Chapter 15 Challenge Accepted?
challenge accepted?
ROXANNE
I should’ve seen that coming.
Duke didn’t just challenge me to go rafting, he baited me.
Laid out the chessboard, knocked over a few pawns, and waited until I stepped right into the move he wanted.
I hate that I didn’t realize it until it was too late.
Fine, so I found it difficult to concentrate when he didn’t have a shirt on.
It had taken all my willpower to listen to anything he said when he was standing so close to me, the hard lines of his body glistening with sweat…
That man has no right being so attractive. He should be forced to register as a controlled substance.
What I hate even more is that once again, he isn’t wrong.
For all my talk of being independent and capable, I have been hiding in New York and if given the chance, I may do the same here.
Duke picked up on it and then saw what I needed before I could tell him, which is possibly the most infuriating thing of all.
I throw myself into clearing out my inbox, anything to block out the echo of Duke’s voice and the irritating spark of adrenaline that still simmers beneath my skin from being near him.
As soon as my blood reduces from a boil, my thoughts drift back to wondering why Duke refused to be interviewed.
Though he doesn’t want to talk about himself, his little stunt did reveal something about him.
He is skilled at reading people and understanding what they need.
I jot down notes about Duke in the back of my notebook.
Duke: Observant, intuitive, a pain in the ass, I scratch. Assertive and authoritative when he needs to be. Must find a way to get him to sit down for an interview. Also, deep scar on right shoulder, another jagged one that cuts across his torso. What happened?
I jot down a few more notes and decide to head back to the main lodge.
As I walk, notebook in hand, the sun presses against my shoulders like it’s trying to coax me into relaxing.
Dear Sun,
I’m not in the mood.
Sincerely,
This lady who’s not ready to admit you’re making the day beautiful.
I ignore the warm and soothing ways of the morning light. Still, I can’t help but notice things.
A screen door slaps shut in the distance. Horses neigh somewhere beyond the ridge. Someone laughs and it floats on the sweet breeze.
My fingers itch for my pen. Whether I want to admit it or not, the story’s already building itself in my mind. I’m catching the rhythms of the ranch, the subtle choreography that makes this place tick. Maybe that’s what helps people heal and what I need to pay more attention to.
It’s all so charming, like something out of a feel-good Netflix show.
Nice try Firebird Ranch, but I will not be fooled.
I’m here to do a job. I’ll capture the allure and purpose of this place, but I’ll not be sucked in by tree swings and starry skies and certainly not by a gravel-voiced mountain man.
I push through the door, bracing for whatever the day will bring.
Allie and Leo are sitting in the lobby and have papers and various tech gadgets out on the long wooden coffee table in front of them.
“Hey, sweetie,” Allie says when she glances up at me. “You look pale. What? Oh no—”
I swallow and sit next to Leo. “Somehow, I agreed to go white water rafting tomorrow.”
Leo’s lips part. “What?”
“It was …”
Allie nods, smiles, and finishes my sentence. “Cowboy Ken. Wow, he’s good.”
I shake my head. “What does that mean?”
Allie reaches over Leo for my hand. “Nothing, listen, don’t think about it right now. We’re going to have some lunch, soak up some sun at the pool and then Rusty and Topper said we’re going to make s’mores out by the fire pit after dinner tonight.”
“Right.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes briefly. “Okay.”
Allie and Leo keep me busy all day, which helps me stop thinking about rafting. By evening, Rusty, Topper, and Georgia gather around the fire pit for s’mores and stories, but there’s still no sign of Duke. I can’t stop glancing toward the dark edges of the property, expecting him to appear.
The fire crackles, the stars go on forever and for once, I’m outside at night without that familiar claustrophobic fear of the woods pressing in.
You know what? I’m glad Duke hasn’t shown up. Let him stay tucked away in whatever secret lair he crawls into at night. I don’t need the smug grin across the flames—or the way he somehow manages to smell like sun-drenched temptation.
Why are you even thinking about him, Roxanne? You know how this ends.
That thought lingers as I close the book on my story for the night.
The churn of my insides prevents me from getting a solid night’s sleep, so I’m up early drinking coffee and trying to figure out what inappropriate clothing I’ll be wearing on our excursion.
“Brilliant, Rox,” I say out loud as I pace around the room. “How the hell are you going to go whitewater rafting?”
A soft knock at my door stops me and when I open it, Leo and Allie are in the hallway dressed as they should for a day on the water in board shorts and SPF shirts. I can’t help but smile seeing Allie with a white triangle of zinc sunscreen on her nose.
“You two look runway ready,” I say, motioning them into the room before closing the door behind us.
“Thank you,” Leo says. “If Lumberjack core is ever a Met Gala theme, I’ll be completely prepared.”
“And you look like you’re about to have a panic attack,” Allie says, rubbing my arm.
“Already had it,” I say, flopping down on the bed.
“Your room is bananas. Look at this view,” Allie says, peeking through the drapes to gape at the view of the valley and Granite Peak. “You need to keep these drapes open.”
“I’m really not interested in the view,” I say.
“Still?” Leo asks as he sits next to me.
“Always,” I reply.
“I don’t know, the view just got a whole lot hotter,” Allie says, almost pressing her head against the glass.
“Cowboy Ken?” Leo asks and tosses his hat on the bed.
“No, Wyatt,” Allie says. “I mean, Duke is like out-of-this-world attractive, but I love that Wyatt has this cool mustache. He really does look like a cowboy from the 1800s.”
“I agree both men are toasty. Thank goodness I’m married to a wonderful man in New York or my eyes might wander,” Leo says.
“Your eyes were wandering all over Duke when he was chopping wood yesterday,” Allie scoffs.
“I have every right to window shop,” Leo counters. “But we need to focus, my sweet, our girl here has gotten herself into a jam.”
“Oh, yes.” Allie turns from the window and sits down next to me.
I bury my head in my hands. “How the hell am I going to do this? I barely survived the plane ride in, and now I’ve agreed to throw myself into a river?”
“You don’t have to go,” Leo says.
“I do have to go.”
“I agree,” Allie says. “How are you going to write about the ranch if you don’t immerse yourself in everything?”
I rub my face. “That’s not why I have to go.”
“Then why?” Leo asks.
I gesture to the window. “Because that damn man said he didn’t think I could handle it.
” I pull my hair into a ponytail. “I was using the library in his house to check emails, and he barged in … shirtless … sweaty … standing so close …” my voice trails off and for a moment, I’m there in the office desperately trying not to outwardly gawk at every hard line of his body.
Allie snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Hello? Where’d you go?”
“To the valley of Duke, that’s where,” Leo says, resting his hands on his crossed legs.
I slip off the bed. “I didn’t go anywhere. Anyway, let’s do this, shall we?”
“Hear, hear,” Allie says, raising an invisible glass. “But … is that what you’re wearing? I’m not sure a button-down from Barney’s will work.”
I glance down at my attire. “This is the best I can do.”
“Oh dear,” Leo sighs.
“You could borrow one of my flannels,” Allie offers.
“I love you for that, but your clothing has never fit me.”
“True,” Allie says with a sigh. “Why do you have to be so damn tall?”
“Apologies.” I say with a shrug. “I didn’t plan on doing much recreation while I was here. I couldn’t bring myself to pack the attire. Honestly, coming here …” I sit back down on the bed in between them. “This was the last place I wanted to end up in … again.”
Leo slips his arm around me. “I know. I’m sorry. We got swept up in all the excitement of this, and we’ve not been more sensitive to how hard this must be for you.”
I lean my head on his shoulder while Allie rubs soothing circles into my back.
“Forget what I said. You don’t have to go rafting,” Allie offers. “We’ve only been here a few days, and there’ll be other activities to observe and participate in. You’ll have plenty to write about.”
My shoulders relax. “That’s true. I should do what I feel comfortable with and today, maybe that’s staying behind.”
Allie pats me on the back. “Right, totally, because we’ll be taking video of the entire experience. I’d take the rest of the day to indulge yourself if I were you.”
“Maybe I’ll go dip my toes in the hot tub,” I say. “Will that count as some self-care?”
Allie and Leo can’t hide their downturned expressions as they make for the door, but I already feel myself calming down as the pressure lifts.
I don’t want Duke to win this round, but I am captain of my soul after all.
I’m going to decide what’s right for me and when, and it won’t be because Cowboy Ken tricked me into doing something.
“I’ll have a glass of wine waiting for you two when you get back,” I say.
“Deal,” Allie says as she takes Leo’s hand and walks down the hallway.