Did he really just say that?His words are sobering. I step away from him, my anger rising more by the minute. “Excuse me?”
He huffs again and rolls his eyes. “Just go with it. You clearly need to get laid. You’re so uptight at work. This will help loosen you up.” He goes back in for a kiss, and I get my hand between us just in time. He squishes his face into my hand, and I push him back, watching as he stumbles a few steps in his buzzed state.
I’m out his front door and down the hall in seconds as he calls for me to come back. Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I call for a ride and wait patiently outside for the black sedan to pull up along the curb. My phone rings with a text as I close the door behind me and confirm my address with the driver.
Miles:Your loss, ice queen.
I don’t even give him the satisfaction of a response. I dial Bethany’s number, and after a few rings, it goes to voicemail.
“Hey, Beth. Just checking in with you. Tried to put myself out there tonight, but he turned out to be an asshole with a small dick just like the rest of them. Hope you’re having a good night. We’ll talk soon.”
The driver pulls up to my apartment, and I can’t get out of the pot-smelling car fast enough. I look up to my lonely, dark apartment before climbing the stairs to the second floor. I kick my shoes off when I get inside and sigh in relief. My aching toes can finally stretch after being jammed in the heels for so long. I strip out of my dress and pull on my comfortable shorts and a tank top.
I crawl into bed with my laptop and open the web browser, searching forBlack Stallion Ranch. The pictures showcased on the website bring back a sense of nostalgia. It looks exactly the same as it did ten years ago. Memories flood back to me like a tsunami—the horses, the field, Tristan.
Tristan.
I haven’t thought of him in years. When my family arrived back in Connecticut, I locked myself in my room for a week, barely eating. I didn’t want to feel, and I didn’t want to be bothered. Bethany was the first to get me to come out of my room. She threatened to pick me up and drop me in the pool just to make me do something. It took me months to get over him and the way he abandoned me. No wonder I was valedictorian my senior year. I was so depressed I threw myself into my studies.
I followed his football games through the University of Wyoming’s website and tried to stay on top of what he was up to. Every time his team won, I’d internally send him a message of congratulations. And every time they lost, I’d pretend I was there to hug him. It was a silly fantasy, but it helped ease some of the pain I was feeling. I had left my heart in Wyoming.
Shaking my head, I click through the site, gathering as much information as I can. There’s no mention of who the owners are, but there is a small blurb underabout usstating it’s being operated under new management.I might not have to see him at all!This might not be so bad. Eloise hasn’t given me the paperwork yet, so I don’t know who she’s been speaking with.
Then a thought hits me: Tristan poured his heart and soul into the ranch. It was his dream to run it one day. If it’s under new management, he lost the dream. My heart breaks a little at the thought. I pull up Facebook and search for his name under people. You wouldn’t believe how many people are named Tristan Ellis. I click on every picture that doesn’t show a person in hopes of finding him, but no profile seems to fit.
I lie back and let my mind wander again. It’s been so long since I’ve allowed myself to relive the happy memories and our ‘lessons’. Damn, he really was the most amazing lover. I’ve tried to heed his advice over the years and make sure the guy takes care of me, but most of them don’t care. The amount of times I had to get myself off after they fell asleep is almost embarrassing.
Just one time couldn’t hurt.I reach my fingers under my shorts and panties, thinking of Tristan.
Chapter 2
Tristan
Eloise is going to be here in a few hours. Her plane is supposed to land at ten, so I sent Holden to pick her up with the instructions to be on his best behavior. Holden purchased the ranch with me after my family suffered some financial hardships. He had a trust that was set up in his name, and at the ripe age of twenty-one, he cashed it in.
I, of course, convinced him to buy into the ranch so we wouldn’t lose it. This place is his second home, and after a little begging on my part, he spent his money on the ranch. Mom and Dad still live in the house, but with Mom in recovery, she’s not able to do as much as she used to. I moved into my own place a few years ago, but I keep stuff here in case. The last few years around here have been really tough, and guests aren’t coming as frequently as I’d like to see. Expanding the ranch is going to change that, though.
I’m sitting in my usual spot on the porch, looking over the guest list for this coming week. We have two families with two kids each and a couple on their honeymoon coming. I sigh, taking a sip of my coffee. Ten people total. We used to be full every summer. Now, we’re lucky to stay at half-capacity, and don’t even get me started on the winter months.
Mom steps outside with her favorite purple floral mug of tea, her frail body falling gently into the seat beside me. She looks like she’s aged twenty years in the last five, even though she is only fifty-six. Chemo has taken a lot out of her, but she never complains. Not once. She always has a smile on her face, even on the bad days. She doesn’t want me to worry is what she always says.
Too late for that one.I’ve been worried about her since the doctors first told us her diagnosis. I found a way to be there, alongside her and my dad for every appointment.
“How ya feeling, Mom?”
“Today’s a good day. I’d like to sit out in the field and watch the horses graze for a little.”
I nod. “I’ll drive you out in a little while.”
Wild horses have started living on the property again. A herd came in a few years ago when everything was going south and the steady income from guests was receding. Mom says they’re a gift from Grandpa to help keep everything going. We opened the field up to the public, so others are able to watch these animals. For a small fee, we will drive a group out to the area to watch and hang out. They can even bring some food for a picnic if they want.
It has been a big hit with tourists who aren’t staying on the ranch to watch wild horses. We also opened a small gift shop in one of the unused cabins to sell Black Stallion Ranch branded stuff—t-shirts, mugs, magnets. We’ve been selling these items for a little over a year now. Kasey got into photography while she was in school in California and has taken pictures of the herd to sell as well. Those sell really well, especially through the website.
Yup, the ranch has come a long way in a few years, and I hope, by updating the cabins and making them more modern, we can bring more people in. After doing some research, it seemsQuill and Smith Designsis exactly the type of design firm we need working with us. There were several cheaper places in the running, but I don’t want to skimp on this. Sometimes, you have to pay a premium for quality.
I say good morning to a few people carrying bags with merchandise and smile to myself. I finish the paperwork I need to do and help arrange rides for some of the couples staying with us. There’s never a dull moment here on the ranch.
Jeff jogs into view. “Hey, Tristan, can you help me saddle some of the horses? The Carringtons want to take a ride, and I said I’d go with them.”
