Page 17 of Ever's Last
When Memphis takes a seat on the fence, the girls try to put on their sexy pouts while trying to milk. Jesus.
Sasha is ahead, but Destiny isn’t far behind. They have to fill a whole bucket but only drink a glass. The rest will be strained, bottled, and chilled for later.
Natalie was out right from the get-go. She wouldn’t even grab the teats, bursting into tears because they felt gross. Another girl, Tanya, almost ran when she learned she had to drink it. What’s wrong with real milk? I love fresh cow’s milk. These girls act like it’s the plague.
I can see Memphis laughing along with Brick, and then he locks eyes with me. His amber eyes dance in the sunlight as he studies me. I can see the hunger and sadness behind them. I squirm uncomfortably on the fence. Maybe because I’ve seen more of the man than I care to, or the fact that I want to be the one that he sees. Still. I’ve never stopped loving him, but I can’t go there. It hurts too much. Besides, he was never mine in the first place. He never will be.
“Brick and Memphis want to take the horses out later. The winner gets a trail ride with a picnic,” Linc breaks my thoughts.
“Okay, do we need to go?” I know Brick can ride. Memphis can as well, but after that day in the barn, I’m rethinking that sentiment. He used to ride all the time when we were younger.
“I’d feel safer since it will be with more than just two people.”
I nod. Ivy is already off to the house to get lunch together with Austin and my dad. They are going to follow in the ATVs so they can bring the coolers of food.
“Did you pick out a safer horse for giddy-up over there?” I point at Memphis and Linc almost falls off the fence laughing so hard. Even Ariel chuckles after we tell her the story.
“He’ll never live that down,” she says, her eyes dancing with delight.
I shake my head. “Not while he is here. It was off camera so no one else will know about it. He thought I was an angel, reaching out for me like I was taking him to Jesus, which is weird since we’ve known each other since we were kids. He must have hit his head pretty hard.”
“Hope it knocked some sense into him, but if he were to meet the reaper, he wouldn’t be seeing Jesus, he’ll be ruling hell.” Ariel snorts.
That makes Linc laugh even louder. The girls glare at us, probably thinking we’re laughing at them. In some ways, we are.
Linc jumps off to get the horses ready. I ask Ariel if she wants to tag along. I sense something in her. I want to ask her how she met Memphis and how she became one of his latest lays, but I don’t. I do feel like she’s a kindred soul and that we could be friends.
She tries to refuse because the winner will feel threatened.
“You’ll be my assistant,” I tell her.
Carlton declares some girl named Lexie the winner. She’s short, skinny, almost childlike with doe-like eyes. She’s cute. I haven’t spoken to her personally, but she has a mouth on her though and not the kind that you read about in romance novels where the guy stares at it, wanting to suck the bottom lip between his teeth. No, she has the mouth of a sailor.
Ariel and I head inside the barn to wait for the others. Brick gets up on his horse easily and heads out to wait. The crew loads up into the ATVs and I see my dad, Ivy, and Austin are ready to go.
Lexie turns her nose up at the smell in the barn but says nothing. Barns are going to smell, there is hay and manure and horses. Oh, and the cows crap a lot. Good girl for not opening your mouth, though, Lexie.
She knows the cameras are running and tries valiantly to mount the smallest horse I own. After about three tries, Memphis helps her up. In the pit of my stomach, I’m jealous. Lexie heads out to wait with Ariel and Brick.
“Need help?” I say softly, teasing him. This is the first time we’ve spoken directly since that night.
Memphis just stares.
“Ever, I think . . . ” I stop him. I’m not ready to hear anything.
“Do you need help today? I thought you could ride, but city life has spoiled you.” He chuckles at that.
“No, I think I’m good. I was looking for this boy the other day. Maybe if I had picked Hughie, I wouldn’t have hit my head.” He comes over to where I’m standing and I can feel him behind me. His fingers brush my arm.
“Do you need help?” he asks in a husky whisper. I shiver.
“No, I’m good.” I jump up into the saddle, ready to go.
He swings up into his saddle this time with ease. Maybe it is like a bike. Maybe the other day he was having a bad day or he was nervous. Or he missed Hughie’s stall. I don’t know, but today it is like he lived in the saddle.
It’s a short ride to a clearing of wildflowers. It’s romantic and simple. Some of us that hung out during school would come up here and roll around in the flowers. Okay, the people were out of school since Memphis is older, but it was always his friends I hung out with. Semantics, I guess. But I loved coming out here.
Memphis takes a basket that has been prepared and leads Lexie to a blanket someone laid down. My dad and Ivy pass out plates to the crew as one member sets up the camera on a tripod. Pretty simple day.
