A contemporary truce
677 Words
The ride to the ravine was brutal.
The ground was uneven.
The trail was steep.
And Titan seemed determined to remind Damien that they were not friends.
Not even a little.
"Why does this horse hate me?"
Ethan didn't look over.
"He's smart."
Damien glared.
Ethan almost smiled.
Almost.
When they reached the ravine, Parker was sitting against a rock.
His ankle was clearly injured.
The young ranch hand looked embarrassed.
More embarrassed than hurt.
"Sorry."
Ethan immediately knelt beside him.
"Can you move it?"
Parker winced.
"No."
Damien watched quietly.
The concern in Ethan's voice surprised him.
The cowboy checked the injury carefully.
Calm.
Patient.
Gentle.
Nothing like the grumpy man Damien argued with every day.
It was... strange.
Getting Parker back wasn't easy.
At one point Damien ended up supporting most of Parker's weight while Ethan cleared a safe path.
By the time they reached the ranch again, everyone was exhausted.
But Parker was safe.
That was what mattered.
That evening, one of the ranch hands organized a small barbecue.
Nothing fancy.
Just food and music.
A way to relax after a difficult day.
Damien planned to skip it.
Unfortunately one of the older workers cornered him.
"Nope."
"What?"
"You're coming."
"I wasn't invited."
The ranch hand laughed.
"Nobody gets invited."
Before Damien could argue, he was dragged toward the gathering.
The atmosphere felt different.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
Families laughed together.
Children ran around.
Music drifted through the evening air.
Damien stood awkwardly near the edge.
Unsure where he belonged.
As usual.
Then Ethan appeared.
Holding a plate.
The cowboy handed it to him.
Damien blinked.
"What is this?"
"Food."
"I know that."
"Then stop asking questions."
The exchange lasted only seconds.
But somehow it felt significant.
Not friendly.
Definitely not friendly.
Just... less hostile.
Unfortunately the moment didn't last.
Because one of the local ranchers approached.
A large man named Wade.
Wade disliked Damien immediately.
Which Damien found unfair.
Mostly because the feeling was mutual.
"So you're the businessman."
Damien sighed internally.
Here we go.
"And you're Wade."
The rancher frowned.
"You think you're better than us?"
Damien nearly laughed.
"No."
"Could've fooled me."
The tension escalated quickly.
Very quickly.
Within minutes the conversation had become an argument.
Again.
A common theme in Damien's life lately.
The situation might have gotten worse.
Except Ethan stepped between them.
Enough to stop the confrontation.
Nothing more.
Wade looked annoyed.
Damien looked annoyed.
Ethan looked annoyed at both of them.
Which seemed fair.
"Both of you shut up."
Silence.
Nobody argued.
Apparently even Wade knew better.
Later that night, Damien sat alone on the porch.
The stars stretched endlessly overhead.
Far brighter than anything he saw in the city.
He hated admitting it.
But Texas was beautiful.
The screen door creaked.
Ethan stepped outside.
For a while neither spoke.
The silence wasn't as uncomfortable as it used to be.
Eventually Ethan sat on the railing.
"You could've ignored Wade."
Damien looked over.
"He started it."
"You finished it."
Fair.
Unfortunately.
The conversation drifted into silence again.
Then Damien asked quietly,
"Why did Claire leave?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Ethan's expression hardened instantly.
The wall returned.
Cold.
Solid.
Untouchable.
"Don't."
Damien sighed.
"Fine."
The cowboy stared into the darkness.
His jaw clenched.
For a second Damien thought the conversation was over.
Then Ethan surprised him.
"We've been unhappy for a while."
His voice was quiet.
Almost tired.
Damien said nothing.
Ethan continued.
"Sometimes people stay together because it's easier than letting go."
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Personal.
Real.
Then the cowboy stood.
Conversation over.
Again.
As he walked toward the house, Damien found himself watching him.
Thinking.
Wondering.
And for the first time since arriving at the ranch...
He realized he no longer wanted Ethan to sign the contract just so he could win.
Now he wanted to understand him.
Which was probably a much bigger problem.
Because Ethan Hayes was still infuriating.
Still stubborn.
Still grumpy.
Still impossible.
And Damien was beginning to care far more than he should.
- Writer
