The Anthem
OLLIE
AUGUST
The cowboy didn’t come back to the bar that night.
A lump of disappointment formed in my stomach and remained there for the duration of the fundraiser.
He’d been interesting, and I think he’d have been a lot of fun.
But it was just as well. I wasn’t here for pleasure, and after tonight, I’d likely never see him again.
He wasn’t the first guy to turn my eye. He wouldn’t be the last.
The event went on far longer than I’d have expected; it wasn’t until way after midnight that things finally started to die down.
Quinn and her boyfriend, Hux—I’d learned earlier—were so perfect that it was almost nauseating.
Joking…mostly. But seriously, the two of them shared a beautiful thing, and they’d done an excellent job tonight on their event.
I spied them stealing kisses off in one of the corners of the backyard, before she giggled and walked away, not before he managed to snake a hand out and tap her ass gently.
I was still blown away that he couldn’t see.
If it weren’t for him constantly wearing sunglasses—even at night—and the fact that Quinn told me, I’d have never guessed.
When I’d first met him, I thought she’d been fucking with me. But nope, it was true.
Quinn turned back to scold him, only for him to capture her in another kiss. Something stirred in my chest. They really were a gorgeous couple, and it was clear they were madly in love.
A part of me—a tiny, traitorous part that I hated to my very core—wondered if I’d ever get that love.
If I’d ever feel that much passion and want and need.
But I would never need anyone. At the end of the day, you could only depend on yourself.
I would never be weak enough to give my heart fully to someone else.
Biting back a growl of frustration, I focused my efforts on going around and clearing the now vacant tables before folding tablecloths.
“Hey,” Quinn said, her tone warm and a bit giddy—love drunk.
I glanced up at her and nodded. “Hey. What’s up?”
“You did good tonight,” she replied, with a smile. “Thank you again for saving my ass.”
I liked Quinn. She was kind and friendly, but not, like, obnoxiously so. She was surprisingly down to earth too.
I grinned. “Thanks for the opportunity.”
For a few moments, we worked in silence, but I knew she had a question brewing for me. I wasn’t surprised when she finally asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”
Her words gave me pause. I hadn’t really thought about that yet. Blowing out an exhale, I shrugged. “Not sure. I’ll probably see if anywhere else is hiring in town. If not, I’ll probably start making my way up toward Dallas. Or I don’t know, Wyoming’s nice this time of year.”
I’d been all across the U.S. since aging out of foster care seven years ago, Wyoming, and Texas had been two of the few places I returned to.
Quinn’s voice and gaze were full of hope as she squeaked out, “If you wanted, you could stay here.”
My head cocked to the side. What all could I do here? Did she have more events lined up?
Before I could even ask, she said, “With Travis just up and quitting last week, and Hux now taking on more responsibility with the ranch, we could use another hand. And hopefully soon I can start using your help for more events once we get that up and running.”
I didn’t know who Travis was other than Whit’s quick mention of him when they’d invited me to get ready with them earlier. Apparently, he’d been a ranch hand she’d hooked up with before he left for Montana, or something like that.
I pursed my lips, my eyebrows scrunching together. I didn’t know the first thing about ranch work, and—“I don’t know much about horses. I’ve only ridden a couple times.” Not since I was five, riding around with Grandpa before he died.
Quinn’s grin was full of confidence as she held my gaze. “Something tells me you’d be a natural… Besides, there’s more to this ranch than just the horses.”
I wondered what more there was. Maybe cleaning? Cooking? Running errands? Those all seemed easy enough. And it was pretty here. A little too damn hot for my liking, but I could deal with it for a while.
“You can stay in the other guest house too,” Quinn went on, worry trickling into her tone. Her hands fluttered around her as she spoke. “That way you don’t have to be in the bunkhouse with the boys.”
I waved a dismissive hand through the air. I didn’t have any problems bunking with the boys. They seemed chill enough, besides, I didn’t need a whole damn house to myself. “As long as I have a bed, I don’t care where I sleep.”
“So, is that a yes?” Her eyes danced with excitement and she all but bounced from foot to foot—completely bare, I noticed as I looked at her feet.
My lips pulled up into a wry grin. A job was a job, and she and Hux seemed cool enough.
He was quieter, more closed off than she was, but that seemed understandable given his circumstance.
And if it ended up not being a good fit, I could always just quit and move on.
I’d probably not be here for more than half a year anyway.
“Sure.”
My alarm woke me from sleep, every muscle in my body screaming out in pain as I reached for my phone to shut the damn thing off. How was it already 5:30 AM? I swear, I’d just fallen asleep and, boom, it was time to get up.
I’d only been here five days, but fuck, were they intense.
Good, but intense. Wyatt, Dylan, and Brooks, along with Hux occasionally, were giving me a crash course in riding.
And fuck me, but God, did I hurt. My ass and quads—honestly basically my entire body—had never been so sore in my life.
Add that to all the other chores, like mucking stalls, bucking hay, moving the cattle and learning how to doctor them with the guys, as well as helping with some of the manual labor on the new building—it left my day filled with endless activities and little to no extra energy when the day was done.
I think I went to bed last night at like 7:30.
I’d worked a lot of jobs, but never anything quite as demanding as this.
But I loved it. God, did I fucking love it.
Even if my riding lessons with the guys could be infuriating, I was getting better.
And I would keep getting better and better, until I could consider myself a real cowgirl.
If there was one thing I didn’t do, it was halfass shit.
It wasn’t until I’d gotten out to the barn that my muscles had started to relax somewhat. Hux walked down the aisle, already having started feeding, his reddish brown dog trotting at his side.
“Hey,” I said, making myself known. “I uh… I think I got the feeding order figured out. I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do it anymore.”
He turned in the direction of my voice, though I’d already moved past the place he was looking at.
Even though I knew he and Quinn were absolutely feral for each other, I couldn’t help but appreciate how ridiculously good looking he was.
Quinn was seriously lucky as hell. All those tattoos and rippling muscles, the smooth, deep voice, and scruff.
So unlike the cowboy who still seemed to occasionally plague my thoughts.
Okay, more than occasionally. Which was stupid. We’d had one conversation together. But still, my mind couldn’t help but drift to him. I wondered if he was still with his girlfriend, or if he’d broken up with her. For her sake, I hope he’d ended things.
Hux’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “I guess some habits just die hard. Besides, I don’t mind doin’ it. I like bein’ out here. It’s peaceful.”
“It is.” A soft smile came to my lips and I nodded.
It was one of my favorite things about riding so far.
My mind always seemed to be so loud and full of thoughts and doubts, frustrations and fears, but when I was out with the horses, when I was riding…
I don’t know, things seemed to quiet down a bit.
“How’re you likin’ it here?” he asked.
“It’s nice,” I replied. “I’ve been meaning to thank you and Quinn for the opportunity. Especially, since I feel like I’m learning more than I’m working. It doesn’t seem like I’ve really earned the job.”
His lips drew up into a soft grin. “Ranch work’s hard, and findin’ good workers is even harder. You seem to be holdin’ your own pretty well, and the guys like you.”
I snorted, grabbing a flake of alfalfa from a wheelbarrow in the middle of the aisle and placing it in one of the horses’ feeders. “I think the guys just like the change of scenery in the bunkhouse. Horny bastards.”
Hux barked out a laugh. “You know, I was worried at first when Quinn said she wanted to hire you as a hand here. Typically, bringin’ women into the bunkhouse can cause problems, but I think you’ll manage just fine with the guys.”
“Thanks, I think,” I laughed.
We fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes as we fed. I liked that Hux wasn’t one of those types of people who felt the need to fill the quiet with inane conversation. Once we’d finished feeding, I grabbed one of the rakes to clean stalls, when Hux’s voice echoed through the barn.
“Don’t worry about cleanin’, today. One of the guys can do it. I was, uh, wonderin’ if you could help me with an errand.”
My brow furrowed as I slowly leaned the rake back against the wall. “Oh, okay. What kind of errand.”
“I’m meetin’ a buddy and his dad to look at some horses for the ranch. I could use your help.”
“Why me?” I asked, placing a hand on my hips. “I don’t really know anything about horses. I’m practically just a step above hanging on.”
He chuckled, and on slow steps he ambled toward me.
He stopped a few feet away, his gaze angled just a little to my right.
“You’re better than you think, but, uh…” He pulled his hat off and ran a hand through his hair before righting it, a look of guilt lining the harsh features of his face.
“Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s kinda exactly why I wanna take you. ”
“I’m not following…”