by A. J. Wynter
The hatred she once felt for him seemed like a distant memory. That man, a distant person. She loved Russ and knew that she wanted to spend her life with him. She didn’t care where they were, as long as they were together.
Her thoughts were interrupted as someone banged the life out of the wood-slatted door to the cabin. Russ bolted up out of his sleep and drew Sydney behind him protectively.
“Sydney,” the voice yelled. It was Floyd.
“I’m up,” she stammered. “But just give me a minut—”
She was interrupted as Floyd opened the door. Mr. Strachan towered behind him. She pulled the quilt up to cover her chest and she felt Russell shift under the covers beside her.
“Oh, I see.” Mr. Strachan seemed taken aback. “We will give you a moment to get, um, decent.”
“Sorry, kids.” Floyd’s face was red, and he kept his eyes glued to the ground. “Sydney, I didn’t realize that you had company.” Floyd shut the door and she heard the two of them step off the tiny porch.
“Shit,” Russ said, jumping out of bed awkwardly, pulling his jeans up over his morning arousal.
“It’s okay,” Sydney said. “He doesn’t have any say about who I’m with. I’m proud to be with you, Russ.”
“But, this isn’t how he should’ve found out. I should’ve been a gentleman and asked him if I could date you.”
Sydney giggled. “That’s a little old-fashioned, don’t you think?”
“That’s me.” Russ gave her a half smile.
“A modern-day old-fashioned cowboy.”
“You got it, gorgeous,” he said and kissed her before pulling his t-shirt over his head. “And that’s what I intend to do.”
“Wait, what?” Sydney flung her legs out of bed and pulled a pair of panties out of the bedside dresser.
“I’m going to do the gentleman thing, right now.”
“Wait, Russ,” Sydney said, pulling her jeans up over her narrow hips. “Let me talk to him first. There’s a reason he came out here at dawn and I need to find out what it is.”
“That’s fair, but I’m going to stand with you, you know, to show my support, and that I’m not just some cowboy jumping out of your bed and out this window.” He gestured to the little window. “Although, that thought did run through my mind.”
Sydney wondered how many windows Russ had jumped through in his life but put that thought to the back of her mind. What could her dad possibly want?
Russ grabbed Sydney’s hand and together they walked out into the morning light, the dew still heavy on the grass.
“Hi, Daddy,” Sydney said sweetly.
“I’ve never been so disappointed in you in my life,” her father said. “You need to come home now Sydney. Don’t ruin your life,” his eyes darted to Russ.
“Dad, I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I just don’t think that rushing back and going to med school is what I want to do right now.”
“What if I told you that you got into Brankstone.”
Sydney gripped Russell’s hand tighter. “What are you talking about?” Brankstone was the most prestigious medical school in the east, one that she always thought was just out of her reach.
“I meant to give you this before I left yesterday.” He held out a manila envelope. Sydney took it and noticed that it had been opened.
“You looked?”
“Of course, I looked. It’s my alma mater.”
Sydney’s hands were shaking as she pulled out the expensive letterhead, her eyes glancing at the letter long enough to see the words ‘accepted.’
She sighed and slid the letter back into the envelope. “I’m staying here, Dad.”
“Young lady, if you do not leave this shithole of a place today, your mother and I will take you out of the will. You will get no support from us ever again.”
Sydney looked to her father, and then to Russell. His eyes were wide, but his hand still strong in hers.
“I’ve made my decision.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Sydney, get in the car right now,” he pointed to the town car.
“Sir, the lady has made her choice,” Russell spoke up.
“The lady?” Mr. Strachan scoffed. “The woman I just saw in bed with a redneck cowboy? That’s no lady, and she’s no daughter of mine.”
“Sir, I think that you should take a minute to respect your daughter’s wishes, and don’t say anything that you’ll regret.”
Sydney saw the look of shock on her father’s face as Russell stood up for her. It made her stand a little taller, and a little closer to Russ. He drew his arm around her shoulders.
“Sydney, you will regret this decision and I can’t support you, or you,” he said as he pointed to Russell. “I need to have a word with you.”
“Of course, sir.” He kissed Sydney on the cheek.
Mr. Strachan turned and started to walk away.
“Don’t you want to say goodbye to your daughter?” Russell asked as he jogged to catch up to him.
“I’ve said all I need to say to that girl.”
Sydney’s heart was torn as she saw her father walking away with Russell. She wondered what they could possibly be talking about, but the sadness she felt at being disowned by her father was replaced with the pride and respect she felt for Russell for standing up to her father, pushing her to follow her true dreams, not someone else’s.
“You sure about this?” Floyd asked. Sydney had forgotten that Floyd was standing with them on the porch. “Looks like you’re giving up quite the opportunity,” he said.
Sydney looked wistfully at Russell’s silhouette as he walked away, “It looks like I’ve just been given the greatest opportunity.”
Floyd patted Sydney on the back and she jumped. Floyd was not the touchy-feely type. The closest they had ever been, was the handshake in their interview. “I think that your opportunity would agree with you.” Floyd smiled. “You’ve changed that boy – for the better.”
Sydney blushed, realizing that their secret was now out in the open. “Floyd, I hope that our relationship won’t impact things here at the ranch.”
“I don’t give a damn about what goes on between you two, as long as the work gets done.”
“Well, then. I better get to work.”
“See you at breakfast,” Floyd said and ambled off down the trail.
“See you there,” Sydney replied. She flew back into the cabin to get herself ready for her work day. She knew that Russell would be at breakfast and wanted to know exactly what he had said to her father.
Chapter 25 - Russell
To say Russell was nervous about walking with Mr. Strachan was an understatement. He didn’t know what to expect from the man, but the last thing he expected was silence. The only sound as the two men walked down the lane, was their footfalls on the dirt road.
As they reached the house. Mr. Strachan turned saying, “This is far enough.”
“Sir, I know that you might not understand, but you should see your daughter with the horses. She has a gift.”
“Do you know how many students get into Brankstone every year?”
Russ had no idea. “One hundred?” he guessed.
Mr. Strachan laughed. “Try twenty. I knew that Sydney had done well in school, but this, her getting into the same school that I went to, that’s the dream.”
“Yours or hers?”
“She’s more than this,” Mr. Strachan pointed to the decrepit ranch house.
“I agree,” Russ said. “But it’s what she wants.”
“I didn’t raise a redneck cowgirl.”
“No, you didn’t, because that’s not who she is.”
“Don’t you tell me who my daughter is and isn’t.” Mr. Strachan reached into a leather briefcase, pulled out an envelope and thrust it into Russell’s hand.
“What’s this?” Russ said without looking in the fat white envelope.
“Twenty-five thousand.”
“Dollars?” Russell had never held that kind of m
oney in his life.
“No, pesos.” Mr. Strachan quipped. “Of course, it’s dollars. That’s what you’re after isn’t it?”
Russ’ heart sank. He knew what their relationship could look like to an outsider. He never even thought about Sydney’s money. When he imagined their future together, it was always working with horses, a small house, a garden, maybe a baby or two. But never had he imagined getting that life with her money.
“What’s this for?” Russell asked.
“Oh, you are a naïve one, aren’t you?”
Russ raised his eyebrows at the man in front of him, realizing that the man was offering him a buyout.
“I can’t take this.” He set the envelope down on the seat beside him.
“There’s twenty-five thousand more where that came from.”
“And what’s this for? Staying away from your daughter?” Russ leaned against the wall of the house, trying to stay in its shade. The kitchen window curtains billowed out the open window above him.
Mr. Strachan grabbed at Russell’s other wrist. “Do you really love my daughter?”
Russ relaxed and turned to face Mr. Strachan’s cold dark eyes. “I do.”
“Then take the money. Think of it as saving her life. You know, rescuing her. You cowboys, like to do that don’t you? Rescue damsels in distress.”
“Sydney doesn’t need rescuing.”
“Do you want her to give up on her dreams for this?”
Russell caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the kitchen window, the ranch in the background. He was right, Sydney was more than all of this. She was more than him.
“She’s staying because of you. You do realize that, right?”
“What would I have to do?” Russ knew that he was right. He started to see the sense in Sydney’s dad’s argument. He didn’t want to be the one responsible for derailing Sydney’s promising career.
Mr. Strachan’s eyes lit up with victory. “Just reason with her. Tell her to come home and get ready for her life as a doctor.”
“And if she won’t go? I won’t force her.”
“You might have to get creative. I don’t care how you do it; what you do, or what you say. Just get my daughter to leave this place. And make it so that she’ll never come back.”
Russ’s mind was racing. Just hours earlier, he had been making plans with Sydney to start their own training business, and now he was here plotting to get the only woman that he had ever loved, out of his life.
He handed the envelope back to Mr. Strachan. “I’ll do it. But I won’t accept your money.”
“Take it.” He picked up the envelope and tossed at Russell.
“Mr. Strachan, I love your daughter. I’m doing this because I love her, not for the money.”
“Stupid boy. Suit yourself.” He shoved the envelope back into his briefcase and strode off to his awaiting car.
Russ crumpled against the building, the sound of pots being washed in the kitchen above him and slid down the siding to rest on his heels, his face in his hands. Today had turned into one of the best and worst days of his life.
Chapter 26 – Sydney
Sydney piled her plate with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. She popped the toaster and smiled as the sun beamed in through Mary’s lace café-style curtains. Eddie and Carter were already sitting at the kitchen table. She poured a cup of coffee, sat down with the boys, and proceeded to attack her breakfast.
“Whoa, Nelly. Somebody’s got an appetite this morning,” Eddie smiled.
Sydney looked up and gave Eddie a closed mouth smile, chewing her thick toast. The radio crackled with some old Hank Williams song. Sydney didn’t know much country music, but she was starting to recognize the old classics and their unique voices.
“We’ve got a big day ahead,” she took a sip of coffee.
“Tillers ranch today?” Carter asked.
“Yep.”
“Good luck with that. You and Russell are the best duo I’ve ever seen,” Eddie smiled.
“Thanks, Eddie. I sure hope that we get it, although I don’t want it to take away from my work here. I’m really starting love it here. Even with the surly company,” she said and winked.
“Well, the surly company is starting to love you too.” Eddie winked back. “Like a sister, I mean.”
Sydney felt energy rush through her body, she realized that she had come to love the ranch, and along with gaining a new home, she had gained a new family.
Carter grinned as Mary walked through the doors, “Unless you’re talking about Mary,” Carter said. “It will be a cold day in Blackgum when that woman warms to any newcomer.”
Mary walked by and cuffed Carter on the head. He laughed, and Sydney saw the quick hint of a smile on Mary’s lips.
Sydney was running through a mental checklist of everything that needed to get done before they headed out on their road trip to the Tillers’ ranch when Russell walked in. She looked up and smiled at him, but he didn’t meet her eyes. He helped himself to a plate of breakfast and took a seat next to Carter.
“Y’all ready for today?” Carter asked.
“Ready as we’ll ever be, I suppose,” Russell said, stuffing eggs into his mouth.
It was as though a dark cloud had followed Russell into the kitchen, chasing away the sunny atmosphere like a good old-fashioned Texas thunderstorm.
Carter and Eddie shot each other glances, cleared their plates, and got out of the kitchen as fast as their cowboy boots could take them.
“What time do you want to head out today?” Sydney asked.
Russell didn’t look up. “Noon should do it. The ranch is about a three-hour drive from here.”
“You driving?” Sydney joked. Russell was known for driving like an old man.
“Hmph,” Russell grunted.
“We can take my truck. I’m not sure Old Red would make it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Old Red. We don’t need fancy trucks around here.”
“Russ,” Sydney couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or not. There was no way that the rust bucket pickup could make it into town, let alone all the way to the Tillers’ ranch. “I’d like to take my truck. I never get to drive it.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll load up everything we need and meet you at noon.” He scraped the last of his breakfast from his plate into the trash can, tossed his plate into the dishwasher and walked out of the kitchen.
Sydney stared at the swinging doors in disbelief. The Russell she had come to know, and love had disappeared, replaced with the jerk who had been at the ranch when she first arrived. What had happened in the last hour to completely change everything? Could her dad have said something to him? Maybe he didn’t want a relationship with her? Maybe her inexperience in the bedroom had been a turn-off for him. Sydney’s stomach flipped on her and she ran to the main floor bathroom, retching up her breakfast. She felt the air change between them and it scared her, it scared her to death.
The three-hour ride felt like six. They didn’t talk for the first half of it, Russell a shell of a human being, staring out the window as the arid countryside passed by the window. Only when they lost the last radio station did the silence become unbearable.
“Russ, is something bothering you?” Sydney asked.
Russ rolled down the window.
“I can turn up the AC if you’d like.”
“Nah, it’s a little stuffy in here. I need a bit of fresh air.”
Russ’s hat was sitting on the dashboard, his hair whipping in the hot breeze.
“Did I do something wrong?” Sydney’s voice wavered, but she held her tears at bay.
Russ turned to her, his body seemed to soften, and he looked her in the eyes for the first time that day.
“Nothing is wrong, Sydney.”
“You just don’t seem like yourself.”
“Well, maybe you just don’t know me that well.”
Sydney felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. They had spent so much
time together, shared so many intimate stories, that she felt like she knew him better than members of her own family.
“Cut the shit, Russ.”
Russ snapped to face Sydney. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’m not going to spend the rest of the day wondering what happened between us. If you’re having second thoughts about being with me, then just tell me. This silent treatment is bullshit.”
Russ exhaled. “I’m sorry, Syd. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” He reached across the bench seat and grasped Sydney’s hand and as he gazed out the window, Sydney heard him whisper through the wind, “I love you.”
Sydney’s straight talk seemed to cut the tension in the cab of the pickup, and they drove in semi-comfortable silence for the rest of the trip.
The horses at the Tillers’ ranch were already a million times more broken than the Blackgum herd, and Russ and Sydney slipped into their easy horse whispering mode together. They had been met by the lead ranch hand named Dakota, a tall, handsome cowboy.
When Russell saw him, Sydney saw his body tense up.
“Dakota,” Russ said, extending his hand.
“Russell,” the cowboy replied, shaking Russell’s hand.
“You two know each other?” Sydney asked.
“We rode the circuit together,” Dakota muttered.
“That was a lifetime ago,” Russ said and slapped Dakota on the back.
“It wasn’t that long ago,” Dakota replied.
The testosterone hung heavily in the air. She worried that the horses would pick up on the obvious tension between the two men, but Dakota ducked out when Mr. Tiller showed up.
Sydney raised her eyebrows at Russell.
“I’ll explain later,” he whispered. “That cowboy cost me my career.”
“Are you going to be able to do this?” she asked.
Russ nodded.
Sydney grabbed him by his arms, “Take a deep breath, Russell. Like you said, that was a lifetime ago. This is your life now,” Sydney regretted the words as they left her lips, but she meant them. But instead of pulling away, she thought that she saw tears in Russell’s eyes. He gripped her arms and leaned in and kissed her tenderly.