RIVAL: An Enemies to Lovers Why Choose Country Romance

Chapter 25

“You okay up there?”

I dig my teeth into my cheek to keep from moaning in pain. Riding a horse the day after my father laid into me wasn’t my best idea. My skin is tender and bruised, although luckily, it’s hidden under my clothes, but the slight bouncing as we slowly trot around the barn is almost unbearable. I ache.

Aside from that, I also hadn’t considered that losing my virginity less than forty-eight hours ago would make sitting in a saddle incredibly uncomfortable. I can feel Jaxon eyeing me curiously, and I decide I just have to give in.

“I’m sorry, Jaxon. I think my body is just telling me no today. I feel awful because we’ve only just started.”

Jaxon tugs on Noir’s reins and halts him. Letting them fall to the ground so his hands are free, he immediately reaches up, pulls me down, and sets me on my feet. I haven’t even been riding for fifteen minutes, but my legs are already shaking and as soon as my feet hit the ground, my knees buckle.

“Jesus, Edith.” He grips me around my waist until I’m more stable, and I feel like an idiot. “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. I’m sure you’re…” He trails off to run his eyes down my body, then looks away quickly. Clearing his throat, he steps back and drops his hands away. “I can see how it might not be the right time. Why don’t I give you a ride home?”

Even though I’m disappointed with our time being cut short, I agree anyway. I help him get Noir back into his stall, then we walk silently out to his truck. On our way, I see a ball with a rope and point at it. “What’s that?”

He looks over and smiles. “That’s a toy for the horses. It’s something silly, but they fucking love it. One of my mom’s mares will walk around with the rope in her mouth and spin it around forever. Kind of like a cat with a ball.”

I cock my head, considering it, then ask, “Where would I buy something like that? At my job, there’s a horse that seems kind of serious, but I think it’d be fun to see if I could get him to play a bit.”

Jaxon jogs over to the wall and pulls it down, then hands the toy over. “We’ve got a few of them. Take this and see if he likes it. If not, just bring it back to me.”

“Really? Are you sure? I could give you money or something for it.” I don’t know what a toy like this would cost, but I refuse to leave him short.

Waving me off, he takes my hand and guides me the rest of the way to the truck. “Don’t even worry about it. So, where am I taking you?”

Once I’ve crawled into the truck and settled in my seat, I ask, “Do you think you could just drop me at the store in town? I need to grab a few things.”

“Do you want me to just wait and take you home when you’re done? Carrying bags will be a pain in the ass,” he says, pulling out of the drive.

Waving him off, I do my best to sound nonchalant about it. I just can’t risk it. “It’s only a few things. I enjoy the walk.”

He huffs in disagreement but doesn’t argue. He also says nothing else, and I feel as if I’ve upset him somehow. I open and close my mouth a few times, but nothing feels right to say, so I sink into my seat and contemplate the situation.

“You’re thinking hard over there. What’s on your mind?”

I blink up at him and blurt out a question I didn’t even know I wanted to ask. “Why did you go quiet for a week? I know you said you had a personal thing, but maybe I can listen the way you did for me today.”

“You know, I think you’re about the sweetest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

My heart picks up, and I feel flattered. No one’s ever said something like that before, and I’m glad that of all people, it’s him who said it first. “I don’t know about all that. I’m sure you’ve met a ton of nice people.”

“Less than you’d expect,” he mutters, but I catch it anyway. “I can tell you what happened, but it’s not a happy topic.”

Sitting up straight, I turn in my seat to give him my full attention. “Life isn’t always happy. I’d like to listen, though, if you’ll share.”

Jaxon side-eyes me for a long moment, maybe trying to see how serious I am, but he’ll only get support from this side of the truck. Nodding once, he sighs loudly.

“It’s going to sound dramatic, but it fucked up my head.”

I lean toward him to gain his attention. “I don’t care if you sound dramatic. Just tell me what you’re comfortable with. I might not have any advice, but I’ll listen and understand.”

“So fuckin’ sweet,” he mumbles again, then reaches out and cups my cheek briefly before settling his hand back on the wheel. “Long story short, I ran into the man responsible for my sister’s death last week.”

My throat squeezes tightly, and I force out, “What’s the short story long? What, umm, can I ask how your sister passed?”

He blinks slowly, as if he’s in an immense amount of pain, and his shoulders drop in resignation. “Short story long, not how you say that, by the way,” he teases. “Is that my sister was interested in a boy and snuck out of the house to go to a party with him. She was only fifteen, a bit wild at heart, but we didn’t know she’d started drinking that young. When they arrived, everyone was drinking and partying it up, which she participated in. The guy who picked her up was only looking for a hookup, so when she didn’t give him what he wanted, he told her to leave. She was miles from home, way out in the country on the other side of town.”

My stomach sinks, knowing it’s going to get worse. Losing someone so young, especially in a tragic way, is absolutely heartbreaking.

“They argued, and he told her to get lost. Refused to drive her home, which honestly might have been just as disastrous since he was still wasted the next morning. Julia left, like he told her to. I think she only made it about a mile before she stumbled in front of a truck speeding down the road and was hit. The driver said he just didn’t see her, that she came out of nowhere, but he hit her straight on. She died immediately on impact.”

“Oh, Jaxon… I don’t even know what to say.” My eyes are watering, hearing the anguish in his voice. He tightens his hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead as he finishes his story.

“We confronted the guy the next morning. We just wanted to know what happened and why she was out on the road, alone, that late at night. He didn’t give a fuck about it. Practically mocked us while alcohol was still seeping from his pores. I was only seventeen at the time, but I lost it and went for him. He was so drunk he didn’t even put up a fight. The cops interviewed him, and decided that while they all made stupid decisions, he legally didn’t do anything wrong, even if morally he did.

“Now, even twenty years later, whenever I run into him, he’s a condescending prick and rubs it in my face that she died without any fallback on him. So, yeah. I ran into him and he made a point to let me know he remembers my sister and how she died.”

Anger laces my words when I spit out, “He’s a horrible person. I hate that there are people in existence like that.”

“Amen to that. Anyway, that’s why I was quiet. I went to my parents to unwind and get out of my head. I know you’ve already forgiven me, but again, I’m sorry for going silent on you. It really wasn’t you. It was me and my demons.”

I tug at my fingers nervously, hating that he was feeling so hurt and I didn’t even know. “Are you okay now? I mean, I know you’ll probably never be fully okay from it, because how could you? But from this instance, are you in a better head space?”

Jaxon’s smile is genuine and filled with so much appreciation. I wish I could throw myself at him and give him a massive hug.

“So fucking sweet. Yeah, sweetheart. I’m in a much better place now. Just needed that time.” He stops the truck and pops it into park. “We’re here.”

I look at the front of the store, sad I have to leave. “Thanks for the ride, Jaxon.”

“Anytime, sweet girl.”

That does it for me. This time I do fall into him, wrapping my arms around his neck to give him a hug. He’s so warm and welcoming that I wish I could stay here forever. Jaxon Thorton just feels safe, like a home.

I end the hug and scramble out of his truck, whispering a quick goodbye before running into the store with Mason’s horse, Austin’s, new toy tucked against my chest.

Sneaking into the horse barn, I quietly look around to ensure I’m alone. I tried to show up earlier than normal, and it looks like there’s no sign of Mason yet.

Tiptoeing up to Austin’s pen, I step onto the gate, so my head is high enough to come face to face with his eggshell white face.

“Good morning, Austin. You’re a good boy today, aren’t you?”

He eyes me sleepily as if he’s pissed I’m disturbing his beauty rest, but I persist, wanting to gain his attention.

“Listen, I might have a friend who’s got these amazing horse toys, and he gave me one just for you. Would you like to see?”

Clicking my tongue, I hang my arm over the gate and wiggle my fingers for him to come closer. Austin huffs out a snort, then takes a tentative step toward me, keeping a space between us as he sniffs the air to see what I’ve got for him.

Pushing up on my toes, I try to reach further in. “If you let me pet you, I promise I’ll show you what I’ve got. It’s a real great toy. I’ve heard all the horses love it.” Pausing, I cock my head just as he seems to do the same. “Do you believe me?”

I know animals can’t understand us, but I swear to God, Austin does. He takes another step and pushes his nose into my hand, his nostrils flaring under my palm as he scents me, looking for his treat.

Sliding my hand around, I brush against his nose and stroke him softly. “If Mason will let me, next time I come, I’ll bring you a treat. But are you ready to see what I’ve brought you?”

He lifts his head up when I pull away to reach down next to my feet, quickly bringing up the large volley-ball sized ball with a rope strung through, a longer length on one end tied with a knot.

I cup the ball in both my hands and try to balance myself as I hold it out to him over the gate. He touches his nose to it but doesn’t take it from me. Sniffing and opening his mouth, he checks it out before backing up a step as if he smelled another animal.

“Oh, come on, boy. I know it’s not brand new. No need to be a snob about it. I’m sure if your Mason saw you playing with this, he’d be happy to know you’re enjoying it. Here,” I say, shoving it out to him again to catch his interest. “Just try it out.”

There’s a muffled noise from somewhere in the back of the barn, but when I check over my shoulder, I don’t see any movement. Maybe it was something from another barn?

Shrugging, I turn back to face Austin again. In my distraction, he’s come closer again and stretches his neck out to scent the ball once more. This time, when he opens his mouth, he bites at the rope and yanks it free from my hands.

“Oh, good boy! See? It’s pretty awesome, right?”

I swear, I’m grinning from ear to ear when he lifts his head to swing the ball. When it flies up and smacks him in the face, he drops it heavily as if it’s a snake ready to bite, backing into the corner.

My smile falls and I try to get closer, holding my hand out to him. “Come on, baby boy. It’s alright. Why don’t you show me how smart you are and pick up the ball?”

He inches forward and blows air from his nostrils over the toy, then picks it up again. Tossing it with his mouth, he jerks his head up and down, making it swing around, and I can’t stop the giggle from escaping when he seems to enjoy it.

Folding my arms across the top of the gate, I watch him play for a bit as he gets more and more into it, his tail whipping around as he shifts around in his stall. He drops it a few more times, but he doesn’t shy away from it now. He quickly picks it up and tosses it around again, and I feel as if I’ve done something wonderful.

Sighing in pleasure, I stretch my arm out again and graze my fingers over his fur I can just barely reach. “I need to go feed the babies now, but you enjoy this. I’ll be back to play with you later.” Hoping down from the ledge I was standing on, I pause and turn back to him, then add, “Don’t tell Mason. I’m not sure he’ll love that I brought you something, but I think you deserve some happiness.”

Scurrying out of the barn, I leave Austin behind as he continues to play with his toy and find my kittens. Dropping to my knees, I cuddle Bonnie into my chest and rub my cheek against her face as she purrs and kneads her paws against me while Buck flies everywhere, chasing a piece of straw.

I hope Mason will let them stay when I eventually have to stop working here. I’m sure that this won’t last forever, but they’ve just begun their lives and they deserve to be well loved.

Everyone does.