Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Eleven

And another beautiful cover by Mikayala7700 😍💜

The next week went by in a blur of work, eat, sleep, repeat.
Cleaning troughs, mending fences, filing horses' hooves and hauling horse feed, meanwhile checking stock and cleaning up yards, tack and feed shed's.
Sunrise to dinner, aside from toilet breaks and meals, we didn't stop.
So much for summer vacation.
No wonder farmers and farm hands have muscles!
Already I was starting to fit into my clothing in a way I never had before!
We switched things up and went to the pub on a Saturday night the next week, the day before New Years Eve.
The suckiest thing was a) I didn't remember shit from the night before and had a massive headache and b) Mum and Grandma roped me into going shopping with them.
'Many hands makes light work' was their reasoning.
"Honey go down and ask Blayze what he needs will you?"
Mum asked as she bustled around in the kitchen, cleaning up from the kids' breakfast.
"Blayze doesn't do his own shopping?"
I grumbled from my place slumped at the dining table, my hands clutched around my coffee mug and struggling to hold my eyes open.
"Mum and I go anyway, so he gives us money and we pick up what's needed."
Mum disappeared from view again, clearly on a mission.
"Bailey!"
"What?!"
I snapped.
Does she not remember what a hangover feels like?
Mum reappeared in the doorway.
"I don't feel sorry for you, it's self inflicted. Now move it please."
She disappeared from my view once again.
Biting my tongue from saying something I'd later regret, I lifted my coffee and drained the rest of it into my mouth.
A frustrating, sickly swirling sensation filled my belly and made me pull a face, regretting my move as I walked to the sink to rinse my mug.
I was already dressed in clean light blue jeans and a dark blue Bullzye t-shirt.
Unlike Mum and Grandma, I wasn't about to pretty myself up to go shopping.
I didn't even want to go.
I'd much rather spend my day hanging out with Phoenix!
At the back door, I pulled my boots on and grabbed my black Rough Rider Akubra.
I squinted in the sunlight, cursing alcohol and the boys introducing me to it and slammed my hat onto my head as the screen door clanged shut behind me.

The cottage was a bit of a stretch, being it was about 9:30 in the morning, but on my way I hadn't seen Blayze in the yard.
I guess there's a chance he's inside being a slacker.
I trudged up the couple of steps that led onto the slate porch and lifted my heavy feeling fist to knock on the cottage door.
Barks sounded and Azlan and Zeus came around the side of the house.
Strange.
Since when are the dogs locked out if Blayze is in?
I heard distinct girlish giggling from the inside and Zeus rumbled a growl.
I froze with my hand poised to knock again.
Blayze has company?
Footsteps came toward the door and I stepped back.
The cottage door opened and Zeus let rip with a deep, booming woof.
The half dressed girl in the doorway jumped, the fear showing clear as day on her face.
"Zeus."
I summoned and clicked my fingers at my side.
The boof headed American Staffy looked at me and walked over, positioning himself in front of me with his tail pressed to my jeans clad legs.
The girl that stood in the doorway with Zeus eyeballing her, was brunette, with last night's make up visible on her face.
Her skimpy dress was rumpled and she was carrying her huge stiletto,  scrappy death traps in one hand.
How the hell had she wound up here?
Has Blayze's taste in females changed that much since he was in America?
He used to be relied on to drool over a cowgirl in form fitting jeans, cowboy boots and a couple of top buttons on her shirt undone!
Blayze appeared in the cottage doorway suddenly, shirtless and wearing worn dark wash jeans.
My heart felt like it stopped inside my chest.
So it really is true.
He's changed.
And not in a good way.
Last night's apparent bed warmer turned to Blayze and tried to put her claws on his bare, bronze tanned torso.
It felt like my heart was strangling itself.
Why do I have to watch this?
He caught sight of his dogs and me and grabbed her thin wrists to stop her.
"Is everything okay?"
He immediately asked.
Brunette huffed and pulled her wrists away from his grasp, shooting me daggers.
Only then did I realise Blayze was actually talking to me.
He was also watching me, waiting for an answer.
I pulled my hat brim down a little further to hide the no doubt obvious hang over and the confusion I was feeling.
"Mum wants a list of what you need from the shops."
I muttered and turned to head the hell away from the cottage.
I can't take any more of that sight.
My retinas feel burnt.
"Are you going to town?"
The scratchy voice of the brunette asked.
Clenching my fists and digging my nails into my palms, I ignored her and kept walking.
"I'll drive ya."
I heard Blayze reply.
"Just give me a minute."
My throat felt way too thick as I walked away from the stone cottage.
I couldn't even explain why I felt the way I was.
I know girls love Blayze and he likes girls.
But lately, something inside of me snapped when I saw it in action at the pub or the evidence of it, like now.
I've got to work out how to turn this off.
I trudged back up to the main house, knowing if I got Phoenix out Mum would be harping on at me that it was time to go.
But Phoenix was my solace!