by Kenzie Rose
“Where are you going?” I asked as I watched her climb up onto her horse.
“Home, I have horses to feed and my neighbor is coming to get his. I have things to do.”
I shook my head. “What about my car?”
“You have a cell phone, call a tow truck. That is, if you can get a signal. We don’t have a lot of cell phone towers in our area.” I looked at her incredulously.
“You have got to be kidding me. You’re going to leave me here in the middle of nowhere without a way to call a tow truck.” I said as I looked at my phone and realized she was right. No service. “How am I supposed to call a tow truck without using my phone.” I can’t believe that I even thought of asking her out.
“Well If you can drop the idea of me becoming a recording artist and don’t ever bring it up again,” she pauses and looks at me for a moment, “Maybe I can help you.” She sat on her horse, smirking at me.
I leaned against the car and tilted my head, and just looked at her. “Are you always this stubborn?”
“No, but you came here to try and convince me to do something that I told you in Nashville, I didn’t want anything to do with. Yet, you still come all the way here, thinking you could change my mind. Sorry, it’s not going to happen. This is my life. My sister loves Nashville, but I love my horses and the country.” Well I didn’t expect her to say that.
“Well don’t hold back, tell me how you really feel.” I pressed.
“Look, I have heard for years how I should be doing something else and how running this ranch is a man’s job. I know I can sing, and I know that I could be really good at it. But, that’s not what I want. Now if you would like my help, I can take you back to the ranch house where you can use the house phone to call a tow truck. Or, you can walk around with your phone in the air, waiting for a signal.”
I sighed in resignation, turned, and grabbed my bag, took the keys from the car and walked over to her. I looked around for a truck or car, but all I saw was her horse. “Alright, I won’t bring it up again.” For now. “Now can I please use your house phone to call for a tow truck and maybe get a new rental car?” She smiled, the first smile I have seen since this whole disaster started.
“Hand me your bag.”
“Why?” I ask completely lost.
“Because you need to climb behind me and hold on tight while we head back to my house.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You want me on a horse?”
“Either you climb up here or you walk the three miles back to the house. Your choice.” I hate horses, maybe I can walk it. But as I stood there and looked at her, I realized she had me and she knew it. I handed her my bag, and watched her hook it on the saddle. Then she held her hand out for me to grab. “I am going to pull you up and I want you to swing your leg over the horse. Then try and move onto the saddle.”
“You’re going to pull me up?”
“Just do it. I have horses to feed and someone is waiting for me.” I take her hand, place the other one on the back of the saddle and jump as she pulls me up on the horse. “Now move onto the saddle and then hold on.” I carefully moved behind her and held onto the side of the saddle. “Wrap your arms around my waist so you don’t fall off.” Well I didn’t expect that. I wrapped my arms around her as my body was pressed up against her. I had to will my cock into submission. What the hell, that never happens right away. I’m so screwed. I thought as she took off across the pasture.
Chapter Six
Kennedy- Mason TX.
HOLY HELL, I CANNOT BELIEVE this guy. First, he’s driving a Porsche in the country where trucks and jeeps are better suited. Second, he acts like he’s afraid of horses and he just oozes city guy. Wanna bet he sleeps with his cell phone? I chuckle to myself as we head back to my house. Not to mention, I can feel his erection pressing up against me and it feels like a rock. The problem is I can’t get my mind off the shock I felt when he placed his hand in mine. The only other time that’s happened to me was when I shook his hand in Nashville. I guess I should make small talk since he is going to be walking into my house.
“So where are you from?” I ask as he looks over my shoulder.
“Southern California, but I’ve been in Nashville for about five years. Have you always lived here, in the middle of nowhere?”
“All my life, this land has been in the family for generations.”
“Do you live here alone? You said your sister lives in Nashville.”
“No, my parents built a house not far from mine, so they could retire from the ranch and let me run it.”
“Isn’t that a lot of work for one person?”
“No not really, I have worked this land all my life.” I begin to get lost in my thought when it hits me again. “I still can’t believe you came here to try and get me to go back to Nashville just to record a demo. Didn’t the fact that the CD was never picked up give you a clue that I didn’t want any part of it.”
“I heard what you said, but I saw something, and I was wondering if I was right.”
“It doesn’t matter what you saw, I don’t want to be a singer. I raise horses, that’s what I do. I’m sure that there are other people that can sing and be a star. That’s just not me.” I stopped the horse at the barn and motioned for her to stay.
“Let me get off first.” I threw my leg over the horse’s head and slid off the saddle. “Now do what I did, she’s not going to move. I held onto her bridle and helped him down. Once he was on the ground I looked at him.” You’ve never been on a horse before, have you?”
“How can you tell?”
“You look terrified of being around them. But here’s a tip, my horses wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I smirked. I have never seen a man so afraid of horses. If I had time I would show him how much fun they could be. Why am I thinking about that? He needs to leave, he came here under false pretenses and it’s not happening. I unhooked his bag and handed it to him. “Let me give her some oats and put her in her stall.” I could feel his eyes on me as I made sure that the stall was locked and that the rest of the horses were fed before I turned back to him. “So, your name is Jeremy, isn’t it?” I really should have asked that on the horse.
“You remember. I wasn’t sure if you would.” He smirked, that cocky bastard.
“I would say it was the shock of seeing you on my road in a wrecked Porsche, which by the way is so out of place here. I’m not sure if Dusty can fix it. That might have to be towed back to Austin.” I said as I walked towards the house, with him walking slowly behind me. I turned to look at him. “Hey, are you alright, I mean seriously those Oak Trees can kill people and that car of yours isn’t any match for cows or trees.”
“I’m pretty sore, and I might have some bruised ribs.” I took a better look at him. His face was all red with spots on it.
“I think you have burns from the airbag forming on your face. Come on. Let’s get inside and sit you down so I can get a better look. I might need to call my mom and have her take a look.” I opened the screen and then the door.
“Don’t you lock your door?”
“Why? You can’t get on the property without the gate code and Rufus will take you down before you get past the door.” Just as I said his name Rufus comes running up to me but stops short when he sees Jeremy. He starts growling, so I grab him by the collar and pull him towards me. “It’s ok boy, he’s supposed to be here.” The dog just looks at him. I try not to laugh but it’s really hard. Rufus is very protective of me and my sister, so this should be interesting.
“I have never been anywhere that you don’t have to lock your doors. It’s just not safe.”
“Trust me, the neighbors keep watch and know when a stranger is in the area. In fact, I am sure that the whole town is talking about the guy in the sports car.”
“And why is a sports car such a big deal?” He asked as he carefully sat on a chair in my living room.
“Because most guys drive trucks
. If they have cars like that, it’s a restoration hobby, not a car to drive daily. Austin, Dallas and big town you might find them but not here in Mason.” I walked over to the phone and picked up the phone book. I handed him the phone and then turned it to the page where Dusty’s Tow Service was located.
“Thank you.” He was starting to look kind of pale so while he made the call I went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of water bottles. As I walked back into the room he was leaning over with his head in his hands.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I placed the water bottles on the table, then knelt down in front of him. I placed my hands on his legs to try and get him to look at me.
“I’m not feeling right. Maybe I should have stayed in the car. I’m having a hard time breathing.” I grabbed the phone and called my mom.
“Hey mom, can you come up to the house and bring your medical bag?”
“What’s wrong sweetie. Are you hurt?”
“No it’s not me, umm there is this guy I met in Nashville when I was with Stacy and well he crashed his car on the road just before the gate.”
“What? Where is he?”
“Laying on my sofa, mom he is pale and having a hard time breathing.”
“Alright baby girl, can you get him into one of the spare bedrooms? I will be there in a minute.” I hung up the phone and looked at Jeremy. Maybe I am being too hard on him.
“Jeremy, I need to get you into one of the spare bedrooms. My mom is headed over to take a look at you.” He looked up at me and for the first time my eyes locked onto his, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I shook it off and tried to get him to stand.
“What is your mom going to do, maybe we need to call an ambulance.” he said as I helped him stand and then guided him to the bedroom next to mine.
“My mother is a Doctor, well she is semi-retired, with an office in town but she always has her medical bag with her. Now be careful and lay down.” I helped him sit down on the bed, then I held onto his arm as he leaned back on the bed. “Is that better?”
“I think so.” I heard my mom come into the house and it sounded like my dad was with her.
“Kennedy?” my mom yelled.
“In here mom.” I yelled as she raced through the door with my father hot on her heels.
“Oh my, Hello. My name is Sharon, and you are?” She said as she looked at the guy laying on the bed in my house.
“Jeremy.” he said and I could tell he was in pain.
“He works at a recording studio in Nashville where I won a chance to record a CD. I never picked it up, so he decided that while he was in Texas he would come and give it to me.” I looked at him. Making sure he realized I didn’t need my parents asking questions. “One of the cows was on the road from the Matthew’s property and he swerved to miss it and hit one of the oak tree’s. His rental car is still down there, Daddy. He called Dusty to come and pick it up just before I called mama.”
“Where does it hurt?” Mom asked, starting to assess his injuries.
“Everywhere.”
“Well let’s get a look at the abrasions on your face from the airbag.” I watched as my mom examined his face and cleaned it up before putting ointment on it. “You’re lucky you didn’t break your nose.”
“I know but I’m wondering if I’ve broken a rib, sure does feels like it.” My Mom lifted his shirt and examined his ribs, the pain on his face was so horrible I had to turn away.
“Have you broken them before?”
“Yessss.” he hissed. “Motorcycle accident about five years ago.”
“I think you need some X Rays on your ribs, don’t want you puncturing a lung.” She turned to my dad. “Henry, go and get the SUV so we can take him to my office in town. Kennedy, how did you get him here if the car is miles up the road?” My dad left, presumably to go and get mom’s Suburban.
“On the back of the horse I was on.” I looked down at him and he tried to smile at me. “We didn’t realize he was really hurt until we made it back to the barn and he was walking to the house.” My mom shook her head. “What was I supposed to do? Leave him there? And then come back and get the truck?”
“No, you did the right thing. Now help me to sit him up so we can get him to the truck and then to the office.” I did as she asked. Getting a whiff of his cologne for the first time, very woodsy, like sandalwood.
“I can do this on my own.” He said gruffly.
“No, you cannot. If the rib isn’t broken, then it’s badly bruised. Can’t take any chances.” My mom helped him to stand and I grabbed his backpack. As we walked through my house I noticed Rufus was walking next to him. I leaned down and rubbed his ears.
“It’s okay, boy. Be back soon.” I closed the door and watched as my mom and dad helped him into the back of the SUV. I stood there for a minute and watched as my parents worked together to get him settled. My mom turned around and looked at me.
“Are you going to stand there like a bump on a log or are you coming with us?” My mom asked as she closed the door. I jumped into the SUV next to Jeremy and Dad drove away. I leaned over and whispered into his ear.
“I’m sorry that I was hard on you, I didn’t mean to be. It’s just that singing is kind of a sore subject with me.” He took my hand, moving carefully.
“Will you tell me why someday.” he whispered back.
“Maybe. But right now, let’s concentrate on getting you through this.” We were interrupted by my mom.
“So how do you know each other?”
“Stacy dragged me to Margaritaville for lunch and I somehow won a free recording session. Jeremy is the Sound Engineer for the studio.” I watched Mom and Dad look at each other. Great.
As we drove past his car we stopped, my dad went to look at it then climbed back in the car. I cringed as I looked at it.
“I think you are truly lucky to have walked away from that. You could have been hurt a lot worse than you were.” My dad said. I looked away, I didn’t see the crash, but I heard it. Now thinking back at how I was so abrupt with him, I’m not even sure why. As we pulled into the parking lot I jumped out and hurried around to help my dad as my mom opened up the office. She has been semi-retired close to a year and only works maybe a few days a month to see her older patients. After we got him sitting on a chair in an exam room I started to walk out but he grabbed my hand.
“Stay.” was all he said and I kind of melted. I nodded and sat in the chair next to him while we waited for my mom to come back in the room. Looking over at me while he still held onto my hand, he looked like he wanted to say something.
“What’s wrong?” I squeezed his hand. The heat I felt from his hand was running through my body. I shift in the chair, trying to get comfortable.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry about before. I am not sure why I was so pushy, there is just something about you that makes me want to spend more time with you. I seriously thought that you were just nervous about making a demo for Donovan. I didn’t know that there was a real reason that you didn’t want to sing.” He looked around the room, making sure we were alone. “You’re really cute when you are fired up.” My mouth must have fallen open because he smirked, He leaned over even though I saw pain in his face and closed my mouth. I licked my lips.
“I can’t believe you said that.” I shook my head and started to get up to see what is taking my mom so long. He shrugged. Men
Chapter Seven
Jeremy—Mason TX.
MY GOD, MY RIBS HAVE got to be broken, the X-rays are wrong. I’m laying on the table as the Doctor tapes up my ribs. She pats my leg and helps me to sit up.
“Now you will have to take it easy for a few days, unfortunately no traveling until your ribs are better.”
“It’s not like I can go anywhere anyways, my rental car is totaled and from what your daughter says there isn’t a rental company in town. I just need someone to take me to a hotel, so I can rest until I can get another car and I can fly home.” I sat there for a few minutes and tried not
to think about how much pain I was in.
“Nonsense, you can stay with us. We have a room in our house that you can use.” I shook my head and realized I really shouldn’t have done that. I don’t need a headache on top of everything else.
“I will be fine at a hotel, but thank you.”
“No, he can stay with me. I am alone in that big house and there is plenty of room for him to rest. I will be out working the horses, so the house will be quiet and he can rest. Plus, he came to see me so it makes no sense for him to stay with you.” Kennedy said from the door. I just looked at her. Huh, maybe she felt the connection too.
“Well if you’re sure?”
“I’m sure mom. We can set him up in my old room since it has a bathroom.” I just sat and watched as these two women decided where I was staying.
“Do I have a choice?” I asked as I looked between Kennedy and her mom.
“No.” Kennedy said as she walked over and helped me off the table. Once I had my footing I walked out of the room.
“I’m calling in a prescription of pain meds for you. We can pick it up on the way back to the ranch.”
I nodded and walked into the waiting room. I just wanted to lay down. I don’t care where.
“Jeremy, I just talked to Dusty.” My dad said. “She picked up your car and said that she knows it’s a rental, so you just need to let her know what you need to do.” I sat carefully into a chair.
“Thank you for letting me know. I guess I need to call the rental company and tell them what happened and hope that they will send me another car.”
“Take care of that tomorrow. Dusty said she has plenty of room to hold onto it until you feel up to talking.”
“Did you say She?” I must be hearing things.
“Yes, Dusty was raised in that garage and took over when her dad retired. She is a close family friend. Your car is in good hands.” Her dad said.
I must be in the twilight zone, cowgirls and female mechanics.
“Alright Jeremy let’s get you back to the ranch, so you can rest and get some pain meds in your system.” Doctor Sharon said, I nodded and walked very slowly out to the car.