Ever After

brady

"Come on, Gen!" Brady growled from the stands as Gentry struggled to stay on the bull. Gentry was good at what he done and had gained quite a reputation as a bull rider. The brand deals he'd been receiving was helping the ranch immensely, especially since they were struggling to get by currently.

Brady took over the ranch after Elliot died. Heidi fell into a deep depression and honestly, didn't know much about keeping the ranch up and running. Her depression worsened when contact was lost with Lindy, she had fought so hard for custody of her and felt like she failed her. When her mom, Eloise, became sick with dementia, she turned over the ranch to Brady and gave him the house. She lived in town with her mom now but kept close contact with both of her boys. Her mental health had improved immensely, Brady assumed she just needed space from everything that reminded her of his dad, Madeline and Lindy.

Brady was angry. Angry at God, angry at everyone. Angry at Lindy. Why would she cut off all contact with him? He never understood. His letters never received replies. He didn't know her new number or where she lived. She wasn't on social media. The only mention of her name was her novels and he had every one of them. He buried himself into the ranch and didn't look up for a long time. Until one day, when dealing with some financial matters at the bank, he met Khloe.

Khloe was a tall, tanned beautiful blonde woman. The daughter of the owner of the bank. She'd been there visiting her dad when she struck up a conversation with Brady. Brady couldn't deny she was drop dead gorgeous, but didn't remember her from school. Back then though, he wouldn't have noticed anyone.. only Lindy.

Khloe revealed she didn't go to school in Herring Springs. She went to a boarding school in New York, stating her father wanted her to have a well rounded education. What she brought back from New York was not only an education, but also a strong disdain for country life.

Nonetheless, the two hit it off. She moved into the farmhouse with Brady. They'd been together for two years. She was great with numbers, and although she wanted nothing to do with the nitty gritty of the job, kept the books for Brady.

Gentry went flying off the bull and landed on the dirt with a thud. The crowd erupted with cheers as he'd stayed on longer than any other competitor. Khloe sat next to Brady in bedazzled western wear, which he thought was ridiculous. He'd been to plenty of rodeos with Lindy, who always wore a form fitting pair of jeans and a t shirt. Lindy was always so simple, rarely wearing make up. She would've looked beautiful in a potato sack. Brady scrubbed his eyes and shook the thought away, he found himself comparing Khloe to Lindy often.. but ignored it. Khloe was his girlfriend now, not Lindy. Lindy wasn't coming back.

The crowd silenced when Gentry didn't get up. Brady jumped to his feet and jumped the rails to the ring. Heidi and Sadie close behind, stopping short of the rails. "Gentry!" Heidi called, her gut twisting and turning. She hated that he'd chose such a dangerous career.

"It's my back, man." Gentry groaned, "I can't move, B." Brady's mind spun with what to do next.

"Stay still, can you feel your legs? Wiggle your toes?" Brady questioned. Gentry tried and nodded, wiggling his toes inside his boots. "Alright, that's good." Brady reassured. The medics arrived next and rolled Gentry onto the stretcher, whisking him away in an ambulance.

Heidi, Sadie and Brady rode together in Brady's truck. Khloe went home. "I think he's going to be okay. Worst case, a fracture." Sadie nodded in agreement from the back seat. He could move his legs, which was great news.

Heidi breathed a sigh of relief, knowing her baby would more than likely be okay. "And Khloe didn't think the health of her brother in law was worth sticking around for?" It went without saying Heidi did not like Khloe.

Sadie whipped her head to Brady. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. She wasn't sure if he was mad at his mom for saying it, or mad at Khloe for not being more concerned. "Guess not." He mumbled. Yep, mad at Khloe. Sadie confirmed to herself. "Besides, not her brother in law, we're not married." Brady reminded her. 

Heidi turned around and mouthed, "Thank God." to Sadie, who stifled a chuckle.

The three were met by the doctor as soon as they got to the hospital. "He's okay. The top part of his back, near his neck, has a small fracture. He's lucky." The old family doctor they'd all seen, and had delivered almost every baby in Herring Springs, stared at Heidi. Heidi always appreciated his ability to transform what he was saying into more simple terms, he was easy to understand. "Heidi, it could've been bad. You all better be thanking God it wasn't worse. You need to keep him off those bulls."

"Consider it done." Brady said simply. Sadie let out a chuckle.

"We're talking about Gentry here guys." She shook her head, knowing how stubborn her boyfriend was.

The four shared a laugh as they walked into Gentry's room. He was in bed and his eyes lit up when he seen them. "What was my time?" Was his first question.

Sadie shook her head, "No more, Gentry."

"Huh?" Gentry protested, Heidi rubbed his hand.

"Baby, you could've been paralyzed. You can't ride anymore." She tried to reason with him but his hothead nature showed up even in such immense pain.

"Absolutely not. I have to ride, those brand deals-" he shut up when Brady gave him a look. Heidi didn't know the ranch was struggling.

"You can work with me on the ranch when your back to health." Brady said and Gentry, being out numbered, backed down. 

Brady dropped Heidi off at Eloise's and Sadie off at her apartment above the dress shop in town. He done a quick scan of the ranch, making sure Brady's house (the former guest house) was locked up for the night since he wouldn't be home. Brady hesitated at the front door of the house, not wanting to enter. He felt like he needed to calm down first; he was very upset with Khloe and her less than compassionate attitude.

Brady sat on the porch swing and stared across the pasture. The log cabin still stood frozen in time, kudzu vine creeping up the side. He hadn't been out there since before that night. He couldn't bring himself. He drove by it everyday and noted the dark stain on the porch - a constant reminder of the night he lost his dad and what started the spiral of losing Lindy.  He thought about how his life would be different if Lindy was here now.

"You coming in?" Khloe asked from the screen door, eye masks under eyes, hair in a towel and those weird toe separators she used when she painted her toenails on her feet. 

"Ain't sure yet." Brady sad quietly, still staring off at the cabin.. Lindy heavy on his mind. She'd beat Brady to Gentry if she'd been there.

"You're mad." Khloe whined from the door.

"Why would I not be? Gentry's my brother. You just left." Brady answered, still not looking at her.

"Brady I just assumed the hospital would be crowded." Khloe explained, which Brady knew wasn't true. She honestly didn't care about anyone but herself. Brady wasn't happy with her.

"Okay." Brady answered simply, not wanting to argue or fight. He just wanted to go to bed.

"Come to bed." Khloe said, running a manicured finger up his arm. Brady shook his head and followed her back into the house, taking one last look at the cabin.