Part 6 (2/2)
”Oh, they weren't that special. Well, Farley was...” Seth's voice trailed off.
Chanel giggled. Turned out her soph.o.m.ore crush was more into her cousin than her.
”Then there was Jared,” Seth said referring to the guy Chanel had dated her first year at Doumit.
She chewed her lip. She and Jared had never fought. In fact, to her embarra.s.sment, she realized whenever she disagreed with him, or he did something inconsiderate, she just clamped her mouth closed for the sake of maintaining peace-at least until she caught him with someone else. Chanel had gone on a dating sabbatical after breaking up with Jared. She'd thrown herself into her schoolwork and found fault with every guy Bert or anyone else tried to introduce to her. She especially avoided jocks.
”So, I didn't know myself back then. I'm looking for someone I can be me with. No more silly chameleon girl stuff.”
”Good for you,” Seth said. ”But you also need someone who will stand up to you, or you'll get bored. I'm looking forward to meeting this guy. He might be good for you. I'm going to be there in a week. I'll be able to gauge the situation better after I've observed it.”
Rolling her eyes, Chanel opened her mouth to protest, but Seth was one step ahead of her. ”Hey, you gonna head for me at the rodeo?”
Chanel grinned at the new topic. The pair had been unbeatable in high school, and she missed roping with him. ”I could use a new buckle. I'm pretty out of practice, though. Threw okay at the branding last week but need some more work to be rodeo ready.”
Seth laughed. ”I haven't even sat on a horse since my last visit. I'll be lucky not to fall off.”
”We've got plenty of time to practice once you get here. Riding and roping are like riding a bike. You never really forget. You just have to regain your balance,” Chanel said.
”Let's hope. I'm sure excited to see you, Chel.”
”I've missed you,” Chanel said softly, wis.h.i.+ng things were different and it was easier for him to be home. She couldn't believe he was planning to spend a good chunk of the summer at the ranch this year. ”What made you decide to come home this summer?”
A sigh came over the line. ”I miss my family, the ranch. I need a break from Eugene.”
”What happened?” Seth loved that town, and though she knew he enjoyed being out in nature and was a good cowboy, he didn't fit in at the Double O or in Clifford's Bend. He'd found his niche when he moved to Eugene. He'd also found love. ”Is it Von?”
He was slow to reply. ”Yeah. He asked for a break about a month ago. Said he needed some s.p.a.ce to think.”
”Why didn't you tell me?”
She heard a sniff on Seth's end. ”I couldn't bring myself to say the words. It was like if I told someone it would make it real, and I was so sure he'd come around after a week or so. We're soul mates, Chel. We were talking about moving in together this summer. I guess that spooked him. I'm still holding out hope that some time and s.p.a.ce will bring him back.”
”I'm sorry, Seth,” Chanel said, and she meant it. ”It'll be good for you to get out here and clear your head.”
”How's David?” Seth asked.
”Fine. He's still seeing Faith. Spends most of his time off on the weekend in town with her. Your mom wishes he'd come around the house more.” Mentioning Christine made Chanel think back to seeing Fritz leaving her house and their whispers in the cook tent. The words were on the tip of her tongue. She was sure Seth would be fine with it. He understood lonely and would be pleased to know his mother was finding some happiness, especially with Jessi about to leave the nest, but Mitch came in through the mudroom door.
”What do you think he'll think about me being home?”
Chanel had to take a moment to bring her brain back to the conversation. ”Don't expect too much.”
”I figured,” Seth said, and Chanel could hear the sadness in his voice. He and David had been so close before David knew the truth. Chanel just couldn't figure out how her older cousin could just flip a switch on how he felt about his own brother.
”Wish I had a different answer. Hey, Dad just got back in. I should probably scrounge up some lunch for us.”
”I'll see you next week.”
”Drive safe. Love you,” Chanel said.
”Love you too.”
She heard the click signaling he'd hung up. They never said goodbye. Even as kids returning to their respective homes after a long day of playing, they'd always hugged and scampered off with a ”See you tomorrow!” called over their shoulders.
”Who was that?” Mitch asked with a wink at his daughter. He pulled out a pitcher of iced tea and held it up to her. ”Want some?”
”Sure, and that was Seth, so don't go getting excited,” Chanel replied. Mitch was a great dad when it came to her dating. He had the right mix of protectiveness and acceptance. Though she knew it would break his heart when she finally found the one and stopped using the ranch as home base, but she also knew he wanted her to experience the loved he'd shared with her mother.
”What's Seth up to?” Mitch asked taking Chanel's empty water gla.s.s from her and filling it with iced tea.
”Getting ready for a trip home. He'll be here next Wednesday.”
Mitch's eyebrows were raised when he pa.s.sed a gla.s.s to Chanel. ”Really. It's been a while.”
Chanel nodded. Mitch had always been supportive of Seth, and for that she was grateful.
”Christine sure misses him. She wishes she could get to Eugene more often,” Mitch said.
”Yeah. Same here. I haven't seen him in over a year,” Chanel said wandering over to the sliding gla.s.s door on the other side of the great room.
”Have you seen Maddox today?”
Her father's words had her spinning around, almost spilling her drink. ”Why?”
Mitch eyed her suspiciously. ”He wasn't at the bunkhouse. His car's here. I was going to invite him to dinner over at Christine's. No doubt he hasn't been eating much real food since he got here. Can't have him losing weight. Talbot will kill me.”
”Oh,” Chanel said turning back to the view of the horse pasture and the mountains beyond. ”We went for a run this morning. He must've decided to keep going after I headed back.”
”You left him out there?”
Chanel cringed at her father's tone. ”He's a big boy. He could have followed me home if he wanted.”
”I better go look for him,” Mitch said with a sigh. ”Where'd you leave him?”
Chanel told him and turned to head to the bathroom for a shower.
”Chanel, one more thing.”
She paused and looked over her shoulder.
”We're going to need all hands on deck in July for the yearling drive. I need you to teach Maddox how to ride.”
It was all she could do not to slap her hand to her forehead. As if they didn't already spend enough time together during the day, now their evenings would be full of horsemans.h.i.+p lessons. Given Maddox's stubborn, pushy nature, Chanel didn't see him getting along with a horse very well.
Mitch must have read her mind. ”You're a great teacher. You've got more patience than anyone else around here.”
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