Page 12 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
How can she say that? Of course there’s someone to blame, and that person is me. It’s been five years, and even though I tried to forget it, I failed, and it seems Zane hasn’t either. Of course he still hates me, and I don’t blame him. Because of me, he lost his career, which to a bull rider of pride like him was equivalent to taking his life away.
He honks at us, which makes Ella and me jump.
Ella flips him off before turning to me with a smile and pulling me to the truck. I hesitate to get in the backseat next to her, but Idon’t have much of a choice. I’m already here, so I might as well get this show on the road.
Now that I’m sure Zane still hates me, I have the next three months to mend things between us. May the heavens be on my side.
4
ZANE
Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror once again, and she quickly looks away, avoiding my gaze. Ella is chatting up a storm in the backseat, and I can tell Ava is trying to stay engaged, but she’s affected by my presence. She’s not the only one—this is not an ideal situation for me either.
I never leave the ranch; I can’t remember the last time I was out of Iron Stallion’s vicinity, so my whole system is out of sorts for being forced into this. And to make matters worse, it’s to deal with skeletons from my past.
I do not get paid enough for this.
Ava is still the angelic pale beauty I remember her to be, but a few things are different about her. Her hair is shorter—it was always long, almost to her waist, but it’s now cut down to a shoulder-length bob with bangs that fall over her eyes, hiding the sea-green orbs away. Her eyes, for the fleeting moment I’ve seen them, seem dead and without the spark I remember them to have. Or maybe I’m reading too much into things. I shouldn’t even be looking at her at all, but I can’t help myself.
“Ava, are you listening?” Ella asks her a bit forcefully.
Ava, who was distracted by something out the window, turns to her with an apologetic smile. “Yeah, sorry... I am. What’s up?”
She was definitely not listening. I wasn’t either.
“I hope you’re hungry. I had Flora make all your favorites,” Ella announces.
“You didn’t have to,” Ava replies gently.
“I did. We have to celebrate you being back. It’s been far too long, and we also need to fatten you up. You’re far too skinny.”
Ava doesn’t answer, which means Ella is onto something. I noticed the same from the moment I saw her. Ava has lost a significant amount of weight. Given it’s been five years, things are bound to change, but she’s like a shadow of her former self, and for some reason that doesn’t sit right with me.
But no, I shouldn’t care about her. She didn’t care about me back then, so why should I?
She’s only here for three months, and I need to make sure to keep my distance until she leaves.
I’m not a huge fan of the radio, but I switch it on just to find something else to focus on, other than the 5‘5“ distraction in the backseat with eyes of the sea and hair as dark as night.
I’m able to stay sane for the rest of the drive and manage to get us back to Iron Stallion without having a mental breakdown.
“Welcome home, Ava,” Ella invites as soon as the front gates come into sight.
“Thank you,” she replies in a whisper, her eyes trained outside.
Security at the gate waves us through, and it’s still quite the drive to the main house, but it gives time to enjoy the wonderful view of the ranch. Lush endless fields, tall trees far and few between, rolls of hay that look like scattered tissue paper rolls, and then there are the animals. There are horses grazing on one side and bulls on the other. Each masters of their own universe—majestic, powerful, and enigmatic.
We have more animals on other sections of the property, but cattle and horses are our main focus.
The main building comes into view, and Ella lets out a delighted squeal. You’d think she’s the one who hasn’t been here in five years.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Ella gushes.
“Even more than I remember,” Ava affirms.
The house is a three-story, lakefront farmhouse with ten bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, wrap-around porch, a 20‘ x 40’ rectangle swimming pool with a slide, ten-foot diving board, its own pool house, and three separate two-bedroom cabins, each with their own amenities. It’s been in the family for generations, but it’s been renovated many times over to fit into each era. We have servants’ quarters on the property as well, but they’re a bit further away from the main house.
It’s a pretty impressive property that’s home to the Morgan family and, over the next three months, a certain pop star as well.
