Heavy On It !

Off Course

Y/N POV

Wiping the sweat off my brow, the Texas sun shone down on me with an unforgiving light. Texas heat was different. Dry, hot, and overbearing if you weren't used to it. But me? I'd grown up outside my whole life, right beside my dad, feeding the horses, mustering the cattle, and maintaining our land as a whole.

Hard work, but someone had to do it.

Now, it was all mine. My father had finally decided to step down and hand it all over to me, and since then, I've worked hard to follow in his footsteps.

By late afternoon, I did my last comb through the ranch. Kept a sharp eye out for any night prowlers that might threaten the herd, checked the fences, and made sure every animal was fed and groomed.

I guided my horse toward the stables, the sun finally easing behind the horizon, giving us a much-needed break.

"C'mon, girl," I murmured, giving her neck a gentle pat as we crossed into the stable.

I climbed down from the saddle, my boots hitting the dirt with a soft thud. After removing her saddle and tack, I gave her coat a quick brush down before filling her trough with fresh water.

"There you go." I stroked the white patch between her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning."

She huffed softly through her nose, nudging her big head against my shoulder before turning her attention toward the water.

I smiled, giving her one last pat before stepping out of the stable.

The ranch had gone quiet by then.

Roger, my Blue Heeler, barked twice from the porch. His way of calling that lunchtime was overdue and I needed to bring my ass inside. I didn't feel like arguing with a hungry dog, a fight I'd lost so many times already, I just trudged my heavy boots up the wooden steps and headed inside.

I barely passed the threshold of the kitchen when I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, my eyes immediately rolled to the back of my head when I saw my mother's name flash across the screen.

I loved my mother, I really did, but after a long day, I didn't think I had the energy for another one of her lectures.

Apparently, the simple life was a little too simple for a woman in her thirties. In her words, I was supposed to be married by now. A man was supposed to lead the household, marry me, and eventually take over the ranch.

But her main concern? Children.

She wanted grandchildren. A lot of them.

Honestly, I wasn't opposed to the idea. I wouldn't mind having someone to keep me company around the house.

But all in due time.

There was no need to rush blindly into love just because I was getting older, and there damn sure wasn't any reason to rush into having children. If those things were meant for me, they'd come when they came.

For now, I was still enjoying my land. My freedom. The peacefulness that came with waking up every morning knowing everything was mine.

I wasn't ready to give up that quiet yet.

I quickly straightened my attitude, pushed aside the annoyance already threatening to creep into my voice before answering the phone.

"Hello, mother."

"Well, hello there, daughter. It's nice to hear from you," she said in an overly sweet tone. I was supposed to call her after a date she'd arranged a couple of days ago, so I was sure she wasn't happy when she hadn't heard from me.