Page 34 of Cinderella Screwed Me Over
Being at the ranch instantly made me feel better. After changing into some jeans, a T-shirt, and my worn-in boots, I climbed the fence behind the house and whistled. It only took a moment for one of the few males in my life who’d never let me down to come running.
“Good boy, Major,” I said to the sorrel horse as he approached. I held out the bucket of grain and let him take a few bites. While he munched, I ran a hand down his muscular reddish-brown neck, then scratched the white stripe on his face.
I placed the bucket outside the fence, grabbed my saddle, and heaved it onto him. “You ready to go for a run?” I asked as I fastened everything onto him.
He whinnied, which I took as a yes. Gripping the saddle horn, I put my foot in the stirrup and pulled myself onto him. “Let’s go!” Major took off toward the distant trees where the pond, one of my favorite places in the whole world, was.
The Wilson Ranch spread out across three hundred acres. Before I’d come to live on the ranch, I’d been a bona-fide city girl. The sprawling fields, home decorated like a log cabin, and horses and cows hadn’t impressed me. I was into fashion and decorating. And as my stepbrothers pointed out, I did everything like a girl.
Little by little, though, I found the joy in a long bike ride. Devin and Drew taught me to drive the four-wheeler and I’d take that out to the pond when I wanted to go for a swim or get away from everything for a while.
I’d lived at the Wilson ranch for about a year when Dwight came into the house and knocked on my bedroom door. “Darby, I need to show you something.”
I’d opened the door and stared at him. Dwight had been nothing but nice, but our relationship was mostly common courtesy. A word or two when we passed. Drew, Devin, and I had started to do more and more together, but if I ever found myself alone with their dad, I usually headed to my bedroom.
He hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his Wranglers. “Get on some work clothes and come outside with me.”
If Mom had been home, I would’ve asked her to tell Dwight I wasn’t interested in forced bonding time. But I reluctantly changed into my jeans with holes in the knees, threw on a T-shirt, and headed outside.
Dwight was leading a young reddish-brown horse out of the trailer. “I just bought this gelding down at the auction. And this summer, you’re going to help me break him in.”
I stared into the pony’s big, dark eyes. “But I don’t know anything about horses.”
“He doesn’t know much about humans, either. That’s what we’re going to change.” Dwight patted him. “Why don’t you come over here and let him get to know you.”
The horse lifted his tail and pooped on the ground.Great. A summer dodging horse crap. Just what I wanted.
“Pick a name,” Dwight said, “and nothing girlie or hippie.”
“How about Major?” I asked. Major was the name of Cinderella’s horse.
Dwight looked from me to the horse. “I like it.”
Once I started working with Major, I fell in love. Dwight was always there, helping me, talking with me about this, that, and the other as we worked. And somewhere along the way I started loving Dwight, too.
When we’d finished breaking him in, Dwight sat me down. “Darby, I want you to know that I consider you part of my family. I know it was hard for you to get used to us boys, and they might not show it, but Drew and Devin like having you and Janet around. And I do, too.”
“I like it here, too,” I said.
“There’re two things my kids need to have. Names that start with D—see, you already have that down—and a horse. That’s why Major’s yours. If you want him.”
My heart swelled. “Mine?”
“You’ll have to take care of him.”
I nodded. “I will. Thank you so much.” I’d never been a hugger, but my arms were around Dwight before I’d even realized I was going to hug him.
He patted me on the back and then told me to go feed my horse.
When I had to go back to school, I’d been pretty upset about leaving Major all day. He went through a rebellious phase, too, trying to buck off anyone else who tried to ride him. And while I knew I shouldn’t be proud of that fact, I was.
“Whoa,” I said now, pulling on the reins and slowing him down to a trot as we approached the pond. I slid off him and sat in the shade of the tree while he drank some water. Even now, he was picky about riders. He tolerated Dwight, Drew, and Devin, and would slowly make his way over when they called. But he only came running for me.
I laid back in the grass and saw the initials carved into the tree. That had been a romantic story at one point, just like any one of the stories I’d heard today at Steph’s shower. Yet throwing your initials together withequals true love foreverdoesn’t actually make it so. Even in my happy place, I had proof that relationships—even good ones—don’t last.
…
The raised voices drifted through the front door, combined with the sound of a crying baby. I stood on the porch of the house, wondering how long they’d be at it this time.
