Brandon nodded. “Unfortunately, this ranch is between him and the rest of the state. He can’t buy in the other direction, there’s a national park, and even he wouldn’t try it.”
I winced.
“What did your father do?” I asked, looking at Clint.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “He talked about Yates like a pest, but not a real threat. After he passed, though, things have gotten uglier.”
“We’ve found a handful of poisoned sheep, some broken fences,” Will volunteered.
Brandon sighed and stretched his arms, lacing his fingers and pushing against thin air. “We’ve called the sheriff out a few times, but he always says that that’s bored teenagers, not rancher stuff.”
The three of these men talked as though they owned the ranch together. They were
a tight team, and I was struck with sudden curiosity.
“How long have you two been together?” I asked Brandon and Will.
They both blinked.
Will wore a puzzled frown and opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. “What does that have to do with anything?” he asked.
I looked at Brandon, and he was fixing me with that hard stare again. He wasn’t as tall as Clint, but when he glared at me I realized how large those arms were underneath his work shirt, and how broad his chest was.
Brandon was a powerful man, and even wearing an apron, he was intimidating. For a lot of reasons, I hoped that I wasn’t making an enemy of him tonight.
I glanced quickly at Clint before I answered Will. His face was almost blank, but I thought I saw a trace of a puzzled frown like Will’s.
“Nothing,” I admitted. “I just saw how close the three of you were and wondered how long you’d known each other. Nosiness, pure and simple.”
Brandon laughed out loud, and after a minute, Will chuckled. Clint shook his head, but he was smiling too.
“We met about eight years ago,” Will said, “Moved in together about a week later, and when Clint asked Brandon to come look after the ranch, I came with, bitching the whole way.”
“I didn’t consult him before I agreed to up and move and quit my job. I have learned the error of my ways,” Brandon said drily.
Will nodded, and they both grinned.
“He’s been working here for maybe five, six months,” Clint said. “He started listening to what me and Brandon had to say about ranchin’ earlier than that, though.”
“Can I get anyone something to drink?” Will asked, pushing his chair back and standing up.
“Coffee, please,” Brandon said, and Clint and I nodded and thanked Will.
Brandon looked at me and Clint. “Not that I don’t prefer talking about Will, and, most importantly, myself, but we probably should stick to the Moores,” he said.
I ducked my head and blushed a little. He was right, I was being flighty.
Will came back with coffee for me and Clint, and quickly disappeared for mugs for himself and Brandon.
The coffee was excellent when I took a sip, strong, but not bitter. They had cream and sugar on the table, and I put some of each in my coffee. Clint and Brandon took theirs black, but Will put even more sugar in than me, and a healthy dollop of cream.
“Will doesn’t actually like coffee,” Brandon said, once again as dry as the desert.
His partner rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. I heard a rustle and a thump, I think that Brandon was kicked under the table.
“More seriously,” Brandon said, looking me in the eyes without a trace of mirth on his face, “You need to be careful. I know you’ve been out ATVing without Clint, that ends.”
“What?” I asked, “I’ve been all over half the ranches in this region.”