Cold State Line

Los Angeles, the supposed city of Angels. I did not see that... at all. It was a city of smog, traffic, rude people, and tall buildings. It was like New York City in all the bad ways. I hated it, but it had to be a stop on our way to Vegas.

Anna waved a hand in front of my face. "Girl, don't depress yourself by taking in the scenery. We're not even competing in L.A. They just call it the L.A. Rodeo because no one knows another small town in California. We're going to some suburb or something?"

"It's called Huntington Beach," Tina said, "They moved it from Northern California. Let me tell you, the so-called Cali cowboys are pissed."

I laughed. That was an accurate description of West Coast cowboys. They wore the gear, but they didn't actually live the life. They were like Y2K country artists. They bought the big ranch, but they didn't have cattle or farm land. They put on bedazzled cowboy boots or short ones and wore booty shorts. It was embarrassing. And I didn't mind wearing the booty shorts, but you had to be able to back it up.

Anna grew up on a farming ranch in Laredo, Texas. She had two older brothers who had been in the rodeo circuit until injuries had forced them out. Anna had taken up the mantel of her family's rodeo lifestyle and was kicking ass.

I had grown up on a cattle ranch on the very outskirts of Conroe, which is somewhat close to Houston. My dad was basically the image of cowboy, mustache, Wranglers with a crease down the leg... the works. My mom was a former rodeo queen, and you could tell. She still tried to get me to wear pink and jewels. That wasn't me. My two older brothers were some of the most famous bull breeders and my two younger brothers were both in the rodeo circuit. My youngest brother was a bull rider and the other was a bronc rider. We knew the life; the Californians didn't.

"We're staying at a ranch home with access to stables," Tina said as we neared an exit.

"Are we there yet?" Anna whined, knowing it would pull on Tina's short thread. We all hated long car rides.

Tina glared at us in the rear view mirror. "Shut up, Anna."

I chuckled and took in the new surroundings. It was beach after beach and massive houses. They were expensive looking. Now, I had grown up on a ranch, so our house wasn't small, but they weren't like this either.

"Haylee, I should let you know Clay is staying at this house too."

My heart dropped. Clay seemed to be haunting me lately. Every time he was around, terrible memories popped up. Now even the sound of his name brought them up. I didn't need those fucking thoughts and feelings and memories again.
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THREE YEARS AGO

"Hey, darling!" Clay yelled, well slurred. "What we eating?"

I looked him up and down. He was beyond drunk. His eyes were red-rimmed and he reeked of whiskey. "Well, I'm eating chicken and rice. I didn't know you were hungry. Thought your appetite would be gone after all that whiskey."

Clay's face dropped and an icy glare crossed his face. "What did you say, bitch?"

There was the Clay I had been seeing for the last year and a half. We had been fine for the first six months, but he had changed the second we started living and training together. He had drank more and more and would take his frustrations at bull riding out on me.

"If you're hungry, make your own food."

His entire demeanor snapped. Clay stepped toward our dining room table and knocked my food of the plate and onto the floor. He forced me to stand up by grabbing my chin. His hand tangled into my hair and pulled my neck back into an awkward angle.

"You don't talk to me like that," Clay said as he shoved his hand down my pants. I closed my eyes tightly, afraid of what he was going to do. I couldn't live with him. He was not the man I thought he had been.
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"Hon, are you okay?" Anna squeezed my hand as Tina pulled up to the ranch we were staying at.

"No. Keep Clay away from me, okay?"

Anna nodded and we climbed out of the truck to help unload the horses.

Notes

Short update, sorry. A little background on Clay and Haylee and their relationship.

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