AVERY (The Corbin Brothers Book 2) by Lexie Ray Read Free Book Online

attention. How was he even able to check the fence for weaknesses if he was riding so fast? “Hey! Hunter!”
    He turned in the saddle and eased up on his mount. “What’s going on?” he asked shielding his eyes against the sun rising ever higher. “Were you out late last night?”
    “Never mind that,” I said, because minding that would mean turning my mind to Paisley, and I just couldn’t do that right now. “Have you noticed any stragglers?”
    “Stragglers?” Hunter frowned. Stragglers weren’t good. Stragglers caused trouble for themselves and all of us. If the herd didn’t stick together, it was a nightmare. “I’ve been riding the fence all morning, but I haven’t noticed any stragglers. The entire herd overnighted here. They should all be here. The fence is secure.”
    It was important to know that the fence was secure because that was about our only assurance the cattle would stay on our property. It was a nightmare when a section of fence opened up. Depending on the kind of damage our cattle did and where they ended up, the ranch could face fines for “free ranging” cattle. Notably, one time a couple of Corbin rogue cattle had crashed the cornfield that the agricultural department at the school was growing and ate their fill. We had to reimburse the school and apologize to the students whose work was destroyed.
    “Would they have gone missing last night?” Hunter asked. “Wasn’t the count right?”
    I heaved a sigh. “No. The count wasn’t right. I’m not sure when the count went off.”
    “Ah.” It was easier to admit that to Hunter than it was to anyone else because if the baby of the family ever passed judgment on anyone, he did it silently.
    “Has, uh, Chance talked to you about anything?” I asked hesitantly.
    “I haven’t seen him this morning,” Hunter said, shrugging. “Why?”
    “No reason,” I said, not sure why I was so relieved that only two Corbins — and the rest of the town, apparently — knew what fate was about to befall the ranch. It just meant Chance would probably tell everyone later, and I’d have to be there for it.
    “What’ve you done to piss him off this time?” Hunter grinned at me. Our oldest brother had been a curmudgeon since birth, probably. One of us was always pissing him off in one arena or another.
    “Me?” I bluffed. “Who’s to say you’re not the one who’s done it this time?”
    “Well, if you’re looking for stragglers, Chance is sure to be pissed,” Hunter reasoned. “Come on. Let’s ride to the rest of the pastures and see if we can’t turn them up.”
    It was probably just an excuse for him to gallop his ass off a cross the ranch, and Emmett would be angry if we returned the horses to the barn lathered, but I was glad for Hunter’s exuberance and company. It just delayed the inevitable.
    I wasn’t crazy about the horses. Mine, in particular, was pretty persnickety, shying at rocks and blowing breezes and about everything else. But when we gave them the reins and let them run together, Hunter and I were the wind flowing around the ranch, invincible and untouchable. When you were riding that fast, you never wanted to stop. I was convinced that I could outrun everything, and it was an even better distraction than booze from all of my various problems. With just the wind in my ears and the rippling muscles of the creature carrying me, I could almost pretend that everything was all right even if nothing was.
    Hours passed, and I remembered just how big this place was. It sprawled from all directions up from the river that curled around the property, even if the bed was nearly dry. Our next step, if the skies continued to deny us rain, was to start bringing in water for the cattle — or start pricing other options, like digging wells and other solutions. It wasn’t going to be pretty if we couldn’t keep the herd watered, but it also wasn’t going to be pretty to go into even more debt than we already were in. I had