Page 41 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
The stables are peacefully quiet, bringing with them a serenity I constantly crave. The workday is over, so everyone else has retired to their homes except for me. Most of the horses are down for the night as well, except for Jaz—but that’s only because I’m in her stall, nagging her, demanding her company.
“You don’t mind it though, do you, Jaz?” I say to her, leaning back against her for support.
She grunts softly as if in response, and it makes me smile. I know it’s weird to prefer a horse’s company compared to humans, but Jaz requires little energy from me, and she gets extra sweet treats for putting up with me, which works out perfectly for both of us.
We’re lying on the ground, listening to the crickets outside as we watch the moon through the bars on her stall. It’s a peaceful night, one that people usually enjoy with beer and great company, but the latter doesn’t appeal to me.
Memories of when I lost Lilly creep into my mind, and once again I find myself impressed by Ava’s sweet gesture that day. She didn’t have to sit with us for all those hours as we waited for the vet. She chose to, was actually good company, and helped put Lilly at ease. I have yet to thank her for it, unless you count the endless orgasms I gave her later that night.
A part of me starts reacting as I recall the smooth texture of her skin under my fingertips, the taste of her mouth on mine, the otherworldly feeling of being buried deep inside her.
Fuck, this is the wrong place to be getting a hard-on.
I adjust myself in my pants and try to rearrange my thoughts, but it only works for a few minutes before I circle back to Ava.
Today is the day she was supposed to teach Daisy’s music class at the rec center, and I want to know how it went. I was partially responsible for pushing her into agreeing, so I should probably go and check in to see that it went okay.
Look at me making excuses to go see her.
“What do you think, Jaz? Should I go check in on her?” I ask, but she doesn’t respond. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
This time she does swat me with her tail, making me chuckle.
“You’re definitely jealous, but I am still going... only because you’ve insisted,” I mock, earning myself another tail swat.
She’s lying down with me, so I can’t ask her to help me up. I’ve had a good day though, so I’m not in any pain. Any day that ends pain-free is a good day for me.
I find a baby carrot in my pocket that I feed to her as my final farewell of the day. I secure the lock on her stall before heading out of the stables.
The temptation to go to my cabin creeps at me, but for the second time in a week, I find myself wandering into the main house, curiosity having gotten the better of me. But I won’t stay long—I just want to check in on Ava, make sure she’s okay, and then I’ll rest easy.
And yes, I know it’s diabolical of me to be worried about her when we still have bad blood and a lot of unspoken issues between us, but I cannot help myself. It’s like no matter how hard I try, she’s stuck in my mind, and it’s getting harder and harder to let her go.
A lot of noise welcomes me, loud enough to have me nearly turning around. And this is why I prefer animals to people. It takes me a few seconds to realize that I’ve just walked in on game night, which is held once every couple of weeks in the Morgan household.
Tonight, instead of everyone being together, the girls are in the living room playing some music-related card game while Jaceand my father are in the dining room, enjoying beer while playing poker.
I’m thinking about leaving when Ella walks into the kitchen, expressing visible shock at the sight of me.
“Twice in one week—that’s a new record,” she exclaims.
This time, I don’t even bother coming up with an excuse as to why I’m here.
“Got a problem with it?” I challenge.
“Who? Me? Never. I’m just surprised. Will you be staying for game night?” she asks.
I’m about to reply and say no when Ava saunters in, the biggest smile on her face, but it drops as soon as she sees me. She stands there awkwardly, whatever she was coming in here to do momentarily forgotten.
She has a couple of bright stickers on her face, making her look adorably cute. She’s in a baggy hoodie that ends mid-thigh, swallowing her whole, and a pair of leggings hugging her long legs.
“Not even gonna say hello?”
“Hello,” she chirps meekly, looking away to avoid eye contact.
“Dear Lord, have mercy—this awkward tension between you two needs to stop,” Ella demands.
I want that too, but it’s not that easy.
