by Maree, Kay
“Do you actually believe all that shit, Aus?”
“Grace. Language,” Callie admonished, taken aback by her daughter’s words.
Looking back at her mum, Grace’s blue eyes opened wide. “Well, it’s true, Mum, and you know it. He’s full of hot air.”
“You’re just jealous because he wants to do stuff with me,” Austin retorted.
“Am not. Who’d want to hang out with him and his stupid friends anyway? I’d rather stay here. He better let us stay for the show.”
The kids had only ever seen one rodeo. As much as Callie had wanted to bring them up through the years, Adam had always stopped her. “Rodeos are no places for kids,” he had said. “Just because you were brought up with filthy cowboys doesn’t mean my kids will be.”
He’d kind of had a point. She hadn’t known any different. There hadn’t been a time when she didn’t remember there being mud on the ground or dust in the air. Her father was a cowboy, but he was a good, honest, genuine man, and she loved him. He had raised her, loved her, and taught her everything she needed to know, except how to be a mother. And at times like this, she felt a little lost. Would it have been different if her mother had stayed? If she’d had someone to ask for advice?
“C’mon,” Cody interrupted her thoughts. “Let’s help your mum get this table laid for dinner, hey?”
A few grumbles filled the air, but the kids knew what they had to do. Grace headed out the back with her muddy boots, and Austin went back to the living room to turn off his game.
“Are you okay?” Cody asked, moving to stand in front of her. He slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to meet his gaze.
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she wouldn’t let him see them fall. “Yep,” she managed out through the lump that had formed in her throat. “Just stuff that I have to deal with.” She drew her shoulders up and dropped them again.
“What can I do?” he asked, nodding to the stove behind her.
Callie spun on her heel, suddenly remembering her stew. “Oh shit,” she grumbled, as it bubbled at the edges of the pot. “I got distracted.”
“I’m sure it will be fine, don’t stress. How about I get the wine?”
“Could you be any more perfect?” she laughed.
“Well,” he drew out. “I could be, but that would involve me cleaning the mud off the floor that Gracie dragged in, and I’m not about to do that.”
Rolling up the tea towel she’d left on the bench, she aimed at his head as she threw it across the room. He had filled her home with laughter. Allowed her to be silly without admonishing her. The kids loved him, and if she wasn’t careful, she might find herself falling for him as well.
Callie stared hard at her reflection; she dabbed more concealer under her tired eyes. No amount of make-up was going to cover the dark circles. Working tirelessly for the event and spending late nights with Cody were all contributing to a feeling of exhaustion.
She had considered not attending the house party tonight. She didn’t usually mingle with the workers, but this year was far from usual. Cody was far from a typical worker, and he had expressly asked her to attend.
Dragging her fingers through her hair, she let her locks fall over her shoulders. She desperately needed a cut and a tint; it had been forever since she had seen the inside of a salon, and it showed. When she lived in the city, she kept a regular six-week appointment. She sighed heavily. That had been another life. One she didn’t really miss, but now and again, she allowed a wave of nostalgia wash over her.
“Are you going somewhere?” Grace’s voice dragged her back to the present.
“I’m just going over to the quarters for a bit. I won’t be late.”
“Who’s going to look after us?” Confusion flooded Grace’s features.
Callie turned and gently placed both hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “I’ll be just across the way. You guys will be okay.”
“But . . .” Grace argued.
“You’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m leaving the property.”
“Can we have pizza?” Grace asked hopefully.
“No!”
Grace’s shoulders dropped solemnly, and Callie knew she was being played. “You can have some popcorn. How’s that?”
Spinning on her heel, Grace called out. “Mum said I can have popcorn!”
“Share,” Callie called to her daughter’s back, before chuckling to herself. The kids loved to stir each other.
Scooping her mobile phone from the kitchen table, she tucked it in her back pocket. She had changed after work but gone for a simple pair of faded blue jeans. They were tight, accentuating her curves, paired with a white gypsy style top. It was, after all, a casual affair.
It was typical for the workers to have a party a few nights before the rodeo. As the days grew closer, everyone became more serious and concentrated on what they had to do. Most cowboys wouldn’t drink in the days before a big ride; they wanted to keep a clear head. As a teenager, she would join in the celebration, but as the event organiser, she didn’t feel it was appropriate. Not only that, but she had also outgrown much of their shenanigans. The boys were there to work, and more often than not, the girls hung around for them. Buckle bunnies- they were only interested in the cowboys.
The doors were open, and she made her way through the house, heading out the back where laughter rang out into the night, drowning out the speaker that played its country tune to an uncaring audience.
~*~
Cody had met most of them before, and they fell into easy conversation. As the beer flowed, the party became rowdier.
“Tell them about the incident at Hope Creek,” one of the men he didn’t know, called out to Heidi.
Heidi had held court much of the evening with her tales. She was young and vivacious, the life of the party. At another time, she might have been the type of girl Cody might go for, but these days he only had thoughts for Callie.
“I was so drunk,” she laughed. “I was dancing around like a stripper.”
“As always,” one of the other girls called out.
She rose from her seat and began demonstrating what she had called dancing. “Then somehow, I tripped and landed in the lap of this luscious cowboy.”
She pinpointed Cody and threw herself down hard on his lap. Flinging both her legs over his, Heidi's arms snaked around his neck, and one hand immediately went into his hair as she danced seductively above him. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of a slamming door as Heidi turned back to her audience, and her story continued.
“I’m running my fingers through his hair and telling him how great I thought he was when a great big burly bloke tapped me on the shoulder and said . . .” she puffed her chest out and deepened her voice. “Excuse me, miss, he’s with me.” The small crowd roared with laughter, and one of the men let out a loud wolf-whistle. “I could have died, I tell ya.” Heidi laughed as she launched across the room and playfully swatted the whistler across the side of the head.
“But, you didn’t.”
“No, but I wasn’t game to even look at another cowboy for the rest of the night.” Again, her audience laughed and cheered.
He glanced at his watch before tugging his phone from his pocket. He had expected Callie to be here by now; she hadn’t messaged. Perhaps she was caught up with the kids.
“What’s wrong with you, bro?” One of the boys nudged him.
“Just waiting on someone.”
“Who you waiting on?”
“Callie.”
“Callie? Callie? You mean Callie, the uptight boss lady?”
“She’s not uptight,” Cody defended.
“Oh, yeah? What have you got going on with her? Huh?” He smirked and winked salaciously.
“I think that’s none of your business.”
“Oh, Code’s has got it bad for the boss lady,” he laughed and called out his announcement to the group.
“Why don’t you
all shut the fuck up? Hey?” he barked out. He didn’t have time for their nonsense. Instead, he reached for another beer. They soon got the message, and the conversation carried on without him.
~*~
“Are you okay, Mum?” Grace asked concern etched across her face.
Callie sucked in a deep breath. “Fine,” she ground out, as she reached for a wine glass. In her haste, she bumped the edge of the glass in front. “Who put that stupid bloody thing there?” she growled as the glass slipped from her fingers and shattered to the floor below.
“Mum!” Grace shrieked.
“Well, if you put the dishes away properly, that wouldn’t have happened,” she snapped. “Go get the dustpan from the laundry.”
Grace turned and rushed from the room as Callie looked down at the mess she had made at her feet. “Stupid men,” she cried into her hands. Angry at herself, and Cody. She had known he was a cowboy, knew she shouldn’t have gotten involved. How could he be so blatant, what did he expect? That she would be fine with that? She had so overestimated him, and it was her stupid fault.
“Careful where you step, Mum,” Grace’s voice had her pulling her hands from her face.
“Oh, Gracie, I’m so sorry,” she whimpered, seeing her young daughter standing beside her. “You’re such a good girl. I should never have yelled at you.”
“It’s okay,” Grace softly replied as she squatted to the floor.
“Here,” Callie brushed her daughter aside and took the brush and pan from her hands. “I can do that.”
“What happened?”
Callie knew she wasn’t asking about the broken glassware. She had left the house, excited to attend a party and returned home minutes later in a horrible mood.
“I interrupted Cody getting a lap dance,” she admitted, knowing her daughter was too young to be exposed to such things.
“Oh, mum.” A pained expression crossed her young daughter's face, and she wished she could take her words back. “What did he say?”
“Nothing. I left.”
She swept the broken glass into the bin and turned back to find Grace had retrieved another glass for her. With shaking hands, she poured herself a glass of wine.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m sorry for yelling at you. It wasn’t your fault.”
“No, mum, I understand. Is there anything I can get for you?”
Callie’s gaze fell to the living room. “No. I’ll be okay. Go back to your movie. I might have an early night.” She reached out and pulled Grace in for a hug. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mum.”
She knew going to bed with a glass of wine was a bit pathetic. At least it wasn’t a bottle, she reasoned. Besides, she needed some time alone with her thoughts. Had she been foolish, allowing this man to infiltrate her life and her family? She had let him into her bed. Had enjoyed his touch, his company. Her stomach churned, and the wine threatened to expel itself, so she placed her glass down on the bedside table. She ran her hand over the side of the bed, where Cody had slept. He had been at Carrillo for two months. Sleeping in her bed for weeks. She had been thoughtless in letting him in. Had known it was opening herself up to the potential of being hurt. It wasn’t just herself she had to worry about. She had allowed him into her children’s lives. He had let them down. She had let them down.
“Mum.” The soft knocking at her bedroom door had her padding across the carpet to open it. “Cody’s at the door. Should I let him in?” Grace asked.
Callie’s mind whirred, and her skin prickled with tiny goosebumps at the mention of his name. “No. Tell him I’m in bed.”
Grace nodded before turning away, and a pang of guilt gnawed at her. She shouldn’t leave her daughter to do her work for her. She just wasn’t ready to face him. Maybe she never would be, not after what she’d just seen.
“Callie!” Cody’s voice rang out from the other side of the glass door that led from the veranda straight to her bedroom. “Cal, it’s me. Let me in.”
“Go away, Cody,” she replied dryly.
“Are you okay? I thought you were coming to the party?”
Sucking in a deep centering breath, she took a step toward the door, but she didn’t open it. She couldn’t bear to see him standing there.
“I’m not coming to your party, Cody. Have fun with your friends,” she bit out.
“It’s not the same without you. C’mon.”
“Go away, Cody.”
“Let me in, Cal. If you don’t wanna come, we can have our party here.”
Opening the door just a crack, the smell of beer and smoke wafted in. “Go away, Cody. We’re done. Don’t bother coming back here again.”
“But . . .” he tried, a look of confusion washing over his face.
“But, nothing. I don’t want to see you anymore. Go back to your party. Enjoy your . . . friends,” she ground out the last word, wanting to bite her tongue off.
“Can we at least talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Cody.”
A pained look crossed his features, and she closed the door. She couldn’t stand to see him looking sorry for himself. He was a player, and she had been played. He could go back to his blonde bimbo. She seemed happy enough to give him what he wanted. He might think he could run to her as soon as he got worked up, probably thought she was easy. She wasn’t going there. Wasn’t going to be used. She knew she should never have gotten involved with a bloody cowboy.
Cody
“Do you know who I am?”
The man’s voice boomed as Cody neared the office, making him pick up his pace.
“I am Maxwell Donaldson III. My family has been bull-riding champions for generations.”
He paused just outside the open door, awaiting her reply.
“I don’t care if you’re Saint Nicholas. The rules are the rules. You had as much time to register for the event as everyone else did, Mr. Donaldson. If you didn’t, that’s not my problem.”
“Old Vin would never have turned me away,” he argued.
“Well, Vin Carrillo isn’t running this show anymore. I am. If you don’t like it, register on time, next time.”
Cody smiled to himself; he loved her sass. That was his girl. His girl? She didn’t want a bar of him. His heart sank a little at the thought. He’d blown his chance, and he didn’t even know why. One minute she had been keen to attend the party with him, the next, she was telling him she didn’t want to see him anymore.
“I wouldn’t bother with her, mate.” the man moaned as he pushed past him. “She’s a right bitch.”
Cody’s fingers curled into fists. She was far from a bitch. No one spoke about Callie like that. He had a sound mind to let Maxwell Donaldson the third know exactly how he felt about that.
“Cody,” her sweet voice pulled his from his anger, and he turned to find her behind him. A tight-fitting pair of denim jeans had replaced the usual business attire she wore in her office. Her button-up shirt sported rhinestones that trailed across her shoulders. He wanted to fasten her top button to dissuade anyone else from seeing her ample cleavage. On her head, she wore the white cowboy hat he had noticed hanging in her hall.
“Wow, you look . . .” he paused. What he wanted to say was delicious, especially as her questioning blue eyes met his.
“So do you,” she breathed.
Her words almost knocked him off balance, as her eyes dropped and scanned his body. Perhaps there was still a chance for them. Maybe she still wanted him. God knew he hadn’t stopped wanting her. Had he not given her enough of a chance? Should he have pushed her harder the other night? He shook the thoughts from his mind.
“I just popped in to let you know some dickwad left the gate open in the bottom paddock. Probably trying to sneak in and avoid having to buy a ticket. Apparently, the sheep are out on the road. I’m going to grab Marla and duck down there. I’ll move the mob to the other side of the creek; that way, they should be safe
.”
Panic filled her eyes, and a warm glow filled her cheeks. He knew she didn’t need this kind of drama right now. He had thought about just dealing with it and not telling her, but he also knew if she returned to the house and found Marla missing, she would freak out.
“It’s okay. Don’t stress,” he soothed, unconsciously reaching for her hand before pulling away sharply when he remembered she’d pushed him away. “I’ve got this. I just thought you should know.”
Her phone rang, and she turned to her desk before looking back to him, torn. “Trust me. Do your thing. If I have any trouble, Ill grab one of the boys. There’s plenty of wannabe cowboys around here. I’m sure they would love to get their boots dirty. Give them something to go home and tell their mates.
Callie laughed at his assumption. “Thank you,” she managed out as she hit the button on her phone.
It didn’t take long to round up the herd, and as expected, several people stopped to help. It was hilarious watching the inexperienced bozos running through the paddock, chasing the one stray sheep that separated from the rest. He thought to tell them, if left alone, it would find its way back, but he was rather enjoying the entertainment.
“Thanks, fella’s,” he called when they were done. “Meet me at the bar after the show. I’ll buy you a beer.”
He watched as they patted each other on the back and snapped selfies of themselves. No doubt posting to their social media to prove they were cowboys and had been out in the bush to prove it.
Heading back to the homestead, he took his time. Taking in the scenery as he rode. It was a beautiful piece of land, beautiful like its owner. He was going to miss Carrillo Estate, he’d miss Harlow’s Bend, but most of all, he’d miss Callie and the kids. He had grown to love them in the brief time he had been here. He wasn’t even sure where he’d go. But he knew he wasn’t welcome here anymore.
“Does Mum know you took Marla?” Grace’s voice came from behind.
Lugging the saddle off the horse, he spun around to face her. “Yeah, I let her know. Someone let the sheep out. What are you doing here? I thought you were up at the showground.”
