Chapter Fourteen
Sloan
For the first time in a very long time, I woke up before the sun. I thought about calling someone to bring me a cup of coffee, like I usually did, but decided to just make one myself. After all, the room had come with a kettle and a can of instant coffee. It wasn’t exactly the kind of coffee I was used to drinking, but it would do. I made myself a cup and sat in bed, wondering what I was going to do with my day. The producer was working on a part of the movie that I wasn’t in that day. It was a scene set at some café and involved a few of the side actors. I was glad not to be a part of it that day. I loved working, but it was nice to have a break from it every now and again. I’d never done a movie when I’d been so fully immersed in the character and the environment, and it felt nice to just have a breather from it.
After the coffee and a long shower, I made my way downstairs and helped myself to some breakfast. I was still the only one up, and when I sat down to eat, the man looked at me in surprise.
“Good morning, Miss Hill. You’re up early today. I’m glad I made the decision to get the breakfast ready early.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I’ve been up for a while. It’s very unusual for me to be up at this time of the morning.”
“We’re early risers here. Seems you’re getting into the role of a cowgirl quite easily.”
I grinned. “I think I am.”
“So, what can I get you? I know you usually enjoy your fruit, but I do have some freshly baked croissants this morning if you’re interested. We fill them with scrambled eggs made from the local farmers’ eggs. It’s delicious.”
I could smell the croissants from where I was sitting. It was hard to resist. “Ah, to hell with diets. I’ll take one,” I said.
It was a good decision. The moment I took a bite of the fresh crumbly croissant, I wondered why I ever worried so much about my weight. It seemed so frivolous at that moment. I almost laughed as I thought of the headlines if someone were to catch me then.
SLOAN HILL – PREGNANT?
SLOAN HILL EATS ENTIRE CROISSANT DUE TO DEPRESSION.
I groaned inwardly, and then finished it quickly before anyone did actually take a photo of me. When the man took my plate, I told him that it had been the best thing I’d ever eaten. He seemed incredibly pleased as he walked off.
It was still early, and I felt like doing something with my day. I decided that I’d make my way to the ranch to surprise Brady. I could use a day of horse riding. I found myself missing Betty when I wasn’t around her. I called the driver and asked him to drop me off, and then considered taking up driving lessons when I was back in New York. Although, driving around this small farming community was probably a lot different from driving in busy New York. I wasn’t sure I’d want to navigate those roads.
When I arrived, I saw Harold sitting on his porch. He waved me over and seemed very surprised to see me.
“Sloan! Good to see you. Are you filming today? Please don’t tell me I got the dates wrong.”
“Oh no, we’re not filming. I just woke up today and thought it looked like a nice day to ride some horses. I can’t believe I’m saying that, to be honest. I never thought I’d wake up and think that.”
Harold laughed. “This place has a way of getting under your skin. Well, it’s great to see you on your day off.”
“Do you think it would be okay to ride the horses even though we’re not filming?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not. I have absolutely no problem with that. Brady isn’t here yet, but he should be in soon, and he can help you saddle up.”
“You mean to say that I actually beat Brady into work?” I said and laughed. “Wow, that’s quite something. But that’s okay; he’s shown me what to do. I’m pretty confident I can do it without him.”
“You sure? I don’t think he’ll be too long if you want to wait.”
“I’m sure.”
“Well then, the barn is all yours. I opened it up this morning so you can go right in.”
I grinned, thanked him, and walked confidently over to the barn.
Once inside, I chatted a little with all the horses, the way Brady always did, and then took Betty outside. I had all saddled and ready to go when Brady walked in. He stood in silence for a few seconds, just looking at me. Clearly he was shocked to see me there, and I chuckled at his response.
“Morning, Brady,” I said cheerfully.
“Uh, good morning. Wow, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see Betty. I missed her.”
A small smile was starting to appear on his face. “Oh yeah? She’s easy to miss. So, did Harold help you saddle up?”
“I did it all on my own.”
“Seriously?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. You’re obviously a very good teacher.”
“I’m not surprised, actually. But I am impressed. Well, it’s nice to see you. I have a bit of work that I need to get done this morning, but I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Just then Harold appeared and said hello to Brady. He looked up at me and grinned.
“You really did do it all on your own. You’re a fast learner, Sloan. In fact, I think you’re a natural. Isn’t she, Brady?”
Brady smiled at me. “She sure is.”
“Now, I heard you saying you had some work to today. Well, most it can wait to be honest. Why don’t you take the day off for a change? Spend the day with Sloan and show her around. You’ve both been working too hard.”
“Oh no, I need to work,” Brady stammered.
“Nonsense. I won’t hear of it. You officially have the day off,” Harold said to Brady. Then he looked at me and smiled. “Have a wonderful day, Miss Hill.”
“Thank you, Harold,” I said. I liked this man.
Then I turned my attention to Brady. “So, go on then, get yourself a horse and join me.”
He laughed. “You’re not going to give up Betty? You do realize she’s my horse.”
I chuckled and patted Betty. “Not a chance. Today, she’s mine.”
I waited while Brady saddled up and soon the two of us were trotting around the farm. Brady pointed out all the different areas that he’d never shown me before.
“You know, it almost feels like you own this place,” I said.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You have so much love for it. The way you look at this farm . . . well, it’s obvious that it means a lot to you.” To be honest, I’d never seen anyone love work as much as Brady loved his. I’d never seen anyone love a place as much as he did. I remembered his question when he had asked me which place I loved to be in the most. I still didn’t really have an answer. That saddened me. Why didn’t I have a place that I loved as much as Brady loved this farm?
He grinned. “It does. It means a lot to Harold, too. But yeah, I sometimes feel like this place saved my life, you know.”
Saved his life from what? I wanted to know but didn’t want to ask. If he’d wanted to tell me, he would’ve. I just nodded and told him that it was a place that could save anyone’s life. “There’s something about it,” I said.
“Yeah, there certainly is. Although I didn’t expect you to like it so much.”
I thought about throwing back a retort about how he shouldn’t judge people so quickly, but it seemed pointless. Also, he was absolutely right. I’m sure everyone thought that about me. “Yeah, neither did I,” I said honestly.
“So, you don’t miss all the shopping? How about all the fancy restaurants?” he asked.
I shot him a look. “No. Okay, I miss my big bed. And I do miss my shower. But that’s about it. Maybe it’s because I know I’m not going to be here forever. I don’t know. But I definitely don’t hate it as much as I thought I would.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Can’t say I’d say the same about city life. But who knows. I could be wrong. A big shower and an oversized bed don't sound all that bad to me.”
I laughed. “It’s wonderful. So, tell me about this rodeo. Do you do it often?”
“I only started getting into it recently, actually. Well, for the past year or so. I love it. It’s definitely not something I ever saw myself doing, but turns out I quite enjoy it.”
I actually didn’t know all that much about rodeos. I made a mental note to look it up before going so that I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself on the day. “I don’t know much about it, but from what I know it does sound a bit dangerous.”
“I suppose it can be. But it’s worth putting yourself at risk sometimes for things that you enjoy.”
I looked at him then and grinned. “I suppose so. I don’t see myself ever wanting to do bull riding, though. I’d think I’d be pretty bad at it.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely not for everyone. That’s for sure. I’m glad you’re coming next week to see it. I think you’ll enjoy it. Also, my friend Trace will be there, and he’ll be glad to have someone to show off in front of. Oh dear, I just remembered that you are a famous actress,” he said and shook his head.
I laughed. “And why does that matter?”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t. You’ve just slipped into the role of a Wyoming cowgirl like a hand into a glove. It makes me forget that you’re someone famous.”
“And you haven’t actually seen any of my movies, so that probably helps,” I teased.
He looked guilty. “Sorry. That’s true.”
“So, what does me being famous have to do with anything?”
“Oh, you’ll know when you meet Trace. He’s going to go ballistic when he sees that I brought you along. He’s a great guy, but a bit of a showoff. And he has quite a thing for pretty ladies.”
“Are you calling me pretty?” I said and battered my eyelashes at him dramatically.
“I’m calling you no such thing.”
I chuckled. “I’m going to just pretend that you did, then.”
“Fine. I did,” he said, and we both laughed. “So, no rodeo for you. I wouldn’t want you to damage your money maker.”
“Is that what you’re calling my face? My money maker? That’s funny. I’m not sure if it’s an insult, though.”
“It’s a compliment. Trust me,” he said.
“Okay, well thank you. So, no bull riding for me. That’s a promise. But I do think I could take you on in a horse race.” I wasn’t even sure why I said that. There was no way that I could actually beat Brady in a horse race. He’d been riding them for years. But it was fun to tease him.
“You do? Uh, you do realize that I’ve been riding for many years, while you’ve been riding for like a week.”
“Yeah, but I have the beautiful Betty on my side. And that puts me slightly ahead of the game. Betty and I have formed quite the bond. You see, no matter how close you are with her, you can never be as close as I am. She senses that I’m a woman.”
“Betty and I have been partners for a very long time. I don’t think she’d move on to someone else so quickly.”
“What’s wrong? Are you scared?” I teased.
“Scared? Of a race with you? Certainly not.”
“Well, let’s race, then.”
“Are you sure you want to make a fool of yourself like this?” he said.
“There’s nobody watching, anyway. And yeah, I’m sure.”
“Well, okay, then. I’ll race you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“And if I win, you have to take me out for dinner in town,” I added.
He chuckled. “Is that so? I’m afraid there won’t be any dinners in your future.”
“Ha! Bring it on. And make sure your wallet is full. I’m starving. Okay, so where are we racing to?” I asked.
“Hmm, okay, you see that tree on the right? That massive one with the two little ones next to it? Well, let’s race to there.”
I looked out at the trees in the distance and smiled. “Oh, you’re on,” I said. Then I patted Betty and told her to make me proud.
“Ready, in three, two, one, GO!” Brady yelled.
For a few seconds he was in front of me, and I laughed and told Betty to go faster. I was surprised at how good it felt to be racing on the back of a galloping horse. I didn’t feel scared at all, and at that moment, I felt completely confident that Betty wouldn’t throw me off. Then, right at the end, Betty took the lead, and we made it to the trees just before Brady. It was obvious that he had let me win, but I decided to pretend as if he hadn’t. I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to win because he felt sorry for me, or because he just wanted to take me out for dinner. I was hoping it was the latter.
“You shouldn’t have been so cocky!” I said as we stopped.
He chuckled. “My sincere apologies. You win!”
“Good job, Betty girl,” I said and leaned in to hug her.
Afterward we made our way back to the barn, and I hopped off Betty and helped put her back inside. I gave her something to eat and then kissed her goodbye.
“That was fun,” I said to Brady. “Thanks for showing me around today.” Then I looked at Betty, “And thanks for being such an awesome girl.”
“No problem at all. You’re probably right about Betty, you know. She seems to have taken quite a liking to you. Thanks for forcing me to have a day off.”
“Why do I get a feeling you don’t do that very often?” I asked.
He smiled. “Well, you’d be right, but usually I don’t have any reason to have a day off.”
I grinned and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow?” he asked.
“I won, remember? You owe me a dinner in the city. Pick me up at six, please. And don’t be late,” I said and then turned around before he could say anything else.