After the Sunset (17 page)

And I did. I wanted all of that.

“I’ll talk to everyone, I swear I will, but I will do it on my terms on my ranch. If they wanna talk to me, they come see me, not the other way around. Do you understand?”

Rand had his pride, and it was not my place to try and strip that from him. “Yes.”

“I am coming there to fetch you home, and that’s all. Maybe before you got hurt, I would have followed you out to my uncle’s ranch, but not now.”

I really wanted to go home.

“Now you come home, Stef, end of discussion.”

There was no fight left in me. I needed him, needed to see him. “Okay.”

“You’re supposed to teach class on Tuesday, or have you forgotten?”

Crap. I had, actually.

“You’re lucky tomorrow’s Columbus Day, or you’d really be screwed.”

He was right. “Come get me.”

“Do not fuckin’ move. Where’s the goddamn trailer?”

“I have the last one before the open range.”

“Fuck!”

He was still very upset. “But, Rand, I’m—”

“If you say you’re fine one more goddamn time, I will fuckin’ lose it. Do you understand me? Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”

“What was I supposed to do?”

“Not put your life on the line for a piece of land I don’t give a fuck about!”

“I didn’t know that!”

“But you want me to give the land to Rayland!”

“Because he’s your family!”

“You’re my family, not him! Jesus Christ, Stef, you could’ve been killed, and what the fuck does that do for me, huh? That fucks me for the rest of my life ’cause I get to be without you, you selfish son of a bitch!”

“I was thinking of you!”

“If you were thinkin’ about me, you would have never gotten on the horse!”

“Rand—”

“And Everett and Dusty and Chase and—”

“Rand—”

“They’re all fired, Stef. Do you understand how fired they are?”

No. “Rand, you can’t do that!”

“Oh no? Fuckin’ watch me! How dare they let you get up on that—”

“Stop yelling!” I yelled at him, which was funny, but not at the moment because I was livid. “You don’t get to fire men from my ranch because you’re pissed. They all came with me, they’ve been here for me, and yeah they didn’t want me to ride the crazy horse, but I did it for you and for the ranch, and yeah I got hurt, but so the fuck what? And Rayland should have the land because he didn’t take it. We give it on our terms because we want to, not because he’s a conniving piece of crap who got one over on us. The guys and me, we did this, Rand. We told him and all the rest of the homophobic assholes around here to go fuck themselves. And Gil Landry and his sister, who thinks that you’ll get over me, can go screw themselves, too, ’cause you will never be over me.”

It was quiet on the other end.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah, I’m done.”

“Stay there and wait for me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.” I sucked in my breath suddenly, shivering with a cramp in my leg, the pain of it and from being outside in the cold.

“You should get off your leg.”

“Yes, I should,” I agreed.

“Did you even for a second think about the worst thing that would happen when you got up on the horse?”

“No, I only wanted to protect you.”

“Where are you now?”

“Now I’m looking at my trailer and Bella in the window.”

“You took your dog?”

“Why does everybody keep saying that like it’s weird? Yeah, I like my dog. So what?”

His laughter sounded so good.

“Rand—”

“You’re right.”

“About what?”

“That I won’t be gettin’ over you.”

“Oh yeah?” I sighed.

“Yeah. I do better when you’re around.”

It was suddenly hard to breathe.

“So I can stay in this trailer until tomorrow? They’re not going to come throw me out of it after the guys go?”

“The guys ain’t goin’ nowhere neither. Everyone waits there for me. You tell them.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay. If Rayland and Glenn stay here, will you talk to them about the grazing rights?”

“I will invite them to the Red, Stef, that’s it.”

Which was better than nothing. “Thank you, Rand.”

“Don’t fall asleep.”

“I won’t.”

“Did the doctor give you something for the pain?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want you to take something that’s gonna knock you out.”

“I’ll be all right.”

“You keep saying that, and you keep getting hurt.”

“Hurry up,” I grumbled at him playfully.

“I am!”

I really couldn’t wait to see him.

Chapter 8

I
WENT
to the trailer, let Bella out, and decided to walk back to where the dancing was and explain things to Glenn. Everett was there before I got far, bringing me my crutch.

“The beauty queen asked me to bring this to you.”

“Who?”

“Carly Landry.”

“Oh, that’s right.” I forced a smile.

“You look like you been rode hard and put up wet.”

“That sounds disgusting,” I told him. “I’m heading back to the grounds; do me a favor and find Glenn Holloway and ask him to come see me.”

He nodded and I watched his eyes fall as he shoved his hands down into his pockets. I knew I was looking at guilt.

“You told Rand where I was, asshole.”

“I told Pierce to let him know. Yessir, I did.”

“And when he was on the site watching me keep the bull off of Glenn, he watched me get thrown off the bronco.”

His eyes met mine. “So I suspect that he’s on his way.”

I nodded.

“Am I fired?”

“No, don’t be an idiot.”

He looked surprised. “Really? He ain’t mad?”

“Oh, he’s furious, but not at any of you guys, just at me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, don’t sound so happy about it.”

“I ain’t happy. I’m just surprised is all. I expected him to be plenty mad.”

“He’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Well then I expect we’ll be here to see him. We weren’t planning to leave until about noon tomorrow anyhow.”

“Rayland and Glenn are leaving earlier than that, so that’s why I need to talk to Glenn,” I said, getting both crutches under me, ready to trudge back to the main grounds. “You really think Carly’s a beauty queen?”

“I think she’s a stuck-up bitch who won’t give me the time of day now when she knows I’m just a cowboy, but if I won the lottery tomorrow, I might just look a bit better.”

I smiled at him. “If you would just talk to Regina Kincaid instead of walking by her every time you see her, then your life might actually get around to starting, Everett.”

He looked like I’d slapped him. “Her brother and her father hate me.”

“They don’t hate you. They think you only wanna get laid, and that’s not the man they’re looking for to be the husband of the angel of their family.”

He cleared his throat. “Her father said, and I quote, that he didn’t want a white man in his family.”

I grunted. “I was there when he said it, and his exact quote was that he didn’t want a white man that didn’t attend church regular in his family. That’s what he said.”

Everett’s eyes were on me.

“You’re not a bad man. In fact you’re a very good one, but you have ways that need to be changed if you want a woman like that. She teaches school, she goes to church, and she is stunning. I have never seen such big brown eyes and a beautiful smile and her skin is just—”

He made a noise so I’d stop.

“But you’re a dog, and she’s better than that, like way better.”

“She’s out of my league.”

“Not if you really wanted her,” I told him. “But you would have to want her more than the life you have now, and only you can say if you do or not.”

He nodded.

“So, are we ready to go?”

“No,” he sighed, and I could tell his brain was spinning before his eyes were suddenly back on mine with a look I had never seen before.

“God, what?”

“On the best ranches I’ve ever been on, the men were more like family. Most times those ranches don’t last. They get bought up by large cattle companies, or they go under for some other reason, but the Red Diamond is a big ranch that acts like a small one, and I understand after this weekend that the reason it stays that way is ’cause of you.”

I squinted at him.

He took off his hat, fiddled with it in his hands.

“I don’t mean to sound ignorant, and I ain’t sayin’ you’re a woman, but with us, with the men, your regard is softer than Rand Holloway’s, and I suspect that’s why you balance him out.”

It was the nicest thing he’d ever said to me. “I appreciate that, but it was how it was before I came along. You gotta know the ranch is Rand and vice versa.”

“No, sir.” He shook his head. “Before you came, it was a fine place to work, but we weren’t no family.”

The feeling hit me, surged over and through me, my jaw clenched, and my eyes burned as I shivered to keep from falling apart. His words meant more than he could have known because it meant that maybe, just maybe, I was as good for Rand Holloway as he was for me.

“Things have changed since you came.”

For everyone it seemed, not just me.

“Rand seems settled now that you’re on the ranch, and I might want to know things about that.”

He looked uncomfortable, his hat doing circles now in his restless hands. I would give him his out. “You mean you wanna try being settled, right, not sleeping with a man?”

I braced for it, and he smacked my arm really hard.

“Shit, Everett!”

“Well I can’t hit your head or I might kill ya, and I can’t kick ya in the leg neither. Man, you are an annoying piece of crap!”

Like I had never been told that before. “Do me a favor and go get Glenn Holloway for me, willya? There’s no way I can make that walk back. I’m ready to pass out now.”

“Well, then, go to bed.”

“Rand said I couldn’t, something about the concuss—”

“Oh shit, that’s right,” he said, turning to leave. “I’ll go fetch Glenn and be back to watch ya. Just stay here.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I teased him. “Hey, who fed Bella today?”

“I did.”

“Thank you for remembering.”

“Remember?” He looked at me oddly. “Who can forget? Your dog’s just as annoying as you are.”

I smiled at him as he started walking away and noticed how he turned and called Bella to him to take the walk.

She looked up at me.

“Go get him, Bell, get him,” I said playfully.

Her head tilted to the side like I was an idiot as she sat down beside me.

“It ain’t no use, Stef.” I heard him laugh. “That dog loves you best.”

As I ran my hand over her muzzle and she bumped my fingers, her tail beating hard in the dirt, I had to smile. She certainly did.

I went inside and got my parka and my beanie because it was colder outside than the two nights before. I was sitting on the bottom step of the trailer, throwing a tennis ball for my dog when she stopped suddenly, froze, her dirty, fuzzy, green quarry between her paws.

“Stef?”

I waved at Glenn. “Sorry to call you out here, but I’m done walking for one night.”

He hesitated, stopping where he was, eyeing my dog.

“She won’t hurt you.”

“She’s fuckin’ huge, Stef.”

I called her to me, and she moved fast, stopping in front of me so that I could touch one of her silky ears.

Glenn walked slowly, carefully, his eyes never leaving her.

“You rode a bull today,” I reminded him. “Cowboy up.”

“Yeah, well the bull won’t go for my jugular.”

“She’s harmless.”

“Says you.”

“Throw the ball for her.”

He picked it up, showed it to her, and threw it.

“I think she squinted at me,” he told me when she didn’t move a muscle.

I started laughing, and she moved and shoved her nose in my eye before she nuzzled my hair and smelled me.

Glenn chuckled. “She thinks you’re her pup.”

“Possibly.” I smiled, petting my dog. “Get the ball, Bell, go get it.”

She eyed Glenn instead.

He knelt down and she moved slowly, checking him out. After she allowed him to pet her, she was suddenly off like a shot to get the ball.

“Damn, that is one careful dog.”

“Hey, listen, it turns out I can’t go home with you guys tomorrow, but if you could wait until Rand shows up tomorrow, I—”

“Rand’s gonna be here tomorrow?”

“Yeah, and if you could, Glenn, I’d love it if you actually came home with us. I’d like you to talk to Rand about your restaurant idea.”

His mouth was open, but no words came out. When Bella dropped the disgusting slobber- and dirt-covered tennis ball at his feet, he picked it up without thinking and threw it for her.

“Did you hear me?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Rand hates me.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“No?”

“You should come back out to the Red. Ask your father if he will too.”

“My father?” He was stunned.

“Please.”

“God, Stef, are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“You want us to wait for Rand?”

“If you can.”

“I can. I don’t know if my father will.”