by A. J. Wynter
“Okay, Tiger, let’s end on that run,” he shouted.
“This is so much fun,” Sydney squealed. “I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before.” She hopped off Buttercup, wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her brown coat. “Thank you, beautiful,” she murmured to the horse. Buttercup nickered, and Russ swore that if a horse could smile, Buttercup was grinning.
“There’s no way the Tillers will not want you now.” He smiled and threw his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into his broad chest, looked up at him and smiled, “Thank you for teaching me. I think that was the best morning of my life.”
Russ knew that she was telling the truth. The woman was practically glowing.
“I can’t wait to do that again,” she squeezed him a little tighter.
“We can do that every day if you’d like,” he said and kissed her cheek. “Really?” she asked. “That would be amazing.”
Russ left Sydney in the kitchen after throwing together a ham sandwich. He was going to spend the afternoon working with Eddie and Carter, and he smirked to himself thinking about how he was going to tear them both a new asshole for their earlier comment.
When he thought about Sydney, he felt his chest expand like his heart was going to bust out of his ribcage. He was an ass guy, but he also appreciated a good rack, and in the past, whenever he thought about women, those were the images that ran through his mind on a loop. With Sydney, it was her smile and the way she looked at Buttercup, then her ass and great rack, but the smile thing came first.
Russ had never been in love before and had always wondered what it would feel like. Now he knew. He shook his head. He had to put a stop to this whole love thing. Sydney would be gone in a couple of months, back to her Oldenburgs and private schools.
He tossed the foil-wrapped sandwich onto the dusty cracked dashboard of the pickup and hopped in. As he pulled away he noticed a cloud of dust traveling down the long lane toward the house. He put the truck back into park, curious about the visitor. To his surprise, a sleek black town car pulled up to the front of the house, and when the driver got out he saw that he was wearing a suit and a cap.
“Who the hell?” he wondered to himself, and when the man opened the rear door, he realized that it was a chauffeur’s uniform. Out stepped a formidable man dressed in a blazer and camel colored suede shoes, looking like he just stepped off a yacht.
The screen door slammed shut and Russ saw Sydney walk out to meet the car, giving the man a perfunctory embrace. That was when he realized that Sydney wasn’t just a spoiled brat, she was a spoiled rich brat.
He slammed the truck into gear.
“She’s way out of your league, Russ,” he muttered to himself and took off into the field, feeling like a fool.
Chapter 21 – Sydney
Her dad had totally surprised her, and it wasn’t until she saw someone from her old life, that she realized how out of place she must look on the ranch. Her dad was dressed casually but was still far more pressed and polished than any of the guys on the ranch in their Sunday best. She saw the way that he looked twice at the rickety old chair on the porch before sitting down, and how he shook Floyd’s hand but washed his the second he was near a sink.
Sydney spent the rest of the afternoon showing her dad around the ranch, saving Applesauce as the grand finale. He smiled when he saw the wild horses. As a ‘horse person’, he could appreciate just how far Applesauce had come compared to the wildness of the horses that Sydney and Russell hadn’t yet worked with.
“Good work, Syd,” her dad smiled and patted her on the back as they walked back to the main house. “What is that smell?”
“Uh,” Sydney looked around, wondering whether he was referring to the manure pile or the often-malfunctioning septic system.
“That smells amazing.”
Then she smelled it too and smiled, Mary’s brisket.
“That’s Mary’s specialty. Can you stay for dinner?” Sydney asked. She still hadn’t figured out why her dad had come to visit. She had spent full semesters away at boarding school and never heard from the man, so she doubted he was missing her.
“Ah, so there is something redeeming about this place after all,” her dad mused.
“What do you mean by that?” Sydney asked. After only two months at Blackgum ranch, she felt more at home there than anywhere else she had lived. She had learned that Mary’s grumpiness was actually the way that she showed affection, Eddie and Carter were like the big brothers she never had, and Floyd, Floyd was the sweetest old man she had ever met. And then there was Russell... She looked around at Blackgum through her father’s eyes and saw it for what it was, a falling down, short-staffed, derelict ranch smack dab in the middle of nowhere. She wondered if her feelings for Russell were coloring her judgment of the ranch, or did she really feel at home here?
“I mean, Sydney, really?” he chucked. “Are you finished playing your little game yet?”
“What little game am I playing, Dad?” Sydney stopped in her tracks to face her father.
“This,” he motioned to the ranch. “You don’t belong here, with these people.”
“These people are some of the best people I’ve met in my life,” Sydney felt the heat rising in her cheeks, and it wasn’t from the 108-degree weather.
“Oh, sweetheart. These people aren’t ever going to amount to anything. You are going to meet the best people in your life when you become a doctor.”
Sydney balled her hands into fists at her side. She had always looked up to her father, but at this moment she saw him for the snob he really was. Just because Floyd didn’t have a degree on his wall, didn’t make him any less smart than her father. Floyd’s face was weathered, and his bones were tired from working hard outside, being with nature, and providing food for local families.
Sydney’s father had spent years in operating rooms, working twenty-hour days, spending weeks and months at a time away from the family at conferences and classes, and now he wanted her to continue on in his footsteps. One more Strachan doctor to work themselves to the bone and make more baby Strachan doctors to continue the family tradition.
“Like you. Like mom, you mean?” she said, taking a deep breath.
“Exactly,” her dad replied, clearly not picking up on Sydney’s disdain.
“What you and Floyd do are very different, but that doesn’t make you better than him,” she whispered, shocked the words that had been running through her mind were now tumbling out her mouth.
Her dad smirked, “You’ve been here too long. It’s time to come home...” his eyes lifted over Sydney’s head. “Some ranch you have here.”
Sydney turned to see Floyd hobbling towards them. “Thank you, sir.” He replied taking off his hat. “Mary’s been smokin’ that brisket since yesterday, we’ve got an extra plate set for you.
“Oh, I should get going,” he said.
“Nonsense,” Floyd replied. “You can’t head out on the road on an empty belly.” Floyd didn’t wait for a response and turned to walk to the house.
“Don’t be rude,” Sydney said under her breath.
“Alright, but you and I have to have a serious talk after dinner,” he muttered, “and my shoes are already destroyed, might as well get some more filth on them.”
Sydney didn’t know how to respond to her father. He was always respectful, but she realized that she had never seen him interact with someone outside of his academic or social circle. He wasn’t rude to Floyd’s face, but he wasn’t exactly friendly either. She was shocked to discover a side of her dad that she had never seen before.
“It won’t take long,” Sydney sighed.
“Let’s do this and then we’ll talk,” he replied and set off behind Floyd.
Despite being a snob, her father was a charmer, and for the first time ever, Sydney saw Mary’s face flush when her dad said that the brisket was the best he had ever eaten. Syd knew that Brisket wasn’t part of her dad’s clean eating routine, that it was unlikely the
meat had ever crossed his lips before, so his compliments to the chef weren’t exactly a lie.
Her dad ate his entire meal with his knife and fork while the ranch hands folded the tender meat into the homemade wheat bread sandwich style and inhaled it. Sydney caught Russell eyeing up the knife and fork technique and he smiled at her when she caught him. Sydney did a hybrid of the two, eating the meat with her knife and fork, but sopping the gravy up with her bread.
“Are you two all set for your big meetin’ tomorrow?” Floyd asked, finishing up his dinner.
Sydney didn’t look at her father, she knew that he was gunning to get her out of Texas as fast as his loafers, and his chauffeur, could carry them.
“We are sir,” Russ responded. “Sydney’s going to knock ‘em dead,” he smiled and winked at her.
“And what meeting is this?” her father asked, leaning forward onto the table.
Russ piped in, “The best barrel racing family in the country is looking for a new trainer. I think Sydney’s the best person for the job.”
Sydney’s dad practically spit out the Budweiser he was pretending to enjoy. “Barrel racing? There’s got to be some kind of mistake here. Syd’s not a barrel racer.”
“She is now,” Russ said, steeling his eyes at Syd’s father.
Sydney beamed. She didn’t think it was possible to be more attracted to Russell, but the moment he stood up to her dad, he edged up one notch higher. She felt her heart open and swoon for the man.
“That so?” Syd’s dad asked, turning to face Sydney.
“Russ and I have a system for working these horses. It’s working better than anything anyone has tried.”
“The two of you have a system...” his eyes darted between Russell and Sydney. “But you love dressage,” he stated.
“She doesn’t have to choose one over the other,” Russ interjected.
“I still love dress—”
“Yes, she does,” Sydney’s dad interrupted her.
“Dad. Barrell racing is so much fun, it’s like nothing I’ve ever done before,” she said, gathering up her plate and reaching for his.
“Sit down,” he ordered.
She sat reflexively out of habit.
“The help will do that,” he said, raising his eyebrows at Mary.
Syd saw Mary’s face turn a deep shade of red. Sydney opened her mouth to apologize but was shocked when Mary stood up. “Yes, the help will get that,” she said.
Syd watched in shock as the white-haired woman cleared everyone’s plates and took them to the counter. She returned with another bottle of beer and cracked off the cap.
“Another drink, sir?” she curtseyed beside Syd’s dad.
“No, ma’am. One is just fine,” he said without making eye contact with her, his gaze still on Russell.
“Oh, but you look thirsty,” Mary replied.
“I said no,” he replied, irritation growing in his voice.
Syd saw it happening and froze, her eyes wide with astonishment as Mary dumped an entire bottle of Budweiser over her dad’s head, the majority of it landing on the front of his expensive trousers, the amber liquid running down his forehead and dripping off his eyelashes.
“Well, I never,” her dad gasped and tried to jump from his seat, but with the weight of the brawny ranch hands, the bench didn’t budge, and Mr. Strachan toppled to the kitchen floorboards. “You’ve just lost your job woman,” he said as he stood up, beer still dripping from his hair.
“She ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Floyd said. He stood up and leaned forward slamming both fists on the table. “I think that it’s time for you to head back to the city, Mr. Strachan.”
Sydney breathed a sigh of relief as her dad stormed out of the kitchen, only to feel the tension turn as he spun on his heel and grabbed her by the wrist. “You’re coming too.”
“No. I’m not,” Syd said, digging in her heels.
“Since when do you talk back to your father?” he asked, his eyes wide with shock.
“Since now, Dad. If you care about me, really care about me, you’ll let me follow my dreams. Right now, I want to stay here at Blackgum and train horses,” she pleaded with her father and she thought that she saw his eyes soften.
“You’ll let go of her wrist now.” She heard Russ’s voice growl from across the table.
Syd’s dad looked down at his grip on her wrist and sighed. “You’ll regret this,” he said but released her.
“I might. But it’s a decision I need to make.”
“Your mother will disown you. Can you live with that?” he said.
Sydney felt the tears that had been building, reach their threshold and tumble down her freckled cheeks.
“I said, I think that it’s time for you to leave,” Floyd said.
“Gladly,” Mr. Strachan replied and stomped out of the kitchen, his leather soles squishing with beer.
Sydney was torn. She was finally in a place where she was truly happy, but she didn’t have the support of her parents. Her life without her mom flashed before her eyes and she rushed out of the kitchen, the saloon doors clapping as she chased after her father.
“Dad, wait!” she yelled.
Chapter 21 – Russell
Russ was shocked that the sweet and smart Sydney he knew, was related to the grade ‘A’ asshole that joined them for dinner. He was proud of Mary for standing up to the man but worried that the piss poor impression they had all made on the man would mean Sydney could be gone forever.
And when he saw her jump up from the table to chase her father, his worst fears were realized.
He had tried to stick up for her, and if he had more time before the beer shower, he was going to explain to her father, just how good she was with the horses. She was the best he had ever seen. To deny her, or the horses, the benefit of her talent, would be a darn shame.
Russ felt his heart leap into his throat when Sydney walked back into the house, her eyes red from crying, but dry. He expected her to start saying her goodbyes and was shocked when she sat down at the table.
“I’m sorry about my dad,” she said, looking down at her fingernails.
“Ah, sweetheart. Don’t you worry,” Floyd said. “We all have asshole fathers here.”
Russ’s throat constricted, worried that Floyd was going to delve deeper into the various familial pasts of the ranch hands. It was true, they all had terrible family lives, but Russ’s was the worst.
“When are you leaving?” he asked casually, trying to derail Floyd’s family history lesson.
“I’m not,” she smiled. “I reasoned with him, and he agreed that I should have a shot at following my dream. Our dream,” she corrected.
Russ felt pride surge through his body, and his feet tingled in the toes of his cowboy boots. She was right. Working with Sydney and the horses would be like a dream to him. Something just a few months ago, he would’ve thought impossible.
Russ wondered if Sydney was telling the whole story, the man that stormed out of here didn’t seem like the type to back off and let his daughter follow her dreams.
“Russ, can we go out and practice some more?” Sydney asked. She grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed one to him. “Anyone else?” she asked. Eddie and Carter nodded, and she grabbed two more. Russ wondered if she was trying to make up for her father’s rudeness.
“Let’s go,” he smiled, grabbing the beer and touching his bottle to hers.
“Cheers,” she smiled.
They spent the next two hours alternating and timing each other but when Russell felt his back start to ache, he made up an excuse about letting his horse rest. He shouted out times to Sydney and cheered when she consistently lowered them with every run.
“Did your dad really tell you to follow your dreams?” he asked as she dismounted her horse.
“Not really. He told me to think about it for the night, but I don’t have to.”
“Are you sure that you want to stay here? What about medical school?” he asked.
> “I don’t even know if I’m going to get into the best schools, and I’ve never felt excited about school, the way I feel excited about this job opportunity.”
“Hold on,” Russ said, taking the reins from her gloved hand.
“We haven’t even gotten that job yet.”
“We will,” she smiled.
“Sydney. I know that you’re a smart woman, and I know that I’m a dumb man, but isn’t this something that you should take some time to think about? And don’t you think that this major life decision should be made on an actual job offer? Not some fairy tale?”
“You aren’t a dumb man, Russ,” Sydney said and leaned in to kiss him, but Russell turned his head.
“I don’t want you to throw your life away for a ranch life,” he said, placing his hand on her cheek.
“You didn’t let me finish,” she said. “You aren’t a dumb man, but this isn’t a fairy tale. If the job with the Tillers doesn’t come through, who says that you and I can’t do something like this together. I mean there have to be other ranches, other racers looking for the best training.”
Right then and there, Russ saw the difference in their upbringing. Sydney was full of optimism and possibility, and Russ hadn’t even thought about doing something on their own. It was as though the world had been in black and white and now it was in color. He could see it. He could see the two of them traveling together and working the horses; seeing her green eyes open first thing in the morning.
“Let’s go for a ride,” he said. He needed to get on a horse and feel the wind in his hair to stop himself from spilling that he was in love with her.
“Buttercup is hot, do you think she’d like to go for a swim?” Sydney smiled.
“Why, as a matter of fact, she whispered that to me just a minute ago.”
“Let’s go, cowboy!” she squealed and turned to grab the reins from his hand.
Russ grabbed her hand and pulled her tightly into his body, planting a passionate, breathy kiss on her lips. He felt emotions welling up inside of him that he didn’t know existed, and held his lips to hers, willing the tears to stop. Her lips responded to his and she threaded her arms around his waist. They let their lips linger, nipping and coming back to each other’s softness as soon as one drew away. It wasn’t until Buttercup attempted to join in by nibbling Sydney’s collar that they drew apart. Russ quickly brushed the sleeve of his shirt against his eyes to remove any evidence of the raw emotion that had escaped from deep within.