Chapter 4 Reece
Reece.
Fresh out of the shower I felt revived and a lot better than I had twenty minutes prior.
My muscles still ached from being out on the ranch all day trying to keep up with Ro, but there was a sense of relief from knowing everything we tackled today would make my life so much easier in the months to come.
I sat on my bed in my bra and panties, rubbing mango and pineapple body butter into my thighs and calves, smiling as the brown sugar cream blended into my deep brown skin. The scent was heavenly but more than anything it had me glowing, feeling moisturized and soft.
Every day I moved around this ranch in my jeans and boots, working harder than most to keep my head above water and my ranch standing, but the minute the tools were tucked away, I lived for moments like this.
Pampering myself because I deserved it. Life was tough sometimes, but if I learned anything from my father, it was to never allow anything to consume you.
Stop and enjoy the moments that bring you peace, Reecee Cup.
I smiled through the sadness of remembering that conversation. We had been out in the pastures all day mending fences and I was right beside him the entire time. My arms ached, my hands cramped, and my back was stiff from bending and kneeling to get the work done.
When I noticed him removing a flask and a cigar from his jacket pocket, I grinned, knowing we were done for the day. He fired up and leaned against the wooden gate enjoying his guilty pleasure. I laid out in the grass smiling up at the sky, enjoying a minute to just be.
“Are you happy, Reece?”
“Why?” I lifted my head and narrowed my eyes his way.
My father smiled and turned his flask up. “Because that’s the point of it all. Life, that is. Being happy.”
“Then yes, I’m happy.”
“Don’t speak the words if they’re not true.
You gotta really mean it. This…” He motioned his hand around the ranch.
“…is all I know. It’s all I ever wanted but this is also my dream, not yours.
If you get to a point when you’re not happy, you tell me okay.
If being happy means finding something other than this, then that’s just what it is. ”
“I love this ranch. It’s the heart of everything I am, this makes me happy. I’m never leaving.”
My father chuckled and nodded, puffing his cigar.
“If that ever changes, just know I love you enough to let you live the life that’s meant to be yours, Reecee Cup.
And just promise me you’ll always stop and enjoy the moments that bring you peace, even when life falls apart, because those moments will keep you grounded. ”
My hands stilled and my mind jolted. I was fifteen when we had that conversation. It hadn’t made sense then, but in this moment, my mind processed what he’d said differently.
“It’s all I ever wanted but this is also my dream, not yours…”
“I love you enough to let you go…”
That conversation was about my mother. She wasn’t happy.
She wanted more than being on this ranch.
He loved her so he let her go, even if it meant suffering a broken heart and raising me all on his own, the best way he knew how.
My father didn’t want me to stay and have regrets, so he was giving me permission to leave him one day too.
I never did, because I never wanted to. This was all I knew, all I wanted, and I loved that he was the one who gave me this life.
The thought should have made me understand my mother more but it made me angry that she’d hurt him.
Angry that he wasn’t enough for her because his love had always been enough for me.
So much, in fact, that I never felt like I missed anything in life. Not even her…
Instead of settling into that space I pushed the thoughts aside and finished my routine. Once my skin was glistening, I pulled on a pair of wool socks, lounge pants, and a hoodie so I could work on dinner, which reminded me to check on the steaks. I hopped up and left my bedroom.
In the kitchen, I removed the pack of steaks thawing in the refrigerator and placed both on the counter, removing the kraft paper.
The visual of the ribeye steaks made my stomach growl again.
My body moved with a second wind around the kitchen to get things prepped for dinner but first I needed to tackle this chaos of coils that had me regretting not getting braids when Wren had tried to talk me into going with her.
A few seconds later I grinned because she was on my line as if she had been in my head. When I answered the video call, the first thing out of her mouth was, “Bitch are you cooking for two?”
And after I noticed she was in the kitchen too, I quickly shot back, “Aren’t you?”
I moved around, prepping a few more things, waiting for whatever slick ass statement she sent next because there would definitely be one.
“Yes, for me and Amara. But I see two big ass steaks back there. I know you’re not about to eat steak for days. Let me find out it’s a man.”
I cut my eyes at the screen and almost laughed when she leaned in close to the camera being overly dramatic, waiting, so I gave her what she was demanding.
“It is.”
“Bitch who?”
“Let me head back to my room to do something to this mess on my head before I cook and I’ll tell you, but why the hell are you whispering?”
As I walked through the house, we went back and forth with our usual bullshit. She filled me in on her day and I told her about mine. We were both in denial because we were stubborn as hell but we could talk that shit out later.
She was cooking for Amara and I was making dinner for Ro, because let’s be real, I could have easily thrown together a sandwich and been fine.
But that age old saying that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach meant even if I wanted a connection with Ro to be a little further south, I had to start somewhere.
After dinner I was heading to Forty Acres to have drinks with my girl because apparently we both needed an escape. While I finished taming and defining my coils, I talked to my girl then ended the call so I could grill the steaks.
My stomach was screaming with need because I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, which had only been coffee and a banana.
I woke up late and had a full day I needed to tackle.
Once I made it to the stables to check on my baby, only to find the barn door on the ground instead of blocking out the icy cold temperatures, my day had been completely derailed.
I was when Melvina sent Ro to help out. That was another reason I powered through.
I wanted to break for lunch, but when Ro didn’t mention food or slow down while we worked, I refused to either.
A grin surfaced at the thought of viewing him as competition.
There was no way I would allow him or anyone else to outwork me on my own ranch. Lenard Allen didn’t raise a slack ass.
When I made it to the kitchen, I sighed and glanced at the empty space next to the fireplace where my tree should be. The only thing there was boxes of ornaments I’d hauled from the shed a few days prior.
I’m getting my damn tree tomorrow…
My first task was the steaks. Once I had them thoroughly cleaned and placed on the wood block, I removed my special blend seasoning, a smoky and savory combination of spices I’d personally mixed.
I tenderized the meat, letting it soak in while I grabbed two Yukon Gold potatoes which I scrubbed clean before I oiled and wrapped them in foil. They went into the oven on a baking rack after it heated to the right temperature then started on my roasted, herb butter.
Once the potatoes were halfway done, I fired up the stove and placed the cast iron grilling plate over two of the eyes.
I drizzled oil first then gently placed the steaks on, allowing them to sear slowly and cook to perfection on each side until they were grilled just right on the outside and medium-well inside.
By the time I took the potatoes out and had the steaks plated, I tossed the onions on, browning them a bit and layering them over the steaks. I staged both on the counter then grabbed my phone to snap a few pictures which I posted to my profile on Skroll.
Not even seconds after the images were live on my page, my phone vibrated with a call.
“I would ask how things were going but that post you just made is my answer? Dinner for two?” Melvina sang smugly into my line. I cursed under my breath for posting both plates. My eyes rolled while I leaned against the counter, deciding denial was the only way to shut her down.
“I’m pretty sure you negotiated my culinary skills as a line item for Ro helping out around here. Thanks for that, by the way, because my pockets are already a little light this time of year.”
“Chile, stop playing with my intelligence. You know this is my thing, right?”
“What’s that, Mrs. Mel?”
She scoffed. “I’m a love curator. Not the little fat white baby kind because that’s nonsense.
I’m talking about spiritual connections and gut feelings that produce soul stirring love that stands the test of time.
Do you know how many times I’ve seen what others ignore?
And after a gentle shove in the right direction, hearts become joined in the most beautiful way.
I did that for my Wilde, you know. That stubborn ass was just floating in the wind until I sent Shore to him. ”
“I hope that was not your intention for sending that man to my ranch, Mrs. Mel.”
“Of course not. You needed help, he needed a place to lay his head. Now if the two of you just happen to make a love connection, then so be it. There are a lot worse things that could happen.”
“Did you discuss that with him?”
She sucked her teeth. “Lord, no. Men are stupid. They only see what they want to see and never know what they need until it slaps them upside the head. Plus I didn’t want to run him off before you got the opportunity to show him what you’re working with.”
I choked on a laugh and my eyes went wide. “What?”
“You heard me, Reecee Cup. No sense in beating around the bush. You crossed the threshold of being grown a long time ago. We can talk like adults. You’re sweet as pie, honey.
Got a good heart and can cook your butt off, but what’s going to catch that man, any man, is the eye candy.
Those other things are what’s going to keep him. ”
I grinned because this woman was ten messes on a good day. Double that when she was inspired. Apparently the prospect of a love connection with me and Ro had her inspired. “I appreciate the advice but I’m not looking to catch or keep Ro.”
“Why the hell not? I know you wear glasses and all, but even still, you should be able to see how handsome he is. Had me stealing a few extra looks while we had coffee this morning and you know you got them child bearing hips. No sense in wasting ’em.”
“Okay, I’m going to go now. I love you and I’ll see you at Jubilee. I’ll have some new stuff you might like.”
“Chile, I know exactly what you’re doing and I’m gonna let you because staying tied up on this phone with me means you’re not having dinner with him. Tell Ro I said hello and that I called to make sure he was settling in.”
“Yes, ma’am, I sure will.”
I shook my head, grinning after I ended the call, then glanced at the plates sitting on my counter.
The two plates had my mind wandering to the reason there was one instead of two and I pulled my lip between my teeth and headed to the landline.
My father didn’t believe in cellphones being the only source of communication, so we had them throughout the ranch—one in the horse stables, the foreman cabin, and our house.
At the moment I was grateful because it was the only connection I had to Ro aside from taking myself over there.
Being in his presence was not the best plan of action considering the way I was currently feeling.
Sex probably wasn’t a great negotiating tool for having him help me around the ranch, even if my goal was no strings attached.
According to Mrs. Mel, Ro was originally looking to get put on at Phoxes and that meant temporary.
Once the season ended, he would be on to the next town, so the only thing we could offer each other was a no strings attached temporary fix.
Damn if I didn’t really need a fix.
I huffed and lifted the phone, dialing the number to the foreman’s cabin, only to be disappointed when no one answered. I tried several more times, then thought about what he’d mentioned earlier, a thirteen-hour drive and wanting to shower and relax.
Then you worked him all day doing strenuous manual labor…
That he led the charge for. It wasn’t my fault the man didn’t know what pacing was…
“Shit,” I mumbled to myself, considering the obvious. He was asleep…or didn’t want to be bothered.
“Oh well, his loss,” I said with a shrug, deciding to get dressed, eat, drop his plate off, then head out to meet my girl. I wanted Ro to be my good time tonight but time with Wren would be equally satisfying. Drinks and laughs with the bestie were always a good time.