Page 47 of Glacier

His answer didn’t surprise me. It gutted me, but I expected it. I gritted my teeth to hide my reaction. My boy didn’t need to worry about me.

“But… if you can arrange a visit to the high school, I’ll make a final decision at the end of this year. See if I can transfer.” He hesitated. “Will Glacier mind?”

“No. He’s already said you’ll be welcome.” I pulled out my phone. “But for your peace of mind, let’s find out.”

My call went straight to voicemail. I checked the time to see it was nearly one in the morning, so I sent a text message instead.

Me: Fin wants to know if you’ll have an issue with him moving with me?

The message remained unread.

“As soon as he gets back to me, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay.” Fin drained his mug and wiped his hand across his face, much like he’d done as a little boy.

My heart clenched again. I took a deep inhale and slowly breathed out. This was my decision, and I wouldn’t make it harder on him.

Fin stood and carried his mug to the sink, rinsing it out before putting it in the dishwasher.

Coming back to me, he kissed my cheek. “Love you, Ma. I’ll see you in the morning before school.”

I smiled up at him. “Night, son. See you in the morning.”

Fuck me. This adulting malarkey sucked donkey balls!

CHAPTER 15

GLACIER

“Why the fuck do we always have these meetings so bloody late?” Lawless grumbled.

He was still hungover, so I knew being out on horseback wasn’t doing his head any favours.

“Fresh air is good for you,” Lurch told him. We heard the laughter in his voice.

Stones scattered in the darkness as our horses picked their way down the hill towards the far side of the ranch. The night was quiet except for the steady clop of hooves and the occasional crunch of gravel shifting. The land stretched out black and wide around us, familiar even in the dark.

Lawless hated riding.

Me? I loved it. It was the next best thing to riding my bike.

There was something about being in the saddle, about the slow rhythm of a horse moving beneath you, that made everything else in the world seem quieter.

I’d even go so far as to say I missed ranching. Missed the early mornings, the smell of hay and dust, the endless work that came with keeping land like this alive.

But hiring Ronnie as manager to run the ranch had been the best thing I’d ever done. He’d grown up on the ranch, same as us. His dad was one of the brothers who’d died under my dad’s leadership.

Ronnie didn’t want to be a brother, although he’d have made a good one. He loved the ranch, though. I hadn’t thought twice about hiring Ronnie when I’d been looking for someone trustworthy to run it.

Another good thing about Ronnie growing up in the club was that he never questioned me. When I’d told him I needed the horses tonight and where to leave them, he hadn’t batted an eye. Just got them ready and left them tied to the rail where the club land and the ranch land met.

I saw a flash of light up ahead, and the faint whiff of tobacco wafted towards us.

They were waiting for us.

Jude Harris, Sheriff of Bitterthorn. Abel Laurier and Zeke Garner, both deputies. And last, Samson Sharp, Chief Fire Investigator of Bitterthorn.

As close as club brothers but not part of the club.