by Dawn Brower
“Right. Do you honestly believe it’s that easy?”
It was Dallas’s turn to be baffled. What the hell was he talking about? So he came out and asked him, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I know you. Something must have happened. You do not smile. Ever.”
“I asked you to leave it alone, Wes. Don’t ruin the first good day I’ve had in a long time.”
Wes held both hands up and backed away. He nodded at Dallas with agreement. “Fine. I won’t push. So ya know, I’m happy for you, and I can’t wait to meet her.”
“What the fuck are you talking about now?” Dallas demanded.
“Like I said. I know you. Nothing makes you smile on this ranch. It has to be a woman.”
A frown formed on Dallas’s face. Do I really never smile? What does that say about me? He brushed those thoughts away as trivial. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, as usual. I don’t have a woman in my life.”
A huge grin came over Wes’s face. “Keep denying it. It’s not going to make it any less true, bro. You’re falling and hard this time.”
Dallas wasn’t going to argue with his brother. Wes had no clue what he was talking about. He was not falling for Ginnifer. They were only having fun with each other. They barely knew each other. A few conversations and one romp of sex did not mean he wanted more from her. She was leaving in a little over a week, and then they would be done. Instead he decided he needed to change the subject, so he looked over at Wes and said, “Why don’t you tell me what happened to you. You’re a mess. I thought you were going to check on the stallion over in the back pasture.”
Wes’s lips pressed together as anger filled his eyes. His forehead crinkled and his eyebrows pressed down with displeasure. He looked over at Dallas and said, “Well yeah, that was the plan, and I did manage to get out there.”
“You make it sound like something went wrong. What could’ve happened while you were checking on a horse?”
“Anything with that damned nuisance currently on the ranch.”
Dallas raised his eyebrow and stated, “Nuisance?”
“Vitoria Miene,” Wes uttered, contempt filling each syllable of her name as he damn near spit it out of his mouth. From his expression, it was clear how much he disliked the woman. Wes had never reacted this strongly to a woman before. Wes got along with everyone, literally. He could walk up and have a conversation about the weather and leave the person with a smile on their face. Wes was capable of making the most depressed person on the planet laugh. There had to be something about Vitoria that disturbed him for him to have that strong of a reaction to her. Dallas had no idea exactly what those feelings were, but he would bet Novak Springs it didn’t start out as hatred.
With a smile still firmly in place, Dallas looked at his brother and intoned, “Ah.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Wes asked.
“Yup.”
A look of surprise crossed Wes’s face as he asked, “You don’t even want to know what happened?”
“Nope,” Dallas said.
“Wow. I can’t believe you’re not going to lecture me. I know something is up now.”
“Nah. Nothing’s up. I’ll say one thing, though.” Dallas began to stroll toward the door to exit from the stables.
“What’s that?” Wes asked.
Dallas stopped at the entrance of the barn. Before he left, he turned around with a parting shot at his brother, “I couldn’t have picked a better woman for you if I’d tried.” Throwing back words very similar to the ones Wes had said to him earlier. Turnabout was fair play after all.
He could hear his brother’s exclamations of anger as he strolled toward the house. Dallas wasn’t going to let Wes’s comments get to him. Yeah, he had started an affair of sorts with Gin, but that’s all it was. They didn’t have a relationship, at least not the long-term kind. It was understood it was only a fling while she was on the ranch. Wasn’t it? He needed to talk to her and make sure they were on the same page as far as that went. The last thing he wanted was some misunderstandings to color the short time they had together. Yeah the first thing he needed to do when he saw her again was set down some ground rules. Dallas had messed up by skipping that and jumping in with her. He hadn’t expected her to give in as easily as she had, not that he wasn’t grateful. There wasn’t a damn thing he would change about their afternoon in the barn, but he had to backpedal a bit. With that decision made, Dallas walked into the house. It was well past dinner time. Gin had said she would come to see him after dinner to discuss her questions about the ranch to include in her article. He would get those formalities out of the way when she came to see him. After that they could continue to enjoy each other…
Chapter Fourteen
Ginnifer and Tori were laughing as they strolled back to their cabin. They had taken advantage of the horseback riding that evening and enjoyed their time together. All was right in their world, at least as far as their friendship went. They had taken the time to discuss everything and hashed it all out. They let their tempers lead them instead of what they knew of each other. They set their differences aside for the sake of their friendship. Tori reviewed Ginnifer’s article and talked to Colt. Everything looked good, and it was cleared to appear in the next issue of the magazine that Ginnifer worked for.
Tori reached up to the caramel ponytail swinging on top of her head and pulled the hair tie tighter as she said, “Colt seems to be handling things as well as to be expected. I might have to leave the ranch a few days early. It didn’t occur to me that I might have to handle the shit storm surrounding the results of the paternity test.”
“I hadn’t considered that, either. When did he say they were coming in again?” Ginnifer asked.
“At the end of next week, Thursday I believe. We’re supposed to be here until Sunday afternoon, correct?” Tori asked.
Ginnifer’s mind began to race as she thought about all the things she still wanted to do on the ranch. She didn’t really want to leave early. As things stood, she only had a short time with Dallas. Leaving earlier than planned would deprive her of what little time she was allowing herself to have with him. Only one option would allow her to remain and let Tori go to Seattle on Thursday. Looking over at Tori she said, “I don’t really want to leave here on Thursday. Do you think you can take the rental car to Seattle, do everything you need to, and then come back and pick me up on Sunday?”
“I don’t understand why not. It may not be necessary, though. I’ll call Colt tomorrow and get a better grasp on how things are going and decide then.”
“All right, let’s play it by ear.”
“So what do you think about our assigned teams for the scavenger hunt tomorrow?” Tori asked.
During dinner Emma had announced the teams, and they were both disappointed they were not on the same team. Tori was actually pissed because she had been put on the team led by Wes. With as much animosity that was floating between the two of them, that pair up was sure to be a disaster. Ginnifer, on the other hand, was happy to find out she was on Dallas’s team. Two days ago that would have upset her. It was strange how quick a person’s feelings could change. Imagine what could happen if they had more time together. It was a scary thought. After they had assigned teams, it turned out that Dallas’s team had been short a person. That was when the yoga instructor piped up and volunteered to even the numbers, so both of her new cabin mates had been assigned to her team, Shelly and Melody. Ginnifer wasn’t too happy she would have to deal with Ms. Happy Pants through the whole scavenger hunt. The few times she had actually made it to yoga, she had to restrain herself from snapping at the woman. It still surprised her it wasn’t just lack of coffee that made her want to smack her silly. That woman was way too perky to be normal. It made her wonder if she was hiding something nefarious, and her chirpy nature was a mask of some sort. Clearly she had an overactive imagination. Melody probably was exactly what she appeared to be, a perky yoga instructor out to lead the
m to a new plane of peace and love.
While they were walking, they began to talk about what was weighing on their minds. For Tori it was the aggressive way that Wes was targeting her. He really appeared to have it out for her, and Ginnifer couldn’t comprehend why he had such an intense hatred for Tori. It was baffling how much animosity he held for her. There were so many sparks flying around when they were together a match would set them to flame. It was both terrifying and awe inspiring all at once.
All Ginnifer could think to say was, “It should be an interesting event.”
Tori sighed and with a grim look on her face she asked, “Ginny, do you think I’m overreacting where Wes is concerned?”
Ginnifer tilted her head to the side thinking about it. Wes had made it clear that he didn’t like her. So she probably was only reacting to his actions. She couldn’t actually be sure, though, so she said, “I don’t know. He has very strong reactions to you. Are you sure you’ve never met him?”
Tori shook her head no. “I’m positive. I’ve never met that man in my life. He acts like he knows me, though. I’ve thought a lot about it, and there truly can only be one possible explanation.”
“Really? What do you think it is?”
With a long sigh, Tori stopped and looked at her. She said the one name that said everything for her, “Vivian.”
“Oh God, you’re right. I forgot about her. What has your evil twin been up to?” Ginnifer asked.
She shrugged her shoulders with uncertainty. “I’ve no idea. I haven’t spoken to her in a couple of years. What do you think she did to Wes? I mean I love her, she is my sister, but she is capable of anything. I wonder where Wes went to school? It’s possible he went to the same place she did. We scattered to the opposite ends of the Earth after we graduated high school. We couldn’t get far enough away from each other. She went west and I stayed east.”
“Oh God, I had the most horrible thought go through my mind.”
Tori looked at her and asked, “What?”
“The Wicked Witch of the West flew home.”
Tori laughed with pure amusement to Ginnifer’s comment. It was good to see her smile and laugh after the last few days. Their vacation had gotten off to a rotten start. Once Tori’s laughter began to subside, she held her hand up, gesturing for them to stop walking. She looked at Ginnifer and told her, “I think my movie obsession is finally starting to rub off on you. I never thought I’d hear something referring to a movie come flying out of your mouth. It does a heart good to see my good work start to pay off.”
“Pfft, seriously. I don’t like movies. I prefer books, you know that. There’s no way to prevent that stuff you make me watch from sticking in my brain.” Ginnifer blabbered.
Tori had a warm smile on her face as she looked at Ginnifer. “I know, but you watch them for me. I do appreciate it.”
“Well back to the subject at hand, where did Vivian go to school?” Ginnifer asked.
“University of California, Berkeley. Vivian thought it was the best school for what she wanted to study. It also had the added benefit of being located on the other side of the country.”
“What did she study?” Ginnifer asked. She looked up at Tori and waited for her answer.
Tori was chewing on her bottom lip, so what she had to say wasn’t completely an easy answer. “Political Science, Prelaw. Last I checked, she graduated law school and was working at a top corporate firm in San Francisco. Strange that we started on similar paths but ended up in different careers. I have a law degree but chose to work in public relations. I use my knowledge of law to negotiate the best contract possible for my clients. It’s part of why I’m so good at my job. After I graduated, I kept thinking do I really want to do this? The answer was no. Of course, you know most of that already. I never talk much about Vivian with her being such a sore subject.” Tori looked at Ginnifer as she finished speaking. Sadness was shining clear out of her blue eyes. It must really be hard for her to have a twin so completely distant from her. Their relationship bordered on hatred. They really could not stand to be around each other and ended up fighting constantly. Their issues stemmed from the rivalry cultivated by their parents. Tori had told her how her parents believed they could garner superior children by pitting them against each other. It was their belief that by having them compete against each other they would both want to succeed, resulting in award-winning academics and stellar careers. They were so successful, both girls had earned full scholarships to their schools of choice and ended up resenting each other in the process. Vivian was hell to be around. The few times Ginnifer had met her, she couldn’t wait to get away from her. She was intensely jealous of Tori and tried to undermine everything she did. It was for the best they didn’t contact each other that much.
“So what are you going to do if Vivian really is the reason that Wes has taken an instant dislike to you?” Ginnifer asked.
With a resigned smile Tori told her, “Nothing. I don’t see the point. We’ll be gone in a week. I don’t plan on ever seeing him again. What’s sad is that I’m willing to bet he’s a really nice guy once you get to know him, but we’re oil and water. There is zilch that’s going to make us mix well together. Why fight it when there isn’t any reason to?”
“I guess I understand. Still, the scavenger hunt is going to be difficult. I hope he doesn’t make things hard on you. Maybe you should at least ask him about Vivian.”
“No. Even if it was Viv that he met before, he clearly doesn’t remember her name. Either that or he never even knew it to begin with. He wouldn’t believe me. Trust me, she has that effect on people,” Tori told her.
Ginnifer sighed with discontent. “I’m going to have to take your word on it. I don’t like it, though.”
Ginnifer and Tori continued to walk to their cabin. Presumably they were going to crawl in bed for the night. What Ginnifer didn’t tell her best friend was she had no plans to sleep that night. She still had to talk to Dallas. He had expected her to show up after dinner, but Ginnifer chose to spend some time with Tori instead. She didn’t regret that decision. It was essential to their friendship, and they needed the bonding time. After the hellish last couple of days, they needed the time to regroup and remember why they were friends. Dallas wasn’t in that equation. He wasn’t even a real blip on her radar. When it was all said and done, all Dallas ever could be was her temporary lover. No matter what feelings she was starting to develop for him, she couldn’t see how it could ever be more than what they had at this tiny moment in time. Tori was her friend for life and couldn’t be put on hold.
So the plan was that once Tori was sound asleep, she was going to sneak out and go visit Dallas. Hopefully it didn’t take too long for her to go to sleep because Ginnifer was overly anxious to see him. She was desperate to feel his arms around her again. Nothing had ever made her feel more alive than having all of his attention completely on her. It was the best thrill ride she had ever been on, and she wanted to get as much of it as she could in whatever time they had left together.
Ginnifer looked at Tori and asked, “Do you think our new roommates are in the cabin already?”
Tori sighed at the mention of dealing with their new cabin mates. “Probably. Curse that damn cabin for having a pipe burst in it. I’m sure Emma isn’t too happy about it, either, but damn it’s annoying to have to share the cabin with those two. Okay Shelly seems like good peeps, but the jury is still out on Melody.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know…she seems off. Fake, like a plastic Barbie doll. I’m still trying to figure her out. She seems sugary sweet, but I don’t buy it.”
Ginnifer laughed at her description. “Well when you decide, let me know. I’m not so sure about her myself.”
They walked into the cabin and found their two roommates sitting on their beds. Melody was flipping through Tori’s fashion magazine, and Shelly was reading on her Kindle. Tori strolled over to the bed and asked, “Can I have my magazine?”
>
Melody looked up as if surprised to see them in the cabin. Her eyes grew big, and she put on one of her super-sweet smiles. “Oh this is yours? It looked interesting. I hope you didn’t mind me borrowing it. Some of my reading material got ruined in the other cabin. I was closest to the bathroom.” She folded the magazine and tossed it on Tori’s bed instead of handing it to her. Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she raised her arms above her head and stretched. A catty smile formed on her face as she looked at Ginnifer and asked, “What are your plans for tonight?”
She acted like she knew what she was going to do. It couldn’t be possible, though. How would she know that she had planned on meeting Dallas? That had only been between the two of them. So she shrugged it off as nonsense. “Not much, probably going to take a shower and go to bed. What are your plans?”
“Oh I don’t know. I’m considering meeting a sexy cowboy tonight.”
Huh? Maybe she did know something, but Ginnifer refused to acknowledge anything, “Well good luck with that. I’m sure it will be fun with whomever you visit with. I’m going to go take that shower now.”
Ginnifer turned away from her and walked over to her suitcase to gather her items for her shower. She hadn’t really planned on taking a shower yet, but it was a good enough excuse to get away from their yoga instructor. If Melody really did know she wanted to meet up with Dallas, it would be even more difficult to sneak away. She couldn’t worry about that, though. If she was meant to spend more time with him, it would happen. It wasn’t like they had any long-term commitments to each other after all.
Chapter Fifteen
It had taken forever for all the women to fall asleep. Ginnifer wanted to sneak out to go visit Dallas, but she was starting to think it might be a bad idea, especially since Melody had hinted at knowing about her plans. What if he was asleep? It was well past midnight, and she had no clue where his bedroom was located. Standing outside of the main house looking up, Ginnifer chewed her bottom lip trying to decide what to do. It was ridiculous to even come out here expecting that he would still be awake. She would have to resign herself to spending time with the foal she helped deliver. Visiting with Dallas was clearly out of the question. Ginnifer turned around and headed to the horse barn where the new foal was being stabled. As she walked in, she saw a small light was lit in the back of the barn. Strolling through the paddock, she stopped at the stall that held the baby horse and his mama. Olympia looked up at her, made a small noise, and trotted over to the gate. Ginnifer took it as a sign she was happy to see her. Reaching over into the tiny bucket hanging next to the stall, she pulled out a couple sugar cubes and fed them to the horse. Olympia greedily ate up the two cubes and nudged her head into Ginnifer’s chest. At least someone is happy to see me…