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“I heard.” He shrugged, “Get it fixed, and I’ll pay for it.”
I knew he would say that. “I don’t want you to pay for it. Forget I even mentioned it.” I turned to walk away, but he stopped me when he said, “Whatis really bothering you?”
Damned if I knew. It started when he announced he was stepping down and then just snowballed when we discovered he had a sister.
“Is it because you don’t want to be Captain?” Declan asked, leaning the pitchfork against the stall wall. “Or is it because you’re afraid Katrina will?”
How the fuck did this man know so much about me?
“It’s both,” I admitted before I even realized it.
As he walked out of the stall, he nodded. “Figured as much. And I can say that I don’t blame you for not wanting it. It’s a huge responsibility. But if I thought you couldn’t handle it, I never would have made you my second in command.”
I nod my understanding; I needed the affirmation that he trusted me. Something I had forgotten about.
I watch as he pulls his gloves off and then hands them to me. “I’m not just letting Katrina take over just because she has the MacGallan blood in her veins. First, she needs to know what kind of family we are and what we do. Then, if she decides that she wants to take over the reins, she’s going to have to earn it.”
I feel my brow begin to wrinkle in that all too familiar scowl it’s been sporting as of late and say, “She can contest that; you know she can.”
“But only if she knows that she can, which she won’t,” he smiled. “Don’t worry about it. We will be discussing it tomorrow over dinner. In the meantime, you’re going to have to move into the house.”
Taken aback, I say, “What? Why? I can’t do that Declan. My mum lives with me, remember?”
“Because. The Captain lives in the house, as well as his family members. Bring your mum along.”
I shook my head. “She has a dog from hell. It will attack anything that breathes, and she won’t rehome it. I swear she keeps it just to torment me.”
Declan laughed but didn't say a word as he grabbed the pitchfork and handed it to me.
“What’s this for?” I ask, looking at it.
He starts walking away and says, “For you to clean the stalls. It’s therapeutic.” As he reaches the door, he stops and looks back at me. “Bring your mum and the dog too. Make sure you’re both moved in before the end of the day tomorrow. You don’t want to miss the meeting at dinner.” He jerks his head towards the pitchfork in my hands and says, “Have fun.”
He’s out the door, and I’m standing there wondering what the hell I just got myself into. Itoss the gloves onto a feed bin and walk into the stall. The smell of putrid urine burns my nostrils and turns my stomach. But I don’t let that stop me. I’ve been feeling like my head is going to bust off for over two weeks now, and if Declan says it’s therapeutic to clean up horseshit, then so be it.
Maybe it will even stop the constant image of Kat’s tight ass flitting through my mind.
I attack the soiled wood shavings with gusto, gagging all the way. But Declan was right, within minutes I’m feeling the stress work out of my muscles with every fork full I toss into the wheelbarrow.
Kat
I wake up after a restless night of sleep and glance at my phone to see that it’s noon and I have a missed call from Derek. I tap on his name and call him back.
“You’re alive, are you?” He asks in a way of greeting.
“I’m sorry,” I yawn. “I forgot to call you when I got here.”
“Uh huh. Could it be because some smoldering man caught your eye?”
Knowing all about the first phone call I received, he was referring to Rory. “Oh, he’s smoldering alright. I smashed into the front of his car.”
He cackled, “What?!”
“You heard me right.” I tossed the blankets off me and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. “Once I saw the house, mamma’s words were echoing in my ears, and I threw the Blazer into reverse, and he just happened to be right behind me.”
I could hear a bar room brawl breaking out already in the background when he asked, “Why would seeing the house make you want to leave?”
I glanced around at my bedroom. The room was filled with opulence, as if Queen Anne herself had decorated it. I took a photo and sent it to him. “It’s a mansion Derek. Check your text messages.”
