Page 13 of Rope Me

“Fuck off, Choke.”

The damn rooster doesn’t flinch. Instead, he flaps his wings harder. His clucks escalate into an indignant screech. Then the little bastard lunges again, pecking at my boot, his tiny talons scraping against the wood porch.

“For the love—” I throw up my hands. “I am not in the mood for your bullshit right now. I’ll cook you into a pot pie. How about that?”

The sound of a tractor rattling in the distance makes me turn. I find an audience of farmhands staring in my direction. “Perfect. Spread the word until it gets on the podcast.” I wave an arm in their direction and they turn away from me.

Going totally unhinged seems to work on Choke too. He lets out one final, defiantbawkbefore finally scurrying off.

“Ha,” I call after him, taking the victory where I can.

I drive the back way around the ranch looking for signs of Alex’s truck. I didn’t want to leave his house after our nights together. It was a dream, one I never thought I’d get to live. I’ve never felt so protected, so cared for. But reality doesn’t pause just because I want it to.

I had to pick up Connor from Randolph. As soon as I stepped out of Alex’s bed, the real world came crashing back in. It started with the damned podcast.

Every week, I tell myself I’m done listening to that ridiculous robot voice talk shit about our entire town. But after the events of the hoe down, I knew I needed to tune in. I thought divorcing Randolph would take me off the gossip circuit. But somehow, my name being tied to Kingridge Ranch has only made me a bigger target. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it was enough to make my chest tighten.

And then Randolph delivered the real blow.

At pick-up, he handed me yet another request to update our custody arrangement. It’s another court date. Another fight I’m not prepared for. I jerked it out of his hands and gave him a tight-lipped smile. But as I read the paperwork, it hit me like a freight train—when we go back to court, I’ll have nothing to show for progress. No job. An apartment paid for only with alimony. No family. No real support system.

The case is a slam dunk for a mayor with every resource at his fingertips. I let a few nights of incredible, mind-blowing sex derail my focus, and that’s irresponsible. I’m a mother first. I don’t have the luxury of losing sight of that.

I knew that divorce would be hard, but I didn’t realize that the toughest part would be not having access to my son. It’s gut-wrenching. Mom guilt swells in my stomach when I think of spending my time falling in love at the cost of missing a single additional minute with Connor.

And then there’s Alex.

This man has spent the last five days texting me. He showers me with attention that washes over me like warm, golden sunshine. On top of that, he’s desperate to see me again. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in another life, but this isn’t the time.

All week I’ve wanted to open up to him and share everything. More than that, I wanted to drive across town and see him. But every time I picked up my phone, the weight of my world pressed down on me and kept my fingers still. I had so much to say, but all I could give him were clipped answers that squashed back my own anxiety.

The truth is, I’m a mess right now and he doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this. I let myself get swept up in a fantasy with him. Alex held me in a beautiful, intoxicating fantasy that made me forget that my life is totally out of sorts.

As long as I am sharing custody with Randolph, my life won’t be simple. I have to pull it together on my own. As much as I hate it, I have to play nice with my ex because what I have on the line is… Connor.

So now, I’m here at Kingridge Ranch before I lose my nerve. I hate what I have to do to Alex. But I know it’s the right decision. It’s better to rip off the bandage and put a stop to this before things between us go any further.

I take a turn down another gravel road toward the farm stand. Patty June materializes out of nowhere and I let out a sigh.You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.She waves a wrinkled and bony wrist in my direction. I give her a wave and attempt to keep going, but she steps in front of my Jeep. I wonder for a split second what would happen if I hung a sharp right. I could tear through the cornfield beside us instead of stopping to chat. It’s appealing. But instead, I roll down my window.

“Hey, girl, what are you up to?” She lingers on the last syllable.

“Just looking into options for a place for Connor to ride horses. Have a good one.” I press the button to roll my window up, but she leans in and puts a hand on my steering wheel.

I let my voice slip into the accent I worked so hard to get rid of. “Patty June, get on out of my car now. There are places in the world where this would get you thrown in jail.” I put a hand on hers and remove it from my steering wheel.

“Oh, I’m just trying to help. You know me.” She wraps her fingers on the top of my car door.

“Well, thank you. Have a good one.” I move my gear out of park and press the break. I try to give Patty June something I hope resembles a smile.

She leans away from the car and then puts a hand on her knee letting out a laugh. “Girl, why don’t you just tell me you’re looking for Alex? If you did I’d be able to point you in the direction of the Saddle Suites. We’ve got this VIP coming soon—shouldn’t say who, but it’s a big deal. He’s making sure the Pillow Plow Palace VIP rooms are up to snuff, you know…” She winks.

I nod in defeat.No secrets in Sagebrush Creek.“Thanks.”

“Anytime! Anytime… you are so sweet and I love to help where I can especially when I see things blossoming. These old eyes don’t miss a thing. I hope there’s no lovers’ quarrel here.That Alex is a sweetheart, didn’t have no Mama and whatnot when he was young. You know his Pa had a way with the ladies and the drinks. Bless his heart. Alex never gets much practice with women even now. So I hope things…”

She trails off and I drive away. I’ve got bigger things to worry about right now.

CHAPTER 11

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