Page 11 of Sugar
“How bad?” he asks.
I give it another experimental roll. My muscles tense as pain radiates. “I don’t think it’s dislocated, but I definitely pulled a muscle. Maybe bruised some bone.”
“Try holding out your arm.”
I slowly extend my left hand, raising my arm until it’s perpendicular to my torso. It hurts, but not enough to signal anything major. “I’m all right,” I say. “Just gonna be sore.”
Wells lets out a long breath. He’s always been one to worry.
“We shouldn’t bring him in yet,” Rhett calls from the other side of the corral. His arms are spread wide as he herds the wild horse toward the fence. “He’s stubborn. We can’t let him think he’s won.”
“Have at it,” I holler back. “All yours.”
“Come on,” Wells says, nodding his head at the corral’s gate. I follow him through it and take Rhett’s place on the sidelines, watching as Rhett takes mine on the horse, carefully stepping into the stirrup resting at the animal’s belly.
The horse starts bucking before Rhett’s even seated, but he manages to get himself into the saddle, determination set in his brow.
“He’s got it,” Wells mumbles, eyes fastened to Rhett like he’s readying for the potential of another brother falling.
“Yeah.” I nod. “Rhett’s just as stubborn as that horse. They can work each other out.”
Wells snorts.
“Hey.” We spin to find Sawyer coming our way from the house. He’s wearing shorts and a CSU T-shirt. “What are you all up to?”
“Kasey just got dusted by that mustang,” Wells says. “Went flying and everything.”
I knock him against his shoulder and then grimace, realizing too late I used my bad arm. “Dick,” I mutter.
Wells laughs. “When are you leaving?” he asks Sawyer.
Sawyer shrugs. “I was supposed to head out this morning, but . . .” He hesitates. “I’m not sure if it’s a good time.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
His eyes flit to the cabin that sits a few hundred yards away, the only one in eyesight of the main house. “I probably should stay, right? Maybe a couple more days?”
“Sawyer,” I say. “You’ve already stayed longer than you were supposed to. Didn’t school start back this week?” We’d all been lucky that he could be here during his spring break, but as far as I know that’s already ended.
“Yeah, but I’ve been logging in online. My professors know what’s going on.”
“We’ve got him,” Wells says quietly.
Sawyer looks at him, unsure.
“We’ve got him,” he repeats. “You need to get back to school.”
“For the love of god,someone’sgotta finish college,” I grumble.
Sawyer cuts me a confused look. “I already have a degree.”
I smile. “I know, kid. I’m just fucking with you.”
His face wipes clean of his bewilderment. “Oh.”
Of all of us, Sawyer’s definitely gotten the furthest with his education. After Wells dropped out of Texas A&M his senioryear, Sawyer’s the only Bennett to have gone all the way. And as if that weren’t impressive enough, he’s now in the middle of a graduate program for wildlife conservation.
He’s always been way more book smart than the rest of us. Cowboying never came natural to him and he’s struggled to fit into social spaces, but the kid’s brain is a powerhouse. He deserves a lot of success.
