Aspen

Ten

Ryder:

Aspen has been helping me on the ranch for the past three months. She's gotten better at horse riding, and her car is just half way of being fixed. Only half way, there's still a lot more to do.

But right now we're in the auction. She did her end of the deal and I'm doing mine, she sees all the horses. And the last one comes out. It was an Appaloosa. He was stunned as the silver spotting crossed over he body.

I looked over at Aspen and her face lit up as she saw him. The problem was when the guy was riding him. He was flicking trying to move away. He went all crazy when he walked out.

"I want him." She tells me. I didn't care about the price. It was how the horse was reacting. "No!" She snaps towards me and glares at me. "Aspen, experience riders can't ride it, you've only started." I told her. "Then I'll go slow make don't stress him out, I may be inexperienced but I did a full animal course in college." She tells me and I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure?" She nodded. "I'm sure." I nodded. "Ok." I tell her.

"When you do work with that horse, make sure someone's with you either me, Ryke, my dad or Catherine." She nodded and giving me a massive smile, "I'm not joking, unless he's calmed down you have to have someone." I did a bid. "Fifty grand." I shouted holding up a sign. I'm making sure no one's going to have him.

"Sixty grand!" Someone else shouted. "Seventy grand!" I shouted back. Keeping my sign high. "Eighty grand!" He shouted. "One hundred grand." The whole place when went silent. No one was going to bid. Aspen stared at me shocked. "Final call?" No one else spoke. "Appaloosa, going to Ryder Kingston the famous bull rider."

I went to pay the price and Aspen went to look at her horse. I came not long after and she already was in the fence in area. "Aspen! I told you to not go anywhere near him when alone!!" I snapped quietly. "Im not alone." She shrugged pointing to a guy sitting on the fence. "Ryder Kingston." He said jumping off and coming face to face. "What a pretty girl being with you." Aspen laughed. "Apollo Smith, what are you doing here?" I asked. "I was curious to see who paid a hundred grand for this beast and I saw that it was Aspen, your lovely girlfriend."

"What do you mean? How do you know?" I snapped. "It's been all over the news, ten people got you two kissing and you sticking up for her." He shrugged. Aspens eyes shot with embarrassment. "And you buying her a hundred grand horse is more proof than ever." I rolled my eyes. "Let's get out of here Aspen." She nodded grabbing the rope for the horse and they both walked out.

He seemed calm for now. We walked outside and I see loads of people around and staring at us. They definitely know about me and Aspen thing. I scowl at them and they all laughed. I grabbed my hat, my hair falling out and I placed it on top of Aspens. "People are staring. Just play along." I whispered and she looked up at me with a smile on her face but it didn't meet her eyes. With her eyes it looked like she wanted to kill me. I would if I was in her situation with the amount of people.

We walked to my truck and opened the horse trailer. "Here let me put him in." She gave me him but then he went all crazy and started to kick around. "Aspen, get-" a scream left her lips as she fell onto the ground. Fuck me! I pulled horse into the trailer.

I tied him up and ran out to go for Aspen. I pushed her gently on her back to see mark on her face and I lifted her up gently and kicked the trailer shut. The horse went crazy kicking at the trailer but quieten down after a few minutes. I placed her in the front seat on my truck and she dropped her head onto the window. I looked at her with sorrow in my eyes. I wished I never brought this god damn horse.

Why did she want it? She's got a lot to do with the horse, and she's already got a lot in her plate. I can't cut the price off of the cabin because this is my only thing my brother is getting money on even though it's a small amount. But I do pay him for my cabin. And he pays for the house. Since my dads too old to work much and Catherine hates working on the ranch or anything else.

I'll have to figure something out. But right now I need to take her to the hospital. I drove up to the hospital. I'll call Ryke to come and pick up the new horse. I carried her to inside and locked the doors and the doctors saw and come to my help.

They took her away and I dropped down on the chair. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialled Ryke he answered in the first ring. "Ryke Kingston." He answers.

"Ryke, come hospital, Aspens been hit by a horse we brought, take it back to the ranch." I ended it and the doctor came out. "She's absolutely fine, there's nothing wrong just bruising." I nodded. "You would be able to take her home when she's awake." She adds and I nodded.

"Your allowed to go in." I nodded. I walked over to her room and sat down on the chair in her room. After thirty minutes she did wake up and she looked over the room. "Where am I?" She asks sitting up and looking at me. "Ryder?" I nodded. "I'm here darling." She blushed at the nickname.  "Your at the hospital." I tell her and she lifted her hand up to her cheek around. "What happened?"