moving in next to them, sending ag-land values through the roof and forcing them out of their heritage. By then they’ll probably already have bought up half the damn county and sent the people who’ve lived in this area for generations into town so’s they can work for Wal-Mart.”
His venomous declaration wasn’t a revelation to me. So far he’d been the first person to voice his concerns to my face. For that alone I ought to have given him props. I might have, if it weren’t for the sneaky-ass way he’d gone about it.
Oh, and his shitty opinion of me and my family.
“You done?” I asked coolly.
“No. Some powerful people are backing me on this. Life on the ranch is mighty rough, especially for a city girl like you.”
Whoa. That was a name I hadn’t been called. Ever. “City girl?” I repeated.
“Yeah, you ain’t cut out for this life. Never were. Wyatt kept you in the dark about what it really takes to run a ranch this size. Neither you nor your sister has the guts to do it. ’Sides, you never know what can happen around these parts. Accidents and the like.” Kit lifted his hand and casually studied his fingernails.
Oh. My. God. I could hardly keep a straight face. Talk about him acting like a caped villain in a bad melodrama. He should’ve been cackling evilly while he twirled his mustache. Was he secretly imagining tying me to a railroad track as I cried for help?
Screw that. Screw him.
“Don’t got nothing to say?”
“You threatening me?”
“Consider it a fair warning. You may act tough, but when it comes down to it, the years away made you soft. With the right kinda pressure, I suspect you’ll give way like a marshmallow in the sun.”
Soft. With that suggestion my humor vanished. My gun arm lifted of its own accord. I fired at the right headlight on his truck. Metal chinked. Glass exploded. Gun smoke hung in the air. I didn’t flinch, although Hiram hit the ground pretty damn fast.
Kit screeched, “What in the hell are you doing?”
“My way of warning you that I don’t deal well with any kind of threats, Kit.”
“You’re just as crazy as your sister and the rest of the women in your family.”
“Maybe.”
“You just made a big mistake.” He shook his finger at me. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
“Yeah? Then go ahead and put this one on my bill, too.” I shot out the other headlight just for fun.
Hiram crawled away.
Chicken.
Kit’s face matched the color of his rig. “You just bought yourself a whole passel of trouble, Missy.”
I swung the barrel away from his front tire and aimed at his sweat-covered brow. “Wrong. You breathe one word of my little misfire to anyone and I’ll come for you.” I inched closer, and he backed up. “When you’re all alone, Kit. I’ll have you pissing yourself in the dark before I shoot off your worthless dick. Then we’ll see who’s tough and who’s soft.” I pointed at the driver’s-side door. “Now get the hell off my land.”
Hiram scrambled to his feet. “Come on, Kit. Let’s go.”
“Next time I see you trespassing I’ll shoot you—or anyone else—on sight. Feel free to pass that around.”
I fully expected Kit to crank down the window to shout out something lame and ominous like, “This ain’t over.” But he hauled ass away as fast as his ten-cylinder allowed.
After they’d gone, I slumped against a hay bale. This was the first confrontation, but I knew it wouldn’t be the last. And I couldn’t get rid of all my problems by shooting them.
Pity.
FOUR
Sophie gave up trying to get me to wear a dress to the community dance. If boots and jeans were good enough for the guys, they were good enough for me.
Instead of showing up in my beloved Viper, I drove my dad’s truck down County Road 11, country music on KICK 104 my companion.
Despite the dust and bugs, I rolled the windows down. I slowed for a baler taking up half the gravel road. I waved at Tim Lohstroh as I passed, inhaling the
His venomous declaration wasn’t a revelation to me. So far he’d been the first person to voice his concerns to my face. For that alone I ought to have given him props. I might have, if it weren’t for the sneaky-ass way he’d gone about it.
Oh, and his shitty opinion of me and my family.
“You done?” I asked coolly.
“No. Some powerful people are backing me on this. Life on the ranch is mighty rough, especially for a city girl like you.”
Whoa. That was a name I hadn’t been called. Ever. “City girl?” I repeated.
“Yeah, you ain’t cut out for this life. Never were. Wyatt kept you in the dark about what it really takes to run a ranch this size. Neither you nor your sister has the guts to do it. ’Sides, you never know what can happen around these parts. Accidents and the like.” Kit lifted his hand and casually studied his fingernails.
Oh. My. God. I could hardly keep a straight face. Talk about him acting like a caped villain in a bad melodrama. He should’ve been cackling evilly while he twirled his mustache. Was he secretly imagining tying me to a railroad track as I cried for help?
Screw that. Screw him.
“Don’t got nothing to say?”
“You threatening me?”
“Consider it a fair warning. You may act tough, but when it comes down to it, the years away made you soft. With the right kinda pressure, I suspect you’ll give way like a marshmallow in the sun.”
Soft. With that suggestion my humor vanished. My gun arm lifted of its own accord. I fired at the right headlight on his truck. Metal chinked. Glass exploded. Gun smoke hung in the air. I didn’t flinch, although Hiram hit the ground pretty damn fast.
Kit screeched, “What in the hell are you doing?”
“My way of warning you that I don’t deal well with any kind of threats, Kit.”
“You’re just as crazy as your sister and the rest of the women in your family.”
“Maybe.”
“You just made a big mistake.” He shook his finger at me. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
“Yeah? Then go ahead and put this one on my bill, too.” I shot out the other headlight just for fun.
Hiram crawled away.
Chicken.
Kit’s face matched the color of his rig. “You just bought yourself a whole passel of trouble, Missy.”
I swung the barrel away from his front tire and aimed at his sweat-covered brow. “Wrong. You breathe one word of my little misfire to anyone and I’ll come for you.” I inched closer, and he backed up. “When you’re all alone, Kit. I’ll have you pissing yourself in the dark before I shoot off your worthless dick. Then we’ll see who’s tough and who’s soft.” I pointed at the driver’s-side door. “Now get the hell off my land.”
Hiram scrambled to his feet. “Come on, Kit. Let’s go.”
“Next time I see you trespassing I’ll shoot you—or anyone else—on sight. Feel free to pass that around.”
I fully expected Kit to crank down the window to shout out something lame and ominous like, “This ain’t over.” But he hauled ass away as fast as his ten-cylinder allowed.
After they’d gone, I slumped against a hay bale. This was the first confrontation, but I knew it wouldn’t be the last. And I couldn’t get rid of all my problems by shooting them.
Pity.
FOUR
Sophie gave up trying to get me to wear a dress to the community dance. If boots and jeans were good enough for the guys, they were good enough for me.
Instead of showing up in my beloved Viper, I drove my dad’s truck down County Road 11, country music on KICK 104 my companion.
Despite the dust and bugs, I rolled the windows down. I slowed for a baler taking up half the gravel road. I waved at Tim Lohstroh as I passed, inhaling the
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