Falling

by Kris Bryant

  We sat in companionable silence until we got out of traffic and were on our way to the Doogan Ranch. Once we hit the open road, Piper entertained me with her knowledge of the area and places she’d been as a child.

  “I got lost up here one time,” she said.

  “As an adult or as a child? What happened?”

  “My family went camping right on the outskirts of Rocky Mountain National Park and I wandered off. I was eight and saw a deer that I knew was Bambi. They had a search party for me and everything.” She pointed to one of the park’s entrances. “We were about five miles that way, but they found me on the other side of the highway.”

  “Holy shit. How long were you missing?”

  “About a day. I hid from people because when you’re a kid, adults are forever telling you to stay away from strangers. I hid in some brush and crossed the street when it was dark.”

  “I bet your parents were happy to find you. And I’m sure you got into trouble, too.” I slowed down because the turn to get to the Doogan Ranch was just up over the hill.

  “Are we here already? That was really fast.” Piper looked at the vastness around us. “I’m glad you’re with me. I would be too scared to make this drive by myself.”

  I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I didn’t mind waiting. Plus, the time flew with you next to me.”

  Piper had the same reaction I did when I rolled up to the ranch the first time: complete awe. I told her I felt like I was instantly transported back to nineteenth-century Wyoming.

  “Oh, my God. This place is beautiful. And so big.”

  I gave a quick honk and parked beside the house. Jason and Marisa came out from the barn on horseback with two saddled horses in tow. Piper and I got out of the car.

  “Already? But we just got here,” I whined.

  Jason laughed as he slid off the horse to give us both hugs. “Leave your stuff here. We’ll get it later. We have to utilize every minute so that Piper gets the full effect of being a rancher.”

  Piper looked at me, her eyes filled with excitement and happiness. I melted.

  “Shaylie got us hats,” she said and slapped hers on her head.

  I met Marisa’s glare and winked. “I got the exact same thing.” I rolled my eyes to downplay the moment, but Marisa knew me too well. She was so hot and cold about Piper. Based on the hitched eyebrow and pinched lips, this was not a warm moment. I would hear about it later. I watched Piper mount the horse like a pro. Jason adjusted the stirrups to her height and handed her a canteen.

  “Just tie this to the saddle. You’ll have access to it whenever.” He turned to me and lifted me onto Betsy the horse before I even knew he was going to do it.

  “Jason!” I shrieked.

  He laughed. I blushed at Piper, who tried to be sympathetic but laughed with the others.

  “You guys are mean.” I adjusted my hat, took the second canteen from Jason, and pressed my heels into Betsy. Much to my surprise, she adhered to my command and trotted off. I leaned over and rubbed her neck, thanking her for making me look cool while I clutched the saddle horn and hung on for dear life. I pulled back the reins to slow her down and waited for the other three to catch up.

  “I thought you had only been on a horse once or twice before,” Piper said when her horse, Totem, pulled up alongside Betsy.

  “Right? Remind me to sneak Betsy a carrot for making such a cool exit.”

  “Totally cool. Marisa is still back there in awe.” Piper thumbed behind us. Marisa and Jason were a good twenty feet behind us with no clear intention of catching up.

  “That hat looks good on you.” I stopped before I told her all the reasons why. I did a great job picking it out. My hat was a few shades darker than hers, but the style was the same. I had to guess on the size. We were very similar in height and body structure, so I found one that fit me and grabbed her one, too. Never mind that they were expensive and came with a crushproof storage box that was worth a small fortune, too. I left those at my house for fear that Piper would think I was trying too hard. I was, but I didn’t want the rest of the world to know.

  “I love it already. Thank you,” she said.

  I glanced down at her full, red lips and tried hard not to think about leaning into her and kissing her. I winked at her and slowed Betsy down until Jason and Marisa caught up to us.

  “Aren’t you supposed to tell us the history of the ranch and all the things?” I asked Jason.

  “You sprinted on ahead, so I figured you were going to do it for me.”

  “I know two things. This ranch is huge, and your mother is the best cook.” I turned to Piper. “What else do you want to know?”

  “Maybe a few more things. Like how long has the ranch been here? How many head of cattle do you have? How many horses? How many ranch hands? What do you do in the winter? You know, normal things,” Piper said.

  Jason sidled up next to Piper and started the tour. I slowed down to ride alongside Marisa. “How was your night?”

  Marisa smiled wickedly at me. “I’m amazed I could get on this horse today.”

  I groaned. “I did ask.”

  “Jason packed us a nice dinner and we camped about two miles away near the stream,” she said.

  “You camped? Outside? Under the stars? Jason’s such a romantic.”

  “Hey, maybe it was my idea,” she said. We both laughed. Marisa was afraid of bugs and anything wild.

  “What about mountain lions? Or bears? Or aliens?” I asked.

  “Jason has a gun, and the horses would have alerted us if there was something nearby,” she said.

  “Look at you. All western and shit. I love it. You seem relaxed and happy,” I said.

  She reached across and squeezed my arm. “I really like him.”

  “Is the ranch thing a problem? I mean, it’s kind of impossible for him to move his job down to Denver and there probably aren’t a lot of detective jobs up this way. Have you talked about the future yet? Or is it too soon?”

  “We haven’t really talked about it. We’ve only known each other three months, so we’re trying to take it slow. But, Shaylie, it’s hard. It’s so hard not to open up to him and jump in feet first.”

  I completely understood because I was doing the exact same thing with Piper, only she didn’t know it. I had a crush on a woman who didn’t see me as more than a friend. Couldn’t see me as more than a friend because of something that tragically brought us together. Even if it ended up as unrequited love, I didn’t want to let her go. “I could see you up here at the ranch, though, riding horses and mucking stalls.”

  She pushed me and immediately grabbed me when I lost my balance and almost fell off Betsy.

  “Hey. This new model doesn’t want to break anything else for a long time. Ever, if at all possible.”

  “I’m sorry.” Marisa looked so concerned.

  “I’m fine. I’ve survived falls from higher than five feet off the ground,” I said.

  She made a weird noise and I looked up at her. Tears welled in her eyes and her chin quivered ever so slightly. I placed my hand on her leg.

  “It’s okay, Mar. I’m fine. I survived. You aren’t going to hurt me.”

  “I know. I’ll always be worried about you, though. We almost lost you.” She brushed an errant tear off her cheek.

  “I love you. It’s going to take more than a plane crash to get me out of your life,” I said quietly. I didn’t want Piper to overhear me for obvious reasons.

  “I love you, too. But what if I move up here? What if I have to choose between our life together and a life with Jason? I can’t lose you.”

  Her confession made my heart hurt. “If you move up here, I will come see you all the time. You know you’re the only one I love in this life. We’ve been through a lot. You’re never going to get rid of me. You’ll be less than two hours away. Don’t worry about me. You take care of you.”

  “I can’t leave you alone.”

  “I’m not alone. You know that I’
m married to my job. I have new friends and I’m branching out. I promise I’ll be okay. If you want to be up here with Jason, then do. We’ve always looked out for one another. Besides, when have I not cheered on love?”

  Marisa took my hand. “We’ll find you somebody. We aren’t getting any younger.”

  “Holy shit, have you been talking to my mom again?”

  * * *

  “Jason, this ranch is magnificent. Thank you so much for inviting me,” Piper said as we walked the horses back to the barn.

  “Thanks for coming. You all are welcome up here whenever.” He spent several minutes showing us how to unbridle our horses. We filled buckets full of water for them to drink and hosed them off before brushing them down. I smiled at how playful they were with the water, including Betsy.

  “This is why I always have to shower after we ride,” he said. He checked all the horses’ hooves for rocks or clumps of dirt and cleaned them out with a hooked instrument that looked more like a murder weapon than a simple cleaning tool.

  “Or it could be that we just rode sweaty horses for two hours.” I smelled my shirt and wrinkled my nose.

  “Welcome to ranch life. Go inside and shower. You and Piper get the apartment. Marisa will be staying with me.” He wagged his eyebrows and winked.

  I playfully covered my ears and sang a song because I didn’t want to hear his plans with my best friend. Piper retrieved our bags. We both had simple backpacks since it was only overnight.

  “This place is beautiful.” Piper slowly turned her head from side to side to get the full view.

  “We’re staying in an apartment that’s kind of behind the house. If we sneak around back, we can get cleaned up before Virginia finds us. I’d like to be clean when I see her again.” Piper followed me around back. We slipped into the air-conditioned apartment and dropped our bags on the couch. “There are two bedrooms. You can have that one.” I pointed to the one closest to us. “And my room is past the kitchen. They both have bathrooms, so I’m going to shower and I’ll see you back here in a bit.”

  Piper smiled and gently touched my arm. “You got some sun. This is probably going to hurt in a few hours.”

  The chills that popped up when she touched me were hard to hide. “The cool air is a dead giveaway. Whenever I get burned, I can’t get warm.”

  “Next time I’ll make sure you put sunblock on, too,” she said. She picked up her bag and headed to her room. “See you in a bit.”

  I closed the door to my room and grabbed fresh clothes from my bag. The layer of dust on my skin was also in my hair, so I did a thorough washing. I hurried because I didn’t want to keep Piper waiting. She still had to meet the rest of Jason’s family. I brushed my hair. The hat had blocked the sun from my face, but my arms were pink and stung a bit. I slathered lotion on them, slipped on my sandals, and left my room. I found Piper standing at the window looking at one of the corrals where some ranch hands were working with a horse. Her hair was damp and hung down over one shoulder. I had an urge to run my fingers over it because it was so thick and pretty. I looked out the window with her.

  “I’m starting to like horses, but my thighs are destroyed,” I said.

  Piper turned and smiled at me. “And here I thought I stretched you enough in yoga. I’m going to have to work you harder.”

  I quirked my eyebrow out of habit at the slight innuendo. I stepped back a bit for fear that I was too close, that her nearness would make me do something stupid. I turned and headed for the kitchen. “Would you like a water?”

  “Sure. What time is dinner?”

  “See? It’s either the air, or being in the sun, or riding a horse, but I’m starving when I’m here and I eat everything in sight.” I handed her a glass of ice and a bottle of water.

  “Well, we’ll only have a few meals here, so I think we can be excessive,” she said.

  I blatantly stared as she drank half the glass of water without stopping. Her skin was pale and lovely and the desire to touch her was strong. I stepped away again. Piper was driving me crazy and she didn’t have a clue. She looked so adorable that I audibly sighed. She wore fresh skinny jeans that hugged her hips and thighs. Her cowboy boots were polished and free of the dust that had covered them thirty minutes ago. The rust-colored shirt that she left unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up showed off her figure, and the white tank underneath clung to her breasts and abdomen. I caught a glimpse of cleavage when she bent to fix the hem of her jeans. I swallowed hard. She looked amazing. I looked like I was headed to the grocery store. I grabbed my hair tie from my wrist and started putting my hair up, but she stopped me.

  “Leave it down. It’s so pretty long and loose,” she said.

  I blushed and left the tie on the counter. “If you’re ready, let’s go meet the family.”

  Piper made me so nervous. She was so sure. My stomach quivered around her. Internally, I was a mess. I opened the door to the rest of the house. She slipped through and waited for me in the foyer.

  “Shaylie, you’re here.” Alison ran up and clutched my thighs.

  “Hey, baby girl. How are you? Did you just wake up from a nap?” I lifted her and rested her on my hip. She was small for four, so she didn’t put a strain on my back. “You want to meet my friend?” I waited for Alison to nod. “Alison, this is my friend Piper. Piper, this is my friend Alison.” Alison stuck her hand out for Piper to shake.

  “Hi, Alison. It’s nice to meet you. You’re adorable.” Piper playfully tugged on Alison’s sleeve. I could tell she wanted to squeeze her because that was one of my first reactions when I met Alison, too.

  “Alison is Miss Spur at the rodeo here in town,” I said proudly, even though I knew nothing about it.

  “Oh, how did you get that title?”

  “I roped a goat the fastest,” Alison said.

  “It wasn’t a talent show?” I thought it was a beauty contest.

  “That was my talent,” she said confidently.

  I looked at Piper and shook my head. “I wasn’t ready for that. I just saw her ribbon and the tiara on display the last time I was here.”

  “That’s great. Congratulations. You must be proud and important,” Piper said. She was great with Alison and gave her all the right exaggerated expressions.

  “I am. It’s a big deal.” Alison nodded, serious for just a moment.

  “It’s a very big deal,” Piper said.

  I could tell she was dying to hold Alison and probably would by the end of the night. “So, what’s for dinner? Where’s your grandma and your uncle?”

  Alison put her finger in her mouth as she thought about it. “Grandma is in the kitchen and Uncle Jason is upstairs with Aunt Marisa.”

  I turned to Piper and raised my eyebrow at Marisa’s title. She raised her eyebrow back at me. That was news and could only mean good things. “Do you know what’s for dinner?” I asked.

  “Some kind of meat and mashed potatoes. And some other things,” she said.

  “You need to be a better spy for me.”

  “I can be a good spy.” She furrowed her little brow in determination.

  “I know you can.” I carefully put her down. “Go ahead. We’ll follow you,” I said.

  Alison scampered off and we followed her to the kitchen. Virginia greeted me with the warmest hug.

  “Shaylie, it’s so good to see you. And you must be Piper.” Virginia reached out and clasped Piper’s hand with both of hers. “Welcome to our house. Have a seat, ladies.”

  “Can we help with anything?” I was anxious to be involved in food preparation only so I could steals bites of food before dinner. My stomach rumbled during a quiet moment and I wanted to drop to the floor in embarrassment.

  “Would you like something to eat just to tide you over?” she asked.

  I groaned. “You heard that, huh? I skipped lunch because I knew dinner was going to be incredible, but I didn’t realize Jason was going to make us ride as soon as we got out of the car.”

  Vi
rginia pointed for me to sit, pulled a biscuit from a warming basket, and slid the butter tray and a knife in front of me. Piper refused the offer and said she ate a protein bar before I picked her up.

  “You hate carbs, don’t you?” I asked after taking a bite right in front of her.

  “Are you kidding? I love them. I just can’t afford them,” Piper said.

  I snorted and took another bite. “Mmm. You don’t know what you’re missing. Plus, you look great. One biscuit won’t kill you.” I stopped talking because I realized what I just said. Word choice. We made eye contact and I couldn’t quite make out the emotions on her face, but they weren’t good. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

  “Piper, Jason tells me you’re a yoga instructor and you have your own studio. That’s very impressive.” Thank God for Virginia with the save.

  “Yes, Bodhi. It’s my dream job. I love everything about it. Shaylie is taking one of my classes. She’s doing a pretty good job, but with these carbs, I get why she’s always the last to get off the mats and head home.”

  “Sloth here.” I raised my hand. “And I suck at yoga and we both know that. I won’t last the bike trip. I should just cancel now and stay home and eat pizza and ice cream.”

  Piper raised her eyebrow at me. “You’re going to go and you’re going to like it.” She turned to Virginia to explain. “Over Labor Day weekend, me and four friends go on a biking camping trip. I finally convinced Shaylie to go, but she’s trying to come up with every reason not to.”

  “It sounds like fun, and I know that’s exactly what you need. Some fun.” Virginia squeezed my fingers gently, like a loving parent. “Now finish up before I open up the kitchen for dinner.”

  I offered Piper the final bite, but she shook her head. I rolled my eyes and popped it in my mouth. I moaned my appreciation at its tastiness. Piper smiled at my playfulness. I shrugged and put my dish in the sink, my shoulder barely brushing hers as I walked back to my chair.

  “So, do you have protection when you camp? Are you worried about running into mountain lions or bears?” Virginia asked.

  Christ, I hadn’t even thought about that.