Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Heather shook her head a half dozen times. “I don’t even know what to say. But I mean, are you going to tell Matt about his dad? And how inappropriate has Isaac been? Like, has he done something or just said things that make you think he likes you? Now I feel bad for kissing him if you like him.”
“What? No. I don’t like him. I mean, I don’t … it’s just … never mind. And I’m not telling Matt about his dad. Wesley owns my family’s house, and he’s overlooked my parents missing some rent payments. It would destroy everything if I were the one to tell on him.”
Heather shook her head, speechless for a good minute or more.
“You can tell me if you like Isaac. Come on, Sarah; we’ve had a crush on him forever. Matt will totally die when he finds out, but you can’t control your feelings.”
“I wrote my name on the inside of his guitar case. It was so small you could barely see it. I still can’t believe he saw it. So he marched into the farm stand, grabbed a Sharpie, and yanked the neck of my shirt down to write his name on my boob. My boob!” I unbuttoned my blouse enough to show Heather.
She nearly ran her car into the ditch, making a quick correction after refocusing on the road. “Oh my god, that’s so …”
“Deranged.”
She shook her head. “Hot. That’s so hot. And awful. And …” Her face wrinkled. “Weird. Messed up. Sarah, your boyfriend’s brother wrote his name on your boob!”
“I know. I was there.” I buttoned my shirt.
“So seriously, do you like him?” Heather shot me another quick glance with disbelief etched into her brow.
“I like Matt.”
“You can like more than one guy, but you shouldn’t hog both Matt and Isaac. That’s not fair.”
I didn’t want to laugh. It wasn’t funny. But that’s what best friends did—they made you smile. Heather and I had a bond that felt stronger than family. Sometimes, I felt like we were the same person because we shared every secret and every experience.
“I don’t want both guys. Right now, I’m mad at Matt, and I think Isaac is toying with me. But that doesn’t matter anyway because I should love Matt, even though I’m mad at him. And the last person I should be with if I weren’t with him is his brother. You know?”
“Should? Sarah, did you just hear yourself?”
“I know.” I covered my face with my hands. “What is happening to me? And why can’t I stop it?”
“Isaac’s dreamy. Of course, you’re attracted to him.”
I grinned. “He is. But I don’t want to be attracted to him. And if you ever tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it.”
“Ugh! This is all too unreal. I can’t believe Mr. Cory is having an affair,” Heather quickly changed the topic.
I couldn’t blame her. My head was all over the place, too, thinking about everything all at once.
“Violet is so nice,” Heather said. “And she’s pretty. And she does just as much around the ranch as he does. What kind of man does that to his wife and his family?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I wonder the same thing.”
As soon as we arrived at the rodeo, we found seats near the front. My jeans weren’t as tight as the other girls. I wore a loose blouse, while other girls wore tank tops or halter tops. And I didn’t own cowboy boots or a hat.
I had Keds and aviator sunglasses.
No makeup.
No hairspray.
No business being there.
Yet, I felt like an adult with endless possibilities and giddiness over my first rodeo. How I felt about seeing Isaac again—there were no words.
We watched barrel racing while eating popcorn and drinking Pepsi.
Then Heather grabbed my arm at the start of the next event. “Oh my god! There he is!” She pointed to a gate as the announcer introduced him. Isaac looked handsome in his gray and cream western shirt, blue jeans, and black cowboy hat. He adjusted his rope, holding a loop of it in his mouth for a second while he tugged at his gloves.
In the next breath, the gate beside him opened, followed by his gate. The calf sprinted through the dirt, and in a matter of seconds, Isaac had the calf lassoed around the neck. It was impressive. Heather cheered beside me while Isaac flew off his horse, ran toward the calf, and wrestled it while tying its legs. The calf struggled to get free.
I was horrified.
“What is he doing?” I stood. “He’s hurting the baby cow!”
“Shh!” Heather pulled on my arm until I sat beside her again. “He’s roping. And he’s really good at it.”
“That’s cruel.” I turned my head because I couldn’t watch.
“Oh my gosh, Sarah. How did you not know what he meant by calf roping?”