Dirty Cowboy

by Alycia Taylor

  Victoria pulled a face. “Which was what exactly?”

  “Well, just jeans and t-shirts mostly. Shorts on the really hot days. And a lot of the time I was in riding gear.”

  “Riding gear?”

  “Yeah, I got to ride the horses. There was one sweet horse called Betty. You would’ve liked her.”

  She looked at me as if I had spoken in a foreign language. “I’m not a fan of horses, to be honest. Did you actually have to ride one?”

  “Yeah. I was petrified at first. But after a few lessons, I got the hang of it. Soon I was riding even when they weren’t filming.”

  She groaned. “Oh no. Look what that place did to you! Although, I suppose you had nothing much else to do during the day when you weren’t filming. Argh, but Wyoming must’ve been such a drag. Where exactly were you?”

  “Yeah, it was in a small farming community, a town called Buffalo.”

  “A small farming community? Sounds awful. And how about the people? They must’ve been all gaga over you. I mean, I doubt any of them have ever even met someone famous before.”

  I thought of how Brady hadn’t even cared about my celebrity status. I thought of the wonderful Harold, who had gone out of his way to be nice to me. I thought of the staff at the hotel, who had been kind and friendly every day. But I didn’t feel like telling her about any of that. If I spoke about Brady, I’d only miss him more. And anyway, Victoria wouldn’t understand.

  “Yeah, they were interesting,” I said.

  “Okay, well, enough about Wyoming. I’m sure you’re sick to death of thinking about that place. How about we go out and do what we do best? I’ve been dying to go shopping with you all month.”

  “Sure,” I said with forced enthusiasm. “Let’s do it.”

  The entire morning out with Victoria felt awkward. It was good to see her again, but I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the shopping experience like I used to. Every time we threw money on the counter, I would feel a stab of guilt at how much I was spending on just one outfit. Thankfully, Victoria was having such a fabulous time that she didn’t seem to notice my dismay. I kept thinking about the people that I’d met over the past few months, and how they had accepted me for who I was, and not for what I was wearing.

  “Now this is going to look amazing on you,” Victoria said and snapped me out of my reverie. She was holding out a small black dress with a plunge top.

  “I don’t know, Vic. It looks like it won’t cover all that much.”

  She laughed. “That’s the point! And anyway, you should flaunt what you’ve got.”

  I bought the dress and wondered when I would ever wear it. I made a mental note to make a plan to wear it to the next event, and to get over the strange feelings that kept coming over me. My life was here in New York, not in Wyoming. I’d worked hard to become an actress. I’d worked hard to make a life for myself. I deserved this little dress that cost more than a months’ worth of grocery shopping in Wyoming. I deserved it!

  Once we’d finished shopping, we decided to go out and have something to eat.

  “I think I’ll order the triple cheese sandwich,” I said as I eyed the menu. It came with bacon and tomato and was served with a side order of fries. My mouth was drooling at the thought of it.

  Victoria laughed. “You’re so funny. Imagine if you actually ordered something like that? You’d be all over the front pages of the magazine. Oh, that reminds me, I had a little bit too much wine the other night and ended up eating carbs for the first time in like, forever. Let me tell you, it is not worth it, no matter how delicious it was at the time. I was so angry at myself for caving in so easily. Oh, here comes the waiter. I’m going to order the house salad. How about you?”

  I forced myself to smile. “The salad sounds great.”

  After we finished our salads, we made our way back to the apartment. I saw a car with black tinted windows parked outside, but I didn’t think much of it. Then, just as we were about to walk inside, a man got out and ran toward us.

  “Miss Hill, are the rumors true?” he said as he reached me.

  I turned around in surprise at the sound of my name. “Sorry?”

  “Are the rumors true?” the man said again. I realized that he was a reporter. He was holding out his phone to record me and looking at me with those eager eyes that only a reporter had.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t been here for the last month. I’ve been away, filming. So I haven’t heard any rumors. Would you care to elaborate?”

  “Is it true that you lied about your entire past?”

  I stared at him.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Is it true that you lied about your entire past?” the man said again.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Victoria stepped up and pulled me away.

  “Sloan, you don’t have to answer their questions. Come on, let’s go inside. And you,” she said to the reporter, “go away and give her some privacy.”

  Victoria took my arm and led me inside. I tried to look as if I didn’t know what he was talking about, but my head was swarming with thoughts. How could he know the truth about me? And what exactly did he know? Some of it? All of it? In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to run away.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Brady

  The one good thing about working at the ranch was that I was busy. Very busy. In fact, ever since the film crew had left, I had been busier than ever before. I had never been more grateful for work. I remembered telling Grant once, when he’d first moved to the area, that the ranch would either fill your head with too many thoughts or take them all away. This was still true. But the more work I had, the less time I had to think. The night before Harold had called me and asked me to bring Trace with me to work the next day. I’d sent him a message, and he’d replied saying that he would be there. I told him that I’d pick him up at seven because I didn’t trust him not to be late.

  When I arrived at his house, he wasn’t waiting outside like I’d told him to be. Not that I was surprised. I stopped the car, sighed, and walked up to his front door. I knocked for a full five minutes before he finally opened the door. And when he finally opened, he was completely naked and most definitely hung over.

  “It’s seven!” I said loudly and tried to ignore his naked body in front of me.

  “No need to shout,” he said.

  “Come on; I need to get to the ranch. And you promised to come with me and help out today, remember? Harold is expecting you to be there today, and I don’t want to let him down.”

  He groaned. “Remind me why I agreed to this.”

  “Because you need money.”

  “Oh yes. That’s a good enough reason. Okay, fine, let’s go. But there better be some strong coffee waiting for me.”

  He stepped out of the house, and I burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” he said.

  “You do realize that you have no clothes on, don’t you?”

  He looked down and laughed. “Clearly not. Okay, give me a second.”

  “Don’t you dare go back to bed,” I shouted.

  Thankfully he came back five minutes later wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and two different shoes. I decided not to tell him about the shoes.

  “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Trace said as I started the car. “What’s up with you and the actress? Did I imagine the day of the rodeo or did she really kiss you?”

  I knew he was going to ask me about that. I’d been gearing up for the question all morning. “She did. But it was just a bit of fun. She was practicing for her role.”

  “Oh yeah? Wow, lucky you. I wish she had practiced on me.”

  “Didn’t meet any nice women last night?” I asked and hoped he’d buy into the change of subject.

  “Of course I did. All the women like Trace Collins,” he said.

  I laughed. “Did you really just refer to yourself in the third person?�
�

  “Trace Collins most certainly did.”

  I groaned. “You’re a pain. I hope you’re ready to sweat out that alcohol again.”

  “I’m never ready for that. But I do need the money.”

  Having Trace around turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse. He spoke nonstop and kept telling me stories about the party he was at the night before. One story would lead to another, and before I knew it, we were already halfway through the day. At one part of the day, Trace stopped and looked at me. He asked me if anything was wrong.

  “You’re being unusually quiet today. I mean, I know you’re normally quiet, but you seem even more so today.”

  “And you’re even more talkative than usual. I think we balance each other out,” I said and laughed. I hadn’t answered the question, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  We worked until late afternoon, and I was impressed with how much we had done in just a day.

  “It’s been good having you here. I don’t know how you managed to do so much with a hangover. I honestly thought you’d be lying around all day moaning about the work.”

  He laughed. “I know I mess around a lot, but I’m a harder worker than you think.”

  “I know you are. I just like teasing you. But seriously, how do you party so hard and then work so hard the next day?”

  He shrugged. “I just do. Also, I knew that if I didn’t work, you’d be on my case all day like you were the last time. Don’t worry; I’ll balance it out by sleeping the entire day tomorrow. You should try it sometime.”

  I chuckled. “Maybe I will. Come on, let’s go and see Harold. He’s calling us over.”

  “Well done, boys,” Harold said and grinned at us. “You did a good job today. I didn’t realize how much we had neglected the ranch with the film crew here. But we’re already catching up, and it’s all thanks to you. Thanks for coming on such short notice, Trace.”

  “Thanks for asking me. It was actually a good day out.”

  “Here’s your cash for the day,” he said and handed Trace and envelope.

  “Why so much? Not that I’m complaining, of course,” Trace said as he peered into the envelope.

  “It’s Saturday, so double pay.”

  “Oh yeah? Thank you. Call me out on a weekend any time please.”

  Harold laughed. “I’ll definitely keep you in mind.”

  “I’m just going to wash up. Brady, I’ll meet you at the car.”

  “Sure.”

  I turned to Harold and laughed. “He’s such a character. He was completely naked when I showed up at his house this morning. Which, let me tell you, was not the best sight for me to see so early in the morning. And he was still completely hung over. But he came anyway and worked really hard. I don’t know how he does it.”

  “He’s young,” Harold said. “I could probably do that at his age too.”

  “I’m also young, though.”

  “Yeah, but you’re cut from a different cloth,” he said, and I didn’t bother to argue the point. “So, how are you doing? You know, after everything?”

  I shrugged. “I’m good. It’s good to have the place back again.”

  He looked at me strangely and then nodded. “I wouldn’t worry about anything, Brady.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have a feeling you’ll see Sloan sooner than you think.”

  What was he talking about? I hadn’t said a word to Harold about Sloan. I had barely spoken to anyone about her. And when I did, I made it clear that there had been nothing going on.

  “I don’t understand,” I said.

  “Ah, I know you better than you think, Brady. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you not to worry too much. Okay?”

  “Uh, okay,” I said even though I had no idea what he was talking about. I saw Trace walking toward the car, and I quickly said goodbye and left. Harold was looking at me in a way that was making me very uncomfortable. It was almost as if he could see right through me.

  I dropped Trace off at home and then made my way back to my own house. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my evening. For the first time in a very long time, I felt strange being alone. I thought of cooking up some steaks on the barbecue, but changed my mind. I decided that I’d go for a long walk before the sun came down, and then I’d order in some pizza and attempt an early night.

  I was just about to leave for my walk when the phone rang.

  “So, do you miss me?”

  I laughed at the sound of Ryan’s voice. “Not really. It’s nice and quiet without you.”

  “You miss me,” he said.

  “Not even a little.”

  “Come on, admit it,” he said. “Admit that you missed your brother.”

  “Okay, just a little. But really, not all that much.”

  He laughed. “I miss you too, big bro.”

  “So, how’s life? Gotten into any fights lately?”

  “I have a big one coming up this weekend. I’ve been preparing for it all week. If I win this one, I could really make a name for myself.”

  “I think you already have a name for yourself. But good luck, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

  “Thanks for the faith. So, I heard you did a bit of MMA fighting yourself lately.”

  “I did? What does that mean?” I felt like everyone was talking in riddles around me lately. As if I was supposed to just know what they were talking about.

  “You got thrown off a bull! That’s almost like what I do, minus the bull of course. Although, some of the men I’m up against look very similar to that bull. I saw the video.”

  “The video? What video?” Again, more riddles.

  “You should look it up on that ancient laptop of yours. Someone filmed it and put it up. I must say, I love how you tipped your hat off to the crowd afterward. You’re quite the actor. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about that. But damn, that must’ve hurt.”

  “It did,” I said. “But I just didn’t want anyone to know that.”

  “Spoken like a true Maxwell brother. So, what’s the deal with Sloan?”

  Argh! Not Ryan too. When were people going to stop asking me about her? “She’s back in New York,” I said. I didn’t see the point of saying anything else. That really was all there was to it. One minute she was here and the next she was back in New York. The end.

  “Haven’t you seen the news?” he said, and then he chuckled. “Oh wait, of course you haven’t.”

  “The news? What’s that got to do with Sloan?”

  “She’s all over it. Apparently, she isn’t who she says she is.”

  “Well, yeah, she’s an actress. Isn’t that everyone in that business? They have two different lives. Their real life and the one they portray in movies. Why is that such big news?” I said. I thought about how upset she got whenever she spoke about the media, and it made me feel sad for her. They really never left her alone.

  “No, she’s really not who she says she is. I don’t know all the details, but apparently she is not the person that she has been telling everyone she is. Anyway, it’s probably a good thing that she left then, huh? At least you don’t have to worry about her anymore. Now you can move on. Don’t waste your time on someone that can’t even be truthful.”

  What the hell was he talking about? I thought about asking him some more, but I decided against it. I didn’t want to talk about Sloan anymore, and I was sick to death of people constantly bringing her up.

  “Uh, yeah,” I said. “I guess you’re right. Anyway, I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s no concern of mine anymore. The crew has gone, and Sloan is out of my life. She was nice while she was here, but like you say, she was probably acting.”

  We spoke for a little bit longer, mostly about the upcoming fight, and I tried not to think about what he had told me. I considered looking her up on the internet but decided that I didn’t want to know. I did, however, look up the video he had told me about and I found it almost immediately. I cringed as I watched mysel
f being thrown off the bull. Then I looked into the crowd, and only because I knew where she was sitting, I could just make out Sloan’s face. My stomach did a somersault at the sight of her, and I quickly shut closed the laptop.

  I sat there for a while, just staring at the closed laptop. Then I grabbed my coat and headed out. I needed some fresh air.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sloan

  “What is that man talking about?” I said to Victoria the moment we were safe inside the apartment.

  “I have no idea. Look, you know what these guys are like. They’re sharks. They just want a story out of you, and if they can’t find one, then they’ll probably just try and make one up. I wouldn’t worry. What’s wrong? You look so pale.”

  “It just took me by surprise, that’s all.”

  She nodded. “I know. That guy was a bit of a creep, too. But seriously, these things happen all the time. Remember when they tried to make out that you and I were a couple?”

  I laughed. “Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that. Okay, you’re right, that does actually make me feel better. He’s probably just doing really badly at this job at the moment and he’s trying to find a story where there’s nothing. Idiot!”

  Victoria stayed a little while longer, and we tried to forget about what had happened by trying on all the clothes that we had bought that day in our shopping spree. I wasn’t really feeling it, but I was glad for the distraction at least. When she left, she turned to look at me.

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah,” I lied. “I’m fine. The fact that I have people running around making up stories about me can only mean that I’ve made it in the acting world.”

  She laughed. “Now that’s the right kind of attitude to have! Well, call me if the creep shows up again. But I highly doubt it. You’ll wake up tomorrow and see that he’s moved his attention on to someone else.”

  “I hope so,” I said.

  But that wasn’t what happened. I woke up the next day to an angry message from my agent, telling me to be at her office early Monday morning. I thought about checking the internet, but I couldn’t bear to see what people were saying. Instead, I spent the entire day in bed and didn’t leave my apartment even once. I watched endless stupid movies and did everything in my power to prevent myself from looking at the internet, or calling Dorothy. I was still hoping that I’d wake up the next day to an apology from her.