The Country Duet(40)

“You trust me, right?”

I don’t give her a chance to answer because I already know it. I kick Remi into a trot, then into a lope, and then a solid run. Remi’s slower in his old age but still makes the wind whip past my face. Teale’s death grip eases up a bit, and her giggles fill the air as the landscape passes us. All too soon, I slow Remi to a slow walk.

"Holy shit! This is gorgeous."

We make it down to the pond right at sunset. The fiery shades of orange, red, and light yellow all meld and blend together, giving us the perfect backdrop to our ride. Teale presses her face into my back, squeezing me. Words, thoughts, and action all escape me. It’s like everything in my life has come full circle to create this one simple, perfect slice in my life.

“This is magical, Hunter. It’s like a scene from a movie, you know those cheesy romance movies I like to watch? It’s perfection. I never believed in the good in life until now. Thank you for giving this to me, Hunter.”

I squeeze her hand settled right above my belt buckle and lean back into her embrace.

“I can think of a few ways you can pay me back.”

That comment gifts me with a shower of laughter. I’m walking a tightrope with this woman, never knowing how far to push her when she says something serious. It’s like a red caution flag being waved right in front of my life, and I choose to ignore it. Any decent racecar driver knows that’s a fatal mistake.

This weekend I’m choosing to be thankful. I help Teale off the horse and then follow suit. We find the perfect section of open grass to settle in. Without prompting or any talk, we begin running our hands over each other, clothes shed even though we just had each other mere minutes ago. Our lips meld together. We kiss each other like it’s our first and last time. Hunger, need, and passion all swarm together, creating a heavy addiction between us. Her taste is stirring the fiercest memory in my brain.

A loud rumble fills the night air, causing us to still. I’d recognize the damn roar of that engine anywhere. It’s true word travels fast in a small town. Burton Childs hops from his truck with a six pack of beer in tow, walking right to us.

Teale races to put all of her clothes back in place. I grunt in disgust, slinging my t-shirt over my head. I love the man, I have missed the man, but right now his ugly face is one of the last I care to see.

“Bastard, heard you were back in town. Thanks for the call, dick.” He drops the beer to the ground then plops right down.

Then it happens. Burton is left speechless. Teale pops up behind me with her fiery red hair whipping around in the breeze. It’s like a bad comedy movie where the mouth moves, but no words come out. Burton is all fucking rattled up.

Teale reaches over my shoulder, extending her hand out to Burton. “I’m Teale. Hunter’s girlfriend.”

Girlfriend. That one word slips so naturally from her lips. It’s sweet as sin to hear her speak it. Now it’s me who is garnered speechless.

“Burton.” He shakes her hand. “Want a beer?”

“No, thanks. I don’t drink.”

“Sorry,” he apologizes with zest.

“No worries.” Teale climbs into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. “My man here would probably like one.”

Burton shakes his head in disbelief. Teale reaches for the beer can and pops the tab for me.

“Wait.” She looks at me with all seriousness. “Can you drink this and drive that horse back to the barn?”

Burton’s common sense kicks in. He howls in laughter at Teale’s question.

“Yes, babe, I’ll be able to get us back.”

“You sure you can drive that wild stallion back to the barn?” Burton puts extra emphasis on the word drive.

Cowboys don’t drive horses; they fucking ride them, but I even find myself laughing. Burton fills us in on how he proposed to Hailey and everything was going perfect until he caught her in another man’s bed. The man is hurting, but it’s kind of hard when I only want to say I told you so. We both listen and enjoy the evening air. The perks of bringing a girl out to the pond in early spring is her cuddling into you.

***

“Hunter!” Teale screams in horror.

The momma cow is pushing as hard as she can. Teale’s screams are not helping.

“Baby.” I turn to her with my hands up in the air. “Quit screaming.”

“There’s blood and hooves keeping poking out.”

“You are going to school to be a damn nurse, Teale.” My patience is running ice thin.

“Help her,” she pleads.

I have to bite my tongue to not tell her to shut the hell up, so I can. If the situation wasn’t time sensitive, I’d be enjoying her reactions. Steadying the calf pullers, I place the bar across the top of her hips.

“Holy shit! What is that?” Teale hops from foot to foot. “Just get it out.”

My last thread of patience is severed. Between the stubborn cow, being covered in cow shit, and Teale I’m ready to blow.

“Teale.”

I turn to see my dad, who has wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He begins explaining the process to her, calming her nerves. He gives me a silent nod to go on. It takes long minutes of pulling, helping the momma cow out before a gorgeous black calf drops to the ground. I’m quick clearing the nostrils and mouth. There’s complete silence until he finally gasps for air.