Chapter 28
I’LL THROW A PUNCH FOR THEM
As the rodeo nears, I realize I’m gonna miss watching Landry train. Not just because the man’s ass devours his jeans or because his thighs make me want to experience tapping out, but because of the beauty of it.
I love San Francisco. All the wonderful eateries, the cool breeze, people on foot everywhere, the history, Haight-Ashbury—all of it.
I love knowing I can make a copy, get a money order, or buy a pastry at any time of the day.
I love knowing we have adult film companies down the street from the best little antique shops.
I love that there is something for everyone.
But the beauty of Sable Sky, of ranch life and slow, small-town living is a different kind of thing.
I’m not just slowed down, but I find myself reaching for a glass of iced tea and conversation with Love instead of reaching for my phone to open social apps and mindlessly scroll.
There’s something about having to tether to my phone for the internet, because it’s just so crappy out here and it’s no one’s priority to boot up online at the start of each day.
Maybe that makes me an old soul, I don’t know.
I certainly love old music and vintage band tees, I love vinyls and old cameras, too.
I watch all the nineties TV shows with my mom, even.
It shouldn’t surprise me that I find the slower, more peaceful way of life to be right up my alley.
As much as I adored it, I strangely don’t find myself itching to get back to anything in the city.
“Deep in thought?” Landry walks up on me as I adjust my camera in the tripod, preparing to record one of his final rides here at the ranch.
The last few rides coming up are qualifier rides, and they matter.
If he doesn’t do well in those, he won’t even be in the running for the money.
He should be in deep thought, piled under oodles of stress.
I would be if I were him. But still, he finds me in thought and drops a kiss to my cheek while pinching his hat, because he’s thinking of me.
I can’t help but smile and lean in for another kiss, even though I know Sadie is around somewhere. Landry flashes me a grin after I kiss him. “You know Tate can see us.”
I wiggle my fingers. “We are married after all.”
We just smile at each other while sweat coats my back and flies buzz around our ankles.
“What was on your mind?” he finally asks, breaking the spell between us to get dressed. He pulls his vest on, and I help him adjust his long-sleeved flannel beneath it until he’s comfortable.
“Just thinking about how much I like this way of life.”
His hands freeze on the neck roll collar, and he peers at me, blue eyes inquisitive as ever.
“Is that right?” he asks, moving on to his chaps, shucking one thick leg through. Dust goes everywhere, and he swats it away from my face. That’s ranch romance, right there.
I nod. “Yeah, I was thinking—”
The aggressive slam of the porch screen door grabs our focus, and we both turn away from the makeshift arena to see the Montgomerys, Marnie gripping the wooden porch banister like she’s facing the eye of a storm.
Charles, at her side, peers out, a hand visoring his eyes.
He spots us, and my eyes go straight to the envelope under his arm.
“Fuck.” Landry’s voice is raw, thin, and completely bare. I reach for his hand and waffle our fingers together. I do it because I want to show him I’m here, that I support him, but I realize under the terms and conditions of our relationship I’m also doing my job.
I hate that I’m doing my job. I want to be doing it for him, for us.
“It’s okay. We’ll get through whatever this visit brings,” I assure him as we tread toward them, Landry outfitted for his training.
Charles outstretches his hand, but retracts it once Marnie casts him a glare. Landry takes off his hat and scrubs a hand over his head, nodding. “Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. Hello again.”
I peer through the screen to see Sadie inside, lying on her belly, feeding pieces of bread to Big Bertha. She must’ve let them in, and of course they took advantage of her by coming in. They both know Landry and me would have offered politely to speak on the porch.
The front porch.
I hate these people, and there’s so much I don’t know about them.
They could be animal rights activists, they could donate all their money to unhoused people, or advocate for better social programs. They could be a lot of things, but it doesn't matter, because they’re trying to tear a family apart, and I am not sure that’s redeemable.
“Hi there,” I greet them, wearing an infallible smile, for Sadie and for Landry.
“What brings you guys by?” I drop a thumb over my shoulder.
“My camera’s rolling. Tate Collier’s out there getting everything ready.
Landry’s about to ride.” That’s my way of saying we’re busy and don’t appreciate pop-ins.
Charles outstretches his hand, and the envelope lingers in the sunlight before Landry reluctantly takes it.
“What might this be?” he asks, caution laced through his words.
“The process server will deliver the official papers today.” Charles smooths his hand down his silk tie, then over his silvering locks. “But for Amelia, we thought we should tell you first.”
Process server. They’re moving forward with the custody suit. I glance up at Landry and find his nostrils flaring and the veins in his throat flexed, swollen and bulging. His restraint is immense as he calmly asks, “What’s in the envelope?”
“A copy of the custody papers that we filed in Dallas.”
“Dallas?” Landry repeats, his hand leaving mine as he tears open the packet and starts to consume the paperwork. “I can’t go back and forth. Dallas is three hours one way.”
I rock to my toes and peer over his forearm at the sea of text, snagging statements like “unstable lifestyle”, “a suspicious quick marriage”, and “the ranch and the property are significantly underwater financially”.
A moment later, Sadie guides a thin man through the house, and the four of us fall silent. Sadie, engrossed in Big Bertha who is in her arms as she keeps the porch door open with one boot, ignores us easily. I’m thankful for that right now.
“Landry Vaughn,” the man says, handing an identical envelope to him. Landry nods, confirming. The man’s smile is forced and almost apologetic as he says, “You’ve been served.”
“See?” Marnie gloats. “We thought it would be better if we broke the news first.”
“There is nothing about our relationship that is suspicious,” I try to explain, or at least my intent is to explain, but my words come out bloated with anger, loud and large.
“Landry did everything in his power to save your daughter,” I say, my hands shaking as I step what feels like too far out of line, but keep my voice low to protect the little girl inside.
My eyes lift, searching for Sadie through the open screen door that she let shut a moment ago.
I put a hand over my eyes and peer up, spotting her upstairs through the foggy old window.
She’s wearing my Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt, and my chest nearly explodes from the duality of this moment, of this little girl being in love with me and idolizing me, and these awful people trying to hurt the incredible man that raised her.
“Quinn, you don't have to,” Landry begins, but I step forward and snatch the paperwork from his hands so he doesn’t have to see it. I keep it pressed tight to my chest.
“You think he didn’t do everything he could?
” I peer at the papers, then press them back against my chest. I really don’t want Landry to look at this shit.
Not ever, but certainly not this close to rodeo day.
“Why do you think this land that has, might I add, been in his family for all of his life and all of his daddy’s life, and all of his daddy’s life—why do you think this land is suddenly not fruitful?
” I step nearer, and in the back of my brain, a small voice cautions me, because I know I’m tiptoeing the edge of my own self-control.
“He gave every last penny to her treatments and trials, he took out money against the land. He hasn’t been able to treat this place the way it needs to in order to turn a profit, because he spent everything trying to keep Amelia here, for you two, for Sadie, for himself.
” I shake my head, remembering a woman who I never met based on the beautiful things everyone around me has said.
“For everyone who loved Amelia. He did everything he could.”
Silence. Marnie’s eyes don’t leave mine, and while her expression softens, still, she doesn’t apologize. She doesn’t retract the papers, she doesn’t do anything but stare at me. I won’t back down. Landry deserves someone to stand up for him.
“And instead of making his life easier, you’re trying to take the only thing in the world that matters to him.” I clutch the papers to my heart as Landry’s hand lands on my lower back, a weight in the storm of my emotions. “Shame on you. Shame on you both. And we will see you in court.”
With that, I stand tall and firm, and don’t move a muscle. Marnie and I have a showdown where neither of us breaks our gaze, and I win, because Tate approaches from behind, stealing her focus.
“Landry, I got Twister rigged and in the chute. You ready?” Tate doesn’t even acknowledge the presence of the Montgomerys but Landry told me they grew up together, he and Tate. He obviously knows who they are.
Landry nods, and we go. And when he’s defeated Twister, that’s when the real work begins.