Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
COLE
“Remind me why we decided to do this today.”
Austin glances at me as he slows his horse to a stop. “No one else wanted to go with Cash, remember?”
“Right,” I laugh, shaking my head. Cade turned Cash down when he asked him. Amber was preoccupied with cleaning stalls. And he asked me to come with him so we could hangout.
When he saw Austin pull up, he ended up roping both of us into his mission. He was convinced there was a spot along the south side of our property that the fence needed fixed. Taking on the responsibility of the entire ranch has been a struggle for all three of us.
There’s so many moving parts, so many things to do to keep the entire business afloat. Between the cattle and the horses and Cash on the road for rodeos, it’s a lot and sometimes I wonder if we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.
We manage and we do get things handled, but at some point, we’re going to need to bring in some additional help. Our horse training business has taken off and is beginning to feel a bit overwhelming at times.
I see Cash in the distance, turning around on his horse as he waves for us to follow him.
“Look, over here!”
I dig my heels into the sides of my gelding, sitting deep in my seat as he immediately rocks, breaking into a lope. Austin clucks his tongue to the dappled mare he’s on, breaking into the same gait as we head in the direction of where Cash is sitting on his horse.
Cash slides his feet from his stirrups, throwing his leg around the withers of his horse before sliding onto the ground. He walks over to the suspicious looking post and begins to wiggle it.
It moves in the ground and when it does, it creates just enough space for a calf to slide under the rails.
“This must be where he got out from.”
I glance around, pulling out my phone to mark the exact location. Reaching into my saddle bag, I pull out a red ribbon and hand it to Cash to tie around it.
“Let’s keep them out of this field for now,” I tell Cash, glancing around the pasture. “We can get it fixed tomorrow.”
Cash shakes his head. “I can get it today, that way we don’t have to worry about it anymore.
” He walks back to his horse, grabbing the reins in his left hand as he grabs onto the horn.
He slides his left foot into the stirrup, grabbing the back of his saddle with his right hand as he hoists himself back into his seat.
“We’ll all get it,” I say as we begin to ride back toward the barn. I glance over at Austin, mischief dancing in his eyes. “I’ll race you there.”
Cash erupts with laughter, immediately leaning forward on his horse as he squeezes her body with his legs. “It’s on!”
We all break out into a gallop, our horses kicking up dust as we race across the hollow. My gelding’s legs stretch, his stride long as he carries me ahead of my brother and friend.
The wind whips past me, pushing my hair from my forehead and stinging my eyes as we all race to the barn. My reins are loose and I let my horse go at the pace he wants. Austin’s mare inches closer, but my horse refuses to let them get past us.
We all race until we’re reaching the edge of the field and I beat the two of them by a furlong.
“You cheated!” Cash yells, his horse slowing from a gallop into a lope and finally a jog. “You got a head start.”
“Don’t be a sore sport,” I retort, rolling my eyes at him. “I didn’t cheat.”
“Come on, boys,” Austin interjects. “I don’t want to be out here all day, so let’s get this done so we can go get food.”
I hop off my horse, kicking open the gate and my brother rides past me, giving me the middle finger. I give it back to him, before laughter spills from my lips.
Typical Wild brother behavior.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Austin leads the way as we walk through the front doors of the restaurant.
We end up at Harvest by the base of the mountain and head out to the veranda where they’re serving lunch.
One of their hosts seats us at a table on the far side with the best views of the mountain.
We sit and order our drinks before browsing the menu.
It doesn’t take either of us long to settle on what we’re ordering and when the server comes back with our drinks, we tell her what we both want. Austin lifts his glass, taking a sip of the mixed drink before washing it down with a gulp of water.
“I wanted to ask you about Vera’s gallery,” I start after following suit and taking a sip of my own drink. It’s strong and burns my throat as the liquor slides down. It’s a little earlier than I’d prefer it to be to drink, but it’s only one.
Austin’s cousin Vera is a world renowned art dealer with one of the biggest galleries in the country, right in the heart of Wyoming. People come from all over the world to see the art she showcases in her gallery.
Vera’s parents divorced at a young age, so half of her time was spent in Silverspur Springs and the other half was in the city.
She stumbled into the art industry after she went to school for sculpting. She was a talented artist herself and her brand originated and grew from the sculptures she created.
Austin and Vera have always been close. Her mother lived with his family for a few years while we were kids, so in a sense, they were more like brother and sister than cousins.
“What’s up?” He questions me, tilting his head to the side. “Are you looking for a painting or something?”
“I’m not,” I say, shaking my head. “Although, I have met an artist I think Vera might be interested in.”
Austin lifts his drink, taking another sip before raising an eyebrow at me. “Oh really? Who is it?”
I swallow roughly. “Ella,” I admit, my voice low.
“She’s been painting as a hobby, but her work is breathtaking.
” I pause, pulling out my phone to find the pictures I took that night at her house.
She saw me take them, but I think she thought they were so I could look at them another time.
I hand it over to Austin, watching the way his face transforms as he flips through the different painting pictures.
“Holy shit.” Austin’s eyes flash to mine before looking back at my phone. “These are incredibly realistic, yet still whimsical and artistic. Does she only do landscapes?”
I shake my head. “She has some portraits, but I wasn’t able to get any pictures of them.”
Austin narrows his eyes on mine for a moment. “Does she know you took these pictures?”
“Yes and no.” I let out a soft laugh. “She saw me take a few pictures, but she has no idea I’m talkin’ to you about them.”
“Do you think she would be interested in doing a showcase of some sort? Vera has a slot she needs to fill since someone ghosted her.” He pauses for a moment as he pulls out his phone and taps on the screen a few times.
I see Vera’s name on the screen as he puts it on speakerphone and sets it down. “I know she won’t say no to these.”
“People ghost Vera?” I ask him, raising a curious eyebrow. According to Austin, Vera has made a name for herself in the art industry and is very well known. Her gallery draws in a lot of people from all over the country, especially when they have high profile artists or work there.
“Oh, all the time,” he says, shaking his head as he rolls his eyes. “You’d be surprised how many don’t want to be the center of attention or don’t want any public recognition.”
I stare at him for a second, our conversation pausing as our server comes back with our plates.
I wait until she leaves again and play his words over in my mind.
Ella isn’t the type of person who wants any attention drawn to herself.
She’s filled with self doubt and her confidence is only now starting to bloom.
I hadn’t considered the possibility of her not wanting to do anything like this.
“Hello?”
Vera’s soft and elegant voice sounds through the speaker.
“Hey V,” Austin says, taking another sip of his drink. “You remember my friend Cole?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“So, he’s seeing this girl who paints and you’re going to want to see this.” Austin looks at me. “I’m gonna have Cole send you some pictures.”
I hand Austin my phone and he selects the photos, typing in Vera’s number before sending them to her. He hands it back to me and I watch on the screen as it changes from message delivered to read.
She’s silent for a moment. My heart thrums away inside my chest, picking up the pace before Vera finally speaks. “I want her.”
“I knew you would,” Austin chuckles.
“I don’t care what you have to do to make it happen, Austin.” She lets out a breath. “I have many clients who would pay top dollar for paintings like this.”
“So, I haven’t told her that I was going to show these to either of you,” I admit, breaking into the conversation. “Let me talk with her,” I tell Austin and Vera. “I don’t want to spring this on her without her being okay with it.”
“I have to get back to work, Austin, but I’ll send you the openings in the schedule for shows. If any of the dates work for her, let me know and we’ll get her in the gallery.”
“Sounds good,” Austin says to her, smiling at me from across the table. “I’ll keep you posted.”
Vera ends the call and Austin’s eyes scan his phone. “Vera has an opening next weekend.” He looks at me. “Do you think she’d want to do that?”
“Let me text her now.” I glance at the time on my watch. “That way if she’s not able to, you can tell Vera now.” I’m not sure what time she goes in today, but hopefully I can catch her before she is working.
Hey you. Are you busy right now? I wanted to ask you about something.
Ella
I just walked into work. Is everything okay?
Everything is great. Remember Austin’s cousin I was telling you about who owns a gallery?
Ella
I do…
Don’t hate me, but I showed Austin some of your art and he talked to Vera and she wants to bring you in to do a show next weekend.
Ella
You’re joking.
I told you your art belongs in a museum. This is just the first step, El.
Ella
I have to see if I can get someone to watch Chloe.
Chloe can always come.
Ella
I’m not sure if I have enough pieces to bring.
One would be enough.
Ella
I don’t know, Cole. I’m not sure if they’re good enough to be featured somewhere like VT Galleries.
I never mentioned the name of the gallery but she must have done some digging on the internet after I mentioned Vera’s name.
Ella, stop it. You’re more than good enough. Vera wants you there for a reason.
I need you to believe in yourself the same way I do.
Ella
But what if no one else wants them?
But what if everyone does?
Ella
I’ve never done anything like this before.
Then there’s no better time to take the plunge.
Ella
Okay, I’ll do it.
“She’s in.”
Austin smiles at me from across the table. “Wonderful. Vera wants her email address so her assistant can get in touch with her.”
Good decision.
Send me your email so they can get all the information to you.
She sends me her email and I pass it along to Austin. He doesn't hesitate to send it to his cousin. Knowing Ella is probably feeling anxious from all of this, I send her one last reassuring text.
I promise you won’t regret this.
Ella
I hope you’re right.
I know I’m right. This is the moment she needs. It’s time for her to see she’s capable of anything. Her dreams aren’t unattainable. All she has to do is push through her self doubt.
Because there isn’t a single thing this woman can’t do.