He turned on his heel and walked back out of the bleachers, nodding at people as he went along. I just sat there, staring blankly at the football field where the two teams faced off. The warm feeling from a few seconds ago had vanished. In its place was a cold hard lump that tasted like stale soda and popcorn.
“Can you believe that guy?” Cassidy asked, her hand squeezing my fist. She laughed hollowly. “He’s such a jerk.”
Mr. Cook was way more than a jerk. He was a whole lot of words that would’ve had me scraping and repainting all of the buildings at the ranch if I uttered them aloud. But he was only saying the words everyone else was thinking. Oakies weren’t welcome. Never were and never would be. I was kidding myself, thinking I could sit here in these stands like a normal kid. Even Matty, standing down on the sideline in his uniform, didn’t fit in. None of us did. I had to stop fooling around.
“I gotta head out,” I said, jumping to my feet.
Cassidy and Hannah both blinked up at me in shock.
“Wait, you don’t have to go.” Cassidy stood beside me. “Don’t let him ruin our fun.”
I shook my head at her and walked backwards toward the stairs. “Nah, it wasn’t him. I just remembered Ken wants me home early tonight. He’s got some errands to run tomorrow morning and we have to check the supplies before he goes. It’s a whole mess. You should be glad you don’t live on a ranch.”
Her grim smile told me she didn’t believe a word I was saying. Still, she nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure, let’s go. I can drive you.”
“No.” I held out a hand, punctuating the forcefulness of my response. “No, I’ll call Ken to come pick me up. You watch the game. Let me know how it ends.”
She folded her lips inward and frowned at me but didn’t move from the bench. I turned and headed down the stadium steps, my heart thundering in my ribcage. Anger and hurt flowed through my veins. And as I made my way out of the stadium, I happened to glance up into the audience and meet Mr. Cook’s eyes. He sat in the middle of a group of parents, a pretty blonde woman sitting at his side. On his lips was a slightly cocky smile. He knew. He knew the truth.
I tore my gaze away and ducked my head, keeping my attention on the ground all the way out of the stadium, across the parking lot, and onto the side of the road.
I wasn’t calling Ken for that ride. What I needed right then was a long, silent walk home.
With plenty of time to remind myself that this was exactly why I was getting out of this pathetic town.
Chapter Fourteen
Cassidy
My old Camry kicked up dust as I drove up the long drive toward the Sweet Oak Teen Ranch. Despite the evening hour, the sun was still bright enough to make me squint and pull down my visor. I’d spent most of Saturday sitting cross-legged on my bed, working on editing the interviews on my computer. But all day, I couldn’t shake this nagging feeling. The feeling that told me I needed to see if Graham was all right.
I’d never seen Mr. Cook be so nasty before. And definitely not in such a public place. Dad said it was because I’d touched a nerve. Mr. Cook was sweating beneath his neatly pressed shirts. This eminent domain deal was his baby and if Dad was right, Mr. Cook might be expecting to see quite a payday when it went through.
I could handle the ugliness. I was prepared for it. But Graham hadn’t asked to be caught in the firing zone.
That was totally my fault.
I parked my car, opened the door, and shielded my eyes as I looked out over the ranch. The air smelled like dried grass and freshly turned dirt, which was a surprisingly nice scent. I inhaled deeply. Hopefully, Graham wasn’t too far away. I’d worn my Old Navy flip flops and I didn’t relish the idea of tramping through the fields looking for him.
“Can I help you?” a low voice asked behind me.
Turning on my heel, I found myself staring at the chest of someone very tall and very buff. Craning my neck up, I squinted into a stern face I recognized. He’d graduated from school last year. I was pretty sure his name was Rhett. Not a big talker. He’d kept mostly to himself.
“I’m looking for Graham,” I said, smiling hesitantly at him. Rhett’s scowl was intimidating. He looked like he could pick me up and snap me in two.
With a slight adjustment of his red ball cap, he pointed in the distance. “He’s behind the barn, working with the new mare.”
“Thanks.” I waved at him and hurried across the dirt path that led around the barn.
Sure enough, as I rounded it, I could see Graham leaning on the wooden fence to a small corral. One of his dusty boots rested casually on the bottom rung. His head was covered with a straw cowboy hat and he wore a white t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Slowing my pace, I couldn’t help but appreciate the hard curves of the muscles lining his arms. He’d obviously spent a lot of time in the sun this summer, his skin golden-bronzed all the way up to a tan line on his shoulder that only appeared when his back muscles flexed.
There was no denying, some guys looked good in suits...but Graham rocked the worn jeans and cowboy boots look.
Graham reached his hand into the corral, close to where a light tan horse stood with its halter roped to the fence. It tossed its head violently, yanking away from his touch. He dropped his hand and spat in the dirt, frustration written all over his face. I cleared my throat and that was when he finally looked in my direction and his eyes went wide.
“Cassidy? What are you doing here?”
I chewed on my bottom lip and clasped my hands together. Working with Graham over the past week had taught me at least one thing: he didn’t like being dependent on anyone for anything. I didn’t want to make him feel insulted or like I was trying to babysit him. But I also didn’t want to ignore what had happened with Mr. Cook at the game yesterday. It was best to approach this gently.
“I thought I’d drop by to see the ranch,” I said, smiling innocently at him.
His brow arched slightly. “You decided to just drop by the ranch?”
“Yeah. I’ve always liked it out here. I used to take riding lessons, you know.”
“Oh, yeah? When’s the last time you just dropped by like this?” A muscle in his jaw twitched as he stared expectantly at me.
I grimaced, suddenly feeling like a mouse cornered by a cat. Apparently, I couldn’t pull anything over his eyes. “Um...all the time. We’ve just never run into each other.”
Disbelief shone clearly in his amber eyes. He turned away to lean back on the fence and watch the horse. “You’re here to check up on me, aren’t you?”
I sighed and then leaned on the fence next to him. So much for not wounding his pride. Graham could see right through me. “Was it that obvious?”
His lips twitched in a smile. “One hundred percent. You’ve got that do-gooder disease. You just can’t help yourself.”
I huffed, even as I wanted to laugh. “Do-gooder disease? What is that supposed to mean? I do not have a disease.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I don’t.” I punctuated each word, smirking at him.
Graham turned toward me, his eyes sparkling with a teasing glint. “Come on, it’s obvious. You’re the kind of person that always wants to make the world a better place. You give rides home to kids you barely know. You probably give out money to every homeless person you meet. If someone asked for the shirt on your back, you’d give it to them. You’re practically a walking Disney princess. I’m surprised you don’t have little cartoon birds floating around you right now.”
I snorted and then broke into laughter. “Cartoon birds? Are you serious?”
He fought back a smile as he stared at me. “Little blue ones. The kind that sing and help you get dressed in the morning.”
“I’m not Cinderella,” I said, poking him playfully in the chest. “And I don’t have a disease. I’m just a decent person. There’s a lot of us out there.”
The light in his eyes changed and he frowned. “I’m not so sure about that. I can’t say that I’ve met a lot of
decent people in my life.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. It made me sad to hear him say that. I turned back toward the horse, my mind whirling uselessly. I’d always considered myself to be a glass-half-full kind of gal. Sunshine and rainbows, like Hannah would always tease me. I thought the world was mostly a beautiful place. Sure, there was pain and things we needed to fix, but those things only helped me work harder to make sure everyone saw the world like I did. Graham was jaded in a way I’d never experienced. I couldn’t help but wonder what had made him that way.
“Graham, could we get some help in here for a second,” a voice called.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Matty Dalton standing in the doorway to the stables. He’d played a good game last night. It was almost strange to see him without the jersey and pads. He nodded in greeting to me and then his gaze went back to Graham.
“Hang tight,” Graham said to me, kicking off the fence. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched him walk all the way toward the barn, unable to peel my eyes away until he disappeared into the darkened doorway. The boy had a way of walking away that was kind of...mesmerizing. When I finally turned back and locked eyes with his horse, my cheeks felt incredibly warm.
“Don’t judge me,” I scolded her. “I may claim to be a decent person, but I’m no saint.”
She snorted in response, her soft velvety lips puckering. Dark brown eyes rimmed in long lashes studied me. This was the horse that had dumped Graham the day Dad had driven me to the ranch. I inched closer to her on the fence, appreciating the beautiful color of her coat. She was a gorgeous horse. I would’ve loved to see how she rode, if I could’ve trusted her.
“You know, us girls have to stick together.” I stuck my hand slowly through the gaps in the fence and held it out for her to smell. No sudden movements. Just a soft, gentle voice. “It’s a tough world out there, you know. The only way we’ll make it better is if we work together. Graham probably thinks I’m being unrealistic, but I really think we can fix it. One thing at a time. Isn’t that right, girl?”
Her nose came closer and I could feel little puffs of air on the palm of my hand from her exhales.
“What’s your name, anyway?” I clicked my tongue encouragingly, the way I’d learned in my riding lessons. “A beautiful girl like you’s got to have a name. What do you say if we pick one out?”
The soft tan color of her fur reminded me of sand on a beach. I thought back to one of the few vacations my dad and I had been on. A year after my mom had passed, he’d decided we needed a break to help shake things up. We’d flown down to Brazil and stayed in an amazing seaside getaway. Most of our time was spent at Pipa Beach, where I could sink my toes into the warm sand and sit under an umbrella sipping virgin drinks all day. This horse’s coat reminded me of that sand and the first time I was truly happy after my mom’s death.
“Pipa. You look like a Pipa to me. Just like the sand on Pipa Beach.”
She nuzzled her nose into my hand, her lips grabbing gently at my fingers. With a slow, even movement, I began to stroke her snout. I could tell she was still having a hard time trusting and there was definitely a bit of tension in her muscles, but just the fact that she was letting me touch her felt amazing.
“Are you trying to steal away my horse?” Graham appeared next to me on the fence, his eyes wide with surprise as he watched Pipa give my hand one last nudge and then she went back to picking at stray grass on the ground. He turned to me, looking impressed. “You’ve got the magic touch. I’ve been trying to bribe her with food for the past week, but I don’t think that did a thing. She’s still afraid of me.”
“Well, that’s your first mistake,” I teased, bumping him with my shoulder. “There’s a reason they say the way to a man’s heart is his stomach. Us girls are a bit more complicated than that.”
“I’ll say.” He took his hat off and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. With a pained grimace, he turned toward me and sealed his eyes shut. “I’m really sorry I have to do this, but I’ve been ordered by the higher-ups and if I don’t do this, I’ll be made to regret it for the rest of my life.”
I stared cluelessly at him as he sneaked a peek at me and then shut his eyes again. “What do you mean?”
He exhaled loudly and then the words tumbled out of his mouth. “Mary says I’m to invite you to join us for supper.”
“What? Now?”
“We’re eating in fifteen minutes.” He finally opened his eyes just enough to squint at me. “You don’t have to stay, if you don’t want. You can say no.”
I didn’t exactly have any plans for tonight. Dad was working again. My supper plans had included a plate of spaghetti and watching the latest CW drama on cable. Having company tonight sounded a bit more appealing. Still, I didn’t want to make Graham feel uncomfortable with me encroaching on his territory.
“What do you want?” I asked pointedly.
It was cute the way he swallowed nervously and took a breath. “I want...for you to stay, if that’s what you want.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Good. It’s settled. I’m staying.”
He nodded, any previous hint of nerves smoothed away. The poker face was always at the ready. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s not exactly the Olive Garden. Mary makes good food, but you’ll be eating with five men that don’t know a salad fork from a steak fork.”
I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled. “Is that your standard for fancy restaurants? Olive Garden?”
His cheeks reddened. “Maybe.”
He was too cute.
“Do they even make a steak fork? Maybe I need to gain some culture, too.”
“If they don’t, they should.” He released Pipa’s halter from the rope, letting her run free in the corral, and then nodded toward the house in the distance. “Shall we? Mary gets kind of cranky if we keep supper waiting. And none of us are allowed a bite until we’ve scrubbed every inch of our hands in scalding hot water. She’s pretty strict.”
I grinned and let Graham lead me. It would be nice to get an inside look of the workings of the ranch and the rest of the Oakie boys. Maybe it would help me to understand Graham better.
As we walked, I kept stealing looks at him out of the corner of my eye. His face didn’t show any proof, but I was sure he’d been devastated by Mr. Cook’s cruel words yesterday. He liked to pretend he was some tough cowboy, but there was a kid underneath all of those layers. I’d only peeled back the top few.
I thought being partnered with Graham on this project was the worst thing that could happen to me, but I was starting to get the feeling that maybe I just hadn’t been paying enough attention.
Chapter Fifteen
Graham
“I’m surprised you survived that.”
I took a freshly washed dish from Cassidy’s hand and ran a towel over it. That loud, crazy, messy tradition we at the ranch called dinner was over, yet somehow, we hadn’t scared her off yet.
She grinned at me over her shoulder as she sunk her hands into the sink to find the last one. “Actually, that was pretty fun. Usually at home, I either eat with my dad or alone when he’s at work. It’s not nearly as entertaining.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to help me with the dishes.” I took the last plate from her hands and dried it off. “Just because it was my turn tonight didn’t mean you had to pitch in.”
“I don’t mind.” She wiped a stray hair out of her face and smiled at me. “I like helping.”
I smirked. Why wasn’t I surprised? “It’s definitely the do-gooder disease. You’re totally infected. I really hope it’s not contagious.”
She hit me playfully on the shoulder, leaving a wet imprint on my t-shirt. It was on. Dipping my hand briefly into the sink, I flicked some soapy water at her. She squealed and tried to duck out of the way. I followed her across the kitchen, coming to a sudden halt when Ken walked through the door, his bushy gray eyebrows raised in surprise.
&nb
sp; “Dishes done?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
I nodded and swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. The rest of the family’s in the living room.”
It was Ken’s not-so-smooth way of telling me he didn’t like me and Cassidy being alone in the kitchen. Heat spread up the back of my neck as I watched him head toward the coffee pot. He didn’t have to worry about that. Cassidy and I were...well, we were friends. Surprising friends. But that was it. Nothing more.
I’d had an entire night to think it over. That Mr. Cook didn’t have a leg to stand on with his threats because I was going to be out of here soon enough. With Blue River permanently in my rearview mirror. Getting tangled up with the sheriff’s daughter, of all people, was last on the list of possibilities. Just like I was probably last on Cassidy’s list of possibilities.
Her showing up at the ranch was just another side effect of her do-gooder personality. I was a charity case to her. She probably thought she was adopting me like a stray dog. Whatever. I wouldn’t fight it. Cassidy was turning out to be one of the only things about Blue River I actually didn’t hate. She was a hopeless case of optimism, but for some reason, that didn’t drive me totally up the wall. When I finally left this town, she’d forget all about me and move on to a new charity case. That was how people like her worked.
And if we were going to be forced to work together on this project, it didn’t hurt to try and get along.
As friends.
And making Mr. Cook steaming mad in the process? Well, that was just a bonus.
“Should we head to the living room?” Cassidy asked, totally oblivious to my inner conversation.
I pointed toward the hallway and Cassidy practically skipped down it. The living room was cozy filled with Mary’s hand-sewn blankets, mismatched furniture, and a large wooden bookcase filled with old books and board games. ESPN played on the small flatscreen TV in the corner. Rhett sat on the couch, his dark eyes glued to the screen, a perpetual scowl on his face. Matty was situated in his normal spot at the small desk, forever working on his homework, even on the weekend. The younger boys, Keith and Eric, sat at a small folding table next to the bookcase. They were juniors at the high school. Eric had just arrived four months ago, and Keith had been here since his freshman year.
Cowboy Crush : A Small Town, Enemies-to-Lovers YA Romance (Sweet Oak Teen Ranch Book 1) Page 10
