Elana
It was funny how one’s perspective could change, depending on the shape of their life, who they encountered, and where their plans lead them. When all the guilt, anxiety, and fear was stripped away, the things that bothered you before sometimes became some of the most exciting things in your life. Case in point: today was the day that the crowds descended onto campus, decked out in their favorite collegiate football gear, ready for an exciting day in the stands. It just so happened that on this day, we would also be part of this surge of bodies, rallying together to support the home team.
Our lives had changed drastically over the last three years, but they were changes that dreams were made of. As I stood in the nursery, surrounded by the decked-out room filled with sporting memorabilia and of course, done in University of Wisconsin colors, I smiled, looking down at my adorable little boy. I tickled his belly as I pulled a Badger outfit over his head, securing it and then buttoning the rest between his legs before pulling on the matching pants. He one-and-a-half already; I just couldn’t believe how fast time flew by. It felt like only yesterday Ollie was telling me just how much he loved me, cooking breakfast in the kitchen at my old house. Now, we had moved into a larger place, with a yard and play area for Sebastian, and our lives were so blissfully normal.
I laughed, looking down at my boy, watching him squirm and giggle beneath me. He wanted to stay at home and play, not understanding the significance of this day for his daddy. I picked him up and sat down on the floor with him between my legs, needing a bit more room for this wiggle worm. It definitely took patience getting a one-and-a-half-year-old dressed, but today was a special day, and I had his outfit made just for the occasion. After several minutes of fighting him to let me finish buttoning and snapping, I pulled my hands away, giggling at the finished project. The hassle had definitely been worth it in the end.
“What do you think?” Ollie asked, appearing in the doorway.
I smiled and laughed, shaking my head at the outfit that now matched his son’s perfectly. Sebastian cooed and giggled on the floor, pointing up at Ollie and repeating, “Dada” over and over again. Ollie’s eyes widened with excitement at Sebastian lying on the floor looking up at him. He walked over smiling big, picking him up off the floor, and holding him high over his head.
“You, sir, look better than I do in this getup.” He laughed. “We’ll have to keep Mommy busy when the ladies swarm us later.”
I laughed loudly, sitting on the floor and watching with fondness as he swung him around slowly, holding him under the arms and making plane noises as he turned. Ollie was obviously excited, and for a good reason. He and I were taking our son to his first ever football game. He had been way too young to brave the cold Wisconsin fall during the last season, but this year, he would get to see it all from his father’s lap. Mike had found out we were going to take Bastian, as I called him, to his first game and surprised us with box tickets, so he could see all the action without getting a beer spilled on his little head. Mike and his family had actually become very good family friends, and we had cookouts with them pretty much the entire summer. We were actually planning a big family and friend Thanksgiving together at my mom’s this year. As could be expected, my mother was already planning for it, so excited to have such life circulating through the house again.
As I sat there watching Ollie play with Bastian, I smiled widely. In the place in my chest where I used to feel a gaping hole, there was now the chitter chatter and cooing of my little boy. In my heart, where I thought it would never be whole again, I felt the warmth of Ollie’s smile. I was so supremely happy at how our lives had turned out. It was better than any daydream I had as a young college student looking up at the ceiling, thinking about Ollie.
These last few years weren’t without trial, but not one bit of that trial was between Ollie and me. In fact, every trial and tribulation that we had faced, we had done it together, holding hands, and facing these things head on with each other’s support. When I used to think of the kind of relationship I wanted, it seemed so impossible, so far away. When Ollie came into my life for good, I realized that I was aiming low, and that real relationships like Ollie and I had were even better than anything I could have dreamed up in my head. The dedication and tough work to keep a relationship alive for most couples was just a daily occurrence for Ollie and me. We had become two peas in a pod, thinking similarly, making the same jokes at the same time, and of course, me still beating the pants off him at putt-putt. I was pretty sure that he had been my servant for at least half of the three years that we had been together, but he just wouldn’t give up on trying to win the game. Part of me really thought he just enjoyed being my servant. My heart beamed all the time, and even in the hard moments, he brought me warmth and comfort that I could never imagine getting anywhere else.
When our pod started to expand, it was the most exciting time of our life yet. I didn’t think I could love anyone as much as I loved Ollie, but when Sebastian was born, sporting his father’s grin and my scrunched-up nose when he laughed, my heart nearly exploded. I could still remember the day that I told him I was pregnant. It had been a warm spring day, and I had gone to the doctor to get a check-up. I had come to the time in my pills where I was supposed to start a new pack but never got a period. I hadn’t really thought anything of it, and then he gave me the news. I was completely floored and went right home, preparing a present that would give Ollie the news. Ollie just embraced me tightly, unable to speak, tears filling his eyes. When Sebastian came, I watched as Ollie transformed from being the perfect husband and perfect partner into the perfect dad. I was pretty sure no one could love someone as much as he loved Sebastian.
I could see the shimmer in Ollie’s eyes the first time he held his son, and he loved him even before that. He spent hours a day just sitting next to me talking to my belly, reading stories, reading the latest football news, and telling him just how excited he was to know he was going to be with us soon. After that, it was all history, and Sebastian and his father had been inseparable. When he woke up at night, Ollie was the first person at his crib to calm him, help feed him, or just sit there for support. There was never a back and forth agreement. Sharing the load, we both took every moment we could to show that little boy how much we loved him.
There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t thank fate for helping me work past my doubts and put my faith in Ollie. Sure, it was scary at first, having been through so much, but it was almost instantaneous once I had given in to the idea that Ollie truly loved me that we became best friends again. Ollie made it really easy for me to trust him, be there for him, and walk beside him as a team. He was caring, committed, and always present, even when he was exhausted. I had worried that being parents would separate our bond a bit, forcing each other to take our stresses out on the other person, but that never happened, not even once. We knew that we were once again in the same boat, so we leaned on each other for strength.
Lillie was still very much a big part of our lives. With all the history we had together, it was impossible for her not to be. Now, though, instead of spiraling out of control and allowing the ghost of Lillie to rule our lives and our decisions, we focused on the good memories, telling stories, laughing, and moving through the grief in a happy and healthy way. I knew she was looking down on me from her happy place, or wherever we go from here, and I know that Sebastian was watched over by her as well. It was a much better way for her ghost to be involved than the torture we brought onto ourselves.
From the moment I let Ollie back into my life, he had done everything he could to show me that our relationship was unique. He wanted me to never doubt his allegiance or love for me as a person ever again. When it came down to it, when I had given my heart to him, I realized that the doubt I felt before had quickly slipped away, leaving me free to love Ollie with no fears or apprehension. I never doubted his love for me ever again. That strength brought a clarity to our lives that was hard to explain. It was like all the anxiety, and all the fear just floated away, like the dark spaces that had gone when Lillie’s ghost slipped into the mist. We had no reason to wish for it back, and we were so much more in love because of that.
“You ready?” Ollie walked over and helped me up off the floor.
“I am,” I said, smiling at Sebastian. “Let’s grab our coats. It’s going to be a cold one.”
We pulled on our jackets and the matching jacket for Sebastian and headed out the door together. We joined the crowd in red, white, and black, walking down the street laughing, talking, and enjoying the excitement that they all shared for the upcoming game. Sebastian laughed and pointed, and the different people covered in paint or dressed as the mascot just looked at him and smiled. His heart was contagious, and every time Sebastian lit up, I could see a little bit of Lillie shining through.
As we walked, I breathed deeply, taking in the cold Wisconsin air and smiling at my two boys. I could feel a sense of contentment that spread over my body like a wildfire. I had found the perfect man to spend the rest of my life with, and it was so precious and unexpected that I felt that I would never lose appreciation for him. Ollie and I looked at life a little differently than most. We knew it was short and fleeting, and we knew that love was what kept us, as people, going through, surging for a better tomorrow. I tried every day to wake up with a smile on my face and an excited view towards the day ahead of me, and I had Ollie to thank for that. My heart felt like a stadium full of energetic fans. It pulsed and jumped with the beautiful and exciting things that surrounded me on a daily basis. Life was always so sweet now, and I knew it would be for the rest of my life with Ollie by my side. I was overflowing with happiness, and I never wanted it to stop.
That’s the end of the Best Friend’s Ex. Below I included 4 of my previous books to read as a free bonus.
YOUR FREE BONUS BOOKS
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Cheyenne
I loved autumn. The change of colors in the trees, the crisp early mornings, the still nice warm days but cooler evenings. There’s enough of a chill in the air to make you think beef stew sounds like a good thing—yet none of the problems the winter brought. I loved it.
The horses loved the cooler weather too. Not that heat was that much of a problem in Green Point, Oregon. Sure, it could get hot and dry, but the higher temperatures were only for a few months, and a good share of the summer was a perfect eighty-five degrees. Hot enough to feel like summer, but not so much to cause heat problems with the horses. They grazed happily among the forty-five acres of sprawling fields.
Except for now though.
Cradling a cup of coffee, I gazed out through the front window in the direction of the massive barn, next to which about fifteen horses were currently gathered. They whinnied impatiently, looking in the direction of the back door while they waited for either Tiffany or me to step out.
I smiled. It had taken six years to save up and build the ranch. The horses that came through the gates at the front of the property had been either abused or abandoned. Some of them took years to regain trust in a human hand. The horses became my children in one way or another. I took my time when it came to finding good places for them to go, and some of them never left.
My stomach curled unpleasantly when I thought of the pink ‘past due’ slip that had come through the mail two days ago. Money was tight—way too tight for my liking. The grants were enough to cover the basics, but when it came to the mortgage on the property, it was a different story.
“Cheyenne?”
“Oh, sorry, Tif—what?”
Tiffany stood in the door frame between the living room and kitchen. Steam curled from the cup of coffee she had poured herself.
“I said we should get a move on with the feeding,” she said. “They are waiting not so patiently for their breakfast.”
“Right.”
“Hold on.” She placed a hand on my shoulder, frowning slightly with one eyebrow raised. “What’s going on with you?”
I frowned back at her. “Nothing. Why would you ask that?”
“Maybe because you’re pale and look like the Grim Reaper is about to stop by any second.”
“Pffft.”
Tiffany’s eyes scoured my face, and her expression implied that she didn’t believe a word I said. It didn’t surprise me. Tiffany’s uncanny ability to read expressions and pick up on personal energies and body language was one of the main reasons I hired her to help out with the sanctuary and ranch. I needed someone that could read others—especially people who came in looking to adopt a horse. Many of the horses we sheltered were either neglected, abandoned, or severely abused. It was comforting to have Tiffany at the sanctuary because she could pick up on that sort of thing before I could even run a background check.
The horses loved her too. They trusted her just as much as I did.
“We better get to feeding, or we’ll be fixing that fence this morning,” I said and pulled away from her. “You know how they get if they don’t get their oats first thing.”
There were a few times when certain horses had arrived at the ranch beyond terrified of any human contact. There were others who trampled through fences, or over horses, to get to food. The ones currently standing at the gate especially looked forward to mealtime.
We quickly downed the rest of our coffee before rinsing the mugs out in the kitchen sink. Grabbing a jacket, I followed Tiffany’s swinging blonde braid out to the barn through the chilly morning air. A bit of misty fog still clung to the sprawling field around the barn, and the morning dew sparkled in the sunlight. The quiet here was one of the main reasons I had fallen in love with Green Point. The town was small, and there was plenty of room for the sanctuary.
The next few hours flew by as they usually did, with Tiffany chatting cheerfully with the horses while we attended to the morning chores, which included handling the horses and brushing them down. I half-listened to her chatter while I brushed out the palomino mare with gentle strokes. Her ribcage was covered in deep scars from running through a barbed wire fence in an attempt to escape from the terrible treatment she had endured.
My blood simmered when I traced one of the jagged scars across her belly. How anyone could torture any animal was beyond me. The mare nickered softly, shifting beneath my hands.
“I know, girl,” I said, rubbing her neck affectionately. “Trust me… I know.”
She tossed her head empathetically before directing her attention to the clumps of hay on the floor.
“I swear they know what you’re saying sometimes,” Tiffany said. “The connection you have with these horses is amazing.”
I gave the palomino a friendly pat on her hindquarters. She moved on without hesitation to enjoy the warm sunlight in the field. I grinned over at Tiffany as she finished brushing one of the dark brown mares.
“They call me the horse whisperer for a reason,” I said.
Tiffany laughed, “I know, right? No telling how many times in the last six months I’ve heard someone say that.
“I suppose I should take it as a compliment. I’d rather be called some version of that than some of the other names that have been directed my way.”
“If anyone calls you bad names, I’ll kick their ass,” Tiffany stated calmly as she set her brush down for a moment. “I’m serious, Cheyenne. You are by far the best boss I’ve ever had, and you’re doing a really good thing here.”
“Well, no one in Green Point has been rude to me so far.” I said, as Tiffany moved on to another horse. “Maybe that sort of trouble is gone with the wind.”
I hoped so, at least. Moving to Green Point had been motivated by other things—not just the horse sanctuary and sprawling acres covered in evergreen pines. Dexter Ray was one of those reasons.
The pit of my stomach curled unpleasantly at the thought of my ex-boyfriend who had singlehandedly run me out of Portland. So, no more dating. No more men. Just horses. That was the mantra I had repeated to myself while signing the papers for the ranch. I couldn’t afford to let myself get wrapped up in a man again.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Tiffany asked.
Wariness filled me at the hopeful look on her face. “It depends on what you’re going to say next; what are you thinking?”
“I was just going to suggest coming to the Iron Stallion,” she said. “You know my brother’s an awesome bartender, and the food there is amazing.”
The Iron Stallion was a small restaurant and bar on the edge of Main Street. The food was delicious, along with the drinks, but it was mainly Colt that drew in the females in town. Not that I blamed any of them.
My cheeks burned mental images of Colt’s strong, broad chest popped up. He had the same fair blond hair as Tiffany and matching cerulean blue eyes that could cut right through anyone. He and Tiffany were fraternal twins. Another factor making Colt irresistible was the fact that no one ever messed with him. He stood six-foot-two in his boots, towering over most everyone, and had a no-nonsense attitude with anyone who had too many drinks.
He used to be a rancher as well, from what I was able to gather through Tiffany. Their parents owned three different ranches, all in different states, and Colt supervised the one in Green Point in addition to running his restaurant.
No men, Cheyenne. Only horses. Remember?
“Maybe,” I said, quickly turning away to hide my burning face. “I’ll think about it, okay? But I’ve got to warn you; there’s a book in my living room calling my name.”
“You are such a hermit,” Tiffany said, sighing. “Come hang out with me, at least for a while. I know Colt would like it if you came along.”
I didn’t miss the coyness in her voice.
“Why is that?”
“You two have a lot in common.” I rolled my eyes at Tiffany’s lame attempt to dodge the question. “He’s single like you. He owns a ranch. Sort of. I think you two would hit it off great.”
“Wait, I thought you told me he was so much happier now that he has the Iron Stallion. He must not love the ranch life that much. Does Colt know that you are trying to set us up?”
“I wouldn’t call it trying to set you up,” she said but grinned when I turned to raise an eyebrow at her. “And, of course, he loves ranching. But he wanted to try his hand at building his own business, you know. Look, it was just a suggestion, that’s all. I know you have a no dating policy, but—”
“You still keep trying to fix me up with your brother.”
Tiffany opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the shrill ringtone of my phone from the tiny office in the barn. Grateful for the interruption, I handed her a pitchfork before hurrying into the office. A quick glance at the caller ID told me it was Jacob Myers—the local vet for the surrounding area. There was only one reason that Jacob would be calling me on a Saturday afternoon, especially since he knew I was closed.
“Hi, Cheyenne; sorry for the weekend call, but I have a horse here at the clinic that needs to be picked up. I’ve been treating him for malnourishment, and I already stitched up some wounds.
My heart dropped, “Is there evidence of abuse? It wouldn’t be the first time a horse ran through a fence, right.”
“Direct evidence, Cheyenne. I confronted the owner over the phone about the scars and neglect, which he denied. I got an ill response when I told him I’d be keeping the horse because he refused to pay for treatment, but also because I suspected abuse. That didn’t go so well. Bottom line is I can’t keep him here.”
“That’s because it’s basically theft.”
“Right, but we’ll deal with that later. We’ll get the damn law involved if we have to.”
“Fine. Any temperament issues? Will loading be a problem?”
“Nothing a bit of sedation can’t handle. I’ll get that ready to go. Just pull around to the back.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll hitch up and see you in a bit.”
I turned to find Tiffany standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Another horse?” she asked.
Sighing, I tucked my work phone into the back pocket of my jeans and reached for a blank manila folder to gather all the information I could from Jacob.
“Yeah. That was Jacob. Direct signs of abuse, and the owner won’t even pay for the treatment.”
“I don’t understand it,” Tiffany said, sadness filling her eyes. “How can people do this to animals?”
My heart clenched thinking of it too. That was why I devoted every bit of time I had to the horses that came here. They deserved a good future—if it wasn’t on my own ranch, it would hopefully be with someone who had the time to undo the damage of past abuse.
“I need to hitch up the trailer and get going. Jacob is waiting for me at the clinic. Looks like I’ll have to pass on the Iron Stallion tonight.”
“I understand. Do you need some help?”
“I’ll be fine,” I smiled assuredly when Tiffany frowned at me. “I can handle a spooked horse. Besides, Jacob said he was going to sedate it.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” I said. “I’ll see you on Monday morning. Enjoy your weekend.”
I waved goodbye to Tiffany after hitching up the horse trailer. She gave a cheerful wave from her black truck before disappearing down the long stretch of dirt road that ran in the direction of town.
Sliding behind the steering wheel, a pang of disappointment washed over me. A nice meal out plus a drink, all while taking in Colt’s sculpted physique did sound pretty good. Even if I couldn’t get involved, I could still enjoy the view and fantasize at least.
I sighed as the truck roared to life. Fantasies were about all I had these days.