“I’m sorry,” he said softly, the words hanging in the air between them.
“Me too. I should just stay away from him. He’s right, it won’t end well.” Ryan hugged her arms, watching her breath drift in tiny clouds.
“He’s not happy about it either,” came Cull’s quiet reply.
“I know.” She exhaled sharply, the cool air stinging her lungs.
Cull coasted to a stop beside the rippling cornfield, where stalks had already grown. He cut the UTV’s engine with a soft click, and they climbed out onto the packed dirt. The scent of damp earth and green leaves around them, mingling with the faint tang of metal from the machine.
“You can get some photos if you want,” Cull said, slipping into the rows. He knelt to inspect the irrigation lines, his boots crunching on stray pebbles.
Ryan lifted her camera, cold against her fingertips, and trained the lens on the sunlit stalks. The corn had already grown, the leaves green and healthy. She felt a pang of melancholy, she’d be leaving soon, and it hurt to think how quickly she’d grown attached. Worse, how deeply she’d fallen for Seth in that short time.
After thirty minutes, Cull emerged, dust clinging to the knees of his jeans from kneeling in the dirt. Ryan brushed away an errant tear, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes. Damn, I don’t know if it’s just me, but it feels like it’s getting cold again.”
“The temps have dropped. Let’s head back. I have some fencing I have to get repaired.”
“Okay, but it’sApril,” she said, shaking her head. “The weather in Valencia is very comfortable this time of the year.”
Cull stared at her and shrugged. She supposed he was used to this. They climbed into the UTV, Cull hit the starter and the engine rumbled to life. Dust kicked up behind them as they roared toward the barn, the sun slanting through the trees.
Cull parked at the barn door. Ryan hopped out. “See you later.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, pulling away.
She entered through the open doors and stepped inside, into the dim aisle scented with hay and aged wood. Shafts of light cut through gaps in the walls, illuminating drifting dust. She paused, wondering where Seth might be, and whether Sean was still here.
Her question was answered when Sean walked toward her, well, limping toward her and she bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“You think this is funny?” Sean asked, arms folded.
She smirked. “What? You suffering? Yes.”
Sean shook his head. “Damn, Ryan. That’s not nice.”
She stepped close, bootheels clicking on the cement. “You sure weren’t nice to me, screwing every woman you could while you were seeing me.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
“Excuse me? What?”
“I’m sorry. Maybe we could talk.”
“Wearetalking, and this is as far as it goes.” She turned just in time to see Seth’s broad silhouette pass beyond the open doors. He paused for a moment, his hat rim cutting across his face, then moved on out of sight. Ryan faced Sean again.
He glanced over his shoulder, then leaned in with a cruel half-smile. “Oh, I get it. You like that cowboy.”
“Whether I do or not is none of your business. He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”
Sean laughed. “Please. He’s a cowboy. They like to get dirty.”
Ryan’s lips curled in a laugh. “Oh, yes they do.”
“Are you telling me you slept with him?”
