Lincoln knew exactly what he was doing. He didn’t need Mercy to tell him a damn thing. Red needed space, and that was exactly what Lincoln was giving him.
Even if that space was killing him.
He looked at his computer and curled his lip, so over today that he wanted to go back to bed. But he had a ranch to run and a mate to keep an eye on.
Lincoln grabbed his Stetson and walked out of his office. The paperwork could wait. He was almost out the front door of his house when Mercy stepped out of the kitchen. “Okay. I’ve got my grocery list ready.”
Lincoln dug out his wallet and handed his stepbrother the business credit card. “Have fun running your errands.”
After walking out onto the front porch, Lincoln sucked in a lungful of fresh air. His tiger was restless, eager to get to Red, but Lincoln didn’t want to frighten the human.
He’d already invited his mate to dinner, and Red turned him down. He asked if Red wanted to go into town for drinks and tacos, and his mate had said no. Lincoln didn’t want to push too hard and drive a deeper wedge between them.
Maybe Mercy had been on to something. Lincoln didn’t know a damn thing about computer entry. His last guy up and quit, and Lincoln had just started trying to do it himself a week ago. Already he was fed up with it. If Red agreed, his mate could use some of his time doing the data entry.
That could be Lincoln’s way in with his mate. Lord knew he’d tried everything else. He’d go to the bunkhouse later tonight and see if Red was up for it.
And it would also give him a chance to see his mate again. Until then, he had a brand-new horse to break in and a trip to town afterward.
Lincoln walked from the shade of the trees that littered the front yard to the corral where Ladybug had been tethered. The sun was bright and hot, and Lincoln would rather go for a swim than work today.
There was a lake on the other side of his property, and it was tempting to just take a day off. But Lincoln knew he wouldn’t do that. He was a hard worker, and he had a business to run.
As he walked, Lincoln caught sight of Red carrying a wheelbarrow to the barn. The guy’s arms wobbled, and the wheelbarrow kept tilting from side to side.
Lincoln suspected his mate wasn’t used to manual labor. He seemed more brains than brawn. There was nothing wrong with that, and now Lincoln was thinking of putting Red in charge of the books instead of out there struggling to get things done on a daily basis.
It was food for thought as Lincoln let himself into the corral and focused on Ladybug, for now, putting Red out of his mind.
* * * *
What in the fuck am I doing here? That was a loaded question that Red didn’t have an answer for. He knew nothing about ranching. Red should be hiding on some remote island after what had happened to him several months ago.
What had changed his life forever.
After cleaning out the stalls, he lingered inside the stable. Rhinestone was an old workhorse that Wheeler Ranch had retired, and now he spent his days in the pasture. Red loved petting him, spending time with him, and feeding him the occasional apple. Today Rhinestone was inside, and Red grabbed a brush.
“When was the last time you got the spa treatment?” Red smiled. “A little TLC can go a long way.”
That made Red think of Lincoln. The guy had tried his hardest to get Red’s attention, but Red dodged him at every turn. It wasn’t the fact that Lincoln was ugly. Far from it. In fact, he was the hottest guy Red had ever met.
But Red was still trying to put his life back together, while still hiding from that life, and just wanted to be left alone. He wasn’t even sure if he was safe. The Davila case had long been over.
He’d heard about James Koehler coming after that undercover cop and his boyfriend in Maple Grove. That alone convinced Red that disappearing without a trace had been a good call. Davila had many men who wanted revenge for their boss being locked up, for exposing them and their heinous acts. Red didn’t think anyone was after him, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“You hiding out in here?” Mercy entered the stables and walked over to Red. The guy was sweet, with black hair and pretty blue eyes. Red didn’t mind being around Mercy, because the guy didn’t hit on him like Lincoln and some the ranch workers had already done.
“Just giving Rhinestone some loving.” Red came out of the stall, set the brush aside, and closed the door. “Did you need me to do something?”
“Let me see your hands.”
It was an odd request, but Red showed them to Mercy.
“Just what I thought,” Mercy said. “You don’t have any calluses. Your hands are baby-soft.” He let them go.
“What does that mean?” Red’s heart started racing, even though he had no clue what Mercy was up to. He didn’t want his past exposed, didn’t want anyone discovering who he truly was, what he used to do, and how he was supposed to be dead.
It was better that way. If none of Davila’s men knew he was alive, Red would be safe. For a moment Red let his memories wander back to that fateful day when he’d flown to Maple Grove to help out a friend.
He’d been trying to crack the password on the USB when some nasty men had shown up. Men who had worked for Davila. They’d used Red as a pawn to get Arturo to show himself.
He shivered as he shoved those memories back down, unwilling to think about them any longer.
Mercy clucked his tongue. “It just means you’re not used to hard work.” He leaned against the stall and crossed his arms. “Where’re you from, Red? What did you do before you wandered onto this ranch?”
“I was a used car salesman.” Red walked away, heading out of the stables. He thought he could keep his anonymity here, but it seemed Mercy wanted to uncover him.
“Wait!” Mercy ran to catch up to him. “I’m sorry. That was very nosy of me. I don’t care where you’re from or what you did, just as long as you’re not a serial killer. Don’t make me sleep with one eye open.”
Red stopped and stared at the guy. “I can assure you I have no intention of killing anyone.”
Pain lacerated Red’s chest. He pressed a hand against it as images of him sitting on that chair in the kitchen, getting stabbed, then shot twice, pierced his mind. The agony, the smell of his own blood, crawling out the back door unsure if he would be caught and finished off.
“Hey, are you okay?” Mercy laid a hand on Red’s arm.
Red lashed out, snarling at Mercy as he shoved the guy away. “Don’t touch me!”
“I’m not touching you.” Mercy’s voice was just above a whisper. “Not anymore. Just tell me what you need me to do, Red.”
There wasn’t anything Mercy could do. Red had been dealing with the nightmares for months now, and clearly, those haunting images were now creeping into his mind during the day. “I just need fresh air.”
“Red, you’re standing outside,” Mercy pointed out. “I don’t think it can get any fresher than this.”
That got a smile out of Red. He silently cursed and scrubbed a hand over his face, sighing. “I’m sorry, Mercy. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”
“No, no.” Mercy shook his head. “You’re fine. I’m used to guys being growly. Look who I’m related to. I just want to help in any way I can.”