“Ian Rojas!” she yells, stomping toward us. Using the folder in her hand, she smacks me on the back of my head. “What the hell are you doing?”
Will smirks at me for a second before Momma smacks the back of his head too.
His lip is bleeding and we’re both breathing hard. We’re dirty and sweaty with bruises forming. I don’t really feel better, and that just pisses me off even more.
“What the hell is wrong with you two? Acting like a couple of fools.” She points at us, still on the ground. “Kitchen, both of you.”
We grumble, but do as we’re told.
“I’m the sheriff, ya know,” I mumble under my breath.
“You back-talking me?” Momma asks.
“No, ma’am.”
From the corner of my eye, Will smirks.
“Fuck off,” I mutter.
Momma smacks the back of my head again as she marches us into the house and to the bar stools in the kitchen.
She grabs a bag of ice, wraps it in a towel, and hands it to Will for his lip. Crossing her arms, she leans against the counter and looks at me, waiting for an explanation.
My jaw clenches. I don’t have one.
“I’m waiting, Ian.”
“I was itching for a fight. Will’s face was the first to come to mind,” I snap.
“And that’s the behavior our sheriff should be participating in?” She raises her eyebrow at me, cocking her head.
“He’s my little brother. It comes with the territory. Anyone else would have me on assault charges.”
“If you don’t rein in that temper—”
I shove the stool back, and it falls over with a crash on the wood floor.
“I’m a grown man. I don’t need my momma telling me how to act!” I holler, my voice echoing through the house.
“You best watch the way you talk her.” Dad’s threat comes from the sliding back door. “She may be your momma, but she’s my wife, and I won’t tolerate anyone talking to my wife that way.”
Spinning away from my family, my fists clenched, I storm out of the house and back to my car. Everything is spinning out of control. I haven’t felt this crazed since she up and left. What is it about this girl that ties me up in knots, making me crazy?
Driving away from my childhood home, I make another pass through town, checking to make sure everything is okay. When nothing is amiss, I head to Betty’s for lunch. It’s about eleven, and since my breakfast was shit, I’m starving.
The bell dings on the door when I step inside, and coffee and fried food fill my nostrils. The chatter of conversations and the sizzle from the grill fills the air. I take a deep breath and force my shoulders to relax.
As I grab my normal seat at the counter, Betty looks me over from the kitchen, lifting an eyebrow at me.
“You’re awful dirty for so early in the day.”
A brown mug of steaming coffee is set down in front of me. I don’t respond as I sip the scalding liquid. Since school is in, Bianca is in class, leaving her momma to waitress. Diane never says much. The blonde woman with a permanent scowl isn’t friendly and hates working here, but Betty needs the help, and no one else will hire her since her attitude sucks. Her husband died when Bianca was real young, leaving her to raise the girl on her own. She’s had a rough go of it.
She doesn’t ask what I want, just writes my usual on the notepad and adds it to the orders already in the window.
“Have you seen Eva?” Rick sits next to me with his back to the counter.
“Yes,” I grumble, taking another drink of coffee.
“She’s looking good,” he comments. “Think she’s sticking around?”
My lip curls. This dweeb isn’t getting anywhere near her.
“She’s working for Will.”
He drags his thumb over his lip, deep in thought. “Cool.”
Then he’s gone out the door, the bell rattling as the door moves.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I suck in a deep breath and hold it before releasing it. She’s like fresh meat around here. I’m going to have to beat these dumbasses off her with a baseball bat. Horny bastards.
Diane sets my plate down in front of me without a word and walks off. I don’t even have silverware.
“Excuse me, Diane?” I call. “Can I get some silverware, please?”
She looks over at me, rolls her eyes with huff, and slams a roll on the counter next to me.
“Thanks so much.”
I take a bite of my sandwich when the door opens behind me. “Sheriff. We have a problem.”
Mother. Fucker.
I spin around; Luke is standing at the door looking worried. Luke’s family owns a cattle ranch a few streets over from my family.
“What is it?” I sigh.
“Main Street is full of sheep.”
“God damn it,” I grab one of my sandwich pieces, drop some bills on the counter to cover my lunch, and head out.
“Are those Miller or Ryan sheep?”
We only have two ranches around here that raise them. The boy is right, Main Street is full of sheep. There’s at least two hundred of them. This is going to take a while.
“Looks like both.”
Great.
“Alright, call your folks. See if they can spare a few people and horses to start herding them.” Turning back to the restaurant, I stand in the doorway. “We got loose sheep. Anyone that can help, we would appreciate your time.”
Pulling my own cell phone out, I call the Millers. It rings twice before it’s picked up.
“Miller Sheep Farm,” a woman’s voice fills the line.
“Marcy, this is Sheriff Rojas. Looks like some of your sheep have taken a walk to Main Street.”
“Shit. I’ll get Robbie and the boys out there as soon as I can find him to start herding them.”
“We’ve got some Ryan sheep out here too, so check your fence line over on that side.”
She sighs. “I will. Thank you, Sheriff.”
“You’re welcome.”
We hang up, and I dial the Ryans’ ranch, relaying the same information.
When I hang up, I see we’ve already got a few guys on horseback and dogs pushing the herd back the way they need to go. I nod as they pass, and they wave back. One of the amazing things about small towns is everyone’s willingness to help. At some point, everyone needs a bit of help. Whether it’s a lost animal, a broken fence, or a leaky pipe, we take care of each other. We may fight amongst ourselves sometimes, but when it comes down to it, we help out.
Within the hour, people on horseback have come from all over, checking side streets for sheep that got separated and pushing them back toward the herd. It takes a bit of time, diverting traffic, but the sheep are back where they belong. The Ryans and Millers will have to check them and separate out who belongs to who, but that’s their problem, not mine.
By the end of the day, I’m exhausted and no closer to finding a solution to my Eva problem, but Momma has informed me she’s having dinner at the house to welcome my girl home and I better be there.
Chapter Six
EVA
When I get back to the barn a few hours later, Will is filthy with a fat lip and a bruise on his jaw. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m willing to bet Ian was here. Those boys used to fight all the time. Ian would be upset about something and search out his little brother to work it out with his fists.