“Alright,” he mutters, rocking back on his heels.
“If you’re going to last the entire summer here, you need to stop being so worried about all the wrong shit. This ranch is going to knock you on your ass so hard you won’t be able to get up again if you don’t. But I mean, if you’re okay with spending every day locked up in here cleaning, then carry on. There’s more to this place than this stable for you to explore.”
“Everyone here scares the hell out of me,” he says, somehow turning even redder.
I laugh, swapping the horse’s lead to my other hand so I can turn to face him properly. “For good reason. They’re not going to hurt you, though. We’re just giving you a hard time so your skin is thick enough that it won’t bleed when you inevitably fall and scrape it. You’ll learn to get up and brush it off without flinching. That is, if you want more than shit duty.”
“Is that why everyone here doesn’t look like they’re scared of anything?”
“We’re scared of just as much as you are. We just don’t show it, kid. That’s the only way you’ll survive a place like this.”
He lowers his chin, considering my words as his shoulders straighten. “I’ll clean the stall for you.”
“Good choice.” I start toward the mare’s stall again, not bothering to look at Brock when I speak again. “You know where Rowe is?”
“In the round pen.”
“Still?”
I unhook the gate and pull it open. The horse walks inside, recognizing this stall as her new home.
“I think so,” he says, sounding further away now.
If I knew this kid at all, I’d be proud that he’s actually following through. Maybe this place won’t eat him alive after all.
Humming under my breath, I settle the mare into the stall and give her side a small pat before stepping out. I lock the gate behind me and give her one last comforting glance. She looks better, but I know the pain and the neglect runs deep inside of her. It’ll be a long few months before she breaks free of it, if she can at all.
I hear the hose turning on and then water splashing the floor. Approval runs through me as the kid gets to work. I don’t bother going to check on him before snagging my hat from Diesel’s saddle hook and leaving the stable, heading right for the round pen.
Two days.It’s been two days since I was on my knees in front of Rowe, and not once since we’ve been back has he tried to speak to me. I don’t know if I’m more hurt than I am pissed off or if I just want to smack him upside the head so badly that I’m not thinking clearly.
The least he could do after I’ve had his cum in my mouth is check up on me. But we both know I expect far more than that. Maybe that’s why he’s avoiding me like a nervous teenage boy.
The sun heats my face and legs the moment I step outside. I’m still sweaty from the effort of grooming the mare, but the warmth of the day feels good. My hat shields my eyes from thestrength of the rays beating down on me as I stare forward, locking onto the man in the pen.
Rowe’s no longer lingering outside the fence, waiting for the horse to come to him. The closer I get to them, the easier it is to see what exactly he’s doing. Standing perfectly still, the black horse watches as Rowe approaches him and touches his flank before retreating and then repeating the motions.
I notch my boot on the bottom rung of the fence and fold my arms over the top, watching. Rowe’s got a rope tossed over his shoulder, just letting it hang there as he cautiously touches the horse. There’s a patience to him that frustrates me as badly as it impresses me. He’s always had it, whereas I like to get things done quickly and efficiently. It’s the reason he’s the horse trainer, while I opted for something else.
We may have trained Diesel together, but that was different. Things weren’t the same back then as they are now.
Two thick arms join mine on the fence, slung there without a care. “You look like you want to hop the fence and wrap that rope around his neck.”
“Hey. I was beginning to think everyone here was avoiding me,” I bite out, glancing over and up at Tanner.
The crinkles at the corners of his smile should have me swooning. He’s good-looking in the way that all cowboys are. Rugged, hard-headed, and with a disturbing level of “doesn’t give a shit” confidence. There’s a soft heart hidden in this one, though. I’m not the girl to dig into his chest cavity to find it, but someone will.
“Not avoiding, Tilly. We just don’t wanna wind up tossed in the pen with that fucker when the boss finds out we’ve been chatting you up.”
“Pardon me?”
My blood chills, nearly frozen in my veins.
Tanner’s laugh is tight as his lips pull back into a wince. “Whoops.”
“Explain.”
“You know how it goes. You can’t beallthat shocked. Otis said it wasn’t the first time he’s laid down a warning like this around here for you.”
