WINNIE Horny Winnie
WINNIE
Horny Winnie
"I was caught somewhere between a woman and a child / One restless summer we found love growing wild"
- Deana Carter
***
Elise coming back was supposed to be the distraction I needed.
Because Beau Sterling was becoming a problem.
He was growing on me like a rash—irritating, persistent, impossible not to scratch.
I’d spent three weeks waiting for him to crack, to whine, to call for rescue.
Instead, he was… adapting. Yesterday I caught him and Pops conspiring in the barn, laughing over some inside joke, and it hit me square in the chest.
It was endearing. It was domestic.
It made me want to scream. Or jump him.
I needed this ride. Needed to be on a horse, miles from Beau’s blue eyes and stupidly well-fitting jeans, breathing air that didn’t smell like his expensive cedar soap.
The barn door groaned open and Cassie stumbled in, looking like she’d fought a tornado and lost.
“Don’t look at me,” she groaned, shielding her eyes. “I’m hungover, hormonal, and I currently hate all men. Especially ones named Travis.”
“Travis from the feed lot?”
“Travis from hell.” She caught the saddle pad I tossed—barely—letting it smack her chest. “Ugh. Even my reflexes are tired. Please tell me we’re riding fast so I can outrun my life choices.”
“We’re riding fast.”
“Good. Because if I think for one more second about why I let a man with a barbed wire bicep tattoo talk me into tequila shots on a Tuesday, I’m walking into the creek and staying there.”
We saddled up in the easy rhythm of two people who’d been doing this since diapers. Bandit danced in the cross-ties, keyed up and ready. Thunder stood patient, mostly because Cassie usually had peppermints.
“Let’s go,” I said, swinging up. “Before I ask follow-ups about Travis.”
“No follow-ups. The answer is: I was horny, he was there, and my standards drop after midnight.”
We headed out at a brisk walk, barn fading behind us as the pasture opened up. The Oklahoma sky was huge and blue, the kind that made you feel small in the best way. We pushed into a trot, the jolt of it rattling my teeth and clearing my head.
“So,” Cassie shouted over the hoofbeats. “Speaking of horny and bad decisions—how’s the Prince of Dallas?”
I nearly choked. “I hate you.”
“Not an answer. I’ve seen you watching him. You look like a coyote eyeing a particularly juicy rabbit.”
“I do not!”
“Bitch, please. Yesterday by the trough? I thought you were gonna lick the sweat off his neck. It was pornographic.”
I pulled Bandit to a walk, face heating. “I was checking water levels.”
“You were checking ass levels. And frankly? Valid. The man is sculpted.” She smirked, adjusting her reins. “So? Have you banged him yet? I need to live vicariously through someone who isn’t sleeping with guys named Travis.”
“No! We work together. He lives in my house.”
“It’s not complicated. It’s biology. You haven’t gotten laid in a year. He’s pretty, he’s rich, and he’s currently playing cowboy in your backyard. Just ride him. It’ll clear your skin.”
“You’re crude.”
“I’m efficient.” She rolled her eyes. “Look, that’s the beauty. It’s temporary. Use him for his body and his high thread-count sheets, then send him back.”
“It’s not just that,” I admitted, words tumbling out. “He’s actually trying, Cass. He’s funny. He listens. And when he looks at me, it’s not like I’m ‘the help.’ It’s…”
“Intense?”
“Yeah.”
Cassie sobered, expression softening. “Okay. So you like him. Like him.”
“Maybe. It’s terrifying.”
“Yeah, feelings usually are. Disgusting things.” She nudged Thunder closer so our knees bumped. “But hey, if he hurts you? We bury the body. I’ve got a shovel in my truck and we know the terrain.”
I laughed, tension loosening. “Noted.”
We rode in silence—the kind you only got with people who knew your ugly parts and stayed anyway.
“You ready for Elise?” I asked after a while.
“Hell yes. I need some class to balance out the Travis incident.” Cassie grinned. “She still all… Denver?”
“Tech exec chic? Yeah. Coming to help spot me for regionals.”
“That’s huge. She’s the only person who rides better than you.”
“Don’t let Pops hear that.”
“Pops knows. Why do you think he’s making you clean like the Queen’s visiting? He’s terrified she’ll reorganize his spice rack.”
I snorted. “She definitely will. Alphabetical this time.”
We reached the creek, dismounting to let the horses drink. I sat on a log, watching water ripple over stones.
“You think I’m an idiot?” I asked quietly. “For the Beau thing?”
Cassie sat beside me, bumping my shoulder.
“I think you’re lonely, and he’s hot, and surprisingly charming for a nepobaby.
Go for it. What’s the worst? You get your heart broken?
You’ll survive. You always do.” She shrugged.
“But if you don’t… you’ll just wonder. And wondering’s worse than hurting. ”
“Since when are you wise?”
“Since the hangover wore off. Clarity comes with ibuprofen.” She stood, brushing dirt from her shorts. “Now come on. I need a greasy burger before my shift or I’m committing a felony.”
I swung back onto Bandit, feeling lighter.
Maybe Cassie was right. Maybe I was overthinking.
Just ride him.
God, she was terrible.
But she might be onto something.