Page 40 of Hard To Fall
“Change the way I do things? How about you? Always running from race to race, collecting ribbons and women like that's your real job.”
He laughs coldly. “You’re kidding, right?”
I slam another feed bag on top of his. “Guess that's the life of a flippant secondborn, huh?”
I don’t see the swing coming until I'm laid out on the ground, blinking at the clouds above me. I scramble to get up and run headfirst into Levi, taking him to the ground. We roll and scrap on the ground, dirt flying everywhere, until one of the other ranch hands pulls us off.
“Wake the fuck up, Colt! It’s going to be lonely out here on the ranch by yourself."
I spit on the ground. “Don’t fucking tell me what to do.”
He stomps away from me, and that’s when I see her standing off to the side of the fence, watching us, watching me. And I’m sure she knows we were fighting over her. Or at least over myidiocy of us. And like the good woman she is, she begins walking toward me with concern in her eyes.
“Hey,” I say.
She slows. “What was that about, Colt?”
“Just Levi being Levi.”
“Looked like more than just Levi being Levi.” She pauses. “You’ve been avoiding me,” she says quietly.
“I’ve been busy.”
“With what?”
I shrug. “Work.”
She studies me. “You don’t lie well.”
I take my hat off, run my hand through my hair, and put it back on, pulling it low, trying to hide my eyes. “This isn’t a good idea,” I say.
Her brow furrows. “What isn’t?”
“Us.”
There it is. Out loud and ugly.
“Since when?” she asks.
“Since always,” I reply. “We crossed a line, mixing business with pleasure. It shouldn’t have happened.”
The lie tastes bitter in my mouth.
“You didn’t seem confused in the barn,” she says.
My cock twitches just remembering hownotconfused I really was.
“You don’t belong here, Lily,” I snap, the words coming out harsher than I intend. But once they’re out, I don’t pull them back. I can’t. “This is my family’s life,” I continue. “My legacy. My responsibility. You’re temporary here, wasn’t that the deal? We hired you to get the rodeo back on track.”
I see her flinch as if my words actually struck her.That’s what I want, right? Iwant her to remember how much she hated me when she got here. Get back to that, and it will be easier when she leaves.
Create distance, build the walls, and bring control back to my life.
“Is that what you think I am?” she asks calmly. “Temporary?”
“This is a job for you,” I say.
Her eyes harden. “And what are you?” she fires back. “A storm, people learn to survive?” I stay quiet as she steps closer, voice still very controlled. “You kissed me in that storm,” she says, “and held me in the dark. You let me in, and you don’t get to undo all that shit just because big feelings scare you.” She mimics those words in a baby voice. I almost laugh because it’s so her, to turn this into something to dig at me, but when she doesn’t crack a smile, I know she’s serious.
