Cindi Madsen - Cinderella Screwed Me Over

They insisted on doing the tour—the tour they gave to all “city boys”—alone. The few times my brothers and I had fought about it, my boyfriend at the time always insisted he’d be fine without me there. So I’d stopped fighting. I probably should’ve done a better job warning Jake what he was in for, but then again, I might as well see if he could handle it now. Then I wouldn’t have a big what-if hanging over me.

Mom pulled vegetables out of the fridge and placed them on the counter. I sat on a stool opposite her. “Need help?”

Mom slid the cutting board, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce toward me. “You can make the salad.”

Noticing how quiet the house was, I asked, “Where are Anne and the kids?”

“They’ll be up in a few. Ava was napping and Anne didn’t want to wake her. Devin was excited to come down and show Jake around, though.” Mom glanced out the window. “I hope they’re nice to him. He seems like a good guy.”

“Don’t they all in the beginning.” I headed to the sink to wash my hands.

“I worry about you, sweetheart. You used to be all about love and romance. Somewhere along the way you got so down on it, and I don’t want you to live like that. Finding someone you love is really great.”

I dried my hands on a dishtowel. “I’m glad you have Dwight. But didn’t you feel that way at first about Dad, too?”

Mom sighed. “Your father and I, we were young, and I didn’t realize how much work marriage takes. I can look back now and see all the mistakes I made, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty.”

I grabbed the lettuce and knife and sat back down.

“With Dwight, I got married knowing it wasn’t going to be easy,” Mom said. “Sometimes I’m so mad at him I can’t even talk to him. And sometimes, I know that no one else in the world will understand me like he does. It’s a nice thing to have.” Mom sprinkled seasoning over the steaks and put them in the fridge. “Now if you ask me, you’ve got a perfectly nice man who’s crazy about you.” She raised her eyebrows. “Trust me. Moms can sense that thing. I think you should give him a chance.”

I ran the knife through the lettuce. “I am giving him a chance. That’s why I brought him here. Since fairy tales aren’t realistic, I’ve decided to revert back to gladiator times. If he survives the arena—a.k.a. Drew and Devin’s tour of the ranch—then I’ll know he’s worth taking a risk on.” Using the knife, I scraped the lettuce into the salad bowl. “I have a feeling, though, that things will go downhill after this.”

Mom shook her head. “That’s not really giving him a chance.”

“It is when you don’t believe in chances.”

…

The boys’ signature tour usually lasted about forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on how upset my boyfriends got after the first few challenges. Drew and Devin took the guys into the bull pen with Tiny, rode around the ranch on horseback, and tested their lassoing skills.

At the hour and a half mark, I started to get anxious. My foot took on a life of its own, tapping and shaking. When I couldn’t sit still any longer, I paced the floor.

It didn’t help that Ava had been crying since Anne had arrived with her and Levi. The screaming seemed to make time stand still. Finally, when the crying reached the I’m-so-mad-I’m-not-breathing-anymore, Mom brought Ava outside.

“What’s taking them so long?” Anne asked, glancing out front again.

I realized, sitting here trying to think of something to say to Anne, that I didn’t really know her all that well. She’d been in the family for years, but we’d rarely been left one-on-one. I sat on the loveseat across from her. “I know. If they don’t get back soon, I’m going to hunt them down.”

Anne’s lips thinned and the crease in her forehead deepened. “Devin always leaves me here with the kids while he gets to go out and have fun. If it wasn’t for Janet’s help, I think I would’ve lost my mind already. Sometimes it seems like I have three kids to take care of.”

I always wanted to stick up for Devin when she complained about him. But I could tell she was stressed and knew she only wanted to vent, so I didn’t say anything. From what I’d seen, raising two kids wasn’t easy.

I’d sometimes wondered if I could’ve made it work with Robert—if I hadn’t been too brash in calling things off. Seeing the stress having kids put on Devin and Anne, though, I knew I’d chosen right. Robert and I would’ve never been strong enough to make it. Not on top of the other issues we had.

I wonder if he ever found someone to have all his kids.

I heard guys’ voices and shot out of my chair. Devin, Drew, and Jake walked in, all dirtier than when they left.

“You’ll never guess what happened,” Devin said, his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Jake rode Major,” Drew said before anyone had the chance to guess.

“What?” I looked from Drew to Devin. “You let him ride Major?”

Devin shrugged. “We didn’t think he’d get the saddle on. It was supposed to be funny. The joke was on us because he not only got the saddle on, but he rode him. Without getting bucked off.”

I scowled at my brothers. “You guys could’ve hurt him.”

Jake put his hand on my back, then leaned down and kissed my cheek. “It was fun. I haven’t been on a horse in a long time.”

Dwight and Mom, who was still holding Ava, came in from the backyard. Steam and the scent of cooked meat rose off the platter Dwight was holding. “Steaks are done. Let’s eat.”

A few minutes later, everyone was sitting around the table, their plates filled with food. Ava didn’t want to be put down, so Devin had her on his lap.

Dwight stabbed his steak and sawed at a corner with his knife. “Dang, my arm’s still sore. I swear, that heifer was already late as it is, then the second she starts giving birth, she’s running around, calf halfway out, acting like a chicken with her head cut off.”

Drew swallowed the bite of food in his mouth. “We had to lasso her and tie her to a post to pull her calf. It was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s why I had to stick my hand up there and help her get him out,” Dwight continued. “And my arm was so numb I could hardly stand it. It’s still killing me.”

“Yeah, poor you,” I muttered. “The cow’s only having a huge baby, but your poor arm.”

I’d gotten used to talk like this. Pretty much every guy I ever dated, though, including Evan, the carefree, whatever-goes guy, hated when I spoke of anything remotely bloody while we were eating. Once over dinner I’d started to tell him about watching a surgery on TLC. He’d dropped his fork and said, “Jeez, Darb, not while we’re eating.”

I glanced at Jake to gauge his reaction.

“I remember the first time I pulled a calf,” he said. “I could tell the cow was in trouble, so I had to help her out. My arm was sore for days.”

Wait. What?

Jake wiped his mouth with a napkin. “The limousine bull my granddad used that year gave us lots of trouble. The calves were just too big.”

I stared at Jake, wondering what he’d reveal next. Who is this guy?

Dwight talked about a limousine bull he used to have, then the conversation drifted to the other bulls he’d used over the years, and Jake chimed in with his opinion on the different breeds.

The entire time he talked, I kept thinking I’d only scratched the surface of who Jake was. And as much as I tried to tell myself that I was perfectly good with what I already knew—that knowing more meant getting in deeper—I wanted to know more.

I wanted to know everything.

Because the weather was so nice, we’d eaten cake and ice cream in the backyard. I’d left Jake out there with Dwight, Mom, Anne, and the kids, and headed inside to grab a Mountain Dew. And also because I was freaking out a little bit. After everything Jake had revealed at dinner, I wanted to get him alone, yet I was terrified of the idea at the same time.

Devin and Drew looked up at me as I walked into the kitchen. “You finally brought home someone cool,” Drew said. “Looks like you’re going to settle down after all.”

“Let’s not get carried away. I’m considering a steady relationship, not settling down. I see what happens to people when they get married and have kids.”

Devin crossed his arms. “Oh really? What happens?”

“You know what I mean. I can’t believe you’re not with me on this. You and Anne don’t even get along anymore.”

“That’s marriage. Sometimes we get along, sometimes we struggle. But I know we’ll work it out because we love each other.” Devin locked eyes with me. “Having kids, the ups and downs. You won’t have those—won’t know the joy that comes along with it—because of your stupid theory on relationships. Not letting that into your life doesn’t make you smarter than me, it just makes you a chicken.” He picked up his can of Mountain Dew and headed outside, slamming the door behind him.

“Ouch,” I said.

Drew leaned against the counter next to me. “It’s okay. I’m a chicken, too. Of course, I’m starting to rethink things a bit.”

“Already? You and Lisa just barely met.”

“She’s smart and funny and she calls me on my crap. I think about her all the time. I think I’m falling for her, Darby. Strike that. I’m totally whipped and I don’t even mind admitting it. And if you don’t give Jake a chance, you might miss out on something great.”

I glanced outside, where I could just make out Jake’s profile. I was cracking, I knew—my heart even gave a hopeful flutter as I took him in. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to fight it, despite the overwhelming desire to jump in. “Or I might just get hurt and be forced to start all over again.”