Page 69 of When It Reins
The words are meant for just the cattle drive, but with the way he’s staring deeply into my eyes, the way his hand is running up and down my arm, has every hair sticking up on end. The effect the man has on me is wild.
“So…have some news, huh?” Mitch asks, his tone light. But there is a hint of concern behind his gaze that has me wanting to comfort him.
“Yeah, um.” I swallow, looking over my shoulder at the horse who is nudging me. I laugh and pet them, then turn my eyes back to Mitch. “I just heard yesterday. They want me to do an EP, like a small album, to see how it goes.”
“A test run?”
“Yeah.” I shrug, then give him a look. “I really have no idea.” I laugh a little, trying desperately to play it off like it’s no big deal. “Sorry I didn’t tell you. Everything kind of got away from us last night, and then I was so busy that I didn’t even think about it.”
“It’s not a big deal, Starling.” He shakes his head at his words. “I mean, it’s a huge deal. I’m proud of you. I’m not mad you haven’t told me yet.”
He leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. “When do you leave?”
“Um.” I fidget, my heart leaping into my throat. Why am I getting emotional? Here I am, living a dream. I have a man who loves me, a family that supports me, and now I am about to sign a record deal.
The thought of leaving plagues me as I stare at Mitch, though. Knowing that soon, I could be leaving town for a while to make that record happen.
Is that what I want to do? Do I want to go off and make music, leaving everyone behind? I swallow down doubt and anxiety and wrap my hands around the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I don’t think soon, yet. We have to plan it all out first.”
He hums, and just that bit of sound sends a pulsation through me. My body and heart and mind and soul tell me to get as close to the man as possible, and I do just that. I wrap my arms around him tighter, and his head falls to my neck, breathing me in, and we just…hold each other.
31
mitch
Riding deepinto the mountains with my family and friends around me is an experience that I don’t want to take for granted. The sun is pitched high, heading back down over the western mountains as we curve along, mooing cattle in a herd between all of us.
Juniper is doing amazing. She’s never ridden before, and to me, and probably the large margin of us, it is obvious in the way she sits or overcorrects her horse. However, she is determined and spent the entire drive following my lead and asking questions that related to what we were doing so she could better understand it.
She amazes me. All of the time, she consistently makes me see how incredible she is.
The looming reality of our future together isn’t lost on me. There is a very good and strong possibility that she is leaving here soon. Where and when, we don’t know.
I’m not letting her go, though. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her as mine, even if that means a long-distance thing.
If there is one thing I know, it’s that I trust Juniper with my life. She is never going to do something to betray or break that trust, not with me, not with anyone. The loyalty that runs through her rivals the purity of her heart.
Juniper laughs as she gets a little speed up on her horse. Her long brown hair is back in two braids, and someone found a cowboy hat for her. My money is on Bonnie. But fuck if she doesn’t look like a dream come true out here, riding with me and having a blast doing it.
She was nervous when she started, but now she is starting to look like a natural.
CT whistles up ahead, announcing our almost arrival to the pasture we’re pushing to, and I glance at the sun now, working its way down behind the mountain range. We have a little time to get camp set up before it’s pitch black out here, so CT had some good timing on when we needed to leave this morning.
I ride up next to Juniper, keeping my eyes on the cattle, and feel her hand grab mine. I glance down at it before looking to her, a smirk on my lips. Her smile is wide and unashamedly so as she looks back at me.
“This was way more fun than I expected,” she says, as if it’s not written all over her. Her energy, her relaxed posture, the grin splattered across her gorgeous face.
“I’m glad you had fun,” I say, squeezing her hand and sidling my horse up close to hers. “I’m glad you came.”
“Me too!” she says, glancing down at her horse. “I really think me and Sally have bonded too.”
I smile at her and nod. “Sure.” I clear my throat and say, “Pretty sure his name is Sully, though.”
She blinks at me, and then back to her horse, clearly surprised by the new information. Letting go of my hand, she rubs it over the horse’s neck. “I can’t believe I’ve been calling you Sally. I’m so sorry, boy.”
I laugh at her apology, and she leans forward, hugging the horse. He is so broke that none of this even phased him, but he is a good horse for putting up with it.
“I feel awful. I’m a horrible human being.”
