Page 58 of Scrape the Barrel
“Come on, Sage. Take some time for you.”
I scoffed, adjusting my stance against the wall to lean my butt against the back of my hands where they sat folded behind me. “And what? Sit at home instead? Pass.”
“Come to the bar with us.”
“Us?” But who would watch Avery?
“Lettie, Brandy, and me. We weren’t planning on it, but they’d never pass up an excuse to day drink.”
I could, though. “I don’t know, Oakley. It was Avery’s first day of school today. I want to be there for her.”
“And you will be. But you can’t be the best mom you can be if you don’t take care of yourself first. You don’t even have to drink if you don’t want to. Just come have some girl time. We’ll find someone to watch Avery. I’m sure Charlotte would love to.”
I gnawed on my bottom lip, hating the idea of not being there for Avery. Now with these texts, I couldn’t be sure if we were even safe, and leaving her felt like the worst decision right now. But if Charlotte was watching her at the ranch, she might be safer than if she was at our house.
What if he knew where we lived?
I shoved the thoughts away. I couldn’t let him have power over me, not anymore. I wouldn’t put our lives on hold any longer for him.
“Okay.”
Oakley’s answering smile could’ve blinded me if it wasn’t for the sting of smoke still burning them.
21
Callan
“Same shit, different visit,” Beckham mumbled from his horse to the left of me. He was in town visiting for a few days, so the lot of us were spending as much time together as we could.
“You complaining about ranch chores now?” I teased, keeping my eyes on the land to look out for any down cows. It was rare that it happened, but I liked to be aware in case we stumbled across any.
“He’s a rodeo star. This shit is boring to him now, don’t you know?” Bailey said from where he was riding Nova, his black quarter horse, a few feet off to the side of Beckham.
Lennon scoffed. “I wouldn’t say star.”
Beck hinted at a grin. “I agree with Len on that.”
“Then quit,” I said, my tone flat.
Beck let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Maybe you should quit with that shit, Callan.”
“Not gonna happen.” I hated how he rode broncs like it wasn’t one of the most dangerous things you could do. To get on a horse primarily for the animal to try to buck you off was reckless to me. What if he broke his spine? His neck? Hell, just any part of his body? There were much more useful things he could be doing that weren’t so dangerous.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Beck adjusting the reins in this hand. “I should’ve said same broken record, different visit, then.”
“How’s it feel to be on a horse that doesn’t want you dead?” Bailey asked, trying to lighten the mood in his typical way. It was a miracle he put up with us Bronson brothers.
“Boring,” Beck replied. “Wanna race?” he asked Bailey.
“We’re supposed to be—” But before I could finish my sentence, they were off. “Checking the cows,” I finished, my tone quieter.
“Not your fault they never grew up, Cal,” Lennon said. He had the day off work while Oakley held down the fort at Tumbleweed Feed with their coworker, Jacey, so he decided to spend it with us. I wondered if he was rethinking his decision yet. Lennon was the most mature out of all of us, but that also probably stemmed from him being the oldest.
I liked seeing the carefree side of Beckham, but I wished he’d put his adrenaline junkie personality to use elsewhere rather than in rodeo. Every time he rode, I flipped the footage on,whether it was on TV or a live stream from a smaller event, but I’d only watch till he jumped. Then I’d turn it off. I didn’t care to hear the stats. I just wanted to see that he was okay. Each ride was just as ruthless as the last, and to see my brother thrown around like a rag doll never sat right with me, but he wouldn’t quit. I’d tried everything, and all it did was annoy him.
Up ahead, Bailey and Beck circled around, trotting back to us.
“So, Cal, how’re things with Sage?” Bailey asked, a huge smile lighting up his face.
