Page 22 of The Boss

My uncle turns white. My father turns red. It’s an interesting contrast.

Then all I see is fabric as Boss pulls me close. "Photograph those two, the car, and the plates,” he commands. “Then send the pics to everyone in a hundred-mile radius."

Boss rubs my back gently, murmuring, "I've got you, baby. I will always protect you.”

I’ve known this man for less than a week, and yet I want to believe him. It’s just all so fast. And I still don’t know how this ranch even makes money.

I still have questions that require answers.

12

BOSS

Even after Cutter and Smoky drag the two men away, Etta still seems nervous.

I glance out through the front window to see Stone taking photos as Hunter brings Etta a glass of water. "Thank you." She takes a few sips, her hands still trembling.

"Hold down the fort,” I tell Hunter. “Etta and I are going to take a little forest walk."

He nods, smiling at her. "Yes, breathe in the trees. We all do it. It really does help."

Her smile seems forced and her eyes are still tense, but she takes my hand and lets me lead her out the back door and straight into an open patch of the woods that stretches between some of our fields.

"This section isn't exactly a deep, dark forest, but I reckon it will do for now,” I tell her as we walk slowly through the trees and brush.

There's a couple of chunks of old logs that I left here years ago as benches, in case any of us ever needed to cool off.

We sit down facing each other. "Deep breaths help everything." She nods and we breathe together, then her eyes drop to examine her fingernails. She’s still twitchy.

"You know, you can ask me anything," I say gently. “Everything is brand new here for you. Me, the guys, the ranch." I smile as she looks up at me. "The llama…well, he’s brand new to everybody."

She takes a slow breath. "Thank you for taking care of my father and Uncle David. They’re…" She trails off, looking down at a pinecone. “Assholes. My mother isn't much better. My family are all jerks."

"Luckily, you aren't."

She looks up at me sadly. "That’s why I feel awful for asking… Was any of that stuff Uncle David said about the ranch true?"

"Yes and no." Taking her hands in mine, I swing them back and forth a few times to loosen her shoulders. "I'll explain everything, baby."

Lifting her hands, I kiss the back of them, then release her and sit back.

“At the beginning, the first four of us all had our own reasons to want to step out of society – Cutter just joined us a few months ago, but it's not my story to tell. Anyway, this ranch and the surrounding land belonged to a couple who were getting too old for this kind of work. They weren't ready for a retirement home, though."

I love the way her eyes sparkle when she looks at me.

"So we created a legal partnership, bought up the land, and sent the McDougalls on a cruise." I chuckle. "Their kids have all moved away. They said something about alternating visiting the kids with more cruises. Bottom line, they were happy to sell their land to people who respected it and wanted to keep this ranch running."

"But how do you make money?" Etta asks softly. "I was going through your spreadsheets of all of the money that goes out for animal feed and care. But there's nothing coming in. You don’t sell anything."

"That's the part that's kind of a secret." I wink. "We already have plenty of money. I come from a family who practically owns an entire mountain a bit northeast of here. The other guys have similar stories. When you have a huge amount of money invested, and you live a simple life, you don't need any additional income."

Her perfect lips fall open. "So… You guys just pay for this ranch to help the animals? You’re not getting anything out of it?"

"Are you nuts?" I chuckle. “Not get anything? We get to live on this breathtaking land. We get to save horses. When they’re strong and healthy enough, we sometimes get to give them away." I shrug. "Okay, honestly, I don't care much for the goats. But somebody had to take them in. The cattle are top-of-the-line beef producers, and we feed ourselves, and some people around town who need a little help."

"What about…the other stuff?" Her voice drops to a whisper. "Stealing horses and hiding women and whatever?"

“He was right, kind of. Technically, there's tons of illegal stuff going on here." My head tips side to side. "But sometimes following the letter of the law isn't the right thing to do."