Back Country (The Country Duet #2)(8)

I hand him the glass of water next to him, but he bats it off. His lungs are terrible from his younger years of being submerged in dust.

“Of course I did a good job. It’s the only way I do things.” I muffle back my laughter. I did a damn good job of racing that machine.

“You wanting to go outside?” I ask him.

“Yeah. Need to check on some stuff.”

I pack him to his little work truck and set him in the driver’s seat. I know that he walks on his own to his truck every day to get his mail, but when I’m here, I can’t stand his groans of pain and the sounds his body makes. We spend an hour or so picking up and moving shit around until an idea strikes me.

“Going to run into the house real quick, Dave.”

He gives me a nod from his place on the bench in the shop. I jog up to the house. It takes me a long time before I find the magazine and locate the page I earmarked. It’s the tractor Dave thought was so cool, then I jog right back out to the shop.

“What you up to, boy?”

Used to piss me off when he’d call me boy, but now it’s turned into more of an endearment.

“Gonna make you something.”

“Yeah?” Dave fires back.

“Yep. Sit back and watch.”

Of course, Dave just can’t watch or sit back. He loves putting in his two cents the entire God damn time. His endless questions, looking over my shoulder, and telling me how to do it is now more comforting instead of annoying. It’s just the way he ticks.

My vision goes back and forth from the magazine to the work in front of me. Dave’s eyes light up when he realizes what I’m doing. We work until dusk. By the time we head back to the house, the replica resembles the tractor in the magazine.





6





Hunter





“Say what you feel, love who you love, ‘cause you just get so many trips ‘round the sun.”

-Kacey Musgraves





Twenty hours out of every single day of my life is about Dave. Every single day is Dave. He’s been consistent, paying me four hundred dollars every two months. I sink about two hundred dollars a week into stuff for his house.

The job at the feedlot relaxes me, even though it’s work. It’s like second nature to me and easy money, not to mention the tuition. I also decided at the beginning of my Junior year that I was going to make it to the gym at least four days a week and eat healthier, just to make myself feel better. My days are jam packed from the moment I wake up until the late hours of the night. It’s the way I like it because there’s no time to think or feel.

My tennis shoes pound on the treadmill, finishing up my three-mile run. I really had a hard time making myself come to the gym today. I’ve been itching to get on my motorbike and ride the trails.

“Hey.” A sweet voice distracts me as I power down the treadmill.

I turn to see Chloe in workout clothes and her cheeks flushed. Instantly I feel like a dick. I haven’t talked to her since that night in the ice cream parlor, even doing my best to ignore her in class.

“Chloe.” I nod. “How have you been?”

“Good.” She shrugs.

The one night we shared together, it was never awkward and flowed naturally, but this is the epitome of awkward. The silence is deafening as we stare at each other. My phone begins ringing on the stack of towels. Both of our vision darts over to it. Chloe gasps when she sees the picture lighting up my screen. A selfie of Teale.

I reach over and grab it quickly, then silence it right away.

“I…uh, I just wanted to say hi. You can take the call.” She points to the phone.

“It’s my mom. I’ll call her back.” I wipe the sweat from my brow with a white towel.

“So, you love her?” Chloe asks, dropping her head.

“Used to.” I scrub my face again. “No, I do.”

“Was that little girl yours?”

I shake my head side to side. “No.”

“Are you with her?” Chloe takes a step back. “Because the look on her face was full of hurt and pain.”

I clench my fist at my sides growing pissed. “I’m a lot of things, Chloe, but never a cheater. I finally tried to forget about her the other night, and it backfired on me.”

“I get it. We can be friends,” she offers.

“I could use a friend.”

“But Hunter, she still loves you, and you love her, don’t give up on that.”

“She has another life.”

The words hurt, each damn syllable of them. Avoiding the entire situation has proven to not help either.

“Talk to her. Don’t be a pussy.” Chloe shoves my shoulder.

Her cheeks glow bright red, and I’m pretty sure it’s from the word pussy.

“Thanks, Chloe.”

She begins to slowly back up from me, and I do the same making my way to the locker room.

“Lunch after class tomorrow?” I ask still walking backward.

“Only if you buy.” Chloe smiles wide.

“Deal.”

I turn around and head for the locker room, grabbing my gym bag and decide to shower at home. A long night of studying and hollow memories is all I have to look forward to. Chloe’s words turn in my head as I drive. She makes it sound so easy and straightforward. But the harsh fact is, Teale has my number and hasn’t reached out. Not even a simple text and it’s been months.