Still, Tobin attempted to keep the mood light. “You bellowed, boss?”
Renner turned around. “Yeah. Have a seat. A couple of things we need to talk about.”
“It’s late enough in the day, should I grab beer? Or is this a whiskey conversation?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure. Let’s get the first part outta the way.”
A two parter. That was a little unsettling. Especially when Renner didn’t sit down behind his desk.
“I have an applicant for your job. A qualified applicant.”
The elation and sense of freedom Tobin expected to feel didn’t come.
“Okay.” He felt Renner studying him and he looked up. “What? Is there a catch or something?”
“Maybe. You tell me. I don’t want to get in the middle of this. The truth is he came to me. He also said if you have a problem with him applying for the job, he’ll withdraw the application.”
Confused, Tobin said, “Who?”
“Your brother Streeter.”
He must’ve looked like a train had hit him because Renner groaned.
“A complete shock to you, I take it?”
“Uh, yeah.” Tobin rested his forearms on his knees and tried to wrap his head around the fact his brother had applied for his job. Did that mean he’d quit working at the Hale ranch? “Can I ask when Streeter applied?”
“Last week.”
Tobin’s gaze connected with Renner’s. “Did he interview here last week?”
“No. The application came in the mail. It had a Post-it requesting I clear the interview process with you first. Which was really fucking weird, to be honest.”
“I’ll bet.”
“So I have to ask . . . has anything changed for you? Are you still looking to get out of the area altogether?”
“You’re asking because I’m involved with Jade.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Jade and I . . . we’ve been in this bubble, for lack of a better term. I can split our relationship right down the middle. The two and a half weeks before Jade and I became lovers that we were living with Miz G, and the past two and a half weeks we’ve been lovers and Miz G ain’t been around at all.”
“So Garnet doesn’t know?”
“She’s on a cruise ship. She’ll be back next week and we’ve asked the Mud Lilies to let Jade and me be the ones to tell her about our relationship. We have no idea how she’ll take it.”
Renner opened his mouth and then closed it.
“What? It’s not like you to hold back, Ren.”
“I’m not. But I want to focus on this first. What are Jade’s plans?”
“She’s working here. She’ll be playing in the symphony in Casper. She has a line on teaching a class at the community college next semester. We planned on finding a place together halfway between Casper and Muddy Gap.”
“So you’re not leaving?”
“If I do, Jade will go with me. She’s . . . everything, man. And yeah, I get the irony. After I made solid plans to get more outta my life than just bein’ a lonely hired hand, Jade shows up.”
“Yeah, that’s some irony all right,” Renner said.
Tobin’s focus snapped to Renner because his tone sounded off.
“You know I don’t want to lose you. I’ve told you the job is still yours if you opt to stick around.”
“But?”
“But Streeter is the only applicant I’ve had for your job. And at the risk of pissing you off”—Renner flashed his teeth—“he has more ranching experience than you do. I’ll hazard a guess he has close to the same work ethic you do. So the work ain’t gonna be a shock to him any more than the weather is. From an employer’s perspective? If I can’t have you? He’s the next best thing. It was really fucking hard not just offering him the job over the goddamned phone, T.”
“I can imagine. What held you back?”
“You. I wouldn’t just cut you a check and hand you your hat. I know I’m your boss, but we’re friends too. I’ve hated the thought of you leavin’ since you told me you wanted to. And not just because that fucker Hugh bailed on me too.”
Tobin laughed.
“And without bein’ a total dick, your brother has been through some serious shit in the last year. Stuff I hope we never have to deal with. That may have affected his ability to work, so who am I supposed to ask . . . ?”
It clicked. “I wouldn’t want to saddle you with him, just because he’s my brother, if he won’t be worth a damn, Ren. I know you won’t ask me to talk to my family, so I’ll just throw it out there that I’ll do it anyway. Might give us both some peace of mind.”