Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rhett
I’m a sweaty mess, but nonetheless, a wave of satisfaction rolls over me. I woke hours before the sun was up for the past week and a half, working closely with Austin, the soon-to-be owner of Copper Hill. Calving season ended in May, but breeding season is May through August. Plus, the cattle are grazing this time of year, so we are moving them to different pastures sometimes three times a day.
Even though we’ve been busy, something about working on the ranch brings me peace, and I’ve needed some peace after my conversation with Callie.
“Hey, you two! Glad you finally came back,” Lauren remarks as Austin and I enter the barn. She leans in to give her fiancé a quick kiss. “Are you two wrapped up yet?”
“Actually, I have one more project if you’re up for it, Rhett.”
Glancing at my watch, I note it’s 9:30 pm. I’ve been going home later than this for the past week, but I’m exhausted. “I think I should head home now. I’ll see you tomorrow though.”
Austin gives me a smile and a firm handshake. As I head toward my truck, I hear the happy couple murmuring to one another. They don’t sound so happy. I guess wedding planning can be stressful. Turning my key in the ignition, my lights flicker on just in time to illuminate Lauren marching out of the barn with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
The sight reminds me of my stupid fight with Callie. I must’ve looked like such a child for marching out of the café like that, but she caught me off guard. I thought I was doing a better job of hiding my feelings for Olivia than I apparently am.
It’s just so complicated. It’s not like I’m still hung up on Isabel. I will always love her, but four years has been enough time for me to recognize that I have room in my heart for someone else. I want to love again. I do, but I also don’t trust myself, and I’m terrified of losing someone.
I could open up my heart to Olivia, but it would only get crushed in a matter of time. I’d mess it up, or she’d be taken away from me, perhaps sooner than later considering her time in Roots has an expiration date.
Pulling into the driveway at home, the soft yellow glow of the living room light catches my eye. She’s still awake. I’ve avoided Olivia for a full ten days, getting up before her and coming home after she’s gone to bed. I’m not sure if I have the clarity I need yet, and I don’t think I’ll get it by being with her, but seeing the light on in the living room makes me suddenly aware of the dull ache that’s settled upon me since I’ve last seen her. Living without her feels like trying to get somewhere with no map. I might be able to continue like this. I might get where I need to go eventually, but it’s painful and unnecessary.
I lock my truck and walk toward the house, not moving my eyes away from that beckoning light, and the ache turns sharper by the second. I need to see her, so badly that I think I’m seeing things. I could’ve sworn I just saw her amber eyes and dark brown hair popping over the window ledge.
When I get to the front porch, the door swings open, and Olivia runs at me with a frying pan in her hands and a wild look in her eyes.
I leap back, holding my hands in front of my face. “Woah! What the hell are you doing?”
“Rhett?” She drops the pan, looking surprised. “You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing home this early?”
A pang of guilt hits me in the chest as I take her in. Her hair is tossed up into a messy bun. Little strands of wispy hair outline her face. She’s wearing a wrinkly USF t-shirt and sweatpants. Her freckles have come in since when she first got here, the sun doing wonders to bring out her natural beauty. I don’t think she’s ever looked more beautiful.
“I’m sorry I’ve been coming home so late.” I close and lock the door behind me. “Is this how you protect yourself in case of an intruder? Run at him with a frying pan?”
"Sorry, I don’t know where you keep your baseball bats.”
“You don’t need a bat or a frying pan. Nothing bad ever happens in Roots. Even if it did, you should know you can call me.”
“You haven’t been around though. I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”
“I—” I stop dead in my tracks. I don’t know what I’m doing. I didn’t plan on seeing her tonight. My heart brought me here without giving my head any say in the matter. “I’ve been really busy helping out at Copper Hill for the past week and a half. This is our busiest time of year.”
“Do you like your job?” She pats the cushion on the couch, waiting for me to join her. I settle down just on the other side of Maverick.
“I love it. Austin isn’t the greatest boss in town, but I love the work. Plus, Lauren has been helping out a good amount over the last year since she got out of college, and I like working with her. She’s sweet and quiet, but she has this sassy, sarcastic side that will come out every now and then, and it’s always fun.”
“Who are Lauren and Austin?”
“Oh yeah, I guess I forgot you don’t know this town like the back of your hand just yet.” I chuckle softly. “Remember I told you Charlie Rhodes left Roots and his little sister’s fiancé is in line to take over Copper Hill?” She nods. “Lauren is Charlie’s little sister, and Austin is her fiancé.”
“Lauren and Austin. Got it. It’s locked in now.” She touches her pointer finger to her temple, a look of laser focus on her face.
Silence falls over us, and I’m forced to consider what my intentions are now that we are finally face to face again. I’m no longer na?ve enough to believe I can ignore my feelings for Olivia, but I’m not sure what to do about them. She’s leaving soon, and I have demons I need to deal with. This relationship would be doomed before it even began. I feel like a fool. I should’ve taken more time.
Picking at her nails, Olivia glances up at me, breaking the silence. “I’ve been revamping the social media for Resilient Paws. I made a post the other day, and it just took off.” She reaches over Maverick to hand me her phone, leaning in to watch over my shoulder as I take a look at the screen.
“Eight hundred thousand views? This is incredible! How did you manage that?”
She tries to humbly hide the smile growing on her face, but it slips through anyway. “I’m not exactly sure what I did. The audio I used was trending and I synced up the music to the video well. I think that helped. I’m confident the rest was just the dogs being their wonderful selves.”
“I think it had a little bit to do with the person behind the camera being her wonderful self too.”
She blushes. “I guess it pays to be authentic. I had this idea in my head for a couple weeks, but I couldn’t figure out how I wanted to do it. I finally decided to just post it, and here we are. Resilient Paws got over one hundred new followers out of all the attention, and I think it’s going to help me promote the fundraiser.”
“This is amazing. You have a gift. I can’t stop watching the video. It’s no wonder it went viral.”
“I wouldn’t call that viral. It’s not like it had millions of views or anything.” She reaches to take the phone back, but I pull it in toward my chest.
“I’m not done watching it. I’m serious. I can’t stop.”
She laughs. “You’re making way too big of a deal out of this. Anyone can get this kind of activity on one post. I need to be able to continuously repeat this sort of attention if I want to make a difference. They say the amount of followers that actually see your posts is miniscule, something like ten percent. So, by that logic, of those one hundred followers I got for the account, only ten of those people will see anything else I post about the fundraiser or a new dog in the shelter that needs a home.”
I grab her hand, watching the overwhelm rise in her by the second. “I can tell you care about the dogs. Maybe it is true only ten percent of your followers see your content, but that still means ten more people are going to see what you post.” I scroll through the feed, clicking through the photos and videos she’s added over the last couple of weeks. “This is all very powerful. Just getting one more person to see it is going to make a change because then that person will show someone who will show someone and so on.”
A soft smile lights up her face. “Thanks, Rhett. I just really care about these dogs.”
“I know.” Still holding her hand, I say, “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Try to let yourself enjoy being with the dogs, creating content, and planning the fundraiser. I don’t want to see this tear you up and make you anxious.”
“I maybe get a little anxious about it, but it’s a different kind of anxiety from what I experience when I have a panic attack. Anxiety with work is debilitating, but this anxiety is subtler, and it drives me to keep going. Actually, according to my counselor, my anxiety can be a good thing when it’s managed well. It’s part of how I have been able to achieve so much all my life. I just need to work on preventing the debilitating part of it.”
“That sounds like a good start.”
Realizing I’m still holding her hand, I slowly release it, but our faces are so close that I can feel her breath on my lips. It’s warm and gentle, just like the rest of her. Unable to control myself any longer, I move slightly closer, catching her familiar and comforting scent of lavender. She doesn’t move away, and her eyes bob briefly down to my lips.
It makes me wonder what it’d be like to kiss Olivia. Would her lips be as soft as they look? Would her skin feel smooth as I run my palms over her curves? Would she melt into my kiss? Would it be slow and passionate or rushed and desperate?
Exhaling, I move in closer, but Maverick picks that moment to leap up barking at what appears to be nothing. His big head is in Olivia’s lap one moment and smashing into her nose the next. My heart sinks as she lets out a shriek of pain.