“We both ride.” Addie looks to her sister and then back to me.
“I’m gonna be a barrel racer.” Evie perks up. Something tells me she’s a little big for her britches. But hey, I always have been, and it suits me just fine.
“Nice!” I hold my fist out so she can bump it with her own. She does, and I think we just became best friends. Addie though…
“How did you hurt your ankle?” She’s still sizing me up.
“My horse Blaze caught the edge of a ravine. I was admiring the landscape, and I walked her too close. She’s okay though and I will be too. Sometimes even the best riders make mistakes. I’ve been on a horse for as long as I can remember. I used to rope for cash. My horse and I were champs together. But I quit when…”
Damnit.Sometimes I forget. I forget it even happened until I talk about something like this. It sneaks up on me and I remember… The pain, the fear, the heartbreak, the anger—it all hits me like a semi-truck. I choke back the lump in my throat and try to brush it off in front of these sweet girls. Girls who have a dad that would let nothing like that ever happen to them. My dad didn’t give a shit about me—and when he found out, he blamed me.
“I just quit.”
I hear his boots on the hardwood floor, coming up behind me. He’s got two pills in the palm of his hand and a glass of water in the other.
“What were you girls talking about?”
“Oh!” I chuckle and pretend I wasn’t about to spiral to the floor with my nightmare. “They werejust telling me how they ride and I found out Evie wants to be a barrel racer.” I throw back the pills and drink the entire glass with them. I take my last swallow and hand the empty glass back to my boss.
“Okay, now show me you can walk with those things.” He commands. I struggle a little at first but after a few laps around the room, I think I’ve got it. “The girls and I are going to the bunkhouse to get the rest of your things. You go down the hall and take a shower. There are bars in there, just like there is by the toilet. We’ll be back with your toothbrush and everything else. Okay?”
I watch as he lifts his youngest daughter and throws her onto his back. Her arms come around his neck and he motions for his oldest daughter to follow as he strides to the kitchen and out the squeaky door. They’re such a sweet family. I feel like an intruder, but also, like I want to stay here forever at the same time. I swing my crutches and make my way down the hall, I’m ready for that shower.
Chapter Eighteen
The bunk is made, and there are a pair of extra boots next to the nightstand. Every worker has one next to their bed, fitted with drawers.I wonder what’s in hers?There’s a second duffle bag peeking from under the bed. I lift it out, open it up, then pull the knob on the top drawer. Socks and underwear… I gently handle the bras and panties as I pick them up and put them in the bag. She’s got navy blue, black and burgundy–matching pairs. That means, the bra she’s been wearing, is most definitely pink.
“Um…Should you be touching those?” Adelaide stares at me like I’m a criminal. Evie is too busy admiring Dixie’s extra pair of boots.
“Adelaide—I’m an adult, I’m just packing up her things.”
I finish packing the rest of her belongings and we head back up the hill to the main house. On our way I let the girls know they need to gather all the eggs we missed over the last few days. They’re excited about that, it’salways their favorite chore. So I send them to the barn to get their baskets while I take everything inside.
I move down the long hall to where I know she’s probably showering, because I can smell the musky notes of my shampoo. Right now, within this moment, I want nothing more than to bust down the door, rip my clothes off and step under the water with her. I stand in front of the wooden door and place my hand on the knob to see if it’s locked. I turn it slowly… Shit, it’s open. I wouldn’t have to bust down anything. Instead of sitting with my fantasy and letting it fester, I tell the swiftly growing bulge in my pants to settle the fuck down. I push the door open, place her things at the foot of the bed and quietly step back out—pulling the door closed again with me.
The girls will come inside any minute and I need to get myheadscrewed back on straight. But that son of a bitch has other plans. Images conjured up all on its own of Dixie Wilder in my shower flood my consciousness.
Head back.
Eyes closed.
Tits up, nipples tight.
Fingers skating through her hair.
Water droplets running down the foggy glass—her pink panties laying on the floor…
The screen door smacks and my day dream comes to a screeching halt. Whatever road I was just about to go down, has a bright orange sign in the middle with an arrow reading,Detour.
“We got the eggs, Dad!” Evolette shouts as she races into the kitchen.
“Two entire baskets, Dad.” Adelaide chimes, walking in behind her.
I knew there’d be a lot, and it’s always good to have eggs. We take what we need in our kitchen, then send the rest down to the bunkhouse for the boys.
“Nice!” I say, trying to harness a cheerful demeanor that I currently don’t feel. Because now I’m fighting myother head, telling it that what it wants right now, willneverhappen. I follow my daughters to the sink where we wash all the eggs.
“She’s nice.” Addie says, looking up at me as she rinses another brown, speckled orb. I take it from her and place it back in the basket, now lined with a clean dishtowel.
