Adams, Eve - Trio [Gideon's Ring 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

Barrett ignored them all, much as he’d tried to do since GG died. He didn’t know how the old man dealt with running the ranch and raising four boys at his age. He had the patience of a saint—something Barrett did not inherit.

Now this new thing with Wyatt always trying to find an angle to get GR&L back on top really took its toll. Barrett didn’t know how much more he could take.

Not for the first time, he missed his favorite cousin. Chris Gideon had swept in more than once and saved the Gideon brothers’ collective ass when they’d gotten in over their head. A few years older and worlds wiser than Barrett, Chris kept a watchful eye on his younger cousins.

Barrett could definitely use his wisdom now.

“We can’t get rid of him,” Wyatt pointed out as he grabbed part of the fence and held it up for Barrett to wire into place.

“And why is that?” Barrett grunted as he made the final tie on the post. That should hold the horses until GR&L could afford to replace the fence. He smacked his leather-gloved hands together to knock the dirt off and turned to walk back to the ranch house, knowing Wyatt would be on his booted heels to try and talk him into keeping the ranch’s useless PR rep.

“If you were listening, you’d know.”

Barrett stopped, and Wyatt almost ran into him. “Tell me again. Maybe this time I will.”

“With a five-star rating, we’ll be in all of the big magazines. Billboards will boast about the ranch as drivers run along Interstate 90. The GR&L could be the biggest thing in all of Montana
,
according to Strickler.” Wyatt, as the self-appointed public relations director at GR&L, always bought into Strickler’s bullshit.

But Barrett knew better. Strickler was just another pompous asshole who promised the stars and delivered nothing but hot air. The ranch couldn’t afford the inept agent. Without another word Barrett started back toward the house.

Wyatt hurried after him. “Barrett? Are you even listening to me?”

“Not really.”

“Goddamn it. Why did we ever agree to make you the general manager after GG died?”

Barrett stopped and swung around to stare down his brother. Wyatt halted. “Because the GM is the one who has the level head. It’s my job to keep this ranch going. Besides, I’m the oldest, and that’s what GG would have wanted.”

“It’s all of our responsibility to make sure the couple’s ranch doesn’t fold. That’s what GG cared about—keeping the GR&L afloat.”

“We are a
real
ranch first, Wyatt.”

“And it’s the
couple’s
ranch that’s keeping us from selling off our land. Would you just listen to me?”

“How can I not? You keep talking.”

“Barrett, please.” Wyatt pleaded with him. Swell. His little brother practically begged for his attention and looked ready to pass out if he didn’t listen to him. No wonder Barrett’s hairline had started to recede before any of his brothers’. Then again, the twins were only in their mid-twenties. They still had a few years under their belts before they had to worry about losing their hair, or any of the other stresses of running a ranch.

Barrett, on the other hand, had just hit the thirty mark, and it freaked the shit out of him. Thirty years old and still single. Of course, never
being
able to see beyond his childhood sweetheart did put a damper on his current love life. The fact she visited him at GR&L on a regular basis, looking as sexy as ever, didn’t help.

“So tell me about Strickler’s plan.” Barrett opened the backdoor into the mudroom and kicked off his boots. After hanging his hat and work shirt on the pegs made from deer antlers, he threw his gloves into the box they used to house them.

“Do you ever listen to anything I say?”

Barrett stopped and
looked
at his little brother. “When you say something interesting, I’ll listen.”

Wyatt narrowed his midnight-blue eyes at his brother. Barrett knew that look. He’d mastered that look, and it wouldn’t work on him. All the Gideon boys shared similar traits
—
black hair, indigo-blue eyes, and a crooked smile. They had their dad’s large stature and their mom’s beautiful features. God rest each of their souls.

The Gideon blood ran thick in the family as well as the traits. Chris bore the same large stature as the Gideon generation before him, but he had inherited his mother’s hazel eyes and butterscotch hair. Women flocked to him like bees to honey. Barrett always wondered what it would be like to have that kind of power over women.

He held his own with the opposite sex, but it was nothing compared to Chris. He should give him a call and see what had kept him away from the ranch for so long. Barrett hadn’t seen him since GG’s funeral two years ago.

“Why won’t you take this seriously?”

Barrett sighed heavily, which seemed to be all he ever did anymore. The stress of running the GR&L had definitely started to beat him down. Their quarterly earnings were pitiful, and if they didn’t do something to turn it around, the ranch would be lucky to stay open another year. All Strickler did was come up with some way to spend money they didn’t have and fail to return anything on their investment.

“Barrett, the price per pound just dropped again,” Michael Gideon informed him as he marched into the great room, his glasses on and gaze intent on the iPad in his hands, as always. “This economy is wreaking havoc. We can’t afford to take the cattle to market if the price keeps dropping like this. We lost our asses last year.”

Wyatt brought up his finger. “We could let the Sierra Club come in here—”

“No fucking way,” Barrett barked. “I’m not letting some tree-hugging environmentalist group onto this ranch. We’ll think of something.”

“We need Strickler,” Wyatt said, not knowing when to shut up.

“I thought we got rid of him.” Matthew Gideon took a swig of his water bottle as he walked into the room. Barrett groaned and pushed his way through his brothers out of the great room, and off to the right into the large kitchen for a beer. Fuck the beer. He’d need something stronger to get through this conversation. He grabbed the whiskey out of the liquor cabinet.

“We can’t,” Wyatt said.

“And why is that?” Matt asked.

“You’ll love this,” Barrett stated as he threw back his whiskey.

Wyatt glared at Barrett before softening his look as he turned to the oldest twin. “He’s found a way to guarantee a five-star rating or we get our money back.”

“Back?” Michael picked up on the same word as Barrett. They exchanged glances before both turning to Wyatt.

“Strickler works on a commission,” Barrett pointed out gruffly.

Wyatt nodded. “I know, I know. But this time he says—”

“What did you do?” Barrett cut him off, his second drink hovering right at his lips and a sinking feeling swirling around in his gut.

“It was the only way to guarantee the five-star rating.”

“How much, Wyatt?”

“We only had fifty in savings, so I liquidated our CDs.”

Michael dropped a curse. “Which ones?”

“All of them.”

Slowly, carefully, Barrett set down his drink before he threw it. Not only could they not afford to pay Strickler anything in advance, the man couldn’t be trusted any further than he could be tossed out on his ass, and he had definitely put on some weight since feeding off the Gideons.

“Tell him you made a mistake,” Barrett ordered Wyatt.

Wyatt’s mouth fell open. “You can’t do that.”

“I can and just did.”

“Barrett,” Matthew said easily, always the most relaxed of the bunch. In this instance it only pissed Barrett off more. “Think about this. If Strickler can get us a five-star rating, we could advertise that and bring in more guests. It could save the ranch.”

“If he could,” Barrett countered, “then why hasn’t he already done that?”

“With a five-star rating we could charge more.”

“We charge just fine,” Barrett barked, tired of this conversation. He didn’t want a five-star rating. The ranch was doing fine—just fucking fine. Ratings didn’t matter. Service mattered. Having the time of your life mattered.

At the GR&L, you were guaranteed a service that had you leaving the ranch with a smile.

It may be unconventional, what they offered at the ranch. Love. Often multi-partnered, always practiced freely, unbridled love. The Gideon brothers frequently enjoyed ménage relationships with their guests. Couples came from all over the country to spend the weekend at the GR&L for that specific purpose.

“
I agree with Barrett,
”
Chris Gideon stated as he waltzed into the room, that damned charismatic crooked grin on his face and a wicked twinkle in his eye.

“
Chris?
”
Barrett had to blink to make sure it was him.
“
What the hell?
”

He grinned at Barrett and tipped his black cowboy hat.
“
Hey,
cuz
. Heard you needed a hand.
”

Barrett darted a glare at each of his brothers, and of course, not one of them fessed up.

“
It was Wyatt,
”
Chris said.

Barrett glared at Wyatt, who simply shrugged and quickly looked down at his boots.

God
damn
it. He did not need his cousin coming in and saving the day this time. Barrett had complete control over everything.

“
Throw him a bone, Barrett. He’s only trying to help.
Besides, I was in the neighborhood.”

“
He could have asked,
”
Barrett growled, his gaze narrowing in on Wyatt.

“
Give it a rest. You and I both know you’d never ask for help. You’re too fucking stubborn. Must run in the blood.
”

Barrett laughed at Chris’s comment
and let it go
.
“
So did Wyatt let you in on the bullshit he’s trying to sell?
”

Chris shook his head.
“
Nope. He reserved that honor for you.
”

Of course he did. Barrett looked at Michael, the only other Gideon who made sound decisions and didn’t walk around with his head in the clouds. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a little late for us to back out now. The asshole has our money. We need to see this through. What choice do we have? We back out now, and we’ll probably never see a dime.”

Barrett grabbed his drink and stared at it. He didn’t run a dictatorship. If three of the four Gideon brothers wanted to hear Strickler out, who was he to deny that? Besides, Chris hadn’t already raised his hands up to stop it, which he’d have done by now if he smelled anything foul.

Barrett glanced at Chris.
“
What do you think?
”