Chapter Twenty-Five
Brady
I never expected to hear from Sloan again. I expected to perhaps one day get an invitation to some movie launch, and I pictured myself turning it down. After all, what would a guy like me do in a place like that? I’d stick out like a sore thumb, and the last thing I wanted was for Sloan to be embarrassed to be around me in public. It was fine here. I slotted in nicely into this lifestyle. But I was the complete opposite of a city guy. So, when I got a call from her, I thought I was imaging. Then, she said the magic words: Please, can I come and stay with you?
Of course, I said yes.
That morning, I called Harold.
“Hey, Harold, I’m sorry to call you so early.”
“Nonsense. You know I’m an early riser. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to ask if it’s okay that I get the day off. I’m sorry, I know it’s last minute.”
“Of course you can have the day off. You do realize that this is the first time you have ever asked me for time off? You absolutely deserve some time. Is everything okay?”
“Thanks, Harold. I really appreciate it. Yeah, everything is fine. It’s just . . . well, Sloan called. She wants to spend some time here. I’d appreciate if you didn’t say anything to anyone, though. I’m sure she’ll want to see you, but she hasn’t really said much about why she’s coming, so I don’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
“Hmm, I thought she might call.”
“Why?”
“Oh, she’s been in the headlines a lot these days. I had a feeling she would be needed the escape soon. And what better place to escape than here.”
“Poor Sloan. Well, I don’t care about what other people are saying about her. She can tell me whatever she wants to, but I will only listen to the stories if they come directly from her. I know how the media twists things.”
“You’re a good man, Brady. And Sloan needs someone like you right now. Give her my love and tell her to come and visit if she wants to. But take care of her, okay?”
“I will. Thanks, Harold.”
I put the phone down and made my way to the airport. I arrived too early, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and waited for her at arrivals. I avoided all newspapers and magazines, and simply sat at the front and waited for her. About forty minutes later, I heard the announcement that her plane had landed.
Sloan was dressed in black jeans and dark green hoodie. She had the hood up over her head, and she was wearing sunglasses. She looked like a girl who was too tired to show anyone her eyes, and nothing at all like a famous celebrity. But I knew it was her immediately. I walked straight up to her, took her hand and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled gratefully at me.
When we got to the car, I put her luggage in the trunk and climbed in.
“Since when do you travel so lightly?” I said.
She chuckled. “The last time I had so many bags with me, filled to the brim with the fanciest clothes. It only took a few days, and one very disgruntled man, to tell me that I was making a fool of myself. This time, I knew better.”
“It’s good to see you again, Sloan.”
“It’s good to see you too.”
We drove in silence all the way home. Sloan had her head against the window as she watched the scenery, and I drove without saying anything. I had a feeling she didn’t want to talk, and I didn’t mind the silence. I realized that it was nice just having her there.
When we got back to the house, I told her to get some rest. She insisted that she didn’t need any, but I insisted right back.
“You’re exhausted. And anyway, my bed is more comfortable than you think,” I said, and she laughed.
“Better than a king-sized bed?”
“Oh, much better. Seriously, go have a two-hour nap. I need to do some work. I’ll come back and wake you in two hours. I promise you.”
She grinned. “Will you wake me with coffee?”
I smiled back. “Of course I will.”
I walked out the room, and when I popped my head in five minutes later, I saw that she was fast asleep. I stood there watching her for a while. The stress on her face had been apparent. But now, as she slept, she looked peaceful again. I checked the time and headed to the living room. There was no way I was going to go back to the ranch to work and leave her here, but I knew that she wouldn’t have fallen asleep otherwise. So I waited until it was time to wake her up. Then I made her a cup of coffee and went to wake her.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” I said as I entered the room.
She opened her eyes at the sound of my voice, and then she smiled when she saw me. “Morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
She sprawled out. “Actually, I did. You’re right. This bed is amazing.”
“Either that, or you really were that exhausted. Come on down when you’re ready. I’m taking you out.”
“Oh, uh . . . I’m not sure I want to go out. I’m sorry, Brady.”
“Nah, you’ll like this. Do you trust me?”
She looked at me then. Her eyes were bright and unblinking. “Yes, I do trust you.”
“Then I’ll meet you downstairs.”
I closed the door and heard her chuckle to herself. The sound filled me with more joy than I could imagine. It was nice to see her happy again.
Ten minutes later, she was downstairs and I handed her a flask.
“What’s this?”
“Coffee. I told you I’d make you some. But we’re having it on the go. Come on, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
I smiled at her. “I thought we’d take a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Don’t worry. Nobody will even see us. We’re walking to the ranch.”
She smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
We set off with our coffees out the back door and made our way to the ranch. On the way, we spoke about everything other than why she was really there. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it, and I didn’t want to push it. I was curious, but I figured she’d tell me in her own time.
“How’s your arm, by the way?” she asked.
I flexed it in front of her. “It’s doing good. Can you just imagine the sort of strength I have with both of them? I mean, I’d probably have won you two stuffed animals.”
She laughed. “You’re such a show-off. Have you seen your nemesis lately?”
“Nemesis?”
“The bull!”
“Ha! The bull. No, I’ve been ignoring him.”
“Good. He doesn’t deserve your friendship.”
“Oh, but Ryan called me and told me that someone uploaded a video of the bull throwing me off. I looked it up. It really looked bad.”
“It was bad! Now you know why we were all so worried.”
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t realize it was as bad as you all thought. I think I was just in such a daze that day.”
“Also, you were high on happy pills.”
I smiled. “Oh yeah. And sugar. That was fun.”
“That was fun,” she said and smiled. But I noticed a hint of sadness when she said it.
“Okay, we’re almost there,” I said. “And guess what we’re doing next?”
“Uh, you’re going to make me do some work at the ranch?”
I laughed. “Can you imagine what Harold would do if he found out that I did that? No, I’m not going to put you to work. We’re going riding.”
“BETTY!” she exclaimed, and her whole face lit up.
“No, I’m sorry, but Betty is mine. I’ll find you another horse,” I teased.
“Not a chance, mister. Betty is all mine. It’s two females against one male. We’ll win.”
“Just kidding. Of course, she’s all yours. She’s been moping since you’ve been gone, anyway.”
“Are you just saying that?”
I shook my head. “I’m actually not just saying that. She hasn’t been herself.” I wanted to add that I hadn’t been myself either, but I kept that part quiet.
When we got to the barn, Sloan ran straight to Betty. I noticed that she had tears in her eyes as she kissed the horse, and I watched with amazement as she saddled up without my help. Once she was on the horse, she looked at me.
“Come on, what are you waiting for? I think it’s time for another race, don’t you think?”
I grinned. “Okay, we can race again. But I’ll have you know, this time I’m not letting you win.”
“Oh yeah? Come on then; show me what you’ve got.”
I saddled up and joined her out onto the field. We rode around for a while and then made our way back to where we’d had our race the first time. I looked at her and smiled.
“So, what do I get if I win?” I asked.
“If you win then you get the satisfaction of having beaten me. But if I win, you have to make me steaks on that outdoor grill again.”
“This deal seems incredibly imbalanced.”
“Oh, are you scared?”
“Me? Scared? Of a little girl like you? Never!”
“Okay then, five, four, three, two, one, GO!”
We galloped toward the goal, with me slightly in front. Just like the last time I slowed down just before the end and let her win. She burst out into applause for herself.
“Woo hoo!” she yelled. Then she turned to look at me. “I’m glad to see I haven’t lost my touch.”
“You do know that I let you win, don’t you?”
She shook her head with defiance. “I’m sorry, but you simply cannot prove that fact. I hope you know that I expect a good outdoor dinner tonight.”
I sighed dramatically. “Well, a deal’s a deal.”
She chuckled, and we continued riding around. For the most part, our conversation revolved around the horses. We kept the topics light and funny. But every now and again, I’d see a shadow cross her face, and she’d look like she was about to cry. I wondered if she’d ever open up to me. I wondered what was going on in her life that was so bad she had to run away from it.
“You ready to go back?” I said after a few hours of riding.
She nodded. “Only if we can do this again tomorrow.”
“We can do it every day,” I said. I didn’t know how long she would be staying, but as long as she was there, we would find the time to ride.
We made our way back to the barn and put the horses away. Sloan went to grab some food and made sure that they all got fed.
“It’s strange to think that only a month and a bit ago you had never even touched a horse. Now look at you.”
She patted Betty and smiled. “Yeah. Well, it’s all thanks to you. You gave me a chance.”
She turned around and looked at me. Then, without saying a word, she walked right up to me and kissed me.
“I want you, Brady,” she whispered when we pulled away.
Every part of my body ached for her. “I want you too.”
“I want you right now.”
“Here? In the barn?”
She nodded. “I can’t wait.”
I looked around. We’d been riding around for ages, and we hadn’t seen anyone. And frankly, I wasn’t sure that I could wait either. I pulled her toward me.
“Neither can I.”