I fired them because they created a hostile work environment and violated the basic respect I expect from anyone who works for me. He moved to his desk, leaning against it. I also fired them because what they said was offensive and untrue, and I won't have it on my ranch. People are going to talk more now. They'll say you're protecting me because Because what?
His eyes were sharp. Because I value good work, because I don't tolerate bullying? Let them talk. It's not that simple. It is exactly that simple.
He crossed his arms. You work hard. You do your job well. You've been kind to my daughter without asking for anything in return. Those are facts.
Everything else is noise. Evelyn felt something tight in her chest loosen slightly. Thank you. Don't thank me. I'm being selfish.
You're the best cook this ranch has had in 5 years, and I'm not losing you because some men can't keep their mouths shut. He paused. But I need to know if this job is still working for you. If the gossip becomes too much, if you want to leave I don't want to leave. The words came out fiercer than she intended.
Ridgewell's eyebrows rose slightly. I signed a contract, Evelyn continued trying to sound more professional. I intend to honor it, and I'm not going to let small-minded gossip drive me away from honest work. Good. He nodded once.
Then we're settled. Get back to work, Miss Harper. She was halfway to the door when his voice stopped her. Evelyn. It was the first time he'd used her first name.
She turned back. You did the right thing today, standing up for yourself. Don't ever apologize for that. Something in his expression made her chest feel strange. She nodded, not trusting her voice, and left quickly.
Walking back to the bunkhouse through the evening light, Evelyn felt something shift inside her. The fear was still there, the worry about judgment and gossip and losing what little stability she'd found. But underneath it was something harder, something forged from weeks of proving herself against impossible odds. She belonged here, not because someone had given her permission, but because she'd earned it. And she'd be damned if she'd let anyone take that away.
The gossip should have died down after Garrett and Reynolds were sent packing, but instead it festered like an infected wound. Word spread through the neighboring ranches and eventually back to Red Hollow. Each retelling adding new embellishments until the story bore no resemblance to truth. By the time it circled back to Thornridge, Evelyn had supposedly seduced half the ranch hands, manipulated Ridgewell into firing good men, and was actively scheming to become the new Mrs. Ridgewell through whatever means necessary. The worst part was that most of the remaining ranch hands didn't believe a word of it.
But belief didn't matter when the poison was already in the well. Evelyn first noticed the change when she went into town with Mrs. Chen for supplies. It was early October, 3 months into her contract, and the older woman had insisted she needed to get away from the ranch for a day. "Wan, you've been working yourself to death," Mrs. Chen said as their wagon rolled toward Red Hollow. "A change of scenery will do you good."
What it did was remind Evelyn why she'd been happy to leave in the first place. The general store went silent when they walked in. Mrs. Brennan's face pinched into something that looked like she'd been sucking on lemons, and the two other women shopping suddenly found the fabric displays fascinating. "Mrs. Chen," Mrs. Brennan said, her tone excessively polite. "And Miss Harper, what a surprise."