AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How it’s always been her.
How it will always be her.
I fell in love with Aspen Warren and I have never fallen out of love with her.
* * *
“Holy shit,”Austin mutters as we all sit on the back of our horses and look at the annihilation in front of us. Conrad covers his mouth with his jersey and I’m not sure if it’s because he feels sick from the sight or because he is about to ball his eyes out.
“Dad is bringing a truck down with the horse trailer, we just need to work and get these moved off our land as soon as possible.” Tripp grunts. “We need to get the field sorted and the herd back out, then Conrad,” Tripp turns to face him, “I want the carcasses decomposed so we can use them as fertilizer when we do the fields in the autumn. Can you speak to Harlow for me?”
Conrad gives him a solid nod and Tripp moves forward into the field when we see our dad pull through the bottom gate that sits alongside the small and narrow country road, Austin following behind.
Pacey doesn’t hang back and instead gallops towards our dad.
It’s just me and Conrad and I take this moment to turn and look at him, and I mean, really look at him. I get what she sees in him. He is a pretty boy who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and I am pretty sure he would treat her right, but I can’t help but wonder if they’ve seen each other since their first date.
“We might go down the Boot Friday if all of this is cleaned up by then, did you fancy joining us?” I ask the question with an ulterior motive. Chewing on the inside of my bottom lip, my hands resting on the horn of my horses saddle whilst I wait for his answer.
“Ah,” he chuckles, “I would love to but I will be out on a date,” he turns to face me and gives me a wide shit-eating grin and I know that his date is with Aspen.
“Oh really,” I laugh, tightening up the reins as I lift my horse’s head up, tension and anger simmers deep inside me and I am trying real fucking hard to keep my temper at bay.
“Yeah…” he smirks, his eyes scoping over me, “really.” His voice is slow as he assesses me one last time, trying to work out my tone.
“Well,” I say, nudging my horse on, “we will have to see about that.” Looking over my shoulder I give him a wink; I laugh to myself and kick forward, catching up with the rest of them.
Jealousy swarms me and honestly, I am getting a little sick of these men that think they can take what belongs to me.
She might not be mine yet, but she will be.
I’ll make sure of it.
* * *
I am exhausted,my legs are heavy like lead and all I want to do is climb into my bed, but I can’t. I need to go and apologize to Aspen. Whether she will forgive me or not is another story entirely, but I need to at least try.
Walking down the fence line, I stop just before the meadow that sits to the side of our ranch and see that some of the wildflowers are battling through the harshness of the cold spring mornings. Swiping up a small bunch I trudge towards my house. Kicking my shoes off, I place the wildflowers on the countertop and climb the stairs for a warm shower. Coldness has gotten into my bones and I can’t warm myself up.
Every time I blink, all I see is the bloodshed that was in front of me today. A quarter of our cattle gone in a heartbeat and my dad’s beloved retired mare, Honey was destroyed too. Seeing him so cut up over her was enough to make me think my dad’s frozen heart was beginning to thaw out, finally.
Stepping under the hot shower water, I let it wash the shit show of a day from me. My muscles ache, my feet burn and my ankles feel swollen.
Letting my eyes close I push the scenes from today out of my mind and it drifts to prom night, my heart splintering inside my hollow chest at the vivid memory.
I paced upand down my bedroom, stopping occasionally to look out the window to see if Pacey had brought her back, but the drive was still empty. I hated that I didn’t show; hated that I didn’t even tell her, but seeing her face when she saw the fairy lights on the truck was enough for me. I told her mom I didn’t want her knowing it was me, but as soon as she was told that Buck put the lights on I knew she knew who really did it. I wanted her night to be perfect; I wanted to be perfect for her, but my dad made sure that I couldn’t be there for her. He made it clear that I wasn’t to get involved with Aspen and like an idiot I listened because I never wanted to disappoint him.
I stilled when I heard the noise of tires crunching on the graveled drive and like some sort of obsessed stalker I perched myself at the window. I watched Pacey stumble out the truck, holding his hand out for Aspen and I felt the air knock from my lungs. Her long blonde hair was loose and not as neat as it was earlier in the evening, the silver-grey silk dress that clung to her little curves sat perfectly on her body and she reminded me of the stars in the night sky, shining bright and glistening. She looked so happy and so carefree and my heart plunged.
I should’ve looked away but I didn’t, I kept my eyes pinned to both of them and that’s when I saw Pacey grasp her pretty face between his hands and slide his lips over hers. My insides boiled and I felt rage splinter through me. She pulled away and Pacey whispered something in her ear, and I begged for her to look up at me, silently pleading that she would see me and come to find me. Within a second of that wish, her beautiful face turned towards the house, her honey golden eyes lifted to my window and I forgot how to breathe for just a moment but she didn’t leave Pacey. She didn’t come and find me. She let Pacey lead her away to the back of the house and I knew she was doing it to punish me. To get back at me for standing her up.
The hours ticked past, the summer rain was hammering down on the double window pane and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t rest until I knew she was being taken home. I heard a commotion, she was shoving and pushing Pacey off her. He was trying to reason with her but she wasn’t having any of it. Sitting up straight, I cracked the window slightly when I saw Pacey admit defeat, staggering off into the darkness.
“Come down Riggs, please” she cries out, her pretty dress getting soaked which only thinned the material, the bright light coming on as she stepped closer to the back of the house, her head tilting back.
“You owe me this at least, please Riggs,”
But I ignored her. My heart thrumming against my chest.
