Page 7 of Freeing the Wild
I head for the barn doors but, just as I meet the threshold, I turn and grin at him over my shoulder.
“Nah.I’m just not suing because it’s not poor Dusty’s faulthe couldn’t resist myshort little shortsand mypretty smile.”I wink, using air quotes around his words.“Good thing I’ve had zero effect on you though.Someone needs to keep their head straight around here.”
I don’t look back, but I’m sure I hear his deep chuckle from behind me as I walk through the open barn doors into the warm Kentucky sun.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cassie
The trail back to Wade and Ivy’s cabin is well-marked and covered in a thick layer of mulch.Honeysuckle vines creep along the ground through the heavy walls of pine trees, and the sound of cicadas bounces off them as I walk, feeling steadier on my feet by the minute.When I reach the first cabin on the edge of the property, my mulch trail turns to a gravel road and I notice the little wooden sign telling me this is Legend cabin.I can tell right away that a man lives here.The wide, covered front porch has an old rocking chair on it that has seen better days.Beside it sits a small matching wooden table with a black ceramic coffee mug on top.Who knows how many mornings ago it was set there.There aren’t any wreaths or flowerpots to add color to the front door.Just a very large, tattered pair of work boots sitting on a thick straw mat.
The next cabin I pass on my walk is the same size as the first.Its sign bears the name Stardust.Wade and Ivy live in the last and largest cabin, Bluegrass, and my mama lives in Spirit, which is just before theirs.I knew instantly that Silver Pines was a place after my own heart when I heard all the cabins were named after Willie Nelson albums.I climb Wade and Ivy’ssteps a few minutes later but I don’t even get the chance to open the door before Ivy does.
“Whathappened toyou?”my sister asks as she swings the door open and I smile.She sure looks like a mama right now.Her dark hair is pulled up onto her head in a blue scrunchie and she’s wearing yoga tights and a big gray Silver Pines t-shirt.My new little niece, Billi, squirms in her arms.She’s the sole reason I’m here.Billi was born three weeks ago, and this is the first chance I’ve had to come and meet the newest member of my family, even if it is only for one night.I’m heading to Lexington tomorrow, but I intend to snuggle this little bundle as much as possible before I go.
“Hazards of the job.”I offer, tickling Billi’s already chubby cheek with a big smile before looking down at my now-torn blouse that is more brown with dust than yellow.
“Christ almighty, you’ve been gone for less than two hours.”Wade sounds horrified as he posts up beside Ivy, scrubbing his face with his hand.“Who am I giving shit to?”
I grin.I liked Wade as soon as I met him, and commend my sister for landing this rugged cowboy who appears to be the epitome of a quiet southern gentleman.Ivy swatted at me when I asked her if he called her “ma’am” in bed.He’s also insanely crazy about my big sister, so I like that about him too.But mostly I like that, right now, he immediately assumes what happened to me wasn’t my fault.Still, I take the honest route and shake my head as I enter their cabin.
“No one.It was my doing entirely.I wanted to ride your horse Outlaw, and Dusty warned me he wasn’t fully broken in.But I, um … convinced him otherwise.”
“Dusty,” Wade mutters as he shakes his head.“Are you hurt?Is my horse hurt?”
“Nope.But I pissed off your other cowboy,” I tell him as I hold my phone up and shrug.“Got my video though.”
“Video?” Ivy’s eyebrows shoot up.“You risked bodily harm for avideo?”
“Hey, no judging.I live my life a quarter mile at a time,” I say, quoting one of her favorite movies,The Fast and the Furious.
Wade chuckles at the reference before his brow furrows.
“By my other cowboy, do you mean Haden?”he asks.
“Yeah.The one who traded between scowling and fussing over me like a mother hen.”
I toe off my boots and make my way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.I’m feeling at home in Ivy’s space after only a few hours.But that’s my sister.She’s the epitome of comfort for me.
“Scowling?Haden?” Ivy doesn’t sound like she believes me.“He’s usually pretty happy.What did you do to him?”
“Hmm.”I think of his face as he skidded in beside me.Yep, definitely scowling.“I think I scared the shit out of him.He was worried I was gonna sue the ranch.”
After my walk in the Kentucky heat, I gulp down my water and lean against the countertop before pulling out my phone to edit the video I recorded before I fell.There’s maybe ten seconds of me riding toward the camera until the unruly horse decided I was an uninvited guest.Despite the clip’s length, what I did manage to capture works.My hair flies out from behind me and, somehow, I look like I know what I’m doing.I crop that portion of the video out and save the cut copy separately in my camera roll.Not too shabby for my first time on horseback in five years.
“I’m glad Haden was there and I hope he gave Dusty and you some shit,” Wade scolds me.“That was a rookie decision to let you try to wrangle Outlaw.Even if you did ‘convince’ him.”
“I said sorry,” I tell him, and I meant it.“Poor Dusty will be shoveling shit for the foreseeable future.I feel pretty bad.”
“Not bad enough to help him?”Ivy asks with a smile, rocking her babe.
“I would probablycausehim more work if I tried to help,” I answer.
She glances at me with a soft grin before looking back to Wade.
“I told you.She brings the chaos wherever she goes.My sister, the hurricane.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I say, wagging my finger at her.“Hurricanes are a mighty force to be reckoned with.”
