This Hick?

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

CASSIDY

I leaned against the wall, taking in the scene. Karen sat at the counter, shoulders a little less stiff than usual, holding a beer Ginny had given her. It was surprising, honestly, how well the two of them were getting along. I wouldn’t have pegged Karen as someone Ginny would warm up to, but here they were, laughing together like old friends.

Karen, the city girl who came here with a sour attitude and eyes that said she was ready to bolt at any second, was actually smiling. And not the tight, forced smile I’d seen her wear the past couple of days.

A real one.

I wasn’t surprised it was Ginny that managed to break through to the city girl. Ginny had a tough-as-nails exterior, but when she decided she liked someone, she was fiercely loyal. And for whatever reason, she found Karen’s attitude amusing.

Or maybe it was because she had another female to hang out with.

Bodie caught my eye from where he was at the stove, flipping the sandwich in the cast iron pan with practiced ease. “You going to stand there all night, or you joining us, Cassidy?”

I pushed off the wall and stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Figured I’d enjoy the show.”

Karen shot me a look over her shoulder. “What show?”

I shrugged, popping the top of my beer. “You, being all friendly. Didn’t think you had it in you. The princess joining the peons.”

Her brows lifted. “I’m friendly.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said with a smirk. “Just like Ginny’s shy and demure.”

Ginny snorted, crossing her arms. “He’s right, Karen. Your resting bitch face is admirable.”

Karen’s mouth dropped open. I half-expected her to snap back with some snarky retort, but instead, she laughed. “That’s fair. I’ve been told I have serious RBF. Although my friend Rylee makes me look like a panda.”

Ginny grinned. “I like it. Keeps people on their toes.”

I watched as Karen seemed to relax more by the minute.

“Karen, you want tomatoes on your sandwich?” Bodie asked.

Karen slid off her stool. “I’ll slice some. Anyone else want tomatoes on their sandwiches?”

“Me, please,” Ginny said.

“And onions on mine,” Kenny added.

Karen looked at me. “Tomatoes,” I said.

I watched as Bodie told her where the knives and cutting board were. She grabbed what she needed and got busy. Bodie asked her to chop more onions for the chili he was making for dinner.

I took another drink from my beer. She caught me staring and gave me a hard look. “What?”

“I guess I’m surprised you know your way around a kitchen.”

She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. “Just because I’m from the city doesn’t mean I’m helpless. I know how to cook.”

I smirked and walked around to sit at the island. Ten minutes later, we were served gourmet grilled sandwiches with homemade potato wedges with Bodie’s secret seasoning concoction.

“These are so good!” Karen exclaimed as she reached for another wedge.

“Bodie is our secret weapon,” I said. “The other ranches might have high-speed internet, but we’ve got a legit camp cook.”

Karen took another drink from her beer before wiping her mouth. “Do you guys always drink in the middle of the day?”

Kenny and I laughed.

“Lady, we’ve been up since four,” Kenny said. “We’ve put in a full day’s work already.”

She looked surprised.

“Yeah, I suppose city folks are used to keeping different hours,” I added, grinning at her.

“Yep, just like everyone else in the world,” she replied, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her beer bottle. “You all are the weird ones in that respect.”

“Fair enough,” Ginny said.

We only had the rest of the day off because the ranch was slow. The snow had slowed things down. We did our chores and there wasn’t much else to do. Sadly, the lodge wasn’t full. No one was doing horseback riding. There were no hayrides with the mud and snow.

Karen finished her lunch and looked around. “I guess I should get back to the books.”

“Or you can come to the bunkhouse with us,” Ginny said. “I’m looking forward to cards and drinks by the fire.”

I raised a brow. “You really think Karen wants to cram into the bunkhouse with all of us?”

Ginny turned to Karen, eyes flashing with amusement. “What do you say? I promise it’s more fun than math.”

We all watched Karen, judging her expression. She looked like she was trying to decide if we were messing with her.

“Why not? Let’s do it.” She shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Ginny looked at me and grinned. “Told you so.”

Maybe it was just me Karen didn’t like. I didn’t think I had been all that rude to her, but she clearly didn’t like me.

“Alright.” I looked Karen up and down. “Tell me you have actual boots.” I gestured to the footwear she had on. I knew what Uggs were. They weren’t meant for mud and snow.

Karen shot me a dirty look. “Yes, I have actual boots.”

“Go get them on,” Ginny said. “We’ll wait for you.”

Karen walked away while the three of us walked into the great room and started to put on our coats. Once she was out of earshot, Kenny elbowed me. “Ease up on her, Cassidy. She’s tryin’. This isn’t her thing.”

I took a deep swig of my beer, not quite ready to admit he might be right. “She’s just so shiny. Green.”

Kenny shrugged. “Shiny or not, she’s here now. We might as well make her feel welcome.”

“I like her,” Ginny said.

“You like her because she’s another girl to pal around with,” I said.

She shrugged. “Yeah, no shit. I’m tired of your ugly mugs.”

Karen returned wearing a pair of sturdy boots. She had put on her coat and a pink hat with actual fucking sparkly gems on it.

I looked at Kenny. He just laughed. We walked outside. The snow had stopped, and the sky was clear, promising a cold night. We crunched across the frozen ground toward the bunkhouse. It was small, built for the ranch hands, but I knew it would be warm inside from the fire Kenny had started earlier.

Karen glanced around the cozy but cramped space, raising an eyebrow. “You all share this?”

Ginny plopped down on one of the couches, grinning. “Yup. Cozy, isn’t it?”

Karen made a face, though I could tell she wasn’t serious. “I can’t believe it. How do you stand it surrounded by all these men?”

“I probably snore louder than all of the men combined,” Ginny said, laughing.

“That’s not a lie,” Kenny chimed in, earning himself a playful shove from Ginny. “It’s like a chainsaw in here at night.”

Karen seemed a little uncomfortable. She was seeing things from the perspective of the people who lived and worked here every day. We didn’t live in the lap of luxury. We worked our asses off and settled for basic creature comforts like a hot fire and a lumpy couch.

“Who’s ready for a real drink?” I asked.

“Me!” Ginny’s hand shot up.

I walked to the small kitchen that wasn’t really meant to cook anything. We used it to heat up soup or make coffee. Most of our meals were in the lodge.

I grabbed the bottle of liquor and four mismatched glasses. I poured three and then looked at Karen, who had finally taken a seat in an old armchair. It was old and ugly as sin, but it was comfy, kind of like the ranch.

“I don’t know how to make a margarita or whatever froufrou drink city girls like,” I said.

“Are you talking to me?” Karen asked with irritation. “I live in Dallas, not Paris. I’ll drink what everyone else is drinking.”

Kenny laughed. “It’ll put hair on your chest.”

“Maybe that’s what I need to stay warm,” Karen replied dryly.

“Poker?” Ginny asked, smiling.

“Set it up,” I said.

Ginny and Kenny got the card table set up. I carried the drinks over, making it a point to hand one to Karen.

“Thank you,” she said with a tight smile.

I realized she really didn’t like me.

Kenny stoked up the fire before we all sat down. Ginny dealt the cards. I kept my eye on Karen, curious how she’d handle the liquor. Something about her told me she wasn’t used to this kind of drinking. She was more of a fruity cocktail girl, the kind who’d order a bellini at brunch and call it a treat. I bet she settled in with a glass of white wine at the end of the day.

As the night wore on, I refilled everyone’s glass several times. I was right. Little Princess was feeling the whiskey. Her cheeks were flushed. She had gotten the hiccups twice so far. She was trying her best to stifle them.

“Try holding your breath,” Ginny suggested. “Like blow your cheeks out.”

Karen tried it, but after a few seconds, the hiccups returned. “Ugh.” She groaned.

“BOO!” Kenny shouted loud enough to make me jerk.

“What the hell, man?” I frowned and wiped the droplets that had jumped out of my cup when I jerked.

“I was scaring her,” Kenny said.

Just then, Karen hiccupped again. “Didn’t work,” she said.

“Okay, then you have to drink upside down,” Ginny declared.

Karen looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “That’s not physically possible.”

Ginny was insistent. “Trust me, it works!”

With a resigned sigh, Karen leaned over the back of the couch and tried drinking from her glass upside down. The result was predictable. She got water up her nose and ended up bursting into coughing fit.

Ginny was laughing so hard she was doubled over. Even I had to chuckle. Karen was laughing too, wiping water from her face as she hiccupped again.

“Damn it, Ginny!” Karen sputtered, still giggling. “You’re going to drown me before this night’s over.”

Ginny wiped tears from her eyes, still grinning. “Worth it.”

By the end of the night, Karen was drunk—no question about it. She swayed a little when she stood up. “I’m going to go to bed,” she said.

More like slurred. I knew I couldn’t let her try to walk back to the lodge by herself. She’d end up face down in the snow and end up with hypothermia. With a sigh, I pushed off the couch and grabbed her arm.

“Come on,” I said. “I’ll walk you back.”

She blinked up at me, her eyes a little glassy from the whiskey, but she didn’t argue. I reached for her hand to steady her.

I helped her zip her coat. “See you tomorrow!” Ginny called out.

The night was still clear, the stars bright above us. As we walked, she tipped her head back, staring up at the sky.

“Wow,” she whispered, her voice soft with awe. “I’ve never seen the stars like this before.”

I glanced over at her, watching the way her face lit up as she took it all in. She wasn’t wrong—it was a beautiful night. But more than that, I found myself watching her instead of the sky. There was something different about her in that moment, something softer. For the first time since she’d arrived, I didn’t mind being around her. Drunk Karen wasn’t so bad.

“You don’t get this in the city,” she said.

“No, you don’t,” I agreed.

She caught me looking at her and smiled before she quickly looked away. She tripped and nearly fell. I pulled her against me to keep her upright.

When we finally reached the lodge, I helped her up the stairs to her room. She was wobbling a bit. I had to practically pour her into bed. I crouched down to pull off her boots, something I did for no one.

“I saw those pictures in the kitchen,” she said, her voice slurred slightly from the alcohol. “You’re in a lot of them.”

I paused, glancing up at her. “Yeah? So?”

She shrugged, her head sinking into the pillow with a loud sigh. “Bodie said something about this ranch becoming yours one day. Is that true?”

I stared at her for a moment, debating whether or not to tell her. “Yeah, it’s true.”

She blinked up at me, then started laughing. “That’s funny.”

I frowned. “What’s so funny about that?”

She managed to stop giggling long enough to explain, between hiccups. “Maybe your punishment for being such a grumpy ass is to inherit a ranch that’s already in debt.”

I stared at her, caught between being offended and wanting to laugh. She wasn’t wrong, after all. “You don’t think I can handle running a ranch?”

She snorted and pulled the blanket over herself. “I don’t see how your grumpy disposition is going to do you any favors in the customer service business. You’re a prickly porcupine.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “I can honestly say I’ve never been called that.”

“I figured it was nicer than calling you a jerk.”

She had a point. But still, hearing her say it out loud made me realize something. Despite all her jabs, she wasn’t entirely wrong. I kind of liked that she had the balls to say it.

“Get some sleep,” I said. “You’re going to have a prickly porcupine in your head in the morning.” I made it to the door and had to take one last look. She was watching me like she wanted to say something. “What?”

Her face took on a somber expression. “You’re not a porcupine. I sincerely apologize. That was rude of me.”

“You? The opinionated city girl? Rude?” I teased.

She groaned and rolled over. I shook my head and walked out.

The woman was something else.