Page 26 of Wild For You
It had been one of the more embarrassing times in my life. Top ten for sure, though I had a feeling number one would never be surpassed. That was a whole other reason I wanted out of this town as fast as I could. Since I’d been back, I hadn’t run into my ex—the person associated with my number-one spot.
I knew that moment would happen soon enough.
“You know, we’ve been doing a lot of hiding out since I’ve been here. What do you think about venturing into town today?” she asked with hope in her eyes. It was a Saturday, and the famous Ashfield Farmers Market was in full swing. I wondered which one of my sisters was tasked with running our family’s booth this time.
My first inclination was to shoot her down immediately. I didn't like the idea of everyone in town knowing I was holed up with an injury. But with the way the Ashfield gossip chain worked, I was sure everyone already knew.
She looked so hopeful as she added, “We can take it slow.”
My shoulders slumped as I replied, “Fine.”
Kelsey nearly jumped into my arms as she clapped and jumped around with joy. “Oh, thank you. I know you’re the reclusive type, but I need more than a daily trip to the coffee shop. I like being around people.”
“You don’t have to stay, Kelsey. No one is making you,” I declared, instantly regretting the way it made the smile slip off her face.
“I know I don’t have to do anything, but I think we’re making progress. And whether you want to admit it or not, I’m growing on you.”
“On my nerves maybe,” I relented, even though, in truth, she wasn’t wrong. I was starting to look forward to the way she moved around the small house with me. I’d never lived with a woman besides growing up with my family. In college, Nate had been my roommate. And since high school, I’d never been in a serious-enough relationship for it to be something to consider, despite some of the women’s demands to move in with me. My lifestyle was too chaotic for that.
But Kelsey? She was… tolerable.
“Maybe we can even take your truck today.”
We’d been using her car, since she was more comfortable driving it, but I assured her the year-old short-bed pickup was just as easy to drive.
As I drank the shake, I watched her move around the living room, tidying up after herself. She never once complained about sleeping on the air mattress or living out of her suitcases. I didn’t think even my sisters were capable of being so laid back.
Of course, with the help of Nate, I used his tech-whiz skills to deposit ten thousand dollars into her checking account. Either she found out already and was uncomfortable mentioning anything, which was what I hoped for, or she hadn’t even realized it had been deposited.
“Ready?” she asked as she slipped on a pair of cowboy boots that looked eerily similar to a pair my sister Aspen owned.
“Yep,” I said, grabbing my ball cap off the counter. It was a good substitute for the cowboy hat I usually wore around the ranch, though I preferred the latter.
“Oh, shoot,” Kelsey called out as she grabbed her phone. “I need to take this.”
“No sweat.”
She walked toward the French door that led to the back porch and stepped outside, but she didn’t close it all the way. Her voice came out in soft waves as she greeted her mom.
While they chatted, I pulled up my personal email. A few were from other riders checking up on me, while the group who put on the rodeo where I was injured wanted to know where they could send the check for my winnings and invited me back whenever I wanted—entrance fee waived. That wasn’t a typical offer, and it surprised me.
In my response, I typed out the mailing address of a P.O. Box I had in town and asked them how the horse I’d ridden was doing. No one mentioned if he had been injured as well. If he had been, it could unfortunately mean he’d be euthanized. Ifthat was the case, I was hoping there was enough time to request the horse be transferred over to my farm instead. Sunny Brook Farms didn’t raise horses, but we kept a few on property, and most of them were rescues. We found my horse, Thunderbolt, in an abandoned stable when he was still a colt two counties over, and he came to the farm the same day.
“Sorry about that,” Kelsey said as she stepped back inside. Her mood had changed, and I noticed her quick smile had withered away.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “It’s just my mom. Sometimes, she can be… difficult.”
“How so?” I asked as I handed her the bottle of water she filled earlier.
“She…. Well… we aren’t close, but I’m trying to change that. Most of our conversations only center around her, and I know she means well, but it’s… a lot sometimes.”
“How old were you when your parents divorced?” I asked as she closed the front door behind us after I hobbled onto the porch with my crutches.
“I was three. My dad had a hard time with my mom. He used to say she acted like she never wanted a child to begin with and had done it for him. Dad never talked badly about her, but I could tell, as I got older, he wanted to keep me at a distance.”
“I’m sorry, Kelsey.”
