by Amber Kelly
When I finally got her to the door, she threw her parting shot.
“If you think any girl is going to be satisfied with living her life above an old barn and only having your attention ten percent of the time without getting restless, you’re crazy. Especially that girl. It might be fine for Madeline, but even Elle wants more than this. I love you enough that I’m willing to try. Maybe we could find a compromise because having everything I ever wanted wasn’t as wonderful as I’d thought it would be without you.”
That all sounded great, and it might have worked if she had come to me before she went after Rustic Peaks at her company’s whim. I could never trust her after that. Money and ambition trumped love and loyalty, and that is a character flaw I can’t overlook. I’d rather wake up alone every day for the rest of my life than wake up with a snake in my bed.
I look back down at Sophie. I don’t know how, but somehow, in the past three weeks, she’s managed to get under my skin. I can’t let her though. Morgan is right. Sophie doesn’t belong here, and because of that fact and out of respect for Jefferson, I should keep my distance and my damn hands to myself.
Sophie
I wake to a booming knock at my door.
I open an eye, and the light peeking in beneath the dingy brown-and-orange curtains that barely cover the dirty windows of the motel blinds me.
“Coming,” I croak out as I roll over and set my feet on the floor.
My neck and back are stiff as a board from sleeping on the threadbare mattress. I was poked by springs all night long.
I stand and stretch, and my back cracks all the way down. That helps.
I undo the sliding lock and open the door.
“Why did you open the door?” Braxton asks as he walks into the room, carrying a tray.
“Because you knocked on it.”
“You didn’t know it was me on the other side. You need to ask before you unlock the door to strangers.”
He sets the tray with two coffee cups on the small, round Formica table in the corner. Then, he spins and pins me with his stern look of disapproval.
“It’s too early, and I’m too tired to fight with you, Braxton,” I groan.
I ignore his annoyance and walk to the table where I open the bag perched on the cardboard tray. It is filled with warm doughnuts. I pluck a powder-covered one from the bag and grab a cup of coffee. Then, I sit on the edge of the bed.
“Jefferson and Emmett are getting their showers, and we’ll be ready to go in about thirty minutes,” he informs me.
“Okay,” I say as I swallow. I dust the sugar from my hands and stand. “I’ll hop in the shower quickly and be ready to go.”
“Are you going with us?”
“Of course I am.”
He looks confused. “I assumed you would want to call whatever that car company is of yours and get a driver to tote you around Denver today.”
“No way. I want to go to the show.”
“It’s a lot of boring industry crap today. Nothing exciting. You could go shopping or to the spa or something like that. Cherry Creek Mall is just a few miles away.”
I stop and turn on him. “You know, back in New York, I don’t sit around, sipping champagne, eating bonbons, and getting massages all day. I run a company, and I’m pretty good at it. I want to see what you guys learn. I’m interested in how things run on the ranch. Especially after going through the records this past week. You never know; I might be able to help find ways to cut cost and promote efficiency that you guys miss when you’re distracted by the big, shiny, new toys.”
He gives me a half grin. “Well, all right then, get in the shower. I’m going to wait here.” He snatches the remote and stacks pillows up against the headboard.
I dig my jeans and long-sleeved tee from my duffel bag and head into the bathroom. It’s crusty, and the sink is covered with dark spots where cigarettes have been set. Ew, I might not drink champagne all day, but I am just prissy enough to wish I had a pair of flip-flops to wear in this shower. I turn the water on as hot as I can and let it run for several minutes, hoping it kills anything that could be living on the shower floor.
When I emerge from my scalding hot shower, Daddy and Emmett have joined Braxton in my room. They’re all eating doughnuts and watching television.
“Hey, Sophie. How’d you sleep last night?” Emmett asks as I take my wet hair and gather it into a knot on top of my head.
I decide to skip makeup and just add a little bit of moisturizer to my face and swipe on a thin layer of lip balm.
“Great,” I lie.
The last thing I want is to make them feel bad for my restless night’s sleep. I was the one who invited myself along on their trip, so I have no right to complain about the accommodations.
“See, Braxton? She’s fine.”
I look in the mirror at Braxton, who has his eyes on the TV.
“She’s lying,” he calls out.
“He was worried about you all night. That’s why he got up so early and drove into town to get coffee and doughnuts. He didn’t want you drinking what they have here,” Daddy informs me, and a warm feeling overcomes me as I realize his concern for my comfort.
“It’s not that bad,” Emmett says, looking into the cup in his hand. “Of course, it’s not that good either.”
“Thank you, Brax,” I say as I shove the lip gloss in the front pocket of my jeans.
His eyes move from the television to meet mine in the mirror. “You’re welcome, Princess.”
Then, he focuses back on the news.
I place my stack of belongings back on top of my bag and sit to pull on my socks and boots.
Daddy moves closer, and I catch him looking over my pile. Braxton’s T-shirt, the one I stole and now sleep in at night, is sitting on top.
Crap.
He looks at the shirt and then to Braxton, who is still watching the television.
I hold my breath, waiting to see if he recognizes the shirt. I have no idea how we would explain it. My mind starts reeling for an explanation when he looks back to me.
“We’d best get moving. We don’t want all the best bulls spoken for before we arrive.”
I relax as I finish putting on my boots and coat.
Fifteen minutes later, we are in the truck and heading for National Western Center.
I’m excited as we enter the complex. It’s a massive two-hundred-fifty-acre facility, and it is filled to the max with attendees, vendors, animals, and equipment. There is so much to see and so much to learn.
Daddy and Emmett head to the livestock building to check out the quality of the bulls that are for sale while Braxton and I sit in on a demonstration of a new cattle feedlot. Then, we move on to a presentation on more straightforward insemination techniques.
I learn a lot. There is so much more to running a beef cattle ranch than I ever realized. The scheduling and new advancements in technology are fascinating. We leave the demo with me convinced we need the new feedlot immediately.
“We don’t need it.” Braxton sets me straight.
“But it would save so much time, and time is money,” I regurgitate the spiel.
“True, but we don’t overpopulate our land. We have enough acreage per head that eighty percent of our cattle’s diet is grass off the land. We don’t have to supplement with grain enough to justify the cost of a new lot. We’re in most need of a new tractor and a new hauling trailer at the moment. We’ve been patching and repairing the ones we have for the last couple of years, and it’s not cost-effective to keep throwing money at them every time they break down. Plus, it takes man-hours to do the repairs.”
He guides us to the equipment sales area, and we start pricing new tractors.
“I never realized how expensive tractors are,” I muse as we stroll down the line of mid-size tractors with price tags in the mid- to high-five figures.
“Now, you see why we’ve patched Ole Big Bird as long as we have. They are definitely an investment but a necessary one.”
“Do you have a preference?” I ask as I run my hand over one of the massive machines.
“I’m a John Deere fan; you should know that,” he answers.
I laugh. “Of course you are.”
“They’re a tad too pricey though, so we’ll probably go for one of the middle-tier brands.”
“Doesn’t it make more sense to get the best brand for your money?”
“Sometimes, you have to make the best with what you can afford. We’d rather get second best and pay cash for it than have to mortgage anything. Pop and Jefferson aren’t fans of debt. debt is why some of the other ranches in the county had to sell. We stay afloat because we are smart about what we spend.”
“True, but a calculated risk is not always bad. If the better brand does a more efficient job, you can place the money to cover the debt aside in an account and take out a loan for the tractor. Interest rates are so good right now that you could probably get locked in at a one and a half to one-point-seven-five percent rate, which is peanuts. Pay it off in installments and never touch the original amount.”
“I don’t know much about the banking side. Gram always handled that stuff. I’m better at calculating birthing cycles and feeding schedules.”
“I’ve gotten pretty good at it in the past year. Stanhope took me under his wing and mentored me through the legal and financial aspects of starting my design company.”
“Stanhope?”
“My stepfather. He’s built several successful companies from the ground up. He’s probably the smartest man I know when it comes to finance.”
He considers me for a moment.
“Maybe you could sit down with Jefferson and discuss what you think our best options are.”
“I can do that.”
Sophie
After a long day at the show, the four of us head back to the hotel to get ready for the rodeo tonight.
When we make it into the parking lot, Dallas’s truck is idling outside the door to my room.
She jumps out as we pull into the space beside her.
“Do you know that the manager of this here fine establishment let me have a key to your room? He didn’t ask my name or anything. He just handed it to me when I told him I was here to stay with you. Isn’t that some shady shit?”
“I told him you would be coming before we left this morning. Described you well. I’m sure he felt confident you were you,” I say as I take the bag off her shoulder, so she can carry the cooler bag she has on the other.
“He still should have asked to see some ID before handing out keys to your room. I’m going to go have a chat with him.” Braxton stomps off toward the office.
“That boy has gotten awfully protective of Sophie as of late,” Emmett says to no one in particular.
“I’ve noticed that too. Weird, right?” Dallas asks him.
“I think he’d be pissed even if it were your room they handed someone a key to,” I point out.
“Maybe so, but he didn’t bring me any coffee this morning,” Daddy says as he watches Braxton enter the office.
“He probably just used me as an excuse to go get it for himself. He just didn’t want to admit he wanted a latte.”
Both of them cut their eyes to me and shake their heads.
“The Ritz it’s not,” Dallas says as she looks around our home for the next two nights.
“Not exactly.”
“Good thing I brought plenty of provisions.”
She unzips the Yeti cooler on the floor and starts to pull out mason jars of moonshine, a bottle of tequila, a bottle of bourbon, and a pitcher of lemonade. Then, she unpacks grocery bags of microwave popcorn, chips, and cookies.
“We can’t drink all that in two nights.”
“I got a text from Russ Eastman. He and his brother, Trey, are here for the show too, and they’ll be at the rodeo tonight. I thought maybe they could swing by afterward with some of their friends and have a few drinks with us.”
“Dallas, my daddy, Emmett, and Braxton are right next door. We can’t have a room full of boys over here,” I explain unnecessarily.
“We’re not teenagers, for goodness’ sake. If we want to have company, it’s none of their business.”
“You’re crazy.”
“You say that, but you haven’t seen Russ and Trey yet.” She wags her eyebrows at me. “Come on, let’s get all gussied up for this. That arena is going to be full of dirty, rugged cowboys. We have to look our best.”
“Dirty cowboys?” I ask.
“Oh, yes, that’s just the way I like them. Extra dirty.”
Daddy and Emmett turn in early, and Braxton escorts us to the arena.
“I’m going down to help with the bucking chutes. You two okay?” he asks as we enter the event.
Dallas waves him off. “We’re fine. I have friends coming.”
“All right, I’ll find you after the bull-riding events. Keep your phones on vibrate. It’ll be too loud in here to hear it ring.”
He takes off down the stadium stairs to the arena floor.
“Let’s get in line. You grab hot dogs and fries, and I’ll get the beers.”
I wrinkle my nose.
“I know, I know, but they don’t serve rosé here, so you’ll have to make do.”
I pay for our food and take it to the condiment table to add mustard, ketchup, and relish, and Dallas joins me, followed by two tall, handsome men.
“Sophie, this is Russ and Trey. Fellas, this is my bestie, Sophie.”
They each shake my hand. Russ, the oldest, has a short beard, piercing green eyes, and a well-worn cowboy hat covering his hair. Trey is a little more clean-cut than his brother with the same dark hair and green eyes, but his face is clean-shaven, and he isn’t wearing a hat. They graciously help us carry our food and drinks to our seats on the bleachers.
“Which event are you most interested in?” Trey asks as I look over the event program.
“Me? I like the barrel racing and the calf roping. You?”
“Bull riding.”
“I should have guessed.”
“One of our buddies is a competing bull rider. He’s won several Professional Bull Rider events in the last few years. He’s a rising star on the circuit.”
“I get nervous, watching the bull riders. My daddy took me to a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo in Montana once, and one of the riders was bucked off. Before he could get away, the bull trampled him. Shattered his arm and broke several ribs. It was awful. He was lucky it wasn’t worse.”
“Yeah, it’s a dangerous sport, but most sports are. Even football players are one bad hit away from being paralyzed the rest of their life. That’s why they train so hard. And everyone doesn’t have the talent for it. Still, accidents happen.”
“I know you’re right. Those bucking bulls still make me nervous. My … my, um … my daddy’s nephew-in-law, Braxton, is helping with the chutes tonight.”
I point down to where Brax is straddling the side of one of the chutes while the rider gets positioned on the bull.
“Braxton Young. Yeah, I know him. We went to school together. You’re related?”
“Not really. His aunt married my dad, but we just met recently. I live in New York.”
“New York? Wow. That’s pretty cool. How long are you in Colorado?”
“I’m not sure. A couple more weeks at most.”
“We should get together back in Poplar Falls. Maybe Russ and I can take you and Dallas out to dinner one night.”
I look over to Dallas, who is a hundred percent enthralled by whatever Russ is talking about.
“We could probably arrange that.”
He smiles, and I realize how attractive he truly is.
“So, what do you think?” Dallas asks as she loops her arm in mine as we make our way to the ladies’ room.
“They are friendly and easy on the eyes.”
“Right? Russ has been coming into the diner every day that I work. He’s asked me out a few time
s, but I always say no because of Beau. Dating is hard when you have a little person at home.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting a life, Dallas. Being a mom doesn’t mean you can’t do anything for yourself.”
“I know. I don’t want to introduce anyone into his life that doesn’t plan to stay awhile. Plus, I want to go home to him the nights I don’t work the Tavern. I spend enough time away from him.”
“Tell you what. When we get back, we’ll go out on a double date. That way, you can feel him out without all the pressure.”
“That would be amazing. I think Trey is into you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m only here a little while longer, so it can’t be more than a one-time thing.”
“Maybe not, but if you play your cards right, it could be one hell of a memorable one time.”
Sophie
When we returned from Denver, I sat down with Daddy and Braxton and discussed the merits of buying a new middle-of-the-line tractor outright or getting a loan for a top-of-the-line model. I laid the entire thing out on spreadsheets to show how, at a low-interest rate, the second option made more sense in the long run.
After my presentation and going over the figures a few times, Daddy agreed to talk to Mr. Stroupe at the bank to discuss the loan. So, he and Aunt Doreen and I are on our way to town. I want her along for all the business discussions and decision-making because she will more than likely be the one to take over for Gram running the administrative side of the ranch.
“Do you agree with Sophie that this is a good idea?” Daddy asks the bank manager.
“I do. You’ll have use of the better tractor, which will be more efficient on the ranch, and the better brand will probably save you in maintenance fees down the road. We have your monthly payment extremely reasonable, and the interest rate is the lowest we’ve seen in years,” Mr. Stroupe explains.
“And you can write the interest off on your taxes at the end of the year,” I add.
