EMMETT (The Corbin Brothers Book 3) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Lexie Ray
the Billings place.”
“You could hardly call that a ranch.”
“He’s the only place turning a profit these days. I imagine he can call it whatever he damn well pleases.”
“I guess.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot, wondering if I’d fucked up by disrespecting the Billings operation. Who knew whether Dax considered Bud Billings among his friends?
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about, anyway?” Dax asked, an irritable edge to his voice. “Some of us have to work, you know.”
“I just wanted to pick your brain about your operation,” I said hopefully. Maybe I could appeal to his sense of pride. “They say you’re one of the best in the state.”
“You do know this is a horse farm, don’t you, jackass?” he snorted, deflating me thoroughly. “I don’t know shit about cattle, nor do I want to.”
“It’s the horses I’m interested in,” I said. “Call it professional curiosity.”
“You just came all the way over here because you wanted to talk about horses with me?” Dax seemed to consider this for a few long moments, taking his hat off and wiping sweat away from his red brow with the edge of his sleeve. “Are you an idiot, or what?”
“Excuse me?” I didn’t drive all the way out here to be insulted — that was for sure.
“Why the hell would I want to stand around all day, shooting the shit with you about my horses? What’s in it for me?”
This was certainly unexpected. “I — I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at,” I stammered, feeling like the idiot Dax Malone had called me. “I just thought you might want to share some of your wisdom with me about your horses. I don’t know if you know this, but my family still uses horses on its ranching operation. One of my roles is to take care of those horses.”
“Feed them, shovel their shit, and keep them clean,” he said, speaking slowly, as if to someone he knew wouldn’t grasp his words. “That’s literally all you have to do to keep a horse alive.”
“I know how to keep them alive,” I said. “I do that already. I wanted to know more about your breeding operation. Out of curiosity. Nothing more.”
“You can take your curiosity and shove it up your ass,” Dax said succinctly. “Now get the hell off my property.”
“Mr. Malone, please —”
“If you think I’m going to give you pointers on the horse business when you Corbins already have one of the biggest plots of land in the state, you’re a bigger fool than you look.”
And, just like that, our casual meeting was unceremoniously ended, the breeder stalking back to the barn, and me getting back into the truck before he could decide to show me his shotgun to prove just how serious he was about his dismissal.
I guess I should’ve expected it. Ranchers were, for the most part, a gregarious lot, eager to help their fellow ranchers in times of need and doubt. When it was time to vaccinate or brand, life on the ranch turned into a big party. Families and ranch hands from adjacent operations would come by to help — with the understanding that we would always help them in the same ways, when the time came. Maybe breeders were a cagier lot. Dax Malone didn’t want to share any trade insights with me because he didn’t want me taking any of his business. He’d seen right through my lie about curiosity. All I could hope for now was that he didn’t go flapping his jaws around town about the middle Corbin who dreamed of something other than cattle ranching. That was the last thing I needed.
I drove in no particular direction, nowhere to be until bright and early tomorrow morning, painfully aware of the fact that I was right back at square one with absolutely no progress made on my dreams.
Chapter 2
So what if I went into town for one night of my life? Everyone did it, and my brothers took their pleasures there far more often than I did. I guess I just didn’t understand why I felt so guilty about it. I never drank to get
“You could hardly call that a ranch.”
“He’s the only place turning a profit these days. I imagine he can call it whatever he damn well pleases.”
“I guess.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot, wondering if I’d fucked up by disrespecting the Billings operation. Who knew whether Dax considered Bud Billings among his friends?
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about, anyway?” Dax asked, an irritable edge to his voice. “Some of us have to work, you know.”
“I just wanted to pick your brain about your operation,” I said hopefully. Maybe I could appeal to his sense of pride. “They say you’re one of the best in the state.”
“You do know this is a horse farm, don’t you, jackass?” he snorted, deflating me thoroughly. “I don’t know shit about cattle, nor do I want to.”
“It’s the horses I’m interested in,” I said. “Call it professional curiosity.”
“You just came all the way over here because you wanted to talk about horses with me?” Dax seemed to consider this for a few long moments, taking his hat off and wiping sweat away from his red brow with the edge of his sleeve. “Are you an idiot, or what?”
“Excuse me?” I didn’t drive all the way out here to be insulted — that was for sure.
“Why the hell would I want to stand around all day, shooting the shit with you about my horses? What’s in it for me?”
This was certainly unexpected. “I — I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at,” I stammered, feeling like the idiot Dax Malone had called me. “I just thought you might want to share some of your wisdom with me about your horses. I don’t know if you know this, but my family still uses horses on its ranching operation. One of my roles is to take care of those horses.”
“Feed them, shovel their shit, and keep them clean,” he said, speaking slowly, as if to someone he knew wouldn’t grasp his words. “That’s literally all you have to do to keep a horse alive.”
“I know how to keep them alive,” I said. “I do that already. I wanted to know more about your breeding operation. Out of curiosity. Nothing more.”
“You can take your curiosity and shove it up your ass,” Dax said succinctly. “Now get the hell off my property.”
“Mr. Malone, please —”
“If you think I’m going to give you pointers on the horse business when you Corbins already have one of the biggest plots of land in the state, you’re a bigger fool than you look.”
And, just like that, our casual meeting was unceremoniously ended, the breeder stalking back to the barn, and me getting back into the truck before he could decide to show me his shotgun to prove just how serious he was about his dismissal.
I guess I should’ve expected it. Ranchers were, for the most part, a gregarious lot, eager to help their fellow ranchers in times of need and doubt. When it was time to vaccinate or brand, life on the ranch turned into a big party. Families and ranch hands from adjacent operations would come by to help — with the understanding that we would always help them in the same ways, when the time came. Maybe breeders were a cagier lot. Dax Malone didn’t want to share any trade insights with me because he didn’t want me taking any of his business. He’d seen right through my lie about curiosity. All I could hope for now was that he didn’t go flapping his jaws around town about the middle Corbin who dreamed of something other than cattle ranching. That was the last thing I needed.
I drove in no particular direction, nowhere to be until bright and early tomorrow morning, painfully aware of the fact that I was right back at square one with absolutely no progress made on my dreams.
Chapter 2
So what if I went into town for one night of my life? Everyone did it, and my brothers took their pleasures there far more often than I did. I guess I just didn’t understand why I felt so guilty about it. I never drank to get
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