Chapter 16 Sierra
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
sierra
Iwoke up with a gnarly headache, a weird stain on my shirt, and Pancho standing directly over me.
“Do you need to go outside?” I rasped out the question to my dog, and he barked in response. I cringed at the high-pitched sound but pushed him off me and slowly rolled out of bed.
What I needed was a bottle of ibuprofen and a tall glass of water, but Pancho had the audacity to play games and wouldn’t follow me out to the living room.
“Come on, then. Out,” I commanded, and he woofed happily before leaping off the bed and prancing out the bedroom door.
The harsh sunlight filtering through the windows had me squinting, still groggy from sleep and very much hungover.
While the dog was outside doing his business, I poured myself a glass of water, swallowing down a couple of pain pills for the headache.
I had let Pancho back inside—he immediately ran back into the bedroom—and settled down on the couch when my phone started ringing.
I looked at the time. Seven thirty.
Who would be calling me at this hour?
My brows pinched together as I answered the call, croaking out a, “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Sierra Bayley?” a masculine voice asked from the other end.
“This is she.” I suppressed a yawn.
“Hi, this is Deputy Grey with the Gulch County Sheriff’s Department.
I’m calling in regard to the fire investigation conducted a month ago.
From our findings, we determined the fire as an accident, most likely due to the negligence of someone attending the rodeo.
Unfortunately, with the damage done to the trailer and what evidence was left, we were unable to track down who it was.
But the good news is that we don’t need your vehicle anymore, so you’re free to come pick it up at any time. ”
“Okay, thank you, Deputy Grey. I’ll be over in Goldfinch later today or tomorrow to pick it up.” I hung up the phone, taking a deep breath.
As much as I wanted to be relieved that I’d have my pickup back again, I wasn’t.
My trailer was still gone, and since they weren’t able to track down whoever threw the cigarette, I’d have to cover most of the costs of buying a new one myself.
Horse trailers weren’t cheap, especially in this economy.
“Who was that?” Hayden stepped out of his bedroom, walking into the living room where I was sitting on the couch.
“A deputy from GCSO.”
He took a seat next to me. “Good news or bad news?”
I shrugged. “Both, I guess. The good news is they told me I can come get my vehicle, but the bad news is that they’re sure the fire was accidental, and they’re unable to track down whoever threw the cigarette. I’ll have to buy a new trailer on my own.”
“Damn.” Hayden pouted. “I don’t know, Skip. I find it hard to believe someone would be that careless around horses. Who just throws a cigarette butt into the window of a horse trailer?”
“I don’t know, but it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
It wasn’t fine, but it was my problem to deal with.
Changing the subject, I asked, “Do you think you’d be able to drive me? To Goldfinch, that is.”
“Of course. When are you wanting to go?”
“Today, if that’s okay. Or we can go tomorrow. I don’t want to throw off your schedule if you have something planned.”
“My schedule’s free. We can go now if you want.”
I hesitated, lifting an eyebrow and cocking my head. “Are you sure?”
He stood, moving in front of me to place his hands on my shoulders, and leaned down so we were at eye level with each other.
“Sierra, have I ever lied to you? We don’t do that, remember?
” He went as far as to take one hand off my shoulder and stick out his pinky finger, extending his hand toward me. “Want me to swear on it? I will.”
My heart lurched in my chest as my vision darted down to his hand, memories of us as kids threatening to resurface. All the times we’d sworn on pinky fingers.
I pushed it down, though, and huffed out a breath, finally conceding. “Fine. Let me get dressed, and we can go. Is Pancho okay to come? I don’t really want to leave him here by himself.”
All he did was nod, grabbing his keys off the counter to toss and catch them in his hand. “Whatever you need.”
“Right,” I mumbled, heading back to my bedroom to change my clothes.
I shrugged on a crewneck sweatshirt over the T-shirt I slept in and swapped my athletic shorts for a pair of Wrangler jeans. After pulling my hair back into a high ponytail, I grabbed my wallet—double-checking that my ID was in there—and Pancho’s leash.
“Come on, bud.” I urged him to get off the bed.
He let out a sound somewhere between a huff and a grunt.
“We’re going for a car ride,” I continued.
That got his attention, and his ears perked up.
As I walked out the bedroom door, I said, “Go load up,” and he sprang into action, leaping off the bed and sprinting out to the living room, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, eyes bright and full of energy.
“Hey, buddy.” Hayden crouched down and was scratching between Pancho’s ears. Pancho snuggled up to his leg and rolled onto his belly. “You’re such a good boy, aren’t you? What a lover.”
What a traitor.
“Ready?”
Hayden’s gaze snapped up to mine when he realized I was standing in front of them. He cleared his throat and stood, brushing dog fur off his jeans. “Yep. Let’s get this show on the road.”
He headed toward the front door, and Pancho walked with him the whole way at his heels, tail wagging and butt wiggling like he was the happiest dog in the world.
Only Hayden could make my own dog like him more than he liked me.
“Do you actually believe that the trailer fire was an accident?” Hayden asked about thirty minutes into our drive.
I crossed my arms, not wanting to get into this. “Do you really believe that it wasn’t? I get that your dad was a cop—”
“Is a cop,” he corrected, and I rolled my eyes, unsure if the wording really mattered that much.
I still rephrased. “I get that your dad is a cop, but that doesn’t mean everything has some nefarious motive behind it. It very well could have been an accident.”
He looked as though he wanted to argue, but he took a deep breath instead.
“I would rather it be an accident than someone doing it with the intention to hurt you. I just worry, Skip. Not even two weeks after the fire, someone messed with your saddle. Had you not checked the straps, you could have gotten seriously hurt. I’m not convinced it was all a coincidence. ”
I let out a dramatic sigh. “I appreciate the concern, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl. I can deal with things on my own. I’ve managed five years without you looking after me.”
Hayden winced like my words cut him, and perhaps they did. But they were true. We hadn’t been in each other’s lives for five years, and had my trailer not burned down, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation now.
His jaw hardened, and he swallowed. “Promise me that if something else happens, you’ll tell me.”
I hesitated.
“Please, Sierra. This is the only thing I’ll ask of you.” He extended his pinky finger.
Huffing out a breath of air, I took his pinky in mine. “Fine. But nothing else is going to happen.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him or myself more.
I wouldn’t have been lying if I said the recent events put me on edge, but I thought if I ignored the issue and didn’t show a reaction, whoever was trying to bother me or scare me would eventually get tired and leave me alone.
It was probably a jealous competitor or a teenager pulling some sick prank.
Or, like the GCSO deputy said, an accident, and the fire and saddle were completely unrelated.
For the next thirty miles or so, Hayden seemed to have his focus completely on the road, and I didn’t want the topic of the trailer fire to come up again, so I played on my phone until Pancho started whining and we were forced to interact again.
“Sorry, can you pull over? He’s going to keep whining if we don’t let him out for a bit.”
Hayden stopped at the next turnoff, and I clipped Pancho’s leash on him, leading him to a grassy area. It was a bit gusty, so I hoped he would do his business quickly.
“How did you wind up with Pancho?” Hayden asked. “I know you played with Reggie when we were kids, but I wasn’t under the impression you ever wanted a dog.”
I crossed my arms to protect my body from the wind.
“I definitely didn’t when I was younger, but traveling and living by myself got lonely sometimes.
” I pursed my lips as his expression darkened.
“Pancho was actually a rescue. I was in a rural area in South Dakota, and these people had puppies on the side of the road.
They were just going to let them loose, so I gave them twenty bucks and took Pancho with me. He was six weeks old, I think.
“I don’t regret him one bit. Not even when he’s misbehaving. Sometimes, I think he saved me,” I admitted.
A few years ago, before I got him, I was in a rough place.
The anxiety caused by the fear that my father would somehow get out of prison combined with homesickness and grief of not speaking to my mom had accumulated and manifested into depression.
Even though I had Lucky, Pancho gave me another routine to follow.
And training him was unpredictable, so he always made things interesting.
“I’m really glad you two found each other,” Hayden murmured.
I offered him a soft smile. “Me, too.”
The rest of the drive to Goldfinch was quiet, but the tension had eased between us. Crazy what a little bit of fresh air could do for a person.
Once I’d gotten the keys to my pickup and loaded Pancho into the cab, Hayden stopped me before I could climb into the driver’s side.
“You should stay,” he blurted. “In Silver Creek. At least until the end of the season, that is. You still don’t have a horse trailer, and I do. I don’t want you to be stressed trying to buy a new one while competing and maintaining your spot in the standings.”
“Oh, well, I—” I stumbled over my words. “I guess I could.”
“It’s really not a—wait, yes? You’ll stay?” His features lit up, hope shining in his eyes.
“Yeah, Hayes. I’ll stay.” I offered a soft smile before clarifying. “Just until the end of the season, though. Then I need to figure out how to get a new trailer. Let me pay you rent, too.”
“That’s not necessary.”
I stopped him, holding up a hand so he’d let me speak. “Yes, it is. You wouldn’t let anyone else stay with you for free. Just because we… It’s necessary. Please. Just let me do this.”
“Okay, fine.” He raised his hands in resignation, although I was convinced he would try to sneak the money back to me at some point.
“Thank you. I’ll see you back in Silver Creek, okay?” I climbed into the driver’s side. Pancho was already waiting for me to roll down the passenger-side window so he could stick his head out. When I reached over to close my door, Hayden grabbed it, holding on to it for a second.
“Drive safe. I’ll see you at home.” He closed the door gently, giving me a small wave before walking back over to his vehicle.
Home.
My brain latched onto the word and the weight it held.
Could Silver Creek ever be home for me? I wasn’t sure.
I’d never really had a home before, and I questioned whether I deserved one, especially one where Hayden was concerned.