Chapter Twenty-Three

Travis

I woke up the following day feeling incredible. I hadn’t stayed over with Harper the night before because I had no idea what was going to happen now that we had slept together. Harper believed that I lived at the ranch, so there was no way she was thinking of this becoming a permanent thing. Something about that did bug me a little though. I wondered if she would’ve slept with me if she knew that I didn’t actually stay all that far from her. What would she think if she knew that I was a professional that worked out in the city? Someone who could easily afford to fly out and see her whenever I wanted to? I tried not to think about that though. I could’ve said no to sleeping with her if I wanted to. But I hadn’t. Of course I hadn’t. Sleeping with Harper had been one of the best experiences of my life. It had been quite a while since I’d had sex, but it had been a whole lot longer since I’d had sex like that.

Harper was incredible in bed. The two of us were more suited than I thought she would. And boy was she beautiful. The way she’d looked at me with those bright blue eyes. I honestly thought I was going to lose it. I had no idea what was going to happen after this or if we were even going to do that again, but I didn’t regret what happened. When I’d left her that night, I’d simply kissed her on the mouth again, told her how beautiful I thought she was and left. She hadn’t asked me to stay, but she looked happy and content. Now we’d just have to see what happened.

I was sitting at the breakfast table with Mike. Allison wasn’t feeling well so she’d decided to stay in bed rather than coming in and infecting all of us. So Mike and I had made our own breakfast. Naturally, when we were left to our own devices, our food wasn’t all that great. He made the toast and peanut butter, and I made the coffee. Then we went outside to sit and talk on the porch.

“We’re hopeless,” he said as he took a bite of his toast.

“Nah, this is good,” I said.

“Look at it. I even managed to burn the toast.”

I laughed. “You did a little. But it’s okay. This is exactly the sort of thing I would’ve made at home anyway. Burned toast is what I’m used to. So, in a way, you’ve just given me a taste of home.”

Mike was about to say something when his phone rang. I listened to him talk while I continued with my breakfast. When he put the phone down, I noticed a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Probably nothing to be honest. That was one of the ranch hands. He said that one of the horses is looking a little dejected lately. He said the horse looks tired, like it’s been working too hard. Odd though, because we haven’t been doing more riding than usual. Do you know anything about it? Did you also notice that? I’ve been so busy with everything that I haven’t really taken much notice of the horses.”

I immediately thought of the ride out with Harper. I hadn’t wanted to tell Mike about it, but I figured I would have to now so that nobody else got in trouble for something I did. I would also rather him find out from me than from someone else. I didn’t want to make it look like I was trying to hide something. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous to tell him though. It wasn’t like we had done anything wrong.

“Uh, that might be my fault,” I said.

“What do you mean? Why would it be your fault?”

“I took two of the horses out for a ride last night. Nothing major though. I honestly didn’t think it would be a problem. But if you would prefer me not to, then I won’t do it again.”

“You took two horses out? Why would you do that?”

“Oh… well… I just took one horse out. But two horses came out. If you know what I mean.”

He laughed. “No, I have no idea what you mean. You’re talking in riddles. What are you going on about? And why do you look so nervous?”

“I’m not nervous. I’m just not explaining myself very well. I went for a moonlight ride with Harper. I gave her Thunder, and I took Adonis out. But we weren’t out there for very long, so I’m very surprised to hear that the horses look tired. They seemed completely fine when I saw them last.” Not that I was really thinking about the horses.

Mike gave me a curious look but then shook his head. “No, it wasn’t one of them. It was Grey.”

“Grey? Hmm, that’s odd. No, I definitely didn’t take Grey out for a ride last night. I wonder if he’s okay. Do you think maybe he’s sick or something?”

Mike sighed. “Possibly. I can’t see what else it could be. We’ll go and have a look at him later this morning and see what’s going on then. Maybe I’ll get someone to come and check him out. I hope not. It always costs so much when one of the horses is sick.”

“Yeah, I hope not too. He seemed all right to me the other day, so maybe it’s nothing,” I said and finished off my toast. I saw that Mike was looking at me and I frowned at him.

“What?”

“A moonlight ride with Harper? That’s very interesting. And I know that Jillian wasn’t there because she’s left already. I had no idea that you were going on night rides with her.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not? But you just said that you did. Didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I mean, I did, but that was just one night. It’s not like we’ve been doing this every night or something. She was out at night talking to the sheep. She’s even named them,” I said and chuckled at the memory. “I wasn’t tired, so I suggested that we take the horses for a ride. She loves Thunder, and I knew she would want to ride a bit more while she was out here.” I was rambling, and I could see that Mike had noticed too.

“Well, I think it’s great. She’s really good on that horse. A lot better than I thought she would be. No offense to her, but I thought she was pretty much going to suck at everything. She’s really good and took us all by surprise. And Thunder seems to have taken a particular liking to her. I was worried about giving him to her at the start, but it was definitely the right move.”

I laughed. “I know. I also thought she’d be awful, but she showed us all not to judge a book by its cover I guess. She’s incredible. I’m so amazed by her.”

“You totally got laid!” Mike said suddenly.

I almost choked on my coffee. I’d obviously praised her too much, but I had no idea how he had suddenly jumped to that conclusion. “What? Why do you say that?”

“Ah, you see! If you didn’t you would’ve said ‘no I didn’t!’ Instead you want to know how I know! Ha! Well, I know because you’re my brother and I can clearly tell that something happened between the two of you. Tell me you didn’t do it in the shed at least!”

I laughed. “We didn’t do it in the shed.”

“But that definitely means that you did it then.”

“You’re not going to give up until I tell you the truth, are you?”

“Absolutely not. You should know me well enough by now. I will go on and on and on. So you might as well just spill the beans.”

I laughed. “Well… Yeah. I did. We did. Uh… I mean… it just sort of happened.”

Mike chuckled. “I have no idea how having sex with someone just sort of happens, but I’m fine with it. She’s great, and you deserve to have a good time. To be honest, the two of you are a lot more suited than you realize. I’ve been waiting for the two of you to figure it out. Allison and I saw it from the very beginning, but the two of you are either very slow or else you didn’t want to admit it to yourselves.”

“What do you mean? Why do you think we’re suited?” I asked.

“You’re both city people who feel unusually at ease out here in the middle of nowhere. You’re both great with the horses, and you both clearly like working hard. You’re also both pretty damn stubborn and a little bit full of shit. You’re perfect for each other.”

I laughed at that. I didn’t tell Mike that Harper still thought that I lived there. I still wasn’t entirely sure why I was keeping that information to myself. I thought about saying something but changed my mind. “She’s a great girl,” I said instead. “And I’ve obviously been thinking about doing that with her since I saw her. I never thought it would happen though.”

“Funny things happen at this place,” he said with a laugh. “Which is why you should come more often. You know, Travis, it’s been great having you here.”

“What? Are you actually paying me a compliment? Is this really happening? Or has everything been a dream so far?”

He punched me. “Hey, you want me to take it back?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. Please continue. I like getting compliments.”

“Well, it’s true. I’ve enjoyed having you here. I felt bad when you offered to work with us though. I mean, it’s not what you usually do when you come out here, but it’s been nice.”

“It has actually been nice. I’m sort of glad that this group came along now. It’s given me a bit of a different perspective on things, and I think I needed that.”

“Heh, I’m sure you’re very happy that this group came along,” he teased.

“Well, naturally I’m happy about Harper of course. But putting that aside, I’ve actually just really enjoyed the work. I know I always say that I’m not running away from anything, but I guess a part of me is. I’m not sure why because I really love it here, but it’s like I’m constantly trying to prove myself. And every time you tell me that I’m running away I sort of feel like I don’t want to come here anymore.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. I’ve been a bit of an asshole, and I can admit to it.”

“Did Allison tell you to say that?” I teased.

“She did,” he said and laughed. “But I know that she’s right. I haven’t been fair to you all these years. The truth is, I just wish you were here with me. It’s not because I’m not happy for you; it’s because I’m not happy for me. I’d love you to want to work here with me. But I completely understand that you’ve chosen a different career path. You’re also damn good at it, and I’m very proud of you, even if I don’t say it often enough.”

“You never say it,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, I don’t. But I really am proud of you. You’ve done an incredible job. I think I’ve just been a little frustrated lately and I’ve taken it out on you. Uh… Allison told me that she spoke to you about our problems. You know… not being able to conceive.”

This took me by surprise. My brother and I didn’t often talk about our feelings like this. It was strange to hear him talk this way. “Yeah, she told me,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind. I guess she just needed someone to talk to.”

“Of course I don’t mind. I’m glad she spoke to you. It’s been killing me, Travis. I keep thinking that it’s my fault.”

“It’s never anyone’s fault! Have you spoken to the doctor?”

“We have. And she seems to think that there is nothing wrong. She said we must stop stressing about it. The more we stress, the worse it is for us.”

“Easier said than done, I’m guessing.”

“Yeah. Absolutely. Having you here has been such a blessing though. I really have been thinking about it less and less.”

“Well, I’m very pleased to hear that I’m the source of your good sex life,” I said.

He chuckled. “You and me both, Travis. You and me both.”

“You know, I think I need to come here more. The ranch work has been much more satisfying than I ever imagined it would be. I still love my city slicker ways, and I don’t want to leave that life behind, but I want to do this more. Maybe I should come down a few more times throughout the year. It would be good work with you again.”

He grinned. “Yeah. And Mom and Dad will be proud. You know, if they are really watching us right now, this is what they’d want us to do.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Now, are you going to see Harper again?”

I shrugged as casually as I could as if to give the impression that I really hadn’t given it much thought at all. Which we clearly both knew was not the case at all. “I don’t know.”

“It’s a free evening tonight. You should go see her.”

“Ah, I don’t know. I’ll see. I want to work on my book a bit more tonight. I haven’t really looked at my work much since I’ve been here.”

“Sure,” he said and laughed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh come on, like you’re really going to be able to concentrate on your book tonight when you know that Harper is going to be lying in bed all alone?”

I shook my head. “Come on; I have a bit more restraint than that.”

“Sure you do,” he said, and we both laughed.