Broken Trouble (Broken Storm Book 1) Page 20

  It was probably a stupid move, but it was one I made.

  At the last possible second, he turned slightly and slowed, his hooves flinging dirt up into the air. He shot past me, dirt spraying across my legs as his side brushed my mine, then my back as he circled me. When he reached the front, he threw his head over my shoulder and stepped close, his nose reaching for my pocket.

  I stumbled back a step against his weight, before putting a hand on his chest. "Okay, you put on a good show, you can have it now." I pulled out the Sugar Straw and he took a few steps back, his nose hovering above my hands as I dumped it into the palm of my hand. His nose plastered into my palm as he lapped it up, starved for it like a cocaine addict.

  Maybe it was time to wean him off the Sugar Straws a bit.

  I ran my hand gently across his neck, but felt him nudging me for more of the sugary substance he was addicted to. "I don't have any more,” I stated, holding out both my hands to show him.

  Storm snorted, then turned and walked off in a huff. He went to the edge of the corral, nosing at the boards and peering out, his ears perked with longing. He had been cramped in this small corral since the barn burned and I knew he was wanting the freedom to run across a field and eat as much grass as he pleased. I decided right then that I would ask Wyatt about putting him in another fencing, even if I had to help build it. If I could get a halter on Storm, then I could at least take him for walks. Though by his reaction to the brush, I knew putting something on his face, a spot he still didn't like me touching, probably wouldn't go very well.

  The soft thuds of hooves made my thoughts dissipate. My eyes followed the horses and their riders as they came into view. Landon loped along on his black and white Paint, while Jayden rode a large, black horse. They slowed as they approached the corral, Storm laying his ears back, obviously annoyed by their presence.

  I rubbed a small circle on his neck to keep him calm and let him know that I hadn't left yet. He let out a long sigh, like he knew I had to go. Then he turned and walked off to the other side of the corral, ears still back in annoyance, and possibly, a bit of jealousy.

  Landon hopped down from his horse, undoing the girth on the saddle. "Good girl, Bonnie." I heard his low murmur as he removed the saddle from the Paint’s back before turning to me, "I'm just going to let her out in the field and then we can head to town."

  I nodded, watching as he led Bonnie away from the ranch yard and to a fenced-in field, leaving me alone with Jayden. Even though Landon had dismounted his horse, Jayden stayed on top on his, watching me closely with a disgruntled expression. When he caught me watching, the look vanished and was replaced with a flirty smirk, making me wonder exactly what he was thinking about.

  So I decided to ask, even though I doubted I would get the truth from him. "What?" I knew he was going to make an inappropriate comment even before it came out of his mouth, it seemed to be his go-to move to avoid actually answering.

  "Just imagining you, your gorgeous body, and me in several compromising positions Sweetheart."

  And there was the signature wink.

  "Were you having some problems with your own gorgeous body then? Because your frown was telling me all I need to know about that." I raised an eyebrow, closing Storm’s corral gate behind me.

  "Trust me, that will never be a problem for me, Sweetheart," Jayden said cockily, his smirk barely even drooping from my come-back.

  I needed to come up with some more original, witty retorts.

  Landon had made his way to the truck and removed his dirty, sweaty shirt, slipping on a clean one. I took that as my signal to start making my way to the truck. "Mhmm,” I hummed, putting every ounce of doubt I could into it.

  His eyes darkened, then roamed over my body like he could see through my clothes. "You'll find out soon enough."

  "Maybe I don't want to find out," I lied, walking backwards away from him.

  "Try telling your body that. I bet it's flushed and w-" Jayden was cut off by Landon yelling from the truck, muffling whatever his last words were. Not that it was too hard to guess what they were.

  "Goodbye, Jayden," I said, turning around and walking away, my cheeks heating up in a blush. The guy was irritating and smoldering at the same time.

  "Good luck on your date!" Jayden called out from behind me, causing me to glance back in confusion.

  "What?"

  He smirked like he knew something I didn't, glancing at where Landon was waiting at the truck.

  He couldn't be serious.

  "We're just going out for supplies."

  "Mhmm," Jayden hummed, using the same hum of doubt and disbelief that I’d used.

  "You're wrong."

  "You'll see," Jayden said, then nodded to Landon. He must have gotten a knock on the head too when he was attacked by the bull. Landon hadn't even mentioned going on a date with me for awhile, so I thought he had taken a step back, letting the other guys fight over me.

  So, Jayden couldn't possibly be right about this being a date, could he?

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  As soon as I had climbed into the truck, Jayden's words slipped away and were forgotten. The drive to town was filled with country music blaring through the radio and comfortable silence between Landon and I.

  He was as boy-next-door as a guy could be. I’d never known the type before, but was happy I did now.

  We pulled up in front of a farm supply store and got out, heading inside. Landon went up to the counter, talking to an older man and telling him what lumber and feed he needed. When he was done, he turned to me, his lips sliding into an easy going smile. "Come on," he said, walking farther back into the store. I followed him, my eyes scanning the dusty interior of the place. I guess people who dealt with hardware, lumber, and feed would have a hard time keeping their store clean.

  Landon darted down an aisle and I followed, finding myself at a wall of different paint shades, paint cans, and spray paint. "I'm going to work on loading up the supplies, I'm leaving the paint to you. Pick out whatever colors you want."

  He smirked and wrapped an arm around me, giving me a slight hug and bringing his lips close to my ear to whisper, "Go wild," before walking off.

  I stood for a few minutes, just staring at the wall of the many different paint shades, stunned. Was he really leaving the paint for the barn up to me? I had no idea what normal people painted barns, except for bright red. That was the traditional color to paint a barn, wasn't it? They seemed like tradition people, so isn't that what they would want to go with? And if that was the case, why have me pick out the colors? Then again, Landon had told me to go wild with it, so did that mean he wanted me to think outside of the box, and do something that wasn't traditional?

  Our conversation from days ago popped into my mind, remembering how Gavin wanted the tradition, normal barn colors, while Landon wanted something more difficult, just to keep me at the ranch longer.

  I sighed. I was probably overthinking this, no one else in the world could possibly be worrying this much about what to paint a barn. I sat cross-legged in the middle of the aisle, eyes scanning the colors. I slowly relaxed and let my creativity flow, finally coming up with the perfect idea, or at least I hoped it was.

  I would go classic, red with white trim on most of the barn, but the back of the barn would be mine. It had been a long time since I’d done any graffiti art, and I hoped they would approve. If not, they could always paint over it after I leave.

  I gathered the spray paint I would need and got a few gallons of white and red paint, wondering if it would be enough. I had never painted a barn before, so I had no idea how much we would need, but if we ran out then we could always run back to town. I grabbed a few paint brushes, then gathered up the paint and moved it all to the front of the store. It took several trips to move it all, and when I came back with the last load, I found Landon at the front counter, arguing with the man he had ordered supplies from. "I'm paying for it all, you can't not accept my money."

  "I've t
old ya’ over and over that it's free for ya’. The whole county has heard about what happened, ya’ know that. We've started a fund to help y'all buy supplies to rebuild the barn. It's paid in full," the man argued back, just as stubborn. The people around here had been fundraising to help them build the barn? That was something unheard of in the city. If someone's home burned and their insurance didn't cover it, then they ended up on the street or rebuilding out of their own pockets.

  "You know we don't want charity," Landon stated.

  "We help our own, Son,” the man put a hand on his shoulder, not backing down.

  Finally, Landon sighed,” "Thank you."

  The man's face brightened, obviously happy Landon was letting them help out. It was weird to see people willing to help others, though I guess after seeing Polly, Chili, and the guys’ kindness towards me, I shouldn't be so surprised that some of the people around here were the same way. It must be a country thing.

  Landon turned towards me, taking in the amount of paint I gathered and the colors. His eyes shone with excitement, telling me that I’d made the right choice. "Did you get everything?"

  I nodded, brushing a strand of my hair aside. I avoided their eyes, knowing that if it wasn't for me, they wouldn't need charity, let alone lumber or paint.

  "Great, let's go," he said, gathering up the paint that wasn't in my arms, and heading out the door. I followed, but hesitated at the door. The fact that I was leaving the store with things I hadn't paid for reminded me of my past thefts. For what felt like the first time, it felt wrong. Which was weird considering the guy was giving us the stuff. Plus, I’d stole plenty in the past without second thought.

  I felt stupid. My feet felt like they had been glued to the floor, and my lungs were tight. I distracted myself by watching Landon walking towards the truck. His hips moved side to side with a swagger that only guys have. His butt pressing against his jeans as he moved caught my attention and I tilted my head slightly, like that could possibly make the view any better than it already was.

  Maybe Jayden was rubbing off on me a little.

  Landon glanced back at me, looking confused as to why I was still standing in the doorway of the store.

  My cheeks flamed pink and I hoped he didn't notice me checking him out while he walked. The embarrassment of being caught by him was enough to knock me from whatever spell I had been under, and I took a step out the door. Hurrying over to the truck, I reached it and worked on putting the paint in the back. When we were done, Landon moved a bag of feed over the paint to keep it out of the sun.

  He stretched his arms over his head, his eyes appraising me. When his arms dropped to his sides, he seemed relaxed and happy. "Come on, a lady can't come to town and not shop for clothes," he declared, leading me down a sidewalk and into another store.

  "I don't need anything,” I admitted.

  It was true. I had so many clothes already that I was going to have a hard time paying them back. I could make do with what I had.

  Landon glanced back at me, laughing and rolling his eyes like he thought I was joking, "Good one."

  "No, I'm serious. I have enough clothes," and enough debt to last me awhile, I added to myself.

  He glanced back at me, before nodding,” "You're right, you do have enough clothes, but I do know one thing that you need," he said, leading me deeper into the store. When he came to a stop, he spread out his arms,” "Boots!" The aisle was filled with cowboy boots of different sizes and kinds, from extravagant to plain. "I missed your birthday, so I'm going to buy you a pair of boots,” Landon stated, placing his hands on my shoulders and guiding me down the aisle.

  "My birthday isn't until November."

  "Good to know, but I still missed the one last year, didn't I? So choose. Don't deprive a man of buying a pretty lady something she needs," he said and I knew I wasn't going to win. When a guy had his mind set on something, there was no changing it. I didn't bother to mention that he hadn't known me on my last birthday, and considering what had happened on it, I was glad he hadn't been around to see me like that.

  "You don't have to."

  "I want to," Landon said, coming to stand in front of me, his eyes bright with excitement. , "Now pick one."

  "Fine," I relented, about to add that I would pay for it, but, hey, orphan delinquent here, I had no money. So, I decided to find the cheapest pair of boots and go with them. They were on sale. A horribly ugly pair of cheap, chrome colored boots that someone must have ordered in by mistake.

  I could always paint them black.

  I grabbed the five-dollar pair of cowboy boots and turned around. Landon's head snapped back at the sight of them, his face twisting in horror. "No."

  "What do you mean no? They're cheap and they're boots."

  "You are not getting a fucking ugly pair of boots just because they're cheap," Landon said, grabbing the shoes and chucking them back on the shelf like they would bite him.

  "Maybe I liked them."

  "Did you?"

  I fell silent, my sigh was answer enough for him. They were really ugly shoes. "Fine, what's the second cheapest?" I started inspecting price tags, almost choking on air from some of the prices.

  Landon frowned, then grabbed my shoulders and moved me away from the shoes. "Just pick a pair, don't worry about the price."

  "Would you even tell me if it was too much?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  His eyes narrowed, his eyes searching mine for a moment, before finally settling on an answer, "Yes."

  "Good," I said, hoping he wasn't lying. Browsing over the aisle of boots and decided their selection of black cowboy boots was pitiful and small. I spotted a brown pair that looked decent, it didn't have any carvings on it, so I figured it would be cheaper. "How about those?" I asked, pointing to them.

  Landon moved around me and got them, pulling off the price tag and stuffing it in his pocket. He handed them to me and I took off my boots to try them on. They were surprisingly comfortable, the brown leather creaking like a saddle as I walked. They had double straps across the front, and different shades of brown leather covering it. It had decorative leather stitching on parts, making it look like the boot had been repaired several times. One boot had a small pouch on the outside, which would be perfect for my knife.

  "How much?" I asked, tensing up and waiting for him to say it was too much. Maybe one of the other, simpler pairs of boots would be better.

  "It's a good price for them. Do you like them?" Landon asked, his eyes darting from the boots to my face.

  I ran my hands over my shorts, pondering if I really wanted to go with brown boots. I finally nodded, taking a step out of my comfort zone and heading into a color outside of black and white.

  "You look good in them," he remarked, his eyes lingering on my legs a few seconds too long. When I went to take the boots off, he stopped me. "Leave them on, you'll need to break them in for the rodeo tomorrow."

  "Okay," I agreed, picking up my used boots and following him to the register. He handed her the price tag and I leaned forward, trying to nonchalantly see the price to see if he had been honest about it being a good price or not.

  Unfortunately, the new shoes threw me off balance, causing me to fall against Landon. Instead of pushing me away, he wrapped an arm around me and tightened his hold, pressing me against his chest.

  His cinnamon scent filled my nose and I struggled to get loose, the beeping sound of the shoes being rung up muffled. "Let me see the price," I demanded, placing my hands against his stomach and pushing.

  His hold didn't loosen, his abs just tightening and becoming more pronounced under my palms. "No."

  I grunted and wiggled, contemplating getting my knife and stabbing him. He wasn't hurting me though and I didn't want to hurt him, so I left the knife in my pocket.

  When he finally released me, I shoved him, but was surprised when his hand snapped out and shoved me right back.

  I ran a hand through my hair, getting it away from my face as I narrowed my eye
s on him. When I took a step forward, he burst into giggles like a child, and ran out the door. I rolled my eyes and followed him, Landon speeding up occasionally to keep a few feet ahead of me.

  "You're so immature," I said, even as a smile spread across my lips.

  Landon turned, his eyes glowing with happiness that seemed to be contagious. He slowed though, letting me catch up to him before throwing an arm over my shoulder.

  "Let's eat. Are you hungry?" Landon asked, leaning his head on mine as we walked along.

  "Yeah,” my stomach grumbled at the word food and I leapt at the chance to eat. A girl always had a hard time passing up food.

  Landon led me into a diner and we took a seat in a booth, ordering hamburgers and soda. I picked up my straw, pushing it slightly through the paper wrapper, pulling it off and plopping it into the drink.

  It was only then that I realized I just disarmed myself.

  Landon smiled, tapping the wrapped straw on his chin in thought before pulling the end of the straw wrapper off and putting the straw up to his mouth, ready to blow the wrapper at me.

  So I grabbed the bottle of mustard and sat it pointedly in front of me.

  Landon froze, eyes darting between me and the mustard, trying to decide if I would actually squirt him with it. In the end, he made the right choice by disarming his straw and laying the wrapper on the table, like someone would take out the cartridge in a gun.

  I smiled and he grinned, then we sat back and enjoyed our lunch, like any normal couple on a date.

  Except we weren't a couple and we weren't on a date.

  Or at least that's what I thought.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  I stepped out of the truck and eyed the veterinary truck parked in the ranch yard. Did we take too long in town, or was the vet just early?

  I followed the sound of voices over to the tool shed, finding Jayden sitting on a crate with his leg stretched out in front of him. A large man stood staring down at him. I assumed he was the vet. Polly, Chili, and the other guys watched him.