Because when you work for Enzo, he owns your fucking soul.
But he’ll also protect you like family. And I’d rather be on his side than against him. Apart from the fact that being in the mafia brings its own host of issues. Just like we’re starting to see now. The Greeks in LA want in and Enzo ain’t interested. And I’m waiting on the green light to remind them you don’t fuck with a cowboy.
And you sure as shit don’t fuck with Enzo.
Pete and the other ranch hands pile dirt over the body.
“You’re quiet today,” Colten, the second youngest of us, says beside me.
I tip my hat lower over my face. “You know why.”
He sighs, and we both watch Ace throw dirt like a feral animal. It’s nice to have him around more. He’s taking a few months off from pro bull riding to help me out. Well, that’s what he tells everyone. The fact is, the fucker got bucked off so hard he fucked his arm. A small smile tugs at my mouth.
“I thought it was meant to get easier with time,” I mutter.
“That’s bullshit,” Colten says. “You just get busier. I don’t know. I miss the old man.”
The pain in his voice matches mine.
I glance up at the sky, hoping Dad’s somewhere up there, watching over us. That I’m doing him proud, despite the fact that half the time I don’t have a goddamn clue what I’m doing. He trained me for this moment, but I never wanted it to become real.
I’d give up all of it to have him back with us. And all I can wonder is whether this life is what I want for Wyatt. Do I train him to take over like my dad did with me?
“Come on, Ace. We gotta go,” I call, already heading toward Tornado, my stallion.
Ace never ignores me. Growing up, Beau, the brother closest to me in age, always picked on Ace. And I was the one who stood in the middle and kept the order. I looked after my little brother, and he knows I’d die to protect him.
He and Colten mount up and follow as we ride back toward the ranch house.
The sunset cuts through the mountains, and peace settles over me. Even if it’s only for a second. Even with blood on my hands. We do everything to protect our family. And that’s probably why I’ve never dated after Wyatt’s mom left. Notbecause I’m heartbroken. But because I don’t believe there is anyone out there who could deal with this life.
The fireflies drift through the tall grass, just normal bugs in daylight, their beauty hidden until dark.
In New Falls, monsters hide in the night sky. But there’s always something beautiful disguising them.
By the time I tie Tornado outside the house, Beau’s truck is rumbling up the drive. Permanent stick up his ass. And a useless fucking cowboy.
I love him, but fuck me, the man fights authority like it personally offended him. I swear he’d rather find new ways to tie up his man bun than work cattle some days.
The front door bursts open.
“Dad!”
Wyatt barrels into me, and I scoop him into my arms. He grabs my hat and drops it onto his own head. He’s the spitting image of me. My blue eyes, dark hair. But he has a cheeky grin and a light in his eyes that I don’t.
“Good day at school, little man?” I ask Wyatt while nodding at Beau as we head inside.
“Yeah. We played soccer. And boring math.”
I chuckle.
“I just wanna work here with you,” he says, pouting as I set him down.
“One day you will. But you gotta get through school first. You know the rules.” I tell him. I’m doing this for his own good. He needs to have options; he loves the cowboy life, I know that. But, he’s gotta have the brains to run this place if he wants to.
I pull snacks from the fridge while he climbs into my dad’s old chair at the table. Two years today since we lost him. And this house still feels emptier for it.
I slide Wyatt’s sandwich in front of him and take my hat back, sitting beside him.