Page 47 of The Tryst

We pull together, the ropes taut as Max struggles to lift his legs out of the mud. He snorts, his muscles straining as he tries to find solid ground.

“Easy, boy,” Ethan soothes, his hand never leaving Max’s neck. “You’re doing great. Just a little more.”

Max manages to get one leg free, then the other, his body trembling with effort. We keep the pressure steady, guiding him onto the planks inch by inch.

“Almost there,” I encourage, my own muscles burning with the effort. “Just a little more, Max.”

With one final heave, Max stumbles onto solid ground, his sides heaving with exertion. After removing the ropes, Ethan quickly checks him over for injuries, running his hands over his legs. I then lead him around so Ethan can evaluate his gait to make sure he’s not lame.

“Seems okay,” Ethan says and then looks between me and Wade, who hasn’t said a word since I arrived. “Good work.”

I nod and move to gather the planks but any peace is short-lived. Wade can’t resist throwing a caustic remark my way. “Nice to see you finally doing something useful, Trey.”

I turn to face him, tossing a plank to the ground, my anger simmering just below the surface. “Really, Wade? This is how you want to play it?”

“You mean how you’ve been playing it behind my back?” Wade’s face is twisted with anger as he steps toward me. “How long were you screwing around with Holland before you decided to tell me the truth?”

Ethan steps between us, holding out his arms. “Enough! Both of you!” he snaps, looking directly at Wade. “Grow up, Wade. Trey and Holland didn’t do anything wrong. They’ve been honest, and it’s time you accepted that.”

Wade glares at Ethan, his jaw tight. “Honest? You think lying to my face is honest?”

“I was waiting for the right time to tell you, Wade.” I wipe sweat off my forehead. “Since you were headed to West Virginia, Holland and I were going to tell you the next day.”

“That’s a little hard to believe, but I’m starting to understand you’re good at hurting people, Trey.”

“I’m confused, Wade,” I say sarcastically, my blood pressure spiking. “Are you pissed at Holland because she doesn’t like you as anything more than a friend or are you pissed that I have her? I can’t keep up.”

“Fuck you,” Wade growls.

Ethan sighs. “Wade… you need to think about what’s really important here. Holding on to this grudge isn’t going to help anyone.”

Wade’s eyes flash with defiance, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he storms off, jumping on the ATV that he must have ridden out here with Ethan on and peels out, spewing grass and mud our way.

I watch him go, my insides churning with frustration and sorrow.

Ethan turns to me, his expression sympathetic. “Don’t let him get to you. He’ll come around. Just give him time.”

“He’s being an absolute jackass,” I mutter.

“True, but he’s also feeling betrayed right now. Operating on pure emotion and we all know Wade’s the one who’s always up in his feelings.”

I nod, feeling the stress of the past few days taking over. “Yeah… sure. Come on, looks like I need to give you a ride back.”

We coil the rope and put Max in the adjoining, mud-free pasture. I give him another carrot and load the planks.

I take Ethan to the broodmare barn so he can check on a few things. As he gets out, he leans down to look at me. “I’m happy for you, Trey. You might have gone about it the wrong way, but I know you would never try to hurt Wade intentionally.”

“That means a lot,” I say with a nod of gratitude. “Thank you.”

Ethan taps his hand on the ATV roof in farewell and turns to walk toward the barn.

I head back to the training barn. I’m going to finish the schedule, go home and shower, then I’m going to pick up my girl and take her out to dinner so we can catch up on each other’s days. The prospect of seeing Holland pushes away the gray cloud hovering over me and I know that no matter how long it takes Wade to come around, I have Holland right now and that’s all that matters.

CHAPTER 16

Holland

The phone ringsand for the first time since I’ve been trying to clean things up, I don’t dread answering it. I’ve handled all the outstanding client complaints, made good on some deliveries and have a reopening date next week. While I’ll be temporarily running things here while continuing my job remotely for the time being, I still have to figure out my long-term plans.

---