A second later he caught himself. “Damn, I must be feverish.”
Alex frowned. “What?”
Tucker pressed a hand to his forehead. “I just caught myself thinking being spontaneous and impulsive was a good thing. The Tucker of a couple years ago just got indigestion and went and checked a few spreadsheets to calm down.”
Laughter burst from the other man. “You’re all right.” Alex looked him over with satisfaction. “It’s been good to have you around. Seriously.”
“Thanks. Get me the list as soon as you can.” Tucker took off, because if he needed to juggle the schedule, he needed to get a couple other things done first.
“I will,” Alex called after him.
Tucker had just stepped from the warmth of the training barn and into the darker passage between buildings when something solid barreled into him and shoved him against the wall.
Tucker moved instinctively, rolling away from the force and bringing up his hands protectively as he found his balance.
“Fucking asshole. Course you’d hide behind her skirts. Know who’s got the balls in your relationship.” A fist snapped toward him.
Tucker ducked to the side, blinking hard to focus. “Jim. What the hell? Back up and talk this out.” Tucker ordered.
Instead, another fist flew at his face. Tucker deflected, but not hard enough, and the blow made contact with his shoulder, spinning him slightly.
“She told you to get rid of me, didn’t she?” Jim demanded.
“Still don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tucker said, retreating quickly toward the second door. While he could defend himself, fighting with one of the men was not something he wanted to do unless it was absolutely necessary.
Jim jerked his chin upward. “That cold Stone bitch. I didn’t even touch her. I guess I should’ve, considering you’ve managed to fuck your way to a pretty prime position. Next time I see her, I won’t be so polite. Maybe track her down in that greenhouse of hers and have some fun, right?”
Which meant the dammed bastard had watched Tucker and Ginny fool around. He wouldn’t have seen much, not with the frosted tint on the windows, but Tucker’s fury shot to high.
Yet it was the rest of what Jim had said that crossed a line there was no coming back from. Somehow, instead of killing the man, Tucker shoved open the door behind him, light pouring into the space. “Get your ass out there.”
Jim rushed him, catching hold of Tucker’s arm at the last moment to spin him into punching distance. “Fight, you fucking pansy. Cut my hours? Make me redo training? It’s all that damn bitch’s fault.”
Tucker and Luke had spent a lot of years fighting. Fighting because they wanted to learn, fighting sometimes because they were seriously pissed at each other.
Jim might’ve been in a few bar brawls, but he’d never actually fought. That much was clear as Tucker stood back and got into position.
“You don’t want to do this,” Tucker said. “Walk away, and I’ll let Ashton deal with you. But you’re done. You’re not working another day at Silver Stone.”
“Eat shit,” Jim shouted, snarling like a rabid dog.
He would’ve been better off simply swinging instead of working to look fierce. Tucker avoided the next blow and got in a satisfying jab to Jim’s ribs.
A crowd moved toward them, which had been Tucker’s hope in shifting them into a more public place. He had zero objection to taking the man down, but legally, he needed to stay on the right side of the law for the ranch’s sake. Which meant staying in defensive mode.
But defensive with a reckless opponent meant hurting Jim enough to make him stop the bullshit. Tucker dodged another wild roundhouse, jabbing a fist into Jim’s gut that sent the other man staggering backward.
“Stand down,” Tucker ordered again.
Jim rushed him, screaming in anger. Fists flying, knees rising up. Tucker dodged the best he could, but some of the wild blows landed. By the time a set of ranch hands had pulled Jim back, Tucker had been hit by a sheer fluke in the eye and the nose, blood dripping over his lips.
“What the hell is going on?” Ashton stepped into view.
“He figures since he’s fucking the boss’s sister, he can do anything he wants.” Jim snapped a finger at Tucker. “She got all pissed at me the other day. Didn’t do a thing, but I knew she was gonna tell some lies to get me in shit.”
Ashton folded his arms over his chest and stepped directly in front of Jim. He looked him over with disdain. Tucker was happy to see that the other man’s face looked worse, in spite of Tucker only defending himself.
“If you’re talking about the fact you were put on probation and re-training, that was me,” Ashton said.
Jim’s head snapped up. “You?”
“Me. Because that’s what we usually do around here when a man’s not doing his job but has the potential to make things right.” Ashton shook his head. “But this nonsense is a clear violation of everything you agreed to when coming on board this ranch. You’re fired.”
Jim swore, but Ashton ignored him. He glanced at the hands standing nearby. “Mason. Cooper. Walk Jim to his room so he can clear it out. Be in my office in an hour and I’ll cut you your final cheque.”
“You can’t just kick me out.” Jim complained.
“I’m not kicking you out,” Ashton said calmly. “You broke the terms of your contract, so you terminated yourself. Now get the hell out of here. If you don’t go willingly, we’ll call the RCMP.”
Jim spat at the ground in front of Tucker. “Bastard.”
“Take care how you act right now,” Tucker said softly, a mirror imitation of his uncle. “Ranching is a tightknit community, and there’s not a whole lot of places out there that want to deal with your kind of bullshit. You want a new job anywhere local, you need an attitude adjustment.”
Jim left. He didn’t go quietly, but he did go, kicking things out of his way until the two men on either side of him moved in and all but straight-armed him into the snowy yard.
The men still gathered looked back and forth from Ashton to Tucker as if waiting to see what happened next.
“The troublemakers always make themselves known.” Ashton said it loud enough that everyone around them heard.
Tucker glanced around, meeting the men’s eyes. “Any questions?”
One hand rose in the back. “You really dating Ginny Stone?”
Tucker chuckled, slipping a hand across his mouth and examining the blood he wiped off. “I really am. So mind your manners, same as you would with any woman who comes around Silver Stone, understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the young man said quickly. Then he grinned. “Would it be improper to say good for you?”
Ashton made a noise that sounded remarkably like a smothered snicker before he growled out another order. “Back to work, all of you.”
Tucker waited until the crowd dispersed. “Okay with you if I finish taking care of Jim?”
His uncle stared at him for a moment then nodded slowly. “Don’t do anything that’ll get you arrested.”
“I’ll try.”
Tempting as it was to head off on his own, it was probably good to have some checks and balances in place. Tucker gave Luke a call and asked to meet at the mess hall.