Page 17 of Ace of Spades (Hidden Creek Ranch #1)

“I don’t understand why you’re being all pissy, I’ve been so excited to surprise you, aren’t you even a little bit excited to see me? I only ever get to see you ride on TV, I thought you would love to have me here cheering you on in person!”

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly and calming myself down.

“You’re right,” I tell her. “I’m sorry, Kota, I was just surprised and all jam-packed with adrenaline from the ride. I am excited to have you here, I promise. Where are you right now?”

“I’m still in the same spot we were in earlier, Hailey had to go get her horse ready since barrels are up next, but I saved you her seat,” she tells me.

“Alright, hang tight and I’ll be right there,” I tell her, hanging up the phone and sending a quick text in the guys’ group chat.

ME: Kota drove down with Hailey to surprise me. Meeting up with her in the stands, I’ll catch up with you guys after .

BEAU: Chelsea’s running to town real quick to get dinner for me and Rafe before the team roping, you guys want anything?

CHANCE: I’m good, I probably won’t eat until after the bull riding, I’m not trying to throw up in front of that big of a crowd. Checking on Odessa, I’ll catch up with y’all in a bit.

ME: I’m good on food too, I’ll probably grab a bite with Kota later. And alright, sounds good.

CHANCE: I’m inviting myself to dinner with you and Kota.

ME: Not a chance.

CHANCE: See y’all in a bit.

I shut my phone, placing it back in my pocket just as barrels start. I run to grab some popcorn and sodas for me and Kota, taking my seat in the stands and leaning back, stretching my already sore legs in front of me.

I watch as each girl goes, sitting up in my seat as Hailey’s name is called.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got Hailey Sorrels from Cedar Creek, Montana on Casino,” the announcer calls, the Jumbotron panning to a view of Hailey and her mare prancing up the alley, Hailey holding Casino back as she gets ready to take off .

I can only see half of Hailey’s face beneath her hat, but I see through the screen the exact moment she stops pulling back, pushing the reins forward instead. My eyes dart down to the arena as Hailey and Casino shoot through the opening, flying to the first barrel.

She comes into it steady, giving it a wide berth coming in and hugging it through, her knee almost hitting the barrel but missing by no more than an inch. She hasn’t even fully completed the turn as her eyes land on her next target, the pair jetting to the second barrel with an impressive speed.

“Go Hailey!” my sister yells from beside me, jumping up and down in excitement.

I’m fully zoned in as I watch them approach the second, my knee bouncing in anticipation. Right as Hailey’s setting up to turn to the left around the barrel, Casino abruptly veers to the right, breaking the pattern and throwing Hailey off balance.

My heart stalls as I watch her lose her reins, getting thrown forward in her seat and grabbing the saddle horn to keep from falling off.

The crowd goes silent, a uniform gasp resounding through the stadium as Hailey regains control over Casino, finding her reins and walking the mare to the fence line.

It takes me a moment to realize that I had completely stopped breathing, my fists clenched in my lap.

“That’s gonna be a No Score for Hailey Sorrels, folks,” the announcer calls as Hailey walks back through the entrance and down the alley.

“Oh no, poor Hailey,” Kota sits back down, setting her face in her hands .

“What happened?” I ask. “Was Casino acting weird earlier? Did she mention anything to you?”

As far as I had seen, Hailey had never once broken a pattern and gotten a No Score during a competition. I could only count on one hand the number of times I’d even seen her graze a barrel, so this was way out of character for her.

“Um,” Kota says. “I mean…”

“Kota, what are you hiding? Talk to me, what’s going on?”

“Please don’t get mad,” she asks, turning to me with a sheepish smile. I let out a sigh, trying to calm myself down.

“I promise.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise,” I tell her, extending my pinky and linking it with hers.

“Hailey has been living at the trailer park in Cedar Creek,” she tells me, giving me her best please-don’t-kill-me face. Before I can even utter a word, Dakota is talking so fast that I don’t know how she manages to breathe between words.

“She’s been living there for about a month and using mom’s water and electric hookups since mom doesn’t need them, and she’s helping mom with rent in return.

And she hasn’t been able to practice because there’s no arena, and something’s been spooking the horses, so she’s been sleeping in the stables with them every night until she can afford to get some security cameras set up, so she hasn’t been sleeping well and she’s always tired and the horses have been on edge and—”

“Kota,” I cut her off. “Breathe. ”

She does just that, taking in a deep breath in order to calm down.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

“Hailey made me promise not to since you two haven’t exactly been on good terms. She thought that if you found out, you might get mad and make her go find somewhere else to park her trailer and she has nowhere else to go right now.”

I want to ask her why Hailey is no longer staying at her house, and what she meant by Hailey not being able to afford things, but I decide I need to talk to her myself.

“Stay here,” I tell Kota, getting to my feet.

“Where are you going?”

“To find Hailey.”

“What? No, Wes, you can’t! She’s already having a bad night, please don’t make it worse for her,” she begs, her tone panicked.

“I said stay here, Kota. Let me handle this, okay?”

With that, I leave her there, making my way down the steps and back behind the chutes, all the way through the warm-up area until I get outside.

I look around the grounds, spotting Hailey dismounting her sorrel mare, her shoulders slumped and chin down.

“Sorrels!” I yell, striding towards her.

She turns around and sees me, immediately turning away and leading her horse in the opposite direction.

“Hey,” I say as I catch up to her, taking place walking alongside her.

“I’m not in the mood right now, Weston,” she says, refusing to meet my eyes. I can tell she’s exhausted—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Something in my chest tightens from seeing her this defeated. All I know is that I don’t like seeing her like this, not one bit.

“You’re moving into the ranch,” I tell her.

“What?” she asks as she turns to face me, clearly not expecting that.

“I said you’re moving into the ranch. Like, as soon as we get back to Montana. Kota told me about you living at the trailer park and about something messing with the horses, you can’t keep living like that. And you need an arena, you’re a pro athlete that needs to be working your horses every day.”

“You don’t think I know that?” she spits, but there isn’t the usual amount of bite to her tone.

“Then come to the ranch. We have an arena, and stables that are actually secure. We have trail cameras throughout the property to keep an eye out for wild animals, and the entire property is gated. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” I ask.

“Why do you want me to move to the ranch?”

“Because I hate the idea of you staying at the trailer park by yourself.”

“Your mom lives there by herself,” she points out.

“My mom lives in the front of the trailer park and is surrounded by neighbors that she’s known for years. The back of the trailer park—through the woods, where the hookups and stalls are—it’s sketchy back there. You don’t know who or what is lurking through those woods.”

She seems to consider my words, thinking it through .

“You don’t have electric and water hookups for my trailer,” she states.

“I don’t want to take up a room at the bunkhouse.

I can’t afford to pay rent right now, especially now that I blew my chances of making money tonight, and I refuse to stay there for free.

If I’m staying at the ranch, I’m staying in my trailer, and I’m paying for any water and electricity that I use. ”

I don’t let myself linger on her statement about not having any money right now. I’ll just have to figure out the meaning behind that one later.

“We have trailer hookups,” I tell her.

“You do?” she asks, her head whipping towards me. “Dakota never mentioned that.”

“Well, she must have forgotten, but we definitely do. They’re in the northwestern corner of the property, right near my house.”

“Oh,” she says, continuing to lead Casino toward the wash racks.

“Yeah,” I say. “So, what do you say? You come straight there when you get back to Cedar Creek.”

“I don’t know, Weston.”

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” I tell her. “Do you remember that night in Utah? When I wouldn’t budge, and you put your foot down? You refused to leave until I came with you. Well, guess what, Sorrels—now it’s my turn. I’m not going anywhere until you agree.”

A small smile quirks at her lips, and even though I can tell she’s trying to hide it, it makes me feel whole inside once more.

“Say please,” she teases, looking up at me with those amber eyes of hers and repeating my own words right back to me .

A devilish smile blooms across my face as I grab her arm and turn her to face me, stopping right before we reach the wash racks. I lock eyes with her, my gaze intent and unflinching, showing her that I mean every word.

“Move into the ranch, Sorrels. Please.”

Her mouth parts, her face dazed as our eyes remain locked. Neither of us speaks, a charged silence passing between us.

“Sorrels?”

“Yes,” she breathes.

“Don’t start drooling on my account,” I tell her, the corner of my lips quirking into a mischievous smile.

“Oh, you ass,” she mutters, a scowl etching into her face as she breaks away from our moment and leads Casino to an open wash rack.

“I’ll let our foreman know to get the water and electric hookups turned on for your arrival at the ranch,” I yell after her, imagining the eye roll she’s probably giving me. I’m met with a middle finger thrown over her shoulder instead, a laugh slipping out of me. This was going to be fun.

I turn to walk away, pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing the number for our lead ranch hand before bringing it to my ear. He picks up on the second ring.

“Boss? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Mike, everything’s fine. Listen, I need you to get some water and electric hookups installed in that clearing behind my house by the time we get back on Sunday. And yes, I know that’s only two days from now. Just get it done, okay?”