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Every year our ranch enters the show’s tug-of-war contest, and every year we win. Garrett takes it all very seriously. With the new babies coming, and me not being around, we haven’t had much time for training, so we’re relying on experience and a whole lot of determination to keep up our record.
“Everyone’s ready, boss,” he assures him, and when Finn and Tate nod their heads too, Garrett places my nephew that he’s holding into his car seat and straps him in securely.
“Well then, we got a show to get to.” He lifts up the car seat and heads toward the truck so he can fix the babies’ seats into their bases, just leaving the house seems to be a military operation.
“Who am I gonna ride with?” Cole’s head turns so fast it almost comes off his shoulders when Savannah steps out the front door.
She’s carrying a cake tin and almost looks like she belongs here wearing a bright-red sundress with a matching ribbon in her hair. She’s even picked herself up a pair of cowgirl boots. I’ve noticed the way Cole’s been looking at her, and the way she looks back indicates that she doesn’t mind at all. It’s obvious she wants him to be the one to offer her a ride.
“What’s in the tin?” he growls when curiosity gets the better of him.
“Brownies. I thought I’d enter some into the baking contest. I make ‘em real good.” She tilts her head at him suggestively, and it seems to go completely over his head.
“I think Cole could be a good judge of that, he justlovesbrownies. Don’t ya, bro?” I help him out a little, Cole’s only ever had eyes for one woman his whole life, he has zero game.
“Yeah, I…ummm. I like ‘em,” he stutters, shrugging his shoulders and looking all kinda awkward.
“Why don’t you two ride together? Me and Mom can jump in with Mitch and Dalton.” I pat him on the back, giving him no opportunity to argue when I offer Mom my arm and lead her toward Mitch’s truck.
She looks back at me surprised before she takes it with a smile. The gesture came so naturally that I forgot I was mad at her, and it felt kinda good.
We get in the truck and head toward town, and as we make the journey, I don’t know if I’m more nervous or excited about what’s gonna happen today. I haven’t shared what I got planned today with my brothers, both of ‘em got enough to be worrying about. Instead, I’ve called in a favor with the River Boys, and when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and read the response I get from Noah, I can’t help smiling to myself.
Noah: Leave it with us!
* * *
The town square is buzzing when we arrive. All the stalls have been set up, and the street has been closed off and sectioned into pens that contain the livestock waiting to be judged. I swear there’s a contest here for just about everything and as we walk past Mrs Dufferman, who's busy brushing out her Shih Tzu’s coat for the dog show, I ignore the way she stares at Mom and take off my hat to politely tip my head at her. I ain’t seeing any sign of Leia, and there’s no chance of me getting anywhere near Garrett or Maisie. They’re swamped with all the townsfolk who are desperate to get a look at the triplets.
But I do spot the River Boys, who have already taken their position between the cotton candy stall and the mechanical bull ride. Noah has a smoke hanging from his lips and his shoulder propped against one of the stall rails. The slight nod of his head, that he makes toward me, lets me know they’re ready for when the time comes.
“You ready to kick some Mason ass?” Finn makes me jump when he comes up from behind me, gripping at both my shoulders and kneading them hard like he’s gearing me up for a fight.
“You heard Garrett, he said no fighting,” Mom reminds him.
“He ain’t talkin’ about that, Mrs C. He’s talkin’ about tug-of-war. We always end up against the Masons in the final. And it always feels damn good to kick their asses.”
“What you mean is that we always end up in the final against their bunkhouse boys. A Mason man never gets his hands dirty,” I point out, looking over to where Leonard Mason is strutting between the stalls like he owns the whole damn town.
“Either way, we get to kick their ass. And I’m all about that.” Finn rubs his hands together.
“Ain’t gonna be the same without Otis,” Tate points out. He’s a man of few words so when he speaks up, people tend to listen.
“That’s why we gotta win. That fucker will come back and haunt us if we don’t.” Finn slaps my back before him and Tate moves on to catch up with Dalton and Mitch.
Mom eventually excuses herself to go and be with Maisie and Garrett, and I see Cole holding Savannah’s tin while she carefully lays out her brownies on the judges’ table. I’m about to make my way into the position I’m gonna need to be in for my plan to work, but I stop dead in my tracks when I see what’s in front of me.
This is the first time I’ve seen Leia and Caleb together since they got married, and it hurts a damn sight more than I expected it to. They’re holding each other's hands, stopping to look at stalls and smiling exactly like you’d expect a pair of newlyweds to. Leia’s lookin’ real pretty in the flowery dress she’s wearing. Her bruise is untraceable, and I wonder if that’s due to her makeup skills or it healing.
She seems so different. NotmyLeia Walker any more. She’s Leia Mason now, and she’shis.
I stand static and watch ‘em, ignoring the people moving between us and the hustle and bustle surrounding me. All I can think about is how I fucked everything up, and all I can do is hope that today is the day I can put it fuckin’ right.
Ipretend not to notice Wade as I walk around the show with Caleb and behave like the happy wife I promised I would. I smile at all those who pass us, pretending to be in love with the man holding my hand but screaming in my head for help. There’s a huge crowd surrounding Maisie, and I’m desperate to go over and see her and the babies, but every time I start trying to make my way over, Caleb leads me in a different direction. We’ve only been here half an hour and my face is already aching from the fake smile I have to keep, and I’m so fed up of answering the same questions from the nosy people in our town.
“Look at this idiot.” Caleb steers me toward the mechanical bull, where one of the River Boys has just got himself thrown off.
“Why don’t you give it a go, Mason?” Sawyer challenges from the other side of the inflatable ring.
