Page 10 of Reins

Sitting in the truck, I flip through nearly every song on my playlist while he takes care of canceling my appearance today. It doesn’t help to soften the sharp edge of pain in my stomach from having to leave.

As the parking lot, and the big red building slip into the rearview, John pushes up the wide brim of his hat and pokes my arm, signalling me to take out my earbud.

“Petunia is getting pretty old. Maybe it’s time we start looking at a replacement? One you can start working on this winter?” His dark eyes squint at me after he navigates us onto the highway.

Another horse.

Another anchor.

He’s pushing me to stay in my role. To be beholden to him.

I’m the smiling face of the Triple Bar Ranch. The golden-haired princess who shows the world how perfect our place is.

Of course he wants me to continue putting on a good front.

It’s all about reputation.

I’ll give in. All I know how to do is survive.

With a broad, feigned, grin, I look up at him with the same expression I give a judge when they’re handing me a gold trophy.

“Thank you, that would be wonderful,” I lie.

Chapter 6 - Cade

She’s fucking exhausting.

“Can’t we remand her to a damn cell?” I slump in the chair in front of Pete, rubbing my temples under the broad brim of my hat.

“I wish,” he grunts. “Being a judge, she knows all the tricks though. The best I’ve been able to swing is house arrest. It’s just unfortunate she’s not on the ranch where we could have access to the rest of them.”

“At least she can’t sign anymore. Do you know how frustrating it is that we have to fight restraining orders she put into place preventing us from access to that fucking family’s properties?” Ever since I learned that Max reached out to his cousin, John Bailey, I’ve been cock blocked at every turn trying to gain new information.

It’s almost like she knew ahead of time and put a giant damn shield in place.

Running my palm over my face, I lean back and let my head fall against the back of the cushion. “I have an idea, but you might not like it.”

His gray eyebrows lower as he pauses. “Do I need a drink for this?”

“Maybe. I guess it depends on how ‘off the books’ you want me to be?” I don’t bother to look, I know he’s pouring himself a snifter of scotch by the clink of the decanter.

“We need answers, Cade. All the rabbit tracks keep diving down the same fucking hole.” He taps my arm, holding out a glass full for me. “So what do you have in mind?”

I let the liquid burn down my throat before I answer. “I need to get inside their house.”

He chokes, sputtering. “How in the hell—” Then his hand raises. “You know what, I don’t want to know.”

“Shit, I doubt it’ll work anyway. But I just have a feeling that they have proof of all those fucking cows somewhere, and it sure ain’t at the judge’s little townhome. They had to stage ‘em somewhere before shipping them off. Remember that report saying that a chunk of ‘em had been rebranded? They need a place to do that where they won’t get caught.” I’m almost sure that they used the Bailey ranch for it.

“They run cattle, too. It’d all be circumstantial,” Pete sighs as he empties his drink. “Unless you catch them in the act or something.” His hand waves dismissively through the air.

“I won’t know until I get there.” I might be able to put my mischievous youth to practice.

I was always the prankster when I was small. I think it was easier being an asshole than it was admitting I was lonely.

Ava changed all of that for me. She’s the first time I ever felt like someone truly saw me, and I think it was in part because of her horrible upbringing.

Instead of making her gun-shy of new people, she tried to see the best in anyone she met.