Cowgirl Casanova

Chapter 2

Gracelynn's Pov
"I grimaced at the cowboy, then at my brother. 'I thought I was your best friend. You replaced me already? I was only gone for a little while,' I chuckled. But my brother scowled. 'You call three damn years a little while? Hell, the only way I knew you weren't dead is because you called to check in once a year. I don't know where you've been, what you've been doing, or what you've been through. You left me when I needed help, and Carter was here. It ain't easy running a ranch, worrying about your sister, and trying to live at the same time,' he sighed. I didn't cry hardly ever, but I let a couple of tears slide down my face at his words. 'I'm a cowgirl,' I muttered lowly. 'What?' he questioned, his voice loud, and I snapped. 'You know that. I've never been good at bunkering down and facing what's right in front of me head on. I ride away. I deal with it on my own. I put up walls. I couldn't burden you with what I was going through and everything else too. So if you want to patronize me, then you go right ahead. But I did what I thought was best for you, for the ranch, and the only thing I know how to do,' I said. 'Yeah, and look at you now. It's a lonely life when you let no one in,' he said. I looked him dead in the eye now. 'Everyone I've ever let in leaves or dies, and I sure as hell don't want that to be you,' I shot back at him. He looked down at the ground now. He knew I was right about all the things I went through.
Sometimes he went through things too. First Mama died. Then Christopher, who beat and left me for dead. And then daddy died. My life has been anything but easy. I took that frustration out in 8 seconds every time I got on a bull. That's how I pushed through. Them bulls and God gave me a chance to lift the burdens I carried and a reason to live. And it worked. That's why I'm back here, but I couldn't tell my brother that. I turned to Carter, who looked stunned that my brother didn't have a comeback, and that I'd just said all that. 'I'm going down to my cabin in the woods. Assuming it's still mine?' I half asked, half stated. He nodded his head. 'I'm sorry,' he began. 'We can discuss this tomorrow, but I've gotta get my truck unpacked and get some sleep. It took a long time to get here.' I stated and turned around, grabbing Scarlett's strap. Carter looked like he was going to say something. 'Don't worry. She'll let her ride.' My brother cut him off quickly. He knitted his eyebrows together, confused. And I jumped on Scarlett and took off for my truck. As we neared the truck, I cooed Scarlett. 'Sorry I was gone so long, girl.' She huffed. 'I missed you.' I stated. She huffed again. 'You've got this,' I said. I picked up my speed just a little, and we jumped the fence right in front of my truck. Scarlett stopped, and I got off her. Grabbing her straps, I guided her along beside me. I can't drive my truck down there and guide Scarlett, I thought suddenly. 'Shit.' I threw my hands up in the air. 'That's just fucking great, Gracelynn.' I muttered to myself. 'What the hell we gonna do now?'" I asked Scarlett.
"Need some help?" I heard a deep southern drawl. I knew it was Carter. "Why the hell is he even here?" I pondered. "I don't want your help," I snapped. "My brother might, but I sure as hell don't," I muttered. "Look, you can go back to being a stubborn asshole as soon as we get you where you're going, or you can take Scarlett all the way back to the barn, walk back down here, and then drive the truck out 5 miles to the cabin. But if I were you, I'd decide quickly. There's a storm coming," he smirked and pointed to the sky. I huffed. I didn't say anything, I just let go of Scarlett's strap, and he got on her. I prepared myself for how pissed he was about to be as soon as she shook him. "What the hell," I thought to myself after a minute of him just sitting there. Scarlett doesn't like people. Only me. My daddy couldn't even ride her. Why the hell was she letting Carter? He turned her around, looked back at me, and he was off. I drove quickly to the cabin, lugging all my crap inside the two-bedroom cabin as fast as I could. The thunder started. Nobody knew, but I had a phobia of storms ever since Christopher. I turned on my music as loud as it would go and began organizing my new permanent home. There wasn't much work to be done since this is where I lived before I left. Daddy and Caleb had built it for my 16th birthday, said I needed my own place to go for me and my girly sleepovers, but I never made any real friends except for Annie. I smiled to myself as I thought about her. I took a shower, trading out my jeans and cowboy boots for an oversized t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and bare feet. I dried my long, brown, wavy hair that came down to my butt.
"I really needed a haircut. I threw my hair up into a messy bun and washed my face. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My once glowing hazel green eyes were now closer to a saddened brown. I shook it off, turned off the bathroom light, and went into the kitchen to begin deep cleaning. My music was still blaring, playing "Laughed Until We Cried," and I began singing it at the top of my lungs as I dove into my cleaning. I stopped occasionally to add to the list of things I needed to buy at the store tomorrow when I went into town. *Knock.Knock.Knock* Okay, that clearly wasn't the thunder. I turned off my music, grabbed my nine, cocked it back, and walked towards the door. I shoved it open, gun in hand. There stood Carter, soaked and wet, one hand in the air. This cowboy just doesn't fucking stop. "The hell you doing here?" I questioned him. He shoved out a plate wrapped in tin-foil and cleared his throat. "Annie asked me to bring this to you," he said, looking at the ground. My eyebrows knitted together, and for some odd reason, a pang of jealousy slapped me in the face. I washed it off. "Annie? Annie Wood?" I questioned. "No," he chuckled. "Annie Greene." He looked at me like I was stupid. "Wait a fucking minute. Greene? That would mean she's married?" "Caleb," he cut me off. I locked eyes with him now. "You didn't know?" He had a look of regret and remorse go across his face, but he quickly masked it. "No, I didn't know," I said quietly, raging coursing through me. How could he not tell me? "Annie is my-" I stopped. "Was my best friend," I corrected myself. "What happened?" He questioned.
"It's simple: my daddy died, and I left," I stated, not wanting to give some stranger any other explanations. "Yeah, to ride bulls," my eyes shot up to him now, and I was holding him in a glare. "To win money and send it right back here to your brother," he continued. "How the hell would you know all that?" I questioned him, getting slightly angry. My voice slowly rising. "I've seen you ride. You're real good. One of the best I've seen. After all, you know who I am, right? Of course, I'd know who you are. Now, if you're worried about me saying something to your brother..." I began. He cut me off. "I could've said something like 2 and a half years ago, but I haven't and I won't, because whether your brother realizes it or not, you're paying for this ranch. That money is keeping him and Annie comfortable," he stopped. "Besides, the way I see it, you're doing something he's scared to do, and you're paying the price. He was looking at the ground now. He continued, "While he's having a regular ranch life. I mean, don't get me wrong, it ain't always easy for him, but at least he has Annie and me. You ain't had nobody because odds are if you told your brother what you do and what you've been doing, he probably wouldn't even speak to you. One, he's too prideful, and two, your daddy lost his life on that bull you're getting ready to ride in the National Rodeo. And in the end, he's all you got. I'd be scared shitless too," he stated.
I took the plate from his hands. "What the hell does it matter to you anyway?" I questioned. "I mean, why are you just here lending my brother a free helping hand? What do you get out of it?" I questioned.
"Well first off, a place to live when I'm not riding," he stated. "Second off, it's a debt I owe." He shrugged it off."A debt to who?" I questioned.
"That's a story for another time. Try not to be too hard on Annie tomorrow; she misses you and she really loves your brother. Goodnight Grace," he said, using my show name. Then he tipped his hat and he was gone.
I put the plate on the counter, turned off all the lights, and headed for my bed. I lay there for a couple of hours, wondering who Carter owed a debt to and what it had to do with my brother and our ranch. At some point, I drifted to sleep.