Page 56 of Adam's Rising

“Clara Mae,” Brett cooed. “Be reasonable.”

“Reasonable?” She tapped a boot. “Today, I decided to check out my barns. First thing I found was moldy feed. The next was supplements that expired a year ago. When I went to find you, I smelled smoke —”

Frank groaned, so Adam looked to Clara Mae for direction.

She gave a sharp nod, directing him away from Frank.

Adam rose in one fluid motion.

Frank moved to get up, and Adam glared at him.

Brett took a step forward, hands in front of his chest. “Clara Mae, please. Frank’s just a kid —”

“Kid? Frank’s not a kid; he’s a punk.” She took a step back, keeping her eye on both men. “And don’tpleaseme. He had an entire ashtray full of his butts. No way you missed that, Brett. And if you did, I blame you. And the feed and supplements… All on you. Pack your shit — both of you. And don’t even think about asking for a reference.”

Clara Mae gestured to Rusty, who was running across the patch of ground between the house and the barn. “Rusty, help these lowlifes off my ranch.” She turned to Adam. “Thank you for your help, boy, but you need to get back to work. Rusty and I will take care of these two.”

Adam nodded and walked backward toward Bolt.

Brett locked eyes with him. Somehow, the man knew Adam was at the bottom of their firings.

Still, Adam couldn’t help but smile as he turned back to Bolt. He’d taken down a man older and larger than him with a football move Thomas had shown him.

And Clara Mae rocked.

The woman had found a reason to fire both men without ever bringing up his name.

Yeah, life was definitely looking up.

One problem down — two actually. He’d been nervous about Frank from the start. The man definitely wouldn’t have been a good influence for Peter.

Now, he just needed to figure out what to do about Lala.

* * *

Adam walkedBolt back to the barn. He needed to cool down anyway — they both did.

Still, unlike his normal overheating — possibly from holding in his rage — Adam felt good. Today wasn’t the first time he’d proven to Clara Mae that he was capable.

Not just with horses, but also with the other hands.

Many times in his short life he’d backed down after seeing a wrong, or when bullies got in his face. Not anymore. It felt good to stand up for what was right.

He would never back down again.

Inside the barn, Adam walked Bolt to his stall. “You did a good job, boy. Imagine what we could do with a saddle.”

Bolt snuffled.

“I know… We’ll talk, baby.”

“Oh my gosh!” Claire squealed behind him. “That was so great. You just…” She mimed running and lifting and then slammed her arms down in front of her. “Boom! Slammed him to the ground.”

Adam loved that she’d seen and hated that he had to curb her enthusiasm. “Shh…”

She covered her mouth and giggled. “Okay, but… Wow!”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “Shouldn’t you be in school, Miss Harper?”