Page 15 of The Earl’s Wrangler (Cowboy Nobility #3)

“I was asked to provide an assessment, and if I’m honest, I could bring in a number of people to beef up security and turn the ranch into a fortress.

It’s all a matter of the resources that you want to put into it.

But that may be massive overkill. I’d like to stay for a few days if you’re agreeable and keep an eye on things.

I’d also like to see if I can find out who they are.

So far we’ve talked about them as nameless, faceless people.

Once we know who we’re looking for, we might be able to see them coming.

It would be stupid of them to cause enough trouble that they bring extra attention to themselves. ”

“They were foolish enough to let my father bet on credit, so they aren’t the brightest bulbs on the string.”

“See what you can dig up. If we’re going to have to fight, then we need to know who we’re taking on. From there we can devise a plan to keep everyone safe. Because damn it all, this is really starting to piss me off,” Alan said.

“Me too,” Randall whispered from next to him before he placed his hand on Sawyer’s.

“DO YOU really think I should just sit here and do nothing?” Sawyer asked once everyone had left the meeting. Jase had said that he was going to try to perform some additional research.

“I know this: there is strength in numbers. So let Jase do his job, and we’ll do ours, which is making sure that everyone on this ranch is safe,” Alan told him, holding his gaze until Sawyer nodded. “Good man.” Then he exited the room, leaving Sawyer and Randall alone.

“I feel so helpless.” And that went against everything in his nature. He liked being in control of his life, and this was the exact opposite. Without thinking, he leaned against Randall.

“Sometimes we all need help,” Randall said softly.

“You know I hate talking about this, but after my dad would beat me for whatever he thought I had done, I used to hide in my room for days because I didn’t want anyone to know.

I’d take food from the kitchen and eat in there just so no one would see me.

Once I could cover the hurt, then I’d come out and act like everything was normal.

I was so ashamed of what had happened, like his actions were my fault. ”

Sawyer nodded slowly. “Yeah, I get that.”

“This is not your fault any more than I was responsible for what my deranged father did. He was sick in a lot of ways. But I let him make me feel guilty. You can’t do that. The only way to stop it is to stand up to him.”

“Did you ever do that?”

Randall nodded. “I did. Just before he died. He was drunk and angry. He came after me with the strap, but this time I grabbed it from him. I yanked it away and refused to give it back, and when he came at me this final time, I swung it low and got him in the legs. He went down, yowling like an idiot. I swung at him once more, getting him across the back. My father hit the floor and passed out. I don’t even think he remembered what happened when he came to.

But the strap was gone. I burned it, and then I went back to school.

I never saw him again, and just after I turned eighteen, he died and I inherited the estate, the title, and the responsibilities that he had largely been shirking for years. ”

“Yeah, I get it. I really do.” He rested his head on Randall’s shoulder. “Some people were never meant to be parents. People have to be approved to adopt a dog from a shelter, but anyone can have a kid.”

“Yeah. Well… I guess all we can do is our best with the situation we’re given.”

“Yeah. We take it one day at a time.”

“And hope we don’t screw it up,” Randall said flatly. “And if we’re done trying to out-cliché each other now?”

Sawyer chuckled softly. “Okay. You got me on that one. Now, we have work to do, and it isn’t going to do itself.”

“I was hoping that since we got the stalls cleaned already and that with all the excitement of the last few days… maybe we could go for a ride? I haven’t had a chance to see anything of Wyoming other than the ranch.”

Alan returned, standing in the doorway.

“I can’t just leave,” Sawyer said.

“Actually, you can,” Alan interrupted. “Go away for a few days. Take one of the ranch vehicles and see some sights. Randall can go with you if he wants. If your father shows up, we can say that we don’t know where you are and that he should get the hell out of Dodge.

Things here aren’t going to fall apart over a couple of days. ”

“Are you sure?” Sawyer asked. It seemed like a lot.

“Go. Let us see if a little absence can help defuse this situation.” He waved, and Sawyer went down to the room he was using.

He grabbed his bag and hurried out to the bunkhouse, where he packed enough for a couple of days before meeting Randall in the yard.

They tossed their things behind the seat in the truck and took off out of the ranch drive.

“Where to?” Randall asked.

“We’re a couple hours from Grand Teton. We could go there.

It’s beautiful, with the peaks and the river valleys.

Yellowstone is probably farther than we should travel for a few days.

” Though it was one of his favorite places.

He had vacationed there a number of times, but the distance was a little too much.

“Will I get to see geysers?” Randall asked.

“No. Those are only in Yellowstone. But there are plenty of other things to see. I hope that’s okay.”

Randall smiled. “I’m sure it will be great.”

Sawyer drove to the highway going north, and they settled in. “Is everywhere here like this?” Randall asked as they drove toward the mountain range. “I mean, there are peaks all around. England has hills, but nothing like this.”

“Yeah. Welcome to the northern Rockies. Can you imagine being one of those first settlers heading west? They crossed pass after pass thinking the next one was the last. But the mountains went on for five hundred miles in some places. Now we drive through them easily, but not back then when all they had were horses, oxen, mules, and a wagon.”

Randall continued looking out the windows, his head going from side to side. “How long does it take to get from one side of the state to the other?”

“It’s about three hundred and fifty miles from one side to the other, but some parts of the state are pretty remote.

There isn’t a lot of population here in Wyoming, and a lot of the state is owned by the federal government, so there are huge unspoiled and wild spaces.

Over the years, that led to a lot of tension, but today we have some amazing resources that would have otherwise been lost.” Sawyer continued driving as Randall practically pressed his nose to the glass like one of Chip’s dogs.

Even Sawyer had to admit that the scenery was pretty amazing, but what kept turning his head was the sight sitting in the passenger seat.

Sawyer knew that his heart had woken up and that he was developing strong feelings for Randall, ones he should put out the way he’d stomp a burning ember into the ground.

After all, he would return to his fancy life as lord of the manor soon.

Sawyer knew he’d also be back on his own again, and he might as well get used to it.

He pushed that notion away. What the fuck was he doing? He shook his head.

“What are you thinking about?” Randall asked.

“Nothing,” Sawyer answered quickly with a smile.

He needed to get that notion out of his head.

Randall had been here barely a week, and while he liked the guy, he was not going to fall in love with him in that short period of time.

And even if that was happening… he was happy.

Damn it all, he was enjoying the time with Randall, and if that came with disappointment at the end, so be it.

He would take what he could get for as long as it lasted and deal with the crap at the other end when it arrived.

Hell, he dealt with horses every single day, and he knew what to do with the crap that always seemed to flow no matter what.

Shovel it, dump it on the muck pile, and move on. And that was what he’d do now.

“Are you woolgathering?” Randall asked.

“I don’t know what that means,” Sawyer said, pulling himself back into the moment. He reached over and took Randall’s hand, determined to stay in the here and now for as long as it lasted.