8. ZANE
ZANE
After quite the eventful morning, I was able to get things back on track by burying myself in my work.
The thoroughbreds are leaving today, a task that ends up consuming most of my morning.
Our client—an equestrian from Kentucky—decided to personally pick them up, and we just finished loading them up in the trailer for her.
She turns to me with a smile that lets me know this won’t be the last time we do business together.
“Thank you so much. They are beautiful,” she gushes.
Of course they are, given their bloodline is one of the best we have on the ranch and they have proven top racing records.
“We’re glad you approve.”
“I more than approve—I’m in love. They are definitely worth every penny,” she insists, turning to look at them, their heads poking out from the trailer.
For these two, she’s parted with half a million dollars, which is quite hefty, but she’s getting her money’s worth.
“So are you a thoroughbred too?” she asks in a sultry tone, doing a complete 180, leaving me stunned.
I blink in confusion, wondering how I’m supposed to respond.
Don’t get me wrong, she is a beautiful woman—captivating blue eyes, long legs that must come with the trade, a curvy body, and a smile that would have any sane man keeling over.
But that’s where the problem lies: I’m not a sane man, and at the moment my mind is filled with thoughts of one woman—one I’m not supposed to be thinking about.
Before that night five years ago, I used to be what Ella used to describe as a walking-talking STD because I was always a bit of a flirt and never allowed myself to settle down for one woman.
I thought I was going to finally do so with Ava, but that went up in flames, literally and figuratively, so I just never bothered to put myself out there again.
I’m flattered that Miss Rowe here finds me flirt-worthy, but she’s barking up the wrong tree. I have no idea how to turn her down without being rude and ruining future business, so I wave Duncan over to take it from here.
I turn to her with a polite bow and shake her hand. “Miss Rowe, it was a pleasure doing business with you. I have other duties to attend to, so Duncan will take care of you from here,” I excuse myself.
She seems disappointed by this, but the deal is already done, which means I’m done as well. Duncan is all smiles, chatty personality—definitely the perfect candidate to deal with her.
I head back into the stables, relieved that I was able to dodge that bullet.
The thoroughbreds being picked up were my main focus of the day, and since I’ve successfully managed to do that, I get on with my much simpler duties, including a check-in at the Sunset stables.
An hour later, I’m done, and I realize that I still have a lot of time left on my hands before I can call it a day, so I take a moment to mull over what to do to kill time.
Usually I’d go for a ride, but I’m not really in the mood for one, especially given how hot it is, and I already did that yesterday, which leaves me with one option.
I punch in the code at the door and push the door open, sauntering into my own personal haven.
I flip the switch, bathing the room in light.
I look around at all the exercise equipment, stopping at the one in the middle of the room.
I pull the cover off it to reveal a mechanical bull.
A smirk etches onto my face as I take it in.
Even though the doctors told me that I would never be able to ride again, I have been secretly training once my body fully healed with the hopes that one day I will be strong enough to get on the back of a bull.
My body might be physically scarred from the accident, but I believe with everything in my soul that my riding days are not over.
I take my shirt off and switch out my pants and boots for a more appropriate outfit for working out. While I’m in here, just like when I’m riding, I’m able to switch off my brain and focus on training my body for a moment that I know will surely come.
I lose track of time as I focus on strength training today. Every muscle in my body is telling me to stop, but I’ve come too far and I will not stop until I’m on the back of a bull in an arena full of people cheering me on.
Some time later, I am so focused on a calisthenics exercise that I fail to notice that I have company until I hear a loud gasp behind me. I lose my balance and fall ungracefully. Thankfully, the exercise mat below me breaks most of my fall.
I turn around and sit up to find Ava standing in the middle of the room, one of her hands clasped over her mouth and the other one pointing at me.
I don’t need to be a genius to know that she’s taken aback by my scars.
They cover most of my torso, back, and thighs.
It’s not a pretty sight, but it’s not meant to be.
Once upon a time, my tattoos attracted the most attention with my clothes off, but after the accident, the scars take the lead.
She is giving me the same pity look I hate getting from people, and it rubs me the wrong way.
“You... those...” she trails off incoherently.
They are ghastly, I know. She should have some of her own, but she’s wearing long sleeves, so I can’t see. I jump to my feet, pissed that once again she has managed to barge into my personal space.
“What are you doing here?” I ask through gritted teeth, marching toward her.
She takes a step back, and once again she is trapped between me and the weight bench behind her. Why do we keep ending up in this position? Oh, I know—that’s because Ava has no concept of boundaries and isn’t listening when I tell her to stay away from me.
Her eyes look up to meet mine, and something she sees makes her quickly look away. “I-I...” she stutters, making no sense.
I clench my jaw, trying to rein in my anger. “Ava...”
She wrings her arms nervously as she explains herself. “I was taking a walk to clear my head when I saw that the door was open. I didn’t expect to find you in here.”
I thought I locked it when I walked in. Seems not.
“Your curiosity has been satisfied, so get out,” I demand.
Instead of doing as I ask, she stands her ground bravely. Looks like she still has some defiance left in her. That’s cute. But now is not the time or place.
“Maybe so, but since you’re here, I thought maybe you and I can finally talk and...”
I cut her off. “You thought wrong.”
“Please, Zane.”
“No,” I assert a bit more forcefully.
“I’m here for three months. I thought we’d be able to avoid each other, but it seems we can’t, so let’s...”
“Let’s do nothing but do our best to stay out of each other’s way. Now, while I’m still asking nicely, get out,” I stress, pointing at the door.
Instead of doing as I ask, she manages to sidestep me and walk further into the room. She stops at the mechanical bull, looking at it in awe. “I didn’t know you still trained. Ella told me that the doctors said you’d never ride again, but I should have known you wouldn’t listen...”
Something about Ava being in the room where I’m trying so hard to reclaim my past glory doesn’t sit right with me. She needs to leave. Now!
Before she can utter another word, I bridge the gap between us and pick her up, tossing her over my shoulder, making her squeal in surprise. She weighs less than my lightest dumbbell. Does she eat?
“Zane, put me down,” she orders, punching my back.
“Okay,” I concur as I walk toward the door and set her down outside.
“Once again, stay away from me.” I move to close the door, but she sticks her leg out and stops me.
“Zane, please.”
“What more do you want from me, Ava? Look at me...” I sigh, pointing at my body.
Her gaze softens as she takes in my scars once more.
“Do you really think an apology and a ‘talk’ is going to fix things? No! Maybe it would have before, but not now—it’s too little, too late.
You are here, not for me but for a vacation, so why don’t you focus on that and stay away from me.
If you actually want to do something for me, it’ll be to stay away, please. ”
My words render her speechless. She bows her head and pulls her leg back. The door automatically closes, shutting her out.
This constant back and forth between us is taking an emotional toll on me.
I don’t want to keep on doing this for the next three months, so I hope that this time she has actually listened to me.
I’m still not done with my workout, so I get on the treadmill, deciding to burn off my frustration with some cardio.