Chapter 6
Sarah
Garrett kept his distance from me after my father yelled at him. I didn’t really understand why my father had been so angry though. Certainly, he had taken a ranch hand into town before, so it wasn’t that big of a deal for me to do the same. But sometimes there was no reasoning with my father; he just got it in his head that something wasn’t right and he went with it. My mother, on the other hand, she was much more reasonable.
“He’s a good guy, mom, I can tell by talking to him. Is father really afraid that I’ll get mixed up with a ranch hand? I thought he liked Garrett?”
“Your father doesn’t care who you like or don’t like as long as you’re safe.”
I waited for her to continue on and explain to me what it was about Garrett that made me unsafe. He was a hard-working guy; he actually worked harder than many of the men. But as the weeks went on and he avoided me more and more, I started to realize my father must have threatened him that he would lose his job if he was flirting with me or something. I really didn’t know what my father had said to him on that day when we returned from the store, I only knew that Garrett and I barely flashed smiles at each other when we passed throughout the day.
I had finally had enough and went to my mother to discuss the situation. I had to know what it was that my father knew about Garrett and why Garrett was then avoiding me. Just when I had finally come around to considering talking to him, Garrett was pulling away from me and not interested in talking to me.
“So what about Garrett makes me unsafe? Explain it to me, because I don’t get it.”
“Sarah, not everything in this world needs an explanation.”
“Well this does. Garrett’s been here a few months now, there’s only a half dozen men who have been here longer. Sure, he sucked at caring for the animals at first, but he’s gotten a lot better. So much better that Forest has him working as his second-hand man.”
“Sarah, I’m not going into this. Just stay away from the man if that’s what your father wants.”
“You know that Buckjoy likes him? A wild horse that only likes two men on this ranch: father and Garrett. How do I even know if Dad wants me to stay away from Garrett? He’s never said that to me.”
“Sarah, stop,” my mother said as she looked at me with a stern look.
I knew that the conversation was officially over at that point. Whatever I thought I felt toward Garrett wouldn’t matter at all because soon he’d be moving on and I’d still be at the ranch. Maybe my mother was just trying to protect me from a broken heart, but I knew she had to have her reasons if she was so unwilling to continue our conversation.
“I was going to invite Garrett to go riding with me out to the river. I don’t want to go alone and Buckjoy is one of the only horses that can make the trip out and back, besides Roxy. Can he come with me? It’s been weeks since we went into town.”
“I don’t know.”
“I was going to take some photos of the land up north of the river because father was looking into selling it. I think I could get a much better price than that man who is trying to buy it from father, although I really don’t think he should sell any of it. Would that be all right? Does Garrett have permission to be alone with me for a couple of hours if we stay on the property?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. You don’t have to ask permission to talk to the man. I just mean no more running into town with him and don’t fall in love with the guy. I don’t care if you’re alone with him.”
“Wait, what? Will father approve, too?”
“I’ll make sure he’s okay with it. But don’t go overboard. You both have jobs to do and riding out to the river can’t take away from the real work there is.”
“Okay,” I said as I hugged my mother. “So just to be clear, there’s nothing about Garrett that I need to know? There’s no reason that father would have told him to ignore me?”
“Your father didn’t tell him to ignore you. Maybe you just scare him away with your angry face.”
We both laughed; it was a bit of an inside joke that when I was thinking a lot my face looked really angry. My mother wasn’t the only one who thought I had an angry concentration face; my coworkers had said the same thing. They started to call it my resting bitch face.
My mother had always been the more levelheaded of my parents, there was no denying that. I went to find Garrett and see if he wanted to head out to the river early in the morning. Some sunrise photos would look amazing if my father was really going to sell that part of the ranch. Plus, I really had an urge to be alone with Garrett.
Over the previous several weeks I had found myself sneaking peeks at Garrett when he was working and would take his shirt off. I even said a little prayer that it would get hotter outside so Garrett would have to take his clothes off more often. His chiseled body had me all sorts of distracted and I hadn’t expected that to happen when I returned home. Garrett wasn’t only a handsome guy; he exuded self-confidence that was appealing as well.
Most of the men on the ranch weren’t very cute or self-confident, so Garrett stood out among them. He was out of place, yet seemed at home all at the same time. His smile alone made him stand out among the other ranch hands we had working for us at the time. I knew I should stay away from him; there was a gut feeling that Garrett wasn’t telling the truth about his past or maybe even more than that, but the attraction I felt kept pulling me toward him. I wanted to know Garrett more, I needed to know him more; there was no stopping me.
As I made my way around the big barn and toward the chicken coop, I saw Garrett standing in the corner with one of the hens staring him down. As much as I wanted to help him, I couldn’t resist stopping to see how well he was able to handle the hen. He hadn’t been bit since the pig incident and a good bite from a hen would give me something to tease him about later.
“No,” Garrett said firmly to the hen as he pointed at it.
I giggled at his sincerity and firmness with the animal. He looked amazing in his tight jeans and white t-shirt. His muscles bulged from his biceps and I could see sweat from under his tan cowboy hat. I knew he would notice me soon, but for the moment I liked watching him totally undetected.
“Do not come any closer. I’m just trying to clean out your coop so you can relax. You like me, you know you do,” he continued to talk to the animal.
The hen seemed to listen to him and stopped staring at Garrett and went back to walking around with the other hens. I had to laugh at his effort to tame the animal; at least he was making an effort and not just running around like he had done with the pig. Every day he learned from watching others or talking to my father, it seemed like Garrett was starting to actually enjoy working with us.
“You’re the hen whisperer, we should get you your own television show,” I said as I walked up to him.
“Your father told me to be firm with them,” Garrett laughed. “I’m sure I look ridiculous.”
He did look ridiculous talking to the hen, but downright delicious at the same time. As I moved closer to him I felt electricity between us. There was excitement because we hadn’t talked for so long and there was pure animal attraction, I couldn’t deny it. If I was the type of woman who bedded a man just for fun; Garrett Reynolds would have certainly been that man. I could only imagine how skilled he was in the bedroom and just how much enjoyment he would deliver to my body.
I shook my head to get the sordid thoughts to move on. I was just there to see if he could come with me to the river, nothing more and nothing less. I wasn’t the type of girl to just fling myself at a man and certainly not a man who could be gone at any moment. He was a traveler, he wasn’t a business man, he wasn’t a stable guy, Garrett Reynolds wasn’t the guy for me; or at least I kept trying to tell myself as I lusted after him.
“No, it looks like you’ve made a lot of progress with the animals the last few months.”
“Thanks, I really have been trying.”
“So I need to head up to the river early tomorrow morning. How comfortable do you feel you are with your horseback riding skills? Mother said you should come up with me.”
Garrett looked nervous almost instantly. I could tell whatever my father had said to him had scared Garrett enough that he didn’t want to go against him in any way. In that aspect, Garrett was a good man for sure; a lesser man would have jumped at the opportunity to get me alone and wouldn’t have cared what my father thought. But Garrett respected my father, I could see it in the way the two of them talked to each other.
“It’s okay, the river is all part of our ranch and mother said it was all right. We need to take some photos up there.”
“I should go talk to your father first and make sure.”
“Oh come on, are you really that afraid?”
He hesitated for a moment and then looked at me as he tried to figure out what to say. His adorable smile had been wiped away and I felt bad for putting him in a position where he thought I was trying to trick him.
I took a step forward and was obviously within his personal space as I looked up at him and smiled mischievously. Suddenly, I felt the urge to convince him all on my own. Could I bat my eyes and get him to just say yes?
Garrett took in a deep break and I could tell having me that close to him had rattled him just a little. But he quickly composed himself and gave me just enough of a smile that I knew he was ready to play a little.
“So you’re trying to convince me to go with you?” Garrett said huskily as he leaned against the building.
“Yes,” I whispered.
I let my hand press against his firm chest and bit my bottom lip as I tried to seduce him. He was into it; I could see how his breathing quickened and how his body tensed up as he looked down at me. My breathing also quickened and I felt my resolve weakening at the power of his flirtation. Garrett was obviously much better at this game than I was.
“What if I wanted a kiss?” Garrett asked as he watched my lips closely. “That seems like a fair trade.”
Nervously I bit my lip as I contemplated his request. I wanted to kiss him. Damn I wanted to do more than just kiss him, but I was trying to avoid this man. My mind was trying to avoid him, at least, but my body kept longing for more and more time with him. I couldn’t resist; I couldn’t say no to such an offer without feeling regret.
“I suppose that wouldn’t be too high of a price,” I said nervously.
“Um, I still think I should talk to him. Or you can if you’d like. I would just feel better if he agreed. I hope you understand.”
I didn’t understand. My anticipation was squashed as he took a step away from me. I had no idea what the hell was going on, all I knew was that my father had scared Garrett so much that he didn’t even want to look me in the eye when I talked to him. I had briefly caught his attention, but then he moved away and it was all over. It wasn’t fair and I was going to get to the bottom of what was going on. If my father trusted Garrett enough to be on the ranch, then why couldn’t he trust me alone with him?
“I’ll go talk to him right now. Would you like to come?” I said with resolve to get to the bottom of whatever was going on between the two of them.
“No, I trust you. Just let me know that he agrees and I’ll be ready right after breakfast tomorrow.”
“Actually, we will need to saddle up the horses around three in the morning if we want to get to the river by sun up,” I said with a grimace on my face.
I knew that waking up at three in the morning wasn’t going to sit well with Garrett, but frankly that was one of the main reasons I wanted him to come with me. Three o’clock felt much more like the middle of the night than four o’clock did and I didn’t want to be out there all alone.
“Now you’re getting close to an hour where I’d rather just stay awake all night than get up that early,” he laughed. “Talk to your father and then we can make our plans. I don’t think he will agree that I should go with you.”
“I know, it is early, but I need photos of the sunrise and want to have time to set up and be ready.”
“You get your father’s permission for us to go and I’ll go with you.”
That was all I needed to hear, I hugged Garrett briefly and turned to go find my father. It wasn’t until I was a few steps away from him that I realized how great having his arms around me felt. My legs wobbled slightly as I regained my composure and tried to pretend as if I wasn’t totally shaken by the electric feeling of Garrett’s arms as they briefly wrapped around my body.
My mother saw me hug Garrett and I smiled at her as I made my way toward father’s office. She followed me and joined me just before I opened the door. I hadn’t realized she was watching me, but my embarrassment wasn’t long lived because I wanted to take Garrett on a riding trip out to the river.
The pictures did need to be taken, but I could have had one of the guys drive me out that way if I had to. Driving was rough on the trucks since that area was still so remote, but we would have gotten there eventually. The beautiful of riding over the hill that sat between our ranch and the river was hard to avoid when you rode horses over there though, and that was what I wanted Garrett to experience.
“Dad, I need to get some photos from up by the river and I thought sunset and sunrise would make the best photos. Are you all right with that?”
My mother looked at me with a smile on her face as she waited for me to drop the next question. She knew what it was that I really wanted and seemed amused in anticipation of me asking my father. I had added the sunset option to give my father something to say no to. He could simply say no to one option and yes to the other. That way I ended up getting what I wanted in the end.
“No, you can’t go out to the river over night by yourself. Just get some photos in the morning, that’s fine. Forest can drive you up there or you can take the four-by-four Jeep out tomorrow.”
“Dad, I was right about selling off those bulls, wasn’t I? You made a huge profit. I also don’t think you’re asking enough for the land. If you decide to sell it, at least let me help you with some listing photos and see if we can get some better offers. There’s no reason to sell it at a discount. The property is worth much more than old man Joe is offering you. I’d like to ride and get some photos from the top of the mountain nearby also.”
I was adding more and more in an effort to get him to say yes. I really didn’t need any photos from the mountain, they wouldn’t be all that mesmerizing until the sky was incredibly clear. But I just wanted him to agree that I could go.
“Joe and I have been friends since we were boys. I’m not going to gouge him on the price.”
“But he’s low-balling you and taking advantage of your friendship,” my mother chimed in. “This is our livelihood. Let Sarah try to get more money for the property; please, Sid.”
I had hit a nerve for both of them. My father hadn’t wanted to sell the property at all and now that he had finally come to terms with it, my mother thought he was selling too low. And I knew he was selling it too low. The property was over 100 acres of prime, riverfront land. It was worth millions of dollars if my father would listen to me. But if he didn’t, he was going to sell it to our neighbor for $500,000 and a handshake. I just couldn’t let that happen.
“Fine, if you want to take pictures, go take pictures, but I’m not agreeing to sell it to anyone without meeting them first. I don’t want some big corporate company as our neighbor.”
“One last thing, who should I take up there with me for the night? I need to catch the sunset and sunrise. I can bring a couple tents and we will be back in the morning.”
My mother watched me as I weaved my web for my father. She knew what was going on and just smiled as my father thought about the best options for the trip. I knew, and my mother knew, there was only one other horse that could make it out to the river and back. We also knew there was only one other man besides my father that horse would allow to ride him. The trick to getting my way with my father was to allow him to think everything was his idea. I had laid the ground work, and now it was time to let my father come to the conclusion I wanted him to come to.
“Well I guess you’ll have to take Garrett. But he’s not going to do you any good if a mountain lion shows up out there. Make sure and bring the shotgun with you.”
“Okay, I guess that will work,” I said with a flat face.
I couldn’t show my excitement and tried my hardest to keep a straight face as my father looked at my mother. I urgently looked at her in hopes that she wouldn’t ruin my plans. Because she wanted the property sold at a much higher rate than my father was looking to sell it for, I thought she would be on my side. She knew I loved taking photos and she was smart enough to understand that father’s friend wasn’t the best person we could sell our property to.
My eyes stayed locked on my mother and father as I desperately waited to see what decision they would finally come to. I couldn’t wait to get away from the ranch for a night. I also couldn’t wait to get Garrett alone and see if he opened up to me a little bit and told me more about how he ended up with us. There was so much more to that story, I felt it every time we talked.
“Does that sound all right to you?” he asked.
“Sure, I think Garrett would enjoy the ride. He needs more practice anyways,” she laughed.
“Okay, so it’s settled. I’ll go see if he’s up for it and we will leave in an hour so we have time to get up there before sunset.”
“Please be home before lunch tomorrow so your father doesn’t worry about you,” my mother said as she hugged me. “And you behave yourself,” she whispered quietly in my ear so my father couldn’t hear her.
“Thanks, mom. Thanks, father.”
I quickly walked back over to Garrett and stood a respectable distance away from him as I told him the good news. I knew my mother and father had stepped out onto the small front porch of his office and were watching me, so I needed to put on a little show for them.
“Get ready, we are heading out to the river in an hour,” I said with a smile on my face.
It was a good thing my back was to my parents. Garrett looked at me and then over my shoulder at my father who shook his head in agreement.
“Wow, you’re good. Now follow me into the barn and give me that kiss you promised me.”
Garrett raised his hand and waved at my father and mother all while keeping a totally straight face and talking to me.
“He’s a reasonable man. Go get yourself ready and gather a couple gallons of water. Talk with Forest and he’ll help you. I’ll get the tents and rest of our things ready.”
“So let me get this straight, your father agreed to let me come out to the river with you and sleep in a tent with you?” Garrett said in bewilderment.
“I’m bringing two tents. You’ll have your personal space.”
Garrett raised his hand up to my mother and father and waived at them again as he leaned toward me and whispered again.
“Barn… now… kiss…”
“My parents are watching us,” I said in total shock but I refused to turn around and look at them.
“I’m heading to the barn to check on Buckjoy; can you help me choose the saddle?” Garrett said loudly.
“Oh my God; you’re being so obvious,” I mumbled under my breath and then followed him.
I was barely inside the barn when he grabbed me and lifted me up off the ground. He placed me on a stack of hay that was near one of the horse stalls. His hands held onto my ass and he pressed himself up against me as I laughed.
“Are you serious?” I said through my giggles. “You’re just going to lift me up like that?”
“Oh, I’m very serious,” he said.
His hands held onto my cheeks and he gently lifted my face up so I was forced to look him in the eyes. Suddenly I felt like a teenager hiding in the barn with my boyfriend. It was invigorating as I sat in anticipation of his kiss.
My lips felt dry and I licked them in preparation for his kiss. I felt my breathing as it quickened and I tried to calm myself down before his lips made it to mine.
Garrett moved slowly and intensely as he let his lips barely touch mine. There was electricity between us and I felt it buzz through my body without warning as his lips continued their gently soft touching of mine.
“Mmmm,” I moaned out unconsciously.
“What if I don’t want my personal space?” he said. “What if I want to share a tent with you?”
His breath was close to my neck and I felt the warmth of his body as he stood close to me. I knew I should keep my distance though. Our little trip was for business and getting my father a good sales price for the land. It would be fun to hang out with Garrett, but that was it and nothing else, or so I tried to tell myself. I wasn’t taking him with me because I wanted to screw the guy, I simply wanted to get to know him more.
“Two tents,” I said firmly as I gently pressed him away from me and jumped down from the haystack I was sitting on.
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“Get ready; I don’t want to miss the sunset,” I ordered as I smiled at him.
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” he teased me.
I hurried off to get the rest of the things we would need for the evening. We had to have some food, sleeping bags, fire starters, and varies other items to make the evening enjoyable. I also had to make sure the horses would have enough food and water for the trip. It was exciting to run around and gather everything we needed though. I actually felt like I was doing something useful and that motivated me.
For the months I had been at the ranch I knew my parents appreciated having me there, but I hadn’t really felt like I was all that much help. I had an MBA from Harvard; I should be able to figure out some way for my parents to be successful in their ranch. Financial issues were my specialty and bringing in money was what I did best. But my father still wanted to run the ranch the way he always had, and for every ten suggestions I made to him, he thought only one was a decent idea. It had become difficult for me to gather the courage to even offer new ideas to him.
I knew that there were changes that could be made to help the ranch be more successful though. We had cattle roaming all over the land and my father didn’t sell them off at all. He insisted that he was growing his heard to sell someday, but it had been ten years and he hadn’t sold it at all. Well, I finally convinced him to sell one of his bulls; he was shocked at the price we brought in. It was a small victory, but enough that I thought my father might actually consider listening to my ideas more often.
“I’m ready to ride,” Garrett said as he came up behind me.
His tight t-shirt and jeans seemed to hug every muscular curve that he had and I had to check to make sure I didn’t have my mouth open as I stared at him. He was freshly showered with his hair still wet and his face clean shaven. Instantly, he made me want to change, too. I was sweaty and gross from working all day and I wasn’t about to spend the evening sitting next to him and having him think I smelled disgusting.
“Okay, load up the horses with Forest and I’ll be right out.”
I hurried back to the house and ran into the bathroom. Quickly, I turned the water on and jumped in before it had even had a chance to warm up. I washed my hair, shaved my legs, and made sure to apply some body wash as I cleaned myself up. It wasn’t that I was planning on doing anything naughty with Garrett; I was just planning on flirting. I wanted Garrett to want me; to desire me; to feel totally distracted by wanting me.
It was probably one of the fastest showers of my life and I quickly got dressed in some clean clothes and braided my hair into two braids to keep it from soaking my t-shirt. I set a sweatshirt on my bed and pulled on a cute pair of boots when my mother knocked on the door.
“Everyone’s ready,” she said as she walked in. “You look nice.”
“I just didn’t want to stink,” I answered as I saw the look in her eyes.
She was judging me and I felt it. I’m sure she thought I was taking Garrett out to the river so we could screw each other. Even if I had those desires toward Garrett, we were hardly talking. All I wanted to do was flirt, spent some time, laugh, and enjoy an evening away from the ranch. And of course, I wanted to get my father the pictures he needed to sell off the land.
“Have fun.”
I waited for her to give me some sort of lecture about how I didn’t know Garrett and should be leery of him, but the lecture never came. Certainly, she had some feeling about me riding off for an overnight with one of the ranch hands? She wasn’t just going to be fine with it, I waited in anticipation for what I just knew was coming next.
“It’s just work, mom; I’ll get the photos and be back tomorrow morning. By the way, what changed your mind? Why were you okay with me bringing Garrett?”
“He told you he wouldn’t go unless your father agreed, didn’t he?”
“Yes, that was why I went to see father.”
“I knew he was a good man at that moment. You know I understand that you’re a grownup, now right?” She said with a huge smile. “I’ll let you make your own decisions about who is a good guy and not. You’re not a naive teenager anymore; I don’t have to make those choices for you.”
“So you think Garrett is a good guy?”
“I really don’t know him that well. But your father likes him, so that is a positive sign. Although, I don’t know how much your father would like Garrett if he knew you two were sleeping together.”
“Mom!” I exclaimed. “We aren’t sleeping together. Oh, my God.”
“I’m teasing you. Just be safe and go get some beautiful pictures. I don’t want to have to sell the land for less than it’s worth.”
“Thanks, mom; I’ll see you in the morning,” I said as I hugged her and jogged out to meet Garrett and Forest who were standing by the horses.