Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Twenty Two

I stormed away from Blayze, my blood simmering and my mind whirling.
My fingernail's bit into my palm's where I had my fist's clenched tight at my side's.
My out of this world, raging emotion's were erratic, even I knew that.
But apparently I couldn't control them.

- flashback 5 minutes ago -
Blayze and I entered the tack room, Blayze getting ready for god know's what and me grabbing my tack to give it all a good clean.
There wasn't much else for me to do right this moment.
'I milk cows, I grow spuds, I drive tractors, I fix pumps-'
I looked over at Blayze questioningly, hearing the muffled song by Lee Kernaghan.
Blayze sighed and pulled his mobile phone from his pocket, looking at the screen in confusion.
He swiped a finger across the screen and held the device to his ear.
"Hullo?"
I guess the number of the caller wasn't in his phone...
"Oh. Hey, Rikki."
The blood in my vein's instantly ran cold.
She call's his phone too?
"Yeah, I'm fine. I told ya I was last night."
Blayze glanced over my way, the phone still to his ear.
Trying hard not to smack my teeth together as I ground my jaw shut, I turned to my saddle rack and hauled my leather tack off one by one.
Without sparing Blayze another glance, I stomped out of the tack shed.
- end flashback -

Standing in the shade where I'd set my saddle onto a portable rack and stripped it down for easier cleaning, my hand's on my hip's, I glanced toward's the direction of the tack shed.
I had to go back in there to get the saddle soap and cloth's for cleaning the leather.
But I didn't want to go in with Blayze on the phone to Rikki.
"You look like you swallowed a lemon."
I looked up, stunned I hadn't noticed anybody arrive.
Normally I'm more observant than that!
Heath stood several meters away, barely in the lines of the shade the huge gum tree provided.
He looked casual in faded blue jeans, a red R.M Williams t-shirt and lightly dust smeared boots.
I shot Blayze's cousin a glare.
"I didn't have enough hand's to get the cloth's and saddle soap as well!"
"Whoa!"
Heath held his hand's up, palm's forward, his tanned face shocked.
I stood with my hand's on my hip's, daring him to bite back.
He was a 'big strong Riley boy', he would right?
Heath shut his mouth, shook his head, turned on his heel and walked away!
Letting out a half growl, half sigh, I dropped my hand's to my sides and stormed toward's the farm house.
What the hell was wrong with me?

Blayze

"Who the hell shat on Bailey's breakfast? I don't think sleep-in's suit her, mate."
I looked over my shoulder to see Heath had arrived.
Why the hell was he finished at the pump already?
The idea was to keep the kid out of my hair!
Guess that didn't work.
Hold on...
Bailey?
Rikki was still saying something, but I'd lost her.
"Look, Rikki, I gotta go. I have work to do."
Was it bad I didn't even feel any guilt brushing her off?
"Oh... okay."
There was something like disappointment in Rikki's voice.
Why would she be disappointed?
I haven't seen her in what, maybe five year's?
"Righto. Bye."
I bade.
"Bye."
I pulled the phone from my ear, hung up, set it onto the bench and turned to Heath.
"What exactly are you on about? Actually, aren't you still meant to be out workin?"
"Yes boss."
My little cousin rolled his eyes.
"I came back 'coz we found we need an extra tool."
I frowned.
"Tool like what?"
The Ute was set up before they left.
They should have all they need.
Heath shrugged.
"A longer breaker bar."
"You kid's needa either learn to pack the Ute properly, or grow some god damn muscle!"
I retorted.
If I'd come back six years ago wanting a 'bigger breaker bar' Lukas would have laughed at me and ordered me to go back and suck it up.
I pushed off from the bench and strode past Heath, heading for the tool shed.
I'd find him what he needed and get him to get the fuck back out there and finish the job.
My little cousin hung back in the tool shed doorway.
"Why're you so grumpy?"
"Maybe because I told you guy's to get a job done?"
I grabbed the meter long breaker bar from the wall and turned to take it to him.
"Look, this nut's hard alright! We're just-"
"I don't care about excuses, just get the damn pump fixed so we can use those paddocks!"
I snapped and pushed the breaker bar into his hand's.
Heath nodded and turned to head back out.
Wait a minute...
Didn't he mention Bailey?
"Heath wait."
He turned around only a couple of steps out of the shed.
"What were you sayin' about Bailey?"
Heath shook his head.
"She's scarier than you, man. She was hell pissed off lookin' and I asked her about it and she went off!"
I frowned.
"Went off about what?"
She'd been alright while we were talking, apart from ordering me to 'not give her sleep in's without talking to her first'.
"I dunno."
Heath shrugged.
"I asked her who shat on her mornin' toast and she snapped at me some shit about not havin' enough hand's to grab soap and cloth's at the same time."
Huh?
That was weird.
Since when would something as small as that piss Bailey off so much?