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He flinched. “Not my finestmoment.”
“Oh, Duke, I’ve got other moments of yours that were way less fine,” I threw at him. “Now, I gotta get to work.”
CHAPTER 33
duke
The bunkhouse dining hall smelled like roast chicken, fresh cornbread, andtension.
The long wooden tables were scarred with years of elbows, knife marks, and the occasional beer bottle slammed down in an argument. The overhead lights illuminated faces that had spent the last few weeks waiting for bad news.
I sat at the head of the table, Hunt and Roy on either side of me. Plates were piled high with food—meat, bread, mashed potatoes, and green beans. The murmur of conversation settled as people turned their attention to me.
Elena was at the far end with Miss Patsy, Itzel, and Allison, the young woman who helped around the house. They weren’t the only women on the ranch—a handful of the hands were married, their wives living in the cabins out past the main barn. They helped with cooking and cleaning and were compensated for their work.
The bunkhouse crew ate as they waited for me to explain why I was having dinner with them. Nothing came between them and chow, not after a long day of hard, back-breaking work. The second bunkhouse crew was at an adjoining table. They worked closer to the cattle pastures.
For the most part, everyone got along, thanks to Hunt and Elena’s leadership. There were a few like Sawyer now and then, but they usually weeded themselves out or got shown the door.
At plenty of ranches, women ended up in the bunkhouse, shacking up with their boyfriends or lovers, which only led to trouble. But not here. Hunt had made the rules clear—no one stayed two nights in a row unless they worked the ranch. That policy kept things clean, kept drama to a minimum, and made sure fights over women didn’t turn into full-blown disasters.
I tapped my knife against a glass to get everyone’s attention, and when I did, I simply said, “I’m not selling.”
Silence.
Then a scrape of a chair, the thunk of a glass hitting the table, and finally, cheers.
“Well, Goddamn,” Cal grunted. “’Bout time.”
A few men made similar statements, while others kept eating like I’d only confirmed what they already knew. But beneath it all, the tension that had lived in this place since Nash died finally eased.
Roy smirked. “Figured you’d come around. Knew you weren’t that stupid.”
“Debatable,” Hunt muttered around a bite of cornbread.
Laughter rolled through the room.
Jace wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “So, what now, boss? You’re gonna start running cows yourself?”
I snorted. “Hell no. That’s what I got all of you for.”
Another round of laughter, glasses clattering, and the sound of forks hitting plates again.
After dinner, which was raucous, I stretched my arms over my head. "So, y’all dealing me in tonight for a few rounds of poker?”
A chorus of “hell no” rang through the room.
Jace shook his head. “Bossman, I ain’t risking my paycheck.”
Another ranch hand muttered, “I like my money where it’s at, thanks.”
Roy just scoffed. “Boy damn near cleaned me out last time he sat at this table. No offense,boss,but get lost.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Fine. Guess I’ll just sit back and enjoy the company.”
Cal tipped his beer at me. “See? He’s learnin’.”
I wasn’t sure about that. But Iwastrying.