Red didn’t want to think about Lincoln, think about the deep attraction he felt toward the guy. It wouldn’t do him any good. Red didn’t plan on sticking around. He wasn’t even sure why he’d come to this ranch in the first place.
Red had an outstanding IQ but was clueless how to come back from the horror he’d survived. That gut-clenching feeling that, at times, paralyzed him.
“I’m gonna get back to work.” Right now Red needed to be alone, to calm himself and purge the all-consuming feeling of drowning in his own blood.
“I’m going to go talk with Lincoln and see how Ladybug’s training is going. If you need me, you know where I’m at.”
As Mercy walked away, Red’s gaze was drawn to Lincoln, who was leading the horse by a long rope. Ladybug stepped over training poles on the ground then kept going, keeping a slow and steady pace.
But Red’s focus wasn’t on the horse. He was staring at Lincoln’s lean back and how those denim jeans hugged the man so nicely.
“Thinking about learning how to break in a horse?”
Red jerked at the sound of Jason voice. He hadn’t seen the farm hand approach. Jason was around Red’s height with a thicker build and had a head full of blond hair. The guy was very good-looking. “No, but watching how it’s done is fascinating.”
“It sure is a beautiful sight.” Jason tipped his Stetson. “Best be getting back to work.”
Red wasn’t sure if Jason was talking about himself or if he was implying that Red needed to stop standing around. The cowboy sauntered over to the fence and leaned on it, watching Lincoln with the horse.
This wasn’t Red’s grove. He didn’t do manual labor, not that anything was wrong with that. But he was gifted with a brain that could read hundreds of lines of code and remember everything. An eidetic memory. If Red understood what he read, he never forgot it. And he understood computer coding. It was a second language to him.
That was what he missed doing. Aside from helping Mercy, Red hadn’t seen a laptop in months. In the computer world, he was already a dinosaur. Red was itching to get back online and talk with his friends. The last they’d heard from him, Red was flying to Maple Grove to do a friend a favor.
But he was dead, or supposed to be.
Even that small amount of time on Lincoln’s ancient computer had thrilled Red. For a tiny moment he’d felt alive again.
And now he was heading back to the stables to clean. Sometimes life sucked a big fat dick.
Chapter Two
“Tell me what I need to purchase, and will you put it all together for me?”
Red suppressed the knee-jerk reaction to jump when he heard the voice behind him. He’d been mending part of the fence, lost in his own thoughts, and feeling at peace out there in the pasture all by himself.
It had been Adam Perry who had shown Red how to fix the fence. One demonstration and Red had the procedure down pat.
But if he spent much more time under the grueling sun, Red wouldn’t be for the shortened version of his name. He would be called Red because he would sunburn. Even though he was out in the open with a nice breeze, he was sweating like crazy.
And now that Lincoln had shown up, Red was sweating even more. Why did the guy have to be so damn good-looking? He was the epitome of manly cowboy, and damn it, Red wanted a piece of that fine-ass man.
“I don’t know too much about the computer stuff.” Red set the fencing pliers down and wiped at his sweaty brow. “You’d be better off hiring a professional.”
Just the thought of buying the equipment and building Lincoln a computer had Red’s blood pumping. Or it could have been how close the tall, lean man stood by him. Red had done everything in his power to avoid his boss, but Lincoln always found a reason to search him out.
“You seemed to know what you were talking about yesterday.” Lincoln went to his knees, pulled a pair of work gloves from his back pocket, and grabbed the next part of the barbed wire that needed repaired. He looped the end then grabbed the small roll of wire and fed it through the loop.
Red cursed the fact that he’d let on about his skills in the office. He was trying to forget that part of his life. If it hadn’t been for his skills, he never would’ve been there that day, never would’ve been stabbed and shot. Now the cold that always invaded him whenever he thought of that crept through him.
“Red?”
Red took a step back, forcing himself not to rub his arms. “Mending fences is my job. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to it.”
He also didn’t trust himself around Lincoln. Fuck, why was he so attracted to the guy? Lincoln was hunkered down in front of him, and all Red could think about was tackling him and kissing him until neither of them could breathe.
Lincoln stood, towering over Red. “I don’t know your past, what you’re running from, and it ain’t my business. If you want everyone to think you’re not too bright with computers, fine. I can keep a secret, Red. I also have a ton of paperwork that needs to get done. I’m just asking you to do me a solid.”
The temptation was overwhelming. Red hesitated then shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He wasn’t getting sucked back into that part of his life. It was over. There was no room for discussion.
“If it’s money—”
A bark of wry laughter escaped Red. Money wasn’t an issue. “You just don’t know when to give up, do you? You hired me as a ranch worker, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Red bent and grabbed the barbed wire. He used the stretcher, so pissed that Lincoln was trying to pry, that he lost his hold and the wire snapped back, cutting Red across the face.
Red fell to his ass, pressing a hand over his face.
“Fuck!” Lincoln dropped to one knee. “Let me see how bad it is.”
The smell of his own blood triggered a flash of emotions that had Red scrambling away, his hand still pressed against his cheek. Fuck, it hurt like hell, but all he saw were those three men who’d attacked him.
Lincoln held up his hands. “You’re safe, Red. No one is going to hurt you. I just need to take a look at the wound.”
Talk about showing his cards. Could Red be any more fucked up? He swallowed tightly and lowered his hand. He made himself sit still as Lincoln inspected his injury.
“You’re gonna need stitches. I need to take you to the clinic.”
“No.” Red couldn’t chance going into town. He didn’t want anyone seeing him, though no one in Fever’s Edge knew who he was. Even so, if those men who had tried to kill him came looking, Red wanted the residents to remain ignorant of his existence.
“I can have the doctor come here, or I can stich you up myself,” Lincoln offered. “Unless you know how to stitch up your own self.”
Just the thought of putting a needle into his face made Red queasy. “You can do it.”
“Then let’s get you back to the house.” Lincoln stood and offered his hand, but Red ignored it and stood on his own. He had used a four-wheeler but left it as he stalked to Lincoln’s truck and hopped into the bed instead of the passenger seat.
His boss didn’t say a word as he got in and drove them back to the house. Red had removed his work gloves and had a hand against his bloody cheek. He closed his eyes and continually reminded himself that he wasn’t in that kitchen chair, that a knife hadn’t just been plunged into his thigh. That he hadn’t just taken two bullets.