Page 17 of Stirring Up Trouble
Without a hitch turnedout to be a big ask.
There were all kinds of little wobbles throughout the day. In the end though, it was pretty good.
I kept my businessman hat on as I spoke with people and greeted families. I smiled and laughed. Got a few claps on the back, even some hugs, and a few kisses on my cheek.
Overall, it was good. There was much more love floating around than there was hate or dislike.
The only sore spot was watching Robin.
It seemed like I was drawn to him all day long. Wherever he was, my feet would be moving there before I could understand what I was doing. I would tell myself I wanted a snack and when I got there, he'd be standing talking to one of the cooks about a recipe. Or I would say I need to go check on an event, and he would be there with a clipboard talking to people and checking on the animals.
By the end of the day, I knew that I couldn't ride home in a truck with him. It wasn't even a possibility.
I pulled Leslie aside and asked her to drive them back to the ranch.
"Where are you going to stay?" she asked.
I pointed behind me towards the office area. "You know I've got a cot in there. It'll do for the night."
She frowned and shook her head. "You're an idiot, Blaze Anders. You know that?"
"I've been told that my whole life," I said back to her, my grin smug.
She knew what I had meant by those words. A lot of people who didn't like seeing me and my family on the ranch liked to say I was stupid or that I would never amount to anything. Those same people now came to me for a chance to showcase their animals in the rodeo or because they needed grazing lands for their cattle. They watched me prove them wrong and had to come back with their tail tucked between their legs apologizing for how they were.
Leslie sighed and pulled me into a quick hug. "I know that it can be scary to open your heart, but you've really got to work past this. I'll take them home and bring them back in the morning. After that, I'm out of it. I will drive all the way back home every night if I have to."
I shook my head at her vow, knowing she would make the extra-long trip just to spite me. "That won't be an issue," I said. "It's just the first day. I still need to adjust."
With that, I gave her my keys and watched her leave. I waited for a bit, then moved into my office and shut the door. I took a deep breath knowing that I would finally be alone. Sure, there would be others around keeping an eye on things for the night, but it would mostly be shut down until the early hours.
A few of the cowboys who had their trailers here would be up drinking and singing. There might even be a few bonfires.
I would tune it all out. I needed as much sleep as I could get to face Robin tomorrow.
You ever feltlike someone took a two by four and just smacked you in the back of the neck with it? Well that's pretty much how I felt whenever I woke up on the cot. Half on, half off of it would be a better description.
The damn thing was far too small for me, a fact I had forgotten when I told Leslie I would stay.
But it was what I needed.
I felt more resolved as I shut off my alarm and forced myself to crawl into a position where I could stretch and stand up. It was a struggle, each muscle and vertebrae cracking and popping until I was back to myself.
After thirty, it was like the body just changed on you. I wasn’t far over that marker, yet it aged me greatly. Then again, it could have been all the years of ranch work too. It wasn’t an easy career.
I went about getting clean and throwing on an extra set of clothes I had tucked away in the closet. I figured I could replacethem later since I wouldn't be staying again. You couldn’t pay me to spend another night on the cot from hell. Besides, the clothes were meant to be a backup, which is exactly why they were handy today.
There was a knock on my door right as I made up my mind to go hunt down some food.
“Come in,” I called out.
It opened, and, of course, Robin's head stuck through. “Good morning! I have food for you.”
My eyes widened as I watched him step through. He held out a foil covered plate to me.
“Leslie said that there would be food here for you, but Ms. Connie made some delicious biscuits and gravy. The least I could do was bring you some in case you didn't have anything yet.”
Robin set the plate on the desk and stepped back towards the door.
