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Mirror Lake Ranch: Once in a Memory by Kendra Plunkett-Witt (12)


Chapter Twelve

Gentry

I’m not totally sure what made me put on the damn fire fighter suit, especially now that we walked arm and arm towards the party. What had sounded like a good idea at the house made me feel ridiculous now.

Sure, majority of the men here would be dressed up in something or another. But this was my eleventh Halloween party at Rosethorn and I had never dressed up prior.

I looked over at the bombshell on my arm. She smiled nervously at no one, just prep work. She wanted to fit in here. No one had yet to give any indication of how long she intended to stay at the ranch.

Despite our current situation, my opinion of her hadn’t changed. I prefer her the hell away from me. But apparently I am just as weak as I was in high school. I had no resistance to Krystina.

The party had been raging since five. The Morris’ always had plenty of candy and games for the towns kids. After nine o’clock at night it was a ‘kids at your own risk’ type of party. No one tried to get stupid but it was a lot of cocky ass cowboys on beer and whiskey. A crap shoot on if everyone would play nice or not.

“So you can just leave me at the door or punch table, wherever,” Krys said as we were feet from the edge of the crowd.

“I’ll help you find Ed or… someone,” I had almost said Boots but irrational jealously roared its head.

“You don’t want Ms. Morris getting the wrong idea. I’m not sure I made a good impression.”

“She will live. She has nothing to be jealous of.”

“Girls get jealous of other women touching their men.”

“I’m ending it with her.”

“At her own party?”

“If I must,” I shrugged.

“Thought you weren’t a thing?”

Krys was such a pain in the ass. “She’s my girlbuddy?”

“Girlbuddy? What the hell is that?”

“More than a fuck buddy less than a girlfriend.”

“Basically, you have been a fuck boy and leading her on.”

“I hate you,” I told her.

“So, you keep telling me,” she was sour and despite me trying to hate her I felt horrible.

“Krys… I didn’t mean,” I tried.

“Yes, you did,” she pulled away from me walking strong and powerfully forward. She didn’t need me to make introductions. Hadn’t needed me in high school – only the transportation to the party. Same as tonight, maybe even less.

Jimmy may have tried to strip her of her confidence but she still had it all. All the sass, all the pretty words and proper handshake. The right hair flip and shake of her hips and bounce of her ass with every step in those high heels.

Those cowgirls were going to hate her. But if she really came here looking for a rebound, she would have no problem not going home alone.

I rolled my eyes and listened to some obnoxious hooting and hollering coming from a band of cowboys outside the stable and main party venue.

“It’s Halloween. You’re supposed to be dressed up too,” I told them as I headed over.

A lanky ass cowboy named Jake who worked more rodeo than the ranch he called home on the other side of town, handed me a beer.

“Who’s the new girl?”

I turned to see her gold dress disappear inside. “New York Trophy Wife.”

“You’re kidding,” he answered as the other hooted and hollered. “How the hell did you get her?”

“Unfortunate circumstances. She’s a recently unemployed trophy wife and my new ranch hand.”

“No, serious,” a cowboy who’s name I couldn’t place said.

“Serious as death. Moved in two nights ago. Per my kid sister’s orders. We were all Illinois brats once up a time.”

“Is she looking for a re-bound. Hell, I could use a trophy wife,” the cowboy was starting to irritate me.

“I don’t exactly make it my job to know what Krys’ sex plans are anymore.”

The boys whistled.

Fuck me and my ‘anymore.’

I shook my head and walked towards the rest of the party ignoring the guys. After all, Ed was likely to jump my ass if he saw I let Krys walk in unescorted.

I made it just inside the show arena of Rosethron when Brittany rushed over to me and threw her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine before I could stop her.

I kissed her back only slightly before I could stop myself and tasted the vodka on her lips. Great, Brittany wasn’t exactly a good drinker. Like at all. She had a two drink limit before getting unreasonable.

If the taste on her lips was any indication she was on drink six or seven.

“Oh mi god! You dressed up this year! You look soooo hoottt,” she drunkenly purred running her hand up and down my chest.

I grabbed her hands. She was a fifties style nurse tonight and I was trying really hard to remember why I wanted to end this. Why I couldn’t just fall in love with her and be done with all of this. It’s not like we couldn’t merge both ranches if we had to. She kissed me again this time on my neck before I could remove her. I glanced behind her and saw a gold shimmer.

That was why. As much as my dick would be happy to plunge into Brittany right now, that would be about it. She was normally a pleasant enough woman to spend time with, no matter how naïve she could sometimes seem. That would all fade. With age and time.

But looking at Krys. I didn’t want Krys anymore. I didn’t love Krys anymore. But still, whoever I was going to be with should give me the same fire she used to. And make all the memories of her that haunted my dreams disappear.

I knew next to nothing about love. All my experience with the subject had been with Krys. But I also knew if I had really be in love with Brittany I wouldn’t feel the desire to rip out the throat of Robby McKormik the Rosethorn foreman as he asked Krys to dance.

“Come on, Gentry,” Brittany pouted, “Let me show you off.”

“Brittany,” I grabbed her hand and pulled her down a side exit to the stables.

“We can sneak to the house,” she purred.

“That’s not what we are doing,” I told her.

“We could.”

“That I’m sure. Look Brittany, are you sober enough for a serious talk?”

Her smile faded. “Of course.”

“You are aware that we were just having fun and that we aren’t serious right?”

“Well… yeah, I guess,” her face fell even further. I am such a dick.

“Damn Britt. You are such a great girl and you know that. I tried but it’s not right for me. I realized that awhile ago it has nothing to do with Krys if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Well, she came into town and now you’re dumping me!”

“Her divorce just reminds me that there is to short a time we’re here, to not try and force love out of attracting and affection.”

She laughed that drunk girl laugh at me.

“Britt I just didn’t want to be the fuckboy that stayed when I couldn’t give you more. Your party is a great opportunity to mingle with all the single men in a sixty-mile radius. And to forget about me.”

“Whatever Gentry, you were never that good anyhow,” and she waked out.

I would have taken the last comment to heart but she was drinking, I had just dumped her, and most importantly, I knew better.

I was fuckin great in bed.

I didn’t see Brittany when I walked back into the stable arena. The music was changing and as the song faded I heard the crackly musical tone that was Krystina’s laugh. In an instant I pin pointed her. She had her hand on the check of David Briland, son of the bank’s president Ezell Briland and quickly following in his daddies footsteps.

The two looked like a couple. Of course David was a twenties mobster so they matched, but that wasn’t the point. Krys was laughing and from the look of things from here, she was flirting.

She had picked up some big city sass and was working it. To the one man in the room who would appreciate it the most.

I smiled, Krys look so happy. I hated her for it.

Boots slid up next to me. “Your old lady is making out with some guy I’ve never met. We kicking his ass?”

“Brittany?” I asked.

“Yea.”

“Broke up with her.”

“When?”

“About three minutes ago.”

“Reasonable mourning period,” he handed me another beer.

“Yeah, well girls got to do what a girls got to do.”

“What about that girl,” we watched David lead Krys onto the dance floor.

I drained half my beer in two gulps. “Krys does what she wants. Always has, always will.”

“You’re still in love with her.”

“Have you ever known me to be in love with anyone?”

“Besides yourself? No, not really. So I’m going to ask her to dance.”

“Fine,” I growled and downed the rest of the beer. Before I knew it I was cutting Boots off and cutting in on David.