Rider’s Block

16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter sixteen

“Wide Open Spaces,” The Chicks

I ’ve never had to prepare for a multi-day horseback excursion, so naturally my first stop is to go see Penny at her store and stock up on anything that I might need. Unfortunately, once she hears the details of the trip, she is no help.

“So, it’ll just be you and Eric, for like four days, camping under the stars and traveling by horseback?” The sparkle in her eyes would almost be cute if it wasn’t for the deep pit of dread in my stomach.

“You’re not helping.”

“Help comes in all shapes and sizes, and I’m choosing to help you by getting you the cutest—and most functional—outfits, and also hyping you up. Why are you not excited about this?”

“It’s not that I’m not excited—”

“Aha! So you do like him! I knew it—”

“That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that I think Eric is great but that’s not why I’m here. And he certainly isn’t interested—”

“I’m going to stop you right there. That man has never shown interest in a girl. And they throw themselves at him all. The. Time. He’s always nice, sure, but I’ve never actually seen him ask someone to dance—”

“That was forced, he was saving me from unwanted attention.”

“You don’t think he’d let someone else step in if he wasn’t invested? He’s invested. I can tell. I’ve grown up with this family, and Eric has never set his cap like this for anyone.”

“And how, exactly, is this information supposed to help me? I’m already freaking out, I don’t need to know this!”

“Why are you fighting this? This is fun!”

“Because I don’t do casual. Been there, done that, hated it, don’t want to go back. It’s just not worth it to me.”

“Mia—”

“Oh Lord, not you too! My name is AMELIA—”

“Not in this town. Dean’s loud mouth got to work before you could and Mia just sticks, sorry. So, Mia, what on earth makes you think Eric does casual?”

“That’s not helping either.”

“Once he has his sights set on something, he gets it. That’s just how he works. You can fight it all you want, but I think he’s set his sights on you. And I think you better buckle up.”

“You’re no help. I don’t even live here.”

“For now.” She punctuates this with a wink.

“I already have a home! And a life I love on the other end of the country. I’m not going to uproot my life for a guy.”

“But not a person you love, not your other half. Just think about it, okay? I don’t mean to pressure you, but I just have a good feeling about this.”

“You’ve barely known me for a month.”

“Yeah, and I can just feel we’d be besties if you were around longer.”

“I’m a California girl.”

“Not in those jeans.”

“I feel like we’re getting ahead of ourselves in conversation here. I’m freaking out about a camping trip, and you’re trying to tell me I’m bound for ranch life.”

“All I’m saying is this, enjoy the camping. Have an open mind. Enjoy hanging out with Eric…and also you need these for layers because it gets cold at night, even in the summer…” She makes her way over to a rack of shirts that button down the front and hands me four. I purchase all of them with the full intent of choosing my battles.

She doesn’t mention Eric again, but she does affirm that the red boots I bought are sturdy enough for the trip so I don’t need new ones, and that I probably should wear one of my hats because, ya know, sun damage and wrinkles and all. She helps me select a sleeping bag that can withstand negative temperatures and assures me that I don’t actually need bear repellent spray and that it’s just for tourists. I buy one anyways, pointedly reminding her that I am, in fact, still a tourist.

I walk out of the store with four bags of stuff and wonder how on earth a horse is supposed to carry enough supplies for me AND to repair a fence, but I’ll let the professionals figure that out.

After I place my shopping finds in the trunk of my sorry little red car, I spend the rest of the day holed up in my favorite coffee shop, matcha in hand, finishing up another chapter of my book. Being the author of the mystery, I didn’t expect to get as spooked as I have while writing the thing, but even though I’m the orchestrator of chaos in this instance, I still spook myself, which is a fun discovery.

I’m lost in weaving in some specific hints in an earlier chapter when my phone dings. I don’t grab it at first, but then it dings again and I look down to see a new name on the screen reach out for the first time, followed by a name I didn’t think I’d see on my screen again for a long time.

ERIC RANDALL: Mind if I swing by your cabin tonight to go over the plans for tomorrow?

JEFF: Saw your first book on the shelves this weekend. Miss you.

My stomach drops for two very separate reasons. I tuck the text from Jeff away. No need to think about that. Best to focus on the present, and at present I have a six-foot-three cowboy asking to stop by and coordinate a horseback excursion.

AMELIA: Sure! I’ll be back in an hour or two. Trying to wrap up a chapter, didn’t realize what time it was.

It takes all of five seconds for my phone to ding again.

ERIC RANDALL: Take your time. I’ve got most everything packed but figured you might need some help.

AMELIA: Penny helped me get some stuff I needed so hopefully I’m not too unprepared.

ERIC RANDALL: We’ll take inventory when you get here, I’d be willing to bet Penny sent you home with more than you need.

AMELIA: Cannot confirm or deny that, will leave that up to your discretion. But I can say I bought a few more shirts than I intended.

ERIC RANDALL: Happens to the best of us. She can be persuasive.

AMELIA: She is also calling me Mia. I don’t know how Dean managed to do it, but no one will call me by my actual name here.

ERIC RANDALL: Sorry Red, it stuck.

Does my stomach flip every time he calls me Red? Absolutely. After his drunken confession, I wonder how he’s going to handle four days of me wearing those boots that apparently affect him so much. And I also wonder, again, why he isn’t avoiding me. Penny can’t be right. He can’t possibly be interested, right? That would be absurd. Before I can get too far down that rabbit hole, I hear the front door of the coffee shop open up and in strides the devil himself.

“You’ve got the whole town calling me Mia apparently,” I say as Dean takes a seat across from my chair. He doesn’t even hesitate, doesn’t look to any other table options, simply comes straight to mine. I see a few heads turn in our direction at his directness, but he’s completely unaware.

“Who’s calling you Mia now? I thought it was just our people.”

Feeling like this is the perfect opportunity for a li’l ol’-fashioned prying, I take my moment. “Penny, actually. Would you consider her one of ‘our people”?” I raise my eyebrows for emphasis and don’t break eye contact. If I hold his stare maybe he’ll confess an undying love for her, which I’m hoping for.

A look of pure admiration crosses his face. “Yeah, I would. Wouldn’t say she’d say the same, but I’ll always claim her.”

“Care to elaborate, Casanova?”

“Not really, the gal couldn’t be less interested in me no matter what I do.”

“Weren’t you guys best friends?”

“Yes.”

“Then what happened?”

“I made out with her other best friend.”

“Dean!”

“I know, I know—”

“That’s horrible—”

“I was drunk, and I regret it. Everything changed after that.”

“Do you think she liked you before you did that?”

“I think so, we were sort of starting to flirt when it all happened.”

“Dean Randall, that’s like the worst thing you could have done.”

“I know! I’ve got no one to blame but myself. But in my defense Trevor told me the best way to get a girl is to make her jealous, and since I had no idea where to start with Penny, I decided to give his advice a try. Clearly it didn’t work.”

“How is Trevor married?”

“I ask myself that every day. Once he met Christine his advice changed though, I just wish he hadn’t fucked over my opportunity first.”

“Have you tried to explain this to Penny?”

“Yes…”

“I take it it didn’t go well?”

“Kind of made it worse…”

“How could it possibly have been worse?”

“She said I was, and I quote, a chicken-shit for not just talking to her and she didn’t want to mess around with a boy who made dumb decisions like that.”

“I’m not going to lie to you, Dean, this isn’t looking good for you. Do you still want her?”

“More than anything.”

“Then why do you flirt with every girl within a five-mile radius? Did you not learn your lesson the first time?”

“Because I don’t know whether I’m supposed to move on with my life or keep hanging around to wait for her. I think I’m ready to move on, I take a girl out on a date, and she just isn’t Penny so I end it after that. Now the town thinks I’m a playboy and it’s really not helping anything, but I don’t know what else to do.”

“Congratulations, Dean Randall, you’ve just become my side project. I hope you’re ready for it.”

“Wait wait wait, that is not why I came to find you—”

“Too late. But why did you come here?”

“To prepare you for your camping trip.” The uptick of his mouth into his characteristic mischievous grin immediately has my suspicions up.

“And what, exactly, do I need prepared for?”

“Well for one, you’ve only ridden a horse a few times—”

“Like twice, so yeah, why I was selected for this excursion is beyond me—”

“I should think it’s obvious.”

“What’s obvious is that I’m surrounded by a bunch of busybodies who don’t know when to keep to themselves and—”“Yeah, yeah…” he interrupts me again. “But that’s because none of us have seen Eric this happy since the accident and we’re not about to let that go. We’re Parent Trapping this situation.”

“Parent trapping? Is there a twin in this equation I don’t know about?”

“No, the camping scene. Have you seen the movie?”

“Of course, it’s one of my favorites, but I’m not sure what you’re—”

“The camping scene is where Dennis Quaid’s priorities are set straight. Camping gives you perspective.”

“I don’t…I don’t know if that’s translating how you want it to, but I’m pretty sure Eric’s priorities are set—”

“Not Eric. You , my oblivious little Californian.”

“What?” I don’t know where he’s going with this, but it can’t be anything good if he and Penny think at all remotely alike.

“You,” he repeats. “All you need are a few romantic nights under Colorado stars, and you’ll fall right into Eric’s hands.” He raises his own and places them over his heart dramatically for emphasis.

“First, you are vastly, vastly overreading the situation. Second, I have a life to get back to! You can’t just expect me to galivant across the Colorado plains for four days and change my life’s priorities for a guy who has not expressed any true intent to keep me around. I’ve only been here for a month. A month! I think everyone is overreading this and I should just lea—”

“Don’t you finish that sentence!” Dean shouts while leaning across the table to cover my mouth. I’m tempted to bite his hand but barely manage to refrain. “You’re not leaving until you at least give this thing a shot. I’ve missed my brother, and he’s finally starting to resurface. I need this. We all do.”

Dammit. When he puts it like that…he must see the concession in my eyes because he removes his hand.

“What about the rodeo?” Dean’s optimism quickly fades when he realizes I’ve got a point. “He needs to win. He won’t come back until he does, and I will not get in the way of anyone and their goals.”

“I know, but we’re kind of hoping if he falls in love he’ll stop.”

“That’s not how that works, I can assure you. And who’s we?”

A sheepish look crosses Dean’s face as he mumbles, “Mom…”

“Dean, it’s okay to be a momma’s boy. You know that, right?”

“Of course there’s no shame in it, who do you think I am?” I think his chest actually inflates two sizes larger with the statement. “I just kind of told her I wouldn’t drag her into this—”

“What does your mom think about you and Penny?” Thinking a change in topic might veer this absurd conversation away from me, I’ll dredge up anything.

“Don’t change the subject.” I continue my stare until he finally relents. “Alright. Fine. When I told her what I did she hit me in the back of the head with her shoe and told me to wash my mouth out with Lava soap. Said if I was going to stick my tongue down random women’s throats, it better be clean.”

The bark of laughter that comes out of my mouth draws a few heads, but I couldn’t care less. I want to be Nancy Randall when I grow up. “How old were you when this happened, exactly?”

“Senior year of high school—”

“And did you wash your tongue with Lava soap?”

“Of course. When momma Nancy is standing behind you with another shoe to hit you with, you don’t mess around. It’s all a love tap really, the woman would never actually hurt me, but it’s the disappointment that hurts the most.”

“I understand that—”

“But enough about my situation. Yours is the most important. I just wanted to swing by and let you know that we’re all rooting for you, we like you. And, no offense to you, but more importantly, we like Eric better when you’re around. He was kind of an ass before you got here, so if you could at least have a smidgen of an open mind, that would really do us all a solid.”

“Does he know what you’re trying to do here?”

Dean takes a turn barking out his own attention-drawing laugh. “Absolutely not. He would kill us.”

“Dean!”

“That’s why I’m looping you in, dummy. But also, can you, like, try not to be too obvious about it? Mom didn’t think I should tell you and let things progress naturally but Eric’s a stubborn ass and you’re smart so I think this would be a good idea—”

“Dean! I’m going to stop you right there. Have you thought of if I’m interested?”

“Pft.” He snorts out a rather un-attractive puff of air. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, you’re definitely interested.”

“You think you know me that well?’

He blinks a few times with a blank expression before rolling his eyes. “Oh, yeah. You’re kind of an open book, Mia. Your puppy eyes are less than subtle.”

“I do not give him puppy eyes!”

“Trust us, you do. Plus, you actually talk to Eric. No one really talks to Eric.” He pauses for a second seemingly mulling over what he’s going to say next. “Actually, people talk to him, but he doesn’t usually talk back. It’s pretty much just you and Dad at this point. Are you trying to tell me you’re not attracted to him?”

“Dean, I appreciate your attempt at girl talk here, but I’m going to cut this conversation short. Eric’s great. He really is. I think he’s an amazing guy who is going to make some girl really happy someday. I just don’t think that girl is me. I don’t see how the stars align in a way that will bring us both what we want in our goals, and in a way to be together, and I don’t do half in—”

“That’s just because you haven’t seen a true Colorado sky at night. Trust me, the stars can align.”

And with that he winks, stands up, and walks out the door leaving me no room for rebuttal. That bastard. This is going to be a long camping trip.