Chapter 2 #2
On a laugh, I let her out of her stall and led her to the pasture, setting her loose with Dexter, the two of them running around like they’d been separated for years.
I made quick work of mucking out her stall and getting everyone fed, including Daisy, who now seemed to be giving me the silent treatment for kicking her out of the house.
With my usual morning chores done, I headed back inside to make myself a cup of coffee before heading out to the front porch like I did most mornings when the weather was warm enough.
Pushing the screen door open, I let Ziggy out to wander, knowing he wouldn’t venture far from the house.
He wasn’t really one to explore too far, but he liked to sniff around in the morning before lazing about the rest of the day.
Moving to the porch swing my dad and brother had installed for me the weekend I officially made this place my home, I snuggled into the cushions and pushed one foot against the floorboards to set me into motion.
I pulled my cardigan tighter around me and stared out at my little piece of heaven.
The birds were waking up, their song filling the air along with the calming gurgle of the stream nearby that stretched from one end of the ranch to the next and beyond.
The morning air was crisp with fall creeping up on the valley.
It wouldn’t be long before I needed several more layers in order to enjoy these quiet, peaceful mornings.
Then, eventually, the cold would be too unwelcoming, and I’d have to get my fix by standing at the window until the winter faded away into spring once more.
Mornings like this I could sit and clear my mind of all the things that stressed me out, and lately, it felt like most of my stress centered around one obnoxious, infuriating person.
Things between Raylan and me had taken a profound shift recently.
Our relationship had been a little strained after what I was dubbing the worst kiss in the history of kisses at Zach and Rae’s wedding, but, despite the constant heartache, I’d been hopeful that my feelings would eventually fade and we could get back to what we used to be.
Or at least part of what we’d used to be.
Unfortunately, things had taken a swing in the opposite direction, going from bad to worse. I didn’t know what bug had crawled up his butt, but over the past several months, the Raylan I’d known all my life had turned into a raging asshole of epic proportions.
We couldn’t be in the same room without fighting, it seemed, and more times than I could count, his surly attitude had me imagining what it would be like to hold his head under water until the splashing stopped.
Usually, when I thought about how our friendship had disintegrated, it made me sad.
More than once I’d cried myself to sleep, missing the friend I used to have.
But that sadness rarely had a chance to linger, because it never failed that Raylan would do or say something to piss me off. And the cycle would continue.
Ziggy’s sharp bark pulled me out of my head as he abandoned the shrub he’d been marking and darted back toward the porch.
At the sound of hooves clip-clopping against the hard ground, I glanced toward the copse of trees to the east, near the stream.
The nice, early morning calm I’d found, shriveled up and died as the bane of my existence came into view.
At the sight of him, Ziggy let out another bark, catching Raylan’s attention. The man and his horse both turned to look our way.
Placing my coffee mug on the small table beside me, I used my foot to bring my steady swinging to a halt, and pushed to standing, wrapping my cardigan tighter, like a protective barrier, as I moved to the porch railing.
I ignored the way the sun made his hair look like spun gold and narrowed my eyes in his direction as I crossed my arms over my chest. A breeze blew past, the chill of it suddenly reminding me that I wasn’t exactly dressed for company.
As if that wasn’t enough, I didn’t miss the way Raylan’s eyes fell to my bare legs for a beat before shooting back up to my face, his brows lowering into his typical scowl.
But I lifted my chin, refusing to show any outward signs of discomfort, and matched him, glare for glare.
“You shouldn’t be out here without clothes on,” he growled, raising my hackles even higher.
And just like that, the gloves were dropped.
“This is private property, dickwad. My property. That means I can be out here dressed however I damn well please. Hell, I could dance around my front yard, naked as the day I was born, calling up the sun if I wanted, and there isn’t a damn thing you could do about it.”
“Christ, Chaos. Relax, would you? Just headin’ back from scouting new trails and fishin’ spots for the lodge. You always have to be so goddamn combative?”
I hummed and tapped my chin in mock thought, ignoring the way that endearment sliced right through my chest like a hot knife through butter. “I don’t know, Cowboy. You always have to be such a raging hemorrhoid?”
Zephyr, Raylan’s horse, let out a chuffing sound and flicked his tail in annoyance, like he was over listening to the two of us fight.
Not a surprise, really, given that the black stallion had a temperament that matched his owner.
Raylan kept the big, beautiful animal boarded at the ranch since he used him for most of the outdoor excursions he was in charge of running for the lodge.
Usually, all animals loved me, so I blamed Zephyr’s disdain solely on the human equivalent of the poop emoji in the saddle on his back.
“I see you haven’t managed to grow up any since the last time I talked to you.”
Fucking ouch.
I froze on the spot. My lungs squeezed, and even my heart stalled for the span of a few beats as that blow found the mark necessary to inflict maximum damage.
The age gap between Raylan and me had always been a sore spot, even more so since the night he shot me down and crushed my heart.
It wasn’t the first time he’d said or done something that made me feel like a little kid.
But it was the first time he’d ever made me feel like my age somehow made me unworthy.
I tried to mask the pain, but from the way his back went straight, I had a feeling I hadn’t done a good enough job.
Raylan let out a sigh. “Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Get fu—” My words were cut off by the rustle of leaves at the tree line. A moment later, one of the lodge horses pushed through the brush with a kid who looked to be around twelve or thirteen in the saddle. I swallowed down the rest of my curse as the kid came to a stop beside Raylan.
Curious eyes bounced between the two of us before he asked, “Everything cool?”
Raylan reached over and roughed the boy’s hair playfully. “Yeah, kid. Why don’t you ride on ahead a bit. I’ll catch up. You good with that?”
“Yeah, Ray. I’m all good.” The kid looked back at me, shooting me a wonky smile that I couldn’t help but return. “Ma’am,” he greeted, puffing his chest out and peacocking for all he was worth.
I giggled just as Raylan pulled the ballcap from his head and used it to swat at the boy’s floppy hair. “Get movin’.”
With a chuckle, the boy started off, but not before twisting back and shooting me a wink. I didn’t have the first clue who he was, or what he was doing with the surly bastard who’d invaded my peaceful morning, but that kid was going to be a lady killer for sure.
“Look, Lenni,” Raylan started, but I was officially done with him.
“You know exactly where my property lines are.” He knew because he’d been a big part of helping me and my family renovate the cabin and build this place into what it was. “Next time you’re looking for a new place to take guests, make sure you steer very clear.”
With that, I snatched up my coffee cup and whistled for Ziggy to come back inside. Then I held my middle finger high in the air as I stomped back inside my house and slammed the door.