They looked up when we walked in. Krys waved at them and I pulled her tight to my side with a smile. I could see Ethan chuckle and Boots’ face fall. I should have felt bad. Boots and I have been friends for years and years. I shouldn’t feel so victorious with Krystina at my side but I did. He legitimately liked her. Anyone with a handful of brain cells would.
But she was all mine. She had always been and always would be mine.
I saw Ed behind the bar near the kitchen end, stacking plates and food baskets to take to the dish washer.
“Ready to tell everyone?” I whispered in her ear.
“You haven’t taken your hand off me since we walked through the door. Or that smile off your face. I think they know. Besides, it’s not like we’re engaged.”
I pouted. “You’re not excited enough to tell them?”
“I’m ecstatic! I want to scream it to the universe!”
“Let’s start with Ed and Carla then.” I pushed her towards the back table in the corner where Ed, Carla and I typically dined. Carla stepped out of the back with a menu in hand and Ed in tow.
They both smiled when I wrapped my arms around Krys from behind, pulling her into me and kissing her ear lobe. It was the best I could do with both of our hats on.
We sat down at the table and she removed her hat, running her fingers through her hair.
“Well, you two are getting along much better than you were this morning,” Ed said setting down two beer bottles on the table. One for him and one for me. Carla rarely drank at her own bar.
“Yes, we are,” Krys proudly told him.
“I am very pleased Ms. Krys. Can I get you a drink? Carla keeps a couple bottles of just above gas station wine in the back.”
“A beer sounds terrific.”
“A beer it is then,” my uncle replied returning to the bar.
Carla gave Krys a quick hug hello and told us there were still specials left. Salisbury steaks and all the fixings. Krys and I both ordered that.
“I’m going to wash up,” Krys said and I pointed her towards the restrooms.
Chapter Twenty- One
Krystina
I was ridiculously giddy. For the first time in my, in our lives, Gentry and I could tell the world we were together. We could be a real couple. I had to call Gloria first thing in the morning. It would be a very long call if she had the time with her busy mom schedule.
I had to pass three of my fellow Mirror Lake hands on the way to the rest rooms. Brandon and Ethan wolf whistled as I walked towards the back hallway.
Boots was leaning against the wall outside the men’s room, arms crossed, grumpy expression on his face. “After all the shit he put you through. In the last week alone, not to mention the barn incident and just like that, you’re with him.”
“Back with him,” I corrected.
“Back?”
“We were together for almost three years. Mistakes were made, pain was caused.”
“I thought you needed space, so I gave it to you.”
“I’m sorry Boots. I’ve been in love with Gentry Hollis most all my life. He is still in love with me and we’re finally, finally where we can be together and let everyone know it.”
I opened the door to the restroom and went inside. I washed my hands. Boots was frustrating. Another time, another place, another life. He was a perfect gentleman and almost as attractive as Gentry. Almost.
I was drying my hands and adjusting my hat when the bathroom door opened. I glanced over to see Brittany Morris walk in. I hadn’t noticed her when we arrived but it was crowded and I was focused solely on Gentry.
She was dressed in a similar fashion to myself but was lacking the hat. She looked in the two bathroom stalls verifying they were open and locked the main door. I tossed my used paper towels in the trash and tried to pick a persona. New York socialite bitch or redneck trash bitch. What the hell, I’ll wing it.
“He lied to me. For months, no years, I worked hard to get his attention. So damn handsome, so strong, all around cowboy, excellent ranch head. Everything I wanted and everything Daddy would accept.
“I finally managed to turn his head and finally got to play venerable buckle bunny bimbo who gets seduced. I knew that someone held him back. Someone had broken his heart. Yet I was willing to still play ball. To do everything it took to make Gentry fall in love with me.
“Six months. Six fuckin’ months I kept him distracted. Kept his bed, his front seat, the bed of his truck, wherever he pleased warm I was so close to having him for real until you showed up. So close! And he lied when he said the reason he left me wasn’t for you. But it was. It doesn’t matter though. You uppity New York Yankee bitch. You will never stay and he will come back to me.”
I was stunned for just a heartbeat. Then sad for her, disgusted I had been riding where Gentry had fucked her and God only knows who else and completely angered that she thought I would just disappear and turn him back over to her.
“Brittany, I am truly sorry that you are hurting and I can only imagine the pain a poor little girl like you is feeling over the thought of love,” back handed fake compliment bitch. Very New York.
“But if you think for one second that I am leaving him, or that he would ever go back to a buckle-bunny-good-only-for-an-eight-second-ride-bimbo like yourself, you have another thing coming my dear. So, stay the fuck away from my man. Try any funny shit and I promise you, I will fuck you up,” ah how very trailer park princess trash of me.
Brittany just glared. “Get it, got it, good,” I added and breezed past her as if she was nothing and unlocked the door and glided right on out.
I re-joined Gentry, Carla and Ed as waitress who was eyeing up Gentry, dropped off our food. I gave him a kiss and sat down with maybe just a touch of attitude.
“Everything okay?” Gentry asked and I could see him raise an eyebrow under his hat brim.
“Just peachy king. How attached are you to your truck?”
“Pretty well attached currently,” he caught a side glance at a disgruntled Brittany.
“You will shampoo the entire inside this week and bleach the bed.”
Ed chuckled.
“If you wish.”
“Be lucky I don’t just set the damn thing on fire and push it off a cliff.”
“Green never was a good color on you,” Gentry said passing me a longneck and mocking my jealousy.
“Bullshit, all colors look great on me.”
We ate and downed longnecks after longnecks. Laughing constantly with Gentry’s body always touching me in one way or another. Many faces, some familiar, most of them not, came to say hello. To meet me when their curiosity got the better of them as most had heard tale of a NYC Trophy Wife.
Young women glared at me with fake smiles. I was competition in spite of the fact I was with Gentry. Most were probably friends of Brittany’s but I didn’t care. I lost sight of Boot’s sometime later and presumed he had disappeared for the night. Brandon was feeling his oats. He had only been a legal drinker for a handful of months but he was running a marathon on his liver. Ethan had a few drinks but he was riding herd on Brandon tonight.
Not long after dinner, Gentry pulled me to the dance floor as the jukebox played in the corner. No one was dancing, but as always, things like that didn’t bother my cowboy when he wanted something. And now he wanted to dance.
His face was lit up with a smile that brought so much of the carefree boy I loved back into his face. I hadn’t seen him genuinely smile since I arrived. With that smile he became the boy in the memories my heart had clung so tightly to.
Time flew by us and soon I heard Carla give out the last call warning and she turned up the lights. Ed and Gentry gathered up trash and brought up boxes of beer to re-stock coolers. The bartender on the clock was the waitress from earlier. She finished closing out tabs and I drifted in back with Carla to help clean up for the night.
“You don’t’ have to help dear.”
“I want to. Besides, focusing on
this might help me sober up,” I chuckled.
“Ed told me you were leaving on Monday. Is that still the plan? With you and Gentry now seeming to be together?” Carla took a load of beer glasses from the dishwasher and shut it down for the night.
“I don’t know. Honestly? Gentry harbors a lot of anger and resentment towards me that was there only this morning. Right now he’s okay but tomorrow? Tomorrow he might flip it back on. God I hope not. But it may go back to being the enemy by daybreak.”
“How long were you together?”
“Almost three years. Although we never told anyone. And a year of that he was here.”
“Ed said he came out here to cool off after an incident you were involved in.”
I grimaced, “It happened a few months before he made the move. He stayed as long as he could but there was trouble. It was all my fault or because of me at the very least. Because he loved me.”
There was a knock on the doorway to the kitchen. “Ready to go Krys?”
I nodded and told Carla goodnight and let Gentry gather me up. The cool air shocked me sober as we stepped into the night and I glared at his truck.
“I’ll detail it tomorrow. Buy seat covers, have a native spiritually cleanse it and a priest bless it if need be.”
I climbed in reluctantly, “Cleaning it is fine.”
“We have the house to ourselves. Ed is staying in town.”
“Well hurry home then cowboy.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gentry
I woke tangled in sheets with a very naked Krys in my arms. I glanced at the clock hoping my two hired hands on weekend duty. Brandon and Robbie were up and feeding. It was after nine now and I had no intention of moving soon. It had been after three when we collapsed into a sweaty cum soaked mess.
I way lying on my back, Krys’ arm across my stomach, her head on my chest and our legs intertwined. I wasn’t accustomed to waking in the spare room she had taken over. But she wasn’t ‘bout to touch my bed with a ten-foot pole. Brittany had gotten to her just a bit.
I pulled the covers over us better and snuggled into her. Between the booze and the exercise she was still out to the world.
Another hour past until I drifted back to consciousness. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lie in bed so late. This time when I woke Krys did too with an audible groan.
I kissed her forehead as I slid out of bed. “I got to get moving but you go back to sleep sweet heart.”
“No,” she moaned and it wasn’t her sexy moan as she tried adjusting to having her eyes open. “If you’re up I’m up.”
“You have nothing to prove to me.”
“I do,” she whispered pulling a sheet around her nakedness. “To you, to me and to Mirror Lake.”
Her phone vibrated on the nightstand and I picked it up noting it was an email from the airlines. I handed it to her.
“Post pone it, cancel it, I don’t care. Make it go away. Don’t leave the ranch. Don’t leave me, not until we figure this out.”
She nodded and unlocked her phone and I headed for the shower and clothes.
Half an hour later Krys had showered herself and dressed. She looked presentable and semi with it.
“Food, coffee, water,” I said and slid some pancakes on a plate for her.
“God bless you.” She took a sip of her coffee and kissed me. Her kiss meant to be quick but I prolonged it. Pushing her into her mouth and pressing my body against hers.
She moaned as she felt my dick crush against her, straining the confines of my jeans. I backed her against the counter, picked her up and sat her down on it. I was kissing her neck and undoing her belt buckle when I heard the kitchen door slam hard and Ed clear his throat loudly.
Krys froze and shrunk back into herself trying to disappear. I leaned my forehead on hers and sighed.
“I was wrong Brandon, apparently, the rut is in. Get her the hell off the counter. You two are not having sex on it as long as it’s mine!” Ed barked but I could hear the ornery grin in his voice.
Krys blushed and pushed at me. I took another deep breath trying to calm my erection and stepped back. Krys jumped off the couch and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her eyes more or less on the floor.
“Eat your breakfast,” I commanded sitting down at the table myself.
“Breakfast!” Brandon shouted. “It’s near noon!”
“Hell Ed himself is just rolling in!” I protested.
“I’m semi retired child, I do as I please,” Ed rebutted pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“This ranch still pays you to work so on the rare occasion I can take day off,” I ran my hand over Krys’ knee as she quickly ate her breakfast. I was surprised at her embarrassment. Krys rarely let anyone get to her.
She glanced up at me over her coffee come and licked her lips in an intentionally seductive way. Oh my sweet baby, you will pay for that one.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Krystina
The days passed quickly. Gentry and I had fallen into a routine that suited us. He said I had a knack with horses and I suppose I did. It was slowly becoming my responsibility to take over the horse barn. Exercising horses in the round pen when needed and riding Storm every chance I could. Gentry made excuses to come by for quick kisses or more every chance he had.
Dinner was most often times filled with the rest of the ranch and then a quick retreat upstairs. Thanksgiving came with routine chores and dinner at the house with Carla’s feast spread out. Gentry and I took ourselves on a long horseback ride while everyone else watched football and then our customary return to our bed early.
Now it was the last day of November and I was putting my work gloves on after a quick phone call with Gloria who was all too eager at my and Gentry’s romance. I had yet to confess our past to her and was unsure if he had.
“Krys!” Ethan called out as I was walking back into the barn. I turned to see him leading his mare Pinocchio behind him.
“Hey Ethan. Hello pretty girl,” I kissed her velvet nose in greeting before looking down at her scraped leg that had dried blood coating it. “What happened here?”
“Frozen brush scraped her open riding heard on the East side. Can you help me hold her while I clean and wrap it? She’s never been a fan of doctoring.”
I agreed and we set to work on Pinocchio’s leg. Ethan just about had it wrapped when a black Lincoln town car flew into the drive causing her to spook. She jumped back, knocking Ethan to the ground. I held fast to her lead line and did my best to encourage her to calm and come back to all fours before she injured herself even further. She baulked a few times but settled in by the time Ethan had found his feet and took the rope from me.
The second Pinocchio was in good hands I turned to the car ready to give whoever it was a piece of my mind. The driver was still in his seat but the passenger leaned against the car clapping.
“Slumming it as a stable hand? If you had fantasy’s of being humiliated I could have done that for you.”
“Oh, believe me, you did. What the hell do you want Jimmy?”
My ex-husband’s precise black suit cost more than my new wardrobe from Fi’s by the thousands.
“Can’t a man just stop in to see his wife?” Jimmy walked to me and carefully kissed my cheek. I shook in shock and in anger.
“Ex-wife. I never even kept the name.”
“I should have won the insanity accusation. A woman as smart as you should have kept Delore over DeLouch. It has a far better standing. But you’re here doing what? Hoping to get to change it to Hollis?”
“You need to leave,” I told him pushing him back towards his car.
“No, I think I’ll stay. I would like to catch up with my old friend. A man has the right to confront the hillbilly cowboy his wife had pined for. The old boyfriend who never showed.” Jimmy looked at me and grinned. “Like I didn’t know. Half the football team watched him try to bed you over under the bleachers. They reported it to their favorite captain.”<
br />
“You cheated. You publicly flaunted your whore!”
“Yet it’s you who society shakes their head about.”
“Get off this ranch!” I hissed.
“I told you I’m waiting for Gentry. Look at the man who’s trying to bend over backwards to please you now. ‘Course it’s probably your – I mean my – money that he wants. Bet he loves that it was me who got to work my way into you first, pop that sweet – “
Gentry came out of no where and slammed Jimmy into the side of the car. I yelled and pushed my way in between them as Gentry pulled his fist back.
“NO!” I shouted blocking Gentry and shielding Jimmy with my own body. It had been a decade since I had seen Gentry truly angry. He shook like a Chihuahua puppy.
Jimmy laughed and I felt him caresses my ass and my stomach churned. “Didn’t take her long to bore with you Hollis old chum.”
“My wife still knows her loyalties,” he kissed my neck and my skin crawled.
I turned to face him. “Leave.”
“I am going nowhere without my wife,” he spat.
I reached out and grabbed his tiny balls through his pants and squeezed tightly, twisting them into his body before he could react to what I was doing he was immobilized with pain and fear. I could be a crazy bitch and he knew it.
“Leave and don’t ever come back or I will destroy you. Our divorce deal still stands.”
He couldn’t breathe when I finally released him when he was a nice dark shade of purple. I turned and walked towards the barn grabbing ahold of Gentry by the arm and dragging him with me.
It took a lot of physically effort to encourage Gentry to follow me but he did. I sat him down on a hay bale, near where we had fucked just a few weeks ago.
“I’m sorry he came here. I have no idea what he is doing in town or how he even found out where I was.” Gentry was stoic and emotionless. I took his cowboy hat from his head and placed it next to him and ran my fingers through his hair. Still he did not move.
Only when I attempted to kiss him did he respond. “It’s not a good idea Krys. You need to get off of me now!”
Mirror Lake Ranch: Once in a Memory Page 8