Chapter 7 Sierra
CHAPTER SEVEN
sierra
Classic country music played from the speakers overhead in Rudy’s—one of Miles City’s local bars—as Hayden and I walked through the double doors.
The scent of stale beer, aged wood, and a plethora of sweaty bodies greeted us.
The bar seemed pretty packed for a Thursday night, but it was summer vacation, and college classes would be starting up again in a few weeks.
“Come on, they’re probably all in the back playing pool.” Hayden reached for my hand but pulled away when our fingers nearly touched.
My heart screamed at me to take his hand, to make up for all of the time we’d lost, but the darkest part of my brain reminded me that it was my fault and he deserved better. Maybe we’d be together if I hadn’t left so many times.
I cleared my throat, choosing to stuff my hands in my pockets. “Lead the way.”
College-aged kids crowded the dance floor, couples flinging each other around in a swing dance.
“Hayden, you made it!” One of the cowboys—a tall man with medium-brown hair and warm, honey-colored eyes—who gathered around the pool table slapped Hayden on the back, pulling him toward the game.
“Thank God you did.” Another—a blond with short, cropped hair—handed him a pool stick. “For a second I was worried I was going to have to play with Mikey.”
“Hey, you idiots, don’t be rude. Who’s this with you, Hayden?” A woman with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, who appeared to be around the same age as us, pushed off from her position against the wall to approach me. “I’m Ellison Carson.”
She extended her hand to shake, and I took it.
“Sierra…” I cleared my throat. “Bayley.”
“How do you know Hayden?” she asked.
The shortest of the men—with a thick mustache and tattoo sleeves covering his arms—cut in with a stupid grin on his face. “Wait, wait, wait. Haydie, isn’t this your—”
“Sierra’s an old friend,” Hayden answered before he could finish his sentence.
I had to admit, it stung a little. I didn’t know why; I was the one who suggested we be friends again in the first place, but “friends,” and especially old friends, didn’t feel like the proper way to describe who Hayden was to me. Who we were to each other.
“She’s staying with me for a while. Her trailer caught fire at the rodeo in Goldfinch.”
“Oh, that was yours?” Ellison’s eyes widened.
I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. “Yeah…”
“Well, shit, I’m so sorry. If you need anything, let us know, okay?
I’m sure Hayden’s got you all taken care of, but any friend of Hayden’s is a friend of ours.
Anyway, sorry, I got a little sidetracked there.
” She grabbed the arm belonging to a man who had on a navy-blue pullover and a straw cowboy hat. “This is Colter, my husband.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sierra.” He took off his hat to shake my hand.
The cowboy who originally greeted Hayden introduced himself next. “I’m Reid Lawson.”
Hayden introduced the final two. “The short one’s Mikey Tucker, and the blond one is Jake Flynn.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” I offered a pathetic attempt at a smile. I recognized Colter, Reid, and Mikey’s names. They were big-name athletes in the rodeo world, although Mikey had more of a reputation with women than for winning buckles up until recently.
“You’re doing pretty well for yourself in the barrel racing this year, aren’t you?” Colter asked.
My cheeks flushed, and I ran my fingers through my hair. “Yeah, I’m currently sitting fourteenth in the world standings. It would be my first NFR if I made it.”
The NFR, the pinnacle of rodeo events, had always been my dream. I never went to college, so I didn’t get to experience a CNFR, and I wasn’t quite good enough in high school to make it to the NHSFR, despite how much Hayden hyped me up.
“The NFR has always been her dream,” Hayden whispered, so quiet I didn’t think anyone else heard him besides me.
“That’s impressive. You were at the Houston Rodeo earlier this year, weren’t you? I think I remember hearing your name,” Colter continued, either not hearing or ignoring Hayden’s statement.
I nodded. “I was.”
“Well, are you any good at playing pool? We can do teams of three?” Reid suggested, handing me a pool stick.
Shrugging, I laughed. “Sure, why not? But what about you?” I pointed to Mikey.
“They don’t want me to play pool because of one time,” he grumbled, but there was a glint of humor in his eyes.
“First of all, it was more than one time. Secondly, how many times do we need to tell you this? Let’s see, there was that time a couple of years ago, and then…” Reid teased, pretending to count on his fingers.
Mikey groaned. “All right, all right, I get it! I’m going to get a drink.”
“Okay, now that that’s settled, let’s make this fair,” Jake piped up. “Colter, Reid, and Ellison, one of you has to split up. Ellison, why don’t you play on my team?”
“What? Why?” Colter protested.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Have you seen your wife play pool? She’s better than all of us.”
Colter shrugged. “Well, I can’t exactly argue with that, but why do you get her on your team?”
I watched their exchange, unable to help the small grin pulling at my lips.
“We’re always on a team together. Let’s mix it up.” Ellison playfully nudged Colter. “How about me, Jake, and Sierra on a team? Then you, Reid, and Hayden?” She turned toward me. “Unless you want to play with Hayden.”
“Me?” I pointed at myself with my thumb before shaking my head. “I’m fine with whatever.”
“Losers buy the next round?” Jake looked around the group for approval.
“You’re on.” Reid nodded. He turned his head toward me after racking the balls. “Do the honors?”
Lining up a shot, I squinted one eye and hit the cue ball, aiming for the ball at the top of the triangle.
The shot had just enough force for the balls in the second row to ricochet toward the pockets in the middle of the table.
A solid-colored ball rolled directly into the pocket on the left side, and Ellison pumped her fist next to me.
“Atta girl!”
My next hit wasn’t so lucky, setting up Hayden for an easy shot.
The game went back and forth for a while. After Colter missed a shot, I stepped up to the table. Our last ball was right next to the eight-ball, making for a risky shot.
I popped my knuckles before bending down and hinging my hips back so I was eye level with the table. At the last second, though, my eyes flicked to Hayden, who was staring at me with an intensity I’d only seen once in my life.
Blue eyes deep as the ocean peered into mine as Hayden’s fists grasped the sheets next to me, his body hovering over mine, warmth radiating off his skin.
A sigh fell from his lips just as…
My wrist slipped right as the pool stick made contact with the ball, and, instead of hitting the final solid ball, the cue ball bounced off the eight ball, gently knocking it into the pocket.
“Shit, sorry guys,” I muttered to my team as Colter, Reid, and Hayden celebrated.
Mikey chuckled, raising his beer bottle to me. “Join the club, Sierra.”
“How about those drinks, ladies and gents?” Jake threw his arms around Colter and Reid as they walked toward the bar. “Sierra’s paying!”
“I can pay if you want me to,” Hayden’s voice rumbled in my ear, slow and low.
I jumped as my eyes darted toward him. He was close enough that I could feel the warmth from his body. “It’s fine, I’ve got it. Fair’s fair, right?”
“Hi, guys!” The bartender, a blonde girl with a round face and green eyes, smiled when we stepped up to the bar.
“How’s it going, Livvy?” Mikey leaned against the bar.
“Great! We’ve been busy. All of the themed nights that June, Nico, and I came up with have been a hit!
I’m a little nervous about how busy it’ll get when classes start up again, though.
” Her attention shifted to Hayden, then to me, then back to Hayden.
“Hayden?” She drew out the word with a sly grin. “Who’s this?”
“I’m Sierra. Hayden’s an…old friend.” I mimicked the wording he used to introduce me, even though my teeth ground together as I said it.
“Aw, is she the one you were buying tampons for at the grocery store?”
Hayden’s face flushed bright red as he stammered an incoherent string of words, and the rest of the guys burst into laughter.
My brows shot up. “Wait, you did what?”
Hayden wrung his hands together. “I just thought you might need some things. It’s not a big deal. Come on, guys, just order your drinks.”
“Can you get us five shots of Pendleton, a tequila soda, and whatever Sierra wants, please, Liv?” Colter, still chuckling, was the one to give the order.
“I’ll just do a vodka soda,” I said, still thinking about Hayden buying me personal products at the grocery store.
If it were anyone else, it would be weird, but Hayden had always tried to take care of me and make sure I was comfortable.
It was nice to know that even five years later, he hadn’t changed.
After we’d gotten our drinks, the guys went back to the pool table, but Ellison and I found a high-top and some stools.
“So, you grew up in Goldfinch?” Ellison asked. “Hayden mentioned you two went to high school together.”
I hesitated for a moment. “No, I actually grew up in Ponderosa Valley but moved to Goldfinch right before starting high school.” Barely anyone knew why my family moved from Ponderosa Valley to Goldfinch.
There wasn’t exactly a proper way to say the reason you moved was because your dad was arrested for assault and wanted to avoid contact with the cops who knew his face.
“Ah, okay. That’s when you met Hayden, then.” It was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded anyway.
“Yeah. We did high school rodeo together and everything. He and his family helped me a lot. They let me ride their horses for practice and competition until I was able to get my own.”
“I’m not surprised about that. He’s very kind.” She took a sip of her drink. “Has he always been such a man of few words? I’ve only ever known him to be quiet. He’s opened up the last couple years, but when I first met him, I think he said maybe five words to me.” A small laugh bubbled out of her.
To any normal person, it would have been funny, too, but something in my heart dropped. “No. He hasn’t always been that way.”