Chapter Nine
Brady
As usual, I was at the ranch early the following morning. Sunday was usually the one day that I didn’t come into work, but I didn’t mind. I liked being there without all the other workers around. I knew that only a few workers came in on a Sunday, and most of them would only start coming in later. It was nice to have the place to myself.
I highly doubted that Sloan was going to show up that morning. First of all, eight was just too early for a woman like her. And second, she didn’t seem happy with me when I called her out for her impractical outfit. Perhaps I had actually been a bit too harsh on her, but I couldn’t help myself. What was she thinking, coming for horseback lessons dressed in such a tight dress? So far, she didn’t seem to care about anything other than herself. And why should I be the one that helps her to do well in her role as a cowgirl? It wasn’t really fair that the whole world would watch her in the movie and think of her as this incredibly down-to-earth person, when really she was just the opposite.
I had to force myself to stop thinking about her and how much she annoyed me. I spent some time working in the barn and making sure that everything was ready just in case she didn’t show up. I would give her until five minutes past eight. And if she didn’t arrive, then I would take Betty out for a ride by myself. It had been a while since I’d taken her out, especially with so much going on at the farm at the moment. And I was looking forward to spending some time with her. I walked up to her and kissed her. “My favorite girl,” I whispered.
I was just about to do some more work when I heard a noise outside. I looked at my watch and saw that it was only seven thirty. It obviously couldn’t be Sloan. Perhaps it was Grant coming for a visit like he’d promised, or maybe it was Harold. I dropped what I was doing and headed outside to investigate the source of the sound.
I walked out of the barn and turned the corner. I was wrong. It wasn’t Grant or Harold—it was Sloan. She was half an hour early and was dressed in the most casual clothes I’d seen her in so far. Granted, they were still better clothes than most people in this town wore, but they were at least comfortable and suitable for horseback riding. She was wearing light blue jeans, a dark green shirt, and boots. And as I realized when I got closer, she had no makeup on. For the first time since meeting her, I thought that she could actually pull off being a cowgirl. Also, she looked far more beautiful like this than she did when she dressed to show off. But I wasn’t going to tell her that. She didn’t need a bigger head than she already had.
I nodded at her. “Seven thirty; this is impressive.”
She smiled. “And I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy. But I’m here.”
“You’re here. So, seeing as though you’re so early, would you like a cup of coffee? I was just about to get one myself.”
She beamed. I wanted to tell her that she should smile like that more often. There was a big difference in a smile that reached her eyes comapred to the usual grimace she showed me.
“I would love a cup of coffee. Thank you,” she said gratefully.
“Sure. Be right back,” I said.
I made my way over to the kitchen, heated two cups of coffee that I’d already brewed when I’d arrived, and walked back to give her a cup.
She took a sip and smiled. “This is amazing.”
“Thanks. I couldn’t live without my coffee,” I said.
“Really? I didn’t peg you for a coffee man.”
I laughed. “I’m useless without caffeine. I love coffee. I grind my own beans and all. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, I’ll have you know.”
I quickly took a sip of my coffee and berated myself for talking so much. I wasn’t usually such a big talker. I think I was just still so surprised to see her standing in front of me so early in the morning that I forgot to be mad at her.
“Life without coffee is no life at all,” she said and grinned.
“Well, drink up. We have a busy morning ahead of us.”
“Yes sir,” she said.
After the coffee, we got to work with the horses. I spent some showing her how to talk to them, and focused mostly on Betty because I knew that she was used to being around people.
“Betty is a great starting horse. She’s good with people. Now, the most important thing that you have to realize is that horses demand respect and love just in the same way as a human would. If you treat them badly, they will respond badly back. You have to show them that you care for them and that you mean them no harm. Always be gentle with them. And rule number one: never stand behind a horse.”
“Why not?” she asked. I glanced at her and was surprised to find that she seemed genuinely interested in finding out more.
“Well, if you’re behind them they are going to think that you are up to no good. They might get a fright and react badly without meaning to. And the last thing you want to have happen is to be kicked in the face by a horse.”
She pulled a face, “Ouch. Yeah, I don’t want that to happen. Okay then, duly noted.”
“Good, now I want you to reach out and touch her. Just gently.”
“Uh, do I have to?”
I laughed. “Sloan, you have to. Come on,” I said. I took her hand and gently put it on the side of Betty’s face. Her hands were soft and small inside mine, and as she touched Betty’s fur, she grinned.
“Hey, this is nice,” she said.
I chuckled. “I cannot believe this is your first time touching a horse.”
“Yeah, me neither. I just haven’t ever had this opportunity. I’ll be honest, I never really saw the appeal until now.”
“You’ll see, by the end of your stay here, you’ll love Betty as much as I do. She’s hard not to love.”
“She’s a beautiful horse.”
“She sure is. Look, she likes you,” I said. I still wasn’t too happy with having to spend my entire day with a diva like Sloan, but I was glad to finally see her at least trying. When she didn’t have her barriers up, she was actually a pretty pleasant person to be around. “Come on, then. Let me show you the proper way to saddle your horse, and the best way to mount them. We won’t do too much today, but by the end of the day, I want you to have at least gone on one ride.”
Her eyes widened.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be standing right here the whole time. And if you need help, I’ll be here. Just wait and see—you’ll be fine. Betty is a great horse to ride for the first time. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, and I saw her visibly relax.
For the next two hours, I taught her everything I knew about riding a horse, and what I thought she’d need to know for the movie. I’d never actually taught anyone before, and it was quite nice to show someone what I knew about them. I actually hadn’t realized I knew so much until that moment. Then, as we were finishing up, I helped her get on for her first ride.
“That’s it,” I said as she got up. “So, how does it feel?”
“I kinda like the idea that I’m taller than you now,” she said and laughed. “It’s wonderful, Brady. She’s beautiful. Come on, let’s ride.”
It was the first time that I’d seen her enthusiastic about anything, and when we got back from our ride, I could see that she had genuinely enjoyed it. Her eyes were bright, and I wondered if perhaps I had misjudged her. Grant had already warned me that I should be giving these people more of a chance rather than taking them at face value. Perhaps he was right all along, as much as I hated to admit it. But then, she ruined it all by opening her mouth again.
“That was amazing. I really enjoyed today. I cannot wait to tell everyone about this. They won’t believe me. You know, I’m going to sleep well tonight after this. Which, might I add, will be the first real sleep I’ve had since coming here. I don’t know how they can even have beds like that in a hotel. It’s tiny, and not great for my back at all. You should see the bed I have back at home. I stay in a loft, you see, and the bed is huge. You don’t even want to know how much I paid for it. It’s ridiculous, really. But there’s no price on good sleep and a fabulous view, I say.”
And just like that, I felt annoyed again. I didn’t say much when she was talking about her big apartment overlooking New York. But as we were closing up, I turned to her.
“You know, Sloan, I’m happy that you have such a wonderful apartment. It’s good to enjoy your home, especially since it’s the place that you probably spend the most time in. But if you want to come across as authentic in this role, then you’re going to have to understand that material things are not as important as you think they are. Maybe it’s different in your life, but out here, things are done in a different way. This is the opposite of a materialist world. Out here, our values are different. I’m not trying to be nasty or anything. I mean, I know we are two very different people. But just bear that in mind when you’re acting, and you’ll do great.”
She just stared at me, and then nodded. That was unlike her. We said our goodbyes and I watched as she walked back to her car. She stopped about halfway and turned around.
“Thanks for everything you did for me today, Brady. I know you took time out of your day for it. And I really do appreciate it, even if I don’t always show it.”
I immediately felt bad about the things I had said to her. She’d actually been really pleasant the whole day, and I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge. I sighed.
“Sloan,” I said before I could change my mind. “Maybe we can get dinner sometime? I can explain a bit more about how things are around here. And you can ask me any questions that you have about the ranching lifestyle.”
She didn’t say anything at first, and I wondered if she was going to laugh at my request. But finally, she smiled and nodded. “Well, we’re not shooting on Wednesday. Does that day work for you?”
“Wednesday is great.”
“Wonderful,” she said and walked away.
The moment she got into her car and drove away, I wondered what had come over me. I snapped back into reality and groaned at the thought of spending an entire evening with her trying to make small talk. What was wrong with me? Oh well, I thought, at least Harold would be happy that I was finally making an effort.