Chapter Eight
Sloan
I set my alarm for seven that morning, figuring it would give me enough time to get ready and make my way to the farm to see Brady. Harold had told me to get there by eight but I highly doubted that I would even be there by nine. I didn’t think it would matter either way. Brady could wait. And I was sure he wouldn’t be there as early as eight, anyway. When my alarm went off, I took my time getting out of bed. They’d put us in a quaint hotel, more of a guesthouse really, but it was nothing like my apartment in New York, which I was starting to miss more and more each day. I couldn’t wait to be back in that bed again. I had plans for spending an entire day there, just stretching out and enjoying the space. When I finally got out of bed, I made some coffee and enjoyed some muesli and yogurt. I’d insisted on having a small fridge to keep my food in, and they’d happily obliged. What hotel didn’t give their guests a fridge? It was madness. After the breakfast, I hopped in the shower and then contemplated what I was going to wear for the day.
I’d brought more than enough clothes to last me for at least two months, as I didn’t want to be seen wearing the same thing every day. I thought about how smug Brady had been when I last saw him, and I decided that I was finally going to show him a thing or two about who he was dealing with. I grinned when I thought of the outfit that I was going to wear. It was a tight black dress, with a neckline that was just low enough to give someone a hint of what was below. I’d been told before that the dress caused men to go crazy when they saw me in it. And while Brady wasn’t exactly like most people I knew, he was still a red-blooded male.
I squeezed into the dress and decided to wear black boots with it. It wasn’t what I’d usually pair it with, but I didn’t feel like listening to him about how my heels weren’t right for the dirt. I put them on and looked in the mirror. The boots, as it turned out, looked incredible with the dress. I looked at the time. It was now quarter to nine, which I decided left just enough time to work on my hair and makeup. My hair was long and blonde, and a little bit too much for the Wyoming heat. So, I straightened it and put it up into a high ponytail, so that it would sway back and forth when I walked. I put on some foundation, added a bit of color to my cheeks, and then began working on my eyes and lips. By the time I was done, it was quarter to ten, and I looked incredible. I walked downstairs and asked the lady at reception if she could get a driver for me.
“Of course,” she said. She called the driver and told me that he’d be there in a few minutes. Then she looked at me breathlessly. “You look incredible,” she said.
I smiled at her. That was exactly the type of reaction I was hoping to get from people. I thanked her and made my way outside to wait for the car.
The driver, a youngish man with a long beard, barely looked at me. Which, in contrast to the receptionist, was not the reaction I was looking for. I figured he was just having a bad day.
When we got to the ranch, it was just after ten in the morning, and I was looking forward to spending a day showing off in front of Brady.
I made my way to the ranch, marveling at how much easier it was with boots on, and found Brady sitting in the barn again. For a few seconds, he didn’t see me standing there, and I watched in amazement as he kissed the horse. It was a rare moment of love and kindness that I hadn’t seen in him before, and I had to admit that it suited him. He was actually a very attractive man when he let his guard down. But when he turned around and scowled at me, I took it all back. He was also an incredibly frustrating man.
“You were supposed to be here at eight,” he said.
“Don’t I even get a hello?”
“Why are you two hours late? Did something happen?”
“Well, no. But I thought eight just seemed a bit early. I didn’t expect you to actually be here, to be honest.”
He laughed. “Typical,” he muttered under his breath.
“Well, what time did you get here?” I asked.
“I’ve been here since six.”
“Six? What on earth for? Are you crazy?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not crazy. Do you know how hot it gets here? The middle of the day is a scorcher. I get here early to get some work done before it gets too hot. Also, the earlier it is, the better it is for me to teach you how to ride the horses. Trust me; you’re not going to want to do that in the heat.”
“Oh, so you were going to teach me?” I teased.
“Like you said,” he mumbled, “I’m here at your service.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think you’d be here. Eight seemed early to me.”
“I’m sure it was. What are you wearing, anyway? I thought you wanted to learn how to ride horses today. Isn’t that what we were supposed to be doing?”
“Well, yes.”
“So, why are you wearing a dress? You look like you’re going to a nightclub. This is a ranch, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
I felt the color rise to my face. So much for impressing him with my outfit. If he didn’t like this one, then I wasn’t sure what he’d like. Maybe he’s just not into girls.
“I know I’m at a ranch. I just thought you were going to show me what you do. I didn’t think we’d actually go riding.”
“What? Are you serious? How are you supposed to learn how to ride a horse if you don’t actually get on one? Are you for real?”
“You don’t have to be so mean about it,” I said. I couldn’t believe this guy. I wasn’t sure what I had even done to make him so angry. I shook my head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“Look, Sloan, I promised you that I would teach you how to ride horses. And I’m a man of my word. But I can’t teach you if you’re dressed like that. And it’s already getting late. So, why don’t you just go on for now and come back tomorrow?”
“You want me to leave?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing I can show you today. And if you go change clothes and come back it’s just going to be too late for us to do anything. Just come back tomorrow and wear something a bit more sensible. Think about the fact that you’re going to be climbing onto a horse. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty in. I realize that you probably don’t own anything like that, but do your best. And be here at eight tomorrow. If you’re not, then I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to get someone else to help you. I will help you tomorrow, but only if you stick to those rules.”
I stared at him. A million thoughts and insults were running through my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I was too angry, and I was close to tears. The last thing I wanted was for this man to see me crying. He already thought I was an idiot and crying in front of him would only make things worse. I turned around and walked away. I thought he’d call after me, but he didn’t. I couldn’t believe that I’d spent my entire morning trying to look nice for this man. Why did I even care? What a waste of my time and energy that was.
I stormed back to the car and saw the owner of the farm. He had just parked his car next to mine and waved me over.
“Oh, hi, Sloan,” he said. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
I shot him a grateful smile. At least he was a man that could appreciate my effort. “Thank you, Harry.”
“It’s Harold,” he said.
“Sorry, Harold. I knew that. I’m just having a bad day.”
“What’s wrong? I thought you had a lesson with Brady today?”
“Yeah, I did. Well, I was supposed to at least. But he told me to go home and come back tomorrow wearing something more sensible. And he wasn’t happy that I got here so late. It wasn’t even that late, but according to him, it was unacceptable. But what do I know? I’m just a girl from New York who is trying to figure things out. I don’t want to look like a fool in front of the whole world, and I’m just trying to learn the most that I can. But he’s not making it easy.”
Harold chuckled. “Ah, he’s not a bad kid. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that Brady is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s just an old cowboy with a good heart. He just doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, that’s all. And he’s not used to changes. This whole production thing has really rattled him. But he’s not a bad person at all.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. He hadn’t exactly been very nice to me since I’d arrived. “He’s a very closed off man, isn’t he?”
“Oh, that’s for sure. He likes to keep to himself.”
“Did something happen to him when he was younger to make him like that?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I was even asking, but I was still quite curious about this angry cowboy that seemed to hate me.
Harold shrugged. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about his past at all. It’s something that he’s very closed off about. He doesn’t like to talk about it. All I know is that he’s a very good man and the hardest working person I know. I couldn’t ask for anyone better working for me.”
“Hmm, well, he certainly hides it well,” I said. “Anyway, I’m going to go back and spend the day practicing my lines. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
I wasn’t even sure why I had decided to come back the following day. Maybe it was because I really needed the lessons for the role. Or perhaps I just wanted to prove to him that I could do it. I wasn’t sure. The only thing I did know was that I was going to be there.