Page 16 of Forget That Guy
Hence why we were now loading five cows into a truck to take to the processor.
Luckily, I had a club brother that was willing to take last-minute appointments for his club president, because usually I would have to be on the waiting list for a couple of months before I’d get in.
Huxley was waiting for me when I pulled up in the flatbed farm truck.
He whistled softly. “Brutal.”
“And effective,” I agreed. “Already got on the horn with Creed and made sure I can take the wolves out if I see them again.”
Creed, another member of the Dixie Wardens, was a game warden for the state of Montana. He was a hard-ass when it came to wildlife, but he knew the score when it came to wolves attacking livelihoods.
“Good.” Hux jerked his head toward the forklift. “Give me a minute and we’ll get them out.”
We had them out and in the cleaning area in a couple of minutes.
“You need any help?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t.
I’d help if I was needed, but that was damn near the last thing I wanted to do right then.
Hux eyed me. “If I said I did?”
“I’d carve out some time between dinner and bed.”
Though, just saying, but that wasn’t a very wide window. I usually ate, showered, and went to bed all within two hours of each other.
Hux chuckled. “Got a couple of high school students that are in a butchering class that are more than willing to learn and help.” He shook his head. “I got this. Any cuts in particular?”
“Whatever you can salvage.” I shrugged. “I’m not picky at this point.”
Couldn’t be when some of the meat would be ravaged by the damage the wolves had caused.
Ranch life was rewarding at times, but at others? It made me want to fuckin’ scream.
“Will do.” He fist-bumped me. “Go get some shuteye. You look like you could use it.”
I was about sixty hours short on sleep.
It’d be better if I could find more help, but until that happened, I was doing the work myself.
Juliana leaving had caused several of my other ranch hands to cut out, too.
She’d spread her lies, and everyone that’d loved her had all but lambasted me for “treating her wrong.”
“You ain’t lyin’.” I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, feeling the lethargy in my body even from that small act. “Just finished up tagging and branding last week. Now I’m struggling my ass through repairing fences and whatever else needs done at the ranch. Wishing Juliana hadn’t flipped me the bird and stolen half my employees when she cut out.”
“You find anyone to help you in the mornings yet?” he asked.
All three girls would’ve normally had their mornings filled with feeding animals and cleaning out stalls.
However, all three had extracurricular activities that decided to move from afternoon to morning, meaning I was left without help to get all the animals fed.
Hence my putting out an ad in the paper offering room and board if they helped me.
I didn’t have time to add that on top of my already overflowing to-do list.
“Not yet,” I admitted. “It’s not a lot of room, and they don’t really want to go downstairs to shower in the barn.”
“Just get the shower up there fixed,” he pointed out.
