The Stars in the Sky

Chapter 16: Eating Dinosaur

I haven't heard from you in days because by now you're sleeping with Will, right?

Upon reading this text, I immediately picked up my phone and dialed Amelia. I needed girlfriend time and I needed it now. Between sex, politics, and my new job, let alone Will's statement that we were dating, I had a lot to cover with her and I wanted advice.

After talking with Will's parents, who were incredibly nice, his mom outgoing, his dad friendly, but less talkative, just like Will, we excused ourselves and Will walked me to the bunkhouse. He followed me inside, all the way to my room, and when we got to it, he closed the door and kissed me hard. Then he muttered that he had to go check on things around the ranch and left. I heard him whistling for Trixie once he got outside.

I changed clothes into jeans and my vegan boots and went into the bunkhouse office to finalize my plans for the upcoming week: a group of thirty 12- and 13- year olds from Oakland. With a group this large, they could not all ride horses at the same time, so I had to schedule more activities for them. Still, it would be fun to have them here. Both Janine and Stephanie were out for the weekend, leaving me and the male wranglers to hold down the fort.

Then I remembered that I had not checked my phone in a long time. Funny, now that I was enmeshed in life at Headlands, I didn't seem to check it very much, unlike how I spent every waking hour on it at home. There was just too much to do here: horses and fresh air and taking care of kids and spending time with Will, among my favorites.

Amelia answered immediately.

"How did you know we fucked?" I asked, without preamble.

"Ha! Lucky guess."

"That's not all that's lucky," I said, and she laughed. "Listen, though. It's an emergency. I need Amelia time. Can you come up?"

"Sure. When?"

"Uh, today?"

"I can leave in an hour and be there in two. Should I bring Ryan so that we can all go out to dinner?"

There was a reason why Amelia was my best friend and this was it. I told her to bring boots and jeans in case she wanted to ride a horse, and stuff to stay overnight.

Two hours later, she and Ryan pulled up in Ryan's Land Cruiser, a surfboard tied to the top.

"I totally have to pee!" exclaimed Amelia, as she burst from the car and gave me a rushed hug.

I laughed. "I know the feeling. Go into that ranch house, down the hallway, two doors down on the left, and don't forget to knock first."

As she ran off, Ryan stepped out of the car.

I may have mentioned previously, that while he was my best friend's guy, a girl had eyes. Boy. Ryan was tall and lanky, but muscular, dressed in jeans—Levi's, thank you very much, that hung down nicely on his hips—and a plaid shirt over a white t-shirt. He had wild, curly blond hair and tanned skin, and when he smiled he had dimples.

"Hey, Marie," he said, in his low, sexy, surfer voice, and pulled me into a tight hug.

Just then, Will walked around the barn, wearing a fitted, but faded black t-shirt that showed off his chest, a trucker hat squashing his waves, and his usual Wranglers and boots. Even from this distance, he affected me in the worst way. He saw us, and a strange look came over his face as he strolled over.

I called out to him, waving, excited, "Will, this is Ryan Fielding, my best friend Amelia's fiance. She's using your bathroom." Will looked at me, and I could read a bunch of emotions that washed over his normally stoic face: apparent relief that I was not with Ryan, surprise that my friends were visiting, and humor at Amelia being just like me.