Prologue
I sat in my rocking chair, watching the autumn wind blow the leaves by. Scout had always been a good dog and was being one even now by not making a peep and letting me enjoy my beer in silence.
I took a deep breath as I glanced over the acres of lawn that I own wondering where Posy went.
The last time I saw her was just beyond the barrel of my hunting rifle. I told her to run, and for just a moment, she hesitated. Then she did as she was told, and I watched patiently, keeping her in line sight until the time came to pull the trigger.
Did I take her down? Did I miss her? I can't remember. And even Scout didn't go after her when I told him to. I think it's because he's been so damn tired lately, so I haven't asked much of him since then.
Nowadays, he just lays on my porch while I do work around the place, and that's just fine by me.
A deep sigh escaped me as I raised the bottle to my lips and took another healthy swig.
Being so far removed from town can be lonely sometimes, but lucky for me, I heard there would be another corral soon.
And this time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake I did before.
Chapter One
The eyes that stared back at me from the mirror looked a little fuller of life than they had in a while. I wondered if it was because those eyes knew that being alone again would be nothing more than a distant memory in a few short hours.
Or maybe it was because the man I had been when my farm was flourishing with so many flowers knew that it was right to start again.
The feeling of overwhelming normalcy was starting to befall me the longer I stared at the man in the mirror, and it felt good to feel that way again.
Clearing my throat, I leaned a little closer to the mirror and rubbed the stubble on my face.
I could shave, but I knew that most women liked the look and feeling of a rugged man.
A scoff escaped me as I reached for the cap that had been sitting on the edge of the sink and pulled it securely over my head. I gave myself one more look to make see if the feeling inside had started to reflect on the outside.
Appearance is everything to some people, but it never mattered much to me. I always worked long days and hours on my farm, and even though I could clean up nicely, corrals like tonight never really called for it.
That was one of the reasons I loved these damn gatherings so much. We could all show up looking like ourselves and see each other with the respect we deserved.
Hard working men, and on the rare occasion women, who needed a little something extra in their lives. Be it for work, play, or just to not feel so damn alone—the corral benefited all of the bidders in one way or another.
As I finally walked out of my bathroom and headed for the front of my home, the smile that sat on my lips spread a little further.
I just had the feeling tonight would be the night that I'd find the perfect flower.
The one that would blossom and grow into something the others never could. The one that would make me forget about Posy and the others that never really did get how things went around here.
"See you later, Scout," I said to my companion softly as I leaned down and ruffled the fur on his head gently. "I'll find us a good one this time."
With that promise freshly spoken to my best friend, I walked out into the autumn air again determined to find the perfect mate that would be able to take care of us both.
The corral was packed tonight.
There were some familiar faces, but they were outnumbered by the ones that must have recently heard about the wares.
I never did care to mingle with the new folk. They always asked too many fucking questions that were none of their goddamn business, but I had already made a reputation for myself at these shindigs, and even most that knew me tended to stay away.
After I took in the amount of bidders, I shook my head and walked up to the large metal enclosed ring and rested a boot on one of the lower rungs.
These things tended to get heated, but no one here ever gave me a problem when I saw one that I wanted. And I couldn’t help but hope that the new folk would take care to stay away from what I wanted.
The rumors about me have always grated my nerves, but I never did let it show, and I sure as hell wouldn't let it show tonight.
I was a head held high kind of guy, and that was how I planned to stay regardless of the whispers behind my back that were non-stop whenever I came to a corral.
"Haven't seen you in a while," a voice said next to me.
I turned my face to the left and nodded at Roger.
It had always been a rare thing to see him attending the corral swaps and buys, but I welcomed the familiar face tonight; especially since his little burger joint had been the place that I had found my Posy.
"Hey, Roger."
"I hear there's going to be some good lots tonight," he stated with a warm smile.
Roger had always been a decent human being—much too decent to be in a place like this, bidding on whatever livestock we were going to see tonight. But like the rest of us, he always needed new stock for his diner and other stores that only a few of us had been privy to.
I nodded and turned to face him slightly, my boot tapping the bottom rung. It was a habit I had developed recently, something that would help me calm down when I felt like the old Troy Cahill was trying desperately to break free.
"Did you see the odd man out?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Odd man out?" I echoed as I tipped the brim of my cap up slightly and glanced around the men gathered.
Among the sea of familiar and unfamiliar faces, I saw something that had been the rare occurrence and instantly became intrigued beyond reason and rationale.
"Excuse me," I told him as my breath hitched in my throat, and I gave up my spot by the corral.
What I wanted apparently wasn't going to be in the ring tonight.
It was standing outside of it seemingly as confident and willing to spend their live savings as the rest of us.
Chapter Two
I settled up alongside her, resting my arms over the side of the corral and stayed cautiously silent.
I was never one for being timid around anyone, but if this girl was on the other side of the bids instead of in it, then she was clearly as dangerous and damaged as the rest of us.
Denton, the man that had bid the highest for Posy when I decided to see what kind of price she would fetch, walked into the center of the corral. He had been promoted to auctioneer when we all agreed that he had too much of a sadistic streak to keep bidding.
Of course, I was the one to hold out on that vote, because nothing that old, fat fuck could have done to any of the girls would have been worse than anything I could have dreamt up.
But I did manage to love them all in my own way, whereas I think that emotion always escaped him.
He was the one that had turned Posy into a disobedient little flower, and I had to replant her and watch her flourish all over again. She had a fighting spirit in her and I lulled her into believing that it was something to be admired.
The problem was that I almost found myself loving her. She treated Scout like he was her own and kept my home clean and ready for me after a hard day’s work.
It didn’t last though. It had all been a fucking ruse and that’s when I gave her the choice that not all of my disobedient little flowers were presented with.