How to Love a Cowboy

by Jessa James

  Because I had stayed away it had been years since I had seen either him or his daughter, Sara. And now that’s all I could think about as I went over some of the paperwork that needed to be finalized before we closed up shop for the week and headed to the derby. Sara and her beautiful face and amazing body. God, how I had wanted her there in my study when she had been stranded at the ranch. I could have had her, too, but that wasn’t the right time. I don’t know what had come over me, but I didn’t want it to happen right there. Maybe it was because I wanted to punish her for what she and her father were trying to do to us. Or maybe it was something deeper than that. I didn’t often dive into my subconscious that way, but I wondered if I was holding myself back from Sara because I thought there might be more…or at least the potential.

  But it was so early. Far too early to start thinking about things like that. I brushed the thoughts aside and picked up the stack of notes my secretary had left for me. Somewhere in the middle, there was a phone message from Sara buried amongst the others. It simply read:

  * * *

  “Bring your horse to the derby. I’m trying to work something out.”

  * * *

  I looked at the words over and over. Bring your horse to the derby. We were going to do it anyway, but getting the note from Sara was the kind of bolstering I needed. While I was ready to pack up and leave for the derby no matter what happened, it felt good to know that in some way Sara was trying to figure things out and would try to keep her father from causing a big problem for us. At least this way I could be fairly certain that when I arrived there wouldn’t be police waiting to escort us away.

  I picked up the phone to dial my father in Costa Rica. He answered after the third ring and the line was a little fuzzy, but he seemed happy to hear from me.

  “How are things going down there, Dad?”

  He laughed, and I was happy to hear things were good. “Great, great. Just whipping up a pitcher of drinks for a party later. Is everything going okay back there?”

  My father was always asking about the ranch now, but in the early days when he decided to go to Costa Rica, I felt like there was a level of avoidance. The man had lost the woman he had spent over half of his life with, and he was still coming to terms with what life would look like without her in it. After a couple of years of struggling to make things work here at the ranch without her, he decided it was better if he turned the ranch over to my brothers and myself to run. It was a single trip to Costa Rica that had changed his mind about everything. He had gone down there to clear his mind and instead he had found the sort of happiness he was looking for. While we all missed having him and his expertise around the ranch, I knew that he was doing the best thing for himself and he deserved that much. Besides, if there were ever any real issue, he would be back up here in a heartbeat to make sure everything was taken care of.

  “Things are good now,” I gnawed on my bottom lip as I pondered whether or not to mention anything about Ken Waters and the drama surrounding the derby. If I didn’t say anything and something did happen, it would most certainly make it back to my dad, and I knew it was better to get it out of the way now. “Well, things are better now. It was hit or miss there for a minute. Had a bit of a run in with Ken Waters.”

  My father went silent for a moment on the other end of the line. “What’s the problem? Do I need to come up there? Do I need to call him?”

  “No, no. I think it’s all sorted. And it was less of a run in with Ken as it was with his daughter. He sent Sara to deliver a message instead of coming himself.”

  I could sense my father’s disappointment in his onetime best friend. “What the hell was he thinking? And what was the message about?”

  I didn’t soften the words. “He told us we couldn’t run in the derby. Tried to give us the registration money back.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope,” I said, and I was glad I was telling him now because he would have been furious to find out later.

  “What’s his reasoning behind all this?”

  I shook my head and sighed. “I think we both know the real reason for it all, but I’m not sure what he’s told, Sara. What I do know is that she doesn’t have a clue about the truth. Her father has sold her some pack of lies about us being involved in something illegal. I don’t know what…not that it matters, because none of it is true. But I thought for a moment she believed it.”

  “Hmm,” my father muttered on the other line. “Sara is a really remarkable young woman. I would give her some credit if I were you. She is probably just following orders from her father, and I’m sure that up to this point he has never given her any reason not to trust him.”

  “That may be the case; I just don’t know what she will think if she finds out…you know.”

  My father sighed. “Pete, whatever she finds, if she finds anything, well…that’s between her and her father. I think you did right not to say anything. Ken is handling this poorly, and I’m afraid that he’s the one who will end up in hot water over it. At least with his daughter. She wouldn’t even be curious about anything if her father wasn't so goddamn underhanded about all of it.”

  I nodded and looked at the stack of papers I needed to get to. “Okay, well, I just wanted to give you a heads up. We’ll be leaving in a week for the derby. Wasn’t sure if you were thinking about coming up for it?”

  “Nah, not for Ken’s derby. He clearly doesn’t want to see me, so we’ll leave it at that. Let me know how things go.”

  “Bye, Dad,” I said as I hung up the phone and got back to work preparing for the big day.

  * * *

  The time passed by quickly and before I knew it the day had arrived and we were on the road to the derby. Emma and I were in one of the trucks, hauling a trailer behind us. We were the last in the caravan of vehicles traveling from Killarny Estate, and I was glad for the time with my daughter. She was a chatter box as always and had lots of questions about this particular derby since she had never been to it before.

  “It’s a pretty big deal,” I said. “And the prize for this one is huge. It would be great for the ranch if we could win it.”

  Emma chewed her lip. “Do we need money?”

  “Oh…damn.” I regretted my word choice. “No, it’s nothing like that. Well, everybody needs money, sweetheart. But it’s not like we’re destitute or anything like that. It’s just that things happen, the market changes, and sometimes you have good years while others are not as good. You know how things got after grandma passed away? Your grandad was really sad, and our focus wasn’t really on the business at the time. It’s normal for that kind of thing to happen when you experience trauma. But now things are back on track, and we’re doing well. It would be great for the ranch if we win the race not only for the money. It promotes us quite a bit and helps us get a little more prestige.”

  Emma nodded and seemed to understand, but at this point, she was tired of talking to her old man. She picked up a book and turned her attention there, and the rest of the drive to the derby was pretty quiet.

  When we arrived, I found myself holding my breath, waiting to see if anything unexpected was going to happen when we arrived at the front gate. There was an attendant there checking people’s credentials and letting trucks and horse trailers in one by one. I breathed a sigh of relief as the first of the Killarny trailers pulled across the cattle guard and headed up to the area where the ranchers parked for the week.

  When it came to my turn, I held out my ID, and our registration information and the attendant, a young woman in her twenties gave me a second look. Maybe Emma was right; I was still young. But I probably shouldn’t be trying to pick up young women here at the derby. Not with Sara so close by. I still had my sights set on her, and I needed to give that a good college try. The young woman smiled and let us through, but I noticed her make a call on her walkie as we passed over the cattle guard with a rumble.

  I parked, and Emma hopped out, immediately running to find one o
f her friends from another ranch.

  “Don’t go too far…call and check in every once in a while!” I called after her, but I knew she was safe here amongst friends…and rivals.

  I started to unhitch the trailer and secure it to its place on the ground. This would be our little home for the next week, and it was just big enough for Emma and myself, though I had a feeling she would spend a few nights with her friends in their family’s massive RVs.

  “Hey, stranger.” I heard the voice come from behind me and I turned to find Sara standing there, a smirk on her face. Well, at least it wasn’t a boot to my shin after the way we had left things.

  “Howdy,” I said as I finished up the task at hand before turning to give her my full attention.

  “You didn’t have any trouble getting in?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I suppose I have you to thank for that.” I smiled. “Thanks. What did you do?”

  Sara cleared her throat. “Well, let’s be perfectly clear. My father still says you aren’t racing and he may be trying to pull something with the contract. I know he’s contacted our attorney. But as of right now you are still on the list to race, and I want you all to approach it that way.”

  I ducked my head a little and shook it in dismay. “I haven’t even said anything to most of the guys. Didn’t want to get it in their head that it might not happen. That can mess with ‘em, you know.” I looked back up at her, and I could see that she was looking a little emotional. “Sara, I’m really disappointed in your father. He has no right in the world to attack us like this.”

  She approached me quietly and placed her hand on my arm. “Pete…I know he doesn’t. I still don’t know what’s going on with him, but I promise you I am going to find out. I just hope that we can move forward and be friendly about things. Start fresh.”

  I gave her a curious look. “You want to be friends?” Friends were the last thing I wanted to be with this woman. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms that very second and take her into the trailer where I could ride her until she screamed my name over and over again.

  She nodded. “I think that would be best. It makes more sense that way and is a little less…dramatic. I hope you understand.”

  “It felt like you wanted to be more than friends the other night,” I said quietly, but with an edge in my voice.

  She stared me down. “You are one to talk, Pete Killarny. You really know how to treat a woman.”

  And with that, she stomped off, and I was left standing, regretting that I hadn’t fucked her against the wall the first chance I had.

  8

  Sara

  * * *

  The annual first night cocktail party to kick off the start of the derby had gone off without a hitch in the ballroom of our estate. It was the one time every year when I looked at the monstrosity of a room and its cavernous shape and thought that it was worth the money my father had spent to build it. Of course when I was younger I had been enamored with it and liked to act out any dance scene from a movie inside there, specifically The Sound of Music and The King and I. But I was older now and aware enough of how the world worked to think that the whole thing was a little too ostentatious.

  But on nights like tonight, my goodness, was it ever worth it. The whole place had been glowing like little fireflies dancing everywhere, and everyone was looking great in their finest for the cocktail hour. I had escaped from the grownups for a moment to find the area that was set up for the kids of our visiting ranches. There was a bouncy castle and some kind of obstacle course, plus hot dogs and hamburgers and all kinds of games that the kids enjoyed. I saw Emma out there, one of the older kids, and could see that she was making fast friends with the girls her age.

  Pete had been more elusive, but I had caught glimpses of him throughout the evening as he chatted with other ranch owners and people who were there to participate in the derby. He was dressed in a nice suit jacket and jeans that fit him perfectly but he hadn’t bothered with the tie, or if he had it was already removed, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He looked incredibly handsome, and I always regretted that we could only be friends. He carried himself with confidence that made him even more attractive, and I felt myself feeling just as gooey around him now as I had when I was ten years old. No matter how much I tried, we never made eye contact the entire evening, and I found that bothered me—it was like he was avoiding me altogether.

  You did tell him you just wanted to be friends; I thought to myself as I walked out onto the back patio. It was quieter out here since most of the party was still in the ballroom or out on the front lawn where a few tents were set up. Out here by the pool, there was only the faint hint of a large party going on, and even that was beginning to die down with the late hour. Everything was taken care of, and the knowledge that the burden of another derby was off of my shoulders and under way carried with it a kind of freedom that I relished. I had done all that I could do, and now all that was left was to make sure the day to day events went along as scheduled. The rest I could enjoy like a spectator.

  I kicked off my heels and left them there on the back porch and started off down the dirt road. I wasn’t sure what compelled me, but the cool dirt on my weary feet felt good, and I was grateful that there was one road left on the property that wasn’t graveled or paved.

  In the distance, I could see the old barn, and I decided that would be a nice enough place to walk to in the moonlight. It was a glorious night. With the moon almost full the place was lit up with a heavenly glow. I couldn’t have planned a better party, and I was appreciative of mother nature’s little gift.

  I entered the old barn and found that through the cracks in some of the boards there was enough moonlight streaming through to light the place. Besides that, I didn’t want to switch on the light and attract any stragglers from the party over to the place. No, I wanted some time to myself.

  Even though I had been looking through my father’s documents in the file room for days now, I still hadn’t found anything to suggest that what he warned me about the Killarnys was true. He had gone ahead and contacted our attorney and was working to get the contract nullified in time for the derby race in a few days, but I had my doubts about whether or not the Killarny horse would be allowed to run in the end. It would all depend on what my father and his attorney were able to accomplish, and I knew that my father had the best guy around.

  I hadn’t given up looking though. Still, I had no idea what I was looking for, and that was proving to be a big part of the problem.

  There was some rustling behind me, and I turned, surprised, expecting to see a rat or a possum huddled in the corner of the barn. Instead, I was met with a shadowy figure in the doorway.

  “Hey, Sara.”

  It was Pete Killarny.

  “Oh, hi. I thought you were a possum or something.”

  He laughed. “Well, that’s one I’ve never been called before.”

  I shook my head, “We’ve been working on this place, and I’d hate to think that the new floor we paid for in here wasn’t keeping the possums out.”

  Pete moved a little closer and looked around. It was difficult to make out much, but the moonlight provided enough light to see by.

  “This place sure looks different from the last time I saw it,” he said as his gaze landed back on me.

  “When was the last time you were here?”

  “Honestly,” he said as he scratched his chin, “I don’t think I’ve been in this barn since you kissed me here when you were about this tall.” He held out his hand to show how tall I had been at ten and he wasn’t wrong.

  “I was taller than you then,” I said with a smirk.

  He grinned. “I think you hit your stride a little early. I caught up with you in the end…and surpassed you by a bit.”

  Pete had indeed. He stood somewhere around 6 feet tall, while I still hovered around 5 and a half feet.

  “I peaked early,” I said and laughed.

  “Nah,”
Pete said as he shook his head and turned to face me. “I think I’m looking at pretty peak Sara right now.”

  I cleared my throat. “You know how to flatter a woman.”

  “It’s the truth. You’re as beautiful as you have ever been and I know you said that we could only be friends…but I don’t want to be friends with you, Sara. Not now, not ever.”

  I frowned. “You don’t have to take that kind of attitude.”

  He reached out and took my hand gently, pulling me toward him.

  “The things I want to do to you aren’t things I do with friends.”

  I felt a shiver race down my spine and back up again. In a flash, I was in his arms, and I wasn’t even sure how I got there, only that I didn’t want to leave. His mouth urgently sought mine, and he explored me delicately, his tongue waltzing around mine as he wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulled me in tighter.

  Pete was grinding his thigh between my legs again, and I knew it wasn’t going to be long before I started to come. Just the scent of him was enough to arouse me. With all the other sensations combined, I felt like I was a balloon about to pop. His hands feathered over my nipples and I felt them grow hard like tiny pebbles. I wanted his lips around them again, sucking and caressing the sensitive tips.

  “God, I want you so much,” he said with a gasp.

  I pulled back and took him by the hand, leading him to the far end of the barn and to the staircase that led to the second floor. It was a hay loft up there, but we were converting the whole place, and it was the perfect spot for some privacy. We went up the staircase, and the open loft doors let in the light of the almost full moon. No one would find us here. There was still some hay left on the floor, and I said a silent prayer that there weren’t any mice nesting in it as I pulled him down to the floor with me.