Page 2 of Rope Me In

“You’re going to be fine. This was a little hiccup. Keep your stress down, and enjoy life. Don’t be so hard on yourself; you’re too young to be back in my office anytime soon.”

I attempt to smile at her. “I’ll do my best.”

Her eyes crinkle at the corners, the shine in her brown irises dimming as if my words have saddened her, like she truly cares for me. But after a few quick blinks, they’re warm and friendly again. “Take care of yourself, Kade.”

Once the door closes, I change out of my gown and make my way to the end of the hallway. I go through the motions, handing a credit card to the woman at the front desk then booking my checkup for a year from now before I walk back to my red truck in the attached parking garage. Once I’m inside, I check my silenced cell phone and turn the ringer back on. I have several missed text notifications, but I don’t have to see the name to know who they’re from.

Gavin, my overbearing older brother, wanted to come to this appointment with me. I insisted I would be fine, that I needed the space to think and had a few errands to run. Finally, after some bickering—which isn’t abnormal for us—he let me come to the doctor myself. They were a little late seeing me, so I’m not surprised that he tried to reach me.

GAVIN: How did the appointment go? Momma and Gran are worried.

KADE: Is it Momma and Gran who are worried, or is it you?

GAVIN: Kade.

KADE: Gavin.

GAVIN: Just tell me—everything okay?

KADE: Yes, everything looks good.

GAVIN: Thank god.

I leave out the part where I have to take medication and that she told me to see a shrink. But Iamphysically okay—that part is true. Gavin would be even more of a helicopter brother if I told him the other stuff. He’d also be worried about the cost of the meds, just as I am. We have insurance, but it’s not that great. On top of that, we’ve already had to get on a payment plan to pay off my visit to the emergency room, surgery, specialists…the list goes on.

His girlfriend, Blake, may have taken care of the debt our dear old dad had accumulated against the Montgomery Family Ranch with her barrel racing winnings, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still tight on cash. And the last thing I’m going to do is ask Blake for more money, even if she’s become like a sister to me after she saved my life the day I ruined her late brother’s five-year remembrance at the cemetery. Guilt pools in my stomach when I think about it, about the pain I caused not only to Blake and her family but also to my own.

I remove my ball cap and run my fingers through my feathered dusty blond hair then down my face covered in scruff. I replay those twenty-four hours from my accident in my mind multiple times daily.

I let my temper get the best of me that day, the very same temper Dad had. But when I found out that Gavin was lying for nine months about the debt Dad left our family in then discovered the business plan Blake made for us to turn our land into a dude ranch, I was furious. More than furious.

I think anyone would be if they found out their brother had been lying to them about something so serious for that long. And in my defense, I thought Blake’s business plan meant she wanted to purchase our land to turn it into a dude ranch for her family, not that she wanted to invest in us.

So I lost it, and I let my rage fuel my decisions from that point on. I hardly remember driving to the cemetery and sucker punching my brother to the ground in front of half the town. Or getting in a physical altercation at a city bar with the brotherof a girl I’d slept with a few times. But I do clearly remember coming home to find my family sitting at the kitchen table with Blake. They looked so happy without me—laughing over barbecue and acting like life was so fucking sweet—that any remaining thread holding me together snapped.

I grabbed a full bottle of whiskey and got drunk before deciding to take one of our ATVs out for a ride to Devil’s Rock, a canyon on our property that Dad used to take me and Gavin to all the time. I don’t like to think about what happened next, what led me to stand on that edge, what brought on my cardiac arrest. But the next thing I knew, I was being brought back to life by Blake. Then I was in the hospital.

I rub my tired eyes. Every day, I wonder how I survived.WhyI survived. Maybe it’s God’s way of punishing me. Killing me would have given me an easy way out.

My phone rings, this time with a call. When I see who it is, I can’t help the grin that tugs at my lips. It’s Jake, my friend and boss at our local bar, Night Hawk. Gavin and I have worked there since Dad died. First, it was for the extra money, but I actually really enjoy it. I’ve missed being able to get out and have fun with the folks who come through. It’s always a good time. Especially when we get city girls in for their bachelorette parties.

“Hey, man,” I say into the phone.

“I heard you’ve got the all clear. Congrats.”

“Well, shit. My brother’s turned into a town gossip. Soon, he’ll be worse than Old Abbey Allen.”

“I’ll tell him you said that.”

“Good. He’s turning into a meddler.”

Jake chuckles. “In all fairness, I happened to be standing next to him when he got your text. He was dropping in with some provisions he picked up for me. But I waited to call you until after he left.” He says the last part with an almost playful tone, which piques my interest.

“Tell me more.”

“Would you feel up to teaching line dancing tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow?”

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