Cowgirl Up Three ✔️

Chapter Three

Thank you so much to SociallyWeirdPerson , Jesse40 , ReneSolomon , @baileyjs296, @cherryshop, RachelBaker976 and Jessie160802, dreamer602659 and @Lucy_May1403 for your comments on Chapter TWO! 😀 hugely appreciated 😀👍👏🏼💚

Bailey

My emotions were already a mess when I struggled my way up into the driver's seat of my Ute late Thursday morning.
I was parked up near the main house, because I'd just dropped Luka off to spend some time with Mum.
Across the Farm yard, I could see Blayze throwing tools into the Hilux's tray.
To look at him, you'd think he was just a busy man preparing for a day's work.
But, I of course knew better.
We'd fought last night and he'd spent the night on the couch, while I laid in our bed and barely slept a wink.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly against the impending tears and my mind flashed me back to last night.
Of course Blayze once again hadn't come in until well after Luka was asleep for the night after his usual bedtime story.
I'd cleaned up the dinner dishes and the lounge room before deciding it was time to take a bath.
I had to be careful to not get the tape on the back of my shoulder too wet anyway, so a bath was a better idea than a shower, because I could sit up and not get the backs of my shoulders wet.
When Blayze got in, he came to the bathroom to check on me and I'd informed him his Dinner was waiting in the microwave.
He'd left me to the remainder of my bath and gone to eat his Dinner.
Only when it came time for me to get out the tub, I struggled.
"Blayze!"
I called out for his help, fairly confident Luka would snooze through, because he's a pretty solid sleeper these days.
Faintly I could hear one of the Dog's click their way into the hallway.
But no answer from Blayze.
"Blayze!"
I called for him again, adding a bit more volume to my voice, in case he was watching TV.
The water would bloody start getting cold if I sat in it too much longer!
I growled in frustration.
It's January, the bloody Cricket has probably got his attention!
"BLAYZE bloody Riley!"
I shouted, my frustration peeking.
Azlan's familiar bark sounded from outside the bathroom door.
Finally the heavy footsteps I'd been waiting for reached my ear's.
Sighing, I let my shoulders slump.
The bathroom door opened and Blayze poked his head around the blockade.
He raised his eyebrows at me and opened his month to speak, but I was irritated, so cut him off.
"What the hell took you so long?!"
I demanded.
"You wanna keep it down?"
He asked, shooting a glance over his shoulder.
"Luka is sleeping."
I knew our Son was sleeping.
I'd put him to bed as per usual!
"Luka's fine!"
I gritted through my clenched teeth.
I was the one sitting in a bath and unable to get my arse out!
"What's up?"
Blayze asked, putting his focus back on me.
The me who was sitting amidst the water that was by now only slightly warm.
"I said what took you so long?"
I insisted.
"I bloody need your help to get out of here and you weren't answering!"
I threw my hands into the air, a few water droplets going flying.
Blayze rolled his eyes.
"Well you could've just said so."
He pushed the door further open and stepped into the slightly steamy bathroom.
"How could I when you didn't come?"
I asked, raising my brows.
"Which brings us back to, why not?"
He rolled his eyes and reached down, offering me his hands.
I frowned.
Why wasn't he telling me what had kept him from responding to me?
"Blayze?"
I queried, some unpleasant feeling tugging on my heart.
He grabbed my hands and helped me onto my feet.
"What the hell?!"
I demanded.
Since when wouldn't he answer a simple question?
"I was trynna get off the phone!"
He told me, averting his gaze and locating a fluffy white towel for me, his tone frustrating.
Off the phone?
At this hour?
It had to be around 10 o'clock!
"Who were you talking to?"
I asked, wrapping the big towel around my body.
I needed big ones now, with my huge belly in the way.
Silence.
Finally managing to tuck the corner of the towel in at my chest, so the fabric would keep itself up, I looked questioningly up at Blayze's face, still standing about knee deep in the bathtub.
He sighed.
"Do you want help out of there?"
Yes, it was taking me a while to move.
But I wanted him to answer me.
"I want you to answer my question."
I replied, placing my hands on my towel covered hips.
I no doubt looked so attractive right now.
But that was hardly the point.
We were aiming at 'For Better, For Worse' right?
That meant he shouldn't be keeping anything from me.
And my 'looks' shouldn't matter.
Blayze clenched his jaw and averted his gaze to look at the steam covered mirror.
"It was Emma."
He finally muttered.
My breath seemed to hitch in my lungs and my heart skipped a beat.
"Y-you told me you d-don't have each other's n-numbers!"
I hated the weakened stutter that was my voice.
But he'd clearly lied to me!
"Do you want help out or not?"
He asked, irritation leaking into his voice.
He gets to be irritated?!
I don't bloody think so!
"I want you to fucking well answer me!"
Here I was, standing in a towel and almost cold water and he was telling me he'd been on the phone to Emma!
He all but lifted me out of the tub.
I struggled a little to move my legs in time to keep up.
"She called on Messenger, alright! I didn't fucking lie to-"
His words ceased and he grabbed my shoulders to turn me around.
"What?"
I asked, feeling myself frown.
"What the hell's this?"
His voice was little more than a whisper.
It was as though somebody tipped a bucket of ice over my head.
The fucking tape on my shoulder!
The logical thing would be to tell him I'd hurt myself and it was just a bandage.
But when I'm almost always home with Luka and I haven't been working with any stock in months, how would I have hurt myself on the back of my shoulder?
I bit into my lower lip, unsure what to say.
The truth was probably the best option.
But I wanted solid answers before I told him the words 'spot', 'skin specialist', 'sample' and 'follow up'.
"Bailey?"
I cringed at his use of my actual name.
He's Blayze, he doesn't call me 'Bailey' unless he's pissed at me.
Working my jaw, I slowly turned around to face him, my heart hammering inside my chest.
"So when I needed help, you were on the phone to her?"
I spat, a slightly irrational mixture of fury and jealousy washing over me.
"Don't change the fucking subject! What the hell is that on your shoulder?!"
Blayze demanded, his deep blue-green eyes flashing with anger and something else I couldn't quite pinpoint.
"You're the one changing the subject!"
I growled, pointing a finger at him.
"What the hell Blayze?! Why's she even calling you and at this time of night?!"
I sounded fairly irrational even to my own ears, but there's only so bloody much that I can take!
My blood was positively simmering.
"What. Is with. The. Tape?"
Blayze insisted, his voice deep, demanding and admittedly a little confronting.
But, I've known Blayze for over eleven years now.
I'm not scared of him physically hurting me.
I stabbed a finger into his chest, glaring up at him, making sure to let him know just how pissed off I was.
"Guess we're both keeping things secret then!"
I sneered and stepped around him to go find some pyjamas to wear.
I didn't even make it to the door before his hand clamped around my wrist, bringing me to an affective halt.
I glared over my shoulder at him.
"Let me go!"
"Tell me what's with the bandage!"
He insisted, his grip tightening slightly on my wrist.
"Tell me why some woman is calling you at ten o'clock at night!"
I retorted.
In what fucking universe does he actually believe that is okay?!
A look of complete and utter frustration came over his face and he released my wrist before squeezing his eyes shut and lifting his hands to run his fingers through the disheveled strands of his hair.
"She's a friend from my past Bailey. I can't exactly just ignore her. If you two gave it half a chance, I know you'd actually get along."
He told me, slowly reopening his eyes to look at my face.
Well, that answer wasn't good enough for me.
"No. We never will!"
I gritted through my teeth.
"I answered your question, now please answer mine."
Blayze replied, quite clearly struggling to keep patient.
"No you didn't."
I denied, placing my hands back on my hips.
Blayze rolled his eyes.
"She's lookin' into taking a job at the Thompson's."
He told me.
"She asked my opinion."
His op-?!
"Like her job decisions are any of your business!"
I exclaimed, throwing my hands into the air.
What the fuck is with this woman?!
Is she that desperate for Blayze's approval that she's searching for a job he'll admire?
Like he's going to care if she's going to work with Racehorses!
"I told her that a handful of times, Jared's been a client of mine. But other than that, I've been in about as many fights with his staff as I have hand shakes, drinking games or pool comps."
At that, I almost cracked a smile.
Almost.
But he wasn't going to get off that easily.
I wasn't exactly pleased with his words, but it seemed he was at least telling the truth.
"I told her I wasn't really sure what answer she was wanting from me."
He shrugged.
I frowned.
"Why she needs your opinion doesn't make any sense!"
I snapped.
He rolled his eyes.
"I've been here for over eleven and a half years Bailey. That kinda gives me some inside knowledge to the businesses and the people around here."
That might be true.
But it didn't mean I had to like her looking for any excuse she could to talk to him!
"Now can you please tell me about that tape?"
Blayze asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Tape?
Oh yeah.
He'd spotted the bandage on the back of my shoulder.
"Well..."
I still didn't want to tell him the truth.
I didn't want or need him worrying unless there was actually a reason we had to.
"I just h-hurt myself the o-other day."
I told him, averting my gaze.
"I was in town, so a Doctor put the bandage on."
I hated attempting to lie to him.
I've never been any good at it.
But it was necessary.
To protect him.
It was probably going to just be nothing.
"Don't lie to me."
His voice was little more than a whisper.
I swallowed thickly.
"Bailey?"
He questioned, raising his eyebrows as he stared down at me.
Just a quick glance at his face had my resolve crumbling.
I've never been any good at lying to him.
And he's always helped me to find my way out of my problems.
"At my last checkup on the Twins, Doctor Legend noticed something on my shoulder."
I whispered, my lips feeling numb as I tried to speak the dreaded words.
His expression was almost unwavering as he stared at me, clearly waiting for me to finish telling the story.
I swallowed thickly.
"So yesterday I had to go see a Skin Specialist Doctor Legend arranged for me. And they took a 'sample'."
I muttered, dropping my gaze to the tiled floor.
The silence in the bathroom was suddenly deafening.
My heart was beating so hard and loud that it almost hurt my ears.
Biting into my lower lip, I lifted my gaze until I could once again see Blayze's face.
It was schooled to an almost impassive mask, but his blue-green eyes were swirling with a fierce range of emotions.
His jaw was clenched tight and a look down at his fists showed me they were clenched.
He was mad.
He was beyond mad.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
My throat grew rapidly and uncomfortably thick.
I blinked hard against the prickle of hot tears that seemed to have come out of nowhere.
"Doctor Legend was pretty sure it would be nothing, so I didn't want to worry you."
I croaked.
"You should've told me."
His voice was low, hard almost.
"Blayze-"
I tried.
He stormed past me, heading out of the bathroom door.
Shit.
"Blayze wait!"
I insisted, hurrying after him.
In the lounge room, he spun around to face me.
"You would've told me if it was something like a rash!"
He all but snapped.
I flinched.
True.
I probably would have.
"Blayze-"
I tried again.
"You should've told me!"
He yelled.
Hot tears immediately sprung to my eyes.
"Blayze I don't want you to be mad at me!"
I croaked.
"Well it's a bit fucking late for that isn't it!"
He glared daggers at me.
"Blayze-"
I tried, taking a step forward.
He ripped his glaring gaze off my face.
"I can't talk to you right now."
My heart clenched painfully.
"Blayze c'mon just-"
I tried, taking another step forward.
If I could just talk to him, I'd get through to him and we'd be alright.
"Actually, I can't even look at you right now."
He declared, turning his back on me.
Hot tears splashed onto my cheeks.
"I'll sleep on the couch."
He muttered.
My heart felt like it shattered then and there.
Not since the Rodeo accident that had almost claimed his life, had we not slept together.
Our favourite part of the day is crawling into bed with each other and waking up there the next day.
Swallowing thickly, but with large, hot tears rolling seemingly endlessly down my cheeks, I turned on my heel, still wrapped in the towel and headed down to our bedroom.