The landline phone rang as I flipped the burger I was frying. Ya, they are way better on the grill but I didn't feel like starting it up.
"Hello?" I said on the phone.
"Hi. How's it going?" The voice said.
"Hey Mariah!" I said happily. She was one of my really good friends all through high school. We did everything together and told each other everything. "I'm great. How about yourself."
"I am pretty good." She said. "Things have been insane here at the feed lot." She sighed.
"I bet, I heard it's gotten way more busy." I said.
"Yeah! So I was wondering if you wanted to ride tonight? I kinda wanted to talk about some stuff."
"Id love too." I smiled into the phone. "Where at?"
"Want to come here?" She asked. "Maybe around 3?"
"Sounds good." I said thinking of everything else I needed to get done that day, which wasn't much.
"Alright I'll see you here." She said.
"Okay, bye Mar."
Wonder what she had to talk to me about. We always went to eachother for advice. Sometimes it was for things insanely huge that no one was allowed to know about, that's just how much we trusted each-other.
All through highschool I had this insane crush on a girl named Jordanne Schindler. Mariahs bestfriend and Mariah knew it. Jordanne and I were really good friends too but she was someone I didn't want to fuck up with and date. She meant more to me and I'd rather have her as my friend than risk loosing her.
The summer after we graduated her father got a job down in Texas working on a longhorn ranch, one of the biggest so her family moved. She went to college and I haven't seen her since that one night. I haven't talked to her either I couldn't, I missed her and I didn't have her number, I was too scared. That night before she left we spent the whole night together laughing and talking just like a dream, a music video, a movie. Then we made love. We didn't have sex we made love and that's why I remember that night so clearly. To this day I've never felt like that before while having sex. I missed her ya sure. But she was beautiful. I'm sure she is married now and has a stable job. And I bet she doesn't even think about me.
I shook the thoughts from my head. She was something and it sucks that distance broke our friend ship.
I finished up around the ranch, I had to fix a fence that the Bulls broke through, since we just pulled bulls forms the cows they have been fighting none stop. I fed them an oat bale and then got cleaned up to go see Mariah.
"I think I'll take you along, you needed some trail riding experience." I said opening the stall door to my favorite and best roping horse.I called him Digs.
I put on a saddle and hung his head stall on the saddle horn, I'd just put that on when we got there I thought. He loaded well. I grabbed a sweatshirt even thought I didn't think I'd need it and put on my grey and white Wyoming hat.
The drive was roughly 35 minutes to the feed lot but I met her at her house which was only 30.
"Hi." I said getting outta the truck hugging her.
"Hey Ry." She said smiling. "You brought Digs?" She asked.
"Yeah. Is that okay?" I smiled.
"You brought him just so when we'd race you would win. Didn't you?" She teased.
"No. Actually didn't even cross my mind." I said as I unloaded him from the trailer. "He needs trail minutes."
"Well even if we do race I will win." She said pointing over at a new horse I'd never seen before. We walked over to him. A grey dapple horse, looked damn good bread, thick and built.
"Damn. New barrel horse?" I asked.
She smiled and nodded. "Yep. I sold Jet for 16,000 and bought this guy for 18,000." She glanced at me.
"This grey horse? That's all?" I asked.
"Yes, he's well worth 20,000 plus. It was a steal." She smiled.
"He's not bread from White Fang is he?" I asked. One of the best nationally ranked barrel horses in the nation.
"Yep. White Fang is his father." We can look at the papers later but let's go ride."
"I'm so happy for you." I said smiling. "How old is he?" I said hopping on Digs.
"9 yrs. his name is Budd." She smiled. "He's been nothing but good so far." She hopped on.
And we headed out talking and laughing and joking until we showed up to the river. Budd wouldn't cross the bridge. He was scared "common Budd." Mariah would say.
Digs crossed like a charm but Budd just wouldn't. "Want me to try?" I asked her. However I was a horse trainer.
"Would you?" She asked.
She hopped on Digs and I got on Budd and tried to get him to go across. After about 25 minutes of patience he finally went.
We were gone trail riding for 3 hours now. We stopped at this one spot just to sit and talk.
"So what did you wanna talk to me about?" I asked her grabbing a two beers from my saddle bags.
"Just I've been talking to this guy now for about two weeks and he asked to take me out on Saturday night." She said.
"Mariah, that's great!" I said. "Who is he?"
"Riley, it's your brother Luke." She said.
"Mariah, I love him but member last time?" I asked.
"Yeah I do but I've been crushing on him for you know how long. I just want to give him another shot. Plus we were kids." She said.
"You're right. Plus I need to be supportive of this. You two would be great together. He just needs to grow up." I said. "Which he will and he is."
"That's why I really think maybe Thursday will help determine what to think about it." She said taking a sip. "I guess I just wanted you to know."
"I'm really happy. He'll be good this time. He's maturing just like I am." I smiled.
"But I don't want it to affect our friendship. You'll always be my best guy friend (besides whoever I marry)."
"Right back at you Mar." I smiled and we both took a drink.
We sat and talked about other things until our beer was gone and then we headed back to the house.
