Page 16 of Boss and Brat

They both pulled on their socks and boots. Carter noticed Ethan’s fingers fumbling with the laces, as if his mind was somewhere else entirely. Probably was. The boy had been hit with a lot today.

Outside, the air felt cooler, calmer. The woods opened up around them, and the lake shimmered through the trees. Carter always liked this walk. It cleared his head and he hoped it might do the same for Ethan.

They reached the picnic table overlooking the water and sat opposite each other. Ethan kept a little distance, but not much. Enough to show he was wary. Not enough to show he wanted to run.

“Where are you from?” Ethan asked.

“Texas,” Carter said. “Grew up on a ranch with two older brothers.”

He didn’t add the rest—the noise, the pressure, the expectations he never quite fit into. Ethan didn’t need that yet.

“Why are you here then?”

Ethan’s question landed harder than Carter expected.

Carter kept his eyes on the lake, watching the sunlight ripple across the surface. The kid didn’t know what he was poking at. Hell, most days Carter didn’t want to poke at it either.

He took a slow breath, choosing his words carefully. “I left Texas for… reasons that aren’t up for discussion.”

He could feel Ethan watching him, waiting for more. The kid always seemed to want more—more answers, more explanations, more proof someone wasn’t lying to him. Carter didn’t blame him for that, but he wasn’t opening that door today.

“Maybe,” Carter added, “I’ll talk about it when I know you can keep things to yourself.”

“Yeah. No one trusts me.”

Carter looked at him. The kid’s shoulders were tight, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the lake like he was trying not to care. But Carter saw right through it.

“When you show you’re trustworthy,” Carter said, “I’ll share what I choose to share.”

Ethan didn’t answer, but the way he shifted—just a little—told Carter the words landed somewhere deeper than the kid wanted to admit.

The breeze off the lake rustled the leaves overhead. And for a moment, the silence between them wasn’t tense—it was honest.

Carter didn’t give Ethan the truth he wanted. But he gave him the truth he could. And that was enough for now.

“Tell me about the consequences,” Ethan said.

Carter didn’t sugarcoat it. “You break any rule once, you work a double shift. Second time, double shift plus the shit jobs no one wants. Third time, I’ll whip your ass.”

Ethan’s head snapped toward him. “I can’t believe my father is allowing you to do this to me.”

Carter snorted. “Stop acting like a little asshole then.”

Ethan’s mouth opened, then shut again. Good. Maybe the kid was thinking before he spoke.

“What are my hours?” Ethan asked.

“Breakfast at my cabin is at six,” Carter said. “Then you feed the horses and clean the stables. I want you done by ten. You’re responsible for riding lessons and taking groups on trails.”

“That’s what I used to do forever,” Ethan muttered.

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. The kid hated being told what to do, but he needed structure more than he realized.

“Lunch is at noon,” Carter continued. “I’ll pick you up since you don’t have transportation.”

“I have dirt bikes, motorcycles, and a truck, but that bastard locked them up. He expects me to walk every damn place.”