The guy doesn’t need to be told twice. He tucks tail and weaves his way toward the exit like a pest about to get squashed.
Paisley chooses that moment to return, glancing from her husband to me. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” I blurt.
Rather than call me out, Brody stays silent. An upward glance freezes me on the spot. I fight the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. He doesn’t relent, forcing me to explain more than I usually would.
“It’s just my past trying to catch up to me. Don’t worry about it.”
Her eyes narrow on me. “Are you worried about it?”
“No,” I scoff. But that’s a bigger lie than my qualifications as a nanny, not that I’d ever admit it.
“Okay…” Paisley doesn’t sound convinced as she reclaims her stool.
Brody doesn’t go back to his darkened post. The wall of muscle sticks close to his wife, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. Can’t say I blame him.
Trouble still clings to me like a parasite.
I’m scanning over the entries for our upcoming horse sale when there’s a knock on my office door. Dennis strolls in without waiting for an invite. It’s not as if my uncle needs one.
“Afternoon,” I greet.
The older man tips his hat while ambling to the chair across from my desk. “Got a minute?”
“Absolutely.” The papers in my hands are already pushed aside. My full attention is focused on him getting settled on his seat. “What can I do for you?”
Dennis takes a moment to look around, tugging at the persistent knot in my gut. “How are things going ‘round here?”
My mind immediately goes to Chance and what he could’ve done to fuck things up now. “Can’t complain. The stock for thefinal fall auction looks promising. It’s already bigger than last year’s and registration is still open until the end of next week.”
“Good. That’s real good.” It’s obvious from his distracted tone that he didn’t come here to talk about the sale numbers.
I study his attempt at nonchalance for another second. “How’s everything going with you?”
“Right as rain. Retirement has really cleared up my schedule. Not much to do with the snow starting to fly.”
“Want me to put you to work?”
His laughter fills the entire room. “Nah, kid. I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather keep trying my luck at pull tabs and bingo. There’s actually something I wanted to ask you.”
I brace for the worst. “Shoot.”
“Have you heard from your dad?”
Air whistles from between my clenched teeth. Try as I might to expect it, the stench of betrayal chokes me. My father’s crimes against our family are vast and detrimental. A dark cloud has loomed over us since Dad ran off, too chickenshit to face his latest—and most ruthless—attack. If I ever see him again, it’ll be too soon. I tell my uncle as much.
He bobs his head in agreement. “That’s what I figured, but those incidents at our properties had me curious. He might’ve found a new organization to hide behind and they’re coming after our business for a payout.”
What he’s referring to are a handful of sporadic hits, such as stealing our grain storage and snatching the spare tires from our trailer lot. It’s a nuisance more than anything. But now that I’m thinking about it, they could be related to what’s happened here.
“Chance had a few strange hiccups recently, but I blamed it on his shitty work ethic,” I drawl.
“What happened?”
“Minor snags. Mostly scheduling errors and missing documents. Nothing I couldn’t fix. Chance and his lack of focus are probably responsible.”
My uncle scratches at the whiskers coating his jaw. “Keep an eye on it, yeah?”