Page 15 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

Chapter Eleven

Sutton

I ’m halfway to the guest house before I realize I’m practically sprinting. My heart is hammering in my chest, and it has nothing to do with exertion.

How did I let that happen?

One second, I’m thinking about cows, and the next, I’m making out with Wade Callahan.

Man, it’s infuriating how good of a kisser he is.

My entire body is thrumming with the way his mouth felt against mine, the way his hand wrapped around my throat so gently but establishing that control.

I’m certain I drenched my panties just from that.

The second I’m inside, I slam the door shut and lean against it, trying to catch my breath. My fingers brush over my lips, which still feel swollen and sensitive.

I can’t believe it happened. I can’t believe I let it happen.

I make a beeline for the bathroom, turning the faucet on full blast and splashing cold water on my face.

The shock of it helps a little, but when I look up in the mirror, I barely recognize myself.

My cheeks are flushed, my eyes are bright, and my lips…

God, my lips look like they’ve been thoroughly kissed.

My head falls back, and I close my eyes, remembering what it felt like to have his mouth on my neck, on my breasts.

“Pull it together, Sutton,” I mutter to my reflection, gripping the edge of the sink. “This is not why you’re here.”

But no matter how hard I try, I can’t push the memories away. The way Wade’s eyes darkened just before he kissed me. The way his hand lingered on my arm like he didn’t want to let go. The way my body responded, like it had been waiting for this moment for years.

It has.

All my relationships have failed miserably because I haven’t been able to recreate the connection Wade and I had in Texas.

I shake my head and turn off the water, then grab a towel to pat my face dry. This is ridiculous. I’m here to figure out what’s going on with the cattle, not to get swept up in some… whatever that was.

I cannot lose focus. So many people are counting on me to figure this out.

If Wade apologized and saw that I’m not a horrible person, maybe my dad will finally see that I’m not the horrible human he believes me to be, too.

I went to study veterinary medicine because of the ranch. I specifically chose bovine medicine because of the ranch. I could’ve opened my own practice working with dogs and cats. It’s way more glamorous than cattle.

I chose this field because of my dad, my parents, this town, and this community. I really did think that I could come back and make a difference here, but it’s clear that no one wants that.

Get in. Figure it out. Get out. Easy peasy.

Taking a deep breath, I leave the bathroom and grab my keys from the counter.

I have everything I need in the back of my truck, so I don’t have to risk going back into the barn to see Wade.

I need to focus, and the best way to do that is to get back to work somewhere other than Callahan Ranch.

The truck’s engine roars to life, and I head toward my dad’s ranch, determined to put as much distance as possible between myself and the barn—and Wade.

The drive is short, and when I pull up to the familiar house, a wave of nostalgia hits me again.

This place holds so many memories, both good and bad.

I push them aside as I grab my bag and head out to the pasture.

I’m halfway through setting up my equipment when I hear the crunch of boots on dry grass.

Turning, I see my dad approaching, wearing one of the hazmat suits I’d insisted on.

Whoa. I thought for sure he’d be the one to fight me on this.

“Hey, Dad,” I say, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“Hey,” he grunts, stopping a few feet away. “Didn’t expect to see you here again today.”

“Figured I’d take a break from the other ranch to get some stuff checked off here,” I reply, adjusting the strap on my bag. “I see you’re following the protocols.”

He nods, his expression unreadable. “Figured it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

I raise an eyebrow, surprised by his compliance. “Well, I’m glad to see it. Any updates?”

“Lost two more. You should be here working with our cattle, not at other ranches,” he almost hisses.

I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. I will not let him goad me into an argument. Now is not the time.

I nod, jotting down a note in my phone. “What’s the feed situation? Are you still using the same supplier?”

“Yeah,” he says, his tone defensive. “Marley’s. Been using ’em for years. Never had a problem before. What kind of question is that? It ain’t the feed. If it was I’d have figured it out on my own.”

I take another deep breath, blow it out, and repeat it a few times so that I can remain calm.

I will not let him distract me from this situation. Arguing with him is not going to get me out of here any faster.

“That doesn’t mean there couldn’t be one now,” I point out, keeping my voice calm. “Have you noticed any changes in the feed’s quality or smell?”

He shakes his head. “No. I haven’t. But you’re more than welcome to check it yourself since you don’t seem to trust me.”

“I will,” I say, making another note. “What about the water supply? Any issues with the troughs or the well?”

“Not that I know of,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “Everything’s been running fine. Changed all the piping recently. Tuck went through and cleaned everything out before he left.”

Tuck, one of the ranch hands who was here before I was even born. He treated me like his own. I was looking forward to seeing him.

He and Tuck were pretty close; it couldn’t have been easy to let him go.

I glance up at my dad, trying to gauge his mood. His last response was a little kinder than the ones before, maybe if I don’t take the bait, he won’t continue to try and argue.

“How is Tuck?”

“Good. He needed to retire anyway.”

So do you , I think to myself.

I nod, knowing my father will never retire, but he’s constantly saying other people should.

“I’ll need to take some samples,” I say, pocketing my phone. “Feed, water, soil… everything.”

He nods, his gaze fixed on the pasture. “I’ve already tested all those things.”

“Did you send them to a local lab? Did Doc Lucy handle that? I might have missed it in her report.”

“I checked ’em myself. I don’t need a fancy lab.”

“Obviously you do, because you called and asked me for help.”

He eyes me carefully, narrowing his gaze as he does. He shakes his head. “Do whatever you need to do then.”

“Have there been any changes to the way the feed is delivered?”

“Nope, same bags it’s always been. They load them in the back of the truck like they always have.”

“What about the hay?”

“Same fields. I had someone out to check the soil, thought maybe we were getting run off from somewhere, but it all came out good.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that a few seconds ago? Why were you worried about runoff? Someone buy the Tackett property?” I ask, referring to the fifty acres to the north of the ranch. It’s the only one that has gone up for sale recently.

“No, we’ve had some developers in town snooping. They were trying to buy Tackett out, but he didn’t sell. A nice family from Oklahoma purchased it instead. Rumor has it that the developer plays a little dirty.”

“What’s the name of the company?”

“Shit. I don’t remember. You’re asking me too many questions and I don’t have time for this. I have too much to do.”

“Dad, you asked me to come help you figure this out, and that’s why I’m here. I’m asking questions so that I can get answers and stop whatever is happening. If you don’t want to answer them, then I’ll make use of my time at the other ranches where they don’t mind answering.”

He glares back at me. “Might should ask around town. Someone else would know. I have everything I’ve done on the desk in the den. You can look through the invoices on the feed, health checks, whatever your highfalutin degree tells you that you should do.”

I breathe in and out again, slowly.

“Has the development company reached out to you about selling?”

“They haven’t come out to me yet, but they’d meet the end of my Smith and Wesson if they did. They’re not welcome here.”

“I’ll do some digging. Do you have any trail cams or anything up around the property, in case they have been tainting the soil or water or something?”

“Nah. Just out on the back forty where I last seen the skunk ape.”

I nod slowly and resist the urge to roll my eyes.

My dad has sworn more than once that he saw a skunk ape on the property.

It’s an old folklore for the area—he’s a big, hairy, ape-looking thing that smells atrocious.

It’s said that he loves the swamp and delta areas, but he’s not a real thing, just like his supposed cousin, Bigfoot.

No one else has seen it, of course, and it’s most likely a wayward black bear that’s looking to mate or for food.

It’s rare that there are bear sightings, but it does happen.

Although, you can’t tell a stubborn old man anything of the sort.

“Maybe I should get someone out here to set some up. Might be interesting to see if it’s an outside source. Could be as simple as deer carrying something, or any animal for that matter. If they defecate and…”

“I don’t got the money to set up surveillance. I would have done that already if I had.”

“I can take care of it.”

“I’m not a charity.”

“It’s not charity when it’s family,” I groan. “It’s an investment.”

“I don’t need it.”

I could sit here and argue with him, but it’s pointless.

“Dad,” I say, my voice softer than I intended. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me? Anything at all?”

He turns to look at me, his eyes hard but not unkind. “No, dagnabit. I’ve told you everything. What good is that degree of yours if you ain’t doing nothing I ain’t already done.”

I close my eyes and try to rein my emotions back in. “All right. I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything.”

He grumbles something incoherent before tipping his hat and walking back toward the house.

I watch him go, a mix of emotions swirling in my chest. This ranch, this land, it’s been a part of me for as long as I can remember. And despite everything, despite the distance and the hurt, I can’t help but want to save it.

I do what checks I can do alone and then pack up my stuff to head back over to the Callahan Ranch. There are certain things that have to be a two-person job, like loading cattle into the chute. I’ll come back later with Caleb so we can make some headway.

As I climb into the truck and steer back toward the Callahans’, Wade’s gorgeous face pops into my head. I can feel my entire body heat up with the thought of his mouth on mine.

I close my eyes and shake my head. I cannot slip up like that with Wade again. My dad and the entire town are counting on me to save these cattle and I can’t let them down.