Page 54 of Wild and Unruly
The answer is fluff. It’s bullshit, and now I want to know why the woman that I consider my girlfriend is keeping shit from me.
Needing answers, I give CT a look and excuse us from the group.
Pulling her along, I walk down the side of the barn that’s unoccupied. Thankfully, there’s a good amount of space that’s not being used, and I find somewhere for us to speak privately.
Bonnie follows along willingly, keeping pace with me, and judging by the tight grip in my hand, she knows I’m about to have some questions for her.
20
bonnie
It was inevitable,this conversation.
When Stetson finally finds a place with privacy, we stop, and he turns to me, his face creased in worry. I hate that he just got bombarded like that, but I didn’t know how to warn him without giving away all the facts.
“Well? Want to tell me how you know the biggest douchebag on the planet?” Stetson stands tall and strong, his hands hung loosely at his sides as if this doesn’t affect him at all.
I know that’s a lie. I can tell he’s trying to remain calm so that I can tell him what’s going on.
“Tommy Smith has been around forever.” I shrug, nodding at the surrounding stalls. “He’s been in the Colorado training world since you guys were kids, right? So, when we were looking for someone to train us, Tommy’s dad, Richard, was the one we went to. And Tommy was there too.”
“So, they were your trainers?” Stetson asks, absorbing this new information.
“And coaches. They came to us with such a strong vision for what we could do. They knew Mason was talented and talked about him coming on as a trainer with them before…” I trail off, the memory hitting me like a ton of bricks. Even still, it hurts to think about.
“Before your brother’s accident.”
Even though it was six years ago, it was still like it happened yesterday when I talk about it so plainly. “After the accident, we left Tommy’s facility and never went back to anyone. Mom was wrapped up in Mason—obviously. Dad was mad about how we were acting and sold the horses. You already know what I did.”
Stetson is quiet for a minute, processing what he’s learned. It’s on the tip of my tongue to spit out that I’ve been working on something with Tommy, that I’ve been basically stalking his facility to find what I need to take him down.
But I can’t do that. Stetson would freak, especially knowing what he knows now. I don’t know the exact history between Tommy and Dani and CT, but I could tell, even from that very brief interaction, that it wasn’t anything good.
“Bonnie, this isn’t something I would normally say to a woman,” he starts, and I lift a brow in surprise, wondering where this could be going. “But I need you to stay away from him.”
“Stetson,” I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest.
“No, I’m sorry.” Stetson shakes his head. There’s this glint in his eye, worry and concern, and I know that what he’s saying right now is not his normal stance. “I know what that piece of shit can do to people, to his animals. He’s not only dangerous, but he’s a fucking idiot who thinks he can get away with what he’s been doing.”
I’m not sure how much Stetson knows, but it’s obviously enough to know that Tommy is a snake in the grass.
“I’ll be careful,” I start, shrugging my shoulders. “I’m around a lot of different people for my job, Stetson. You have to trust that I can take care of myself.”
He eyes me for a minute before his shoulders slump, possibly in relief but more than likely in defeat. He comes closer, resting his hands on my hips, and I move my camera out of the way, reaching up and around his shoulders.
“I know you can.” He nods, pulling me as close as he can get. “I know my request may seem selfish, but I need you to keep yourself safe, for me.”
I hear what he’s not saying, and it puts a lump in my throat. This isn’t the first time that I’ve realized my feelings are far more than just infatuation, but I feel it all over again as I stare at him, my heart pounding loudly in my ears as I look between his eyes and see the concern there.
So, I swallow past the thickness and nod, saying words that I hope aren’t a lie. “I will.”
I’d never been to The Gin Mill before, but I’ve heard about it. It was the one place that everyone went to when they were down here for horse shows. The place they went to blow off steam before the show and after they finished competing for the day.
And apparently, it was the place where you drank as much as you danced.
I honestly don’t know how Dani and her friends, Amy and Joanna, whom I just met today, are still dancing around the floor,but I watch them dance like fools, laughing at how much fun they’re having.
They seem like that girl group you see in the movies, the ones that are ride or die and love every minute of being together. I have to admit I’m a little jealous.
