River Lane

chapter 35 pt 1

Chapter 35

            The sound of the crashing water helped to clear my brain of all its confusion. Dipping my feet into the waterfalls clear depths, I remembered the first time Garrett stumbled on me here. Having him see me buck naked on my first day here was not the way I wanted to make an impression. It worked though. He was such a brooding ornery ass, it was good to see him blush and be embarrassed. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. All I had been doing all day was thinking about Pace and Garrett, doing as Pace asked and seriously thinking through my decisions. I wasn’t really marrying Garrett, but I was making a decision about who I wanted to be with. I couldn’t play them both along and I couldn’t keep playing leapfrog with relationships. It wasn’t fair to either of them. It wasn’t fair to me either.

            Pulling my feet out of the water I walked back over to Tequila. Swinging up on him bareback, we headed back to the house. I’d been avoiding everyone today, especially Garrett, and I knew he’d start getting suspicious soon. One thing was certain. I wasn’t getting anywhere by avoiding them. I needed to face them and see if it helped me make a decision any quicker.

            As I neared the barn, Garrett came hurrying out the door to my side. Grabbing me around the waist he pulled me down from Tequila before I could dismount myself. He gave me a quick kiss before pulling back, still not letting go of me. Behind him I noticed Pace come around the corner of the building. He gave me a half smirk, knowing that I’d been avoiding everyone and thinking about our talk all day. Point one to Pace. Noticing he didn’t have my full attention, Garrett turned around, catching the smirk on Pace’s face before he walked back around the barn. Facing me, eyebrows creased, he just shook his head and gave me a kiss again.

            “Where have you been all day?” I pulled away from him and began to lead my horse into his stall.

            “Just needed a few hours to think, so I went for a ride and went to the waterfall for a while.” He nodded absently at me as I shut the stall door and put my bride back in the tack room.  

            “I think we all need to go out tonight. They’re doing karaoke at the bar”. I gave him a small smirk.

            “Sounds like just what we need”. I gave him a kiss and walked out of the barn back towards the house.

                                                                             Ω

Garrett

            Garrett watched her walk away. He knew that she was having second thoughts about everything and he figured he knew who the culprit was too. He hoped tonight he would be able to reassure her of her true feelings. He had to make the playing field fair though. Walking out the back door of the barn, he went to help Pace throw bales of hay onto the back of the feed truck, and then jumped on the back to help throw them back off in the field. When Jared had driven the truck halfway through the field, Garrett reached out to grab another bale of hay and cut the twine on it.

            “You’re not going to win you know,” he said to Pace.

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Don’t play dumb. I know exactly what you’ve been doing. You can try to coerce her and give her second thoughts all you want, but all you’re doing is prolonging the inevitable. You’ll make her hurt longer and in the end she will still choose me”. Pace paused to glare at him.

            “And how do you suppose you’ll make her?” Matching his gaze Garrett replied.

            “I won’t have to make her. She’ll make the decision on her own because she’ll know it’s the right thing to do. You’ll do nothing but hurt her. Your possessive nature is going to ruin you both.”

            “You don’t know what you’re talking about”.

            “Come to the bar tonight and try your chances.” Pace stared at him for a moment, trying to see if there was a hidden ultimatum or trick involved, before nodding his head in agreement and throwing another bale of hay. Neither of them spoke again the rest of the ride.