8. Boone

Eight

Boone

Monday meant the start of another week at the ranch. Today, Rhodes was helping me fix a fence on the pasture. We had a steer try to run through the barb after some crazy storms threatened to get closer.

Rhodes had been non-stop asking questions about Saturday night, demanding to know what happened after they went to bed. He was delusional if he thought I was going to spill that easy. That’s a secret I plan on keeping to myself. I didn’t need the boys to have that information and slip around Aspen. She finally seemed to be comfortable enough to carry a conversation with me. It felt like she opened up, and I’ll be damned if I let Rhodes or anyone else ruin that. I liked her. I liked being around her, hearing her laugh, seeing her on the porch swing every night, a glass of her favorite red wine and a book in her hand. I found out she loved Sweet Red, a locally curated wine in Faircloud. I made sure to shove that little bit of information away for later.

I’m not typically a relationship guy. I didn’t make a point to pay attention to what girls like or dislike or remember much about them; however, Aspen had always caught my eye. It started as curiosity, wondering what she was always doing by herself. I would watch her from a distance, her nose in a book. The simple things seemed to make her happy, and I liked that.

In high school, a part of me always wanted to shoot my shot, but what would a girl like that want with a boy like me ? She never showed interest, which I think added to the appeal. Whether she believed it or not, Aspen had always been on my radar. Getting to know her more over the last couple of weeks had been a pleasant surprise.

“Come on Boone, don’t be shy,” Rhodes said, lining up the post in the hole we dug.

“I’m not shy, dumbass. I’m not telling you shit because I know you. You’re trash at keeping secrets.” I squatted down, filling the hole to hold the post.

“Why’s it a secret? I think we all know what happened. I just want to hear you say it,” Rhodes pushed.

“I don’t need you running your mouth and making Aspen regret it.” I looked up at Rhodes from my position, a smug grin on his face. “Wipe that look off your face,” I said. Standing, I wiped my dirty hands on my jeans, placing both hands on my hips. The details of what happened between Aspen and I were ours. These feelings I had, I needed some help hashing them out.

On my exhale, Rhodes replied, “You like her.”

“And?” I said, taking the post digger from his hands. I moved to the next spot we marked with spray paint indicating where the next post went. “I like spending time with her. She’s a nice girl.”

I drove the post digger into the ground, pressing the two handles together to remove the dirt until the hole was deep enough.

“She is. And it ain’t like you to spend time with a woman during the day. Fixing her car? Lunch? Come on.” I tossed the tool on the ground, breathing a little heavy. Rhodes grabbed the next pole and placed it in the hole. I squatted down, filling it up with dirt.

“She paid for lunch, for your information. I’m done talking about this with you,” I huffed.

I needed to move the conversation away from Aspen. Like the asshole I could be, I threw it back at him. “How about you, have any ladies you wanna talk about?”

Rhodes refused to look at me, his cheeks getting red. Either from the heat or anger, I’m thinking the latter.

Rhodes had been single for the last year and change. Mac, Logan, and I didn’t even know if he had been with a woman since Jess.

Jess and Rhodes were high school sweethearts. They started dating at fifteen, eight years is a lot of time to be with someone. Jess moved away to the city, knowing damn well Rhodes wouldn’t go. She needed “change,” and I guess that included letting Rhodes go. He hadn’t been the same about love since, and he didn’t share much about his dating life, besides the fact he swore it off since his heart was broken. He didn’t use those exact words, but we all got the point. Around here, most people have a high school sweetheart. It’s deemed taboo if you don’t marry the person you spend high school with. Personally, I thought that “rule” was archaic because two of the people closest to me tried to follow and ended up with their hearts broken.

“Nope. I see what you’re trying to do, and I’ll let it slide today. You can’t deny it forever because it isn’t like you act this way,” Rhodes said.

“That sounds awful,” I responded. There was a misconception about me that I use women and throw them away when I’m done. That’s far from the case. I always laid out my expectations before. I cherished women, my mama raised me better than that. Since I started getting involved with the opposite sex, I always laid down the foundation before I got too involved. I knew what I wanted and I wasn’t looking to hurt anyone in the process.

“You know what I mean man,” Rhodes cautioned, stopping his work to focus on the conversation.

Whatever was happening between Aspen and I was new for me. I didn’t know what these feelings I was experiencing meant or how to handle them. The fact I wanted to see her every day scared me a little. I loved being in her company. “Right now, we’re friends and that’s all,” I pledged.

Rhodes nodded and resumed his work. He could tell he had struck a nerve; he wasn’t one to roll over easily. I told Aspen yesterday that it didn’t bother me that people stared or, in this case, had their thoughts on who I was as a person. I don’t usually care; however, it was different with her. The last thing I wanted was for people to think Aspen was just another name to add to my list.

Rhodes and I finished the last few posts in silence, both working to get the new fencing up between the posts before retiring to the main house. It was late afternoon and time to call it quits for the day. When you start as early as I do, and typically work long hours, you take the time when you can. Today, Logan and another ranch hand ran around doing the other tasks on the list for the day.

“Mom!” I yelled, letting the wooden door slam behind me. Rhodes walked in first, I followed. We both made it to the kitchen where my mom was wearing her apron, cooking something for dinner. Mom had a half day at school today, some kind of event was going on in the auditorium, so the kids and faculty got an early dismissal.

“What are you making tonight, Mrs. Cassidy?” Rhodes asked, sipping from the water he helped himself too.

“I’m making pizza in a round.” My mom took croissant pastry and filled it with everything we loved on a pizza. Pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and sausage crumbles. She rolled it up and fixed it in the shape of a ring around her pizza stone.

“Looks great, Ma,” I said, kissing her on her head.

“Did you want to stay for dinner, Rhodes? We have plenty,” my mom asked.

“No ma’am,” Rhodes replied. “I have some leftovers in the fridge, and the rodeo is calling my name.” Our town had its own mock rodeos throughout the summer and broadcasted it on our local channel. Tonight was the first one of the season.

After finishing his glass, Rhodes said his goodbyes and headed out to the barn to get his truck. I stood in the kitchen talking to my mom before I headed to my cabin to wash up. I try to eat dinner with my family as often as possible. Since Ellie left, I was trying not to make the house seem as empty as it was. Considering pizza in a round is one of my favorites, the choice to come back was an easy one.

“Before you wash up, can you run those mason jars down to the store? Mrs. McFry had jars she was looking to get rid of, and I thought it would be perfect for Aspen to sell her muffin mix out of,” Mom said.

I hadn’t seen Aspen today. It was near four in the afternoon which meant the shop would be closing up soon.

“Sure thing, Mama.” I grabbed the box that had the mason jars and headed for the door.

Getting to the farm stand, I saw Aspen standing behind the counter. Her back was towards me. It looked like she was packing something. She was bobbing her head and swaying her hips in a rhythm. I stood for a few moments, admiring the way her body moved. I couldn’t help but smile, her presence was alluring. I felt lighter around her, like nothing could bring me down. The world could be on fire and, as long as she was around, it would be okay.

When I decided I’d been standing there long enough, I made my way to the counter and put the boxes down. Aspen spun, humming a tune.

When she saw me, she screamed, “Shit!” putting her hand on her chest while taking a deep breath. “You scared me!” she said, laughing. “How long were you there, creep?” She gave me a playful smile and opened the cardboard box.

“Like 20 minutes,” I lied, smiling back.

“Bull,” was her only reply. I walked around to the empty part of the counter and jumped up to sit on the surface. Aspen stood facing me, one hand on the counter. She eyed me from head to toe.

“These are from my mom. Something about muffin mix?” I questioned, pointing to the box and shrugged my shoulders. Taking off my cowboy hat, I ran my fingers through my hair before placing it back on my head. My hair was damp and my clothes were filthy. That didn’t seem to bother Aspen, considering I heard her swallow hard enough to gulp.

“She came down earlier. Told me you’d bring them to me before closing. Look at you, right on time,” she teased, closing the box up. She took her rag and threw it over her shoulder, hip now leaning against the counter holding her weight. Aspen stood in line with my leg, looking up at me. Those beautiful doe-like eyes were hypnotic. I stared back, unsure what to say or how to keep the conversation going, but I needed to.

“Wanna have dinner at the main house tonight?” I asked without thinking. My brain needed an excuse to stay longer, to be around her for more than the few minutes it took to drop off the jars.

“Can’t,” she said, sounding a bit breathy. “I’m meeting Penny for dinner. Raincheck?”

I nodded, it was worth a shot. Part of me was glad she said no, because I didn’t feel like lying to my mom about why I asked our new employee to dinner.

“How was your first day?” I went with a simple question, low hanging fruit. I needed to keep her talking.

“Great!” She exclaimed, pushing away from the counter. Her movement put distance between us, I was missing the warmth against my leg. “We had quite a few customers. People are excited about the stand and what I want to bring on. My newest addition will be with these jars. I want to make the dry ingredients for my muffins and have them on the shelves. Customers can buy them and just add the wet ingredients. They make the perfect gift or if you want to make muffins quickly at home.”

Watching her talk about the store and the new items created a tightness in my chest I couldn’t identify. Her beaming smile, the apples of her cheeks on full display. I could listen to her for hours going on and on about blueberry muffins. Hell, she could talk about taxes, or golf, and I would listen with my full attention on her. I’d never sat inches from someone and felt the need to be closer. I’d never wished I could hear a woman speak for hours a day, never wanting her to stop. I’d never played the exact moment when I felt a woman’s lips on my skin over and over again to the point of insanity. One thing I did know for certain, though, I was totally fucked .

Aspen

It’s nice to finally be in the same room as my best friend. So much had happened emotionally, and I guess physically, since I moved to Cassidy Ranch. I was dying to spill. Dying to tell all the details. They’d been stuck in my head for days, itching to get out.

I sipped my margarita, more like I inhaled it really. Penny and I tried to go for tacos and margaritas at least once a month. With adult life being crazy, we penciled in this time for each other. Whatever other time we could make in between was a blessing. Penny had been nonstop since getting her job at the library, and I was beyond proud of her.

“Alright, spill,” Penny said. “I can tell you have something to say. Your face is doing that thing.” She waved her hand in a circle in front of me.

I squealed, “What thing?”

“Your eyebrows pinch and you get this look in your eyes.” She knew me too well.

“I kinda, maybe, I’m not sure what to call it…heavily made out with Boone Cassidy while skinny dipping in a swimming hole.” I paused, waiting for gasp or at least something to show me she was surprised. Instead, her eyes were wide and she was staring at me, waiting for more. “Well, we were both a little tipsy. I wouldn’t say I was super drunk, because I still remember it. I had a good bit of tequila and wine. You know how I get with wine. One thing led to another, and I was taking my clothes off with Boone under the moonlight.”

“Shut the fuck up,” was all Penny said. I waited a beat, seeing what else she wanted to say.

When nothing came up, I continued. “We were just talking after everyone went to bed. Playing 21 questions, and it was actually really nice.”

“How weird have you been around him since?” Penny asked. My mouth opened, a shocked look on my face.

“What do you mean how weird have I been, why would it be me? Maybe Boone is the one being weird,” I chided back, obviously defensive.

Silence fell between us, and Penny was staring directly into my soul. I took a long pull of my margarita, shoving a chip packed with salsa in my mouth.

When I was done chewing, I replied, “Okay! You’re right! I do have a track record of making things weird. But no, I actually think I did the opposite? I feel more relaxed around him. Like, whatever he did with his tongue in my mouth hit a button, and now I’m a changed woman.”

Penny snorted, almost losing her margarita through her nose. “That’s a hell of a way to put it. That’s a good thing. You wouldn’t want it to be weird considering you both work and live on the ranch. Has he said anything since it happened? Like maybe doing it again?” She made her eyebrows dance, turning her head slightly.

“No, just that he doesn’t regret it. Which was nice to hear considering my mind went into panic mode per usual. Everything has been fine. I never thought I would be friends with Boone Cassidy.”

“Friends? Did I miss a chapter? Besides the kissing, which I want all the details about written in MLA format in my inbox by tonight, what else has happened?” Penny asked.

“He took me into town and we went to lunch. He helped me change my car battery. He comes over most nights and we sit on the porch swing and talk,” I replied nonchalantly.

“Details, woman, details! Talk about what?” Penny inquired skeptically.

“Well, our likes and dislikes, family, hobbies, you know, friendly things. He sometimes flirts with me, at least that’s what I’m taking it to be, but it’s all harmless fun.” I had to rush to add that last part, I didn’t want Penny to get the wrong idea.

“I need to know what Boone Cassidy says to “flirt” because I bet they are corny lines he finds online, but they actually work. I think that man could ask me if my dad is a baker because I have nice buns and I would still blush,” Penny said.

“The other night, before the swimming hole, I was reading on the porch. He picked up my book and read a little of it. When he left, he said–” Now that I’m repeating it out loud, I can feel my cheeks begin to heat. “ I’m what you read about in those books, Darling.”

I thought Penny was choking. They way her margarita flew from her nose and covered the table, you’d have thought she needed medical attention. “He what?” she yelled, turning heads from other tables.

“Shh!” I hushed, flailing my arms in her direction. “What is your problem?” I whisper yelled.

“No problems here, sweetie. If a man said that to me, I’d climb him so fast his head would spin. That’s some top tier book boyfriend type of shit.” I stared at her, blinking rapidly. “Boone laid it on hard. There’s no way that’s a line he reuses, that was all for you.”

I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that. As much as I was attracted to Boone, I didn’t want things to get weird. Us hooking up in the swimming hole was a one time thing. The attraction I had towards him started in grade school, even little kid Aspen knew he was cute. I could handle it without acting on it, it’s been this long. When Penny points things out like that, I wanted to climb him like a tree.

I’d never been emotionally scarred from a significant other before, and I wanted to keep it that way. I gaslight myself into believing things are less than they are to protect my peace. I didn’t let myself experience something until I knew it was okay. Deep down, I knew I needed to protect my feelings from him. Boone was all red flags and tight wranglers. Well, at least he used to be all red flags. He still wears those tight wranglers. There was nothing wrong with being friends with someone you were insanely attracted to, right?

“You know, Theo is back in town this weekend. What if we go to The Tequila Cowboy for drinks and dancing? I think they have a cover band, it could be fun,” I replied, wanting to change the trajectory of the conversation.

“Are you okay?” Penny asked in a joking tone. “I’m usually the one asking, well begging, you to go to the bar.” She reached across the table and placed the back of her hand on my forehead.

Rolling my eyes I said, “I just miss you two, and I’m really needing a girls night out.”

“How could I say no? I will clear my calendar.” Penny smiled, taking her phone from her purse.

“I’m really proud of you,” I confessed, reaching across the table to grab her hand.

Penny fluttered her eyelashes, looking in my direction. “Muah?” she asked, placing her other hand on her chest. “I’m more proud of you. I mean, you made out with Boone Cassidy and are still standing to tell the tale.”

“That’s the last time I’m going to be nice to you.” I gasped, pulling my hand away.

“No!” She squealed, reaching to grab my hand back. “I’m sorry! Not really,” she mumbled the last part. “You seem happier since accepting the job at the ranch. There’s something different and I’m excited for you.” Penny gave me a sweet smile.

Talking to Penny always brought me back down to earth. She was my rock, always has been. When I needed her, she was a phone call away. Seeing her tonight made me miss the free time we had to be together.

The waiter came by and dropped the bill on the table. Penny placed her card down before I could get mine. “Let me,” I said, nudging hers out of the way.

“Just buy me a couple drinks at the bar, and we can call it even.”