Perfect Secret by Molly McLain
Chapter 3
HOLDEN
By the time noon rolls around on Thursday, I’m dragging ass.
I work about half of the year at my uncle’s ranch in Colorado, but I’ve been off for the past few months, traveling from city to city on the summer rodeo trail. I still train damn near every day, but nothing compares to the physical labor of working a ranch.
“Break time,” Wilder announces, hopping out of the tractor and tossing his gloves onto the back fender. He swipes the back of his hand across his forehead beaded with sweat. We’ve been drilling new fence post holes for the last four hours and, right now, the hot August sun is at its peak.
“Thank god,” I mutter, immediately going for a bottle of water in the cooler I stowed in the back of the ranch truck. “Not to sound like a pussy, but I might be too out of shape for this.”
Wilder snorts. “That’s the difference between you showboaters and us real cowboys.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He’s not wrong, but I’m not about to admit it. “Just give me a couple days and I’ll be running laps around your ass.”
“Sure you will.” He chuckles and hops up onto the tailgate of the truck, situating himself in front of the remaining fence posts.
Cracking open a water, I lean against the box. “Thanks again for this, man. I appreciate you keeping me busy while this shitstorm blows over. I could have gone back to my uncle’s place, but I’d rather my family not get dragged into this mess.”
He dips his chin. “No problem. I’m benefiting from it, too. You hear anything about what’s going on? Any progress?”
“Not a thing. At this point, I’m not really expecting to, either.” CJ, my manager, more or less told me to suck it up and take my lashings even though I had nothing to do with the latest drama. I’d already left town after the Tulsa ride. There was no way I could have been at the bar where I’d been accused of sexually assaulting a barely legal college girl. Yet that’s what happened. She went to the cops, told them it was an ABR rider, and picked out my picture out of the lineup from the event.
Thankfully, I had gas and toll receipts to prove I was already on my way back to Colorado. But since the accuser came from a well-off, well-known family in the city, her accusation still spread like wildfire. The cops reviewed the toll cameras in Kansas, verified it was me driving my truck, and let me go. And in four to six months, the sexual assault kit test will double prove my innocence. But it didn’t matter. The ABR still suspended my membership and thus my ability to ride.
CJ said this forced hiatus is for my own good, but I know it’s less about me and more about saving the reputation of the ABR. The more the media camps outside of my house or the venues, trying to figure out which one of us fucked up, the more money the organization has to invest in mitigation. I’m a liability right now and, if I’m honest, it’s a slap in the damn face. I could have placed in the top three this year. I’ve ridden twenty-four bulls and was fifth in points overall. And it didn’t matter.
“Still think it’s pretty shitty they aren’t supporting you through this. That they’re acting like you’re guilty despite the evidence saying you’re not.”
“You’re telling me,” I mutter. “CJ said a month away should be enough to let things simmer down so I can be reinstated, but I don’t see how it’s going to matter.” My reputation is pretty much screwed if the ABR won’t support me.
“You never know. Something could happen between now and then that works to your benefit. Maybe this girl identifies the real asshole or, as much as I hate to say it, maybe he strikes again and is caught.”
I nod and slam down the rest of my water. “I sure hope something gives, because I just want to get back to doing what I love.”
“Well if there’s anything more I can do to help, let me know.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I’m real sorry about the cabins being unavailable, too. I know that little room Old Man Morton has to offer isn’t much. Aiden said it’s at least partly furnished?”
“Yeah, it’s not the worst setup in the world. I’ve definitely slept in shadier accommodations over the years, and it’s nice being in town so I can grab dinner since there’s not a stove or anything.”
“You meet Alana yet?”
Her whiskey eyes flash through my mind and I smile. “Yep. Ended up sharing dinner with her at Pony Up last night. Seems nice.” Once I broke through that first icy layer, anyway.
Wilder smirks. “You know who she is, right?”
I nod. “Aiden told me.” It doesn’t matter that she’s his sister, though, because I don’t plan on being here long enough to be more than her neighbor. Even if she is the prettiest damn thing I’ve seen in a while.
“She’s so friggin’ smart and she’s busted her ass to pay for school. Owning a farm, her folks really never had the money to help her out. She was lucky enough to land a softball scholarship, but once everything went down and she left Montana State, she lost it all.”
I’d love to know what “everything” is he’s referring to, but it’s not really my business, so I don’t ask.
“Anyway, if she comes off a little guarded, that’s why. She’s one of the sweetest people I know, but it may take some time for her to warm up to you. Once you thaw her a bit, you’ll love her as much as we do.”
“Good to know.” Seems like the least I can do is keep trying to be friendly with her seeing as she’s opened up her private space to me, albeit begrudgingly.
“Oh, shoot, I forgot to mention—Hallie said you’re welcome to join us for dinner while you’re here, so you don’t have to eat in town every night.”
I grin and toss my empty water bottle into my cooler. I’ve traveled all over the country, but in the day I’ve been here, Mason Creek is already shaping up to be one of the friendliest towns I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.
“Thanks,” I tell him, dipping my chin. “That’s awfully kind of her. Tell her I might take her up on the offer a time or two. I don’t want to make this a three’s-a-crowd situation, though, and intrude on you and your woman. I’m sure you have better things to do than entertain me.” I lift an eyebrow, and he chuckles.
“I can suck it up every now and then, but since I’ve only recently secured this relationship myself, I’d kinda like to enjoy the honeymoon period a bit more, ya know?”
I do. Even though it’s been a while since I’ve been in a serious relationship, I remember those early days fondly despite the bitter endings that always followed.
“Speaking of my woman, I’m going to call her and check in, then we’ll get back to the fence. Hopefully we can get it done before Levi and Caleb get back, so we can give them shit for not helping.”
I laugh. “Sounds like my kind of fun.”
I met Levi and Caleb yesterday, but they were already headed to Billings with a couple of cattle for butchering when I arrived at the Roman Wilde Ranch just before five thirty this morning.
It’s obvious Wilder and his crew are made for this kind of work and their commitment is admirable. If I’m honest, I’m a little envious they get to do this year-round. I’ve worked part time on my uncle’s ranch in Colorado since I was a kid, and while the work isn’t for the faint of heart, there’s a hell of a lot of gratification in knowing you gave it your all and got it done.
Bull riding is similar. In fact, I firmly believe that if you’re gonna get on an animal and not give it your all, you have no fucking business getting on in the first place.
But bull riding is also a game. Sure, the prizes are nice, and the buckles and the payouts and the notoriety are amazing for my ego. But they aren’t the same kind of reward as knowing you busted your ass from sunup until sundown. That’s a whole other kind of gratification, and having the opportunity to feel that again for a little while is the only damn reason I agreed to come to Mason Creek in the first place.
“Hallie said she’s making extra chicken alfredo for dinner tonight, so you’d better show up,” Wilder says as he returns with his phone in hand.
“Is that so?” I chuckle and finish off my bag of almonds. “I guess I could do that.”
He smirks as he adjusts his hat and tips his head toward the fence. “Smart man. Now let’s get back to work.”
ALANA
“I heard you have a new neighbor.”
Tucking the daily bank deposit slip into the bag and quickly thanking the teller for her help, I turn to find Hallie standing behind me with a mischievous grin on her face. Her blonde hair is twisted up into a bun, and she’s dressed in a pretty blue pantsuit that makes her look all prim and proper and nothing at all like the jeans and T-shirt girl who used to work at the butcher shop.
“Hey, Ms. Financial Advisor. How’s the new job going?” I push a loose strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling underdressed and disheveled in my jeans, tank top, and Converse shoes.
“It’s great!” she chirps, clasping her hands in front of herself and bouncing a little on her toes. “So, what do you think of Holden? I assume you’ve met him already, right?”
Dang it, I thought maybe if I ignored her first question, she’d forget she asked.
“Oh, right. Holden. Yeah, he seems okay. He said he’s working at the ranch with Wilder and Levi?”
“Uh huh. It’ll be nice to have an extra set of hands for a while. Maybe it’ll even give me a little more time with my man.” She waggles her eyebrows and I laugh quietly.
“Well, I hope that’s the case.” I don’t spend as much time with my friends as I’d like, but of course I want them all to be happy. Just because my love life is crap doesn’t mean I wish theirs to be.
“Me, too.” She waves at her boss, Brayden, as he walks by and then out the side of her mouth mutters, “I should probably get back to work, but if I recall correctly, you promised you’d come over for dinner and visit the last time we saw each other.”
Ah. Yep. Yep, I sure did. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with the store and then I had summer classes…”
She presses her lips together in a knowing smirk. “Girl, you have to start taking some time for yourself. You know, enjoy life a little. Socialize. Have fun.”
Ugh. In theory, sure. In reality, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Maybe in the spring when I’m finally done with school.
“Come over tonight,” she continues, taking a step forward and lowering her voice a bit. “Please, Alana. I hate knowing how hard you’re working without any reprieve. Let me at least feed you.”
I open my mouth to decline her offer as politely as possible, but she beats me to the punch.
“I won’t take no for an answer, so don’t even think about it. Besides, I’m making homemade alfredo and it’s pretty much to die for.”
Dang it, I love alfredo. “You run a hard bargain, Hal.”
She wrinkles up her nose and begins to retreat back toward her office. “Come by at six o’clock.”
“Should I bring anything?”
“Just your perky self.” She gives a little finger wave before spinning on her heels and getting back to work.
I do the same, trying to be as perky as possible, as I return to the Mason Creek Market just in time to see the wave of water sluice from beneath the door of the women’s bathroom, across the black and white tiled floor, and all the way to the service desk.
“Alana!” Susie shrieks when she sees me and I sigh.
Something tells me Hallie’s invitation couldn’t have come at a better time. When I’m done with this mess, I’m not going to want to do anything but sit back and relax.