CHAPTER ELEVEN
Katarina
“Do you need me to come to the ranch and kick his ass?” my best friend, Gertie, snarled.
I snorted, missing her and her fire. We had been friends since we were kids and had even gone to college together, living large and loving life. Two spitfires with the brains and attitude to take on the world.
But when it was clear Daddy was struggling here with the girls and managing the ranch alone, I’d quit and come home, leaving Gertie behind. I liked to think that if I had stayed, we would be traveling the world and living like queens. I’d always wanted to travel and get away but now the thought made me squirm. The idea of being away from this place for so long was painful.
“You there?” Gertie yelled and I tugged my phone away from my ear.
“Dang, girl. Yeah I’m here, you don’t need to shout. And no, your offer, as gracious as it is, isn’t necessary. He seems to be keeping to himself.” I paced the porch watching the stars twinkle in the sky and thought I heard her sigh down the line. “But if you ever need an excuse, feel free to stop by.” I tried to keep the hope out of my voice but failed miserably.
I missed Gertie. I hadn’t seen her for a year now. She was married and living in Montana with some big business hotshot she met after I left college. I didn’t like him personally, but he seemed to make her happy. That said, she’d been ducking my requests to visit and I didn’t know if it was because me and Gary didn’t get on. He was too domineering and ordered her around. Gertie wasn’t herself around him.
There was a silence on the call before she spoke. “I’m sorry it’s been so long; things are just so crazy here with the business and I…”
“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to pressure you,” I hastily added, hearing the stress and anxiety in her voice.
“Soon, I promise.”
“Soon,” I repeated and we slipped into silence. I leaned against the railing looking up at the moon and sighing deeply.
“Whatchya thinking?” Gertie whispered. “I can tell there’s more on your mind.”
I pshed . “Just the usual: the ranch, the girls, the convict in the cabin.”
Gertie snorted. “How are you feeling about everything? Now Charlie’s gone, there’s a lot riding on your shoulders, girl.”
I scuffed my sneakered foot along the wooden porch. “ Yeah, there is. Honestly, I don’t know. I think I’m hanging by a thread right now.” I choked back a sob. A rare moment of vulnerability that no one could conjure in me but Gertie.
She snorted. “I’ll bet. What else?”
“I asked Duke Raleigh for advice.”
“Dickhead Duke? No, Kitty Kat,” Gertie sighed.
I snickered at his old nickname. “Yeah, he wasn’t too bad actually. He’s still a douche but he showed a moment of weakness. He’s, uh, kinda the reason I got Jack to start helping me out.”
“What!”
I tugged the phone away from my ear again, flinching at Gertie’s screech. “I need a hand here. I can’t do it all on my own and I need someone who has no other choice and he’s…”
I could hear the suspicion in Gertie’s tone when she said, “…he’s what, Kitty Kat?”
“Well, he’s plenty strong and I need that here.”
“Uh huh, strong huh? Like muscley?”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Yes muscley, men have muscles Gertie!” Right as I yelled that, movement at the side of the porch caught my eye and I saw Jack walking past. He briefly met my stare and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole when he smirked at me. Clearly he heard that. He dipped his head slightly, acknowledging my presence and kept on walking.
“I wasn’t insinuating anything, no need to get defensive!”
“He heard me, Gertie!” I hissed when Jack was out of earshot.
“How did he hear you?”
I slapped a hand over my face, groaning. “He was walking past!”
“Uh huh,” Gertie said, all kinds of meaning in her tone. “And where is he going at this time of night?”
I paused. She was right, it was six thirty in the evening. Did he have plans to meet someone for dinner?
“Maybe he’s got a hot date?” Gertie teased. “Him and all those muscles. He’s got a lot of pent-up sexual energy to expend I bet.”
“Gerts, stop, please. You can’t make those jokes after what he did.”
Gertie abruptly stopped laughing. “You’re right, I’m sorry Kat, I was being insensitive.”
“It’s fine. I just need to remember who I’m dealing with. He’s got this charm that just gets under your skin, and he acts like a lost puppy and makes you forget for a second what he did and this is a good reminder.”
“Do you think there’s a world where he can make it up to you?”
I sat down on the porch steps. Further away, the cows lowed in the pasture. “I don’t think so, Gerts.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. I just don’t want you to be hanging on to so much anger. It ages you, honey, and you’re too single to keep developing wrinkles at the rate you are.”
I snorted. “How dare you! I look great for my age.”
“I ain’t disputing that I just—” She broke off as a crash sounded in the background and then a muffled shout. “Ah sugar, I gotta go Kitty Kat, kisses!” And then she was gone.
“See ya,” I muttered, staring at my blank phone screen where she’d already ended the call. Talking to Gertie tonight had made me feel a little better although I couldn’t deny I missed her like crazy. I made myself a promise that I would visit her soon, whether she wanted me to or not .
I stayed outside a bit longer, hearing the crazy antics going on inside the house. Clearly there was some kind of game going on, likely Pictionary judging from the loud shouts. I knew I should go inside and be with them and have fun but I didn’t have the energy. I felt older than my years, bone tired, and I had no clue when it would end.
I snuck back inside the house and dragged my ass upstairs where I put my comfy pajamas on and got into bed with my Kindle. It was a Friday night and I was in bed by 7pm. Boy, did I know how to party. I was so boring. Too tired and stressed and acting like an old lady. I was no fun anymore. Sometimes I felt like fun didn’t exist without Gertie.
Memories of the two of us tearing up the town and getting into so much mischief flew into my mind. The nights we came home late, drunk, my dad chewing us out for underage drinking, then making us work the ranch hard in the morning until we were throwing up in the pastures at the smell of cow shit. I shook my head, laughing, God those were the days.
Swinging my legs out of bed, I stared at myself in the full-length mirror. Who even was I? I didn’t go out anymore, not even with the girls. I didn’t date either. Enough jabs had been made recently about my personal life and the longer I stared at myself, in my heavy pajamas, make-up free face and bland ponytail, a fire stirred in my gut.
I stood up and flung open the bedroom door and went out into the hall. “Leo!” I bellowed over the banister.
“Kat!” he called back, not missing a beat.
“You had anything to drink?”
“Not a drop, Katarina. ”
“Good, can you take me to town?”
His face appeared at the bottom of the stairs, peering up at me, confused. Because I never wanted to go out. “To town?”
I nodded. “To The Lonely Bison?”
“You wanna go drinking ?”
“Yes.”
“Well shit, I ain’t saying no to that!” he replied, gleefully.
“Me either!” Daisy shouted back.
“Or me!” Maddy added.
I heard a softer reply which I assumed was August.
“We can’t all go!” I spluttered, annoyed at my family for crashing my party time. “Someone needs to watch Tilly.”
“She’s at a friend’s house.”
I frowned as all four faces peered up at me. “Oh.”
“So, let’s party!” Daisy yelled and then the girls stampeded up the stairs. I assumed they were going to run off into their rooms to get ready, but they hustled me into mine instead and pushed me onto the bed and attacked me with straighteners and make-up and clothes. I hadn’t needed their help, but I was grateful nonetheless.
An hour later, Leo parked up outside the bar. The scent of our various perfumes hung heavy in the air and Daisy’s bony ass was digging into my thighs as she wiggled with excitement. There weren’t enough seats in the truck for all of us so we doubled up. She reached forward, pushing more bone into my soft thigh and unclicked the seatbelt around us both.
“We’re here, let’s tear this place up!” Daisy got out, tottering in her black heels with straps twisting up her calves, her little gold shimmery dress catching the moonlight. She looked stunning, especially with her red hair flying around like wild flames. I looked down at my strapless white top, denim short shorts and pink cowgirl boots. I looked casual in comparison but I didn’t want to get fancy, I just wanted something comfortable.
We entered the packed bar which stank of alcohol, perfume and sweat. The loud music blared and giggles abounded from the women crowded in the corner with the mechanical bull. The moment they spotted Leo their shrieks escalated.
“You better go and join your buckle bunnies over there,” Maddy said tartly, smoothing a hand down her white jumpsuit.
“Well they’re more fun to be around right now than you,” Leo teased but Maddy just pursed her lips. His smile waned slightly when he realized she wasn’t kidding. “I guess I’ll see you later alligator,” he said. Maddy turned towards the bar, refusing to play their game of one-upmanship and reply with in a while crocodile .
He turned to me, and I just shrugged. “I don’t know what’s up with her.”
“Try and get her drunk and find out.” His brows dipped in. “She’s freezing me out at the moment. Anyway, I’m not drinking tonight so let me know when you’re all ready to head home.”
I kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Leo. Appreciate you.”
He smiled. “Anything for my girls. You have fun tonight, you hear?”
I nodded and turned back but everyone had disappeared except August who smiled up at me gently, looking demure in her green dress with long sleeves, the color doing amazing things for her fair complexion. I saw Daisy and Maddy had forced their way through the crowd to the bar and I followed behind them.
Maddy was still frowning and Daisy was glaring across the bar. I followed her glare and saw Duke Raleigh was on the other side, drinking with some fancy ass buddies of his.
“Shots?” I shouted, hoping that would lighten the mood. We were here to have fun after all.
I flagged Max down and requested four shots of Fireball. The patrons close enough to hear my order booed me, which normally happened. If you didn’t order native Wyoming whiskey you got booed.
Max shot a nervous look over his shoulder before nodding. I didn’t get the usual charming smile from him, and as he got our drinks ready and lined them up on the bar, he continued to glance over his shoulder.
“Busy tonight?” I asked, looking around.
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
“More so than usual?” I tried again. Max was cute, it wouldn’t hurt to try my flirting skills on him. Apparently, those skills were rusty as he just nodded again.
“How much?” I asked when he pushed them towards us and I distributed them to the girls.
“On the house,” he shouted back.
I cocked my head. “How come?”
He gave me a small smile and rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “You’ll see.”
I was confused but I didn’t question it. Free alcohol was exactly what I needed right now. I really shouldn’t be out spending money, what had I been thinking?
Jesus, lighten up!
I rolled my shoulders and lifted my shot, the girls did the same. “To fun!” I shouted and threw my drink back. The girls cheered and copied me. We all gasped and choked as the burn hit our throats at the same time.
“Woo!” Maddy cheered.
“Again!” Daisy demanded and before I knew it, we were three rounds down of Fireball before we switched into other drinks.
Maddy slammed her last glass down on the bar. “We’re having SO MUCH FUN!” she shouted, staring meaningfully down at the huddle of bunnies around Leo.
“Really? Desperate much?” August snorted and we all turned to her surprised. I forgot that when she’d had a few drinks she was a completely different person, so confident and vocal compared to her normal shy self.
“Let’s dance!” I yelled over the music, dragging them away from the view of bunnies and Duke. Pistol Annies were singing about a sin they felt coming on and my hips were swinging before I knew it. I glanced around, the buzz of alcohol warming and mellowing me, just the way I needed and a smile bloomed.
As I danced I became aware of lots of eyes on us, flicking between us and the bar and the atmosphere seemed to cool.
“What’s everyone’s problem?” August said loudly and Daisy snickered at our quietest sister’s rudeness.
“I don’t know but they need to stop,” I replied.
Then I saw the exact reason why.
Right then, he appeared, in a plain black t-shirt that hugged those muscles I’d discussed earlier with Gertie. His brown hair flopped forward on his forehead and his stubbled beard had my insides twisting.
We all saw him at the same time but this time it wasn’t me who threw myself at him.
“Son of a—” Daisy screeched right before she launched herself across the bar.