“Well, that’s Hollywood life for you. Try not to get too mad at them. They’re just not used to this lifestyle. You’d feel just as uncomfortable if you had to go and live with them for a month.”
“I would never go and live with them for a month!”
Grant chuckled again. “You really are getting worked up about this.”
“It’s just tough, you know. I mean, I work so hard every single day of my life, and I feel like they are almost making a mockery of it. And worse, they will walk away from this with more money than I could ever imagine. Money isn’t everything to me, but it’s still frustrating.”
“I suppose you’re right. Well, don’t let it get to you too much, Shotgun. You’re probably much happier than they’ll ever be. And this will all be over in no time. Anyway, I better go. Good luck with today. Maybe I’ll pop in sometime to see these people.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome anytime. Come and save me. Anyway, say hi to Emily for me.”
“Will do.”
When Grant had left, I made my way to the ranch. The only good thing was that I always got there so much earlier than everyone else. None of these people were early morning people. This at least guaranteed me a few blissful hours every morning when I had the ranch all to myself. I made the most of it that morning, just walking around and doing my work. Grant was right; I was letting these people get to me too much. And it wasn’t necessarily their fault that they didn’t know how to fit into this lifestyle. I was going to have to stop getting so worked up about it.
Two hours after arriving, I heard a few of the crew walking around, and I tried to make myself as scarce as possible. I’d promised Harold that I would be there for them whenever they needed me, but I figured the less they saw of me, the less chance there would be of them asking me for anything. I kept my head down and just worked. I was just about to check on the steers when I heard two men talking nearby, so I quickly headed out to the barn where I thought I’d be safe. I went up to the horses and started feeding them. Feeding the horses was one of my favorite parts of working on the farm. I’d always thought they were the most beautiful creatures in the world. I couldn’t believe that some people were so scared of them. If you gave them respect, they always gave it back to you without question. They were loyal and loving, but only if you were the same to them. I’d always thought that a relationship with a horse was so much less complicated than those with actual humans. I patted Betty, the horse I rode the most, and laughed as she pushed her face onto my hand for more.
“You’re a good girl,” I said to her.
I was just about to start cleaning the barn when I heard someone talking outside. I walked a little closer to the door and chuckled ever so slightly when I heard that it was Sloan. And from the sounds of it, she was all alone. She’d obviously come somewhere quiet to practice her lines. I leaned in closer to hear what she was saying.
“Good morning, darling. Yes, I’ll be right there; I just need to wash the horses,” she said in a fake accent. She put so much emphasis on the word wash that it sounded like she was saying warsh.
“Good morning, darling,” she said again. Her accent seemed to get worse on every try. “Yes, I’ll be right there, I just need to warsh the horses.”
I tried not to laugh, but when she was tried for the fifth time to say the same sentence, I couldn’t help myself. A chortle escaped my mouth so loudly that it was impossible that she hadn’t heard me. I ran back to the horses and pretended to be busy when she walked in.
“Is something funny?”
I turned around and looked at her. Sloan might not have been wearing heels anymore, but she still looked so completely out of place. Her jeans were too tight, her shirt was too white, her face had too much makeup: the list was endless. It was hard to deny that she was beautiful, but it was hard to take her too seriously when she was dressed like that.
“No, nothing is funny,” I said. “I was just talking to Betty.”
“Betty? Who the hell is Betty?”
“Betty is the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“What are you talking about?” she said without trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.
I quite liked that I was able to get under her skin so easily. “This is Betty,” I said and rubbed her nose. “She’s my favorite horse.”
“Oh,” she said. “Well, she’s nice. Do you ride her?”
“All the time,” I said and smiled. “How about you? Do you ride horses?”
“Uh, yeah. All the time.”
“You do?” I said in surprise. “In New York?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s a big state. There’s places where you can go.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I didn’t realize. Well, come on and say hello to Betty then. I’ll show you her favorite spot to be stroked.”
“Uh, that’s okay. I sort of have things to do.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “You sort of have things to do? You can’t say hello to Betty for just a minute? Remember, you’re probably going to have to ride her soon. You might as well get acquainted.”
“What do you mean? I don’t have to ride her. Who told you that?”
“That’s what Roger said when I showed him the horses. Didn’t you know?”
She shook her head. Her eyes had grown large. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“What’s the problem? I thought you rode horses all the time.”
“I do. I just, well, they’re different from these ones. That’s all.”
I laughed. “They’re different from these ones? What do you mean? How exactly are your horses different from mine?”
“They just are.”
I heaved an exasperated sigh. “Why won’t you just be honest about it?”
“Be honest about what?”
“The fact that you have no idea what you’re talking about. The fact that you are petrified to even touch a horse.”
“That’s not true.”
I sighed. “Really? Look, Sloan, you’re like a deer in the headlights here. Not only are you scared to be around horses, but your accent is completely wrong. If you’re going to pull this off, then you’re going to have to try a little harder. And lying about what you can and can’t do isn’t going to get you there. There’s no point in having a fancy Yale education if you can’t even survive a day in the country.”
Her hands were on her hips now. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to look threatening, but it certainly wasn’t working. “I have a terrible accent? So you did hear me practicing out there. And fine. If you know so much about everything, then why don’t you teach me? Isn’t that what your job is? Aren’t you supposed to do what we ask?”
“My job is to work on the ranch. My job is not to run after you. Anyway, there’s no point teaching the unteachable. Let’s be honest here; there’s not much hope for someone like you. You’re a city girl, through and through. And you wash your clothes,” I added in a western accent. “You don’t warsh them.”
“You’re the most infuriating man I’ve ever met. But if you really knew so much about it all, you’d show me what to do. Clearly, you don’t know anything at all. If you were really so great, you’d teach me. And anyway, from what I’ve heard, that is your job while we’re here.”
She stormed off, and I sighed. I patted Betty on the head and whispered to her. “Horses are so much better than humans.”
I stayed in the barn for the next hour, cleaning and getting it ready. The moment I finished, I saw Harold, who called me over.
“Hey, Brady. How’s it going?”
I wanted to tell him how terrible things were and how much I hated working with these people. But Harold was still so happy, and I couldn’t bring myself to burst his bubble. Not only that, but he was my boss and I had to listen to what he had to say.
“It’s going well,” I lied.
“I think so too. Listen, Sloan came to talk to me a little while ago.”
Uh oh! I thought. I figured he was going to tell me that Sloan had
told him about our conversation in the barn.
“Oh yeah? About what?” I said as casually as possible.
“Well, she’s asked for help with the horses. She wants to learn as much as possible, and has specifically requested that you help her. Isn’t that nice? Sweet girl, that one. I told her that you wouldn’t mind at all. She’ll be here at around eight tomorrow morning.”
I could easily imagine her batting her long eyelashes at Harold. I felt annoyed that she’d gone behind my back with something like this. Clearly this girl was out to get me. Fine, if she wanted to come out and make a fool of herself in front of me, I wasn’t going to stop her.
“Sure. I’ll be there,” I said.
Chapter Eight
Sloan
I set my alarm for seven that morning, figuring it would give me enough time to get ready and make my way to the farm to see Brady. Harold had told me to get there by eight but I highly doubted that I would even be there by nine. I didn’t think it would matter either way. Brady could wait. And I was sure he wouldn’t be there as early as eight, anyway. When my alarm went off, I took my time getting out of bed. They’d put us in a quaint hotel, more of a guesthouse really, but it was nothing like my apartment in New York, which I was starting to miss more and more each day. I couldn’t wait to be back in that bed again. I had plans for spending an entire day there, just stretching out and enjoying the space. When I finally got out of bed, I made some coffee and enjoyed some muesli and yogurt. I’d insisted on having a small fridge to keep my food in, and they’d happily obliged. What hotel didn’t give their guests a fridge? It was madness. After the breakfast, I hopped in the shower and then contemplated what I was going to wear for the day.
I’d brought more than enough clothes to last me for at least two months, as I didn’t want to be seen wearing the same thing every day. I thought about how smug Brady had been when I last saw him, and I decided that I was finally going to show him a thing or two about who he was dealing with. I grinned when I thought of the outfit that I was going to wear. It was a tight black dress, with a neckline that was just low enough to give someone a hint of what was below. I’d been told before that the dress caused men to go crazy when they saw me in it. And while Brady wasn’t exactly like most people I knew, he was still a red-blooded male.
I squeezed into the dress and decided to wear black boots with it. It wasn’t what I’d usually pair it with, but I didn’t feel like listening to him about how my heels weren’t right for the dirt. I put them on and looked in the mirror. The boots, as it turned out, looked incredible with the dress. I looked at the time. It was now quarter to nine, which I decided left just enough time to work on my hair and makeup. My hair was long and blonde, and a little bit too much for the Wyoming heat. So, I straightened it and put it up into a high ponytail, so that it would sway back and forth when I walked. I put on some foundation, added a bit of color to my cheeks, and then began working on my eyes and lips. By the time I was done, it was quarter to ten, and I looked incredible. I walked downstairs and asked the lady at reception if she could get a driver for me.
“Of course,” she said. She called the driver and told me that he’d be there in a few minutes. Then she looked at me breathlessly. “You look incredible,” she said.
I smiled at her. That was exactly the type of reaction I was hoping to get from people. I thanked her and made my way outside to wait for the car.
The driver, a youngish man with a long beard, barely looked at me. Which, in contrast to the receptionist, was not the reaction I was looking for. I figured he was just having a bad day.
When we got to the ranch, it was just after ten in the morning, and I was looking forward to spending a day showing off in front of Brady.
I made my way to the ranch, marveling at how much easier it was with boots on, and found Brady sitting in the barn again. For a few seconds, he didn’t see me standing there, and I watched in amazement as he kissed the horse. It was a rare moment of love and kindness that I hadn’t seen in him before, and I had to admit that it suited him. He was actually a very attractive man when he let his guard down. But when he turned around and scowled at me, I took it all back. He was also an incredibly frustrating man.
“You were supposed to be here at eight,” he said.
“Don’t I even get a hello?”
“Why are you two hours late? Did something happen?”
“Well, no. But I thought eight just seemed a bit early. I didn’t expect you to actually be here, to be honest.”
He laughed. “Typical,” he muttered under his breath.
“Well, what time did you get here?” I asked.
“I’ve been here since six.”
“Six? What on earth for? Are you crazy?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not crazy. Do you know how hot it gets here? The middle of the day is a scorcher. I get here early to get some work done before it gets too hot. Also, the earlier it is, the better it is for me to teach you how to ride the horses. Trust me; you’re not going to want to do that in the heat.”
“Oh, so you were going to teach me?” I teased.
“Like you said,” he mumbled, “I’m here at your service.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think you’d be here. Eight seemed early to me.”
“I’m sure it was. What are you wearing, anyway? I thought you wanted to learn how to ride horses today. Isn’t that what we were supposed to be doing?”
“Well, yes.”
“So, why are you wearing a dress? You look like you’re going to a nightclub. This is a ranch, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
I felt the color rise to my face. So much for impressing him with my outfit. If he didn’t like this one, then I wasn’t sure what he’d like. Maybe he’s just not into girls.
“I know I’m at a ranch. I just thought you were going to show me what you do. I didn’t think we’d actually go riding.”
“What? Are you serious? How are you supposed to learn how to ride a horse if you don’t actually get on one? Are you for real?”
“You don’t have to be so mean about it,” I said. I couldn’t believe this guy. I wasn’t sure what I had even done to make him so angry. I shook my head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“Look, Sloan, I promised you that I would teach you how to ride horses. And I’m a man of my word. But I can’t teach you if you’re dressed like that. And it’s already getting late. So, why don’t you just go on for now and come back tomorrow?”
“You want me to leave?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing I can show you today. And if you go change clothes and come back it’s just going to be too late for us to do anything. Just come back tomorrow and wear something a bit more sensible. Think about the fact that you’re going to be climbing onto a horse. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty in. I realize that you probably don’t own anything like that, but do your best. And be here at eight tomorrow. If you’re not, then I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to get someone else to help you. I will help you tomorrow, but only if you stick to those rules.”
I stared at him. A million thoughts and insults were running through my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I was too angry, and I was close to tears. The last thing I wanted was for this man to see me crying. He already thought I was an idiot and crying in front of him would only make things worse. I turned around and walked away. I thought he’d call after me, but he didn’t. I couldn’t believe that I’d spent my entire morning trying to look nice for this man. Why did I even care? What a waste of my time and energy that was.
I stormed back to the car and saw the owner of the farm. He had just parked his car next to mine and waved me over.
“Oh, hi, Sloan,” he said. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
I shot him a grateful smile. At least he was a man that could appreciate my effort. “Thank you, Harry.”
“It’s Harold,” he said.
“Sorry, Harold.
I knew that. I’m just having a bad day.”
“What’s wrong? I thought you had a lesson with Brady today?”
“Yeah, I did. Well, I was supposed to at least. But he told me to go home and come back tomorrow wearing something more sensible. And he wasn’t happy that I got here so late. It wasn’t even that late, but according to him, it was unacceptable. But what do I know? I’m just a girl from New York who is trying to figure things out. I don’t want to look like a fool in front of the whole world, and I’m just trying to learn the most that I can. But he’s not making it easy.”
Harold chuckled. “Ah, he’s not a bad kid. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that Brady is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s just an old cowboy with a good heart. He just doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, that’s all. And he’s not used to changes. This whole production thing has really rattled him. But he’s not a bad person at all.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. He hadn’t exactly been very nice to me since I’d arrived. “He’s a very closed off man, isn’t he?”
“Oh, that’s for sure. He likes to keep to himself.”
“Did something happen to him when he was younger to make him like that?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I was even asking, but I was still quite curious about this angry cowboy that seemed to hate me.
Harold shrugged. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about his past at all. It’s something that he’s very closed off about. He doesn’t like to talk about it. All I know is that he’s a very good man and the hardest working person I know. I couldn’t ask for anyone better working for me.”
“Hmm, well, he certainly hides it well,” I said. “Anyway, I’m going to go back and spend the day practicing my lines. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
I wasn’t even sure why I had decided to come back the following day. Maybe it was because I really needed the lessons for the role. Or perhaps I just wanted to prove to him that I could do it. I wasn’t sure. The only thing I did know was that I was going to be there.
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