Broken Trouble (Broken Storm Book 1) Read online

  "Now why would you go and do a dim-witted thing like that?" the vet asked, shaking his head at Jayden.

  Jayden didn't answer him, only gritted his teeth with annoyance, until his eyes caught mine. His eyes perused slowly down my body, lingering on my legs and the new cowboy boots on my feet.

  The vet followed his gaze to me, understanding flooding his face, "It's always over a girl, isn't it?"

  I knelt as I came up to them, trying to hide my blush by picking up Mutt, who was running around my boots excitedly. He looked at my boots the same way he would look at two new chew toys. I scratched behind his ears and held him in my arms, purposefully ignoring what he had said.

  "Am I too late?" I asked, wondering if the vet had already examined Jayden's leg.

  "Just in time actually. You can help by holding his hand,” the vet joked, obviously trying to rile Jayden up.

  "I don't need her to hold my hand," Jayden defended, even as he pulled me down to sit beside him, adding in my ear, "but I do have something else you can hold onto."

  I frowned at him as he grinned and winked, then winced as the vet started inspecting his leg. "I'm Dr. Krisp."

  "Nova," I introduced myself, exchanging a friendly smile with him before he went back to his examination. He rolled up Jayden's pant leg to get a better look, revealing a heavily bruised and swollen knee.

  I was used to seeing bruises on my own skin, but not on others, it made me want to wrap my arms around him to comfort him, but I resisted the urge. It was his own fault his leg was hurt, so I kept my hands on Mutt, who stayed surprisingly well-behaved in my lap.

  I glanced at Gavin, who was watching me pet Mutt while he squirmed around in my lap. When his eyes met mine however, they hardened like he was angry I’d caught him watching.

  Maybe I’d hung out with Landon too much today, but for whatever reason, I stuck out my tongue at him. I turned my attention immediately to the vet, trying to ignore Gavin's gaze burning into the side of my face. I could sense him watching me for several minutes, until Dr. Krisp stepped back and his gaze went to the vet instead.

  Dr. Krisp put his hands on his hips, frowning down at Jayden as he gave his diagnosis, "It looks like you just pulled a muscle. Stay off of bulls for awhile and go easy on it. I don't have any drugs to give you, but I don't think you'd want them anyway, even if I did have them."

  Jayden's eyes changed instantly at the mention of drugs, a flicker of fear in his eyes before he could mask it. I watched his face closely, trying to figure out what his expression meant. He refused to go to a hospital, and now there was fear in his eyes at even the mention of drugs. I felt like I had found a trail to a small, broken part of him, but was missing way too many pieces to put it together. What could have happened in his past to make him react the way he did?

  Even though curiosity was killing me, I didn't ask why. I knew better than anyone that there were some things you just couldn't talk about.

  I just hoped he would trust me enough to tell me himself.

  Chapter 21

  I stood at Starre's front door the next morning, holding two bags of clothing I would need for the rodeo and dance. I shifted one bag to my other hand and knocked on the door. I had no idea what to expect today. Starre told me we would hang out for an hour or two before the rodeo. Then afterwards, we’d come back to her house to change clothes for the dance. According to Starre, we couldn't wear our dresses to the rodeo all day and expect to still look mind blowing for the guys this evening.

  I knew that, with the exception of Gavin, they had all mentioned wanting to dance with me this evening, and I hoped it wouldn't cause any fights among them. I wasn't a very good dancer, so I hoped they wouldn't start off the dance with a lot of fancy maneuvers, or line dancing. Dancing at parties in the city was a lot different than dancing with country people. It was a completely different style, dance, and rhythm. Dancing with Dylan had been easy and comfortable, probably because it had been a slow dance. Though if they started doing some kind of swing dancing or something, then I knew I was going to end up embarrassing myself.

  Starre opened the door, still in her pajamas as she waved me inside with one hand while rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the other.

  "Did I wake you up?" I asked, wishing I hadn't come so early. Another hour or so and she might have actually been awake.

  "No, I just didn't get much sleep last night. I stayed up until after one just thinking about Trevor. He's been acting even weirder the last few days." She dropped her hand from her eyes, looking slightly defeated. She obviously needed to be cheered up, though I wasn't sure how I could do that. I wasn't used to cheering people up, I hadn't been friends with many people and certainly hadn't been close enough to them to care about their problems. Caring always seemed to lead to more harm than good.

  Regardless of my past experience, ever since I moved to the ranch, caring had the opposite effect for me. It was like I’d been sucked into an alternate reality on the ranch and no longer had the same bad luck I always had following me around like a dark cloud of doom.

  "We can watch Tangled first, because we'll only have time to watch one movie before we have to start getting ready," Starre said, heading into the kitchen to pop some popcorn.

  I followed her, getting two cups out of the cupboard and filled them with ice, then surveyed the kitchen for something to drink, finding a liter of root beer in the fridge.

  "Won't that just remind you of Trevor?" I asked. If she and Trevor were having problems, the last thing I wanted her to do was watch a movie that would remind her of how romantic he had been. Maybe I should ask one of the guys about him, and see if they knew what was going on. They seemed to be close to one another, so if anyone would know, it would be them.

  "It will, but Flynn’s fictional, which makes him so much better than real guys. Flynn isn't going to ignore me and become all distant for no good reason. Plus, you're going to love Maximus!" Starre insisted, not acting worried at all.

  I nodded, but didn't completely agree with her. Knowing Starre, she was going to watch the movie regardless of what I thought. If she started crying during the movie, then I would just turn it off and distract her somehow. Maybe I would play her some music. Some of the songs I listen to, and put on repeat whenever I'm having a hard time controlling my emotions. I just listen to the song and let my inner anger rage on throughout the song. Surprisingly, I hadn't listened to those songs nearly as often as I normally had before coming to the ranch.

  We sat down on the couch with the bowl of popcorn between us, sipping on root beer as we watched Tangled.

  The second Maximus came onto the screen; I was in love with him. His protectiveness and playfulness reminded me a lot of Storm, who I’d only gotten to see for a few minutes this morning, before being leaving to come to Starre's house. Trevor had been there early to help the guys, and immediately after he showed up, it was like everyone couldn't wait for me to leave.

  It made me wonder what they were up to that they didn't want me around.

  Unless they don't want me around at all.

  I crammed more popcorn into my mouth and swallowed those thoughts down with them. I was spending a fun day with Starre and she needed me here, not in my head, wallowing in self-doubt.

  "Look at Flynn. The hair, the smolder," Starre sighed dreamily, leaning her head back against the couch.

  "Maximus has the body and the personality. He's way better than Flynn," I say, nonchalantly trying to tell her that just because Flynn-slash-Trevor has great hair and can smolder with the best of them, she could always find someone else.

  Or something like that.

  I was really bad at these kinds of things. Wyatt would know the perfect thing to tell her so she would understand the underlying meaning, whereas I just stumbled over my words.

  "You do realize you're talking about a horse, right?" Starre asked, starting to laugh.

  "What can I say? I have a thing for horses," I shrug, then laugh along with Starre. At least she was
laughing and not crying her eyes out.

  We sit and watch Rapunzel and Flynn travel to find the lights, laughing when Maximus did things to Flynn behind her back.

  The sound of the front door opening distracted me from the movie, causing me to glance back to see who was entering the house.

  "Trevor! Come watch Tangled with us!" Starre called out hopefully as she scooted over and patted the spot next to her on the couch.

  Trevor visibly flinched, "I can't, I have to uh... help the guys with rodeo stuff." He strode forward quickly, shuffling our now empty bowl of popcorn to the side to set a box down on the coffee table. "I want you to wear this to the dance this evening, Starre."

  "Well, I want you to sit down and watch a movie with me," Starre exclaimed, her hopefully expression falling into a scowl.

  Trevor heaved a sigh, closing his eyes in frustration, "I don't have time right now, you know that."

  "How do I know that? All you ever give me are vague excuses as to why you can't spend any time with me. I don't know why you're even bothering to come to the dance," Starre huffed.

  I slink down further into the couch, trying to hide from their argument. Maybe I could get up and pretend to go make more popcorn, though if my memory serves me right, Starre had already popped it all.

  Trevor bent down next to Starre, nudging his hat up, "Just wear the dress, Starre."

  "I'll wear the dress if I want to wear the dress, which I don't."

  "You haven't even looked at it!"

  "If I do go to the dance, it will be in a dress I pick out." Starre stood and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Trevor rubbed his hand across his face and glanced at the clock, "I'm not going to argue with you over this. Can you just please wear the dress?"

  "Fine, but you better at least be around for one dance."

  "I'll definitely be around for at least one dance," Trevor said with a grin. Then he turned and headed towards the door.

  Starre lurched forward, smacking him upside the head as he moved past the back of the couch.

  "Ow!" Trevor yelped. "What was that for?"

  "I can't say, I'm being all cagey like you are," Starre snapped, flopping down on the couch.

  Trevor looked confused, rubbing the back of his head where she had smacked him. His expression suddenly softened and he moved forward like he was about to say something to her, but his phone buzzed in his pocket, cutting him off. Looking quickly at it, he turned and left without saying a word.

  As soon as the door shut, Starre jumped off the couch, "Can you believe him? Coming in here and demanding I wear some stupid dress he picked out, when he's been ignoring me so much lately!" She paced back and forth in front of the TV. "He didn't even give me a kiss goodbye like he always does! Well, let's just take a look at this stupid thing that's apparently worth more time than I am." Starre reached for the box, ripping off the ribbon and throwing the lid to the side, pulling out the dress.

  It was a short, bright yellow silk dress with the collar part stretching out over where her arms would go, acting as straps. The skirt was short and would probably stop above Starre's knees. The bright silk was plaited with drapes of the same colored material around it, held up in places by clear buttons. White lace stuck out from the bottom of the yellow skirt by a few inches, giving the dress a delicate feel. I heard Starre inhale sharply, her eyes starting to shine. She liked the dress.

  I couldn't blame her for losing all her steam, the dress was perfect for her. It looked like a short version of a fairy tale princess dress. "Okay, so he did pretty good on the dress, but what about shoes?" Starre reached down in the box to pull out a shoe box. She pulled off the lid, revealing a pair of matching yellow peep toe heels. "He's good, he's really good," Starre said, her eyes narrowed, almost like she was mad that he'd gotten the dress and shoes perfect.

  "That's a good thing, isn’t it? It means he knows you well enough to get something you love,” I said, hoping to calm her down. I had to admit Trevor did seem to be acting weird, but if a guy still made that much effort for a girl, then he was definitely still interested in a relationship.

  Starre sighed, "I know, you're right. I shouldn't worry so much, I should just wait longer and hope things go back to normal." She smiled, glancing at the time before heading upstairs. "Come on, we should probably get ready. We'll have to come back later and put on our dresses for the dance."

  "So you're going to wear the dress then?" I asked, smiling as I followed her.

  "Of course, it's so pretty! How could I not?"

  I sifted through the clothes in my bags when we got to her room, pulling out the ones I'd need to wear to the rodeo. "Are you sure about the blue jean shorts? I haven't worn blue jeans since I was a kid," I asked, frowning at the pair of shorts in my hand that we had bought on our shopping trip. I’d been reluctant to even get them, but Starre had insisted they were a must-have for a rodeo.

  "Yes, if you don't, you'll stick out like a sore thumb.''

  "I already stick out; I don't see how blue jeans are going to help me any."

  "That's because you're from the city and you don't know any better," Starre stated, "Now will you just trust me and put them on already?"

  "Okay," I relented, going into her bathroom. I changed into a black tank top, a black and white plaid shirt and blue jean shorts. I slipped my boots back on and headed out the door, stuffing my other clothes back in the bag with my dress.

  A whistle rang out through the air and my head snapped up, wondering if one of the guys had snuck in while I was in the bathroom changing, but it was just Starre.

  "The guys are going to love you in that," she said, slipping on a blue plaid shirt, leaving it hanging open to reveal a white tank top underneath.

  I moved to stand in front of the full length mirror, frowning at what I saw there. It wasn't my style at all and it felt weird wearing the blue jeans, let alone seeing myself in them. "I don't know about this, can't I at least change to black shorts?"

  "No," Starre stated, leaving no room for argument, "now, let's work on some simple makeup, then we'll only have to add a few finishing touches to it when we change into our dresses later."

  I took out my makeup bag, putting on a light coat of makeup, just enough to even out my skin tone. I had already done my mascara and eyeliner before I came, so it didn't take me very long to finish.

  "Are you nervous?" Starre asked.

  "About what? Going out in blue jeans or the rodeo?" I raised my eyebrows with a smirk.

  "Neither. About the dance."

  I sobered up quickly, taking a deep breath, "How could I not be? All the guys are going to be there tonight, wanting to dance with me. I don't know how to handle them if they start fighting."

  "You'll handle them just fine, and if you need any help, I'll be right there to smack a few of them around."

  "Thanks. Now if only I can stop worrying about dancing," I admitted.

  "What do you mean, you're a good dancer. I saw you dance with Dylan before,” Starre looked at me, then grabbed some blush to powder my cheeks.

  "I can slow dance, but what if they all break out into synchronized dancing and I'm standing there, completely lost. Or, I trip, knock something over and catch the place on fire."

  "Well, if you catch the place on fire, you don't have to worry too much because it's really just a large dance floor with a roof. It's almost falling down on its own anyway, so you'd be doing the town a favor,” Starre laughed, "and as for the dancing, you're lucky enough to have a best friend who’s very talented at it." Starre set down her makeup, then grabbed my hand and tugged me to the middle of her floor. "Prepare for the best dancing lesson of your life!"

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  By the time we were done dancing, we were completely out of breath and it was time to leave for the rodeo. Someone knocked on the front door as we were going down the stairs. Starre perked up, glancing back at me with a smile. "It must be Trevor here to pick me up!" She scurried down the remaining steps and flu
ng the door open, her smile dropping from her face.

  I didn't even need to see who was at the door to know it wasn't Trevor as she had hoped.

  "Nova, it's for you," she announced before heading towards the kitchen.

  Gavin stepped through the doorway first, his eyes scanning the room in search for me before landing on me. He stiffened, his eyes flickering over my outfit before his expression hardened and he scowled. Did he hate seeing me in these clothes? Maybe Starre had been wrong about the blue jean shorts after all, they weren't me and seeing Gavin’s reaction proved it.

  Wyatt stepped through the door next, taking off his hat and running his hand through his hair. Even though they looked a lot alike, their personalities were completely different. Even his reaction to me proved how different he was from Gavin. His warm blue eyes took in what I was wearing, and a grin spreading smoothly across his lips, showing the pleasure he felt from seeing me dressed like this. "Come on Cowgirl, we're driving you to the rodeo."

  I guess that finalized it then, I wasn't going to change my shorts.

  "I was going to ride with Starre," I said, thinking about Starre riding alone to the rodeo if Trevor ended up being a no-show.

  "Go ahead, I'm sure Trevor will be here soon to pick me up," Starre assured me.

  Gavin grunted, his expression still dark. "He's not, he's busy," he said bluntly to her, then turned and headed back out the door, "I'll be in the truck."

  "Alright, I'll drive myself then," Starre said, trying hide her disappointment and hurt.

  "I'll ride with you," I offered.

  Starre glanced over at Wyatt and they exchanged a look before she glanced back at me. What was that about? "No, you go ahead with them. I'm going to load up some containers of water before I leave. They can never remember to take enough to drink."

  "Are you sure?" I knew she was trying to play it off as okay, even when it wasn't.

  "Yes, now go!" Starre insisted, moving forward and shoving me out the door.