The Billionaire's Secret Love Child(114)

I walked proudly toward the home while pulling off my work gloves. I flexed my hand and could feel the ache of a hard day’s work in them.

The screen door screeched open as I tugged on it, and walked inside with my boots clattering on the hard wood floor. The inside was much different from the outside, the wood flooring was clean, and most of it was covered in rugs. The furniture was in good repair and was some of the most comfortable I’d ever slept on. The kitchen was a bit older, but nothing was broken, so there was no need to change it out.

“Mike, what you want now?” I asked, parading toward the kitchen.

Mike was sitting behind the round table in the corner, with papers sprawled out all over. He had a small pair of reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose. I would have laughed if I hadn’t known how much he hated being made fun of for his poor near-sightedness.

“Jennie, what’s this I hear about you gettin’ all riled up about the neighbors?” he asked calmly.

I pulled out a chair and plopped myself down in it.

“Listen, the Cobb’s keep on grazin’ their cattle on your land. I can’t help it if a shotgun goes off in my vicinity that scares them all off.”

Buck leaned against the door frame behind me, all six and a half feet of him. If I didn’t know him, then I would’ve made sure to steer clear of his path whenever possible. But, knowing that he was about as quick to anger as a rock was to flying, I always like having him around.

Mike stifled a laugh, but Buck uttered a raucous.

“Did you really scare the Cobb’s ‘stock off with a shotgun, Jennie?” Buck asked.

“All I know is a loud shot rang out from my vicinity, as I said. Nothin’ wrong with loud noises,” I followed up with calmly.

I kicked my boots up onto the table and leaned back in my chair. It didn’t look like Mike was having any of it tonight. He reached over and smacked my boots off the table.

“Geez, Jennie, didn’t yer ma raise ya right? Keep yer feet off the table,” he started. “Now look, Cobb says he’s getting’ sour milk now. Wants me to buy him a new cow, ya know how much money I have to afford something like that?”

I paused to think about it.

“You don’t have to think that hard, I got nothing, Jennie. Hell, I’m barely scraping by as it is with this. If I don’t get really lucky here soon enough, then I’m going to have to sell off the whole thing.”

I sighed.

“Listen, I’m sorry Mike. I won’t do nothin’ like that again. Maybe I can go over and ease things with the Cobb’s as well. That is, if you want me to.”

Mike nodded and waved his hand, trying to get me to leave.

I took the hint and clomped my way out of the kitchen. Buck followed close behind.

I sat myself down on the porch of the house; a swinging bench was tied up along one of the rafters and was by far the best seat for watching passing storms.

Buck must’ve had the same idea because he took a seat right next to me.

“You know he likes you,” Buck said.

I rolled my eyes like always.

“Buck, that man would like a 600-pound gorilla if it could solve all his financial trouble. I’m neither. I might be the only woman on the ranch, but proximity is no excuse.”

Buck started rocking slowly; I took a moment to kick off my boots. I thought of the first time I put those things on, and they killed my feet, but now it was like wearing a cloud if a cloud weighed my feet down like a brick.

Mike bought those for me the day I started working here. I don’t think he approved of my hiking boots; he wanted me in real solid leather that wouldn’t wear out after a couple of weeks of real labor. He was right, and I knew it. My old hiking boots wouldn’t have lasted past the first week with the amount of walking he had me doing.

“Hey Buck, why does Mike keep going out to that old drill in the yard? Does he really think he’s goin’ to strike oil out here?”

Buck thought for a moment.

“I think Mike has a lot of hope. Fella came through here about five years ago, telling him his land might be ripe for the picking. I think they were trying to buy the plot off him for cheap, so they could bring in some big equipment and get it out themselves.

“Hell, the neighbors to the north sold off their plot. For a while we saw truck after truck of heavy equipment driving through, dropping off drills and all that junk for digging. They must’ve dug up every inch of that land and didn’t find a dang thing.”

“So Mike just keeps thinking he might get lucky, and the professionals missed something?”

“Well, from what I hear, it’s a bit of a tricky business. People miss things all the time around here. I always bet on Mike, he’s a good guy, knows what he wants. That’s better than most.”

“As long as he doesn’t ask me to work the thing, I won’t get in his way.”

I sat for a while and watched the storms pass. The twilight turned to darkness, and the only light that could be seen was that distant light of the barn.

Rain came down in pellets, soaking everything that wasn’t covered in seconds. I listened to the rain pelt against the old wood siding on the house, and the thunder that roared its way over the plain. It was a peaceful raucous.

As the rain settled into a constant drizzle we were all called in for supper, Buck and I met up with a drenched Larry and filed in around the table.