Country Love

iii

 Chad's words stay on my mind for the rest of the day. His rough voice hardening when he said that he and Brad weren't friends. Something must have surely gone down between them.

I decide the best way to find out will be by asking Brad. I am not going to get anything else out of Chad, and I don't want him to be mad at me. Just the thought of his gentle gaze glaring at me, and his usually smiling lips pressing into a line sends a shudder through me. I go back to my room and brush out my hair. I marvel at how akin it is to brushing a horse's mane. My long golden locks almost reach my waist, and they shine when they catch the light coming in from the small window. I apply strawberry chapstick on my mouth and purse my lips at the mirror. I look like a goddess, decked out in all my glory.

I choose the shortest jean shorts that I can find, and wear a white crop top. I sigh when I realise that this is the outfit Chad likes on me the most. He can't take his eyes off me when I ride with this on. The thought brings a smile to my lips, and I stalk out of my room, heading back to the stables.

This time it's Brad who's inside, as I had suspected.

He looks up when he hears me enter, and for a second he can only stare. I slowly turn in a circle, as if I'm looking for something. When I am facing him again, his expression makes me smirk.

"What're you looking at?" I ask innocently, batting my eyelashes at him.

"Uhm- I-" Brad clears his throat, "Nothing."

The smile on my face stays put and Brad cannot handle the suspense any longer. "Did you want something?" he finally asks.

"Do I need to want something to come see you?" I say, flipping my hair over my shoulder as I approach him.

He leans back, as if my beauty is too much for him to handle.

"And did you forget I work here too?"

"N-no- I mean, yes, you work here too," Brad flushes and goes back to picking up the horse dung. I already know my plan is working. He glances up at me and I smile. He turns back quickly, his eyes wide. I clutch his arm, feeling the muscles of his arm. He stiffens at my touch and I stroke his biceps, admiring them.

"Bradley," I coo, "You are so, so strong."

"I am?" he asks. "I mean, yeah, I am."

"Can you pick me up?"

"What? I mean, I can," he stammers.

I can't help thinking that Brad looks so beautiful when he is flustered. His pink cheeks and wide eyes looking up at me from where he is crouched on the ground next to the pile of horse dung. He gets up, dusting off his pants.

"You want me to...?"

"Pick me up, yes," I reply, twirling a stand of my golden hair around my finger.

Brad wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up with a grunt. I laugh, and he flings me over his shoulder, enjoying this as much as I am. His broad shoulders are very comfortable, and I can also fall asleep in his strong grip.

Suddenly, I notice that there is poop on his pants. I push away from him, disgusted. Brad sees my wrinkled nose and his face falls. "There's horse dung on your pants," I tell him.

Brad's face becomes redder than it was. Before he can put me down, Chad walks in, whistling a tune. He doesn't see us right away, me in Brad's arms, looking entirely guilty. He doesn't see the look of grief pass over my face, as I realise what I'm about to lose. But he does see the closeness between me and Brad, the way Brad's arms are wrapped around my waist, my hands on his shoulders,and I know he sees my phantom smile and fleeting joy.

His expression darkens but only someone who knows him well like I do would be able to see that. He coughs and says, "Right, sorry, it looks like I'm interrupting something," and leaves. I say, "Chad, wait!" and try to free myself from Brad's tender grasp to chase after Chad. Brad lets me go but asks, "So did this mean nothing to you?" Conflicted, I reply, "Of course it means something to me, but I don't want to upset Chad. I work for him, I don't want to get fired for this, you understand that don't you?" I give him a hurt look, "You wouldn't think I care about Chad more than I care about you? I thought we knew each other, but we clearly don't. This was a mistake." I let out a frustrated grunt and storm out, hoping Brad will come to me later so that I can wring out all the juicy details about him and Chad in the form of an apology.

              🐴

When I wake up the next day, all is dark. At first I don't understand what woke me up, but then I hear it- Chad's sweet voice calling out my name. I would recognize it anywhere. Thinking it all to be a dream, I walk to my door slowly and open it. My tiny smile fades when I see Brad standing next to the handsome Chad. Chad's broad frame is almost blocking the door, and I try to focus on him when I speak, "What happened? Is there a problem?"

He grins that big, goofy grin that he reserves especially for me and shakes his head. "Look at you, all pessimistic."

Brad tries to insert himself in the conversation by saying, "Do we need to want something to come to see you?"

His words send a wave of embarrassment through me, but he says it jokingly, so I smile. Chad looks between us, a dark look passing over his face. "Bri," he says, bringing my attention back to his deep eyes. I am about to lose myself in them when he says, "We're going to my father's manure store today."

"At this hour?" I ask.

"If you had looked at your clock, sleepyhead, you would have known it is already eight in the morning." Chad ruffles my hair as he walks into my room. I'm suddenly conscious of the thin nightgown I'm wearing. The crumpled sheets on the soft bed look very inviting, especially with him next to me.

"But it's so dark!" I protest.

"That's because it's raining," Brad says from the doorway. I had forgotten all about him, and now I turn to see his broad shoulders leaning against the door. "Get ready, sleepyhead" he laughs and goes away. A look of anger passes over Chad's face, and I'm about to tell him that it's not as cute when Brad calls me that, but then I remember how we must have appeared to him in the barn yesterday, me in Brad's arms...

Chad is gone before I can say anything more, and I start getting ready to go to the store.