Chapter 6
Quint
I’m rushing out of the big house after lunch faster than Shayla’s horse Scorch can take the turn around the first barrel.
Everyone is in a foul mood, and I’m so glad I snagged the guest house.
I’m happy to be home, but I could use a little less drama from the family.
Blink bounces in front of me, racing ahead and then back as if to hurry me along.
At least Preston is heading back into the city for a few days, although he’s planning on spending more time here once filming starts.
Wants to keep an eye on his assets, apparently.
Not sure how he can basically call the ranch a money drain in one sentence and then refer to it as an asset in the next one, but that’s my brother.
All he cares about is the bottom line. It didn’t used to be like this.
A wave of grief washes over me. It’s softer, muted, like a scratch from a cat with freshly trimmed claws, but it still has the power to slice me up sometimes.
I shut my eyes, listening to the soothing sounds of the ranch.
It steadies me. Like it always has. These are the sounds I missed while living in the city.
“Quint! You’re home. About goddamn time, city boy.” The comment is full of warmth, no sharp edges. I look up to see Dean walking out of the bank barn with a big smile on his face.
“Hey, buddy. Going to school does not make me a city boy. It makes me smart. You should read a book or two now and again. It would do you good,” I tease back, but it’s nice to see my oldest friend again.
And I’m so glad he decided to come work for us after his family sold their place and left Balsam Grove.
“How’s, uh, Cindy? Cynthia?” He struggles to find the name of my last girlfriend. She never really was one for the country life, so he only met her a couple of times when he visited me at school.
“It’s Cynthia, and she is long gone.” She broke up with me a few months back, but it was inevitable. While I fell hard for her at first, it was a fleeting infatuation. We just weren’t compatible.
“Aww, sorry about that, dude. What happened?”
I chuckle. There’s not too much of a sting left.
We parted ways amicably. “Apparently, I wasn’t enough of a city boy for her.
She wasn’t too happy that I was dead stuck on moving back to Balsam Grove after we graduated.
” I shrug. It did hurt at the time. I thought we were in love, or at least that I was.
So I clung to her a little too hard, even past the point of knowing it wouldn’t work out.
“You were dating for what…a year? You didn’t bother to talk about that stuff earlier?”
I shake my head. “No, yeah, we did. I guess maybe she thought she could change me or something? I don’t know. But that was never going to happen.”
“Well, that sucks. Are you okay?” He narrows his eyes, studying me.
“I’m fine. It was a few months back. I guess I just wasn’t as in love with her as I thought I was. Or maybe I just love this place more.”
“You always do fall too fast. It’s not sustainable. You need to ease up. We’re young. Need to get out there and experience as much of the world as we can before we settle down.”
“And by that you mean sleep with a lot of women? Or men, I guess, in your case.”
He winks at me with a huge grin on his face. “Exactly. Although, I think moving to the city might be helpful in that respect. Not enough variety around here for my liking.”
I shake my head at him. “You working on anything in particular, or just out here to gossip like one of the old timers down at Hannigans?”
“I just finished dropping new round bales in all the fields. I’ve been hard at work. Not like you, giving the new star a grooming lesson. I hope you kept it to the horses.”
“Ugh. You’re the worst. And how do you even know about her? I told her only my family would know. You better not be spreading this all over town. That’s all I need.” I trust my friend, but I don’t want to think of how much it would hurt Aura if word got out.
He swipes his finger and thumb across his lips in a zipping-it-up motion. “Nah, who would I tell? Secret’s safe with me.”
“Good. Keep it that way. I’m going to go do some fence repairs, if you want to make yourself useful. I noticed some broken boards on my way in the other day.”
“Sounds good. Meet you at the garage.”
I salute him and head off to grab my old truck. We load up the back with extra boards until she’s groaning, throw in a tool kit, and head for the front fence line.
“I’ve never seen the fence looking this shabby before. Is something up with Caleb?”
The sun is beating down on us again, and I roll up the sleeves of my shirt to let it bake my skin in its pleasant warmth.
Dean’s arm stops mid-swing of his hammer, and he turns to me. “He’s been distracted lately. I was actually going to ask you the same thing.”
Right. If he wasn’t sharing the financial woes with his own family, it’s no surprise he wasn’t sharing with the ranch hands, even if Dean happens to be pretty much family.
“He’s been dealing with some financial issues. That’s why he’s letting the TV people use the space.”
“Makes sense.” He resumes his hammering. “Things are going to be okay though, right?”
“Yeah, yes. Yes, they are. This TV thing is going to help. I’m going to start doing some research to see which studs we might be able to bring on. Who would be the most compatible for our ladies. You got any ideas? Heard any whispers around town.”
“I do. Calypso over at the MacGregors would be a good fit. He’s got the bloodlines, plus he’s flashy, so he’ll make some pretty babies.”
I nod, thinking of the fancy Paint. It might not be a bad idea to add another one to our herd. With the Paint Barrel Racing Incentive, good racers are in demand. “They can be pretty as can be, as long as they’re good at their job, but the MacGregors will never sell. He’s one of their best.”
A flash of gold catches my eye from across the field. Speaking of pretty. You don’t get much prettier than Goldie, our gorgeous palomino, who’s popped her head up from grazing to look our way. It’s almost like she heard us.
“Well, rumor has it, Tad isn’t interested in taking over the farm and the MacGregors are looking to sell.”
I give my board a wiggle to make sure it’s solid, then prop my forearms on the top rail, staring off at the herd halfway across the field.
“That’s a shame. They’ve owned that property longer than we have.”
“I know. It seems to be the way, though. Not everyone wants to stay out here in bumfuck nowhere, sweating for our money.”
“That’s part of the fun. Getting our hands dirty. Working with the horses.” I wouldn’t have gotten through losing my parents without them. The lump returns to my throat.
“Don’t I know it. But times are changing. And they’ll be changing here pretty soon. Life around the ranch is not going to be quite so peaceful once they start production.”
A tingle of fear chases itself over my skin. “You’re not thinking of leaving, are you?” I’d hate losing my best friend.
“Me? Nah. Cowboy for life.”
“You don’t think about heading back on the road to chase buckles?” He was at the top of his game riding bulls when he just up and quit. Moved back to Balsam Grove. Seems like he hasn’t looked back.
“Never.”
I’m not sure I believe him, but I’m not going to push. Something happened to drive him away from the circuit, but he’s never shared.
He spins around, leaning his back on the fence. “So tell me about the star. She a diva?”
“Hollywood? No, she’s…interesting.” I smile, remembering how she looked when she started to get more comfortable with Flash.
That guarded look on her face started to slip and she looked softer, more approachable.
Although I haven’t seen a single side of her that isn’t perfection.
She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Just thinking about her face has that pulse of want building again.
She’s not the person I thought she was. I guess you kind of think you know someone after seeing them on a screen, but now that I’ve met her, I know those were just characters. Not the real her.
“Oh, shit. I’ve seen that look on your face before. Don’t go falling for her.”
“You sound like my sister.”
“Your sister’s a smart woman.”
“So she thinks. You know you can admire a woman without falling for her.” The sharp ring of my hammer sounds out as I go back to my work, trying to drown out my attraction to Aura and the hint of worry riding me at the thought of her staying at that skeezy hotel.
There’s not much crime here in Balsam Grove, so we do hear about every little thing that happens, and that includes a good number of fights and police appearances at the Lone Pine.
Its location on the highway means a lot of strangers pass through.
What if someone recognizes her? Or sees her alone at night?
The thought sends a shiver down my spine.
“I can. Most people can. But not you, you’re a hopeless romantic.” Dean’s words pull me back into the moment.
I ignore his comment, focusing on my hammer. “Get back to work. We don’t pay you to flap your mouth all day.”
He laughs, but goes to haul another board out of the truck.
The afternoon passes in a blur of chores, leaving my muscles aching and my body exhausted as I walk up the stone path to the guest house. My house, now.
A warm glow lights up the cozy surroundings as I head for the shower to wash off the layer of dust and sweat covering my body after a day of hard work.
And as the hot water runs across my skin, a picture of our new guest pops into my head and my dick responds in the most inappropriate manner.
Shit. I let out a low groan, sliding my hand down to grip the hard length. This could be a problem.