Page 46 of Caffeine & Chaos

“Horses? Uh, yeah,” Nadia replied, mustering a confident tone. “It’s been a while, and my training was in English Equestrian rather than Western style, but yeah, I can ride a horse,” she nodded. Despite her attempt to sound assured, her own doubts about her riding skills lingered beneath the surface.

“Good. You surprise and impress me more each day,” Ryan said with a wink, before his expression turned more serious. “And at least Justin won’t have that to hold against you. Let’s get unpacked and get you on a horse, pronto.” With that, he retrieved their suitcases from the trunk and motioned for Nadia to follow him up to the house.

Him.

Ryan stood frozen, taking in the sight of his childhood home. It felt like stepping into a time capsule from ten years ago, frozen in the past since the day he left. Lace curtains still adorned the windows, the chipped black and white teapot sat on the brass trivet, and the familiar floral print couch remained in its corner, unchanged. Even the needlepoint family portrait, crafted by his grandmother, still graced the mantle above the flagstone fireplace. Not a single thing was out of place.

As Ryan breathed in deeply, he quickly realized there was, in fact, something very significant out of place. The familiar scent of his childhood home was absent. For as long as he could remember, the air here had always been filled with the tantalizing aroma of his mother’s cooking. Whether it was the sweet tang of her award-winning orange-cranberry nut tarts or the savory allure of her grilled bourbon chops, each scent carried with it a warmth and comfort that defined the home. Coming in to one of mom’s suppers after a long day working the ranch was the highlight of the McKellen’s men’s day. Ryan suppressed the lump threatening to form in his throat.

“Is Justin home?” Nadia’s nervous tone interrupted his thoughts. The way she whispered the question raised Ryan’s ire. They didn’t need to be tiptoeing around his older brother.

“I doubt it, he doesn’t actually live here. Mind you, I suspect he’s been around taking care of things for the last day and a half. I can smell those damn Marlboro’s of his. Mom’s going to take his head off when she finds out he’s been smoking in here,” Ryan quickly stifled a lighthearted chuckle at the thought of his brother catching hell from his mom. The jovialness of the thought was too generous to Justin after what he had said about Nadia in the hospital.

With the knowledge that Justin wouldn’t be staying with them, Ryan noticed Nadia’s shoulders visibly relax and a pang of guilt shot through him. He had brought her here for selfish motivations, knowing she wouldn’t refuse. He was the one who deserved Justin’s wrath, dammit, not her. He was the one who hadn’t called enough, who never visited, who couldn’t be bothered to keep up with the family’s affairs.

Admittedly, he also hadn’t wanted to leave Nadia in Miami where another man was apparently trying to seduce her, but now he regretted dragging her into this mess.

He wrapped Nadia in a tight embrace, his fingertips tracing soothing lines on her back. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I could have faced this alone and instead I asked you to come with me, knowing full well that you wouldn’t refuse. I’ve put you in an impossible situation.”

As Ryan uttered the apology, he couldn’t shake the sense of insincerity that hung over it. Deep down, he knew that despite regretting bringing her into this mess, he would do it again in a heartbeat. When Nadia remained silent, a twinge of unease crept over him. Why wasn’t she saying anything?

“I won’t sugarcoat it, Ryan, this is damn uncomfortable and definitely not how I imagined our first trip together,” she chuckled nervously. “But I’m here for you, and we’ll get through it together.”

Her words brought a strange mix of relief and surprise to Ryan. Maybe she wasn’t as easily scared off as he had feared. Maybe this wasn’t a colossal mistake after all. Rolling their suitcases down the hallway, Ryan headed towards what used to be his room. He wasn’t even sure if there was still a bed in there, but it seemed like the logical place to start. Upon opening the door, he found that like the rest of the house, everything in the room was exactly as he remembered it.

Ryan felt a wave of relief as Nadia disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up. The weight of his conflicting emotions was suffocating him. He couldn’t shake the turmoil swirling in his mind—Nadia, his mother’s illness, his father’s surprising tenderness, and the looming clash with Justin. In just a couple of days, his meticulously constructed life had unraveled before his eyes, leaving him feeling powerless. He needed to regain some semblance of control over the chaos that now engulfed him.

Her.

Late the next morning, Nadia leaned against the porch railing, her gaze wandering over the sprawling expanse of the ranch. The golden rays of the near afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the landscape, illuminating the rolling fields and distant mountains with a soft, amber light. In the distance, she spotted a lone figure mounted on a horse, their silhouette stark against the backdrop of the vast plains.

As the figure drew nearer, Nadia squinted, trying to discern whether it was Ryan or one of the ranch hands. A wave from the rider confirmed her suspicions—it was indeed Ryan. With a subtle flick of the reins, he urged the horse into a graceful gallop, effortlessly maneuvering through the open field.

Nadia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight. Ryan looked every bit the rugged cowboy, his posture exuding confidence and control as he guided the horse towards her. The rhythmic beat of the hooves echoed over the field, whispering in her ears, and matching the pounding of her own heart.

In that moment, surrounded by the vastness of the ranch, Nadia felt a surge of exhilaration. She longed to be out there with Ryan, to experience the freedom of the open plains and the thrill of riding alongside him.

Suddenly, Ryan pulled back sharply on the reins, causing the horse to rear up for a moment in response to the abrupt halt. He remained motionless, about sixty yards away, his gaze fixed intently on the eastern side of the property. Nadia’s heart rate quickened; something was wrong.

Without hesitation, Nadia descended from the porch, walking quickly towards Ryan. As she drew nearer, she noticed the pallor of his complexion and the tension etched into his features. His eyes remained fixed ahead, his lips pressed into a tight line that betrayed his unease.

Turning her attention to where Ryan’s gaze was focused, Nadia’s breath caught in her throat as she heard the rapid approach of hooves. Anticipating Justin’s arrival, she braced herself, but the rider who emerged from the distance was a shock of an entirely different magnitude.

“Ryan, I am so sorry about your mom,” a truly stunning woman offered her condolences. Her long denim-clad legs were draped comfortably over the sides of the horse. She flipped a bothersome strand of long, jet-black and curly hair over the shoulder of her purple Western-style button up shirt. Her stormy grey eyes never left Ryan’s face, despite Nadia standing in the gap between them.

Nadia glanced over to Ryan as the silence stretched between them. The air was vibrating, and Nadia could feel the history stretching for miles between Ryan and this woman.

“Melanie… I, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Ryan cleared his throat to continue, and flipped the black Stetson hat off his head, “thank-you, mom is recovering and we’re grateful for that.”

“I’m so glad to hear.” Melanie paused briefly, brushing another stray hair from her face, “I’m sorry to surprise you, I’ve been helping out here and there, and your dad asked me to come so that he could be at the hospital with Clara,” Melanie offered a half-smile, which revealed an endearing deep dimple in her left cheek.

Standing beside them, Nadia felt small both in physical stature, as she was the only one not mounted on a horse, and in significance. It was evident that there were profound connections between Ryan and Melanie, roots that she would probably never fully comprehend.

“Melanie, this is Nadia,” Ryan flashed her a smile as he nodded in her direction. At least the introduction had come relatively quickly.

With genuine warmth in her expression, Melanie glanced down at Nadia and smiled. She swung one leg over the side of the horse and gracefully dismounted, still towering over Nadia by a good six inches. Extending a long, graceful arm toward Nadia, she shook her hand firmly.

“Pleased to meet you,” Melanie said.

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