Page 26 of Spur of the Moment
“Cold shower?” he asked, then took a casual sip of his coffee.
Fuck my life.
I didn’t have to look to know he had a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Water heater must not work,” I lied.
My bra now free, I held the wad of clothes to my chest as I made my way back to the bathroom. I closed the door, making sure it clicked this time. I locked it, too, for safe measure. I dressed, then used my fingers to comb through my hair in a meager attempt to work the knots out.
I walked out of the bathroom after hanging up my towel.
“I got you a spinach and egg breakfast burrito, and a coffee,” Bailey said, not turning to look at me.
“Thanks,” I replied before sitting on the bed, grabbing the coffee from where he set it on the nightstand.
“You’re welcome.”
I unwrapped the foil on my burrito, the smell of food making my stomach growl. Even though I drank more last nightthan I typically did, I didn’t feel very hungover. I hoped it stayed that way throughout today.
“So, how do horse auctions work?” I’d never been to one before even though my parents had started the rescue well before I was born. They didn’t bring me along on any of their trips, usually opting to take one of my brothers instead if they needed an extra hand.
He finished chewing his bite of food before he spoke. “Once we’re inside, we’ll get a bidding number from the window. Depending how early we get there, we can walk around the stables to see the horses. Travis already knows which ones he wants, though, so once the auction officially starts, we’ll bid on them. If we’re the highest bid, we’ll sign some paperwork after the auction is over, and tomorrow morning we can pick them up.”
I nodded as I chewed. He made it sound so simple, as if their lives weren’t in our hands.
We sat in silence for a while, enjoying our small breakfast. Even after finishing off the burrito, I had the craving to eat ice, but settled on a sip of coffee. Growing up, I always loved bringing a bowl of ice to my room and crunching on it as I watched movies. Some people snack on chips, I snack on ice.
If all went to plan, we’d be on the road tomorrow, heading back to the ranch. Before leaving on this trip, I wanted to stay far away from Bailey in the hopes of not bringing up the past. Being in Montana alone with him, I had no choice but to confront my feelings about him.
I missed him, not just right now, but every day that passed in the last half a decade. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d pulled up his contact in my phone, my finger hovering over the call button before I’d think better of it and put the phone down.
After all this time, I’d assumed he’d moved on. I never asked my brothers about him because I didn’t want to hear that he was dating someone or that he was happy without me there. It was cruel, really, to wish he was missing me as much as I was him.
I was the one who left, knowing the damage it could cause, and yet I still made my choice. I’d have to live with that for the rest of my life regardless of what ended up happening between me and Bailey. I didn’t deserve it, but I hoped he forgave me. I wasn’t sure if he already had, but the only way I’d get my answer would be to ask him myself.
That was exactly what I’d been avoiding since I’d gotten back, and soon, I’d have to face it head on.
14
Lettie
After parking in the dirt lot, we headed inside the auction house. The building looked like an oversized old barn from the outside. Saddles were stacked on racks directly inside the doors, and as we continued on our way, halters of every color, bits, stirrups, and spurs lined the rows of tables. Behind the tables were wooden bleachers that formed a U around the dirt sales ring, which had a tall structure on the other side of it that looked sort of like a lookout tower. There were large openings on either side of it, and through them, I could see horses corralled in small pens outside, people walking about as they viewed them.
We approached the long line of people waiting to get their bidding numbers from the elderly lady at the window.
“I’m going to go out back while you get our number,” I said to Bailey.
He surveyed the crowd before looking down at me. “Just be careful, alright? I’ll come find you after.”
“No promises,” I said with a wink.
He rolled his eyes as I turned to walk down the narrow hallway, squeezing against the wall when people brushed by to avoid shoulders clashing. I blinked against the sun when I made it out of the dimly-lit hall, walking down the ramp beside the building.
A few feet away, a man gripped a lead rope, pulling it to try to encourage the horse attached to it to walk. Seeing that he was clearly struggling, I approached with caution before swinging my arms up, clicking my tongue. The horse eyed me before stepping a few feet to the side, tossing his head up in the air and swishing his gray tail.
“Be careful, little lady, he’s a wild one.”
Ignoring the name, I swung my arm closest to the horse's rear, clicking my tongue again. After a few tries, the horse took my direction and stepped forward, lowering his head slightly, his flea-bitten coat taut over his muscles as the man took advantage and led him away.
