I woke up in a pretty good mood. Last night had been fun, and to my surprise, I'd enjoyed spending time with Miller. We'd had a great conversation over dinner and on the drive home. I'd expected things to be uncomfortable, but they weren't at all. He wasn't what I had expected, not in a bad way, but in a confusing way. I'd always found him attractive, but he always seemed so confident and a little full of himself, so I didn't expect to like him. But I did.
I headed out to the barn first thing to check on the horses. I'd always loved horses, and I enjoyed working with all of them, but we had the sweetest little Paint named Bindy that was just something special. We got her at auction last August, and I had no idea what her story was. All I knew for sure was that she was suffering from a bad case of saddle fear. My best guess was that someone tried to put an ill-fitting saddle on her, and it caused her pain, but I didn't know for sure. It'd taken me a month to get a saddle on her, but we'd gotten there. I tried not to get too attached to the horses. They weren't mine, and they were all being trained to sell, but she was hard to keep a distance from.
I spent a lot of time grooming the horses, trying to build a bond with them so they would learn to trust me, and that was the plan this morning. I got my bucket with all my tools in it and went into Bindy's stall. She gave a snort and a head toss, letting me know she hadn't forgotten I didn't come to see her last night. “I know, girl, I had a date, but don't you worry about it. You're still my best girl.”
“How's she coming?” Reed asked, walking into the barn.
“She's still a bit skittish, but we’re making progress. So far, she’ll let me ride her, but nobody else. I’m having Raffie work with her some to see if maybe we can get her to let him ride.”
“Good deal. You know Ripley has a thing for Paints. When he saw her at the auction, he had to bring her home.”
“I'm glad he did. She's special.” She nuzzled my neck with her nose, and Reed laughed.
“Well, she sure loves you, but most of the horses do,” he said. I could tell he had something else he wanted to add, so I waited him out. “Look, Landon, who you choose to date is your business. But I'm worried about this thing with you and Miller.”
I let out a wry chuckle. “Cruz didn't waste any time telling you what he saw, did he?”
“Y'all weren't out the driveway before he was telling us. But you know it’s just ‘cause we care about you. None of us want to see you get hurt, is all.”
“Reed, I'm not going to get hurt. I went into this with my eyes wide open. I know who and what Miller is. We're having some fun. I'm not fooling myself into thinking this is the love story of the century, okay? We are just dating.”
“We're just all a little confused because Miller’s a player. He doesn't date. And you, well, you care. A Lot.”
“Miller does date. As a matter of fact, we had a perfectly nice date just last night. He took me out to eat, and then we went and saw that new movie with Joshua Andrews, the spy one. So yeah, umm, dating. Speaking of which, I've asked him to go home for Thanksgiving with me, so if you’re still okay with it, I’ll need that time off.”
“You're taking him home to meet your parents?”
“Yes, Reed, again, not a big deal. My parents know it's relatively new and not a big deal. Miller just didn't really want to go to his mom's for Thanksgiving, so this gave him a good excuse.”
“I'm not surprised he didn't want to go there. I can't imagine what kind of holiday events Elsa Morton has planned, but you can bet they ain't frying a turkey and sitting around watching the game.”
“Not even close, from what Miller said. I appreciate your concern. But I'm fine. Honest. I'm not expecting Miller to propose. We aren't you and Ripley, and I know that. I don't believe for a minute that Miller Monroe has forever written anywhere on him. But if you need me to stay here, I can cancel.”
“Not at all. You're due some time off. You should go see your family.”
“Thanks, Reed, and I'll be fine.”
“Okay, if you're sure, because I don't want to have to upset Ripley by kicking his best friend’s ass for mistreating you.”
“If any ass-kicking needs to be done, I'm perfectly capable of doing my own, but thank you. Now quit worrying, Daddy,” I teased.
“I’m not trying to Daddy you. Believe me, I have my hands full with one boy. You just be careful. And if you need to talk anything through, I'm always around.”
I watched him go and turned back to the horse. “Well, Bindy, what do you think?”
She pawed the ground a couple times and tossed her head. “Yeah, I agree. It should all be alright as long as I keep my wits about me, and no falling for my boyfriend, no matter how much fun the date was.”
9
Miller
I didn't expect my friends to be thrilled that I was dating Landon, but I still wasn't prepared for the almost icy reception I got at the coffee shop the next morning. Maverick, Ripley, and Frankie were all sitting at our normal table. Normally by this point, someone would have called out a good morning or something, but today they all just watched me. I grabbed my coffee and walked over to take a seat. I took a drink of my coffee, inhaling the calming aroma, and waited.
It didn't take long. Ripley had never been known for his restraint, so I didn't think it would. He set his cup down on the table a little harder than normal. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“Drinking a cup of coffee, getting ready to go show the Warner Ranch again,” I said with a shrug.
“You know what I mean.”
“I assume you mean Landon.”
“Yes, I mean Landon. When you told us you were seeing someone, it never occurred to me it might be someone local, and especially not a kid as sweet as Landon.”
“First of all, Landon isn't a kid. He is a grown-ass man. And next of all, why especially not him?”
“Because he isn't your type at all. He's a forever guy, and you’re a one-night special.”
“You have no idea what I am, Russell.” I spat out. Using the name he hated was a low blow, but I tossed it out there anyway. “Not all of us got to run off to the city, figure out who we were and what we wanted far away from here, and then waltz back into town expecting everyone to just accept the new us. Some of us have had to live through that process right here in town, in front of everyone, so they can constantly throw all our shit right back in our faces. Don't pretend for a second you didn't do your fair share of fucking around. You just did it in Dallas so the rest of us didn't see it.”
I took a breath and looked around to see everyone staring at me. “Look, Miller, we just don't want to see Landon get hurt,” Ripley said.
“Neither do I, but what’s going on between us is none of your business. Like I said, he’s a grown man.” I drained the last of my coffee and stood. “I need to get going so I can meet my clients.”
I turned and stalked out of the coffee shop, much more angry than I should have been. I knew they weren’t going to like it. I didn't know what I expected them to say. Exactly what they said, I guess. But after having such a great time on our date, it stung more than it should have. But this was why I was doing this, right? I was tired of being seen as, what did Ripley call me…a one-night special. I knew it wasn't the way they meant it, but their constant insistence that I wasn't relationship material was the same as them saying I wasn't good enough to keep someone. I’m not sure when my being the town playboy changed from a fun game to me feeling like no one thought I was worthy of more. I didn't even want more.