Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain | Ryan || Yellowstone

Chapter 8

My legs ached from riding for so long on a sprinting horse.

"Fuck, Cassandra, what happened?"

I looked up and saw Ryan running for me from the other end of the stables.

"I'm okay." I led Zeus into his stall and closed the door, then I leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. "I'm... going to take a nap," I said and closed my eyes.

I heard Ryan come up and opened an eye to see him crouched next to me. I shook my head as I saw his worried look. "I'm not hurt."

He sighed in relief but still shook his head. "Well, you look like you've been beaten to shit. I'll help you get back to your house, come on." He grabbed my hands and pulled me up. I stumbled slightly and I fell into him. Ryan grabbed my shoulders and held me steady as I swayed. "Did you eat anything today?"

I shook my head.

That's why I was so lightheaded.

He sighed and led me out of the stables with an arm around my shoulder.

I didn't look at them, but I could feel the rest of the wranglers staring at us as we walked up the path to my house. I didn't have the energy to tell them to mind their own business.

Ryan tried to help me up the stairs to the house but I insisted I was fine and that I could do it myself.

"Fine," He said, "But I'll make you food, and you go shower."

"I-"

"Nope," He said and opened the door for me. "You're not arguing." We got into the house and he pointed to my bathroom. "Go shower."

I didn't have the energy to argue and trudged into the bathroom.

I closed the door behind me and turned on the shower as hot as possible. Then I looked into the mirror and sighed. I took off my hat and stared at it, not even knowing where to begin to take out the stains. My light brown hair was flecked with dried blood, which would be a shit show to get untangled. Flecks of red blended in with the light freckles over the bridge of my nose.

I sighed, undressed, and got into the shower. I let the hot water take away the dirt and blood on my skin, cleansing myself from another death.

When I was done, I wrapped a towel around me and poked my head out of the bathroom. Ryan was in the kitchen, his back facing me as he cooked something over the stove.

I took that moment to run quickly into my room and shut the door behind me. I dressed in my jeans and work shirt, then braided my wet hair into a single braid that laid down my back and emerged from my room.

"Great timing," Ryan said as I sat at the kitchen counter. He laid a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast before me. "Sorry for the boring meal, but that's all you had in here."

"No this is great," I looked up at him with a small smile. "Thank you."

He nodded but waved me off as he moved to clean up the dishes he used. "Eat."

So I did, and when I finished he took the plate and cleaned that too.

When he was done, he leaned on the kitchen counter across from me. "So what happened?"

And so I explained to him the encounter with the rabid mountain lion.

"And with my last round I finally got him," I said, then took a long sip of water from the glass Ryan gave me.

He shook his head and scoffed. "Did you at least figure out a name for the horse?"

I nodded. "Zeus."

He nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're alright."

I nodded too, but I sighed and said, "You should go back to work and stop caring for me. Anyway, I need to go work on the stallions."

"I think you should rest for a bit.

I shook my head as I stood. "Nope. John asked me to keep working on 'em, that's what I'm gonna do."

"Just take thirty minutes to sit down, would you?"

I opened my mouth to disagree, but I just shut my mouth. It was useless with Ryan, I would just end up resting for thirty minutes how much I argued.

"You sure you're alright if I leave you here?" He asked as he put his hat back on.

I nodded and laughed. "Yes, I'm fine." I stood up and pushed him towards the door. "Now go."

Ryan opened the door but stopped and turned to face me, then put his hands on the frame of the door. "Alright, but holler for me if you need anything, will you?"

I smiled as I pushed my hands on his chest. "Yes, I will. Now go."

I pushed him to the edge of the stairs. He tipped his hat and said with a smirk, "Yes ma'am."

I rolled my eyes and went back into the house.

I collapsed on the couch and forced the smile off my face, forced my stomach to stop fluttering.

No, no you can't fall into this again, I thought to myself. You brought something you cared about into that clearing and something tried to rip it to pieces.

But it was true. I had never seen anything in that clearing beside me. But as soon as I took Zeus there, a rabid beast attacked us. It was like the world was giving me the clearest sign it could.

Take Ryan back, and you'll rip him to pieces, too.