shingles. Twilight was turning purple around the edges and Eli knew he’d have to head inside soon, but he wanted to finish the roof on the barn tonight.
He had four horses he needed to pick up from Crooked Creek tomorrow. And if he stopped working he’d have to think about seeing Victoria again, about what he would say to try to make what he’d done right, so he just kept working.
Headlights sliced through the growing shadows as a pickup bounced down the gravel road toward his house. Soda, his collie, stood up from the porch and barked. The truck stopped and his Uncle John stepped out, lookingfor him as he hitched his pants up over his belly. Soda went over for a pat, her tail wagging.
It was about time John came looking for answers. Eli had expected him sooner.
“Up here,” Eli said.
John took three steps toward the barn, peering up at him from under his hat. “Fired?”
“Yep.”
“Boy, you better get down here and tell me what the hell happened.”
“Give me a second.” Slipping the hammer into his tool belt, he crab-walked over to the ladder and climbed down. He hoped his uncle had a six of Shiner Bock in the truck. Because what he needed a hell of a lot more than his uncle giving him a hard time was six cold beers.
“You let that woman fire you?”
“Go ahead, make your jokes.”
“Boy, you are the joke!”
Eli sighed, preparing himself to weather his uncle’s temper.
“Your father drank himself into a stupor every day he worked in that barn and he didn’t get fired.”
Eli shrugged. “Clearly I have a special talent.”
“You hit her?”
“What? No!”
“Well, even that’s forgivable with certain women.”
Eli stared at his uncle. That had to be a joke.
“What I did was pretty unforgivable. And it’s all right that I’m not there anymore. It’s …” He laughed. “It’s fine, actually.”
“Fine?” His uncle stepped closer, his wide chest straining at the buttons of his dirty shirt.
Eli felt the bite of his uncle’s temper on the scruff of his neck and he stepped away rather than pushing John back. He was just starting to feel good about himself; he wasn’t going to go and hit the only family he had left.
“It’s not fine. You’re a Turnbull.”
Laughter burned like bitter medicine in his throat. “And what has being a Turnbull ever gotten me?”
“Don’t go ungrateful on me now, boy. We agreed you having that job was our best chance at getting the land back.”
“We’re not going to get it back, Uncle John! Victoria has leased most of the land.”
“Leased? What the hell are you talking about? Since when?”
“Couple weeks ago.”
Uncle John’s face went white and still, and his big chest panted. Eli grabbed his elbow, feeling him weave.
“Whoa, Uncle John, you need to sit down?”
“What rights did she lease?” he whispered. “Water? Minerals? Someone going to start drilling on our land?”
“I doubt it. She leased most of it to ranchers in the area.” Eli led his uncle, ready to sit him down on the wide bumper of the truck, but John slapped his hands away.
“You said she had no idea what she was doing.”
“She didn’t. But she went out and got one.” He told himself it wasn’t respect coloring his voice, but Uncle John heard it and gaped at him.
“You like her. A skinny bitch from the city and a Baker to boot? Boy, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d so spectacularly fail me.”
Eli gaped, feeling like a kid getting hit for the first time by someone he trusted. “I feel nothing for her. I feel nothing for any of it anymore.”
“You are giving up.”
“I got my own life to worry about; I can’t keep carrying the mistakes my family made. It was making me …” He thought about that kiss, of her arms pushing against him. The fear and desire in her eyes. The way he groundhimself into her softness, like a man without conscience. What kind of man takes advantage of that? What kind of man thinks it’s okay to use
He had four horses he needed to pick up from Crooked Creek tomorrow. And if he stopped working he’d have to think about seeing Victoria again, about what he would say to try to make what he’d done right, so he just kept working.
Headlights sliced through the growing shadows as a pickup bounced down the gravel road toward his house. Soda, his collie, stood up from the porch and barked. The truck stopped and his Uncle John stepped out, lookingfor him as he hitched his pants up over his belly. Soda went over for a pat, her tail wagging.
It was about time John came looking for answers. Eli had expected him sooner.
“Up here,” Eli said.
John took three steps toward the barn, peering up at him from under his hat. “Fired?”
“Yep.”
“Boy, you better get down here and tell me what the hell happened.”
“Give me a second.” Slipping the hammer into his tool belt, he crab-walked over to the ladder and climbed down. He hoped his uncle had a six of Shiner Bock in the truck. Because what he needed a hell of a lot more than his uncle giving him a hard time was six cold beers.
“You let that woman fire you?”
“Go ahead, make your jokes.”
“Boy, you are the joke!”
Eli sighed, preparing himself to weather his uncle’s temper.
“Your father drank himself into a stupor every day he worked in that barn and he didn’t get fired.”
Eli shrugged. “Clearly I have a special talent.”
“You hit her?”
“What? No!”
“Well, even that’s forgivable with certain women.”
Eli stared at his uncle. That had to be a joke.
“What I did was pretty unforgivable. And it’s all right that I’m not there anymore. It’s …” He laughed. “It’s fine, actually.”
“Fine?” His uncle stepped closer, his wide chest straining at the buttons of his dirty shirt.
Eli felt the bite of his uncle’s temper on the scruff of his neck and he stepped away rather than pushing John back. He was just starting to feel good about himself; he wasn’t going to go and hit the only family he had left.
“It’s not fine. You’re a Turnbull.”
Laughter burned like bitter medicine in his throat. “And what has being a Turnbull ever gotten me?”
“Don’t go ungrateful on me now, boy. We agreed you having that job was our best chance at getting the land back.”
“We’re not going to get it back, Uncle John! Victoria has leased most of the land.”
“Leased? What the hell are you talking about? Since when?”
“Couple weeks ago.”
Uncle John’s face went white and still, and his big chest panted. Eli grabbed his elbow, feeling him weave.
“Whoa, Uncle John, you need to sit down?”
“What rights did she lease?” he whispered. “Water? Minerals? Someone going to start drilling on our land?”
“I doubt it. She leased most of it to ranchers in the area.” Eli led his uncle, ready to sit him down on the wide bumper of the truck, but John slapped his hands away.
“You said she had no idea what she was doing.”
“She didn’t. But she went out and got one.” He told himself it wasn’t respect coloring his voice, but Uncle John heard it and gaped at him.
“You like her. A skinny bitch from the city and a Baker to boot? Boy, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d so spectacularly fail me.”
Eli gaped, feeling like a kid getting hit for the first time by someone he trusted. “I feel nothing for her. I feel nothing for any of it anymore.”
“You are giving up.”
“I got my own life to worry about; I can’t keep carrying the mistakes my family made. It was making me …” He thought about that kiss, of her arms pushing against him. The fear and desire in her eyes. The way he groundhimself into her softness, like a man without conscience. What kind of man takes advantage of that? What kind of man thinks it’s okay to use
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