“I’m going to need your help actually,” I said. “You can just stand there and manage, if that’s what you’d like, but they’re both complete beginners. Two women. I’m going to need your help getting them mounted and settled at least, but it would be nice if you could come out with us.”
“Don’t come crying to me when the damn chicken snake finds you in your sleep,” he muttered. “But fine. I’ll be here.”
“Thank you,” I said, watching as he sighed and wiped his brow again. “I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s getting late. You should get some rest. I’m sure the snake will still be here in the morning.”
After muttering a few more curses into the space beneath the porch, he nodded and stomped away without another word. Once he was gone, I headed inside and started flipping on the lights. Then I opened the fridge to check what groceries had been delivered.
An angel by the name of Mariana, who was as old as the mountains, stocked my fridge whenever I let her know I was coming. She was the wife of one of the farm workers and had appointed herself as the head of housekeeping for the guest farm in addition to ensuring I was fed. She’d left a roast chicken for dinner, along with a freshly made salad and ingredients for meals for the rest of the weekend.
I fucking loved life out here. Wide open spaces, good people, and a view that couldn’t be beaten right from my very own backyard. After shedding the suit in favor of a comfortable pair of washed-out jeans, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to watch the sunset over the mountains from the deck I’d built with my bare hands.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
4
KEIRA
“You’re really coming along well, Keira,” my mentor and training adviser said on Thursday afternoon. “So far, we haven’t delved into one aspect of the business you haven’t picked up on fast. I’m proud of you.”
My cheeks burst into flames, and I couldn’t contain the grin that broke free on my face. “Thanks, Damian. I really appreciate the compliment.”
If he hadn’t been thirty years older than me and happily married to a man, I swore I’d have kissed him. He let out a good-natured laugh and held up his hands. “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t just give you keys to the universe. All I did was bestow praise on a deserving trainee. The manual says we’re supposed to do it.”
Although he tried to play it off, I knew I’d hit the jackpot when mentors had been assigned to us. Damian was a force to be reckoned with in the company, and he was one hell of a trainer. It was partly due to his example that I always dressed to leave a good impression. He was as sharp as the suits he wore, was known to strike fear into the hearts of people simply by walking into a room, and dominated in every arena.
He’d told me once that looking the part was half the battle won, and I’d taken it to heart—just like I had with every other bit of wisdom he’d imparted. “If I’m a deserving trainee, it’s only because I have the best mentor. You’re handing me all the tools I need to create the key to the universe myself.”
He scoffed but flashed me a grin anyway. “That’s enough sucking up, young lady. I’ve trained a lot of people, but you’re definitely one of the most promising.”
“Oh, well in that case, maybe you’re the problem,” I joked.
Amusement sparkled in his dark eyes. “You know what? Go back to sucking up. Keep telling me that I’m the best there’s ever been and then tell me you’re going to work all weekend just to make me proud.”
“Regrettably, I won’t be able to do that,” I said, placing my hand over my heart in an exaggerated gesture of remorse as I made big eyes at him. “My sister is coming into town this afternoon to stay with me for our trip tomorrow. I’ve taken the day off because we’re going to some farm to learn how to ride horses for her wedding. I’m not excited at all.”
“There are many things to be said about horses and riding the beasts. You might just enjoy it even if you’re not looking forward to it.” He rubbed his chin between his fingers. “Take the rest of the day off. Go spend some time with your sister. If she’s coming into town this afternoon, you could even still beat her to your place if you leave now.”
“Thanks, but it seems you’re not very good at reading me after all,” I joked again before letting every trace of humor fade from my features. “I really don’t want to go. A weekend on a farm with her will be more than enough.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t love my sister. I really did.
Hailey and I were just different. All my life, I’d been in her shadow. My older sister had blazed a path I could just never compete with.
She’d always been the skinny, pretty, popular one. A lot of people hadn’t even believed me when I used to tell them I was her sister back in high school.
Since she was only two years older than I was, we’d spent a lot of our school-going years being in the same school at the same time. It had sucked for me.
Not only was she the gorgeous, popular, cheerleader type who got handed whatever she wanted on a silver platter, but she was also intelligent, funny, and personable.
It had always felt like she’d never had to work for a thing, but she still got it all. Meanwhile, I was the chubby sister with the quirky sense of humor who had to work her butt off for every little thing. I couldn’t just flash a smile or a hint of side-boob and get whatever I wanted. I had to actually work for all of it.
Damian studied my expression before arching a perfectly shaped dark brow at me. “Go spend time with your sister. I’m not going to let you stay. The training seminar this afternoon is on stuff we’ve already covered anyway. You’ll only be bored if you attend it, and if you’re learning how to ride for her wedding, I’m assuming she’s getting married soon. Once that happens, you’ll have to compete with her husband for time alone with her.”
“He can have her,” I said honestly, though his comment had struck a chord. “On the other hand, spending time with her should be better than a refresher seminar. Thanks, Damian. I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”
Staying at my cubicle with his arm on the partition until he was satisfied I really was leaving, he told me again to have fun with her and then went back to his office.
Hailey and I ended up getting to my apartment at the same time, and she broke into a wide smile when she saw me.
It was difficult to feel any lingering resentment from when we were younger when she smiled at me like that. If it was possible, it seemed she’d only gotten more beautiful since the last time I’d seen her just a few weeks ago.
While we shared many of the same features, Hailey pulled them off in a way I just didn’t. We both had dark brown hair and brown eyes. On me, it looked plain. Totally ordinary. But on her, it was stunning.
She’d cut her hair into a stylish, chic bob about a year ago, and she always looked perfect.
No frizziness, no kink, no dullness.
Unlike my own hair, hers shone like she’d just stepped out of a salon and was so sleek it was like a brand-new wig.
Her eyes, the same brown as mine, practically sparkled with these golden hues in them. That sparkle that was so inherently her was especially visible when she was outside, like now, and with her lashes being two miles long, there was just no missing those eyes.
She looked like a supermodel with her slender body all wrapped in couture, a pair of large sunglasses on her head, and a trendy purse hanging on her arm—a magazine cover come to life.
“Kiki!” she exclaimed with that smile still in place, opening her arms for a hug. “I didn’t know you’d be here so early. Didn’t you say you work late most nights?”
“I do, but I told my boss you were coming, and he gave me the afternoon off.”
“And you took it?” she asked with a laugh. “I’m honored.”
Despite our differences, walking into one of her hugs always comforted me. As I wrapped my arms around her, I realized there was less of her than there had been just weeks ago. “You lost more weight. Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve just been so busy with all the wedding preparations.” She waved a dismissive hand once she released me, then gestured toward my building. “Shall we? Nick’s driver will be up with my bags in a minute.”
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Nick treated my sister like a doll who might break a nail if she did anything. As it was, my insistence on driving us out to the farm in my own car by ourselves had been a point of contention between us all. I supposed if it made him feel better to have his driver bring her here and carry her bags, that was okay.
Once we got upstairs in my four-story walkup, I waited for the driver at the door while Hailey went to freshen up. A stoic man delivered three full-sized pieces of luggage, and I stood there staring at them after closing the door behind him.
What on God’s green earth could she need that much stuff for on a farm? She’d never been one to travel lightly, but this was a lot. Especially since we would be lugging it all right back down tomorrow—by ourselves.
Resigning myself to making three trips before we left, I decided to look on the bright side. With lugging her cases around and learning how to ride this weekend, my ass would definitely be a little less curvy by Sunday.
Not that I didn’t like my curves. I used to hate them, but I’d learned to live with them, and eventually, I’d even grown to appreciate my fuller figure. It was a part of who I was, and try as might, I’d never be as skinny as Hailey anyway. I simply wasn’t built like her. There was no point in beating myself up about something I couldn’t change. She was the older sister, but I was the bigger sister. That was all there was to it.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she had the courtesy to blush a little when she found me still staring at her bags. “I didn’t know what we’d need, so I kind of packed it all.”
“Didn’t I forward you the suggested packing list I got back from the farm?” I frowned. “I could’ve sworn I sent it to you.”
“You did, but it just seemed so… basic.” She moved around my tattered gray sofa and perched primly on the end of it. Those sparkling eyes of hers were suddenly filled with uncertainty. “They suggested we bring two pairs of jeans, a couple of shirts, a sturdy pair of shoes, and a jacket for if the nights get chilly. We’re going for a whole weekend. That hardly seems like enough.”
“Sure, but we’re going to arrive tomorrow already dressed, which means we’re only waking up and getting dressed there for two days.”
“Yes, but we’ll definitely want to change into something clean whenever we get back from riding. There are two sessions a day, which already means four outfits instead of two, and that’s not to mention the nights. Since we’re there for two nights, that’s at least six outfits that we need.”
“I’ll give you showering and getting cleaned up once we’re done riding, but I don’t think we need to do that after each session. We’ll only be getting back on the horses after a short lunch break, so there doesn’t seem to be much of a point in changing before each session. I don’t think we’ll be doing much at night, so pajamas will probably be fine for those.”
She sniffed the air. “Nick says it always pays to be prepared. I’m simply trying to be prepared. What if I fall off the horse into a puddle of mud? It’s not like I’m going to spend the rest of the day in the same clothes.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I suppose one extra change of clothes shouldn’t hurt, but three whole suitcases? They won’t even fit in my car.”
“Let’s make a deal,” she said. “I’ll whittle down what comes with us on the weekend if you tell me why you can’t seem to muster up any kind of excitement for my wedding.”
I stilled, shock keeping me frozen to the spot until I realized that she’d just given me the opening I’d been waiting for. “Would you like some tea?”
“Only if it comes with an answer,” she said, sticking to her guns.
“Sure.” There was never going to be a better time to talk about it than after she’d opened the door to it herself.
Once I’d fixed our drinks, I joined her on the sofa and set both cups down on the table in front of us. “It’s not that I’m not excited, Hailey. I am, I swear. I’m just worried.”
“I’m nervous about riding in on a horse too, but we’ll be fine. Don’t let the nerves keep you from enjoying this time with me. Please? Besides, this has been coming since way before you even knew about the horses.”
“I’m worried about your marriage, not nervous about the horses.” I leaned forward and took both her hands in mine. “Are you really sure this is what you want to do? Marry Nick, I mean.”
Her initial reaction was to thrust her chin up in defiance, but when I held on to her hands and kept my gaze on hers, she softened eventually. “I know what you’re thinking. I know what everyone is thinking, but I’m not only marrying him for his money. I really do love him. So what if I also like that he can provide for me?”
I didn’t argue with her because I could see the genuine emotion in her eyes when she said that she loved him. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m fine with doing whatever you want if it makes you happy, even riding in on a horse, but I need to know that you’re happy.”
“I am happy,” she insisted, squeezing my hands as a dreamy expression crossed her features. “One day, you’re going to meet the man who makes your heart beat faster and you’ll know exactly how I feel right now. Sometimes, love doesn’t look right from the outside, and sometimes, it hits you when you least expect it. Both of those happen to be true for Nick and me, but we are happy. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even meet your person at our wedding.”
“Is that Mom talking or you?” I laughed, letting go of her hands as a few of the knots in my stomach eased.
Guilt flashed in her eyes before she gave me a sheepish smile. “Mom might’ve suggested that I plant the seed, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hope it happens too.”
She might’ve hoped that it would, but it wouldn’t. If and when I met that person who made my heart beat faster, it wasn’t going to be in a sea of Nick’s pompous, rich friends. A man like that who was spoiled and entitled just wasn’t for me.
No, thank you very much.
I liked my men down to earth, hardworking, and honest. Nick and his friends were none of those things—no one got as far as they had in business by being honest. I didn’t know what he was lying about, but I knew he was, in fact, lying. Him and his friends. They were all rotten, and none of them were the one for me.
5
HARRISON
Dottie and I watched the sunrise from the porch. The mountains in the distance were bathed in oranges and reds as the sky above slowly turned from black to blue.
Ashton appeared on the dirt road leading up to the house, his shotgun on his hip and his feet kicking up tiny puffs of dust behind him. His house wasn’t far from mine. It was one of the original staff housing places just on the other side of the hill. He had a truck, but he didn’t use it often. He preferred to walk, claiming that God had given him two good feet for a reason.
“You enjoy sleeping in?” he called when he was close enough that I could hear him. “It’s good to see you’re finally awake.”
“It’s five o’clock in the morning, Ash.” I waited until he climbed the steps to the porch before rolling my eyes at him. “It’s not like I slept in.”
“Have you set up for the guests?” he asked, walking past me to head for the pot of coffee in the kitchen.
A minute later, he was back and holding a steaming mug between his fingers. He sat down on the chair beside me, his gaze also turned toward the view.
“I haven’t set up, but they’re getting here in three hours,” I said. “I’ve got time to get their horses ready. Mariana’s got the rooms in the main house made up. She’s going to be preparing snacks for breakfast for when they get in, just in case they didn’t eat on their way over. I might have to go into town later to get some supplies, but other than that, I think we’re ready.”
“Why the hell did I drag my ass all the way over here at this time of the morning then?” he grumbled as he lifted his mug. “I thought we had work to do.”
“We do, but we’ve got time for coffee first.” My gaze drifted back to my fields and the lightening sky above them. “I’ll split the profits from the weekend with you. It’s only fair, but then you’ve got to help me out with these women.”
“I don’t want the money. I just don’t want you fucking anything up. That’s why I’m here.” He blew a stream of steam from the surface of his drink, turning his head when he was done to smirk at me. “And for the entertainment value. Are you actually going to teach these girls to ride? Or are you going to try saving the horses and encouraging them to ride the cowboy instead?”
“I’m not a cowboy,” I replied.
“Damn straight you’re not.” He shrugged. “But it worked for the point I was trying to make. Two city girls. You’re a city boy. Isn’t there a song about that?”
“The song’s about a small-town girl and a city boy,” I said. “Sitting in a smoky room or something like that.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re right.” A rare grin lit his face and he lifted a hand to snap his fingers. “Anyway, you and two city girls? Maybe we’ll meet the future Mrs. Boss this weekend.”
“Doubt it.” I ran my fingers along Dottie’s back, toying with the dark hair as her tail wagged slowly back and forth. “We’re not saving the horses this weekend, and if they want to ride cowboys, they’re going to have to go looking for them in town. Which trail do you think we should start them on?”
He held his chin between his fingers, stroking his beard while he thought. “You said they’re beginners?”
“Yep. According to the form they filled in, neither of them have ever been on a horse.”
“You don’t want to take them anywhere dangerous then,” he said slowly, like he was telling me something vitally important that I didn’t know. “Maybe stick to the flats this morning. Just ride around here. It’ll be thrilling enough for them, even if you don’t go on any of the actual trails. Just keep them on the back of the horse and you’ll be the hero.”
Not Fake For Long Page 3
