Busted by the Barn
814 Words
As Khaleb checked on Zaza and her foal, he noticed two familiar figures already in the barn. Knox leaned lazily against the post, arms crossed, hat low, smirking quietly like he was enjoying the show before it even started.
Hunter, on the other hand, looked like he’d just spotted a ghost. “BRO—ELEVEN O’CLOCK?!” he shouted. “I thought you were the second earliest bird in this whole ranch ofcourse after me ! What in the hell happened?!”
Khaleb groaned. “Hunter… tumigil ka. May inasikaso lang ako.”
Knox smirked faintly. “Told you, Khaleb. Don’t let Hunter see you bein’ late… again.”
Hunter froze, eyes widening. “AGAIN?! You mean… this isn’t the first time?!”
Knox tilted his hat. “Second day in a row.”
Hunter threw his hands up. “SECOND DAY?! You, Mister 4 A.M., late TWO DAYS IN A ROW? That ain’t normal, cowboy. You better start talking.”
Khaleb pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hunter, I—”
“Nope,” Hunter cut him off, pacing like a sheriff circling a suspect. “You’re hiding someone in your house. I can smell it. Tell me: who is it? Some cousin? Illegal tenant? Stray human you picked up from town?”
Khaleb froze. “Hunter, wala…”
Hunter leaned closer, voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. “Don’t lie. I know your type. It’s that the girl from the other small ranch, isn’t it? ’Yung babaeng mala anghel sa ganda at bait?”
Khaleb’s jaw tightened. “Hunter—”
“Answer me, cowboy!” Hunter barked, pointing a finger like a lasso. “Two days late. TWO! Knox saw it, I saw it, Zaza probably saw it, and I bet the dirt outside knows it too. Who is in your house?!”
Knox chuckled quietly from the side, still leaning against the post.
Khaleb finally sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s… complicated.”
Hunter smirked wickedly. “Complicated? Don’t even try that on me. TWO DAYS, Khaleb. TWO. Who. Is. In. Your. House?”
Zaza snorted loudly as if emphasizing Hunter’s point.
Hunter jabbed a finger toward the mare. “Even she thinks you’re lying!”
Knox let out a small, quiet chuckle, tipping his hat. “Told you not to let him catch you late.”
Khaleb groaned louder, ears reddening. “I swear, you two are impossible.”
Hunter grinned. “Impossible? Nah… entertaining is more like it. Now, cowboy, talk—or I’m dragging you to the creek myself.”
Khaleb finally blurted it out, rubbing his nose.
“Okay… so, uh… I’m living with… my almost step-sister. My mom and her dad are getting married, and, well… our parents decided Levi’s gonna stay here at the ranch… temporarily.”
His two friends froze, jaws practically hitting the floor. “Teka-teka ano yon?!” one of them whispered, eyes wide.
Hunter leaned back on the fence, smirking like he’d been waiting for this moment all day. “Ah, I see,” he drawled, tilting his hat. “So… let me get this straight. You’re living under the same roof with the girl whose dad is marrying your mom… which basically makes her… your step-sister-in-training? Or is this like a temporary chaos experiment?”
Khaleb groaned. “Hunter, please stop, di ka nakakatulong…”
But Hunter wasn’t done. He leaned in, elbows on his knees, voice conspiratorial.
“You know… statistically speaking, living with future step-siblings increases the chance of… drama. Emotional chaos. Secret snack theft. And… eventual embarrassing confessions. Yep. I’m practically a professional in predicting these disasters.”
Khaleb blinked. “You’re… taking this way too seriously.”
Hunter shrugged, grinning. “I take my statistics seriously. And, buddy… welcome to Ranch Life 101: Step-sibling edition. Buckle up.”
Khaleb’s face turned a bright shade of crimson, and he stomped his boot on the ground.
“Hunter! I swear, napaka dumi ng utak mo!” he barked, pointing an accusatory finger.
Hunter just laughed, tipping his hat back. “Hmm madumi ba? Ako? Naaah… I’m just… creatively thinking ahead,” he said with an innocent grin that was anything but innocent.
“Creatively thinking ahead?!” Khaleb exploded. “You’re imagining things that don’t even exist yet! And I— I—” He threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “I’m trying to survive the next few weeks with Levi, and you’re out here turning it into some… some… romance novel!”
Hunter leaned closer, voice low and teasing. “Well, kung mangyari man, you know who predicted it first…”
Khaleb groaned and buried his face in his hands. “f**k YOU!…”
Hunter and Knox laughed even harder, clearly enjoying every second of Khaleb’s misery.
“Ah, now that’s the spirit! Welcome to the ranch, partner.”
- Writer
