Arion sighed as I rode him into the yard, finally finished with the day's work. With summer drawing to a close, the ranch had suddenly exploded with more activity. Cattle had been brought in from the pastures to be sorted, which resulted in days like today. I had settled into the saddle before the sun had even rose, and now long shadows were stretching across the ground to chase us back to bed. Tomorrow, we would have to cut the cattle to find the ones Boss wanted to sell, as well as any of the horses we'd trained. I knew Boss would sell at least twenty of the young geldings, and with the easy way that all the ranch horses handled, I had no doubt that he'd make a pretty penny.
I dismounted with a groan, my legs complaining. I gritted my teeth, and walked my horse into the barn, stopping him next to his stall. As I stretched my arms over my head, Ronnie strutted by. "Hey, Gorgeous," he called before moseying off, whistling a merry tune. Ever since he'd gotten off the hook, he'd made a habit of making his presence known. It was salt in a gaping wound. Not only had he gotten away with almost forcing himself on me, he was allowed to wander the property as he pleased, not worried about Boss keeping an eye on him.
As if he sensed my unease, Arion turned his blue head to look at me, whuffling softly. "I know I shouldn't let him get to me, Boy," I murmured as I stroked his long muzzle. "It's just hard to deal with." I unclipped his bridle , easing it over his ears before holding it away. "Release," I commanded, and the gelding let his bit slip from between his teeth. I rubbed his neck in approval, and took the bridle to the tack room before returning for the saddle.
My fingers struggled with the leather girth, which had been soaked with sweat and had tightened throughout the day. As I clenched my teeth and sighed in exasperation, I felt someone come up behind me. His arms reached around me, and his deft fingers loosened the leather in a matter of moments. I huffed in indignation. "I can do this myself," I growled, the tiredness of the day getting to me.
He only chuckled in response, and his arms wrapped around me for a brief hug. "I know you can," Dune replied, his breath tickling my ear. "But I wanted to do it for you." I leaned into him the slightest bit, and I could feel his smile through his cheek on mine. "You haven't had a nightmare recently."
I nodded, smiling to myself as I unwound the cinch from the girth, then recollected the cinch to keep it from dragging. "Both of us have been sleeping better," I commented. After the first few nights of sleeping with Dune, I hadn't had any more nightmares. Whether it was because Dune was waking me before they got so bad that I remembered, or I simply felt safer with him, I never woke up screaming in the middle of the night. It was progress.
Dune pulled away from me, and the absence of his warmth at my back sent shivers down my spine. I hid the blush that was seeping into my cheeks as Joe stepped up, smiling. "How goes it?" He asked.
I disconnected the back cinch, then slid around Arion's rump to secure everything before I hefted the equipment off of his back. "It's hot out there," I commented, the work giving an excuse for any red on my face. Dune shot a small grin in my direction, and I turned to the tack room. Both of them tailed me, Joe debating with Dune on some of the horses he thought Boss would let go. "That buckskin is too skittish for working everyday," He said as I hung the saddle on its stand, draping the sopping blanket over a rail to dry overnight. "He spooks anytime a cow so much as sneezes."
Dune shrugged. "I think he's young," he replied, following me as I returned to Arion and began grooming. "If Boss keeps him, he'll settle down soon enough."
Their dispute was interrupted by the dinner triangle Cook kept outside of the mess hall, its clanging reminding me of how hungry I was. "Suppertime!" Joe chimed before darting down the aisle, joining the other hands. "I'll hold your seats!"
I laughed, then quickly finished brushing Arion's coat. Grabbing a rag, I wiped the excess sweat from him before letting him into his stall. When I turned, Dune was holding a scoop full of feed. I hadn't even noticed him disappear. "You're pretty sneaky," I teased as I took the scoop from him. He smiled as I dumped the contents into Arion's bucket, then took the scoop from my hands. I waited as he returned it to its bin, then we followed in the wake of the other cowboys, shoulder to shoulder. We joined Joe quietly, digging into Cook's ham and mashed potatoes.
Everyone was sopping up gravy with bread when the sound of banging brought all conversation to silence, and we all turned to find Boss standing at the door, holding a pie pan in each of his hands. "Alright, gentlemen, settle down and listen up." His voice projected over the crowd of hands. He somehow found me amid the small sea of faces, and nodded to me. I returned the gesture. As the only woman, I didn't mind being addressed along with the others.
"Many of you know," He continued, "That this year has been busier and more productive than the last four or so." There were nodding heads all around, and Boss smiled under his mustache. "You all have worked hard, and it's easy to see that you old timers have shown the greenhorns in the room a thing or two." He paused again, and a few laughs went up in the Mess Hall. Dune and Joe turned to me with a smile before we all turned back to Boss.
"So," Boss drawled, setting down his pie pans and holding out open palms toward his audience, "I have made a decision. Because all of you have worked so hard, I have decided to host the annual Harvest Ball earlier this year."
Whoops and hollers exploded around me, and more than one cowboy jumped up with delight. A few groaned, but they were a minority in the crowd of happiness surrounding me.
Before I could ask what he meant, Boss began waving everyone to sit back down. "Some of you new ones don't know what I mean by that, so let me explain. The Harvest Ball is a formal dance that the Missus and I put on for the neighboring ranches. All of them are like us, and had a very successful year. It was an agreement among all of us that the dance will be held tomorrow evening. You will work until lunch, then after we all eat, you will all be dismissed to prepare for the evening."
As more cheers went up, Boss waved them down quickly. "Now, I want to remind everyone that those cattle and horses need to be sorted very quickly for you all to be free tomorrow after lunch. If everything isn't done, then we will all pitch in to help. I don't want work left untouched while you all polish your boots." There were a few chuckles, and Boss's face split into a wide grin. "Also, this is a formal affair. That means no one walks into my house wearing their work clothes. I want to see dress clothes, gentlemen, which means slacks and suit jackets. If you show up with muddy jeans, I will personally make sure you clean every pen, every day, for a week." He took a moment to let the murmuring subside, and I glanced at Joe. He grinned excitedly at me, and I couldn't help but return it. None of my friends would have a problem cleaning up.
"Finally," Boss began again, "I want to remind you all to be on your best behavior. We'll have every ranch owner within a hundred miles here tomorrow night, and if you do anything to make this ranch look bad, you can be sure that you will not have a job by morning." He gestured to us, smiling. "I want you to have fun, but be responsible, please."
We all nodded at him, and he dismissed us, turning and exiting before the building erupted into excited whoops and yells. "This is going to be so much fun, Rylie!" Joe gushed, his excited blushing reminding me of a high school girl at prom. "I need to call Grace. I hope she'll go with me!" He leapt out of his chair and skittered for the door, a few of the other hands laughing at his rush.
I chuckled and raised my cup to my lips, hiding a frown. If the guys were supposed to dress up, it was a given that I'd have to wear a gown. A nice gown. I had never owned one, much less packed one when I moved here. What need would I have for a dress on a ranch?
Dune placed a hand on my knee, smiling. Even he seemed to be anticipating the coming event. I couldn't help but smile with him, his contagious good mood pushing away my swirling thoughts.
Suddenly, a body dropped into Joe's unoccupied seat, and an arm draped over my arm. "What do you think, Sweetheart?" Ronnie asked, holding out his other hand as if to show me a distant view. "The foreman goes with the first female hand of the McGrange Ranch." He glanced up and down at me, his eyes filled with lust. "I think a red dress would be perfect on you."
I shook my head, shrugging his arm off of me. "No way," I scowled. "I'm not going with you." I knew who I wanted to go with, but I wasn't sure he'd want to go with me. What if like Joe, he had a girl off the ranch that he'd dance with?
What if it was Adrian?
"Suit yourself," Ronnie spat before lugging his body off of the bench and sashaying away. I had a feeling that he wanted me to be jealous. Hah! "As if," I muttered.
My good mood ruined by my thoughts and Ronnie's intrusion, I excused myself and headed back toward the bunkhouse, knowing I would have to get up early tomorrow to make sure I got all my chores done well before the party. What was I even going to wear?
I was so caught up in my musing that I didn't realize there was someone behind me, and I swung the door shut behind me only to hear it thud against someone's fist. I whirled around to see Dune in the doorway, his fingers wrapped around the edge of the wood. "Oh, my gosh, Dune, I am so sorry!"
His face held a hint of surprise and amusement as he slipped in, gently closing the door. "You trying to keep unwanted guests out?" He asked, his deep voice resonating in our quiet bunkhouse. "'Cause if that's the case, I can leave." He mockingly turned towards the door.
I laughed, taking his hands and pulling him toward the couch. "You can stay, Dune," I said, a smile spreading across my face. "How about some coffee?" Before he could respond, I turned toward the counter
Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around my waist. I squealed as I was lifted off the ground, then fell backward into Dune's chest. He'd collapsed on the couch, and laughed as I vainly tried to escape from his grasp. He sat up enough to let me sit beside him, but while he loosened his grip, one arm still stayed around my back.
"Rylie," He whispered, his free hand running through his dark hair. "Do you...is..." He seemed to be struggling with his words, and my heart melted. I waited patiently until he finally sighed, looking me in the eye. "Is...is Joe taking you to the dance?"
I shook my head, plastering a smile on and hoping it was convincing. "No, he's taking a girl from town, I think."
Dune nodded, then took both of my hands in his. I realized that while I had done the same thing moments ago, this seemed so much more intimate. But was it really? Or had I just not been aware of the feel of his calluses on my knuckles, or how his thumbs rubbing against my skin was sending a warmth through me?
"Is someone else taking you?"
I shook my head again, this time letting a scowl lift one side of my lip. "No, but Ronnie asked. I told him there was no way that was happening." I shoved the foreman out of my mind, and met Dune's eyes again. "To tell you the truth, Dune, I don't really know if I can go. I don't have a fancy dress to wear, and Boss said it's formal." I let my gaze drift back down to our hands. "I just don't know-"
Dune cupped my cheek in one hand, turning my face up to make me look at him again. "I'll talk to Mrs. McGrange about that." He paused, then slowly took his hand from my face, his eyes exploring mine. "That is...if you...would still like to go." He ducked his head, his dark hair falling over his forehead and hiding his eyes even more. "And...if...you'd like to go...with me."
Pure happiness shot through me until a huge smile broke out on my face. It didn't even matter that I didn't have a dress yet, even if Cora could help. "I'd love to go with you, Dune," I replied, feeling as though my grin was going to split my face in half.
"You...you would?" He raised his head slowly to look at me. I nodded, ducking my head away to hide the blush creeping up my face. "That's great news, Rylie." I felt him leaning closer to me, so I turned to look at him-
And my lips met his.
It was sudden, and as soon as they made contact, Dune pulled away, shock written all over his face. With my head turned, he must have been expecting to kiss my cheek. Me turning my head had been too fast for him.
But all my mind could latch onto in that moment was the simple fact that he had kissed me. My lips were tingling as if they were on fire, and sparklers had been lit in my gut, sizzling and popping up my chest until they bloomed deep red in my cheeks. My hand was slightly trembling as I pulled it up to skim across my lower lip, half expecting to be scorched as I stared at his beautiful eyes.
Finally, after a long moment, Dune cleared his throat, hastily standing. "I, uh...I better go, uh, get ready for bed," he muttered before quickly heading to his room. I watched him go, still in shock. It was a long time before I finally managed to go change for bed. As I slipped on an old tshirt, I glanced in the mirror. My eyes were huge, full of bewilderment, and my cheeks and neck looked sunburnt. I smiled, and my reflection responded with a bemused copy.
As I slipped into Dune's room, I realized that he'd already slipped into bed, and had his back turned to the middle of the bed. Inwardly, I deflated; in his embarrassment, he was blocking me out. I tiptoed to my side of the bed, and slid under the covers, making sure to stay perched on the edge. It was his bed, anyway, and with the little incident that had just happened, it would probably be better for me to let him have his space.
I was just about to drift off when one arm wrapped over my waist, and I was pulled into the middle of the mattress. "Now we can't have you falling off the bed," Dune murmured, his voice thick with sleep. He pulled his hand away, but I didn't miss the fact that it lingered for a moment on my side.
Smiling, I rolled over to meet his closed eyes. "Goodnight, Dune," I whispered, trying to fight off the giddiness that was still tormenting me.
Even though he seemed asleep, his mouth twitched at the corner, remaining in a lopsided grin.
^^^
If you have seen Disney's The Princess and the Frog: Do you remember that scene near te beginning, where Charlotte bursts into Duke's Restaurant shouting, "Oh, Tia! Tia Tia Tia TiaTia!", and she's fangirling about Naveen?
Yeah, that was me writing that last part of this chapter. *High pitched shriek* I love these two so much! (Side Note: That is one of my favorite scenes in that movie. Pretty sure I could play her character with how excited I get for her entrance as an adult.)
So! The Harvest Ball! Any ideas on what's going to happen? Will Ronnie strike again? What will Joe's date be like? And what about Rylie and Dune??? This is one of the parts from an earlier draft that I just couldn't get rid of. I love formal dances!
Let me know what ideas you all come up with, and tickle that little star if you're rooting for Dune and Rylie!