The pink walls were a constant reminder of what it was like when I was younger. And now it was worse, because everyone knew what had happened and they were all trying to pry, but they weren’t ballsy enough to just come out with it. Of course just about every man I’d seen had taken a shot at hitting on me, even some of the married ones. I’ll be sure to mention it to mom so she can bring it up at coffee tomorrow. Some of those men deserved the wrath of their wives.
I sighed as I sat down on my bed and pulled out my phone. Social media sucked right now. I got to see all my friends still in their homes and totally happy. Some married, some not. But they were in their own place, not moving back in with their mom.
Even though everyone had been nice since I got back, it was different. Most of them were being polite so they could get the inside scoop. Ken seemed nice. I tried to ask about him after he left, but Bunny only suggested I shouldn’t go to the ranch. I don’t get why. I’d have to bring it up to mom. She still knew all the gossip, and she would know the details.
I pushed myself up and walked over to the window. It wasn’t any different than when I had lived here as a teenager, and that was scary to me. It was all the same in a way. Not much had changed. A few of the girls I went to school with had kids, and a few of them left this small ass town. I used to be one of those girls. It killed me to know I wasn’t anymore. But I will be again, I promised myself. It was just a matter of time.
Heading down the stairs, I checked to see if my mom was home yet. She wasn’t. I hate this. I felt lonely and it wasn’t something I was used to. With both me and my now ex-husband working from home, I had gotten used to always having someone there. It will be good for me to not to be around others. I needed to get used to that again. When I was younger, I used to love being alone. I used to love having the house to myself.
I shuffled over to the screen door and opened it, stepping outside. Our house sat on the edge of town. The heat from the sun beat down on my skin as I looked out over the field around me. My eyes narrowed as I saw buildings that hadn’t been there when I grew up. I wonder if that is the ranch where Ken works.
I frowned. I knew I had just thought about how good it would be for me to be on my own, but … I turned and headed back into the house. I’m not ready to be all by myself. I knew it was a bad thing to admit, but at least I was admitting it, right?
Grabbing a water bottle from my mom’s fridge, I headed for the door again. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t need water, but I was taught never to go for a walk without it because out here you could easily get lost. You never wanted to be without water. Then again, I had good cell reception, so I’d be fine if I got a little lost.
I jogged down the porch stairs and headed for the field between me and what I assumed was the ranch. If I’m wrong … well, I’ll just backtrack.
He had seemed nice. I wanted to see him again, and I wanted to get to know him. There was something about him … It was like we’d met before, but I had no clue how we could have. He’s cute. I’d remember him if he’d been around when I lived here. Hell, I probably would have dated him. I don’t remember ever dating him.
No, we didn’t date. So, I’d go up there and see what the ranch was all about. Maybe I could go horseback riding. I used to love that, but when I moved away there wasn’t anywhere to ride. I’d forgotten all about my love for it. Life had gotten in the way. Work, relationships, commitments. I’d stopped paying attention to the things I loved. And the people I loved stopped paying attention to me. That was one of the downfalls to a career, though. Sometimes people thought their work was more important than the person they loved.
Guilt tugged at my stomach.
He’d insisted it was my fault all through the divorce. He said it was me. I had been the one who stopped caring about him.
I shook my head. “Enough,” I muttered to myself as my pace quickened and I started to jog.
~~~~
By the time I came up to the ranch, I had run myself out. I was tired and had almost drank all my water.
“Impressive.”
It was gorgeous. The buildings were clean and looked new, and the main office was painted white and made out of something that looked like wood. Very ‘old west’ style. I bet it goes over damn well, I thought with a smirk.
“Sarah.”
My own name made me spin to the left. My heart jumped. I saw blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was tied back; it hadn’t been earlier. His beard had dirt in it, but I kinda thought it was hot. Or maybe it was his bare chest I couldn’t tear my eyes from.
“H-hey,” I stammered, rolling my shoulders, trying to relax my body. “I figured I’d come see what this place was all about.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, not saying anything. After what felt like hours, he finally said, “I’m glad you did.” He crossed over to me, wiping his hands on his jeans. “I’d be happy to give you a tour of the place.”
“That sounds awesome. Mind if we start with the horses?”
His smile widened. “Right. Of course, come on.”
He said it like that made sense to him. My brow furrowed as he turned and headed toward a red barn.
“Red barn and all, huh?”
He shrugged. “The clients who come out here have something in mind before they even arrive. We cater to that.”
“And what is it your clients want? A simple-life-small town-American experience?”
“That, or something a little more X-rated.”
My pulse stuttered. What did he mean? I opened my mouth to ask, but I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to word my question. “So … uh …” I trailed off before being able to finish the sentence.
Ken glanced over at me. “Most girls who come out here want to fuck a cowboy.”
“But you’re not –”
“Nope.” He cut me off with a soft laugh and shrugged. “But they don’t care. They just know what they want.”
My frown deepened. That happened when I moved, too. People wanted to daydream about what my life was like back in a small town. They wanted to think I was some cute country girl. It was one of the issues that finally came between me and my husband. He thought I was something I wasn’t, and it finally showed. He thought I was going to be a housewife who came from a small town, even after we opened our business together. I mentally shook myself. There is no point in thinking about it now.
When I saw the horses I smiled, no longer caring about the past. My pace quickened as I made my way over to them and reached out, wanting to touch them. One of the brown ones came toward me; the rest were too busy eating to bother.
My heart raced as happiness filled me. I took a deep breath of the horse, the sun, and the air, and everything felt better for a split second. Then, I remembered I wasn’t alone. I turned to Ken and he watched me, not saying a word.
I forced a smile over my lips. “Thank you,” I said as I stopped petting the horse.
“You’re welcome. So, you moved back to town?”
“Yes. I grew up here and then moved. I’ve been going through a divorce and …” I trailed off. I didn’t know what else to tell him. I didn’t want everyone to know all the dirty details. Would he actually tell them? Maybe he wouldn’t, but other people would.
Ken nodded. “It’s not as bad as it seems. Do you fish?”
“Of course.” I’d grown up here. Just because we didn’t go swimming much didn’t mean we didn’t take advantage of the water.
A grin broke over Kens face. “May I take you fishing one day?”
My heart skipped. “Like a date?”
He shrugged. “Whatever you want it to be.”
Yes! I wanted to go out with someone. I knew a date was a bad idea but … “Well … it would be nice to have some friends again.”
“I’m sure everyone wants to be your friend right now.” He smirked. I laughed.
He wasn’t wrong. Everyone did want to stop by and chat with me. I told them all the same thing, knowing they would go to coffee row and t
ry to dish the same dirt. Of course, my mother would be the only one there that actually knew the truth, and she’d promised me she wouldn’t tell anyone. Even her best friend.
“That sounds really nice,” I admitted.
“Good. I’ll take tomorrow off, if that’s all right with you.”
“Yes. I’d rather not go fishing in this.” I motioned toward my jeans that cost me three hundred dollars. “I’ll wear something I don’t mind getting wet.” Just in case. After all, I wasn’t going to be able to afford these ever again. Lucky for Brad, his best friend was a lawyer, and he was trying to screw me out of everything.
Ken laughed softly, leaning against the fence. I took a few seconds to look him up and down. “Sounds like a plan,” he said. “I’ll even bring something to munch on. Not a date, though,” he promised me.
“Thank you.” I couldn’t tell him how much I meant it. I propped myself up against the fence and looked up at the sky. “You’re the first man who hasn’t hit on me since I’ve been home.”
“I woulda’, but I figured that might be the case,” he teased.
I laughed. Does he really mean it? I couldn’t help wondering if he would have hit on me. I might not have minded if he did. I might have even been okay with it. I chastised myself. That’s dumb. He’s respectful enough not to hit on you and you want him to.
Geez. I was all over the place right now.
“You really don’t remember me, do you?”
His words shocked me. “Why would I remember you?” I gave him another once over. I hadn’t met him before. I don’t think. He looked slightly familiar, but that happened a lot out here. If he had any family in this area, or knew someone who dated someone in this area, I probably saw pictures. “I know you didn’t go to school with me. I’d remember you.”
“I’m one of the Winsten boys.”
My mouth fell open. “No.” There was no way I had gone to school with him. My mind raced to remember them. “You … they moved here just before high school. You’re one of them?”
He laughed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No,” I said quickly. My mind still raced to remember them. There were three brothers, all really close. The oldest one was older than me. Oh, and he had been cute. I remember that. All the girls had crushes on him.
“I … I just can’t believe I didn’t realize it,” I stammered to come up with something. Anything. “I normally have a good memory when it comes to people I meet.”
I turned away from Ken. At least I knew why he looked familiar to me.
Ken
I couldn’t help my grin. I was excited.
“Kenny’s got a daaate,” Alex teased around the dinner table. I didn’t care. I was too hyped to care.
“And I’m taking advantage of the vacation time I never use.”
The guys around the table laughed, even Alex joined in. “Okay, but only because Jeff is back. If he wasn’t, you’d have to call that date off.”
I snorted. Like I was going to do that. I had a chance with Sarah. Something my fourteen-year-old self would have killed for. I was going to make the most of it.
I’ll make my teenage-self proud, I thought. But I knew there was more to it. She had been married, and she was going through a lot of shit. It wouldn’t be as simple as when we were kids. It would have been so much easier back then, when the people in town didn’t hate us.
~~~~
When the time came, I sat outside, waiting for her.
Maybe she’s not coming. I tried not to think like that, but it was ten minutes past when we were supposed to meet. Disappointment overwhelmed me, even though I tried not to let it. This isn’t high school. It wasn’t like people went out of their way to make a date and then stand you up. I closed my eyes and tried not to worry about it. Just my luck. I think for a second I might actually have a date and then … this happens. No. Here my brothers were with girlfriends and relationships they couldn’t stop talking about, and then there was me … maybe I jumped into it too fast. Just because I said it wasn’t a date doesn’t mean that’s how she feels. I couldn’t blame her for just dropping out. She was probably having trouble moving on from –
“Hey! Sorry, I’m late.”
I jumped to my feet and turned around. “No worries.”
Relief washed over me as I saw her. I grinned widely. See, not high school, I reminded myself as I walked over to her.
“Did I miss the fishing?”
“Of course not. Ready to head out?” I grabbed my backpack as she nodded, and we started toward the trail that led to the ranch’s fishing spot. It wasn’t a very popular location for anyone but us and a few guys who came out here. Then again, most wives didn’t bring their husbands here. I grinned as we walked in silence. I didn’t know what there was to say, and I didn’t care.
Sarah
It felt nice to be out of the house again. It was even nicer to know this wasn’t a date and he wasn’t going to ask me for all the gossip.
I hadn’t told my mother where I was going today, just that I was going to do some fishing. She hadn’t questioned it. Thankfully. I knew as soon as word got out that I was spending time with someone of the male sex, the whole town would have their own stories about what was going on.
We walked in silence for a while until I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to know more about him; I was nosey. I couldn’t help it. “So, how do you like working here?”
That wasn’t what I wanted to ask. He hadn’t lived here when I moved away, I didn’t think. Although, after going home last night, I dug out my old school yearbook and found him in there. It was hard to believe he was the same person as the guy in the picture.
“I like it just fine most days.” He shrugged, but didn’t expand on it any more. I had been hoping he would so I didn’t have to ask the question I was really wondering.
“Why did you come back here?”
He glanced over at me for a couple of seconds. “My brother found the place. He was the one who suggested we buy it.”
Oh. I should have done a little research. “I didn’t realize you owned it.”
“I do, along with my brothers.”
“That’s amazing. The ranch is gorgeous. It must have taken a lot of work.”
“It’s still a work in progress, but yes. We’ve been putting a lot of sweat into it, and it’s paying off.”
I could see why. The place looked great. The horses looked well-tended, there was a lot of land as far as I could tell, and the rooms looked nice – well, at least the outside of them.
“From what I’ve heard, the town says you’ve brought in a lot of income for them. Plus, when I lived here, there was, like, two shops.”
“Is that all you’ve heard about us?” His laugh sounded a little too forced.
We headed down a small dirt path and up a hill. I nodded. “What else would they say about you?”
It was a bit of a lie. I’d heard a couple of other things, but I didn’t want to tell him. Nothing bad. Just that I should avoid the place. As it turns out, when people tell me I shouldn’t do something, it just makes me want to do it.
Ken was quiet for a little while. I watched as his jaw tensed. “When we moved out here … some stuff happened with my one brother. The people in town really held it against him.”
Hmm. I made a mental note to ask my mother about it, even though I knew it was the wrong thing to do.
When we reached the top of the hill, I felt calm wash over me. The view was gorgeous. Holy cow. The river bank looked clean, and a small well-kept shack stood there. I guessed it had all the fishing stuff in it.
“Do you come out here often?” I asked.
“Not as often as I’d like, but during our down time I get out a few nights a week.”
“When is your down time?”
“Normally the winter. Although, this year has been pretty slow. We haven’t had too many people since the fall hit and the summer campers have gone back to school, or work, or wha
tever.”
“Does it slow down much when people stop coming?”
“Not these days. There’s less food to cook, less laundry to do, all that sort of stuff. But we’ve been working on some renovations.”
We made our way down the hill a little faster than we made our way up. As we neared the river bank, we headed off the trail toward a small paddle boat. Ken stepped in front of me and grabbed the boat effortlessly.
“Looks like you’re used to doing it on your own.”
“Most of the girls who come out here aren’t able to pick it up; they normally ask one of us to help. Which, I’m not always sure it’s that they aren’t able to. It’s more that they don’t want to.” He carried it to the water as I watched.
I turned away and walked over to the shed. It wasn’t locked. I opened it up and pulled out two paddles and two fishing rods. It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to grab the fishing bait as well and make my way over to the river bank where Ken sat. He took one look at me and snorted.
“Do you need a hand?”
“No,” I said, faking offense. A grin took over my lips. My eyes met his and for a split second, I felt like I was a fourteen year old girl getting her first crush. I pushed the thought away as I reached the river bank.
“Hop in.” Ken motioned towards the boat. I did as I was told, climbing in with the paddles, the fishing rods, the bait, and my own backpack.
Ken jumped into the boat with me as he pushed the boat out into the water. We didn’t talk as we paddled. It was nice, like it had been back in the old days when I grew up here.
“I used to go fishing every weekend.” I wasn’t really sure why I said it. I mean, he probably didn’t care.
“You did?” He sounded shocked.
“Yeah,” I laughed as I reached for the fishing lines.
~~~~
It took a long time for us to get to the right spot and drop the anchor. But it was totally worth it. It was kinda like meditating to me. I missed this, I thought as I closed my eyes. Back where I was living, I didn’t have the chance to go fishing. I’m going to make this happen more often.
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance Page 34
