{Wouldn't Come Back ~ Trousdale}
...Like the old man in the sea, I wasn't meant to take you in. I find when I'm without you I am with myself again...
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Uncle Deacon's gentle smile stays with me for the rest of the day, echoing in every springing step around the ranch as I train hard for hour after hour with Beau and Dusk. Every day grows closer to the finish line, the reality of the derby and what it means for the ranch coming into startling clarity more and more. I think Dusk can tell there's a settled feeling in the pit of my stomach today, as she doesn't fight as hard with me when I guide her, allowing me to make progress where I had been hitting a brick wall. Beau's usual scowl even softens for a few brief moments in between his directions. Maybe it's just a good day, a cool breeze through the humid valley's rays, or maybe there is a chance that we-- That I-- can save this place.
It feels like the first day I have finally felt the heat, heard the cicadas, enveloped myself in the sunlight. It's like waking up from sleepwalking. It's coming out of a long-forgotten tomb. It's like finding a sparkle in what you were sure was just rock, and I am revelling in every minute of it.
"Ruby, I'm gonna call it a little early today," Beau shouts over from the edge of the paddock.
His face is scrunched trying to look over at me in the still-bright light of the sun, just starting to set. Usually we would pause for dinner and head back to the barn for more training. More 'etiquette'. More 'politics' talk. The big dinner is also fast approaching, and where I know I am making some progress on the track, when it comes to schmoozing and networking with a bunch of derby elites, I falter face first.
"Why?" I ask, trying not to sound as disappointed as I feel.
His face lowers to his feet, and I slide off of dusk, planting myself back into the paddock sand with a thud. Now I am the one staring over to him, his hulking frame over me never getting any less pronounced as I get closer to the edge, guiding Dusk alongside me as she huffs audibly.
"I have plans," Beau replies half-heartedly.
He's checking his watch and not meeting my eyes. He sticks his ten-gallon tan hat over his head, shielding his eyes from the slicing sunset as they hide from mine.
"Okay, now lie to me again but with more conviction this time," I half-laugh.
This elicits a slight smile cocking at the side of his lips before he wipes it away with his hand grasping his jaw to disguise it for a moment. I like that I can do that now. I get small smiles. Fleeting but as exciting as a racing car along the highway.
He sighs, before continuing.
"If I was lying, I'd have come up with something much more interesting."
"So you do have plans?" I ask, the confusion rising.
"Why is that so surprising?" He counters.
I clamber over the fence to sit higher than him, my legs swinging one on either side.
"Well you're a creature of habit, at least in the time I've known you."
YOU ARE READING
Tethered
General FictionWhen Ruby March steps foot back in Laurel Valley to live with her Uncle on his ranch, she is one mistake away from losing her last chance. This is her fresh start; to try and forget the demons of her past and the nightmares that haunt her every nigh...
