1
Ledger
She's been in the hayloft for hours.
No one has paid her any mind that I'm aware of but it's impossible for me not to be thinking about the fact she's over my head, lying in that hay.
I know what she was wearing when she climbed the ladder up into the loft. She was in a pair of cutoff jean shorts, her tanned legs bare, her thick thighs rubbing together as she climbed the rungs. She was in a plain t-shirt that was the color of the sky, baby blue – just like her eyes.
Yeah, I've memorized those too, even though I hardly got a good look at them, only from a distance because that's what she's kept from everybody who works here at Buckle Down Ranch.
She's the owner's niece, and she hasn't introduced herself to anyone so far as I can tell. Certainly not me because if she had, I'd sure as hell remember. I've been trying to think of an excuse all afternoon to get myself up in that hayloft, a reason to get myself alone with her to figure out what in the world she's doing up there for hours on end all alone. My cock aches at the thought of it because I can think of a few things I'd do alone with her up in that loft.
A few things that her uncle would probably have a few major issues with.
"Hey, Ledger," Jake comes up behind me, clapping me on the shoulder. "You about ready to call it a night?"
"Yeah, just about," I say, "I brought in the last of the horses."
"I'm starving, and I heard Louisa made fried chicken and biscuits for dinner."
"Sounds great," I say, "but truth is no matter how good the food is here at Buckle Down, I miss my mom's cooking.” It's been a long time since I've lived at home full-time. Four years going on five, and I'm ready to change that.
"You coming along?" Jake asks.
"Just give me a sec. I'm going to grab some of my shit back in one of the stalls. I think I left my phone."
"You making calls while you were mucking?" Jake laughs. "You're crazy, man. Especially for a rich kid."
"Don't call me that," I say.
"Truth hurts," Jake says, laughing. "I'll save you a seat at the table, boss."
"Sounds good, but don’t call me boss either." I shake my head, laughing it off, knowing one day Jake hopes to work alongside me at my dad’s ranch. I’m not opposed to it – we get along really well. But right now, I have other things on my mind. Well, one other thing in particular. Her.
Jake leaves me alone in the barn, and I think about that princess one floor up. I hear the floorboards creak, and for a minute, I wonder if she was listening to the conversation I just had with Jake, but then she begins to climb down the ladder and I realize, as she joins me at eye level, that her Air Pods are in.
She's not listening to a damn thing I have to say. Why would she? This girl, she's on another level. Another planet entirely.
"Hey," I say, running a hand over the stubble on my jaw. "What are you listening to?"
She cocks an eyebrow. "What?"
I tap my ear. "What are you listening to?" I repeat.
She pulls out an Air Pod. "I'm listening to a guided meditation."
"A guided what?" I ask, stumbling on her words. They don't exactly seem to match the country. They seem like they belong on some yoga retreat.
She smirks. Damn, this girl is all kinds of fancy. I know it by the diamond studs in her ears, the name-brand sneakers on her feet, and she may be wearing cutoffs, but I can tell they're not ones she took some scissors to.
Everything about her is high-end, classy, and even though Jake says I'm a rich kid – and sure, my dad does own a ranch ninety minutes north of here – I'm a different kind of rich than this girl.
I'm country boy rich. I'm the kind of rich that wears work shirts and likes fried chicken. This girl, I'm guessing she's prime rib. I'm guessing she's all country clubs. And I know she ain't from here.
I smirk right back. "I love guided meditations."
"Oh really?" she says, "What kind do you like?"
"I like the kind you listen to," I say plucking that Air Pod from her manicured fingers and placing it in my own ear. I press the button on the side, and it begins to play.
"Imagine yourself in a warm body of water. Half of your body is submerged. Close your eyes and imagine yourself floating. You are perfectly calm. All your anxiety has floated away along with your troubles. There is nothing keeping you down or keeping you up. You are in perfect equilibrium. You are free. You are floating."