Page 8 of Brett and Rowdy (Gomillion High Reunion #5)

Ashley reached over and grinned at Susan. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“You know, she’s no better, she’s no different than she ever was. She’s still a bitch.” Susan winked at Ash. “I swear to God. You know she expects because she’s what? A housewife from Columbia, that we’re supposed to kiss her fat ass. Not gonna happen.”

“So what are you doing now?” Ashley asked, and Susan grinned. “I’m an RN. I work in Atlanta at the ICU in one of the big hospitals. But come on. I’m married, I have five kids, and I work full-time. I don’t need her shit. You look great, Ashley.”

Ashley just glowed. “Well, thank you.”

“Are you still living here?”

“I do. I live here with my husband. Our daughter just graduated from college.”

“That’s so cool, I can’t believe it. I feel old now and also a little bit jealous.”

Rowdy cracked up. “How old are yours?”

She sighed a little dramatically. “Eleven, eight, five, and I have two that are three.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah.”

Crystal smiled and lifted her glass. “Do you get to come here by yourself?”

“Yes.” Her grin was absolutely joyous. “I so did. And I am so glad. I have a hotel room. I took a shower that no one interrupted. I have to tell you guys, there’s no one waiting for me in it. I can sleep until I wake up. It’s heaven on earth. No one has called me mom in almost twelve hours!”

Rowdy shook his head. “I know it’s a cliche, but one day you’ll miss it.”

“Shut up.” Ashley popped him on the arm, hard. “You’re taking her home with you, dammit. You get to hear her call you daddy every day.”

Rowdy didn’t argue. “I do.”

“Are you divorced?”

Rowdy shook his head. “No, we never got married, but we are the best of friends.”

It was funny how many of his friends he hadn’t slept with.

He sat there, kind of just watching Rowdy.

The man was leathered and tan, deep smile lines around his eyes.

There was a surety to him, a strength, and there was also this understated…

maybe wealth about him? He wasn’t flashy.

There was a solid gold watch, a single gold chain around his neck, and on his right hand, there was a ring with a black sapphire in the center of it.

It wasn’t flashy, but it did scream money somehow.

Maybe that was just the fact that he knew about the ranch.

The little glasses perched on the bridge of Rowdy’s nose made him angry, somehow, like the little round wire frames were for show.

“Why do you wear the dark glasses?”

Rowdy turned his head like he was looking at him. “What?”

“The glasses. It’s an affectation.”

“Brett!” Ashley said, and his cheeks heated, but he didn’t argue.

“No. I work in the sun, and that can cause headaches. Also, I can’t control the way that my eyes move around, and that makes people intensely uncomfortable.

So I tend to wear them, because that way you don’t have to look at them.

I don’t wear them around family and friends unless I’m working outside. ”

He snorted softly. “But we are neither family nor friends, that’s for sure.”

Rowdy chuckled. “Not even old friends, huh?”

“No. Not really, I mean. You don’t know anything about me.”

That earned him a shrug. “So tell me.”

Well, he hadn’t expected that. He wasn’t sure what he had expected. Maybe for Ashley to have told Rowdy about him. Maybe for Rowdy not to care. He wasn’t really sure.

But now Rowdy was just watching—well, facing him. God that was weird.

“I’m a farrier.”

“No shit? That’s cool.” Rowdy nodded as if it was actually something.

He supposed it was a thing in Rowdy’s world too. “It’s just horseshoes.”

“Dude, Brett,” Crystal snapped. “You’re a fucking metal artist. He’s selling all over the country. He’s in Santa Fe. He’s in DC now, New York. He was a farrier. He’s an artist.”

That went over like water over a duck’s back. “Well, I have way more experience with farriers and horseshoes, but that’s cool. You still at your grandpa’s place? Is that where you have your studio or do you?—”

“No, I’m at my grandpa’s. It’s not ideal, but it works, and I’m happy there. It’s paid for so I can do what I want to.” That made it easier.

“That’s important.” Rowdy sipped his beer. “So like, do you make people?”

“No, I make art from metal, like sheets of metal. It’s very abstract.

It’s… I’m… creating a feeling more than anything.

” God, he hated this part. It was one thing to have to give your artist statement to another artist. It was a completely different thing to try to explain art to a blind man who he wasn’t sure had any art in him.

“I don’t get it. I’m sure if I could see it, I would, but it’s just tough for me to imagine. I mean, it’s been a long time. It’s not going to be very long before the accident will have been half of my life ago.”

“You’re kidding, right?” He couldn’t believe that.

Rowdy shook his head. “No, I was twenty-two, going on twenty-three.”

“Jesus, Rowdy.”

“I know, right? It’s hard to fathom.”

“Did it hurt?” He crossed his eyes, looking down at his mouth in shock.

Rowdy shook his head, “No. I mean, obviously I was out when I got kicked. I was in a coma for about a week and a half. But it was just like somebody turning off the lights, and when I came back around, the lights were still off.”

“Was it worth it?” he asked.

“Was what worth it?”

“I mean. You were riding in the rodeo, right?” Surely Rowdy regretted it.

“I was. I was trying to raise the money to start a cutting horse remuda on the ranch. Those babies are expensive.”

That hadn’t answered his question. “So, was it worth it?”

“I have cutting horses.” Rowdy shrugged.

“I don’t know how to answer that kind of question.

I mean, if I could, if I’d known then what I know now, would I have gotten on that particular bronc?

No. But I didn’t know. I had no way of knowing that was going to be the bronc that did it.

Or that this was the accident that ended my rodeo career.

Then though, I don’t know what possible good it would do to ask that kind of question, so I don’t bother. ”

“You’re not real deep, are you?”

Brett realized the women were all staring at him in pure shock.

Rowdy chuckled, the sound oddly at ease.

“I’ve made my peace with things. And if by not terribly deep you mean that I’ve managed to make my life, and I’m satisfied with it?

Then you know what? You got me. I have a good life.

I have an amazing kid. Horses, cattle, my daddy’s in good health.

I live in the mountains. I can go fishing whenever I want to… ”

Why was he so goddamn mad? Because he was. He just wanted to hit Rowdy hard enough to make him hurt the way Brett had for so many years. “Oh, that’s good. Glad you left town then, huh?”

“Now I never promised I was gonna do anything but. I don’t belong here.

I was so mad at my mother for marrying that fucker, for taking me away from my friends, my family, my ranch, my horses.

There was no way this was ever gonna be home, but I was honest about that.

I think, if you remember correctly, I asked you to come with me. ”

He snorted. “We were kids. Where were we gonna go? Besides that, you had a baby.”

And that was that.

“I did.” Rowdy’s smile proved that he wasn’t sorry about that at all. “It is the most glorious thing that ever happened in my entire life.”

How was he supposed to compete with that? Rowdy was happy with a family. He had a life and money and…

How the fuck did he end up jealous of a blind man? “I think it’s time for me to go.”

“Jesus, Brett, is it so hard to be happy for Rowdy? Just for a minute?” Ashley slapped her hand down on the table. “I mean, it’s not like he and I were sleeping together when you were together. You were broken up well before I ever found out I was pregnant.”

“Jesus! You said that out loud!”

“You’re still in the closet?”

How dare Rowdy sound so shocked? He glared at Rowdy. “Like you’re not.”

“Fuck no, I’m not in the closet. Are you kidding?

It’s hard enough to get laid in the middle of nowhere, you honestly think that I’m going to just hide it?

No, in fact, we’re known for being gay friendly.

I mean, we’re not rainbow flag waving up front, but I mean, we’re mentioned in all the gay travel magazines.

They know that my place is owned by family. That’s good.”

“So, what, now you identify as gay?” Not bi?

Rowdy looked absolutely confused. “Yes… what is wrong with you?”

“Girls, do you wanna go dance? Because they’ve got a little dance thing set up. Let’s go over here to the bar and dance.” Crystal and Ashley and Susan all disappeared like smoke.

Rowdy just chuckled. “Lord, those girls aren’t very delicate, are they?”

“Look, you’re the one who, I mean…”

Rowdy leaned in, bringing them damn near nose to nose.

“Let me be clear with you, Brett. I never cheated, not once. I’ve never cheated on a single person I’ve ever been with, and that’s the truth.

And I’ll take that straight to the good Lord himself.

I’m not a cheater. And at any rate, the entirety of the time that you and I were in high school together—had you said yes, I’ll come with you. I’d have brought you with me.”

“Then why? Why did you sleep with her? You had to know that I’d find out.”

Rowdy nodded, his expression shuttered and a little sad. “I did, and you make your decisions and you stand by them. I can’t tell you that I think it was a mistake. I also can’t tell you that I regret it for a second. It got me Madison.”

“Do you regret me?” He had to ask.

“No. I regret we couldn’t work it out. I mean, we were kids, and would it have worked?

I don’t know. But I tell you what. I sure did enjoy being with you.

You’re the best thing that happened to me in this town.

Don’t get me wrong—my girl is my miracle, my cowgirl.

But when I think back to this town. You’re the one who I see in it. ”

“Jesus, Rowdy, did you just say that to me? Seriously?”