Chapter Thirteen
Brady
It was gearing up to be another beautiful day. I could always tell what the weather was going to be like, even when the sun hadn’t come up yet. I’d gotten up early enough for years to figure out the weather. There was a certain stillness in the air that morning that I just knew meant another hot summer’s day. I finished my coffee and made my way over to the ranch. I was just about to get into the car when I noticed how early it was, so I decided to walk it instead. I made a mental note to do this more often, especially before the winter mornings were upon us. There was nothing quite like going for a walk before the rest of the world had woken up. When I arrived, I was surprised to see Harold sitting on the porch. He waved me over.
“Wow, you’re here early,” I said.
He smiled. “Yeah, I wanted to get here before the crowds arrived. Did you walk here?”
“I sure did. Nothing quite like the morning walk. I’ll probably regret it this afternoon when I have to walk back, but it was worth it.”
He laughed. “Make the most of it, my boy. One day you’ll wish you had sturdy enough legs for a long walk.”
“Oh, come on! You could do it,” I said.
“Yeah, only it would take me three times as long as you. So, how are things going? I can’t believe they’ve all been here for two weeks already. Time has gone so fast. Only two more weeks to go. I’m not too sure how I feel about that. Between you and me, I’m going to enjoy having the farm back to myself again. But at the same time, it’s been pretty exciting having them all here. How about you? You must be glad it’s almost over.”
My mind immediately went to Sloan. It had been difficult to get her naked body out of my head, even though I’d tried hard enough. I smiled. “Actually, I don’t mind so much anymore. I guess I’ve gotten used to them being there.”
“Oh yeah? Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that. I was actually feeling a bit bad about putting you through all this, to be honest. You’re a good kid, and I just threw this on you. But you’ve handled it well. They all really like you. I think they’re actually a bit scared of you to be honest. These city kids have no idea what life is really all about.”
I chuckled. “I quite like the thought of them being scared of me. But don’t apologize, Harold. This is your place and you must do whatever you want to. Also, it’s only for a month. And these two weeks have already gone by so fast. We’ll be back to normal in no time,” I said and then wondered at the little twinge inside my stomach as I said it.
“Yeah, you’re right. Well, thanks for everything. So, it’s the rodeo next weekend. I didn’t actually realize it was going to coincide with everyone being here. But I think that’s a good thing. I’m going to speak to the producer and see if he wants to use some of it for the film.”
“Next weekend already? Wow, I didn’t realize it was so soon.”
“Are you going to be in it?” Harold asked.
“I’m going to be roping with Trace, and I put my name down for the bull riding. I wouldn’t have done it if I knew it would be when the crew was here. Do you want me to take my name off?” I asked.
Harold shook his head fervently. “No way. You must do it. I’m glad to see that you’re getting more into the rodeo side of things. I always knew you had it in you. And while Trace is a pain in my backside at times, he’s very good at it too.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, he is. He’s actually not a bad guy.”
“I know. He’s just young. Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you take Sloan with you for the rodeo? I’m sure the producer would like her to see what it’s all about. It’s a great experience to have, anyway. Very different from what she’s used to in New York, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, okay, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll let her know.”
Harold laughed. “Wow, I thought you were going to protest. You really don’t mind them all being here, do you?”
I chuckled. “Nah, I’m okay with it.”
“You’re not as much of a loner as I thought you were, eh.”
“Perhaps not,” I said. “Anyway, I think I better get going. They’re all going to arrive soon, and I’d like to get some work done before they get here. Any idea where they’ll be shooting today?”
“As far as I know it will be mostly work with the horses. So maybe get that area ready. And get a couple of the guys to be on hand to help, if you don’t mind?”
“Sure, no problem. See you later, Harold.”
A few hours later, the crew was all set up. I waved at Sloan when she arrived, and she waved back. She was fully kitted out in the right gear for horse riding, and I was surprised at how quickly she had morphed into the role of cowgirl. I tried not to get caught watching her, but every now and again I glanced at her and wondered who the real Sloan Hill really was. So far I’d seen two sides of her. I’d seen the spoiled rich kid that wanted nothing more than to boast about her money. But I’d also seen an interesting, caring side that seemed more at ease out in the fresh, open air that she even realized it herself. I wished she could see how much more beautiful she looked when she stopped trying so hard. I wished too that I knew which side was the real Sloan.
The rest of the day went by quite quickly. I helped the crew with the horses and made sure they were all handled correctly. But for the most part, I stayed to the side and quietly did my work. I tried now to do work that was near to where they were filming, just in case they needed me. Once they packed up, I made my way back to the barn and put the horses away for the day. I kissed Betty and told her that she had done a fine job with all the city folks that day. She was a good horse, and they were all lucky to have met her. They were all going to go back with a good experience thanks to Betty.
I was just about to leave when my phone rang.
“Brady speaking,” I said into the receiver.
“Brady, it’s Ryan. How’s it going, man?”
I smiled at the sound of my brother’s voice. I’d gotten close to Grant over the years, especially since he moved to Wyoming. But I was still closest to Ryan. He was a little younger than me and he’d been there for me when my other brothers hadn’t. We had very different personalities, and yet we gelled in a way that I didn’t with most people.
“Ryan, hey man. It’s been far too long. Where the hell have you been?”
“Oh, you know me, just climbing the ladder.”
“Climbing the ladder? What does that even mean? And since when do you talk in riddles?”
He laughed. “I’m making my way up the proverbial ladder in order to become the world champion MMA fighter. What’s happened to your brain these days? You’re turning to mush out there. What else would I have meant?”
I chuckled. That was true. I should’ve known that he was talking about fighting. Ryan loved nothing more than talking about his fighting career. And I didn’t blame him. He’d gone from a nobody to someone who was now winning every fight. It was impressive. And while I didn’t have any interest in fighting myself, I was always interested in hearing from him.
“That’s true. So, it’s going well then?”
“Yeah, you could say so. I just won the last fight. With Thompson Greary.”
I pictured a large scary-looking man that Ryan had shown me a picture of before. It was hard to forget a face like that. “Thompson Greary? I don’t know much about fighting, but even I know that he’s one of the top guys. I remember that picture you showed me of him once. Scary-looking man. Seriously, though? You beat him? That’s incredible.”
I could almost hear him smiling through the phone. “I’m serious. And he’s even scarier up close. It was a close one, but I did it. And now, I’m exhausted. Exhilarated, but exhausted. I’m literally sprawled out on my bed now, and I can’t get up.”
I laughed at the image. “I’d tell you that I’m exhausted too, but I have a feeling you feel worse than me.”
“I don’t know, man. You work so hard. And you do it all day every day from early morning to late afternoon. I think it’s safe to say you’re as exhausted as I am.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But a little less beaten up.”
“That’s true. Hey, listen, I wanted to ask you something. I heard a rumor about some movie being filmed out in Wyoming. Know anything about it? I wasn’t sure if it was true or not. But it’s a small town, so I figured you’d know if it was happening.”
“Wow, news travels fast,” I said.
“It’s called ‘the internet,'” he said and laughed. “Something you obviously don’t know about.”
“I have the internet,” I said with defiance.
“Oh yeah? When last did you go on it? Tell me the last thing that you looked up.”
“Uh, that doesn’t matter,” I said and chuckled. “Anyway, to answer your question, yes, they’re filming here. And guess where they’re doing it? Right here, on the ranch I work at.”
“Are you kidding me? And you’re only telling me now?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to know. It’s not that interesting, is it?”
“Maybe not to you. But to us normal folk, it’s damn interesting.”
I chuckled. “Sorry. Well, it’s happening.”
“You’re such a dork,” he said and laughed. “Anyway, I have to go, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m coming to visit soon. Hopefully I’ll get to see a bit of this movie being made, too.”
I knew from past experiences that Ryan wasn’t asking if he could come: he was telling me. He wasn’t one to ask for permission. But I didn’t mind. It would be good to see him again.
“Sure, no problem, bro. Looking forward to it.”
I switched the phone off and put it in my pocket. I made sure everything was packed away and then walked over to kiss Betty goodbye. As I walked out, I almost walked straight into Sloan.
“Oh hey,” I said and smiled at her. Neither one of us had spoken about what had happened, but it didn’t feel awkward, which was at least good. “You were great out there today. You’re getting the hang of the horses I see.”
She smiled. “You think? Thank you. It was a good day. A very long day, though. I’m exhausted. I’m heading back to the hotel. But uh, well, I’d love to see you again.”
“Actually, I’m glad you’re here because there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“There was?”
I leaned against the door trying to look as casual as possible. “There’s a rodeo happening next Saturday, and I’m going to be a part of it. I was wondering if you wanted to come with? It would be great for research purposes. For the film and all.”
“A rodeo? Oh, that does sound interesting. I’ll be there.”