t speak about the money. I’ve run through my fair share of women and never come out on top. I do, however, have skills you might need.”
“Why don’t you purchase your own ranch and run it?” Matthew asked, watching him. “Mac runs the ranch to my satisfaction, and I don’t believe I need another manager.”
Garrett took his hat off and traced the rim. “I don’t want the responsibilities, which come along with having one. I like running the hands, but not worrying about the payroll, insurance, and injuries.”
“You can hire a foreman to do all of the crap you hate,” Mac suggested.
“Yeah, I probably can,” Garrett admitted. “I’m saving for something special. I haven’t found it yet. When did it become a crime to have money in the bank for security purposes?”
Matthew sipped his coffee, slowly regarding him. “Your military record seems impeccable. If given the chance, what things do you think need changing?”
“Your rotation shifts are too predictable. I can easily cut the fence and have a herd out before your men ever make the next round. Your driveway obviously has facial recognition, and it explains how you knew my name before I even introduced myself. The cattle numbers need to be increased, and your orders for feed and incidentals must be placed locally a week before they’re needed. It’ll make you more credible for the locals. Your men need to leave the ranch. We rarely see anyone at the Blue Moon, and the locals barely recognize them from the ranch. It’s a small town. People talk. If you think they don’t see some of the oddities, you’re stupid. I mean no disrespect,” Garrett confessed. “Plus, you need to go out on Saturday night to the local joints. Take the pretty lady out for a nice dinner.”
Matthew growled. “You’ll leave her out of this.”
Holding his hands up in surrender, he gave up trying to convince the two men. He wanted to feel needed if it came right down to it, and it didn’t matter how much money sat in the bank. He attracted the wrong kind of woman when he really wanted someone who knew how to stay loyal, cared about him, and wanted a partner. Seeing his hopes dashed before his eyes, Garrett finally gave up.
“I’m sorry I wasted your time. I’ll be going. I need to give my notice to Mr. Baron and figure out where I’m headed next.”
“You’re very perceptive. It’s come to our attention that Mac will be needed somewhere else on the ranch. I’ll need someone to cover him. You’ll be responsible for assignments, and if someone doesn’t carry their load, you’ll report them to me,” Matthew informed him. “You’ll be required to sign an NDA and if you utter one word about our ranch operation, you can forget about the money in your account.”
Garret wanted to leap for joy. Six months of trying to find out more about their operation made him more curious by the day. These men did more than ranch, and if he guessed, they ran black ops.
“When can I start?” he asked, tapping down his eagerness.
“I’ll give you three days to settle in. Mac will oversee your orientation. You’ll stay on your side of the ranch. If I catch you nosing around this place, I’ll string you up by your balls myself,” Matthew threatened. “Did you give notice to Mr. Baron?”
“No, not yet. I plan to do it as soon as you offer me the job. I understand the need for discretion,” Garrett said, feeling lighter than this morning after his confrontation with his former lover.
“Go get your stuff, and when you return, I’ll show youwhere you’ll bunk,” Mac offered. “You can fill out all your paperwork then.”
Garrett rose and shook their hands. “Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll return in a couple of hours with all my belongings and my horse. Do you have a place for me to board him?”
“We’ll make room,” Mac assured him. “Bring him to the barn on the left. I’ll have the hands clear a stall for him.”
Garrett slowed his body down to keep from skipping down the steps. He slid into the driver’s seat, feeling elated at the prospect of working at Serenity Ranch. Maybe the incident with Snow forced him into action. He knew the moment the man stepped out of the woods, and she insisted on Garrett leaving, he no longer wanted to work there. Hopefully, this move gave him something to wake up for in the morning.
With a bit of time, maybe Matthew and Mac would learn to trust him. He missed the satisfaction of helping others in need. The military showed him the world’s misery and its evil. He wanted to find something good about it. Something in his gut told him Serenity Ranch offered more than what met the eye.
CHAPTER THREE
Mac and Matthew watched Garret leave down the driveway.
“What do you think?” Mac asked, sipping his coffee.
