Chapter 9 #2
“Well while you’re here, I’d love to take you out sometime. Show you how much fun we have up in Wyoming,” Reed says with a wink.
I laugh, spinning again as he leads me through all of the moves of the song. “Sounds like fun.” I like Reed, he’s a blast. Maybe he would take my mind off of a certain stick in the mud standing over by the barn by himself.
I look over at Miles and immediately regret it.
Why does he always have to look so attractive?
It’s infuriating. Tonight he’s sporting his signature look of a black button-down shirt, Wranglers, and boots.
But, he’s forgone a hat. His raven hair is combed back, and shines just a bit in the orange sunset glow of the sky.
He’s talking to another man, who I assume works for him by his body language.
Miles is all take-charge around the cowboys.
I wouldn’t want to piss him off if he were my boss.
Thank goodness he’s not.
“Let me buy you a drink,” Reed drawls, reaching out his hand.
I hesitate for just a second before taking it.
I don’t know why, it’s not like he’s proposing marriage.
I just wish I could shake the feeling of being around Miles.
I feel like I’m constantly pulled towards him.
But, he clearly doesn’t want to be around me.
He’ll pretty much talk to everyone but me.
I let Reed lead me over to the ‘bar,’ standing off to the side a bit since all of the barrels are spoken for. He brings a couple of beers over, handing me one.
“Hey, is there anything going on between you and Miles?” He asks before taking a sip, as if asking my favorite color. I’m taken aback, like a bucket of ice water has been poured onto me.
“Definitely not, what makes you say that?” I’m a little breathless from the shock of that question. Miles clearly dislikes me. He hasn’t been near me since I first got here. He’s not paying me any attention.
“Oh just because he doesn’t look too happy about me buying you a drink,” Reed says. “Wouldn’t want to step into something between y’all. I’m not looking to get on his bad side.”
My gaze slides over to Miles, still over by the barn.
He’s still standing where he was before, but now he’s alone and he’s looking right back at me.
He’s also clutching his drink for dear life, knuckles turning white.
And Reed is right, he does not look happy.
Seems pretty typical for him, though. This isn’t the first time I’ve been the object of a Miles glare.
I smile as big as I can back at him, giving him an enthusiastic wave. That catches his attention, bringing him back to reality. He covers his mouth like he’s clearing his throat as he looks away, walking into the barn.
“Oh that’s just Miles,” I assure Reed. “I don’t think he likes me very much. In fact, I think I annoy him just by existing. We are definitely not together.”
“If you say so,” Reed mumbles. He doesn’t sound all too sure, but I can’t force him to believe me.
We exchange numbers and head back over to Parker and the group.
They’re a fun bunch, joking around with each other, telling stories of the ranch and rodeos.
The kind of people you want to be friends with.
I’ve never had a big group of friends, only a few really close friends.
I like it that way, but being here makes me think this could be fun too.
The ranch hands are gathered in a big circle around a hay bail that has a plastic bull head staked into it.
Parker stands across from the bull, swinging a rope around his head.
He throws the rope with a holler, and I barely have time to see it land on the hay before he pulls it tightly around the horn of the bull.
“Alright, who’s ready to test out my aim on a moving target?” He asks the group that has gathered around.
“I ain’t drunk enough yet to let you rope burn me, Bailey,” a cowboy across from me shouts.
“Aw, come on now, it’s tradition,” Parker yells back. His gaze lands on me and I swear his eyes twinkle just a bit. “Katie, would you like a turn?”
“I’m used to horses, not cows. I’ve never roped before,” I say.
“I’ll teach you, step right up.” Parker grins, and I’d be willing to bet he usually gets what he wants because of that smile. What’s the harm? I might as well be fully immersed into the ranch lifestyle while I’m here. When am I ever going to learn how to rope a cow again?
“Knew I could count on you, Idaho,” Parker says as I walk up to him in the middle of the soft dirt.
“I hope you’re a good teacher, because I’ve never done anything like this before,” I say.
“It’s easy, trust me. You’ll get the hang of it real quick.” He hands me a stiff rope, rolled up into a coil. It’s mostly white, with a few other colors mixed in. The colors remind me of the sunsets behind the Tetons, orange, red, and purple.
Parker steps in front of me to direct my hands to the right spots on the rope.
“Hold the rope right here. Yep, that’s it. It’s already coiled up for you, so you’re all ready to rope. You’re gonna slide the rope through the hondo there, until you’ve got a big enough loop.”
“Is that good?”
“That’ll do. Now point your finger right down the center of the rope–”
“And just what in the hell are you doing?” Miles’s voice comes from behind me, kicking my heart rate up to a level I’m not proud of. I look over my shoulder to see him stalking towards us, arms crossed over his chest.
“Right on time,” Parker says just low enough for me to hear.
I’m about to ask Parker what he’s talking about, but Miles interrupts my thoughts.
“Would you leave this girl alone and go rope some of your drunk friends like usual?”
“She’s never roped before, Miles. She wants to learn,” Parker smiles.
Miles sighs. “You teaching anyone how to rope is like Walt holding a class on computers.”
“Why don’t you teach her, then?” Parker says, holding a hand out for Miles to take his place.
Miles rolls his eyes, opening his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. “C’mon, Autry, show me what you’ve got. How many chances does a girl get to be a cowboy for a day?”
Miles finally looks over at me, assessing my words. After a moment, he nods. “Alright, if you want to learn how to rope, you may as well learn the right way.”
A couple of cowboys around us hoot and holler as Parker steps back into the crowd. Miles comes over to take his place in front of me. “Alright, what did he tell you?” His voice is softer now that it’s just us.
“The last thing he said was to point my fingers down the center of the rope,” I say, holding the rope up.
Miles nods, “Yep, that’s perfect. You’ve got a good natural grip on it. Are you ready to try it out?”
I nod.
Miles reaches down, adjusting my hands a bit on the rope, moving closer to me.
Having him in close proximity is always distracting, but now that he’s in my space completely it’s practically impossible to focus.
The scent of whatever cologne he put on tonight wraps around me.
I drop my gaze to the rope in my hands as my cheeks start to heat.
“You’re gonna swing the rope over your head in a circle. Just twist your wrist nice and easy.” He steps back, showing me the motion with his arm. I copy him, letting the rope swing around my head with a whoosh. It catches on the back of my hair, whipping it over my shoulder.
“Now keep your eye on the tip of the rope, right there on the end of your loop. That’s what’s gonna hit the target,” he instructs. “When you’re ready you can go ahead and throw that rope. Make sure you follow through.”
The rope flies from my hand when I throw it, landing miraculously on top of the bail of hay. A smile breaks out across my face.
“Now pull on the rope to tighten it around Mr. Bull there. That’s it, great aim.” Miles says from behind me. I don’t get it right on the horn like Parker did, but my rope is pulled tight around the plastic bull head and for some reason, I feel like I’ve won something.
“Oh my god, I actually did it!” I exclaim, turning back around to Miles. He’s smiling down at me as the crowd of rowdy cowboys around us claps.
“You’re a cowboy, Mac,” he says. His espresso eyes crinkle at the sides, and I feel myself being pulled closer by some invisible force.
His gaze drops to my lips as I stop an inch away from his chest. My heart beats thrum in my ears, faster by the second.
I drown in the way he looks at me, his emotions painted on his face in a way I’ve never seen before.
Gone is that stoic, unaffected frown. Right now he looks like he’s half a second away from throwing me over his shoulder and getting out of here.
And the worst part is, I want him to do that.
“Told you she’d learn quick!” Parker yells from the crowd. Miles steps back from me as Parker walks towards us, the air growing colder in the spot he vacates.
I smooth down my pants in an attempt to collect myself. Parker’s arm rests around my shoulder as he tells a story about his first time roping, but all I can hear is ringing in my ears as Miles turns away to return to the barn.
For a minute there, it almost seemed like it was just us. I wish it were.
Eventually, Parker excuses himself to help lead a drunk cowboy into the bunkhouse without falling down a hill. He hasn’t had a drop to drink all night himself. I would have pegged him for the fun party guy, not the designated driver.
I take that as my cue to leave too. As much fun as I’m having, I should head back to my cabin and get some sleep. It’s one in the morning and it’s been a long week of working on the renovation. I’m exhausted.
Luckily, it’s not too far from here, just about two miles, so I walked over. I love going on long walks and runs in the country. Especially at night when the stars are out and everything is quiet.
My favorite part of summer nights in the mountains is looking up at the sky. Especially when I can just barely make out the faint outline of the peaks, the Milky Way bursting out from behind.