7. Maisie
maisie
. . .
SEVEN
Oakland All Gas No Brakes
Goooooood mornin’, sunshine!!! How’s my Rae Rae adjusting to life on the ranch? I think I can smell the cow shit through the phone.
I swear on my life, I almost pissed the bed when I woke up to a fucking rooster sleeping on my chest. I must have left my door cracked last night. Feathery thing was wailing at the ass crack of dawn. Zero consideration.
Oakland All Gas No Brakes
Look at you, my little bird whisperer. Did it at least lay an egg for breakfast?
I’m pretty sure roosters don’t lay eggs. Maybe I should add that to my list of questions for my research. But, no, I haven’t really had time to explore yet. Ches roped me into family dinner. It was an eventful night. I’ll just leave it at that. Rox and Walt send their love, btw.
Oakland All Gas No Brakes
Awwww, fam bam dinner without me. I’m booking a flight to come visit asap. I just need to check my calendar and see when I can get away. You know how it is.
Pleaseeee, I’m begging you. I could use one of your legendary hugs after the last few days I’ve had. And before you ask, no, I’m not telling you the juicy details of my life. I don’t have the time to do damage control when you inevitably throw your man tantrum.
Oakland All Gas No Brakes
I think you sometimes forget I’m basically twice your size and not above giving you a wet willy like when we were kids.
Okay, diva. Point proven. I gotta go, but you better book that flight, or I will never forgive you.
Oakland All Gas No Brakes
I’m shaking in my boots.
Loveee you!!!
Oakland All Gas No Brakes
Love you too, Rae Rae. Give those cowboys hell.
Always do!
After the chaos of last night, I thought it would be best to spend a quiet morning alone.
Ches invited me to family breakfast at The Den last night.
I said I would think about it, but after the shit show that unfolded with Grayson, I decided some alone time was the right option.
Who knows if he would even be at breakfast, but it was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.
I’m hoping to keep my interactions with him to a minimum. Maybe I won’t have to see him at all.
Speaking of the new problem in my life, what the hell was I thinking last night? It’s like my alter ego decided to come out to play. I felt like a puppet in my own skin. Never in my life have I felt that out of control but so alive.
For fuck’s sake, I groped the man’s ass in front of my family.
Hi family, my name is Maisie, if you didn’t remember, and, also, apparently, I like inappropriately touching cowboys at family dinner.
Jesus, Maisie.
What’s worse, the man practically ran out of the house afterwards. Probably due to my idiotic behavior.
You know what? No. He’s just as much to blame as I am. He knew what he was doing when he slipped that beer bottle in his pocket. The same pocket so snug against his perfect ass, I had trouble swiping the bottle out.
And now, I’m thinking about his ass. Great.
My mouth goes dry, the peanut butter bagel I was inhaling not hitting the spot anymore. I let it slide off my plate into the garbage, banishing the thought of him with it.
I decided on a simple pair of jeans, Carhartt hoodie Ches left for me, and some boots I picked up on the way to the airport like a certified country poser.
Working on the ranch begins no later than when the sun rises, according to Ches, even during off season. They’re in overdrive currently, all hands on deck to get the ranch ready for the end of spring.
Foxy Roxy ranch is what they call a dude ranch. It started as a cattle working ranch, but as Walt and Rox got older, they decided to switch gears and create a destination for travelers looking to experience life on the ranch. Roxy has gathered quite the crowd now.
Lan and I only visited a couple times after our parents died, so basically, I know next to nothing about the ranch.
Most of our foster families wouldn’t fork out the cash to ship us from Washington to Montana.
All I knew was we had relatives who lived on a farm and an older cousin who was fun as hell to play with on the rare occasion we came.
I wish our circumstances were different, but the courts decided our fate.
Apparently, strangers know what's best for kids in the system, even if it goes against their wishes.
Walter and Roxy were deemed too old and their hands too full with the ranch for the court to grant them guardianship, even if it was what we all wanted.
Fuck ‘em is what Lan and I started saying anytime someone fucked us over in the system. We even went as far as getting matching tattoos when we were old enough.
I catch the time on the mini microwave and curse under my breath. “Shit, shit, shit! 7:03.”
Ches is never going to live this down if I’m late on my first day of…research? Not that he knows I’m here for that. He knows I’m an author, and yes, he knows I’m running away from my problems, but I’m not sure he’s put two and two together that those are one in the same.
Ches is under the impression I was looking for a change of pace. I told him I wanted to spend some quality time with family, maybe learn the ropes of the ranch while I’m here.
It’s not necessarily a lie, but it’s far from the whole truth. I’ll tell him the whole story eventually. It’s not like I’m hiding it from him. I don’t know, maybe I’m embarrassed about my shit show life.
I just feel…stuck. The ranch feels so freeing, the right path to finding myself again and hopefully my story. Nature is good for the soul, and I just have a feeling I made the right decision coming here.
I fly out of my cabin, and the screen door swings back and forth on its hinges, almost smacking Evie right in the face.
“Sorry, girl,” I call over my shoulder, sprinting down the steps.
“I’ll give you extra treats tonight if Ches doesn’t kill me for being late.
Be good!” I shout, her howl of protest following me into the trees.
The smell of pine hits me first, the crisp spring morning feeling like a shot of caffeine. Montana is beautiful in May. The flowers are starting to bloom, birds chirp, squirrels hop from branches, and the smoky scent of a bonfire lingers in the morning air.
In the daylight, and after some minor directional suggestions, I easily make my way to The Den. I climb up the steps two at a time before the door almost smacks me in the face as Ches runs out.
He plants a smooch on my cheek. “Sorry, no time to talk,” he hollers, sprinting down the front steps. “I got a call one of the cows went into early labor.”
“What about me?” I yell.
He chuckles, the kind that says troubles in store. “Roxy’s inside. She can fill you in.” He winks, sprinting away. “Have fun!”
I run my hand down my face, trying to stay positive. I’m here to learn, aren’t I? So why didn’t Ches invite me along?
I’m debating chasing after him when Roxy’s voice filters through the door. “Is that my Maisie girl I hear? Come in here, child, before you freeze to death.”
Air puffs through my lips. Roxy has a way of making everyone feel welcomed in her home. I follow the tune she's humming, finding her busy in the kitchen, cleaning up breakfast.
Her face lights up. “Are you hungry, dear? There’s plenty of leftovers. We missed your face at breakfast.”
She wraps me in a hug, and I draw in a deep breath of the maple scent circling us. “I slept through my alarm,” I lie through my teeth. “Jet lag and all that. Tomorrow, though,” I promise her.
She shoots me a knowing smile, seeing right through my bullshit per usual. “Of course,” she giggles, winking at me. “Jet lag can be a devil sometimes. We would love to have you tomorrow morning.”
“Can’t wait,” a deep voice rumbles behind me.
The hairs rise on the back of my neck. An arm reaches around me, snatching a piece of bacon from the plate in front of me. My breath hitches when warmth envelopes my back, the barest of touch brushing against me.
“Speak of the devil,” Roxy mumbles under her breath, busying herself with the dirty dishes.
I spin and casually rest my elbows on the island counter behind me. Gray chews on his bacon while leaning against the counter opposite of me. Neither of us says a word. We let our eyes do all the talking. He stares me down, and I stare right back.
Try me, cowboy.
I can’t figure this man out. I also wasn’t expecting to have to face him so soon.
One single thought of last night makes my cheeks flame.
The fucker reads me like a book and shoots me a knowing wink.
He slides the last bite of bacon between his teeth, making sure to slowly lick away the grease left behind.
I notice his knuckles are busted, but I’m sure working on the ranch can be dangerous.
It’s way too early for this. I roll my eyes, pretending I’m unfazed by his stupid good looks and dashing dimples. Don’t get me started on the full sleeve of tattoos decorating his buff arm, peeking out of his rolled-up sleeve. I give him the cold shoulder, turning my attention to Roxy.
“Ches mentioned you had plans for me today? I caught him on the way out. He said there was an emergency? I don’t mind shadowing him. It kind of sounds fun, honestly.”
Roxy’s eyes go wide as she dries her hands on a towel. “Oh, heavens, no. You will not be spending your first day elbow deep in a cow. I’ll be right back. Play nice while I’m gone, will ya?”
I recoil at the thought, not thinking through the logistics of helping birth a calf. Grayson chuckles at me, deep and low, hitting me right in my center. Damn my overactive ovaries.
“Something funny, cowboy?”
He raises his hands in surrender, a smirk on his face. “Nope, definitely not, honey.”
I narrow my eyes. “What’s with the nickname?”
He studies me for a beat, his gaze tracking between my eyes and shrugs. “Nothing behind the name. Just being polite, ma’am.”
“Polite,” I scoff. “Is that what you would call your little beer game too?”
“Those hands of yours were anything but polite.”