After a grueling day spent moving six hundred head of cattle to the pastures with the greenest grasses, Sly was beat. So was Bee.
“You worked hard today, girl,” he said as he brushed the horse down. Soothing work he enjoyed almost as much as the horse. Slanting sunlight filtered through the barn windows, and the scents of leather, hay, and animal filled the lofty space—some of Sly’s favorite smells. “I’ll bet you’re glad today is Friday,”he added. “I sure am.” The horse nickered and seemed to nod. When he finished brushing her, he led her to her stall. On the way, she butted his backside playfully.
“Want a treat, do you?” Chuckling, he dug a carrot from his shirt pocket and offered it to her. She took it straight from his palm. They had an understanding of sorts. She let him ride her hard whenever the need arose, saddled up or bareback. In return, she asked only for food, exercise, a good brushing, and a daily carrot or two.
Why couldn’t women be as easy as Bee? Sly snickered at that. Plenty of women were easy enough, but not the one who mattered. He hadn’t spoken to Lana in over a week, not since her doctor’s appointment. She was giving him the space he’d asked for, and he was grateful. At the same time, he felt like a jerk for keeping his distance. It was his turn at bat. Trouble was, he still wasn’t sure whether to bunt or hit a home run.
He was latching Bee’s stall shut when Ollie entered the barn. Stetson in hand, he trudged toward Sly without his usual cocky swagger. He’d been unusually quiet all day. Sly frowned. “It’s Friday afternoon and you’re free till Monday. I was sure that by now you’d be showered, changed, and on your way to pick up your girlfriend.”
“We didn’t make any plans.”
“You sick?”
“Uh-uh.” Ollie shifted his weight. “I gotta talk to you.”
Curious as to what was eating the man, Sly gestured him to a worn bench along the planking. Nearby, reins and bits and other horse tacking hung on hooks. “What’s on your mind?” he asked when they were both seated.
Ollie kicked the wall with the heels of his boots. “I got a problem.”
“Something you want extra time off for?” As busy as the ranch was just now, he wasn’t sure he could afford to give that to anyone.
“Not exactly.” Ollie pulled a toothpick from his shirt pocket and stuck it between his teeth. For some reason, it made him appear more like a boy trying to be a man than the adult he was.
Tired, hungry, and wanting a shower, Sly prodded him along. “Spit it out, Ollie.”
The ranch hand tugged at the collar of his T-shirt, as if it was too tight. “Tiff—my girlfriend? Well, we just found out that she’s pregnant.”
He didn’t look at all happy about that. Sly understood exactly how he felt. “I take it this isn’t good news,” he said.
“It sucks. Tiff wants to keep the baby and raise it. I don’t.”
This sounded, oh, so familiar. Sly eyed him. “What are you going to do?”
“That’s what I’m here to talk to you about. I’m giving you my notice.”
“Hold on, there. You signed on through September,” Sly reminded him. He liked the guy and had been considering offering him a permanent job.
“I said I’d stay, but now I have to leave town.”
“What does Tiff think of that?”
“Haven’t told her.” Ollie tossed the toothpick into the nearby trash barrel.
“Let me get this straight. Your girlfriend is pregnant with your baby, and you’re going to walk out on her? I’m guessing without even a goodbye.”
“That’s the plan.” The ranch hand’s voice cracked.
“It’s a bad idea, one you need to rethink. Instead of running away, be a man and deal with the situation.”
Stern words, but the guy needed to hear them. With a shock, Sly realized he was also talking to himself.
God knew he had his faults, but he’d always prided himself on taking responsibility for his actions. Lately, though, he’d done the opposite, just the way Seth used to.
Damn.
He wasn’t like his brother, and stuck around rather than running away from trouble. Or did he? Sure as hell, he’d been trying to run from the idea of being a father. The realization made him frown.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Ollie said. “I’m only twenty—way too young to start a family.”
