KEANE
* * *
"This had better be good," I said as I swung the door open.
Simon held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. You know I wouldn’t be interrupting you if it wasn’t important. Seems there’s a man here from Butte who is quite anxious to buy some horses."
"Don’t we only do that by appointment? And with people we know? I don’t like the sound of any of this".
"Apparently he was not aware of that policy, and since he traveled all the way from Butte…"
"I don’t like it, either," Rye said, joining us.
"It’s one man, and he seems pretty harmless. Scrawny city-boy type, if you ask me."
"Then what’s he want with some of our horses?" I demanded.
Simon huffed out a breath. "We have horses for sale, and he wants to buy horses. He didn’t follow the protocol, but what can be the harm in talking to him?"
"I guess you’re right." It wasn’t as though any of the Bridgewater men were prone to poor judgment. Maybe Rye and I were simply mad because our time with Lily got interrupted.
"Fine," Rye agreed. "But if there’s a strange man on the ranch, I’m going to take Lily over to your place to stay with Olivia. Don’t like the idea of her alone here until we’ve checked this man out."
"That’s wise. Besides, Olivia will enjoy the company."
"I can take care of myself." We all turned to see Lily had entered the conversation.
"I’m sure you can," Rye told her, "but we’ll all feel better if you spend the afternoon with Olivia. That’s not such a hardship, is it?"
"No." She smiled and glanced up at Simon. "I’m looking forward to getting to know Olivia. Forgive me if I sounded petulant. It was not directed at her."
"No offense taken, ma’am." Simon turned to Rye and me. "Let’s go and check this fella out and see what he wants."
It seemed harmless enough, but something didn’t feel right. I got my coat and hat and left with Simon while Rye and Lily headed toward Olivia’s house. I watched them go with a sense of foreboding.
Simon must have noticed. He clapped me on the back. "Come on, Keane. It’ll all be fine. You’re a little nervous because you’ve got a new bride. I’d be the same way. In fact, I think I’ll ask Cross to stick close to the house today, just to keep an eye on things. Isn’t that the reason we have more than one man per woman? To make sure they’re safe."
"Thanks. I probably am being overprotective, but if Cross is nearby, I’ll feel much better."
"Of course. In fact, I’ll do that now while you go on to the stables and see what you think of our visitor."
I continued on my own and paused when the stables came into view. It was easy to spot the non-Bridgewater man. Exactly like Simon described, he was a scrawny city boy. Even from a distance, he exuded arrogance. My jaw clenched. I hated dealing with these types. But, as Simon had reminded me, we had horses for sale, and this dandy wanted to buy some. As hard as we tried at Bridgewater, we weren’t able to live on love alone.
With a sigh, I put on my best salesman face and approached him. "Good afternoon," I said, making my voice a bit louder than usual. I enjoyed watching him startle at the sound of it. He was a jumpy one, for sure.
He turned to me, and I took his measure up close. Thin-faced and weak-chinned. His eyes were beady and barely visible beneath the thickness of his eyebrows. Using the plural was a bit inaccurate since they blended seamlessly across his nose into one long line like an extra-large caterpillar.
When he put his hand out and we shook, my suspicions were confirmed. Sweaty palm and a weak handshake.
It was all I could do not to kick him off the ranch then and there, but we were a cooperative group and the horses, and their profits, belonged to everyone on the ranch. I was obligated to bite my tongue and do what I could to sell off some of our equine stock.
"Good afternoon," he replied. "I am Timothy Wentworth."
"Nice to meet you," I lied. "I’m Keane."
"Is that your first name or your last name?" he asked officiously. His eyes lingered for a moment on the length of my hair that protruded from my hat and hung down my back. His sneer indicated he was not impressed. Like I fucking cared.
"Yes," I said and turned toward the stable. "Let me show you the horses we currently have for sale."