Chapter 17 Hayden
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
hayden
I’d convinced Sierra to stay with me for the rest of the rodeo season, and a weight felt like it had been lifted off my shoulders.
She may not have believed that the fire and saddle tampering were related, but I had this nagging feeling deep down in my gut that told me otherwise.
Maybe she was right, and I felt that way purely because of my dad being a police officer, but I also believed that one could never be too safe.
Best case, nothing happened. Worst case, the events were related, and we had to put extra security measures in place to prevent further harm.
Next week, we’d head out on the road to Pendleton, Oregon.
It gave me some comfort in knowing I’d be with Sierra at all times in case something went wrong.
But also if something did happen while we were on the road, it would only solidify my theory that someone was targeting her—someone who was also competing in the rodeo circuit.
I pulled into my driveway after a long trip of thinking. My brain never shut off—couldn’t shut off—when it came to Sierra. It was always either brainstorming ways to get her back, wondering how everything went wrong all those years ago, or dwelling on her safety.
Some may have called it obsessive or possessive, but it didn’t come from a place of control. I just genuinely didn’t know what I would do if I lost her again.
Sierra got home not too long after I did, parking her pickup next to mine. Dark spots formed half-moons under her eyes, and her shoulders were hiked up halfway to her ears. I could tell the last few weeks had taken a toll on her, and I wanted to do whatever I could to help relieve her stress.
She pushed through the front door without a word, and an idea hit me as I followed her inside. My plan wasn’t anything too crazy, just something to take the edge off and, selfishly, spend more time with her.
While sleep was important, there was a difference between resting and wallowing in bed, and I feared the latter was what Sierra planned to do. Besides, other than going to Rudy’s and running into town for errands, I didn’t think she’d had much of an opportunity to explore Silver Creek.
“Grab a jacket, some of the sandwiches in the fridge, and Pancho’s leash.” I tapped her on the shoulder before she could get settled on the couch or disappear into her room. “Oh, and whatever other snacks you like.”
“What? Why?” A puzzled look flashed across her face.
“It’ll be nice to get out of the house for something other than rodeo for a change, don’t you think? I know the perfect place.” She cocked her head to the side, so I added, “Trust me, Skip.”
“All right. Are you going to tell me where we’re going, or is this another SGU football field situation?” she teased, standing and stretching her arms over her head.
“Well, it’s definitely not illegal.”
A laugh bubbled out of her. “Good to know.”
While she grabbed Pancho’s leash and a warmer layer, I went out to the garage.
A couple fishing poles hung on the wall, and I moved them to the bed of my pickup along with my tackle box and some bait I had in the garage minifridge.
At the last minute, I also decided to bring a blanket and some lawn chairs.
By the time I finished loading everything, Sierra was waiting in the living room.
“Got everything?” I asked.
She nodded and called Pancho to her side before following me out to the truck. Once we’d gotten settled with our seatbelts on, she threw me an expectant look. I knew Sierra well enough to know she didn’t like surprises, but I had a feeling this one would be worth the wait.
“I know the last few weeks have been stressful, and I thought we could do something relaxing. Get some fresh air, too, and let Pancho run around.” That was the only explanation I was willing to give her as we drove down the gravel road off my property and toward the Silver Creek.
It was already late afternoon, so it was unlikely there were many people still at the river, but we’d still have a couple hours before the sun set.
Open fields transformed into a wooded area, and I rolled the windows down as we got closer, the fresh, earthy scent of the running river filtering into the cab.
Only a couple of cars were parked at the pullout, and when Pancho realized where we were—even though he’d never been here—his ears perked up. Sierra’s lips twitched like she was holding back a smile when I parked.
The crisp Montana air rushed into my lungs as I hopped out of the pickup and retrieved the fishing gear and chairs from the back.
“Pick a spot, Skip.” I gestured toward the creek.
Pancho was already in the water, paddling and splashing around.
“So, this was your surprise, huh? Fishing?” Amusement danced in her eyes, but she led the way, setting up camp on the far end of the creek away from the few other people here.
“It’s calming.” I shrugged.
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, and I tried to look anywhere but her mouth. “I’m not gonna lie, I kinda think fishing is boring, but the fresh air is nice.”
Laughing, I handed her a pole. “You probably just don’t have enough patience for it.
” Knowing Sierra and how she was always moving onto the next thing, it made sense.
Opening my tackle box, I pulled out a couple lures I knew worked well.
“I don’t know, something about the quiet is relaxing.
I could sit out here all day, never even catch anything, and still go home feeling refreshed and happy. ”
After getting everything set up and bait on the hook, I cast my line and plopped down into my lawn chair. Sierra probably would like fly fishing because it was a bit more active than conventional fishing, where you had to sit and wait for a bite.
Despite her claims that she didn’t like to fish, she sure knew how to cast a line. I didn’t have to help her at all, and soon she was sitting next to me in her chair.
There was a good chance Pancho had already scared all the fish away, but any time spent with Sierra was time well spent, even if it was just two friends sitting at a fishing hole.
“If you get cold, let me know. I brought a blanket, too.”
Her eyes cast downward as she shook her head, but there was a subtle smile on her face. “Always taking care of me, aren’t you, Hayes?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, but luckily I didn’t have to because by some stroke of luck she had a bite. The tip of her rod bent, and her eyes widened.
“Oh my God! I think I have one!” she squealed as she started to reel in her catch.
A few seconds later, we both burst into laughter because her big bite wasn’t actually a fish but a huge chunk of moss.
I scrubbed my hand through my hair, fighting back laughter. “Damn, I really thought we had one.”
“Just my luck, huh.” Her shoulders shook as she bit her lip, plucking the moss off her hook and tossing it back into the water. “Took my bait, too.”
“So far you’re having better luck than I am,” I pointed out, gesturing to my line that hadn’t had so much as a single bite, from fish or otherwise.
She baited another hook before digging into the bag of sandwiches and snacks. “Do you want one of these?”
“Sure.” I nodded, and she passed me one of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I had made a couple days ago.
Biting into her sandwich, she said, “I don’t remember you ever being a big fisherman when we were younger.”
“I wasn’t. I didn’t really get into it until after college when I moved here.”
“It’s a hobby that will stick with you until you’re old. I can respect it.” She paused. “I actually took up reading while I was traveling. I wouldn’t call myself a huge bookworm, but I try to read at least ten pages of a book a day.”
“Yeah?” I stopped what I was doing, wanting to be fully invested in her stories and let her know that I genuinely cared about what she did when we were apart.
“I made a habit of finding little free libraries all over the country.” She huffed out a breath, which was half a laugh. “I’d take a book, then leave a different one that I’d found in another town or state. Maybe one day when I’m settled, I’ll build one of my own.”
“I think you and Isabelle—that’s Reid’s girlfriend—would get along really well. She reads like three hundred books a year.”
Sierra blew a raspberry as she baited her hook. “I’m not quite at that level.”
“What’s been your favorite book you’ve read?”
By the look in her eyes, I never would have expected the answer.
“I have so many favorites. I read a fantasy once about a girl from a different realm who has been cursed to lose all her memories and start over on Earth every time she’s killed by the man she loves.
I also read a dark comedy about a female serial killer who gets into a fake marriage with the detective who’s assigned to catch her.
But the kicker is that they don’t know each other’s identities.
” She chuckled to herself. “You’re not going to believe this one, but I actually also liked To Kill a Mockingbird. ”
A deep belly laugh escaped me. “Wait, is that the book Keenan had to read in high school? The one I grabbed from the library for him that one day?”
Pink streaked across her cheeks. “Yeah. Can you believe that?”
“That was the day you told me you got the membership forms signed for high school rodeo.” Conflicting feelings warred inside me at the memory.
While I was happy she was able to compete in something we both loved, the memory of Sierra wincing in pain at a brush of my hand over her arm was burned into my memory.
There were so many things I would have done differently if I’d known what she was going through, had she let me in fully.