wn in front of the spacious two-story log home was neatly trimmed. Flowers, still clinging to the last bits of fading summer, were bright and vibrant in their beds.
Horses grazed happily in the pasture next to the barn. They lifted their heads to look up at us as I pulled the trailer up to the gate.
“What do you think?” Tiffany asked, walking along the trailer after we had hopped out. She reached up to scratch the neck of a horse when it poked its head out to look at the other horses in interest. “It’s a nice place, huh? Look at the other happy horses over there. We have chickens and tons of cows, too.”
I took it all in with a surprised shake of my head. Even without Colt ranching full-time, the place was orderly and nice.
“It’s amazing here,” I said.
I jumped when a man in his late forties approached from inside the barn. While we were loading up the horses, Tiffany had mentioned that Colt was at the Iron Stallion helping out the cooks, so I didn’t expect to see anyone else at the ranch. He gave Tiffany a tight hug before turning to smile at me.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I’m Rick Brigs. I’m the stablehand here.”
“The one and only stablehand,” Tiffany jested, nudging him in the ribs. “He’s done such a good job we promoted him to be the only person around besides Colt and me.”
“It’s just the three of you maintaining this entire ranch?” I asked, shocked at the thought. Both of them worked all day long doing other things outside of the ranch. I couldn’t imagine coming back to do even more work.
“At the moment,” Rick replied. We have folks come on at different times of the year when we need them. I’m the only full-timer for now.” He glanced at the horse trailer. “I heard about the fire. Your horses will be safe here; I can promise you that. We have a security system here.” He lifted his thin jacket to show the butt of his gun. “Coates comes anywhere over here, he knows that a bullet from my gun will greet him.”
“Does Bill honestly have that many enemies here?” I felt sick to my stomach as I twisted and fidgeted with my blistered hands.
Rick and Tiffany exchanged a short look.
“Yes,” they replied in unison and gestured for me to follow them into the barn.
For the next ten minutes, Rick showed me everything I would need to care for the horses, then he helped Tiffany and I lead the three we had trailered over out to the pasture. I watched with a smile as they galloped over to the other horses. They would be happy and content here, and I couldn’t ask for anything more, given the situation.
“We’ll have to make several more trips,” Tiffany told Rick, closing the trailer. “You’ll be seeing us coming and going all afternoon.”
Rick nodded, “Give me a holler if you need anything. I’ll be here past sundown.”
“What do you think?” Tiffany asked once we pulled back down the road. “It’s going to be fine, right? I told you we had enough room at the ranch.”
“More than enough, it seems,” I said wryly, but I still felt uneasy. I couldn’t shake Bill Coates out of my head or what Robert had said about a long list of enemies. I knew that Colt and Tiffany already had enemies given their parents’ history, but I didn’t want to add to their problems by moving my horses there.
That unease grew as we passed Robert again on the side of the highway. I kept on eye trained on the rear-view mirror but didn’t see a flash of lights.
“Stop it,” Tiffany said.
I looked up in surprise at her tone.
“Stop what?”
“Stop doubting whether or not this is a good thing,” she said. “I can see the look on your face. You’re worried about something.”
“I’m just worried that Bill Coates will go after you and Colt now that I’m over there.”
“He won’t bother us,” Tiffany scoffed. “He’s terrified of my brother. He won’t admit it, but Bill would be stupid to try and mess with our ranch. He’d cause an uproar and get unwelcome attention. He knows that.”
“He burned my barn,” I said, as fresh anger filled me again. “He shot your horse, and he even abuses his own animals. What’s ever going to stop him?”
“The fact that PETA and residents of Green Point are watching him like a hawk now. That’s what will stop him, trust me. The man cares about his reputation because of his clients. If word that he is acting like a jackass reaches his clients, he’ll end up losing his ranch. He can’t afford to drop any more contracts if he wants to remain solvent.” A frown spread across Tiffany’s face then. “Which isn’t entirely a bad idea, given the fact that he probably abuses every single animal he owns. Colt said that the cows and horses at his ranch weren’t the same ones he had before PETA came.”
“You think he got new ones?”
“Yep. From Jim Staffer, I would imagine,” Tiffany mused, tapping a finger against her chin. “Who knows? At this point, you’re better off just staying clear of him. You can hang out with me. We have a guest room and—”
“That’s too much, Tif,” I exclaimed, shaking my head at her. “I can’t stay at your house for free. That’s way too much for me to ask and—”