WOLFWASGRATEFULfor the physical labor that afternoon. Grateful that he had the opportunity to do some real, punishing work. Building actual walls to hold up a new barn. Swinging a hammer until everything in him ached. Because he had a lot of shit to work out, and he would much rather just exhaust himself.
Realizing that Violet hadn’t... That she had not been propositioning him, had been something else. Because the woman wanted him; he knew that. He knew what it looked like when a woman wanted him, after all. But... Well, she was clearly a much more traditional type of woman than he was used to. And that was... Well, hell, that was potentially some kind of problem. It was a sign that he needed to listen to what Connor had told him last night. It was a sign that he needed to figure out how to get in touch with his damned conscience. But what had he done? He’d offered to take her to dinner. Whatever she needed. Whatever she needed to make sleeping with him okay, he was willing to do it.
He had never... Hell, he never worked this hard to get laid in his life.
And he didn’t know why he was doing it now.
He also didn’t know why he couldn’t access any kind of regret about it. But he just didn’t have any. “Damn glad for your help,” Connor said, straightening and breathing hard.
Wolf really hoped his cousin couldn’t read his mind.
They were all hands on deck today; Kate, Jack, Connor and Eli all out working.
Kate reminded him a lot of his sister, Elsie. Spunky and more than willing to jump in and do all the work the men were doing. Not just to prove that she could, but because she wanted to. Because it was in her blood. Sadie and Liss were not ranchers by nature. Or by any other token, as far as he could tell. They were just women who had married into the family. But they were still here. A damned miracle as far as Garretts went.
“Not a problem. The expanded facilities and silos should be helpful for you. But you’re going to have to finish all that with a crew. You can’t do it all yourself. Not given the scope of the expansion you want to do.”
“Understood,” Eli said. “Anyway. I’ve got too many responsibilities with the sheriff’s department.”
“Is Logan County really that big of a mess?”
“Same problems everywhere else has. Domestic violence and drugs. Kids getting into trouble. And then every so often you get something you really wish you didn’t have to deal with. Not typical. But this isn’t a fairy tale. You have things like kids disappearing. Hate crimes and things like that. You don’t like dealing with it, but at the very least... Hey, I can try to do something about it. People around here... I imagine they are much the same as they are in your neck of the woods. Community minded, and it can be a very good thing. But sometimes they get insular, and they don’t want to help law enforcement. Not when they’d rather keep to themselves and keep their heads down. They feel... Well, I think they feel like they can mind their own business. Particularly when you get into the smaller, unincorporated areas. Very unfortunately, there’s just always work to do.”
“People are people,” Wolf said.
“Damn sure are.”
“But Eli is the best sheriff this county’s ever had. That’s why he keeps getting reelected,” Kate said proudly.
“Good for you. I can’t imagine a Garrett getting elected to law enforcement out in Ponderosa County. Our reputation is not so great there.”
“You mean your dad?”
Wolf grinned. “And me.”
“You don’t have warrants, do you?” Eli asked. “Because that would be inconvenient for me.”
“No,” Wolf said. “I toyed around with misdemeanors when I was a minor.”
“Hell,” Eli said. “So did my wife.”
“Unfair,” Katie said. “Sadie isn’t here to defend herself. She did not commit any misdemeanors. The bonfire was an accident.”
“Regardless,” Eli said. “I still had to arrest her.”
“Please tell me this was not last week?” Wolf asked.
“It was not last week,” Eli said. “She was seventeen. But still. I’m just saying. I don’t have an issue with that.”
“Right.” Everywhere he looked it seemed like his family was trying to make the point that people could change. He didn’t know why they were so wedded to it. Well, except they were like him in the sense that they were.
Good for them.
Good for them.
“You want to go out drinking tonight?”
It was Jack who asked that question.