Heartbreak Town (COMPLETED)

Chapter Thirteen

     "So why did you invite me out here?" Renne asked Swayde as they rode out in the truck to feed the cattle. "I know that you could've fixed those fences by yourself. And you certainly don't need my help feeding the cows." She said, looking at Swayde.
     "That's true, but I know how much you have always loved doin' this kind of stuff. Besides, I like the company. It can get kind of boring out here all by myself." There was something in his voice that told Renne he wasn't telling her the real reason. Sure enough, Swayde added, "And I thought that maybe you coming out here would help to get your mind off of your sister." Swayde looked over at Renne.
     "Yeah...it has helped distract me from Mallory. That's for sure. Well, that and the stress back in Montana."
     "Something else happen?" Swayde asked, turning right to head down to the pasture where the steers were.
     "You remember last week when Matt and I had that huge fight because one of our kids got arrested?"
     "Yeah...his name was Jerome, or something, wasn't it? Matt let him leave because Jerome said he was goin' to a Bible study."
     "Yes. Well, Lacey, my best friend, called me just to catch up and she mentioned how it's good news that Jerome didn't have to go jail. Long story short, Jerome is on house arrest, per our request, but the judge said that he has to wear an ankle tracking bracelet that doesn't span longer than the perimeters of Healing Hearts. Because he wasn't drunk, he hadn't even had one drink, but simply was trying to do the right thing by being a sober driver for his friends, it impressed the judge. What didn't impress her though was that Jerome tried to out run the cops. Because of that, his community service has been extended. He only had a month left on his probation, but now he has to serve another ten months without parole. So it's mainly good news, but my point is is that I heard it from Lacey and not Matt."
     Swayde must have been thinking of something to say. The way his body tensed up, just like it did every time Renne mentioned Matt, Renne thought Swayde might be mad at Matt. "Maybe he just forgot, or didn't have time to tell you. I'm sure he's busy with the ranch and everything and I know how busy you have been with your grandparent's ranch and helpin' with your sister and everythang, so maybe he wanted to wait until both of y'all had time to talk. Besides, us guys have horrible timing."
     "I don't know. I don't really want to think about it right now, to be honest. I'm afraid if I start talkin' about it then I'll start getting madder and I don't want that." Renne replied. She was upset at Matt. Ever since she had come back to Wyoming, she felt that there was a tension between her and Matt. She prayed it was all in her head, but she couldn't be sure.
     "How did you two meet, anyhow?" Swayde asked, changing the subject. He flipped the switch on the dash that turned on the automatic feeder on the bed of the truck. All the cows flocked towards them at the sound of their feed being dispensed.
     "At college. It was actually really funny. Typical story...I was lost and late to class. I came in halfway through the year so that was crazy enough. Matt and I were actually heading to the same building. His class was two doors down from where mine was, and got out about five minutes before mine did so when I walked out of my class, I was completely lost, but he was standing right there with a smile on his face, waiting for me. He gave me a tour of the whole campus because that was the last class of the day. After the tour, he offered to take me out to coffee." Renne chuckled. "I'll never forget how he asked me. He said, 'there's one last place that you have to see. It's a little ways to walk, but it's worth it. They have the best coffee and fudge around.' And I chuckled and told him I would have to go there sometime. He then said, 'well, what are you doin right now?' I told him nothing, and he said, 'then let me buy you a coffee and fudge. Afterall, the tour wouldn't be complete without it.' So I obliged. We went out, he bought me coffee and fudge. It was the worst coffee I had ever tasted, but the fudge was decent. I teased him that he knew it was terrible and that he was just trying to spend more time with me and wanted to ask me out, and that little coffee shop was the best he could do. He admitted that it was true. So after talking for a couple hours, he asked me if I was seein' anyone and I told him no, then we exchanged numbers and planned to meet at that little coffee shop the next morning and he would walk me to my first class. It was great, and we met up at that shop every day for a couple weeks, and went on a couple dates off campus and then one day he didn't show up. No explanation. I tried calling and textin' him, but I didn't get anything in reply. So I went to his apartment to make sure he was awake, because he often slept through his alarm. Well, he was at his apartment, awake, but he was in the parking lot with a girl. Making out. And he saw me and ran after me, but I kept walking. After that day, I would see him around campus with that girl. After I saw him and his girlfriend, he stopped waiting for me after class and everything. Then one day, about a week and a half after I saw him with his girlfriend, he was standing right outside of my class with a dozen red roses. He apologized and told me that he could explain. So of course, he asked me if he could talk to me over coffee and fudge at that little cafe, so I said yes and that's when we started to seriously date. Well, it took me a few weeks before I really forgave him and agreed go go out with him, but that's essentially the 101 on the first several months of our relationship."
"Had he ever been in any other serious relationships before you and that other girl?"
"Only one other relationship that could classify as serious, but all of the girls on campus swooned over him."
"But he essentially cheated on you."
"Technically not. He and the other girl had been dating for like three months when we had only been together for a month or so. And their relationship was an off again and on again type of relationship."
"Ahh...I see." Swayde replied. He flipped off the auger switch on the dash, then drove out of the long pasture and headed towards one of his smaller pastures. "So, how have y'all managed to stay together for this long? What, with all these other girls 'swooning' over him and how he's gone a lot on the circuit."
"Well, it hasn't been easy, that's for sure. And I've noticed recently that we have bickered and fight a whole lot more than we used to, but he is also away a lot more recently as well. To answer your question, I'm not entirely sure. I guess we just have. Sometimes, I feel like my ranch is the only thing holding us together and it's the only reason he comes back, but I know it's not necessarily true."
Swayde didn't seem to have a response; he just nodded his head. Just then, they pulled up to a gate and Swayde got out to open it. He asked Renne to pull his truck forward through the gate so he could close it behind them. Renne obliged. When Swayde climbed back into his truck, he asked Renne, "What did you sat his last name was?"
"Ramon. Matt Ramon."    
"Oh, yeah. I've heard of him in the circuit. He's not half bad." Swayde chuckled. "So if y'all ever get married, you're name would be Reagan Renne Ramon. That's a lot of R's." 
Renne seemed to think it over. "That would be. I've never really thought about that. Wait a minute, what makes you think that we are gonna get married?"   
"Well y'all have been together for, what? Three years? Four years? Y'all have been bound to have talked about it before." Swayde's voice fluctuated as the truck bounced over the bumpy pasture ground.
"We have...once...he got into a real bad bull ridin' wreck and it made him wake up to what he really wanted in life. But that was almost a year ago and he hasn't really brought it up since."   
"I don't mean to pry. But do you think that he's not fully committed?"   
"I've honestly thought that to be honest. I need to have a talk with him and ask him where he thinks it's goin' because we ain't gettin any younger, and we have been together for a long time."    
"Do you love him?" Surely Swayde had heard Renne tell Matt that she loved him, but this time when he asked, it was him asking if she really loved Matt.
Renne mulled it over, but didn't need to hesitate too long. "Yes."   
"Can you picture yourself spending the rest of your life with him?"   
Renne looked over at Swayde. For the first time in a long time she remembered how clearly she could picture herself spending the rest of her life with Swayde, but Matt? She wasn't so sure of that.