Chapter 2

Azalea's POV.

Lucas looked at me, his chocolate brown eyes glinting with the sun radiant on his face. Lucas continued to pet Snowball, and my eyes trailed down his arms for a moment as I took a deep breath.

“What’s up, Azzie?” Lucas asked, his deep voice so sweet sounding.

“Do you want to go to the Rodeo roundup at Cattleman Cantina with me?” I asked, ripping the band-aid off right away. I looked at him, eyes seeking for something in his.

“Oh, uh, yeah sure,” Lucas shrugged off, and I could feel my stomach being relieved. “We’ll meet there at seven?” he offered.

“Sounds perfect, I can’t wait,” I said with a huge grin, despite trying to act cool about it.

“Me neither. Now let me go put Miss Snowball back with her mother, maybe she can teach her a lesson or something,” Lucas tipped his chin down to the lamb in his hand.

I watched as Lucas walked away with Snowball peeking over his shoulder to look at me, almost as if she was pleading for me to take her and let her walk around. She couldn’t though; it was far too dangerous for her to be unattended here.

“Azalea!” Laura shouted my name from her balcony.

I sighed, my back turned against the balcony view. Laura Trumann, the wife of Trumann Belt, was in charge of everything else on the ranch that didn’t fall under the business. She kept everything in a tight line, making sure none of her friends who came over for brunch weekly would have a thing to gossip about.

Mrs. Laura had fired her head maid when she had to visit her grandchild in medical care too often. Though Mrs. Laura said she stole some of her jewelry, and that was the true reason, and that she’d never be so cruel to fire someone over anything else. I heard chatter from the other maids that the previous head maid would’ve never stolen a single thing, especially since she worked here for 30 years and hadn’t stolen a thing before.

I was warned to be careful with Mrs. Laura, and I wished to keep my distance, but since she fired her old head maid, I was pushed into the temporary role since Mrs. Laura couldn’t find someone fitting.

I turned around and squinted my eyes as I looked up where Laura stood. I waved at her politely.

“Come to the house! You need to do something for me,” she shouted from up there. Brandy, one of the men who worked on the ranch, shook his head at me as he walked past me. It was more directed at Laura, but since he couldn’t look at me, he just showed me he sympathized with me.

“Yes, Mrs. Laura,” I nodded to her.

I began to walk towards the house. A few men on the ranch looked at me and tipped their hats, their eyes warm with a smile on their faces. I was well aware that I was a beautiful woman, I just don’t think it’s worth all these men's attention. I think perhaps if they stepped foot outside the ranch more often, they’ll realize there’s more out there than just me.

Laura opened the door just as I arrived at it, and she smiled. Her smile was so inviting, but I had a feeling there was something sinister behind it.

“Hello, Azalea,” she greeted.

“Hello, Mrs. Laura, how are you?” I asked politely.

“Great. You need to do something for me. Come with me,” she cocked her head to the right and began to walk. “So, the cars need to be washed. Those three over there and you know we prefer it be done by hand. We also have tire shine, use it because last time you forgot to use it,” she spoke without once looking at me and she was on her way to the tea room. “Oh and this needs to be done before the night ends.”

“Oh, ok. Uh, yeah sure, I’ll come after lunch to do it then,” I offered, trying not to sound annoyed. I had to remind myself this was all worth it. I wouldn’t be able to save up much outside this ranch.

“After lunch works perfectly. For now help me in the tea room. I was thinking we should change the curtains and redo the cabinets,” she asked but it was an order. Her asking was just her being polite about it. “It’s just time for something more refreshing. Tomorrow the ladies will come over for brunch so we have to work on it right now,” she gushed.

By "we," she always meant that she’d be sitting and doing nothing whilst the rest of us worked our asses off. I barely finished my tasks on the ranch, I still had to feed one of the horses.

“I mean, I need to feed one of the horses first–”

“Well, be quick then, return immediately,” she clapped her hand. “I’ll have Mary fix you up a quick lunch so we don’t lose time,” she offered.

“Wow, thank you, I’ll be fast,” I lied.

I took care of the last horse, watching as she finally ate her food without throwing a tantrum this time. I smiled and offered her a snack. I finally returned to Mrs. Laura, and her lunch consisted of an apple, a salad wrap, and some orange juice. The portion was that of a child; it’s almost as if she was trying to hurry me. I ate my lunch but still had 15 minutes of my break, but she kept looking at me as if I were committing a crime, practically forcing me to end my break early with just her eyes.

I began to do her work. I climbed up and down the ladder so many times. All because she couldn’t decide which curtain works best. Then she decided to swap out the paintings in her room. I dusted every shelf and replaced and rearranged all the trinkets.

By the time I was done inside the house, I had to go hand wash the cars. There was an entire routine that included me cleaning the tires and polishing the lights and of course, some special fluid for the windows.

I finished the last car and let out a sigh. Finally, I stored away all of the items I had used and reported back to Mrs. Laura. She was happy and dismissed me. I was just happy she didn’t find me another last-minute task to do.

I returned back home, and Dad informed me he’d be heading out with Lucas’ dad and some other men on the ranch. I didn’t have to worry though; they all took great care of each other, and I was just thankful they wouldn’t be heading to the bar.

I wore a red floral skirt that came down to my ankle, but there was a deep slit on my right thigh. I paired it with a black button-up that was tied right under my breasts. I curled my hair before putting on my black special boots that matched perfectly with my cowboy hat. I took a look in the mirror; my green eyes were brought out with the dark colors, the red on my lips vibrant and bold.

I smiled at my reflection and grabbed my bag, ready to head out. I had been as quick as possible, but I knew the chores of Mrs. Laura had slowed me down.

I was running late, almost an hour and a half late, but I couldn’t help it. Lucas would understand though; I knew he would. I had texted him, but he didn’t reply to my messages, but I knew he didn’t often check his phone.

I arrived at the bar and jumped out of my truck, inhaling a deep breath. Here goes nothing. I’ll see Lucas, I’ll ask him to dance, and he’ll realize I have feelings for him– if he didn’t know that already.

I stepped foot into the bustling bar. There were people all over; some laughed and drank, others played darts and pool, and others just sat and observed quietly. The music shifted, and I knew this song! I had dreamed of dancing to it with someone.

I looked toward the dance floor and saw Lucas standing there with a smile on his face. I frowned, why was he on the floor when a two-step dance required two people? Then I saw a brunette making her way to him. Lucas smiled and cupped her face, leaning down to kiss her.

My heart shattered to pieces. I knew it wasn’t fair to him since he didn’t even know he held it. I felt like this was my fault; I shouldn’t have been late. He was most likely bored and found her, or she found him. I didn’t blame her one bit… Lucas was devastatingly handsome.

Heartbroken, I stepped out without looking but ran into a man. The man was tall with a strong build. His hands flew to my hips as he steadied me. A spicy woody scent filled my nose, and I looked up to meet with blue eyes that challenged the ocean on a warm sunny day.

Damon Trumann. I ran into the heir to the Trumann Belt. He had been away on a business trip for almost three weeks, and now he was right here in front of me after I ran into him. A smirk on his face, and I couldn’t help but notice how handsome this man was with his beard and charming smirk and mesmerizing eyes.

“Azalea?”

He. Knew. My. Name.