“So what do we do about it?” I ask. “If she goes into heat... things are going to get complicated. We can’t just ignore that.”
“We handle it,” Boone says simply. “Like we handle everything else. We support her. We keep her safe. We don’t push her until she’s ready.”
“And if she’s never ready?” I ask.
“Then we wait,” Knox says. “I’m not going anywhere. Are you?”
“I’m not,” I say.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that she thinks we’re trying to steal her life,” I say. “And if we throw a pack dynamic at her while she’s feeling vulnerable, she’s going to run. Again.”
“We take it slow,” Boone says. “We show her we’re here for the ranch, not just for her.”
“Speaking of the ranch,” Knox says, shifting his weight, “I got a call from Gary this morning.”
I tense. “And?”
“I’m considering taking the job,” Knox says. “The Bayou Circuit. Louisiana.”
The news hits me like a splash of cold water. I look at him, and he looks resigned.
“Louisiana?” I ask. “That’s three months away. Four, with travel.”
“I know,” he says. “But the money’s good, Rhett. Really good. And with the circuit suspended... I don’t have a choice. I need the income.”
“We can manage here,” Boone says. “We can handle the fences and the cattle. We can fix the barns. You go. Ride the bulls. Win the money.”
“You don’t mind?” Knox asks.
“It’s your career,” Boone says. “We’re not going to hold you back.”
“It’s just... the timing,” Knox says. “With Saramaria just getting back. With the repairs starting...”
“We’ll be fine,” I say, though my chest feels tight. “We can handle it.”
Just then, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out.West Montgomery.
I have a bad feeling about this. West doesn’t call this early unless something is wrong.
“I need to take this,” I say.
“Take it,” Boone says. He turns to Knox. “I’m going to go check on the water troughs. The lines are still wonky.”
“I’ll come with you,” Knox says. “I need to move my legs anyway.”
Boone and Knox walk off toward the pasture, leaving me alone near the barn. I answer the phone.
“West,” I say. “Please tell me you have good news.”
“It depends on your definition of good,” West says. His tone is clipped, professional. “I followed up on those pipe breaks. You were right to call me.”
“What did you find?”
“I went out to the site this morning,” West says. “I brought a kit. I looked at the cuts.”
“Vandals?” I ask.
