Gone Country (Rough Riders #14)(109)

Like crap. A guilty feeling started to creep in and overtake her indignation. She closed her eyes and thought about their conversations at school. So maybe she did complain sometimes. But that wasn’t a reason to completely ditch her like Marin had. “Fine, I can see where you might take it that way. But every time you started talking about Mitch—”


“Mitch and I broke up during Christmas break.”


“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”


Marin rolled her eyes. “Because you were so busy bragging about how hard you partied in Arizona and how much you rock at beer pong. I knew you wouldn’t care so I didn’t bother. Besides, it was all over the school. Everybody knew.” Except you went unsaid.


Sierra’s chin dropped to her chest. She’d f*cked up again on the friend front, and she’d hurt Marin, who’d never been anything but nice to her. She squeezed her eyes shut but that didn’t stop her tears from falling.


Then Marin sat beside her. “Hey. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”


“I can’t help it. I’m such a jerk.” Sierra sniffled.


“Maybe. It’s just…I’ve been so mad at you and I’m not good at saying stuff like that. I had no idea how to tell you that you pissed me off and hurt my feelings.”


“You did pretty good today.”


“Guess I’m kind of a jerk too for letting it slide.” Marin leaned her head against Sierra’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you were in a car accident. I bet it really hurts, huh?”


“Yeah.” Sierra cleared her throat. “Marin, I’m sorry for being such a total bitch to you. I know I haven’t been nice since I got back from Arizona, and I thought you deserved it for basically blowing me off before that. I mean, we hardly did anything together. Now I see I should’ve invited you over…I shouldn’t have expected you to make all the effort.”


“Part of the reason you didn’t see me wasn’t only because of Mitch. I had to get a job after Halloween and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Especially you, since you’re, well…you know…”


Rich. “Does that make it hard to be friends with me?”


“It’s not like you flaunt it. But I know it’s there. It was really hard for me not to be resentful when you complained about being bored out of your mind and I’m cleaning bed pans at the nursing home in Hulett every weekend.”


“So it sucks?”


“It sucks ass.”


Sierra snickered.


“But my mom and dad had a bad year on the ranch and my mom had to get a job too. You’re so lucky that you don’t have to work.”


Her guilt increased. Boone wasn’t the only one struggling. “Are you helping support your family?”


“No. I have to pay for my own gas and earn my own spending money and I wanted to make sure I could get my little brothers something decent for Christmas.”


“You are such a good person, Marin.”


“I’m glad you’re finally figuring that out, Arizona.” She elbowed her. “Enough about that. What’s really going on with you and Boone?”



“Huh-uh. Tell me what happened with you and Mitch first.”


“He was so sweet. He’s such a great kisser and we just kept taking it a step farther each time until I had sex with him.” Marin sat up and sighed. “I almost did a really dumb thing and got pregnant.”


Shocked, Sierra said, “Are you serious?”


“We had sex a few times, like maybe five times, and we didn’t use birth control, which was stupid. So I was a week late and freaking out and Mitch was all, I ain’t marryin’ you if you were dumb enough to get knocked up. That pissed me off. So after I got my period, I broke up with him. Asshole.”


“God. That is scary. I can’t even imagine you pregnant right now.”


“Me neither. This really sweet and shy girl who you’d never think was messing around? She dropped out last year because she got pregnant. Now she’s workin’ at the Pizza Barn in Moorcroft and living with her parents. Her baby daddy was another one of them scum-sucking cowboys like Mitch.”


Sierra grinned. She’d missed Marin so much.


“So…” Marin poked her in the shoulder. “You and the hottie known as Boone West. I’ll warn you I’m gonna be pissed as hell if the rumors are true and you’ve been sneaking around with him since school started and you didn’t tell me.”


“I’m friends with him, but nothing else, I swear. I did a dumb thing too.” Sierra told her what had happened at the party and how Boone had rescued her. “So we decided we had to pretend to be together for a little while, but I’m not sure if we’re still doing that. I’ll have to ask him when he comes over tomorrow.”


“Your dad lets him in the house? I heard he punched Boone in the face and knocked him out cold at the hospital.”


“Puh-lease. I love my dad, but Boone? He’s like don’t-f*ck-with-me tough. Know what I mean?”