Page 8 of Bray
Me. Little Miss Mouse taking the lead.
At least Bray played along. That he was experienced enough with women to make it look realistic. Of course, the punch to the face probably got the point across to the guy better than making out with me.
“Total jerk. Other guys aren’t much different,” I told her, sitting on the edge of my neatly made bed. This has been my bedroom since I moved in with my grandparents when I was six. The dolls and boy posters were all gone, but the sage green paint on the walls hadn’t changed, nor did the matching striped comforter.
Lainey texted a few hours ago, having competed at the county fair in the barrel race preliminary round, and told me we were going out tonight and that shewas coming over to get ready after I finished my afternoon chores in the stable. With Taylor no longer helping, it took twice as long as usual these days. I’d replied back that I was too tired to go and got back to brushing down one of the horses, but to her, that wasn’t an excuse and showed up anyway.
That was why I was in only my robe, fresh from my shower.
My family’s land had once been a thriving horse property. When my grandparents were younger, it was well known and a prosperous stable in Devil’s Ditch. Then Grandpa got sick and we had to sell our personal stock to pay the bills. Then, a few years after he died, Grandma got sick. To make ends meet, she and I decided to take on boarders. Not people, but horses. Now, it was only me and I had all I could handle alone. People without land or a stable of their own paid us a monthly fee to house their animal. The owners came to ride and take care of their horses, but I was responsible for everyday tending.
Currently, I had eight horses to take care of. That meant a lot of work. Morning and night.
Conrad Trout, a rich rancher who had one of the larger ranches in Devil’s Ditch, had tried to get us to sell the land for years. Grandma refused. I refused for her. When she passed last year, he’d gotten crafty,trying to push me to sell when I continued to tell him no.
Blocking the water upstream so I didn’t have creek water for the grazing horses. Cutting the fence line so the horses got out, which made their owners upset. Suing me for–God, so many things. Lainey had told me how Mr. Trout had settled a debt with Lance Mann in exchange for marrying his daughter, Ellie. When Lainey’s brother, Trig, married her first, Mr. Trout had been furious. Since then, he’d turned even more of that fury to me. At least he wasn’t trying to marry me and I tried to remember that when I was eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and dinner.
He’d pretty much forced me to take the job at The Roadside. I had a mortgage. And a second. Repairs to damages he’s caused but I couldn’t prove. Lawyer fees to fight him.
My life was working in the stable all day, then working as a waitress at night. I got a free meal during my shift, so that helped even more.
In my quiet time–ha!–I liked to stay home and read. To bake. To justbe.
Being friends with Lainey meant that she tried to get me out for fun as often as possible.
Like right now.
Not only was I not interested in socializing, but Ididn’t have the extra cash to splurge on a night out. I offered Lainey a glass of water so she didn’t see the practically empty inside of my fridge. She’d quickly know just how far I was stretching my money with PB&J, ramen, and beans and rice.
“It was nice of Bray to watch out for you like that,” she said, pulling out a blue top and studying it.
I pictured him the night before. Tall and solid in jeans and a snap shirt. The sleeves had been rolled up showing off deliciously muscled and veiny forearms. Tanned, too. His blue gaze on mine. His hands on me. His mouth.
God, everything about him made my heart race. That was all before the gentler kiss in his truck that felt very real instead of pretend.
“Mmhmm,” I replied, touching my fingers to my lips as I remembered how it felt.
“I can’t believe you don’t own a dress.” She shook her head in disappointment, putting the shirt back.
“Where am I going to wear a dress?” I countered. I ran a hand through my damp hair. “Mucking stalls?”
“You do more than muck stalls.”
“Yup. I brush down horses. Wash them. Feed them. Shovel hay. Work at The Roadside. Somewhere in there I get groceries. Shower. Sleep. If there’s free time, I read.”
I sounded grumpy, but I was just tired. Tired of nosleep. Tired of never having enough. Of barely getting by. Of trying and trying and only sinking deeper into debt. Into trouble with Mr. Trout.
It was only a matter of time before I lost the ranch that had been in the family for generations. I was tired from carrying the heavy load.
She sighed, knowing I really was that busy. “You could wear a dress out with me. Tonight. Dinner, then drinks after. People from the rodeo circuit will be out. It’ll be fun.”
While the county fair wasn’t anything impressive besides a midway with games, rides and funnel cakes, it was also an annual stop for the pro rodeo. That brought people from all over the area to the local bars and restaurants. While mingling with strangers was fun for Lainey, it sounded awful to me.
I flopped back on my soft bed, stared at the ceiling. The summer sun dappled off it as it came through the cream curtains. The windows were open because there was no air conditioning, not that I had money to pay for it if I did. Thankfully, even in July, it didn’t get crazy hot in Montana.
“All I want to do is throw on some comfy clothes and read a book. Nap. Then read some more.” And not spend money I didn’t have. “Don’t you want to do that, too? Between competing and the family ranch, you’re busy.”
“I hear you. It’s been a crazy week, but I won the preliminary round!” She looked so excited, I couldn’t help but smile and be proud of my closest friend.
