Chapter 7 Beau #2
“Are you feeling ok, Beau?” she asked, dismounting her horse gracefully.
“Uh, yeah I've never been this close to a horse, and I think I’m just gobsmacked by its beauty and size,” I said, hoping like hell that sounded believable.
“Awww, Snow White here is the most beautiful horse in all the land,” she said, scratching her head affectionately.
I hadn’t really paid attention to the horse, but she was beautiful.
“Have you never been near horses before?” she asked, grabbing her leash thing and we followed her to the barn.
A few animals greeted us at the entrance including a large pig with what looked like a tutu around her stomach.
“I’m a city boy, so I've never been around horses or animals much,” I said, as the pig and a beautiful dog walked with us.
“Oh, Beau, you’re in for a treat and you better get that food out of here before the animals grab it right out of your hands,” she chuckled, just as the pig started sniffing the bags and the goats came from the back of the barn.
“Hey!” I yelled, pulling the bag up.
“Hula Hoop loves burgers,” Iris laughed, walking into a small stall with her horse. “Go wait in the cabin before our lunch is eaten by one of the animals.”
I grumbled at the pig, giving it the stink eye as I listened to Iris, making my way back to the cabin, but not alone. The goats had started to follow me, along with the dog and the pig which did look cute with that damn tutu on.
The cabin was left open. I went straight to the kitchen and decided the big island was the best place to eat.
The cabin was an open concept, and I wondered who lived here.
I grabbed us glasses of water just as Iris came into the house still looking like my wet dream.
She hung up her hat, took off her boots at the entrance and I looked down at my own shoes feeling rude for not doing the same.
“Sorry, I should have done the same,” I said, taking my shoes off and leaving them right next to her boots.
“It’s ok, my boots are filthy from being out in the pastures,” she said, walking to the kitchen to wash her hands.
“How are you doing?” I asked, looking everywhere but at her ass that looked amazing in those jeans. “Any trouble from the husband?”
She scoffed. “Nash wouldn’t do anything to me. He’s just an errand boy for his father.”
“I feel like there is more to that,” I said, feeling like there was more she wasn’t telling me. “Are they taking advantage of you? Is Nash emotionally manipulating you to—”
“Beau.” Iris came to sit by me with a soft look on her face.
“You’re too good for this world. I appreciate you looking out for me but…
There's only one reason Nash is here and that's because his father needs something for the farm. I have no idea what the hell that is because we finalized the sale of the farm years ago, and well, I thought things would be different.”
A crease formed between her eyebrows as a small pout graced her plump lips. “Different how?”
“In my head I thought I would be at the farm working and Nash would be doing whatever he does, but the only thing that mattered was that I had the family farm,” she sighed. “I was too trusting and I thought if I was amiable, they would eventually let me come back and work like I used to.”
“Why didn’t that happen and why didn’t you push for it?” I asked, taking a bite of my burger and pushing her burger toward her.
“Running the farm was wearing me down and I needed a break,” she said, poking at her burger.
“So, when Mr. Yarbrough said they would handle everything, I packed up and left. I came to Sterling Ridge to be close to my brothers and I thought when I was ready, they would welcome me back. I pushed hard at first, but they kept saying my end of the bargain wasn’t complete until Nash and I were married.
After that they ignored me and then—life in Sterling Ridge was a life I never knew that I could have. “
“What do you mean?” I asked, pushing her burger to her again.
She smiled before taking a bite of it, chewing slowly as if she were thinking of her answer carefully.
“I found out who Iris Malone really is,” she said softly with a whimsical smile.
“I grew up in a strict home with parents who had very unreal ideals and I never realized how much I listened to them and let them run my life. I always thought I was a free thinker, but it took my parents dying to realize that I was just another version of them made to believe that I was thinking for myself.”
“Sounds hard,” I said, looking at Iris in a new light. “It’s not easy to change your mindset.”
“I think I always knew I had different beliefs, but I was always too afraid to speak up and if I said the things they wanted to hear, then my life was a lot easier,” she said, biting her lip.
“It took coming to Sterling Ridge to realize that my brothers weren’t the bad people my parents had made them out to be, and that I missed out on so much with them because of my parents.
I guess that's why I haven't made a big push for the farm because well… I resent my parents and what that farm stood for and what it did to our family.”
Iris’s lip quivered. It gutted me and before I could think about it, I pulled her into my arms.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this on your own,” I said, squeezing her a little tighter.
“It’s ok, I mean—”
“No, it’s not ok,” I said, pulling away to look at her. “It’s not fair you’ve had to deal with this on your own. Your brothers should have helped you, it's as much their farm as it is yours.”
She shook her head. “My parents were awful to my brothers and if you didn’t put the farm first then you were basically the worst child.
They didn’t treat Theo the best either, choosing to ignore his diagnosis and the bullying he received at school.
So, when Uncle Archie passed away, he left the ranch to Theo.
I used to hate him for leaving, but now that I know the truth, I can see why he left. ”
A tear slowly slid down her cheek. Her hazel eyes shiny with tears as she attempted to smile.
“You don’t have to smile with me, Iris. You don’t have to pretend to be strong and show that you have everything together. You’re safe with me and if you ever need help with Nash or his father, I’m a pretty good negotiator and I’m pretty good at telling people to fuck off.”
She chuckled like I hoped she would.
“Thanks, Beau, and I’m sorry for—”
“You have nothing to be sorry for and I’m glad you told someone because it sounds like no one knows what you are going through,” I said, wiping her tears and then hugging her again.
“My brother’s fiancé Nova does, but it’s hard to talk when she has her men always around her,” she said, leaning against me. “But thank you for listening. I…this was nice and I needed it.”
“I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I’ll be here for you,” I said, feeling a little protective of her. “I know what it feels like to carry something like this and it’s a lonely existence.”
Iris pushed herself away, studying me. “What are you carrying?”
I wanted to tell her so much, everything that I had been carrying for years.
“I think that's a story for another day, come on, you gotta eat,” I said deflecting.
Iris narrowed her eyes. “Fine, keep your secrets, but I’m here, too. We don’t have to do this alone.”
She hugged me again, squeezing me a little tighter, easing some tension in me that I had been carrying around for too long. I kissed her forehead, telling myself that this was just a friendship and nothing more. For god’s sake, she was a married woman.