Sunset Ridge (5 page)

“This isn’t up for discussion. You’re going to school and that’s that.” Gray finally looked away from Raleigh long enough to notice Ram in the doorway. “Come on in. This isn’t a new conversation.”

Ram hung his hat on the hook and approached the table. He wasn’t sure what Raleigh’s reaction would be to his presence, but he was prepared for anything she threw at him. As if by magic, the moment he took a seat, Georgia walked into the room with a plate laden with bacon, eggs and the best looking biscuits and gravy that he’d seen since he’d left his momma’s house. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

Georgia set the plate down before patting Ram on the back. “There’s plenty more in the kitchen so holler if you want seconds.”

“I appreciate that.” After Georgia retreated, Ram filled a cup with coffee from the carafe on the table.

“You sleep okay?” Gray asked.

“Like a baby,” Ram lied. He’d watched Gray from the window the previous night, hoping his new boss would sneak back up to finish what they’d started. When Gray had bypassed the garage and gone straight into the house, Ram had been more than a little disappointed.

“I thought I’d introduce you to everyone this morning and give you the work schedules I’ve made up. Handling the men isn’t my forte so feel free to change anything you want. I’ve also got a new kid coming in after school. He’ll be mucking stalls in the evenings, but I like to have them cleaned in the morning as well. Walking potential buyers through stables that smell like shit doesn’t tend to impress.”

“I understand.”

“Who’d you hire from the high school?” Raleigh asked.

“Kid by the name of Jesse Franks. Seems he’s been gettin’ in a bit of trouble, so his counsellor thought a job would be good for him.”

“Jesse Franks?” Raleigh’s lip curled in a sign of disgust. “He’s totally gross and like a major stoner.”

“Not on my watch,” Ram added. “No smokin’, no drinkin’, no fuckin’ off.” He liked the idea of teaching a troubled kid what it felt like to put in a hard day’s work, but he wasn’t a babysitter. “If the kid doesn’t follow the rules, I’ve got no use for him.”

“Understandable,” Gray agreed. He finished his last bite of egg before pushing his plate towards the centre of the table. “Like we agreed, the hands are yours to manage however you see fit.”

Ram nodded his appreciation and continued eating.

Raleigh rolled her eyes and got up from the table. “Guess I’ll go get ready for school.”

“Good girl,” Gray replied. “Take your plate on into the kitchen on your way.”

With a heavy sigh, Raleigh picked up her plate and orange juice glass and headed to the kitchen without saying a word to Ram.

Ram glanced at Gray and shrugged. “Seems I’ll be getting the silent treatment from now on.”

“Sorry about that.”

Ram shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. At least she didn’t bite my head off.”

Gray glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were alone in the room. “I almost called you last night.”

“You should’ve. Despite what I said, I slept like shit.” Ram took another bite of the biscuits and gravy. He’d been right, they were incredible.

“You wanna go into my office so we can go over that list?” Gray asked, rubbing his foot against Ram’s.

As much as Ram would love the release, he didn’t want to make a habit of fooling around while on the job. “I’d rather wait until later when we can do it right. For now, why don’t we sit on the porch and go over the schedule?”

Gray stared at Ram for several moments. “Okay. If that’s the way you want it.”

“No, it’s not the way I want it, but it’s the way it needs to be in order for this thing to work,” Ram clarified.

* * * *

Ram had just finished setting up his desk in the corner of the brood mare stable when the new kid showed up. One look at Jesse and Ram knew he had his work cut out for him. Dressed in a pair of dirty jeans that had more holes than denim, Jesse looked like it had been a month since he’d even bothered to shower.

“You the guy I’m supposed to talk to?”

Ram held out his hand. “Yep. I’m Jack Ramsdale, but you can call me Ram.”

Jesse’s eyebrows drew together as he hesitantly shook hands. “That’s a weird name.”

Ram appreciated someone who spoke his mind as long as respect was still shown. “Yeah, guess so.” He gestured towards the stables. “I’ve got a few papers for you to sign before we get started.”

As they walked to the small office area of the stable, Jesse kept his head down. Ram glanced at the guy. “I’ll need you to tie your hair back. In an environment like this, it’s important that you can see everything around you. It doesn’t happen often, but horses can spook without notice.”

From everything he’d heard about Jesse, Ram expected to be met with resistance. “Yes, sir,” Jesse answered. “I don’t have anything with me today. Do you have a rubber band or something in that desk?”

Ram smiled and pulled out his top drawer. He liked the kid already. After several minutes of searching, he came up empty. “No bands, but I’ll find something.” He walked to the tack room and searched through one of the supply cabinets, eventually coming up with a package of boot laces. “This’ll do.”

Jesse took one of the laces. “Thanks.”

“Welcome. Go on and fill out those papers I laid on the desk, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Jesse sat down at the desk and tied his hair back. The transformation was quite amazing. With the dirty hair off his face, Jesse’s incredible bone structure and piercing green eyes took centre stage. Ram wasn’t sure why the kid was having so much trouble in school, but from what he’d witnessed Jesse was respectful and willing to take direction.

While Jesse took care of the required paperwork, Ram loaded the rake and pitchfork into the wheelbarrow and pushed it over to the stalls. With the brood mares outside in the pasture connected to the back of the stable, he didn’t need to worry about one of them getting out. He opened the first stall and checked the condition. Although it didn’t need a new layer of sawdust, he’d probably go ahead and show Jesse how to do it.

“All done, sir,” Jesse announced, coming up behind Ram.

“Good.” Ram grabbed the pitchfork. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

* * * *

Gray entered the dining room to find Ram already sitting at the table, his head in his hands. It had been almost a week since he’d spent time with him. He’d known Ram wanted to move closer to his mom because she’d been ill, but he hadn’t known at the time she was battling the final stage of cancer. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey,” Ram greeted, looking up.

Gray pulled out his chair and sat down. “How’s your mom?”

Ram shook his head. “Not good. At least they have her so drugged up now she doesn’t seem to be in much pain.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Hell, I don’t even think she knows I’m there.”

“So maybe you should take a night off and get some sleep,” Gray said.

“No. She may not know I’m there, but I know it.”

Gray knocked his foot against Ram’s. “You want me to go with you tonight?”

“Thanks, but one of us needs to be here.” He started to reach for Gray’s hand but pulled back. “Sorry about the timing. Haven’t been much of a manager since you hired me.”

“Don’t. You made the move back to Arkansas to be close to your mom. You had no idea she’d take a turn for the worse so soon.” Gray did what Ram had failed to do and reached across the table to cover Ram’s hand. “I’ve missed you, though.”

Ram turned his hand over to press his palm against Gray’s. “I’ve missed you, too. Maybe I should take the night off. It’d be nice to spend some time with you.”

Before Gray could answer, Georgia came into the room with two plates full of pot roast and potatoes. “Smells good.”

“Of course it does.” Georgia set the plates down. “Raleigh called to say she’s studying with a friend and will eat in town tonight.”

Gray hated it when his niece called Georgia instead of him. He knew it was Raleigh’s way around Gray’s authority over her. He’d spoken to Raleigh several times about it, but the girl still continued to do as she pleased. “Thanks, Georgia.”

“She’s not supposed to do that,” he mumbled in explanation to Ram. Gray shook his head. “Are all teenagers like this?”

“Weren’t you?” Ram asked.

“Hell no. My dad didn’t put up with disobeying the rules.” Gray thought about his sister and all that she’d got away with. “At least not from me.” He speared a slice of carrot with his fork. “Now that I think about it, Raleigh’s actions are beginning to mirror her mother’s.”

“From what you’ve told me, that’s not a good thing.”

“No, it isn’t.” Gray shut up and concentrated on his dinner. He needed to figure out how to handle his niece. Despite the wild streak she’d obviously inherited from her mother, Raleigh was a good kid. She studied hard and had always had some of the top grades in the class.
Damn it.
Gray wanted more for Raleigh than to end up like Rebecca.

They ate dinner in relative quiet with only a few remarks here and there on how good the food was. By the time Gray finished, he was no closer to finding an answer.

Disgusted, Gray picked up his plate and Ram’s. “Are you too tired to go for a ride? I feel like gettin’ out of here for a while.”

Ram wiped his mouth and nodded. “Sure. I think I could use a few hours of peace and quiet.”

“You’re in for a treat then. Give me ten minutes.”

Ram stood and lifted his Stetson off the hook. “I’ll go saddle Bean.”

Gray carried the empty plates into the kitchen and set them on the counter. “Good dinner.”

He gave Georgia’s cheek a quick peck. She had been with the Conner family for over eight years. One of the things that pissed Gray off about Raleigh was the way she behaved towards the older woman. Georgia was the closest thing Raleigh had to a mother, yet the girl still treated her like a servant. “I’m gonna take Ram on a tour of the land.”

“You should show him the cabin,” Georgia said as Gray started out of the kitchen.

Gray stopped and turned around. The small cabin his grandpa had built for times when he was having trouble with his wife hadn’t been used by anyone but Gray since his grandpa’s passing. “Why would you say that?”

Suddenly the older woman looked guilty about something. “Georgia?”

She worried the dishtowel in her hand. “I went out there to clean when you were in the hospital with your appendectomy three years ago. I thought you might like a nice place away from Jeremiah to recuperate.”

Gray’s body went rigid at the invasion of his private space. “You steal my key to do that?”

Tears filled Georgia’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I thought I was doing a nice thing for you. I knew how hard it was for you to be trapped in this house with your father.”

Gray knew by the expression on the woman’s face what she’d found inside. “I’m sorry you had to see what you did.”

Georgia stepped forward and cupped Gray’s cheek. “Those movies and magazines were private. I knew that as soon as I saw them. I wanted to tell you that you didn’t have to hide yourself from me, but I didn’t know how without making you angry.”

“Have you told anyone?” Gray felt raw and exposed. It wouldn’t have been any worse if she’d walked in on him masturbating.

“Of course not.” Georgia pulled her hand back, her feelings obviously hurt.

“I’m sorry.” Gray ran his fingers through his hair. “We both know what would happen if word got out.”