by Rose, Amelia
Mason stepped back and looked at the unhappy expression on Rose’s face. “Did you seriously think I would want someone like her? When I am lucky enough to have someone as amazing as you?”
“I like to hope not, but it’s pretty hard to ignore those feelings when I had to spend all day watching three glamourous tramps fawning all over you. Every time I looked up, there they were, surrounding you and laughing with you. It was a little hard to take.” She sighed, feeling a little small inside, ashamed to admit how worthless it had made her feel by comparison.
“Rose, when you were seeing us, did you see me looking around for you to come save me? I would never be rude to one of my boss’ paid visitors, but I certainly didn’t enjoy having them around all day, saying some of the things they were saying. I kept hoping I would see you so I could find a way to have you come over there.”
She wanted to believe him, but isn’t that what any man would say in his situation? It was hard to know what was true when conflicting images flooded her mind, images of Mason laughing at their comments, riding tall in the saddle with three women all competing for his attention. To make matters worse, she felt blamed, like her thought it was her fault that she didn’t come shoo those women away sooner.
That’s just your stupid insecurity talking again, Rose! She argued with herself. She knew Mason better than that. In the whole time she’d known him, he’d never been anything but kind and complimentary, and here she was, comparing herself to them and practically demanding that Mason liked them better.
“But tell me the truth. Please, I can handle it, and it will help to know,” she began, finally looking him in the eye. “Do you wish I was prettier? Like them?”
The horrified look on Mason’s face should have been enough of an answer, but he shook his head and explained. “Not in a million years! Did you get a good look at them? All hair dyed, and perfumed, and goopy makeup everywhere! It’d be like dating a whole cosmetics boutique! I like you for who you are, Rose. You’re absolutely perfect, and those women spend all that time and money and effort to look the way they do, when all they really want is to look like you.
“I grew up not too far from where we are right now, and it was a tiny little town with a small school and only a handful of businesses, but it was perfect for who I am. I could have gone anywhere in the whole world after I left home, but I took the job at Carson Hill because those are the kind of people I choose to be around. They’re genuine, and they have their priorities straight. If I wanted to find some woman who hangs out in night clubs and goes shopping in fancy stores all the time, I know good and well where to find them. They’re a dime a dozen in every big city in the country. But do you see where I choose to be? Right here, with you. You’re my dream woman, Rose, not those people.”
She smiled self-consciously at his compliments before resting her head against his shoulder and melting into his chest. “And this is exactly where I want to be. I’m sorry I doubted you, Mason. I mean that.”
“It’s okay, I know how it must have looked from halfway down the line today. And maybe I haven’t told you enough how perfect you are for me. So I’m telling you now. You’re the only woman for me.”
He lifted her chin with a brush of her fingertips and kissed her lovingly, holding her close to him. The sound of voices approaching grew louder but neither of them cared, only breaking their kiss long enough to laugh when they realized that whoever had stumbled upon them had suddenly turned tailed and retreated, giving them their privacy.
+++
Later that night as the cowboys talked the group through how to prepare the herd for staying out unprotected all through the night, the others fought to keep their eyelids open. They got to work setting the series of fires around the perimeter of the herd that would help keep predators at bay. Nighttime was the time when coyotes, mountain lions, and packs of wild dogs could sense an opportunity for a meal. The news made some of the members of the group shudder and look around at the shadows that moved as the campfires flickered.
“What do you think, Laney? Are you up for staying awake all night and keeping watch over our cows?” Oren asked her, a defiant note of challenge in his voice as though he thought she wasn’t capable or willing. She grimaced before breaking out in a wide grin.
“Is that a dare, buddy? I can do it if you can, unless you’re too scared.” She looked confident, knowing he’d eventually back out. Instead, his hand shot in the air and he called out to their group leader.
“We’ll do it!” he called out, waving his arm slightly like a school kid who knew the right answer for once. The leader turned to see who’d volunteered and was surprised when he saw it was those two. The little kid maybe, but the princess? No way.
Laney nodded when he gave them both a questioning look, then he broke out in a grin. “Okay you two, finish up your grub and head straight to your bedrolls to get some sleep. I’ll be waking you up in about three hours to come keep watch!”
They hurried to finish their dinners and then did as he said, dropping their plates off at the food truck and hurrying to change into the clothes that would see them through the night. On the way to brush their teeth and get themselves to bed, Laney had the chance to ask Oren what he’d been thinking by volunteering them.
“I dunno,” he answered. “Everybody just always thinks I’m a big screw up, and this was the chance to prove that I’m not.”
“Hey now,” she answered in a soft voice, the sudden emotions she felt almost choking her. “You’re not a screw up. Nobody thinks that!”
“Sure they do,” he said. The worst thing about his words were that he didn’t even seem sad or upset. He just seemed resigned to it, as though he’d simply accepted it. Laney turned away as she began to cry.
“Oren, I… no, I promise, no one thinks that because it’s not true! You’re a great kid, even if no one tells you that enough. You work so hard at everything, and you have all these cool, interesting things to say. I don’t know anyone who comes up with the things you think of. So what if your brain works a little different? It just means that you’re gonna be the one to think up the solution when the rest of us are still trying to figure out the problem.”
Her brother just shrugged and reached for his pack, shouldering it and heading towards where they were going to sleep. Or try to, Laney realized, as she had no clue how she’d ever get to sleep after hearing her brother talk that way about himself. There was a lot she didn’t know about Oren, and knowing how he really felt about himself, how he thought other people felt about him, was enough to break her heart.
She caught up to him with her pack and threw her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to her side in a hug and kissing him on top of the head.
“Ew, gross! Don’t get all mushy on me, Laney!” he said, only half kidding. He gave her a little shove that was his way of telling her everything was okay. She laughed at messed up his hair, which finally got him to smile a little bit. They reached the campfire where they’d rest up before keeping watch, unrolled their bedrolls, and laid down without saying anything else.
Beside her, Oren breathed softly where he’d immediately fell asleep after the exhaustion and hard work of the day. Laney eventually closed her eyes and didn’t realize she’d even fallen asleep until it was time for someone to wake her. Her brother gently shook her shoulder and called her name until she sat upright and looked around, confused and sore after sleeping on the ground. They crawled out of their sleeping rolls and pulled their boots on before finding their guide in the dark.
The night had turned refreshingly cooler now that the sun had been down for hours. Laney and Oren saddled their horses but didn’t ride them, instead letting the horses sleep at the ready in case they were needed. The stationed their horses near enough that they could reach them but kept themselves awake by walking together along the edge of the herd, making a circuit between the different campfires. They were on the lookout for sparks that could ignite the high grass, on the lookout for cows who sud
denly woke up and wandered away, and on the lookout for animals that meant the group harm.
“It’s kind of creepy out here, isn’t it?” Oren whispered to her in the darkness. He looked around as he walked, more afraid of things like snakes and spiders and scorpions than anything else.
“I guess so, maybe a little bit. But just remember, these guys have been doing this forever. They’re pros. They’d never let us keep watch if it was actually dangerous out here, right?” Her brother mumbled in agreement but screamed in fright when Laney fell down beside him. She sat back on her hands and tried to figure out what had happened. A hand reached out in the darkness and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet while Oren continued to yell.
“Oren! Stop! I’m okay!” she said, grabbing his thin shoulders and turning him to face her. In the dim light of a campfire, she could see that Axel was the solid object she’d knocked into and bounced off of.
“That’s my fault, little buddy,” Ax explained to Oren. “Your sister walked right into me. I must be stronger than I thought!”
Oren tried to laugh and play it off, pretending he hadn’t been scared despite his screaming. Laney just stared at Axel, trying to decide if she should be mad or not.
“You know, this doesn’t count as the time I get to call you a jerk, so you really shouldn’t go setting me up. I retain the right to use my jerk-card.” Laney stared at him defiantly, daring him to argue with her. Instead, it was Axel’s turn to apologize.
“I’m sorry. I was looking for Mason and got turned around in the dark. It’s truly my fault, and no one needs to be called any names, especially not in front of impressionable little children here.”
“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m almost twelve,” Oren called out indignantly. He’d always been sensitive about his thin frame and small size and had put up with a good bit of mean-spirited teasing for it over the years. Laney had not yet wanted to strangle Axel more than at that moment, but she managed to hold her tongue in order to avoid wasting her earlier apology.
“Whoa, sorry buddy! I didn’t mean anything by it,” Ax and answered, throwing his open hands up in front of him. “So making members of your family angry seems to be my special talent on this trip. Let’s see what I can do for an encore.”
“Oh, I don’t know, why you don’t go tell my mom she could stand to lose a few pounds? Or tell my dad his golf swing sucks? Then you can get the whole family in on your insults,” Laney retorted, unwilling to take a joke where her little brother was concerned. Even throughout their years of sibling rivalry, no one else had been allowed to push Oren around. Laney had seen to that.
Axel ignored her and turned to Oren. “Hey, I really am sorry. I was only kidding, and I shouldn’t have said anything.” He turned back to Laney and stage whispered, “For the record, that’s what an actual apology looks like.”
“You leave my sister alone! All she did was tell you that you were being rude, and now you’re backwards apology was just so you could stick it to her again! We don’t accept!” He stomped his foot for emphasis, and Laney instantly felt sorry for him again. The poor kid couldn’t even look tough when he was mad.
“You’re right. My apologies all around. I just can’t help myself, I always seem to say the wrong thing when I’m around her. You know how she is, so sweet, so kind, so unabashedly beautiful.” Ax was openly making fun of her, but it was Oren’s turn to laugh.
“Laney? Beautiful? Dude, go get your eyes checked.” He dissolved in a fit of laughter. Laney turned to him and glared, planting her hands on her hips. Her brother remembered their unspoken truce and tried to quiet his giggling, standing up straighter and mimicking Laney’s aggressive stance and angry scowl. United front, he thought to himself. “I mean, nobody talks about my sister that way!”
“Well, I can see I’m completely outmanned here. I mean, who could possibly stand up to both of you? Her I can handle,” he explained, jerking his thumb in Laney’s direction, “but with her brother here protecting her, I don’t stand a chance. I’ll be on my way now.”
“What are you even doing out here? Mason’s in a different group, remember?” she taunted, reminding him of their earlier argument. “It’s not your group’s turn to keep watch, so shouldn’t you be snuggled in your sleeping bag?”
Axel turned back and started to say something. He tried to think of a plausible explanation but decided there was no point. It wouldn’t make sense to her, and she wouldn’t believe him anyway. He shrugged and started walking back to where everyone else slept soundly.
Chapter Thirteen
Laney stretched her back as well as she could, which wasn’t very far at all considering Oren was fast asleep with his head against her legs. She didn’t want to jostle him, but the sky around them was lightening slightly and the sun would be up soon. She knew he would be embarrassed at being caught sleeping on the job.
“Hey,” she whispered, tousling his hair slightly as she spoke his name over his ear. “Hey, Oren. Wake up. The sun’s almost up.”
He stirred slightly but didn’t open his eyes. Laney felt around for the pocket of her button-up shirt to make sure she still had his glasses, patting them lightly where she’d stashed them after taking them off him. His whole trip would have been over if anything had happened to them. She shook him a little harder this time, moving her legs beneath his head to make him wake up. The blood rushed to her legs as she did and it took real effort not to yell at the pins and needles feeling flooding the tops of her thighs.
Oren finally sat up and looked around, blinking his eyes and trying to focus his eyes. Laney held out his glasses and he put them on automatically, then sat straight up when he realized he’d fallen asleep while they were supposed to be keeping watch.
“Crap! I can’t believe I fell asleep! I promised that guy Drew we could do this!” He was so disappointed in himself that Laney had to smile, just to cheer him up.
“Hey now, you did just fine. You only slept for a couple of hours, it’s more than most people could do. Besides, the cows weren’t going anywhere, I was watching them.”
“Oh great. So you can stay up all night long, but I’m a little baby who has to have his nap!” His look of disappointment had turned into a self-deprecating glower. He muttered a curse word under his breath, but not quietly enough that his sister didn’t notice.
“Whoa there! What kind of talk is that? Mom and Dad would have your butt dragged behind a horse if they heard that! Where did you even hear talk like that anyway?” she asked, reeling from hearing profanity come out of her baby brother’s mouth.
“Duh, I go to public school, remember? Half the teachers probably even talk that way.” Oren looked grumpy for a moment longer before realizing what he’d said. Public school had been a sore point between them for years, and a source of more than a few raging, screaming fights. Even though no one could say it was Oren’s fault that he needed help in school, help that their private school couldn’t provide, that hadn’t stopped Laney from flinging it in his face whenever the opportunity came up. After all, he’d been the reason their parents made them switch schools, forcing her to leave her friends behind and mingle with a whole new crowd right as she was starting high school. It was her turn to cringe.
“Hey… you don’t have to feel bad about that,” she said softly.
“What?” he demanded. “After all the times you called me ‘slow’ and ‘moron’ and ‘special ed,’ now you don’t think I need to feel bad? I made you have to change schools. I’m the reason you had to stop going to school with your dumb boyfriend and he broke up with you! If I wasn’t stupid, you wouldn’t have had to do that.”
“Oren! You’re not stupid! You just learn things differently!” she cried, wondering how many times she’d have to repeat herself to make him understand.
“Well, that’s not what you said all this time,” he muttered, looking away ashamed.
Laney broke her own promise to herself by grabbing Oren and pulling him into an oversized hug. He flinche
d for a moment, but when he subconsciously realized it wasn’t a trick, he let himself relax. She felt the tension go out of his frozen muscles little by little until he finally rested his head against her shoulder.
“I was the stupid one, Oren. Even worse, I was mean and selfish. I acted like a spoiled brat because I didn’t get my way, even if it was the best thing for you and even if it wasn’t your fault. I know, I know… I said it was your fault. Well, screamed might be more accurate. But it’s not. It never was. It’s just one of those things. And I’m really sorry that I made you feel bad about yourself by blaming you.”
“Wow. When did you decide to turn into a grown-up?” he teased quietly, still resting against her.
“Somewhere about the time I found myself in a strange bed in a strange city without any one I knew around me. I just hate that it took that long to figure out what was important, and then even longer to get over myself and act like a decent person. But leaving home last year was a rude awakening and it made me realize what’s important in life.”
She kissed the top of his head and helped him sit up all the way. They stood up and dusted the wet dew and dirt from their pants just as their group leader called them for breakfast. Oren spoke as they began walking towards the other riders.
“Lemme guess, this is our little secret, right? I mean, it’s okay, you don’t have to tell people you were being nice to me. I won’t blow your cover or anything.”
“I would be proud to have people think that I like you. Because you’re someone worth liking. So there!” she said, sticking her tongue out at him and laughing.
+++
“Okay, you two, you’ve earned your ride in the motor home today!” their group leader, Drew, called out after breakfast was finished and the group was ready to ride out again. He called out orders to his small crew after pointing Laney and Oren to the oversized motor home that would carry them to the next checkpoint, letting them sleep today for having stayed up through the night.
