Page 16 of Montana Born

Chapter Seven

Horses fed on the lush plant life while their tails swished from side to side. In the distance, goats wandered, the younger ones jumping and prancing happy for the warmth of the sun. Sully leaned on a fence while his cousin, Regina, and his brother continued arguing over which of them would get the portion of land closer to the creek. Sully spoke to them about the failed land deal and offered to either buy them out or split it three ways with the agreement they’d not sell the land.

The only balk Regina had was a college fund for her daughter, but after Sully disclosed he’d set up a college fund, she agreed to split the land.

“I want to build a house with a view of the water,” Regina said, her arms crossed. “You don't even plan to move here,” she said to Bennett.

Bennett, a well-known country singer cocked his head to the side. “I might. You can see the water from the other side. I need to be close to the stream for my cattle.”

“You don’t own any damn cows!” Regina stomped her foot. “Sully help me out here. Bennett is being unreasonable.”

“All three plots have access to the stream or the lake. The eastern portion is secluded and surrounded by trees. It has the privacy you’re always whining about Bennett. Besides, if you get cows, you can let them graze on my portion. Although I think there’s plenty of space on the eastern portion.”

His younger brother gave Sully a grin he suspected usually got him whatever he wanted. “Yep, I’m going to buy cattle and settle down to become a rancher.”

“What exactly are you planning to do with the cows?” Regina asked giving him a pointed look. “Your whole life, you've had a fit over killing animals. Never even liked fishing.”

Bennett gave her a droll look. “I’ll milk them.”

“Right,” Regina replied with a roll of her eyes.

Sully had corrals built and planned to move his horses closer once his stables were completed.

Not too far from the stables construction was, a new RV had been set up along with his favorite grill and a sturdy shade tent with outdoor furniture and table underneath. He planned to live there one the weekends while what was to be his new home was constructed.

Although he agreed with Regina, he pretended not to, otherwise his stubborn brother would never relent. “Regina you get the west side, Bennett, you take the east. Both are same size, both have water access and both are suitable for cows.”

Finally, the two walked off while discussing which one would get what and Sully leaned on the corral in thought.

His mind went back to the night before and Elle’s reaction to his proposal for a tryst. The pain he’d seen in her eyes tortured him all through the night.

She’d been genuinely hurt and if he’d misunderstood the text, Elle had every right to be. As much as he wanted to move on and let the entire experience go, his thoughts kept going back to her reaction.

There had been no calls that day from either Gary, and he figured they were moving on to another prospective seller.

No skin off his back, although a part of him needed to apologize to Elle. Whether she’d meant to seduce him or not, nothing ever warranted a man disrespecting a woman like he'd done.

It went against his every fiber. He’d been hurt in the past and, in that moment, retaliated without thought.

The society pages made it seem as if he dated scores of women. Although he dated on occasion for the most part his dates for public events were good friends or relatives.

Since his fiancée, Diana, died, three years earlier, he’d rarely dated. He smiled thinking of her ongoing bucket list obsession, often making him write lists and then completing each one.

Diagnosed with a rare cancer, towards the end, Diana was unable to do much, so instead, she’d accompany him when she was able and cheered while he completed whichever task she’d deemed a bucket list item.

Warmth filled Sully as usual when thinking of her. On her deathbed, she’d balked at him planning their wedding, while insisting she’d never get better. “I’m not going to make it this time, Babe. Accept it. Go do something useful like eating ice cream or a Philly Cheese steak and come back to tell me about it.”

He’d planned the wedding instead, clinging to hope she’d recover and they’d get married. Diana died three days before he’d arrange for clergy, cake and flowers.

On the day she’d died, he promised himself never to let time steal any chance to do something.

“Hey Uncle Sully, dinner’s ready.” Regina’s daughter waved at him from the RV.

The nineteen year old grinned and chased after his dog and he thought back again to Elle. Did she own a dog?

Not caring for the constant guilt, he attempted the coward’s way out and typed a text of apology to Elle. He reworded it and then once again tried to convey he’d not thought clearly and didn’t mean to offend her. The words didn’t quite seem adequate enough, so he tried again, then erased the message, tucked the phone in his pocket and walked to meet his dog that bounded toward him, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

Monday came too soon. Elle reviewed an architectural drawing and bit her bottom lip. Something about the setup of the pool and open beach area didn’t sit right. She cocked her head to the side and once again visualized walking through the space.