Chapter 4
Chapter Four
LANDEN
PRESENT DAY
FOUR YEARS LATER
Iwish I’d never met Ellie Donovan.
Lies.
Well, maybe not, depending on the day.
After years of knowing her, the woman is nothing but a complete mystery.
She’s ruthless, unkind, and downright mean.
But only to me. She’s halfway pleasant to everyone else.
And I haven’t a single clue as to why.
Since the first day we got introduced, she’s had it out for me although I was nothing but nice to her. Hell, I ran with her five days a week for three months. All while listening to her sing Taylor Swift songs and giving me the cold shoulder.
Not once during our runs did she speak to me or thank me for coming along in case she passed out or needed encouragement. She did make me hold her water bottle, though. And like the sap I am, handed it over every time she reached for it.
I was basically her butler running buddy. The only thing left would’ve been to bow at her feet and chant Long Live the Queen.
She qualified for the National Final Rodeo after her first full year and placed third after the ten-consecutive-day competition but didn’t take home the win.
Overall, I think it was a great experience for her after winning the Southeast regional championship.
Once the next season started, she traveled on and off for ten months, but I went to a few with Noah to watch her race in the local pro rodeo circuit events.
She’s now in her fourth year and training harder than ever to win first at this year’s NFR.
The past few years, she’s consistently been in the top three but lost first place by mere microseconds.
Since then, she’s had more media press and sponsorship opportunities, which has only helped get her name out there more.
You can’t walk through downtown without seeing an Ellie & Ranger poster or banner in the windows of several small businesses. Every little girl I see under the age of twelve wears a sparkly pink cowboy hat to support their favorite local barrel racer. So many damn reminders of her.
It’s fucking torture.
I don’t see her in person much, only in between competitions when she’s here to train. Even when she’s around, her dislike for me has never faded, which brings me to today.
Wishing I’d never met her.
Because even after all this time and her obvious hatred for me, my heart reacts the same every time I see her. And that pisses me the fuck off.
Even when she’s somewhat nice, I’m instantly suspicious about it.
Last summer, I ran into her with one of her 4-H friends as they were walking out of Millie’s Ice Cream Shoppe. I quickly stopped to say hi and the girl recognized me from the ranch, so after a few minutes of constant flirting, I asked her for her number.
Ellie smiled at Clara like she totally supported the idea, and she hadn’t shot me any murderous glares, so I figured it was fine. We made plans for that following weekend, and since Ellie had a race, I ended up taking Clara to the rodeo with me.
We had a fun time and seemed to find things in common.
But then, after Ellie’s race, when we went to congratulate her on the win, she barely acknowledged her friend, or me—but that was normal—so it was easy to assume she didn’t like that we came.
Considering I was already on her shit list, I didn’t want to get in between her and Clara, so I never asked her out on a second date.
The following weekend, I ended up drunk at the Twisted Bull and took some chick home. It wasn’t my finest moment, and I felt like shit about it afterward. But then the next morning, still hungover, I walked out of my house to find a knife in my truck’s tire. Every single one had been slashed.
I drove my dirt bike to the barn, and when Ellie saw the knife in my hand, her face split in two.
Before I could even ask her about it, she thanked me for bringing it back to her.
I was so shell-shocked that she openly admitted to doing it, I couldn’t even form words to ask her what the hell her problem was or why she did it.
If it was for dating her friend or hooking up with someone else after not continuing to date her friend, I hadn’t a fucking clue. She was confusing on a normal day.
But this really took the cake.
During Noah and Fisher’s wedding, I asked her to dance, but she claimed to have broken her toe. I offered to bring her some ice and instead of using it, she left it on the table to melt. Because there was no broken toe.
I should get over her and escape the delusion that she’ll someday feel the same or at the very least, give me a chance.
It’s clear there’s a one-sided hatred situation going on between us.
There’s no reason I should be as infatuated with her as I am, and still, here I am—unable to get her out of my stupid head.
It also doesn’t help that as I go through roping techniques with my new trainee, Antonio—a fifteen-year-old little shithead—who won’t shut up about her. It’s torturous enough seeing her around the ranch, but now I have to listen to him give me shit while he watches her practice.
“Goddamn, she snatched that.”
“She’s fire out there.”
And then, whenever he catches me staring, he loves to put me in my place.
“Nah, you’re too mid for her. You got no rizz.”
“Stop simpin’, bruh. You’re too old for her.”
I swear to God if he calls me bruh one more goddamn time…
Leave it to some punk teenager to humble me like I’m some creepy old man. I hate that at twenty-nine, I’ve turned into my dad, who can’t understand the younger generation’s slang.
In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Tucker’s daring personality. It’s probably why even though Antonio drives me up a wall sometimes, I can’t help but want to push him to do his best. Tucker was smart and fearless, but it didn’t come easy. He worked for everything he had.
“You think six years is that big of a deal?” I ask him, looking above his head to stare at Ellie, who’s across the training center. “Because it’s not.”
When I look back at him, he’s making a disgusted face. “Cringe.”
“Wait till I tell you my sister’s husband is twenty-two years older than her.”
“Ew, gag. He could lowkey be her dad!”
I can’t even conceal my laughter because if he only knew her husband is also her ex-boyfriend’s dad. The whole thing is fucking hilarious to me. She dumped Jase and then three years later, made him her stepson. Oh, and a big brother.
“They just had a baby last year, too.”
His jaw drops, and I laugh.
“I bet six years ain’t lookin’ so bad now, huh?”
He rolls his eyes and then continues practicing with the roping dummy. Although I manage the breeding operations, Noah once again talked me into signing up to help the local 4-H Club so they can participate in the fair’s junior rodeo event the following weekend.
Ellie climbs on Ranger after setting up the barrels and runs a lap in front of us.
Her blond hair is pulled back into braids underneath her cowboy hat.
Although she usually leaves it down for the races, both looks are sexy as hell.
She has this crazy curl to it when it’s untamed.
The polar opposite of her. Ellie wouldn’t know how to let loose if her life depended on it.
“Hi, Ellie!” Antonio waves obnoxiously like the lovestruck teen boy he is.
“Hey, lookin’ good over here.” She slows down, flashing him one of her flirty smiles I’ve only ever seen a few times. Never at me, though. Always for someone else.
Antonio takes that as his cue to show off and whip his rope in the air, nearly smacking me in the face in the process, and then throws it over the practice steer. He tightens up the slack and lets out a loud yeehaw.
Ellie’s eyes brighten with pride. “So incredible! I can’t wait to watch you win first place.”
“No cap, you gonna come?” he asks with way too much enthusiasm.
“Of course!” She beams, adjusting her tank strap that fell down her shoulder. “I’m racin’ there before I leave for the Franklin Rodeo. It’s gonna be a fun time.”
Antonio’s smile widens. “Period.”
“Well, good luck. I’m gonna do some drills with Ranger for a bit.”
Antonio’s so lovestruck, I swear I see drool on his chin.
She gives him a cute little finger wave before glancing at me. The high curve of her lips turns into a frown and her wide, bright eyes narrow into slits as soon as our gazes meet.
Just to further piss her off, I shout, “Nice seein’ ya, Ellie!” Then I wink before she takes off to the other side of the building.
Antonio chuckles. “I don’t think she’s feelin’ ya, bruh.”
That’s an understatement.
“Now who’s giving cringe, bruh.” I roll my eyes and then check the time. “You only have twenty minutes until you get picked up, so stay focused.”
He shakes his head at me. “You’re weak.”
The fuck does that even mean?
As he continues practicing, I only manage to glance over at Ellie twice before Antonio’s ride shows up.
Watching her anytime she’s here is an obsession I can’t seem to kick.
I probably look like a creep, standing and staring while she practices, but I’m mesmerized by her talent and how much she’s excelled over the past few years.
Although she hates it when I interrupt her lessons to give advice or tips, she usually applies them anyway and they end up helping her—which of course she hates because then that means I was right.
“Holy…motherfucking…shit.”
My eyes scan over my phone screen as I reread the email attachment from Tucker’s mom. We don’t stay in contact much anymore, but we’ll exchange hugs whenever we run into each other in town. I could tell seeing me only made her sadder because she used to call me her second son when Tucker was alive.