Page 20 of Revelry (Cowgirls Do It Better #2)

Gertie

It had been three weeks since the Halloween incident and I hadn’t heard from Tate.

Not only that but I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about our kiss.

It constantly replayed in my head like a film reel, highlighting all the best bits.

His insistent mouth, demanding I give over to him and let him ravage me.

He wasn’t gentle. He was firm and commanding and didn’t treat me like a delicate flower.

The moves he made and words he spoke felt like they were out of my greatest fantasies. Only it was real…and it hadn’t lasted.

I was so confused about him. He was my complete opposite, gruff and grumpy, zero social skills or even a desire to be sociable.

But when I think of the sad upbringing he’d had, it kind of made sense.

In a way, he’d lost both of his parents at such a young age.

The guilt he was feeling over his mother’s death and his OCD plaguing him was a lot for anyone to handle.

I wasn’t surprised he didn’t want friends, he probably didn’t trust anyone after his father’s deceit.

He’d had such a shitty role model in his father, lying and cheating, abandoning his family.

Then his mother’s co-dependency must have ruined Tate’s teenage years.

No wonder he had a stick up his ass. And now I felt guilty for ever saying he had.

For goading him and pushing him out of his comfort zone.

But shouldn’t someone?

Yes, he’d had a tough time but he deserved happiness, joy and fun. He’d earned it. And maybe it was my job to bring it to him. Maybe that was why I was back in town after all these years? Okay, sure I had run away from Gary but maybe there was something larger at work here. The powers that be…

The only problem was, I’d gotten too close. I’d seen too much, gone too far, and Tate had pushed back. Maybe I needed to smush my kind of fun and Tate’s kind of fun together and see where we ended up.

Or maybe it was all for the best. I was already fantasizing about Tate regularly, which had now grown tenfold after our little make out session.

This wasn’t what I wanted; it wasn’t what I needed.

I was free of men, especially challenging men and I was happy with that.

Which is why it was probably a good thing that Tate was ignoring me anyway.

I opened up our WhatsApp history and saw all the messages I’d sent over the last three weeks that had been ignored.

He hadn’t even read them, those little ticks remained gray instead of blue.

I’d tried to grab his attention when he came home from work but he ignored me, just went inside his house and then I heard mournful classical piano music all evening.

Okay mournful is a stretch; it was beautiful, soulful and full of anguish.

Some nights, I just lay there and listened, falling asleep to the music.

The fact that I knew he was playing it himself was even more endearing.

Today though, was Thanksgiving. I’d already tried inviting him to Kat’s family dinner but he’d not read the messages. I knew he was needed at the ranch today, apparently vets and ranchers didn’t care that it was Thanksgiving, shit still needed doing.

I’d gotten to Redemption early and was peering out the kitchen window, towards the road, waiting for his truck to come rumbling over the cattle grid.

“Hey Gertie,” Jack called as he came into the kitchen. “I need some help in the south pasture today, you game?”

I turned to him, momentarily blinded by his gorgeousness. “Where’s your Kitty Kat?”

He tucked his shirt into his jeans. “She’s kicking us out, she’s cooking this year and apparently that involves everyone leaving.”

I laughed. “Sounds about right. She cusses when she cooks.”

He snorted, brushing his brown hair back off his forehead. “She cusses when she does anything. Tell me you brought the dessert she asked for?”

“Of course, one mint choc chip and one chocolate fudge brownie.” I patted the tubs I’d been about to store in the freezer.

He groaned, eyeing them up. “Can’t wait. Now we’ve gotta go work up an appetite.”

I stored the ice cream and followed him outside, towards the stables. August had already saddled the horses for us, and I placed my boot into Sunshine’s stirrup, swinging my leg over.

“What are we doing today?” I asked, looking back towards the house for a sign of Tate, like an addict needing a fix.

“Perimeter check. Looking for any fence issues. Found some rotten posts in the north pasture yesterday so just want to make sure the south is good before the weather gets worse.” He mounted Chester, clicked his tongue and they set off at a canter, with me and Sunshine following behind them.

It was a chilly day, fall was settling in thick and fast, and I longed for spring. New leaves, new flowers, new start. Would I even be here by then? Would Mom and Cathy stay in San Francisco, or would they be back and need the house?

When we made it to the mouth of the pasture, Jack jumped down from Chester and opened up the gate, letting me take the lead. We rode in opposite directions around the pasture, paying close attention to the fence. I whistled and waved my arm to get his attention when I spotted a weakness.

He rode up next to me and we both dismounted, bending down to inspect the fence post.

“Yep, that’s rottin’ alright,” I sighed.

He tsked. “You stay here, I’ll head back and grab a new post. We ordered some extras for the corral I’m building for August’s riding lessons, so luckily I have some.

I’ll bring a couple back just in case but I didn’t spot anything else.

” He clamped a hand over his black Stetson and swept himself back up into Chester’s saddle and charged off.

I looked around at the cattle, all staring at me like I was a new exhibit in the pasture. I cooed at some of them. I loved cows, they weren’t the brightest of animals but definitely the cutest and big , I always forgot how big they were.

After a while I heard the rumble of an engine and ran over to open up the gate and let the truck in. Maddy was behind the wheel and I could see Jack and Chester bringing up the rear.

“Hey girl,” I called when Maddy cut the engine. She jumped out of the truck, her light brown hair pulled back and her hazel eyes shining bright, big ass smile stretching across her mouth.

“Cowboy Jack said you need some help?” Maddy asked, assessing the fence, her hands thrust on her denim covered hips, her white shirt bright in the gloomy day. But not as bright as her peach cowgirl boots and matching Stetson.

“Sure do. We gotta pull this part of the fence down and replace it. One post is rotting but it’s connected so it will be just as much of a bitch to replace the whole section.”

“I see.” Maddy scrutinized the post, bending down and poking at the wood. “Sounds good, let’s do it.” She clapped her hands and we went to the bed of the truck and started pulling out the posts we needed.

“Uh, ladies?” Jack called from behind us.

“Yeah?”

“Do you need help or shall I just stand here and look pretty?” he teased.

I glanced at Maddy who was hiding a smirk. “Sure,” I replied, as Maddy said,

“No Jack, of course we need your help. You, uh, can start pulling the fence apart.”

He shook his head, smiling and muttering something about God loving an independent woman.

We worked together to pull the fence apart and swap the posts over. I stripped my sweater off, it may be fall but it was tough work out here and I heated up fast.

“Ugh, sorry guys, I gotta shoot. Someone called in sick for their shift at the station and I’ve gotta cover. You’ll be okay from here?” Maddy asked, putting her phone away.

I looked at Jack. Most of the work was done now. We were just finishing it off, hammering in the nails to connect the posts.

“Yeah, we’re good.” Jack frowned. “You’re gonna miss dinner though?”

Maddy nodded. “Duty calls,” she sighed.

“You gotta tell Leo because I don’t think I can do it,” he laughed. Maddy flipped him off before she got back into the truck and drove off.

“Final one and then I think we’re done,” Jack said. “You pull it back and I’ll nail it in.”

I wrapped my arms around the post and tugged, pulling it tighter against the others, interlocking them and Jack started hammering. Then my boots started to slip in the mud.

“Uh, Jack?” I shouted over the banging, right as my foot skidded and I slipped, my ankle sliding at an odd angle and cracking against the post. I let go of the post and it shifted, just as Jack was banging the final nail in and I heard a thunk followed by a curse.

“Son of a bitch!”

“Shit, sorry Jack,” I said, dusting my hands off, ignoring the throbbing of my ankle as I pulled myself to my feet. When I put my weight on my foot, my ankle snapped to the side, unable to take it. I screeched, the throbbing returning full force.

“Fuck! I don’t think I can walk,” I said, peering up at Jack who was holding his sore thumb and glaring at the hammer.

“I think I’ve broken my thumb,” he groaned.

I couldn’t help it, despite the pain I burst out laughing. Jack frowned at me, not impressed at all at our sorry state.

“We’re gonna need help getting back, let me call August,” he said, pulling his phone out his back pocket gingerly. “Hey August, can you come and help us in the south pasture? Gertie’s hurt pretty bad and can’t walk so—”

I could hear voices on the other end, raised voices. I couldn’t make out what was being said but it didn’t sound like August.

“Tate, it’s fine, she’s just hurt her ankle…Tate? Tate?”

My stomach pitched at the sound of his name.

Jack frowned down at the phone. “He hung up on me.”

I cocked my head. “Why did he have August’s phone?

” An unwelcome prickle of jealousy prodded at me at the idea of August and Tate spending time together.

August was soft and gentle, she would be good for Tate.

She wouldn’t push him out of his comfort zone and annoy him the way I had.

They would make a really cute couple. They both loved animals and—

“Well, I’d say we’ve earned our dinner.” Jack interrupted my thoughts.

“I’ll certainly be thankful for it,” I grumbled, my good mood ruined with thoughts of August and Tate naked in bed together.

It was only moments later I felt the rumble on the ground, I looked around, confused.

Was it an earthquake? In Wyoming? The thunder of hooves soon followed and I looked up, my mouth dropping open as I took in the sight of Tate on Fitzwilliam’s back, racing towards us, a fierce expression on his face.

He galloped across the pasture and headed our way, barely slowing as he reached us, sliding off of Fitzwilliam’s back with a skill I hadn’t seen before and immediately dropped to his knees in the mud beside me.

“What’s happened? Gertrude, are you hurt? Can you walk?” I was so stunned by his concern, the fear in his gray eyes and the sheer sexiness of the man on horseback that I didn’t know what to say.

“ Gertie ,” I muttered.

He clicked his fingers in front of my eyes. “Are you concussed? Dammit woman, talk to me!” he growled, eyes running over me with urgency.

“She’s fine,” Jack snorted. “She’s just clumsy.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Tate, my hero riding in to save me when he heard I’d hurt myself.

My eyes dropped to his lips. I’d tasted those. They tasted spectacular. Should I taste them again?

Yes , my brain said.

“Gertrude!” Tate snapped, and the concern in his voice had me coming back to reality.

“My ankle, I twisted it and then cracked the bone against the post,” I said, trying to shift my leg.

He covered my hand with his, engulfing my palm.

He ran his other hand down my leg, towards my ankle and lifted it, resting it on his thick thigh and slowly removed my boot.

I suddenly remembered my Christmas cat socks and cringed internally at the Virgin Meowry pattern.

He rolled the sock down, exposing my ankle which was already beginning to swell.

He tentatively moved it, turning it each way and testing what pressure I could stand. He scrutinized the joint and I wondered if I’d ever had someone pay that much attention to me in my entire life.

I decided no.

The rough pads of his fingers scraped deliciously over my sensitive skin and I thought I was going to go up in flames. How was I so turned on from someone inspecting my ankle? What magic did Tate have that he sent me to a quivering mess just by checking if I’d hurt myself?

“I think it’s okay, not broken. It’s just going to be sore,” he said, pinning me with his stare.

One arm still around my back and his hand over my foot, we stared at each other and I noticed he had light flecks in his gray eyes and the way they tilted at the corners so seductively had me falling into a trance.

“Um, hello?” Jack interrupted. “I’ve got a broken thumb?”

Tate blinked and the spell was broken. He helped me to my feet and turned to look at Jack’s thumb before declaring it was indeed broken.

“Let’s get back to the main house and I can splint it for you,” Tate said. “Gertrude will ride with me.”