Page 45 of When It Reins (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #5)

mitch

The barn is nice and quiet.

Save for the shuffling of horses and the chomp of hay, it is a peaceful night on the ranch. Crickets chirp and owls hoot, and it is practically a farm bedtime story out here. I sit with my back against the wall inside an empty stall with three other people, including Cal Trevors.

We didn’t mean for him to get involved, but it isn’t every day a motorcycle club shows up on your front lawn to help keep your ranch safe.

I know he’s coming here.

I can feel it in my bones that this is going to be his next hit, that he is closing in on what is most important to me.

In the tack room are Mick and CT, other members of the club, and wranglers from the ranch.

In the stalls at the other end of the barn are my two brothers and whoever is left over. We have two people outside hiding to keep a lookout and grab him if they can. We are well covered, and there is no way that he is going to be slipping through our hands this time.

Still, I am antsy. I want to get this over with and go home, or wherever Juniper wants to be. Since my cabin was blown to pieces, I am assuming we’ll be at her apartment for a while.

That is, if she wants me there.

If not, I am gladly going to be sleeping on the stairs outside of her place for as long as I have to.

She is my priority, and I need to keep showing her that.

Despite the silence in the barn, I can feel Cal Trevors watching me. I don’t know Cal well anymore. We are two people who love the same group of people, but since I’ve been back, he’s given me nothing more than a slap on the back in greeting.

He is the type of guy you want to like you.

Or maybe that is just my feelings about the situation.

Growing up, he was like a surrogate uncle for us. Our families were all really close. I have my Uncle Earl, and he was great to us boys, always taking us places with his family when our mom couldn’t get out of work.

There is something about Cal Trevors that I am drawn toward. Maybe because he raised boys himself, and I got to witness what it was like to see a dad actually give a shit about his sons.

We certainly never had that.

“What do you think? You think things will settle down around here after this?” Cal’s questions surprise me, and I blink before looking back over at him and shrug.

“No idea. You got a lot of single wranglers on this ranch. I’m guessing you’re just getting started.”

Cal chuckles and nods his head. “You may be right about that. Keeps things entertaining at least.”

I nod my head, assuming the conversation is over when Cal surprises me. “It’s funny. I didn’t think my boys settling down and getting this ranch running again was going to be so lively.” He sighs and says, “I never thought we’d get the spirit of this place back after my Donna died.”

I stay silent, thinking back to Mrs. Trevors, or Donna, as she liked everyone to call her. She was a lady who brought out happiness in everyone. She was sweeter than anyone I’d ever met and made everyone feel like family.

She was also one of my mom’s good friends and best friends with my Aunt Sandra.

“But you boys all proved me wrong. Not just with finding good girls to be with and bringing wranglers in, but keeping life exciting.” I wasn’t sure how much Cal knew about the troubles we’ve had the past few years, but I nodded my head again, letting him talk.

“I know all you boys have dealt with things, one way or another. I’ve seen you boys pull through, even when you’ve been tested past your limits.

I’ve seen the girls you all picked pull themselves off the ground and keep going. ”

Cal lets out another sigh and says, “Finding women like that, ones who handle the ranch lifestyle and stick by your side, no matter what you’ve done, is something to hold on to.”

“You saying you did some bad things, Mr. Trevors?”

Cal chuckles and says, “Oh boy, nothing I’ll ever admit to.” I smirk and grab a piece of hay, running it through my hands. “My Donna knew what I did to keep this place and still stuck by me.”

For a few minutes, we sit in silence as I think about all the shit I’ve done in my life. I haven’t been saintly, that’s for sure, but I am done with that kind of life. Right after I handle Aaron, that is.

“You’re dating Thea’s sister, yeah? Juniper?”

“Yes, sir,” I say freely.

“Hell of a voice on that girl,” he comments, and I nod my head.

“She’s incredible.” Hell, even thinking about her voice puts a chill down my spine.

“I heard Felicity talking about her going on the road,” Cal says nonchalantly, like he isn’t trying to dig into my personal life.

I would give him the answers pretty willingly, because I know this man has no ill will toward me or Starling.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“Good for her.” He turns his gaze to me and says, “You’re going too.”

It’s not a question, and I nod my head to confirm it. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He shifts in his seat. I want to check to see what time it is and send Juniper a text to let her know I’m all good, but I don’t want to pull my phone out and seem rude. “You need someone good like her in your life. Don’t screw it up.”

I bunch my eyebrows together in confusion, but I don’t reply before he speaks again.

“I know your past, Mitchell. I’ve been watching over you for years, just keeping my distance. I know what you did for your family, though you could have come to me to watch out for them, as I was already doing that.”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I don’t reply.

“I know you feel a burden on yourself, son.” I catch his gaze and feel a strange rush of emotions filtering through me at the way he is looking at me. “I know you feel responsible for every member of your family, close and distant. But you need to be sure you’re looking out for yourself.”

He crosses a leg over the other and sits back in his seat, looking strangely relaxed and confident for a man his age. “From now on, if you’re serious about her, Juniper Weaver is your main concern.”

“So I’m just supposed to ignore the rest of my family?”

The words feel hollow, and there’s a churning in my gut at the thought.

“No, not ignore. Just let them handle their own lives, son. They’re all grown up now. You don’t have to worry about them. Your piece of shit father—” He closes his eyes and holds up a hand. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that, sir. He is a piece of shit.”

Cal chuckles. “Well, all right. Keith is gone, Mitch.” He eyes me seriously again and says, “He’s out of the picture. Your brothers and mom are safe, and so are you.”

I feel a chill slide down the back of my neck and readjust on the floor, feeling uncomfortable with how much this man, who I assumed knew nothing, has figured out without help.

It feels weird to hear that word.

Safe.

I am safe.

I don’t have a deranged father on the loose. I don’t have asshole druggies going to come and beat the shit out of me. I don’t have to worry about my brothers’ well-being, other than the mundane stuff.

“It’s time for you to take your life back, grab that girl of yours, and go live it.”

His words do something to my mind, and for the first time since I admitted my love for Juniper, I sit back and close my eyes, allowing the flashes that have tried to push into my mind to actually come to life in front of me.

I picture us on the road, singing together.

I picture us in a bed every night, waking up with each other every morning.

I imagine living with her and growing our lives together.

I imagine working at the bar, even when I’m old and shouldn’t be a security guard, but I keep the job just to stay close to her.

I picture all of it, and peace settles over me.

Finally.

Hours pass, and I find myself smiling as I picture what our future is going to look like. Cal has fallen asleep, and I don’t bother waking him, waiting for the shoe that I know is going to drop.

It’s easier to handle that shoe when you know it’s coming.

Dawn is about to break when I finally hear the first tendril of sound.

After hours of quiet and somehow keeping my mind from falling asleep, something getting knocked over snaps me out of the trance I was in, and I peek my head out of the stall.

I’m not the only one who moves, and I see across the alley bodies moving in the tack room.

A body moves through the crack in the door at the end of the alley, and as if on cue, we all move in around them until it’s twenty to one.

Time to put this fucker to bed.