Dr. Stud

Russell’s eyebrows sink into a glower, one that drives away his usual sense of false joviality. “I don’t know. I may have, accidentally, brushed a hand against Parrish while we were going over the blueprints.”

From behind us, I hear Parrish scoff, which only makes me angrier. I turn back to Russell. “If you, for one second, think I won’t beat your ass into the ground, you have another thing coming, Edwards.”

He scoots away from me, but doesn’t try to run. He knows he has nowhere to go. “All right, all right. It wasn’t an accident. I was just paying her a compliment is all. I don’t know what everyone is getting so worked up about.”

I see my mother rush over and put her arms around Parrish. Anna starts to make a move in our direction, and my mother grabs her hand to stop her. I know for a fact that Anna could destroy Russell just as easily as I could, so it’s for Anna’s benefit as much as Russell’s that my mother stops her.

My dad squats down next to Russell, and tilts his hat up. His face goes blank, and his voice becomes deathly calm. I’ve heard that tone before, and it’s no joke.

“Russell, consider yourself fired. Get your things, get your men, and get out of here. And if you know what’s good for, you will never come back here again. If you see me walking down the street, you will cross to the other side. If you see a member of my family in a restaurant in town, you will pay your check and you will leave. And if you ever disrespect another woman, if you so much as wink at a lady without her permission, you best assume that I’m going to hear about it, and it will be the last time you do anything with that eye. Are we understood?”

Russell’s face has gone completely pale. He nods and slowly crawls to his feet without another word. Then he walks out of the barn without making eye contact with anyone, gets in his truck, and speeds out of the drive way. No one says anything for a few minutes, almost as if everyone is frozen in place. Then, of course, it’s Anna who breaks the silence.

“Gah! I always hated that piece of crap.”

Everyone chuckles, happy for the break in tension. But Parrish still looks uncomfortable. She turns around and walks out of the barn, and I have to walk twice as face as I usually do to catch up to her. Behind me, I hear Simone call my name, but I ignore her to follow Parrish. Instead of going to the office, though, she heads for the build site, where the concrete is drying and a few of the construction guys are idling around, as if they are waiting for something. She stops short of ending up in hearing distance of anyone, and when I get to her, I can see she’s crying. She quickly brushes away the tears when I stop at her side.

“I appreciate you standing up for me, Hawk, but did you have to make such a scene?”

I shake my head. “I didn’t know what else to do, Parrish. He had no right.”

“Of course he fucking didn’t. But dammit, Hawk. Do you have any idea how hard it is to do my job already? Half the guys I deal with ask to speak to my boss because they don’t believe a woman can run a ranch. The rest insist on talking to your father because they won’t deal with me at all. Now, they’re going to see me as weak, like I can’t handle myself.”

My shoulders droop. “I’m sorry, Parrish. I didn’t realize. But also, I’m not sorry. There was no way I was going to allow him to get away with that, or keep doing it. And frankly, anyone that questions your ability to run this place isn’t worth your time, or our money. And you should start telling Dad when it happens.”

She sighs and shakes her head. “It’s not that easy, Hawk. But I really do appreciate your support. Thank you.”

One of the construction workers, a guy named Sid who was a few years older than me in school, comes up and shakes my hand. “Hawk! Haven’t seen you in years, man. Nice to have you back in town.”

I shake his hand back, and try to summon up a friendly smile. “You too, Sid.”

“Listen, Hawk. Do you have any idea where Russell went? We’re kind of just waiting around for some direction on how to move forward from here.”

Parrish sighs and looks up at the crystal blue morning sky, frustrated. I have no idea what to say. And then, like a superhero descending on a disaster, my father walks up behind us.

“Sid! My friend. You’re a freelance employee for Russell Edwards, right?”

Sid looks at my dad, a little confused. “Yes, sir.”

My father nods. “Good. I’m going to buy out your contract with Edwards for the rest of this project. Plus a bonus. You’ll answer to my son and Parrish, and it shouldn’t change you schedule at all.”

Parrish steps forward. “Hold on, Sam. I don’t know if we can afford…”

“We’ll make it work. We can take some money out of the emergency fund. I’ll use my retirement money. I don’t care. But you and Hawk can take over things, plan the rest of the project, the workers will answer to you, and that will be that.” Then Dad turns around and walks away. Sid shrugs.

“Whatever. So, what are we doing today?”

I look around at the foundation that’s been laid. “Is the cement dry?”

Sid nods.

“Let’s start on the frame. Get as far as you can today and we’ll reassess at the end of the day. How are we on supplies? Do I need to send anyone for anything?”

Sid looks around behind him and shakes his head. “We’re good to get started. But where can we find you if we have questions?”

I look at Parrish, who seems to have checked out entirely. “You don’t need to find me at all. Parrish is going to be in charge. She knows everything that needs to be done, has all of the plans, and is just as, if not more, capable of keeping things organized.”

Parrish turns to me, her face colored with shock. “Hawk, that’s very considerate of you. But you’re an architect. I’m just a numbers person. I can’t make decisions about building issues.”