Chapter 14
RYDER
I winced as I sat up, the crick in my neck much worse than it was two hours ago when I woke up and shifted positions.
“That’s what you get for sleeping on my couch,” Ellie smirked, taking a bite of her cereal. “Coffee?”
“Yes,” I grumbled, shoving to my feet and following her into the kitchen.
She set her bowl down on the counter, then stood on tiptoes as she grabbed a mug from the top of the cabinet. Her shirt raised just enough for me to get a peek at her belly, and that’s when I had to turn away.
Morning wood was a bitch, and it seemed just a glimpse of Ellie’s perfect skin was enough to get the blood flowing early this morning.
“Cream? Sugar?”
“Just black,” I muttered, sinking down on one of her stools. As she turned to pour the coffee, I grabbed my cock and gave it a squeeze, trying to tame the beast.
“So,” she said, sliding the mug across to me. “How did you sleep?”
The smirk on her face had the opposite effect that she intended. “Perfect. A little cramped, but I like it here. Nice house.”
“Remember the Grants?”
Taking a sip of my coffee, I struggled to make my brain function so early in the morning on hardly any sleep. “Old couple, right?”
“Yep. They built this place,” she smiled, glancing around at the old timbers. “Anyway, when they moved back to England, I practically begged them for this place. I couldn’t pay them what they wanted, but I guess they were happy to let it go to someone who loved it just as much as they did.”
“Lucky for you.”
She nodded, her blonde curls shifting slightly with the movement. There were no signs of sadness from last night, and her blue eyes seemed to twinkle in the early morning hours.
Twinkle?
I scrubbed a hand down my face, chastising myself for sounding like a fucking woman.
“Bad coffee?”
“No, it’s good,” I said, taking another sip. “Got any more of that cereal?”
Turning around, she opened the cabinet and gave me a good shot of her ass in those tight jeans.
Fuck, I really had to stop ogling the woman.
It wasn’t like I was sticking around. After what happened with my parents, I was getting out of here.
The last thing I needed was to fall into this woman’s trap.
“I have Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Wheaties, and Special K. What’s your preference?”
“Wheaties?” I asked. “I didn’t realize they still sold that.”
“Well, if it’s good enough for Michael Jordan, then it’s good enough for me.”
I nodded, reaching for the box, pouring myself a good bowlful. I noticed she was eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which was what I probably should have gone for, but somehow, Wheaties seemed more manly.
“Big plans for the day?” she asked, setting the milk on the counter for me.
“Packing.”
“Heading back to New York already?”
When I looked up at her, I could have sworn she was avoiding my eyes. Could she be upset I was leaving? No, that was ridiculous. Why would she care if I was leaving? She wouldn’t even tell me what all this shit was about with Liam.
“Probably.”
She finished off her bowl and set it in the sink. “Well, I have a busy day at the shop. Lots to do.”
“Oh, should I—”
“No, I have to finish getting ready. Take your time.”
She took off for the bedroom, leaving me alone at her counter. I shoveled the food in my mouth, trying not to think about what she was doing in her bedroom. It was none of my business, but that didn’t stop my dick from wanting to find out.
“Down, boy,” I grumbled, shoveling another spoonful in my mouth.
I had to get out of here and fast. I finished off the cereal in record time, then brought it over to the sink and set it down beside her bowl.
I was about to sneak out when she came hustling out with a shoulder bag and grabbed her keys off the counter.
“All done?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
She smiled brightly at me, then headed for her door, waiting for me to walk out before she locked up.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye then.”
“Yeah.” I ran my hand across the back of my neck, feeling like there was something more I should say to her, but the words escaped me.
She jiggled her keys in her hand and looked down at the ground. If I were a betting man, I would say she was waiting for me to kiss her or something, but then again, my body was also telling me I should drag her inside and fuck her, so maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me.
“Well, good luck in New York,” she said, holding out her hand.
Laughing, I took hers and shook it, then tugged her in for a hug. “Thanks, Ellie.”
“Um…sure.” She patted my back awkwardly, then stepped back, her cheeks stained a pretty red that made me wonder if she blushed like that when a man stared at her naked.
“Right, I should leave,” I cleared my throat, taking off before I did something fucking stupid.
I waited for her to get in her Jeep, and when I was sure it wasn’t going to die on her, I pulled out and headed back to Murky Falls Ranch. It was time to pack up and leave. No point in sticking around when there was nothing waiting for me here.
After heading into my cabin, I stared at my bags, the urge to flee not quite as strong as it was last night. I walked over to the window and stared out at the horizon. I had been home for weeks and hadn’t once taken Jeff up on his offer to let me ride.
“Fuck it. One ride, and then I’m out of here.”
I drove over to the main property, and strode toward the stables. Jeff was feeding horses, which made it easier for me. I wasn’t interested in walking all over the ranch in search of him.
“Morning,” he said, tipping his hat at me. “Finally taking me up on my offer?”
“Thought I would before I took off.”
“You heading back home?”
“Yeah.” I glanced around the stables, searching for anything to look at other than another face searching for the latest gossip.
“Well, Susie’s a good girl,” he said, striding over to her stall. “I’ll get her tacked up for you.”
“Thanks.”
I walked back to the entrance of the stables and stared out at the mountain scenery. Fuck, I really missed seeing that so early in the morning. Going back to New York, I was in for noisy cab rides, excited tourists, and angry New Yorkers who didn’t want to deal with the tourists.
And yet, there were still parts about it that I liked.
But there was nothing like coming home. If only I had something to stick around for.
“Here she is,” Jeff said, walking her over to me. “You should know, she’s a little skittish.”
“Of?”
He grinned at me. “Oh, you’ll see. She’s a good girl,” he said, patting her backside.
It had been a while since I’d been on a horse, but I quickly remembered how to swing myself up and find my seat. “Hey, girl,” I whispered, patting her neck. Giving a gentle nudge, we trotted forward into the morning light.
I closed my eyes, breathing in the mountain air, remembering what it was like to be out here, at one with the wilderness.
Fuck, it was gonna be really hard to leave this behind. I thought about my life in New York, how crazy it was. I was always running somewhere, always rushing off to another meeting. My nights were filled with fancy dinners and business meetings.
But out here, I could just slow down and live my life without the expectations of filling my days and nights with pointless shit.
Did I really want to leave this behind? Even if I didn’t get along with my old man, I could still live here.
I could still see my mom away from my dad. Things wouldn’t be that bad.
Susie snorted, pulling up short. I opened my eyes, looking for whatever spooked her, but there was nothing around.
“Hey, it’s okay, Susie girl. There’s nothing there.”
I nudged her forward, but she refused to move. A loud, forceful snort expelled from her nostrils as she started backing away.
“Susie—” And that’s when I saw it.
A squirrel.
“Really, girl? That thing isn’t even a quarter of the size you are. It can’t hurt you.”
She let out another sort, shaking her head as if to tell me she wasn’t moving an inch. It was clear we weren’t going anywhere as long as that squirrel was around. So, I swung down off her back and ran at the squirrel, scaring it off.
Grinning, I turned around and held my arms wide. “Problem solved, Susie Q!”
She nickered, extending her neck in thanks. Holding out my hand, I gently stroked her mane, worried she might freak out if I moved too fast. I’d never seen a horse afraid of a squirrel before.
“Alright, girl. Should we try again?”
She let out a whinny, her head bobbing up and down. That was about as close to a yes as I was going to get. Getting back in the saddle, I gently nudged her forward, taking note of every time she got spooked.
A twig snapped in the distance. She took off, galloping fast away from the sound.
I took her to the river for a drink. A fish jumped up and scared the shit out here.
“Okay,” I laughed. “Only water from the trough for you,” I said, petting her mane.
She huffed out a snort, backing away from the river as quickly as possible.
Maybe that was enough for one day. Call it a rough day. Maybe she just wasn’t in a good mood today.
“That’s okay, girl. What do you say we head back to the barn?”
She whinnied, jerking her head at me.
“We’ll have to work on this some more. You can’t be afraid of everything.”
But as I climbed on her back again, a slight breeze coasted over us, and she startled, taking a few steps back.
“Maybe you can,” I muttered. “Okay, let’s get home. I’ll give you a carrot.”
She seemed to understand that just fine, and immediately took off back to the stables. We trotted close enough to the river to enjoy the sounds, but not close enough to see any jumping fish.
We passed through some taller grass where the cattle used to graze, but that had her stopping in her tracks. I searched the ground for any signs of animals that might spook her, but there was nothing.
“Come on, girl. We’re almost home.”
She backed away, lifting her hooves high.
“Susie, would I lead you astray?”
She snorted loudly, continuing to back away. There was no way forward, so I got down again, this time taking the reins to lead her through the grass. She whinnied angrily at me, but finally stepped forward. She lifted her hooves high before each step, very careful where she was going.
I watched with utter fascination as she high-stepped every move.
“Seriously?” I finally asked. “The grass is too tall?”
She huffed at me, shaking her head.
“You can’t possibly be scared of the grass!”
She let out a loud huff, backing away from me.
I was never going to get home at this rate.
Peeling my shirt over my head, I wrapped it around the horse’s eyes, and prayed that was enough to get her moving.
It was a slow-going process, but eventually, I got her to the back of the stables where Jeff was fucking laughing at me.
“Problems?”
“You didn’t say the horse was scared of everything.”
“Just things that jump out at her,” he shrugged.
“Grass,” I snapped. “She wouldn’t walk through grass.”
He nodded as if he suddenly remembered that. “Oh, shit. That’s right. I forgot that she doesn’t like tall grass.”
“What the hell did you even get the horse for?”
“She’s gentle.”
“She’s afraid of her own shadow!” I shouted.
Susie grunted, shaking her head at me.
I sighed, rubbing her mane. “Sorry, Susie, but this is ridiculous.”
“Admit it,” Jeff grinned. “You had fun.”
“I would have had more fun if I had actually gotten somewhere. We didn’t even make it to the falls.”
“Oh, no. I definitely wouldn’t recommend that,” he chuckled. “She doesn’t like the falls. Too noisy.”
“Of course they are. She was scared of a fish.”
Jeff patted her withers, then moved along to her belly. “Yeah, she’s a good girl. Spends the majority of her day lounging under the tree out back.”
“Lounging?”
He nodded. “She really likes to sleep. Hey, and next time you come by, make sure to bring lots of jelly beans.”
I frowned at that. “Shouldn’t you be feeding her apples or carrots?”
“You’d think,” he laughed. “But this girl likes jelly beans. Oh, and gummy bears. Not too much at once. That would be bad for her.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and uh…if you think of it, she really likes fruit juice.”
“Fruit juice? Are you fucking crazy? She’s a horse!”
“No better way to get her on your side.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter because I’m leaving.”
“Right, going back to the big city,” he nodded. “Well, I’m sure someone else will bring her favorite treats. You know, someone who has the patience to deal with a horse like her.”
“You mean a scaredy cat.”
“Oh, she’s definitely not afraid of cats. In fact, Oscar is the one cat she’ll snuggle up with. It’s actually quite adorable. But as you said, you’ll be leaving, so it really doesn’t matter to you.”
He grabbed the reins and started pulling Susie toward the barn. “That’s okay, Susie. We’ll find someone else for you.”
She whinnied as if to say she didn’t believe him. Frankly, I didn’t have much faith he’d find someone either. Horses were meant to be ridden, and the way Susie was going, no person alive would willingly get on her back.
“Hey, just drop the keys up by Pop on your way out!” he called from the stables. “Good luck in Jersey!”
“New York,” I called back.
“Yeah, whatever. All the same to me,” he said, disappearing into the stables.
All the same to me.
Fuck, he wasn’t wrong. There wasn’t a damn thing about the East Coast that really offered me anything close to what Montana could.
Other than the endless job opportunities, women on every corner, and upscale homes that had the ability to make you feel like you were a king instead of living in the middle of nowhere.
No matter what Montana could offer, the fact was, there was so much more waiting for me in New York, and one very large benefit was that my family was nowhere near there.