Dirty Cowboy

by Alycia Taylor

  “He’s in the movie? Of course I’ve heard of him! Wow, what’s he like?”

  I shrugged. “He doesn’t talk much to me. I mean, I’m supposed to be there to help them if they have any questions, but he doesn’t seem like the guy that wants to admit to not knowing anything. He’d rather look it up on the internet.”

  “Jerk. So, who else?”

  I rattled off some of the names that I remembered, which wasn’t many, and then I casually told him about the lead actress. “Her name is Sloan Hill. She’s —”

  But before I had the chance to finish Ryan gasped. “SLOAN HILL! Are you kidding me?”

  “I take it you’ve heard of her?”

  “Uh, yes. Everyone has heard of her. Oh no, don’t tell me you hadn’t?”

  “Of course not. Why would I know who she is?”

  He laughed at that. “I bet she wasn’t too impressed with that.”

  I pictured her asking if I wanted her autograph and I laughed. “Yeah, she wasn’t impressed at all. But she’s not so bad.”

  “Oh yeah? Not stuck up?”

  “She was, at first. But she’s really gotten into the role of someone who lives on a ranch. And now that she’s not prancing around in her fancy outfits, she’s actually really nice. She’s easy to talk to.”

  “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

  “What? Why would you say that?”

  He laughed. “Because I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. Go on, spill the beans, is there something going on between you and Sloan Hill?”

  “Well,” I said and finished my coffee so that I didn’t meet his eye. “I mean, we’ve hung out a few times. I’ve been showing her what life is like out here.”

  “Has she been here? In your house?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Brady, come on, I’m going to get it out of you so you might as well tell me. Spill it, have you kissed?”

  I nodded.

  He grinned. “Nice. Anything else?”

  “Okay, we slept together. Twice.”

  “Hang on a second. Are you telling me that you have slept with a famous actress twice?”

  “It’s not such a big deal for me because I didn’t even know who she was.”

  Ryan boomed with laughter so loud I wondered if he’d wake up Grant in the house next door. “Oh Brady, I’m so proud of you.”

  “Weird thing to be proud about.”

  “But what’s going to happen when she leaves?”

  I shrugged. “She’ll just leave. There’s nothing going on or anything.”

  “Okay then. Well, I hope I get to meet her.”

  “Sure, you can meet her today.”

  “Nice! Man, this is gearing up to be a very interesting day already. Hey, I wanted to ask you, have you spoken to Pop at all since he got cancer? I know he’s better now, but I wondered if you’d spoken to him?”

  I shot Ryan a look that I hoped portrayed everything I wanted to say without having to say a word. Thankfully Ryan just nodded and said nothing more.

  “So, how about another cup of coffee before we get ready for the ranch?”

  “Yes, please!” Ryan said. “And then we can go and meet some famous people.”

  Later that morning, I took Ryan over to meet up with Harold, who was walking around the ranch with his tea. It was becoming quite a habit to see him there early now.

  “Morning, Brady,” he said.

  “Morning, Harold. Bright and early again, I see. I wanted to introduce you to my brother Ryan.”

  The two of them shook hands and immediately got into a conversation. Ryan was telling him all about the MMA fighting, and Harold was telling him all about the farm. I stood there looking at the two of them and marveling how easy it was for some people to talk to strangers. It always took me such a long time to warm up to someone.

  “You’re certainly much more talkative than your brother here,” Harold said to Ryan and the both looked at me.

  “Yeah, he’s always been the quiet one in the family.”

  “And Ryan has always been the family clown,” I said, and Ryan punched me in the stomach lightly.

  “Oh hey, there’s Sloan. Come on, let me introduce you.”

  We walked over to Sloan, who grinned when she saw me coming. The moment I saw her, my mind went back to the night at the hotel. I didn’t seem to even notice what she was wearing anymore because the only thing I could think about was what was underneath.

  “You must be Knuckles,” she said.

  Ryan turned to look at me. “Are you kidding?” Then he turned back to Sloan. “Knuckles, or Ryan if you prefer. It’s great to meet you, Sloan.”

  “Ryan, it’s good to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  The two of them spoke briefly until Sloan was called away to start the first shoot. I stood back with Ryan as we watched them. He was fascinated by the whole procedure and as excited as Harold was. I usually kept to myself throughout the shooting, so this was the first time that I had actually stood to watch them.

  “Come on, I can’t stand here all morning. I need to get some work done,” I said to Ryan.

  “Okay, I’ll come and keep you company,” he said. “Although, keeping company doesn’t mean working, you know.”

  “Well, you could maybe help me with some of the heavy lifting, at least.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he said.

  We walked over to the barn and I asked him what he thought of everyone.

  “It’s so much fun watching them. And Sloan is even more beautiful up close. She seems nice. I mean, she was very friendly to me. But . . . she’s maybe a little too materialistic for someone like you. Sleeping with her is fine, but it’s good that she’s going. No offense or anything. I mean, I’m complimenting you here. She just doesn’t seem to be the type that could truly understand a man like you.”

  “Yeah,” I said and then abruptly changed the subject.

  I thought about the conversations I’d had with Sloan and realized that I didn’t see her in the same way I used to anymore. Ryan had taken one look at her and seen her as a materialistic person. But I was sure that there was more to her than what meets the eye. I’d seen a different side to her that was hard to un-see.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sloan

  It felt bittersweet to me when I was packing up that day. It was Friday afternoon and another week had officially come to a close. I wasn’t sure how I felt about going back home to New York. Part of me felt excited, and part of me felt sad. I’d gotten used to the lifestyle here. The early mornings. The rides on the horses. The long strolls along the quiet streets. I’d even miss the people, who were nothing like the hillbillies Victoria and I had assumed they would be. They were all kind and caring, and everyone seemed to go out of their way for one another. At first, I thought that they were just being nice because I was famous. But then I realized being nice was just in their nature. They were nice to one another, as well as to the film crew.

  I saw Brady and his brother in the distance and thought I’d go and say goodbye for the day. I hadn’t seen much of Brady this week. We’d been shooting nonstop, and there hadn’t been much time to socialize. And I didn’t see him as much in between takes because he was mostly with Ryan. We spoke every now and again, but it was always different when it wasn’t just the two of us.

  “Hey guys,” I said as I got there. The two of them were sitting on hay bales, and for a second the whole thing struck me as funny. “You both look like cowboys. Even you, Ryan,” I said.

  Ryan chuckled. “This is what happens when you hang around Brady for too long. You start acting like him.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said and grinned. “Well, I just wanted to say goodbye. It’s been a long week. How much longer are you here for, Ryan?”

  “Tonight is my last night.”

  “It is? Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. Pity I couldn’t have gotten you aside so you to tell me more about Brady.”

/>   “Nah, Ryan wouldn’t have told you anything. He’s got my back,” Brady said.

  Ryan laughed. “No, I don’t. One beer is probably all it would take. Hey, are you free tonight?”

  “Tonight? Yeah. Why?”

  “Come over to Brady’s place. We’ll have dinner. It’s my last night, and it’s not every day I get the chance to hang around someone famous.”

  I chuckled. I looked at Brady, and he smiled and nodded.

  I smiled back. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there. But only if we can have steaks on the outdoor grill.”

  “Deal,” Brady said.

  I walked away grinning to myself. I hadn’t expected an evening with Brady. And hopefully Ryan would shed some light on some of the things that I found so confusing about him.

  My driver dropped me off for dinner early.

  “You’re early,” Ryan said as he reached over to kiss me on the cheek.

  I grinned. “Yeah, I have to get here early,” I said as I snuck a look at Brady and then back at Ryan. “I once got to my riding lesson late and Brady sent me back to the hotel and told me to come back the next day.”

  “What? You didn’t do that! Did you?” he asked his brother as we all made our way outside.

  “She was two hours late and wearing a dress for horseback riding!”

  “Still. To send her back and make her come back the next day? That’s awful.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Brady, you didn’t tell me your brother was so nice.”

  “He’s not!” he said and laughed. “Red wine?” he said to me.

  “I’d love some. Thank you.”

  I sat back and sighed as I looked out at the wide open space. “You know, I’m going to miss this,” I said.

  “You are?” Ryan said.

  “You seem surprised.”

  “Well, I just can’t imagine going from a place like New York to here. As much as I love it here, I’m not sure I could live here.”

  “It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure,” Brady said. “But some people just fall in love with it.”

  “Have you fallen in love with it?” Ryan asked.

  I looked out again. “I’m not sure. But it has messed with my head a little.”

  “So, how did the shoot go this week, by the way?” Ryan asked.

  “It went well. Everyone is finally in the groove of this place. I think it took us quite a while to find our feet. Some more than others even. But we’re getting there. I think the movie is going to be amazing. We got this incredible sunset shot the other day. I have a feeling that’s the scene everyone is going to be talking about. I hope so at least.”

  “That’s cool. And . . . uh, what about Blaire? She also enjoying herself?”

  I chuckled to myself. I hadn’t known Blaire until we’d gotten to Wyoming. She was just a small role in the movie, so I didn’t get a chance to hang out with her all that much. But the more time we spent together, the more I liked her. She was a sweet girl. Very pretty, but normal-looking. Her best feature was most definitely her smile, which she seemed to offer easily to the world. I’d caught her and Ryan talking one day, and I got the sense that he liked her. But so far, neither of them had said anything about it.

  “Blaire? She’s having a great time. But she’s the type of girl that always sees the best in everything. It’s a great trait to have. She’s a nice girl. I saw the two of you talking the other day.”

  “Oh, yeah. I tried to meet everyone. Like I said, it’s not every day that you get to meet celebrities.”

  “You should’ve invited her tonight,” I said. I wished I thought of it myself.

  “Oh, I heard her saying that she had a dinner thing with the producer or something.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard about that. Sounds boring. Pity. She would’ve enjoyed it here way more.”

  “Yeah, pity,” Ryan said.

  “Why, are you interested in her?” Brady said.

  “No!” Ryan said almost a little too loudly. “She was just very friendly. That’s all. Anyway, stick to cooking the meat, big brother.”

  Brady laughed. “You see what I have to put up with, Sloan? Now imagine growing up with a guy like this. Constant ripping me off.”

  “Ha! You’re the one that’s older than me. It was me who got teased all the time. You should feel sorry for me, Sloan.”

  I chuckled. In the short time that I had known Brady, I had come to know that it wasn’t easy for him to feel comfortable around people. But with Ryan, it was different.

  “I wish I had a sibling. I’d take the teasing any day.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, you can be my sister then,” Ryan said.

  “Don’t do it, Sloan. You’re in for a world of pain if you do.”

  I chuckled. “I’m sure I can handle it.”

  “Well then, welcome to the family, sis.”

  “It’s a pleasure to be here, bro. Ooh, I just realized that I now have an MMA fighter for a brother. I like this. You can beat up anyone that gives me grief.”

  “Would you like me to beat up Brady? He’s taking too long with the food. I’m starving.”

  “You’re in luck. The food is ready.”

  We all sat around outside, eating the food that Brady had prepared. It was the same steak, salad, and fresh rolls that he’d made the last time I’d come over. He’d told me that it was really the only thing that he could cook well. But I didn’t mind. It was delicious. And Ryan was easy to talk to. He spent a lot of time talking about the fights and the training that he did for it, and Brady kept telling him to talk about something else. But I was interested and kept asking questions. Meeting Brady and Ryan had opened up two completely different worlds to me that I hadn’t known before. It made me realize how small minded I had been the past few years, and how much I’d lacked social interaction with different people.

  “This was delicious; thanks, Brady,” I said.

  “Yeah man, so good,” Ryan agreed. He couldn’t tease his brother about the food; there was simply nothing to tease about.

  “Let me clean up,” Brady said and stood up.

  “I’ll help,” I said.

  “No, you will not. And Ryan, you won’t either.”

  “I wasn’t going to,” Ryan said and laughed.

  “Honestly Sloan, you’re my guest. I won’t take long, anyway. And I’ll bring out some coffees when I’m done.”

  He walked off carrying all the plates, and I smiled at Ryan.

  “He’s such a nice guy.”

  “He is. I’m glad he’s had you to talk to these past few weeks,” he said. His voice went low, and I knew he didn’t want Brady to hear the conversation. “Between you and me, Brady isn’t the type of guy to bring a woman home. In fact, I’ve never met a girl before that Brady has spoken of as highly of as you. I was starting to think there was something wrong with him. In all the time we’ve known each other, I’ve never seen him with a girl. I mean, I know he’s had girlfriends and all, but he’s never introduced me to them.”

  I sat back in surprise. I was the first girl that he’d allowed his brother to meet? That was quite something. I wondered what that meant. Perhaps he liked me more than he was letting on? Or maybe he didn’t mind getting close because he knew that I would be leaving soon.

  “We’re so totally different, but we connect in some way that I just . . . I can’t explain.”

  “Yeah, I can see that, actually. Although, something tells me that beyond the exterior, the two of you might not be so different after all. Now that I’ve gotten to know you, I think you’re very different from the girl that I met the first time.”

  “Yeah, Brady said the same thing to me. Maybe I am,” I said and pondered the thought. Then I leaned into him, “Other than you and Grant though, he’s quite tight-lipped about your family.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all. He’s a man of few words, our Brady. Has he said anything to you about our father?”

  “Nothing much, other than the fact that he works at a motorcycle sho
p and is part of some club or something. But that’s about it.”

  “Really? Nothing else?”

  “No, why?”

  “Well, he’s just gone through a bout of cancer. He’s been in treatment and he’s better, but it was still a pretty big deal. Not that my father ever let it show, of course. But I knew how hard it was for him.”

  “No, he didn’t say anything. Is Brady close to him?”

  Ryan shook his head. “Not at all. Brady hasn’t spoken to him in years as far as I know. Even with this whole cancer thing.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Well—“

  But before Ryan could finish the conversation, Brady walked in. He looked at the two of us and shook his head.

  “The two of you look like you’re up to no good. Ryan, I hope you haven’t been filling up her head with lies.”

  “Me? I’d never do such a thing,” Ryan said and grinned.

  I smiled and gratefully took the cup of coffee. The conversation changed into something more lighthearted, but the whole time I couldn’t stop thinking about what Ryan had said to me. Brady’s father had cancer? Why would Brady not visit his father if he was so ill? Why hadn’t he seen him for years? There was something that Brady wasn’t telling me. Something that he obviously didn’t tell anyone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Brady

  It was sad to say goodbye to Ryan. I was used to him coming and going like that, but he’d been good company. And he’d changed his mind about Sloan. At first he’d told me that she was far too materialistic for me. But after the dinner at my house, he said there was something about her that went beyond the exterior. The two of them actually got along really well, and by the end of the evening Ryan had taken her in as his new sister. I was glad that Ryan had seen another side to her. At least I knew I wasn’t imagining it.

  I invited Grant over for coffee that morning, and the three us spent some time catching up before Ryan had to leave.

  “This is so weird,” Grant said. “The three of us here in Wyoming together.”

  “Yeah, we just need Ian and Reed, and all the brothers would be together again,” Ryan said.