Nothing Ever Changes
PAIGE
Shadow tilted her head to the camera as the sun hit her mane, making it glisten.
I swore this horse was born to be a model.
When I opened her stall gate this morning, she whinnied and nodded in excitement, as if she knew exactly why I was taking her out.
She was my best client—but I was also a little biased.
Shadow had been gifted to me by my dad when I was twelve. The moment I saw her sleek black coat and big brown eyes I instantly fell in love. When I had bad days, you could usually find me in her stall, laying in the hay, venting to her about my problems. She was the best listener.
The only being I knew wouldn’t judge my inner monologue.
I took one more snap before looping my camera strap around my neck and hopping onto Shadow’s back.
We took off into the open field, heading for the stables.
The wind whipped through my hair as I took in the sights around me.
Montana in the spring was my favorite place on earth.
The fresh blooming trees blanketed the mountains and the crisp morning air was starting to warm in the middle of the day.
I’d spent my entire life here and it never got old.
Shadow slowed to a trot as the stables came into view.
When we got to the gate, I swung my leg to dismount and walked her back to her stall.
I handed her reins to the ranch hand who was waiting with a smile.
I would’ve loved to groom and dote on the sweet girl, but I had a job to do.
I gave Shadow a quick kiss on her nose with mumbled promises of snacks later tonight.
She huffed in approval.
Brooks Valley Ranch had been founded by my father’s family five generations ago.
It stood on ten thousand acres of land, bordering Ashton Creek.
The business started as a cattle ranch originally, but shifted a few generations back to focus more on breeding and training thoroughbred horses that more often than not end up being champions.
Michael Brooks had some of the most sought after generational lines of race horses in the country.
I was practically pushed out of the womb on a saddle.
Since I was a kid, I understood that I would work for the ranch in some capacity. My father never demanded that of me and my siblings, but it was just what the Brooks family did.
I pushed through the french doors of the barn structure that was known as the Administration Building, and propped them open to let the sweet spring smells fill the space.
My father had this building constructed a year ago when my mother finally put her foot down about the main house being more of an office building than a home.
It was a large black metal barn that was insulated and finished inside like a house.
The center had a large sitting area, similar to a family room, and a full kitchen for staff to use as we pleased.
Offices bordered the walls and off the back was a large patio with grills and fire pits that staff used to kick back after a long day.
I walked into my office and sank into my chair before inserting my memory card into the computer. I scrolled through the photos of Shadow and uploaded them into the editing software to polish them for commercial use.
That was my role on the ranch. I curated marketing campaigns in print and social media to help promote sales and local events.
I helped advertise auctions and charity events we hosted, and managed all our social media accounts.
I was in charge of all branded materials and had a say in any cowboys we represented on the local rodeo circuit.
It was a dream job, but sometimes it felt a little stagnant.
After high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life.
My father encouraged me to go to college, so I did.
Four years spent away from home to find myself.
I explored different majors until I finally found where my heart belonged—in photography and marketing.
When I graduated, my father was more than happy to bring me on as the marketing director at the ranch.
It seemed like the safest option—the option that came with no rejection.
I spent every day on this ranch. I lived here. I worked here. I partied here. Sometimes it felt so small that it was suffocating, but I also knew I didn’t want to leave.
I just wanted more.
I wasn’t sure what that more was yet.
I was putting the final touches on the photos when a buzzing sounded on my desk. I smiled when my sister’s face lit up my phone screen. I swiped to answer the video call and propped her against my monitor.
“Hey, Lo,” I said, glancing down at my sister’s sweet face.
“Hey, P, how’s your day?”
I let out a breath. “It’s been good. I took Shadow out for a session in the sun this morning.”
She laughed. “Ugh, I miss the ranch in the springtime.” My sister looked to the side, likely to hide the emotion in her eyes.
Charlotte was four years older than me and had always been connected to this ranch in a way I didn’t completely understand.
Growing up, she would ramble on about how she was going to marry a cowboy and build a big house on the property that she would fill with six kids.
She wanted to grow old here and watch her kids grow old here.
That pretty much went to shit when she was sent to Southern California a few years ago to oversee the properties that Brooks Enterprises opened.
It was all part of a big ploy from my—now estranged—Gran who was plotting Lottie’s marriage to her douchey childhood sweetheart.
For a long time she was miserable, but now she was engaged to a great man who worshiped the ground she walked on.
A man whose life kept them in California.
“How’s Owen? Getting anywhere with wedding planning?” Lottie visibly perked up at my question.
“Owen is great. I’m really settling into this house, and I think he’s finally considering letting me buy him a horse.”
“Don’t lie to your sister’s face,” Owen shouted in the background, prompting Lottie to roll her eyes.
Owen Kelly was the son of a tech mogul in Los Angeles.
When he visited the ranch for the first time last summer, he was so far out of his element it was hysterical.
He adjusted better than we had predicted, but now Lottie was bugging him nonstop about buying land north of LA so she could have some animals and feel more at home.
The one thing he still couldn’t get past was his fear of horses. The irony wasn’t lost on any of us.
“I’m wearing him down,” Lottie whispered with a wink.
I giggled.
The two of them were so cute it made me jealous. I wanted that—I wanted the partner who balanced me and made me endlessly happy.
“Are you beyond excited for wedding events to start?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah. As stressed as I am, I’ve always wanted a fall wedding on the ranch. It’s going to be breathtaking.” Her tone was wispy, and I swore I saw hearts in her eyes.
“It’s going to be so pretty. And the bachelorette trip is almost here.” I wiggled my brows at her. “A trip away will be such a blast. Vegas, here we come!”
“You’re going to be put on a leash in Vegas.” Lottie shook her head on a laugh.
Lottie and Owen were in the end stages of planning a joint bachelor and bachelorette party in May. I couldn’t wait to get away for a long weekend, and I was excited to finally meet the rest of the Kelly family.
“Party pooper,” I pouted.
“Yeah, yeah, cry me a river.” She laughed as her doorbell rang. “Oh, that must be Owen’s siblings. Some of the girls are coming over for brunch. I’ll call you later, P. Love you!”
She hung up before I could respond. A pang of jealousy ached in my chest as I went back to editing the pictures of Shadow. The bitter quiet in my office caused a ringing in my ears.
My sister and I had always been an inseparable pair, but she’d recently grown close to Owen’s sisters.
We still talked on the phone occasionally, but not multiple times a week like we used to.
I knew Lottie was always there for me, but it also felt like now she had a whole other life I no longer fit into.
The incessant talking and constant laughter I was once used to faded as she moved on to better and brighter pastures, leaving me in the kicked-up dust.
Today, for example, she was having brunch with the girls on this lovely Saturday morning while I was working because I simply had nothing better to do.
My options were to mull around the ranch and bug my siblings, or work.
At least one of those options was productive.
I took a deep breath, put on some music, and went back to editing.
I needed something that could distract me from the loneliness I was feeling, and work was just the thing.