Page 39 of Saddle Studs
We didn’t get much sleep that night, or the next seven that followed, Sam sleeping over every one of those nights.
It wasn’t until a week later that things went to shit. History loves to repeat itself, or whatever the bullshit saying is.
17
SAM
Life wasdifferent after you’ve been fucked in the ass.
It’s like the breeze itself whispered a different tune. People’s jokes were way funnier than normal. So much so that I was cracking up to the point of tears at Beau’s joke about line dancing being square dancing’s gay cousin with better branding.
Yeah… I was definitely bisexual.
I sat across from Beau in the kitchen. Dinner was wrapped up and we stuck around at the table. We’d been chatting about how to best promote the Rainbow Ranch Line Dance Night. It had been an idea that hit me in the middle of the night. I woke up with my arms wrapped around a sleeping Benny, the idea lighting up the bedroom like a hundred-watt bulb.
I may have been fired from my job, but that didn’t mean I had to stop working. I had a deep wealth of knowledge when it came to public relations and marketing. I could step in and help manage the ranch’s presence, not just in Johnson Springs, but in the surrounding areas too. I could help make this ranch a beacon of safety and acceptance for anyone in the country. If anything, it was a mission with a much grander purpose thanhey, I need this actress to get a hundred thousand new Instagram followers bythe end of the month, orcan you help divert attention from this terrible scandal this superstar won’t get cancelled?
“I think we definitely need to update the website,” I said as I flicked at the iPad on the table. “And I’ll find someone to help manage all the socials. If we can throw some money at advertising, I think that would be beneficial, too. Are there any collab opportunities you can think of off the top of your head?”
“Collab?” Beau asked as if I were speaking a foreign language.
“Collaboration. Maybe a horse feed brand? Or another nearby ranch that wants to team up and help sponsor the event?”
“I can reach out to the Walters. They have the poultry farm down the road and are friendly folks. Terry, he owns the hardware store in town, and he mentioned wanting to help the ranch out. Maybe he can be a sponsor.”
“Perfect.” I jotted down the names on a bright pink sticky note next to the iPad. “You know, I may suck ass at line dancing, but at least this way I can contribute something.”
“First, you’ve been getting much better. You only trip a couple of times a lesson now. And second, you’ve contributed more than enough. Benny has been finishing all his chores hours early, that’s how energized he’s been.”
That got a laugh out of me. “I’m glad I can get that lazy butt off the couch,” I joked, the two of us knowing damn well Benny was one of the hardest workers around.
My phone buzzed across the table, surprising me that a call got through the shitty cell service out here. I flipped it over and looked at the screen. “It’s my mom.”
Beau raised an eyebrow. “Does Ms. Fisher want to join in on the planning?”
I snorted at that. “Absolutely not, she hates this kind of stuff. I’ll take it outside just in case she gets chatty.”
He chuckled and nodded and turned back to the iPad as I stood and slipped through the sliding door, out onto the porch and down the side steps. The air had cooled, that late spring kind of breeze that always carried just a whisper of wildflower and dirt. The sun was finishing up her descent behind the hills, casting everything in burnt gold. The landscape of Rainbow Ranch was at its best during this hour. Like a painting that belonged in some museum, framed with gold and admired by thousands.
I answered the call. “Hey, Mom.”
“Sammy,” she said brightly. “You busy?”
“Just finishing up dinner. We were going over some ideas for an event at the ranch.”
“Oh, fun! You always were good at planning things.” There was a smile in her voice, but it softened. “Listen, I just wanted to catch up. Things have been busy on this end. We had a big prayer service on Sunday. Real beautiful. You should’ve seen the choir—gave me goosebumps. And Pastor Rob did a whole sermon about loving people where they are, even if you don’t always understand them.”
I felt my chest tighten… not quite in pain, but it wasn’t comfortable either.
Really? Of all of the things to talk about? Now?
“That’s nice,” I said, trying to keep my tone even.
“Yeah… and well, something happened that made me think of you.”
I froze, my heart skipping a bit. My mom often had things happen in her life that made her think of me. It was a running joke at this point. “What do you mean?”
She sighed. “One of the families at church, their son came out. As gay. Poor thing, only seventeen. I can’t imagine how scared he must’ve been.”
