Page 16 of Knot His Beast
Did I encourage the rumors? You bet your ass I did. A drink with a buddy here and there helps to get the ball rolling, then the rumors continue until they can’t be traced back to me.
Meanwhile, my family’s ranch is doing really well. Dad is even looking into selling our bulls’ semen in a less conventional way than sex between a bull and a female cow. He knows that ranching means leaning into new technology, and he’s more willing to do that now.
Thank fuck for that.
“Will their land go up for sale?” I ask, moving to help him by making a salad.
The girls will be back soon, and they’ll be starving. A salad will keep them from growling too much at us while the casserole finishes being cooked.
“It doesn’t look like they’re going to get a miracle,” Dad says. “The community wants to make things fair, so we don’t have another asshole come in who thinks they know better than us.”
“It keeps things from becoming a monopoly. Who the hell has the kind of cash to buy that much land?” I ask, cutting up a tomato. “Those five families have a fuck ton of it.”
“Well, not for long,” Dad says, allowing himself a vengeful smile. “Do I need to worry about this turn of events?”
He leans against the large butcher block island, watching as I methodically cut, chop, and assemble the salad.
“Nope,” I reply. I can feel his eyes burning into me, and I shrug, glancing up at him. “Whatever I did, it won’t blow back on us.”
“I fucking knew it,” he says. “Argh. You’re too damn smart for your own good, boy.”
“It’s that fancy education,” I tease him, winking as I shove the salad tongs into the bowl. I can tell he’s concerned but not pissed off, which means he won’t bug me too much about this.
“Apparently,” he mutters. The sound of the porch door swinging open and slamming shut is loud as the girls come in, and Dad shakes his head. “This isn’t over.”
“Yes, sir,” I say immediately, bringing the salad to the table and putting out the dishes and silverware.
“I’m starving,” Laura groans dramatically.
“Are you doing chorus or drama?” Dad asks, chuckling as the timer goes off for the casserole. “Set your whine on pause and wash up. Dinner’s ready.”
My sisters wash their hands while I mull over the information that I currently have. I’ll have to dig into the public records to see when they’ll be kicked out. For their properties to be a source of conversation in town means that it’s a done deal.
It’s just how life here works. I’ll bide my time until I can finish what I started. It’s the patient who reap the largest rewards, or that’s what I’m told.
My family is loud, talks over each other, and is chaotic, but I love it. I let the conversation flow as I eat, enjoying the drama of high school.
“Bobby’s brother, Arlo, told me he’s moving,” Hazel says suddenly, biting her lip. That information makes me blink as I focus back on the conversation.
Dad and I don’t discuss ranch politics around my sisters, but it’s hard for them not to hear things. This area lives and breathes this life, which means everyone fucking gossips.
“Is that so?” I ask. “When was this? Is Arlo as much of a dick as his brother?”
My dad shoves a forkful of food into his mouth to keep it busy, essentially giving me the floor for gentle interrogation. If Travis Trumaine’s other sons are manipulative dickweeds like Bobby, I’ll make sure they’re never heard from again.
The worst of them will die, while the mostly innocent can get sent to foster care. Men like Travis don’t have families because they’ve driven them all away. The only way to keep people close to you when you’re that evil is to make them complicit in your crimes.
Travis has two very young daughters, and I very much doubt they’ve had anything to do with fucking with my family. He keeps them at boarding schools for the most part, and barely sees them. As things became more volatile between our neighbors, Travis decided to send them away. I doubt evil has managed to find them yet.
“I think he’s scared of his dad,” Hazel says sadly. “He always has welts all over his arms that he blames on working on the ranch. I saw him walking around while we were waiting for Laura. I think he was killing time.”
Hmm. Not evil, but he definitely needs a new life. Maybe I’ll leave him bus money and a ticket to get the fuck out of here. Arlo graduated with my older sisters, which means that he’s an adult. He came back to town once he finished college, and that doesn’t work for me.
I’ll find a way to help him skip town and find a way to protect his sisters before I move on to his family.
Everything has to be perfect.
CHAPTER 5
