Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
LANDEN
Another night sitting at home doing laundry, watching New Girl reruns, and snacking on popcorn is sadly the highlight of my day.
Rocky was in a mood today, making my job extra stressful when I tried to put him on the breeding mount, and he nearly kicked me.
I’m already stacked with orders, which means I don’t have time for studs to act up or try to castrate me.
Antonio came for his last training session before the fair this weekend and he wouldn’t stop talking shit about how much Ellie ignored me while she was giving all her attention to him.
I knew she was doing it on purpose, but it didn’t hurt any less.
We agreed we didn’t like each other, and I vowed to never bother her again.
Doesn’t mean my heart got the memo.
Watching her race never gets old. The way she and Ranger work so perfectly together is so rare and beautiful that it’s impossible not to stare in awe.
Doesn’t help that she’s flawless in everything she does, but she’s stunning, too.
She makes winning look effortless, but I know firsthand how much work she puts into it.
My cell rings, knocking me out of my thoughts, and when I see Warren’s name, I pick it up without a proper greeting.
“Which planet is outta sorts right now makin’ everyone extra crazy?” He’s into that astrology shit, so he’ll know.
“Um…Earth?”
I bark out a laugh, grabbing a beer from my fridge. “Touché.”
“Should I even ask?”
“Just a rough day. So what’s goin’ on?” Taking a seat on the couch, I lie back and rest my feet on the coffee table.
“Maisie just showed up at my door.”
I choke down the liquid I just swallowed and quickly sit up. “Excuse me?” I cough out. “Maisie? Your ex-wife, Maisie?”
“Yep…” He sounds distressed. “Except, she ain’t my ex-wife. We’re still married.”
“I’m only on my first beer, so I know I ain’t drunk and heard ya wrong. Y’all didn’t get divorced?”
“She wanted to. I didn’t.”
“She coulda filed without you. There’s laws or some shit that’d allow her to get one even if you don’t sign,” I respond.
“I know. And yet, she didn’t.”
I take another swig of my beer, relaxing against the couch again. “So why is she back? Did you tell her about Angela’s parole hearing?”
“Not yet. She’s engaged and needs me to sign so she can go marry another man. Doesn’t want him to know she’s been married all this time, so she needs me to sign and get it finalized quietly.”
The hurt in his voice makes me want to drive the two hours north to hug him. But it wouldn’t solve anything. Maisie is his first and only love.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, Warren. What’d you say?”
Blowing out a breath, he replies, “I said no and slammed the door on her.”
I try not to laugh at the ease with which he says those words, but I can’t stop myself. “I can only imagine how pissed off that made her.”
“Shoulda heard her screamin’ at me and poundin’ on the wood. Really fired her up when I blared my music and turned off all the lights in the house. Pretty sure she woke up my chickens.”
“Jesus Christ.” I shake my head, chuckling. “But it’s been like what, seven years? Why do you wanna make her stay married to you? She has her own life seven hundred miles away.”
Last I knew, she opened her own literary agency in New York City.
He’s silent for so long that I worry our connection dropped, but then he finally speaks. “Because she’s the love of my life. The only woman I’ve loved or will love. How can I just let her go?”
I swallow hard because what I’m about to say isn’t what he’ll want to hear but what he needs to.
“Maybe it’s time for you to move on. She’s livin’ her life. You should be, too.”
He sighs. “I wish I knew how.”
He changes the subject before I have the chance to respond.
“Talk soon, okay?” I say after we get through talking about the drama revolving around Ellie. Might as well share my sad dating life so he doesn’t feel alone.
“You got it. See ya.”
Once we hang up, I stare at my screen for a few minutes before deciding to take my own advice about moving on and do what I said I’d never do—download a dating app.
What does your dream girl look like?
A prompt at the top of Cecilia’s profile asks and before I’m allowed to message her, I have to answer the question.
But it’s a loaded one because it’s not what my dream girl looks like, it’s who she is as a person, what her work ethic is, and how she treats her friends and family.
It’s more than her looks and although I need that attraction to be there, too, it’s not the only thing that forms a connection for me.
In retrospect, I have no reason to like Ellie as much as I do. There are her looks that would appeal to any man, but it’s watching her drive and relentlessness to succeed day in and day out that intrigues me. And if I’m being honest, her immediate distaste for me was a turn-on.
Maybe I am a masochist.
Not in the physical sense, but in the way she bluntly tells me off, and yet, I seek out any reason to be near her.
It’s a sickness, honestly.
In my early twenties, most women I gave attention to jumped at the opportunity to hook up with me. It was strictly built on looks and how much alcohol we drank. Nothing real or beyond one night.
But now here I am, forcing myself to kick this bad habit of mine to find more than that and someone who doesn’t hate my guts.
What a concept.
So I answer Cecilia’s question as truthfully as I can without sounding like a sap, and moments later, she replies.
Cecilia
I bet your cowboy hat would look better on me.
I should’ve expected that from the profile picture I used of me wearing one.
Landen
Yeah? Guess there’s only one way to find out.
For the next four hours in between laundry and cleaning my place, we text back and forth. She’s funny and easily keeps up with my flirting. I laugh more than I have in months and it feels good to be connecting with someone who doesn’t want me dead.
Landen
I have an early morning, so I gotta go to bed. But when can I take you out?
Cecilia
About damn time you asked.
Landen
Didn’t wanna come off too pushy.
Cecilia
How about this weekend?
Landen
I’m going to the fair’s rodeo event tomorrow night and Saturday, if something like that would interest you.
Cecilia
Fried food, overpriced beer, carnival rides, and a hot cowboy holding my hand? Oh no, how would I ever survive…
I chuckle at the sarcasm, wondering if all women are this easygoing on dating apps, or if I just got lucky on the first try.
Either way, I’m putting myself out there and running with it.
So far, I’ve learned she’s a twenty-five-year-old hairdresser who lives in the next town over.
She hasn’t had a serious boyfriend in over a year but enjoys going out to the bar with friends and line dancing.
Landen
It’ll be a hardship, but I’m sure you’ll manage.
Cecilia
What time should I meet you there?
Landen
How’s five-thirty?
Cecilia
I’ll be the one in a white sundress with tan boots eating a footlong corn dog covered in mustard.
Smiling wide, I shake my head at the very specific image.
She looks beautiful in her photos. Shoulder-length brown hair with matching chocolate eyes and an hourglass figure that looks sexy as hell in the blue dress she’s wearing.
I can’t wait to meet her in person.
Landen
You sure know a way to a man’s heart with all that dirty talk.
Cecilia
Just wait until we meet in person.
After we say good night, I crawl into bed with the goofiest smile on my face and fall asleep feeling hopeful for the first time in years.