23. Denton
DENTON
Iwake up to Sorrel softly breathing in my ear. Even in her sleep her natural beauty is astounding. Her blonde waves are scattered in every which way and her eyelids flutter like she must be dreaming about something.
I have a feeling she isn’t going to be feeling her best today so I go in search of some Advil for the pounding headache I assume she’ll have when she wakes up. It’s tucked away in her medicine cabinet and I shake a few out in my hand to leave by her bedside with a glass of water.
There’s no way we’ll make it in time for breakfast at the main house so I scour through the fridge to see what I can throw together.
There are eggs, some bread and cheese. Eggs sandwiches it is then.
Dash is pawing at his food bowl, demanding his breakfast be served now.
I fill up his bowl and give him a little pat on the head while he eats like it’s his last meal on earth.
Laughing, I begin working on the sandwiches.
Eggs over medium with melted cheese on top and toasted bread.
Hopefully it will be edible. My mom taught me to cook when I was younger but tour life is mostly fast food or the occasional steak at a restaurant.
Maybe we could steal Jo away to come on tour with us and cook all our meals.
Clint would probably lock her away in hiding if we even suggested it. I hear a groan come from the bedroom.
“My head hurts,” she calls out.
“Advil on the nightstand,” I holler back to her.
When she emerges from the dark room, she’s covering her eyes and squinting.
“Too bright out here.”
I’m trying to hold back my laughter. She was hilarious last night. The way she talked about marriage, I kind of hope her drunken thoughts are her sober truths.
“Breakfast is ready. Sit down,” I tell her, motioning to the round wooden table in the corner of the kitchen. I place the plate down in front of her and she makes a gagging noise as she tries to take a bite.
I almost spit my food out laughing. “That bad, huh?”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just the smell of the eggs.” She plugs her nose, trying again.
“It’s really good,” she mumbles with food in her mouth and her nose plugged.
I’ve never seen her like this and it’s cute to see her not all put together for once. She takes a few more bites and then gives the rest to Dash. I finish mine off and clear our plates.
“So,” I say, over my shoulder as I wash the plates in the sink.
“The tour is approaching fast and I’m going over dates with Jake and the guys on a Zoom call today.”
I look back over my shoulder to see she’s not looking at me. She’s in a daze staring out the open front door.
“Okay, sounds good,” is all she says, when she finally replies. It seems like her head is in a totally different place.
“Did you want to be a part of it or listen in?”
“Um no, I think I’m good. I decided for the fall shows I’ll probably just ride along with you guys if that’s okay. Then in the summer is when I’ll bring my rig and rodeo.”
My eyes light up. I get excited she’ll be on the road with us and really get to take it all in for the first part of the tour.
“Sounds great! So, uh, do remember what you said last night?”
She cringes and looks down at her ballerina-pink nails.
“Not much,” she admits.
Finished with the dishes, I go up behind her and give her a shoulder rub.
She moans with pleasure and it sends a shock through my core.
I glance down at my phone and realize it’s already past eleven.
Fuck I wish I had more time before the Zoom meeting to carry her back to bed and give her what she wanted last night.
“My meeting starts soon. Why don’t you go sleep off your hangover a little more? I’ll take the meeting on the porch so I don’t disturb you.”
“You’re too good to me,” she says with a soft smile. Tilting her chin up toward me, I lean down and give her a warm and gentle kiss.
She walks back to the bedroom and Dash takes off after her, losing traction on the hardwood floor, trying to keep his long body straight.
“Chill, little dude, she’s not leaving you.” I laugh.
Shit, it’s 11:10 a.m. and the meeting is in five minutes. I grab my laptop and a glass of sweet tea and get comfortable in my rocking chair on the porch. I like the fact that I now have my own designated rocking chair. It’s really starting to feel like home here.
I know Sorrel and I will both miss our lives here at the ranch and our afternoon lunches we spend together on the porch swing. I can picture living a slow life here with her, but I committed to at least one year of touring and we’ll make new memories together on the road.
If there’s one way to test a relationship, it’s traveling together. The stress of driving and being in different towns with sleepless nights started to wear on me when I was single.
It’ll be interesting to see how I’ll handle it now with another person. A person whose feelings I care about.
The Zoom call connects and the guys are all here. Even Ray—it’s important he gets all the details and dates of the tour too. Jake jumps right into it.
We now have a tour manager. Her name is Emily.
She seems nice enough but I’m not sure how good she’ll fit in with me and the guys.
I’ll make sure we all at least give her a chance.
We start the tour off on September third, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and from there we travel around the United States with three shows on and three to four days off in between.
We’ll be on the road until November fifth and then we break until the new year.
My stomach is starting to hurt and my nerves are on edge. It’s a lot to take in. There are more performances than I realized there would be. I’ve gotten way too settled in here at the ranch and I feel like my whole world is about to be turned upside down.
. . .
Later that afternoon Sorrel helps Sofia with her first barrel.
She missed their lesson this morning due to her hangover but she’s feeling better now.
I sit on the arena fence watching them. She’s a great teacher and so patient with her, really taking her time to explain everything.
I imagine her teaching a little cowgirl of her own how to barrel race someday.
She’ll be an amazing mother. My mind wanders and thinking about her bred makes the zipper of my pants twitch.
I’ve never thought about anyone this way and there’s so many feelings stirring in me I feel like I’m going to burst with happiness.
After their lesson we have dinner in the main house with everyone. When I finally get her alone, it takes everything in me not to grab her and rip her clothes off. She finally puts me out of my misery and we practice that breeding part I was thinking about earlier.
September is here before we know it. The last few weeks on the ranch have been nothing short of heavenly.
I spent most of my days helping Ryder with ranch work.
We fixed fences, worked on equipment, and made sure we have enough hay and grain for the Montana winter.
Sorrel harvested the rest of her garden before everything died from the cold.
I loved seeing her out there covered in dirt and squealing with excitement when she finally got a normal-looking carrot.
She had started the garden over the summer as a new hobby when she quit rodeoing for that brief time.
Her garden flourished just like she had.
When I met her earlier in the year, I knew something inside of her was broken.
But now she’s healing and reclaiming her wholeness.
It hasn’t been easy but I’m damn sure glad to be part of her journey.
We leave tomorrow morning and I want to ask her to officially be my girlfriend.
“So, you gonna tell me where we're going? I’m not sure how safe being blindfolded on horseback is,” Sorrel says.
“I’ve got you, darlin’, don’t you know that by now?”
I put her on Duke and I have him ponying next to Whiskey so I can surprise her. I probably shouldn’t have rode Whiskey because she keeps pinning her ears and nipping at Duke every few feet.
“Quit being a bitch,” I tell her as I pull her head away from him.
“Well, that was rude!” Sorrel laughs.
“Not you—the damn horse!”
“You really know how to woo a girl, Reed,” she deadpans.
I’m fucking this all up. I want it to be perfect. The sound of cascading water now surrounds us, and I’m sure she’s probably figured out where I’ve taken her. A grin tugs at her lips as I go to take off her blindfold.