My Virgin Cowboy

by Sade Rena

  “Damn, man. Looks good in here.” Chance barges in, his voice echoing through the empty house. “I bet ya glad, you can finally get back to your girlfriend,” he teases.

  I snarl and push out a harsh breath.

  He notices. “What’s going on?”

  I chuckle. “Renee’s not dealing with me right now.” I glance over to find him frowning in confusion. “She caught me kissing Madison.”

  His eyes bulge from his head. “When was this, and when did ya and Madison get back together?”

  “The first day of the fair. Madison popped up, wantin’ to talk, and just kissed me out of nowhere. I ain’t even know Renee was there yet, but she was.”

  “So ya kissed Madison back?”

  “No. I pushed her away, but my guess is Renee left before seeing that. And I’m not back with Madison.”

  “I was about to say. You were way too into Renee to backtrack like that.”

  “I wish she would see that.”

  “Wait, so what, you haven’t spoken in a month?”

  “Pretty much. The morning after the kiss, she asked me if I was sure I was over Madison, but I couldn’t answer. It’s not because I thought I wasn’t, I just wasn’t sure what to say at that moment. But it’s clear a non-answer was enough of an answer for Renee because she told me to figure my life out.”

  “Ooo. That can’t be good.”

  “Don’t feel like it.” I chuckle to hide the pain.

  “Okay, so what about Madison?”

  “I told her we’re over. We have been from the moment she left.” I shrug.

  “So what’s the problem now? Why ain’t you back with Renee?”

  I wave my arms and blow out an aggravated breath. All the frustration I’ve held inside coming out with a vengeance. “She won’t answer my calls or texts.” I kick an empty container out my way.

  Chance’s gaze falls to the floor. “Damn. Listen, I’m always foolin’ around and talkin’ shit, but I know when something looks right. And you two together is a good thing. Fix it.”

  “She wants nothing to do with me,” I screech.

  “Then you make her hear you out.” His voice raises a notch. “Even if she doesn’t change her mind, at least you’ll have put it out there. Believe me; it’s not fun realizing you missed out on something real.”

  I mull over his words, letting them sink in. Everything he said is the truth. Finding that special someone is scarce, and I’d be a fool to allow more time to go by without telling her what she means to me. And like he said, at least it’ll be out there, and she can do with the information as she pleases.

  “What ya doing in an hour?” I ask him.

  “No plans.”

  “I need your help.”

  “You’re the most helpless person I know,” he teases.

  “Oh, shut the hell up. Are you in or what?”

  He laughs. “What ya need?”

  “I built her an island, sort of like a gift. I need help taking it over there.”

  He nods. “I’m in. Then you can have that conversation.”

  “Hopefully.” I sigh.

  “It’ll work out.”

  “Meet me at the shop in an hour and bring your trailer.”

  Chance leaves me to my task, agreeing to return at the time I requested. Something changes within me. Confidence and fortitude now replace the once dreaded energy that poured from my veins. It takes me a few minutes to finish painting my home.

  Patience isn’t a virtue for me, not today, it isn’t. I drop the brush in the tray, not bothering to clean anything up. I rush out, hop in my truck, and floor it back to the house. The door slams when I jump out and run straight to my room, undressing along the way.

  When I make it back to my workshop, Chance is already covering the island and getting it ready for transport. Together we load it onto his detachable trailer and secure it all around. I tug the last piece of rope before doing one more walkthrough.

  “Ready to go get ya woman?” He asks on his way to the driver’s side of his Chevy.

  “I can’t get any more ready than I am right now. Follow me over there.” I jog to my table and make sure I have everything needed to get the job done.

  I slide behind the wheel of my vehicle, gripping it to still the sudden wave of jitters running through me. There’s a chance this will backfire, and I’ll return heartbroken. But something deep in my soul tells me this is right. We’re supposed to be together. I suck in a breath, start the engine and press the gas.

  There’s no turning back now.

  We pull up to her house, and Chance drives the trailer toward the back so we can load the island through the kitchen. As he does this, I climb from my Ford, wiping my palm on my jeans. My muscles twitch the closer I get to her door, and when I go to knock on it, my mouth dries.

  I shake out my limbs and fill my lungs once more. The courage is there, hanging on the tips of my fingers. I knock, but it goes unanswered. I try again, this time a little harder than before.

  Pressing my ear to the door, I wait to see if I can hear her moving around inside. Her car is here, so she must be at home unless she and Leah are out somewhere together.

  I look over my shoulder, taking in the scenery before redirecting my gaze. Just as I’m about to try again, the door swings open. There she is, dressed in shorts and a tattered t-shirt, one she’s worn many times around me before. Her hair is pulled into a ponytail at the nape, and there’s semi-wet paint on her top.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” I say without thinking.

  She looks around me, confusion adorning her face. “Parker, what are you doing here?”

  “Um. Yeah. Sorry.” I snap out of my trance. “You weren’t answering your phone, so I had to come to you.” I give her a subtle smile.

  Renee sighs with her gaze falling everywhere but on me. “Parker, I-I thought we agreed—”

  “I have something for you.” I blurt before she can send me away.

  She rubs the space beneath her earlobe while biting her bottom lip. I watch her, realizing this differs from the look I’m used to seeing on her. Then it was wanton. Now it’s filled with uncertainty.

  “I wanted to give it to you a while back before things went south with us. It was always a surprise, and despite the distance, I want you to have it. When I commit to something, I always see it through.”

  “You don’t have—” she starts.

  I stop her. “Please allow me to do this.”

  Her mouth perches together, and her chest rises and falls. Renee locks eyes with me and steps aside, allowing me entry.

  “Okay. Where is it?”

  “At the back door, it’ll be easier to load that way.”

  She waves me toward the back of the house. When I open the door, Chance is waiting with his gloves on, and the island already untied. We move everything piece by piece before bringing in all the equipment needed to assemble the structure.

  “What’s up, Renee?”

  “Hey, Chance.” She folds her arms across her chest as we work.

  Renee watches us from the threshold of her kitchen, and I steal periodic glances at her to read her reaction. She rubs under her ear again and turns away. It shouldn’t, but her discomfort brings a smile to my lips. Chance clears his throat, pulling my thoughts back to the island. I give her one last stare then focus on getting the job done.

  It doesn’t take long to knock it out with the design I went with on this one. She has enough cabinetry, so I only wanted to give her a place where she can entertain or work if she needs to. It’s an oversized table of sorts with two drawers and the base designed to provide support and extra space for storing things while allowing her to fit chairs on either side. Once we add the legs and secure the top and bottom pieces together, we’re done. Chance grabs the caulk to seal it all together.

  I grunt when we flip it upright. “There you go. You’ll want to give it some time to set, but once that happens, it’s moveable.”

  She drops her arms to her
side and pushes off the wall. “Wow. Parker, it’s beautiful.” Renee walks around the island, rubbing along its edges.

  “I’m glad you like it.” I tuck my hands in my front pockets.

  Chance slaps my arms when she’s not looking, and smiles, using his eyes to egg me on.

  “I love it.” She stops in the center and is now facing us.

  My sights dance over the grin she sports. There’s a lightness that washes over me, knowing I’ve done something good for her. I picture her making use of this space, writing her books, or eating her meals, and it warms me. But something clicks for her, and her posture straightens.

  “Is—is this the one you were building in your shop when I visited?” She asks and darts her gaze to mine.

  I nod. Memories of the two of us, making out on this thing, floods me. My skin heats, and I’m almost sure I’ve turned red. She senses it too; the recollection of how good I made her feel on top of this very island is evident in her gaze.

  “Uh. I guess that’s my clue.” Chance says, but neither of us acknowledges him.

  I glance down and lick my lips before staring at her again. She’s flushed, and her breathing has increased. Chance waves his hand in front of me, and I blink.

  “My bad.”

  “Did you hear me?”

  “No, sorry. What did you say?” I look at him.

  He shakes his head. “I said I’ma get out of here.”

  I nod and glance at Renee.

  “Enjoy the island, Renee,” he says on his way out.

  Her eyes slant and the corners of her mouth raise a little. “I will, thanks, Chance.”

  “Anytime.” He shuts the door behind him.

  An awkward and eerie wave of energy circulates the room. Neither of us speak, we only staring at one another.

  She breaks the silence by clearing her throat. “Um. Would you like some water?”

  “Yeah, I’ll take some.”

  She slaps the surface before sauntering over and removing two glasses from the cabinet and rinsing them. Renee fills them both with water from the fridge and hands me one. As we drink and continue to gaze at each other, I wonder what’s running through her mind.

  Does she miss me as much as I have her?

  “Thank you,” she adds after a beat.

  “You don’t need to thank me.”

  She sighs and sits her cup on the counter. “I do.” She releases another breath. “You didn’t have to do this for me, but you did. It’s beautiful.”

  “You’re beautiful.” I assert.

  She tries not to let my words affect her, but she fails. Her cheeks reach her eyes this time, bringing a grin of my own. I finish my drink and place my empty glass in the sink.

  I try to find the courage I need to talk to her. To let her know that she’s wrong, that I want more with her. But every time I look at her, nothing seems to come to form. She huffs, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Listen.”

  “Hey.”

  We both speak at once. She chuckles and signals for me to go first.

  “I was hoping we could talk,” I say.

  She shakes her head while staring at her half-empty water glass. “Parker we don’t have to rehash—”

  “Actually, we do.” I trudge over to her, but I’m careful not to invade her space completely. “Every time you see me, you run, or you cut me short, and that’s not fair.”

  “You’re right,” she adds with her shoulders slumped. “But I don’t want my paint to dry, so if you’re going to talk, we’ll have to do it upstairs.”

  “Lead the way.”

  I follow her out of the kitchen, through the living room and over to the staircase. As soon as we get to the top, I realize she’s been busy. There’s a fresh color on the walls, and she’s even changed the tile in the bathroom. Seeing all the work she’s completed without me hurts, and I can’t pinpoint why. Maybe it’s the thought of her moving on.

  She picks up a can, pouring an eggshell white into the tray, resting on the step ladder. Renee takes her old paintbrush that’s now hardened from sitting out too long and drops it on the plastic-covered floor. She ruffles through a bag and pulls out a new one. It’s just like someone who doesn’t do this sort of thing often to buy multiple rather than cleaning the one she has.

  I watch her for a moment as I try to find the words I lost when I saw all she’s done already. When she starts, my gaze trails her arm up to her face. Even with torn clothes and a fuzzy hairdo, she’s gorgeous to me. Even when she seems a million miles away, I still want her.

  I stroll over to her pile of supplies and take a brush out of the bag. After dipping it in the tray, I join her. From the corner of my eyes, I see her glance in my direction, but she chooses not to speak. We go on like this for a little while; stealing peeks at each other.

  It feels amazing being here with her like this. Believe it or not, this is our comfort zone. Our connection grew while we worked together, so I see no reason for this to be any different. It’s like old times.

  I wet the brush again. “I’m not with her.”

  Renee doesn’t respond.

  “I didn’t sleep with her either... if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  Renee sighs and reaches for more paint. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” She shakes her head but continues working.

  “I wanna tell ya, that’s the difference. Madison and I were never back together.”

  She nods, accepting my answer.

  “You don’t have to be here helping me do this. You’ve already done so much for me,” she adds after a beat.

  I stop and turn to her. “I’m right where I want to be; I choose to be here, Renee.”

  She lowers her gaze. “But I saw you kiss her.”

  “I didn’t ask or invite her to, and I wanted to tell you that, but you’d gotten it in your head, there was more to it. What you ain’t see was me pushing her away.”

  “Fair enough, I should have allowed you to explain.” She pauses while looking to the ceiling. “It’s not that I didn’t want to—I was hurt. Then I saw you two at the grocery store and again at the party. I guess that was all the proof I needed.”

  I step forward, taking her hand in mine. “She came out of nowhere at the store. Leah needed things for the menu; that’s the only reason I was there. And as for the actual party, she came to celebrate Denton; I didn’t invite her. You saw her at my house the next morning because she was too drunk to drive home and I was too intoxicated to take her. She slept in my room, and I took the other. Everything else that followed just looked like way more than it was.”

  I can tell she’s struggling to accept my response, and I don’t blame her. And if I’m honest, I might’ve made the same assumption if the tables were turned.

  Tilting her chin, I search her eyes. “I’ll never give you a reason to doubt or misplace your trust in me. Like I said, I’m where I wanna be.”

  Her features soften. “I’m sorry, I didn’t listen.”

  I stroke her arm. “It’s okay. You are now, and that’s all I need.”

  Renee presses her forehead to my chest, and I sit my chin atop her head. She wraps her arms around me, and I do the same, squeezing her like it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.

  “Just promise me if you ever have concern over anything, you’ll come to me.”

  She doesn’t use words to answer my question. Instead, she shakes her head before looking up at me. She continues holding me while I run my fingers through her ponytail. She watches me watch her, and when I meet her gaze again, I feel at home. Renee lifts on her toes, and I lean in to help close the gap.

  When our lips touch, my desire takes hold and I cup her face. “I’ve missed you so much,” I say in between kisses.

  “I’m glad you’re here.” She smiles.

  “Me too.” I tilt my head toward the wall. “Come on, let’s finish this up.”

  She does as I suggest and dips her paintbrush. I do the same, yet continue to steal glances as we
work.

  For the next hour, we move in silence, focusing on the task in front of us. When we’re done, we step back to admire it all.

  Throwing an arm over her shoulder, I grin. “We work well together.”

  She nods before snapping her head in my direction. “Wine?”

  I laugh. “Absolutely.”

  Renee leads the way downstairs and to the kitchen. While she pours us both a glass, I snuggle up behind her. I grip her hips and plant a kiss on her crown.

  “Are you busy tomorrow night?”

  She turns, pinning herself between me and the countertop. “No.”

  “My mom and dad will be back, so Leah’s cooking dinner. They’re dying to meet the best friend Leah can’t shut up about. Plus, I think my mom has read one of your books and might have questions.”

  She chuckles. “Are you asking me to meet your parents, Parker?”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  “Not at all. I’ll be there.” She hands me a drink.

  I set it on the counter, wanting to be near her more than I care about drinking wine.

  “Great.” I pull her to me, taking a moment to taste her lips again.

  Chance was right. It’s hard to admit, considering he’s not the best at advice. I wasn’t sure how the night would turn out, but I’m so glad she’s willing to explore this thing we’ve built.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Renee

  I twist to check myself out in the mirror; this is the third outfit I’ve tried on, and I’m still not happy. But I’m running out of time, so it’ll do. Besides, what does one wear to meet a guy’s parents for the first time? It’s not like this is my first rodeo, but I’ve never dated a guy younger than me. So saying I’m worried about how his mother would react to me is an understatement.

  He claims this is all so his parents can meet Leah’s best friend, but I know better. If that were the case, Leah would have called me herself. This is more for him. It’s his way of merging his worlds, and I’m freaking the fuck out over it. To the point, I almost canceled on him. Twice. I didn’t move to Coldbank for this. Maybe I need more time with him before I meet his family.