by Rye Hart
He’d saved me. I knew that without a doubt.
Roped in By the Cowboy
Chapter One: Sydney
The sun is beating down on me as I drive through the flat lands of Middle America. My olive skin is drinking in the rays, thirsty for the warmth. A few strands of my auburn hair have escaped from my ponytail and are whipping about my face as I push the gas pedal to the floor.
I haven’t seen another soul in almost twenty minutes on this God-forsaken road, so I figure what the hell? I revel in the feel of the wind on my face, grateful that my oversized sunglasses are keeping the swirling dust out of my eyes. As long as I remember to keep my mouth closed, I can avoid the extra protein boost of a renegade bug, which means no singing along to the radio.
After what seems like forever, the outskirts of a small town come into view and I ease up on the accelerator. After a particularly rough year, my shrink had suggested I take a break from the rat race and “re-center my spirit,” whatever the fuck that means. All I know, is that I need a reprieve, and I need it bad. I sigh as the long journey is finally coming to an end. To be completely honest, I’m looking forward to some time away from my fast-paced city routine after the epic shit show my life has been over the past year.
I enter the small town and immediately start catching glances. Apparently candy apple red convertibles aren’t the norm around here. I sit at what must be the town’s only stoplight and smile to myself as I feel the eyes of nearly everyone on the street on me. I sit up taller and arch my back slightly, pushing my big tits out to strain against the thin material of my white tank top. I giggle as an old woman swings her purse at her husband who is openly staring now.
As the light turns green, I hit the gas and peel away from the intersection in search of the address Dr. Ferrell printed out for me. I leave the main street and all of its curious stares in my rearview mirror, waving as I go. Look out Sheepshead, Montana, Sydney Baines has arrived.
Barely ten minutes later, I’ve driven through the entirety of the tiny town and find myself on an open road with cattle pastures on either side of me. I slow down and slip my sunglasses down my nose to better read the addresses carved on the fence posts. I find the one I’m looking for and turn up the drive, my green eyes growing large as the house comes into view. I was definitely not expecting what is sitting in front of me.
The long, dusty driveway ends abruptly at a huge lodge of timber and glass. A large wraparound porch sports two rocking chairs that look out over the pasture land to either side of the home. The two-story structure boasts enormous windows along the front, centered by a massive oak door complete with large brass ring knockers. The only thing, besides the smell of cow shit, that points to the fact that I’m on a working ranch, is the beat up pickup truck parked in front.
I take a deep breath and climb out of my car, stretching my long legs from the drive. Propping my sunglasses up on the top of my head, I stride toward the front porch and the door opens before I am even up the steps.
“Holy shit,” I say out loud before I can catch myself.
“I’m sorry?” comes the reply of the Adonis that stands in the doorway.
I feel a blush creep up my neck and clear my throat. “Uh, hi,” I try again. “I’m Sydney Baines,” I say, sticking out my hand. Never in my twenty-seven years on this earth, have I seen a man this gorgeous.
He takes a step out on the porch and I realize that he’s even taller than I had originally thought. I’m on the tall side for a woman, standing nearly five foot ten and this guy towers over me. He must be well over six-five. His shoulders are broad, his hips are narrow, and his tousled black hair falls over his forehead. My palms are immediately sweaty and I try to pull my hand back but he reaches out and grabs it in his before I can. I nearly sigh as his large, calloused hand completely envelops mine.
His dark brown eyes take me in from head to toe and a smirk spreads across his tanned face. “Cole. Cole Parker,” he says, amusement clear in his eyes.
I know this look, and the immediate attraction I’d felt is quickly replaced by annoyance. This asshole thinks he’s better than me. I nearly yank my hand from his and stuff it in the pocket of my short red shorts. I notice that his eyes travel immediately to my chest and I take a step back, the heel of my wedge shoe catching on the top of the step. I feel myself start to fall, but before I can, Cole’s massive arms are around my waist. He hauls me up against his rock-hard chest and steadies me on my feet before letting go. He is still standing close enough that I can feel the heat coming off of him.
My heart is hammering in my ears and it’s not just from the near tumble down the porch steps. The feel of him pressed up against me has made me weak in the knees, and more than a little wet. Holy fuck Sydney, get ahold of yourself.
“Uh, thank you,” I manage to mumble as I smooth my clothes.
“Now I’ve had women fall for me pretty fast before, but that might be a record,” Cole teases.
My face immediately goes hot and I start to stammer out a response but he holds up a hand and stops me.
“Cool down Miss Baines, I’m only joking. Why don’t we get your bags and get you inside and out of the heat?”
As I watch him walk down the steps toward my car to grab my luggage, I can’t help but think that as long as I’m anywhere near Cole Parker, I’ll never be out of the heat.
Chapter Two: Cole
I look up at the clock and groan to myself. It’s nearly dusk and my “guest” is set to arrive any minute now. I don’t normally do this sort of thing but I just can’t say no to my Aunt Nora. Shit, if it hadn’t been for her, my brothers and I would have been split up and put into foster care. I owe her.
I get up from the chair and do another cursory sweep of the living room. It isn’t possible for any dust to have gathered since I checked five minutes ago, but I’m feeling on edge and need something to do. Some of the other ranches in the area rent out rooms to bored, rich city people for extra income, but that’s never been my deal. Besides, the ranch does pretty well and we don’t need the extra cash.
My younger brother, Luke, comes down the hall and tosses a smirk in my direction.
“Your new roomie here yet?” he asks.
“Shut up,” I throw back at him. “I don’t know why I let Aunt Nora talk me into this shit.”
“Uh, yes you do. Without her, we’d have nothing. So, she calls and asks us to do something and we do it. Come on, it’s only for a few weeks. It won’t be that bad. I’ll bet she spends most of her time in town or up near Billings where there’s more to do,” Luke reasons.
I shrug my shoulders and hope that he’s right. The last thing I need is some city chick hanging around while I’m trying to work. I’ve seen it before and the novelty wears off rather quickly for them every time. All they end up doing is getting in the way.
I shake my head as Luke raids my fridge before heading out the back door. He’s got his own place on the property near the back, but he likes to come up and do his grocery shopping in my kitchen every once in a while. He’s lucky I like him.
I see the headlights of the little red sports car come up the drive and pull to a stop next to my truck. Here we go, I tell myself, taking a deep breath. I walk over toward the front door and stop in my tracks, my heart skipping a beat. Aunt Nora never told me what this girl looked like. I could’ve used a warning.
Long, tanned legs unfold from the car and her high, large breasts jiggle a bit when she slams the door shut. Her auburn hair is in a messy pony tail and she tucks some loose strands behind her ears. She is tall and lean with killer legs and a rack to match. I can feel my jeans start to get tight just looking at her. This is going to be a long few weeks. Damn you, Aunt Nora.
I decide it’s better just to get this over with, so I step out onto the porch to introduce myself. I notice her take a step back and feel her eyes on me. I can’t help but smile a bit to myself; she thinks I’m hot. For the briefest moment, I imagine those long legs wrapped around my waist a
nd feel my balls start to tighten. I need to get a grip or I’m going to be in some serious pain here soon.
She steps back and nearly falls off of the porch. I react quickly and grab her around the waist, pulling her back up against me. The feel of those nice tits pressed to my chest is almost more than I can bear so I let her go almost immediately. I make a dumb comment and piss her off. Good, that should help. I can’t afford to have her looking at me like that for too much longer.
The scent of her shampoo fills my nose and I know that if I don’t get away from her soon, I’m going to take her right here up against the side of my rusty old pickup. I offer to get her things and step off of the porch before I totally lose my cool. I offer up a silent prayer that Luke was right and that she will spend most of her time up in Billings, because the thought of this woman in my house is making me nuts. Five minutes in and I can already tell that Sydney Baines is going to be trouble.
“So here is the living room and the kitchen. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. If there’s something you want that I don’t have, I’ll make sure to get it for you when I run into town day after tomorrow,” I tell her.
“I’m sure what you have will be fine,” she says, following me around the house.
I nod and continue on down the hallway. “This right here will be your bathroom and this will be your room.” I step back and let her check out the bathroom while I go and deposit her luggage in the guest room. I’m secretly hoping the three bags she’s brought don’t contain too many more outfits like the one she’s wearing. The sight of those sky-high legs is making me sweat.
Sydney joins me in the guest room and makes a noise of approval.
“It’s really nice,” she says. “You have a beautiful home Cole.”
“Thank you,” I reply. I like the way my name sounds on her tongue. “Are you hungry?”
Sydney shakes her head. “No, I stopped at a little diner on the road and had a late lunch. To be honest I’m exhausted. That drive really did me in.”
I nod in understanding. “Okay then, I’ll leave you to it. My room is up at the top of the stairs. If you need anything just holler up to me.”
“Thanks,” she says. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. All I want right now is to get out of these clothes and crawl under the covers.”
I bite my tongue to stop myself from offering to help her with the aforementioned undressing. I shake my head to clear the thought and leave her to unpack and get settled while I excuse myself to jerk off in the shower before I hurt someone.
Chapter Three: Sydney
Cole walks out of the room and I sit on the edge of the bed to take off my shoes. I don’t really need the extra height but I love the way they make my legs look. Today though, I was glad to have a few extra inches when facing off with Cole Parker. There is a coolness about him that both intrigues and frustrates me.
He clearly knows how good looking he is, which is normally a huge turn-off for me. I’ve dated way too many guys in the past who thought they were something special and it never turns out well for me. I sense that there is something different about Cole however.
He might know he’s hot as hell, but he doesn’t seem to be overly arrogant. The comment about women falling for him was meant to put me at ease, I can see that now. The problem is, I don’t think I’ll ever be at ease around him. He makes me tingle in places that haven’t tingled in too long and right now, I don’t need that kind of complication.
I came here to relax and recharge and that’s what I intend to do. I will not think about having sex with Cole Parker. Ok, I will probably not think about having sex with Cole Parker. Yeah, I’m more than likely going to think about having sex with Cole Parker. A lot. Shit.
I sigh and fall backward onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about the past several months. Not only did I lose my dad, my fiancé, and the biggest case of my career so far, I lost a piece of myself. That little boost of confidence I got at the stoplight back in town, was the first one I’ve had in a while.
I’m not a conceited person by nature, though I know I’m not ugly. I’ve got nice tits and an ass you could bounce an apple off of. I’ve always been smart; at the head of my class. I was valedictorian of my high school, graduated Yale at twenty-two and NYU Law three years later. I’d gotten a job at the first firm I’d interviewed with and had steadily climbed the ladder the past two years. Up until a few months ago, I’d been on track to be the youngest associate to make partner at Wallace and Crown.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, pushing myself back up to sit on the edge of the bed. I don’t want to think about any of that right now. Right now, I need a good night’s sleep.
The next morning I walk down the hallway, stopping to look at the pictures on the walls. Some are of Cole on horseback and I can’t help but be jealous of the horse. A few other pictures show two other men who look enough like Cole that they could be his brothers. Dammit, there’s three of them. Though in my eyes Cole is the best looking, the other two are nothing to shake a stick at either. At the end of the hallway, there is a picture of the three men with Dr. Ferrell.
“So, you’re the one Aunt Nora sent out here to us,” a voice from the kitchen catches me of guard and I jump.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” he says, coming into the living room and stopping a few feet from me. “I’m Luke, Cole’s baby brother.” He holds out a large hand much like his sibling’s and I take it.
“Nice to meet you Luke, I’m Sydney,” I say, looking up at the younger man. He’s nearly as tall as Cole and they have a similar build, but Luke’s eyes are grey and his hair isn’t quite as dark. He appears to be a few years younger than me and has an easy way about him that makes me feel at home almost immediately.
“Uh, yes. Yes, I’m the one,” I say. “Your aunt told me this would be a great place to get away for a bit of a vacation.”
“Really?” he asks. “I mean, it is nice and quiet and all, but there’s really not much to do around here.”
“Yeah well, that’s kind of what I need,” I tell him. “There’s too much to do where I’m from and sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming. Peace and quiet sounds pretty damn good right about now.”
Luke regards me curiously and shakes his head. I’m about to ask him what he’s thinking, when Cole comes down the staircase, pinning me to the wall with his eyes. He’s got on jeans and a tight, plain white t-shirt, his hair still damp from the shower. Damn he looks good. Suddenly my tongue feels like sandpaper.
“I could really use a drink of water,” I say and excuse myself.
Luke follows and points out where the glasses are kept. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he lets himself out and I’m left alone with Cole once again.
Chapter Four: Cole
I step out of the shower, feeling a little better after some sleep and releasing a healthy load of juice from my balls. It’s been too long since I’ve had a woman in my bed and the one downstairs has woken up the beast, so to speak.
I hear Luke’s voice drift up from the hall and quickly throw on a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt. For some reason, the thought of him being his usual charming self around Sydney is irritating the shit out of me. I feel the need to get down there fast before he does or says anything to pique her interest. I find myself realizing that I want her eyes on me and me alone.
What the fuck is happening to me right now? I’m a damn thirty-five-year-old man, not a high schooler with his first boner. I should call Aunt Nora right now and curse her a blue streak for sending Sydney here. I’m not running a damn Bed and Breakfast!
But no, I can’t do that; I won’t do that. Aunt Nora has been too good to us. So instead, I’ll suck it up and try my best to keep my dick in my pants for the next few weeks. I take a deep breath, give my cock a stern talking to and head down the steps. The minute I lay eyes on her, my stomach flips. Fuck. I’ve never been this attracted to a woman in all my life. I suddenly feel the need to get out of the house, an
d fast.
Sydney goes to the kitchen to get a glass of water and Luke lets himself out. There’s an awkward silence so I finally clear my throat and announce that I’m going out to check on the cattle. A look passes quickly across her face and I can’t quite read it. Was it disappointment? Relief?
“Ok, well I’ll probably jump in the shower and get cleaned up a bit. I drove through a lot of dust on the way here, and I feel like I’m covered in it,” she says.
“Yeah, that’s why you don’t see too many fancy sports cars out this way,” I say, sounding way more dickish than I meant to. Keep it up asshole and you won’t have to worry about getting her in your bed, she’ll take herself out of the running.
She’s just standing there staring at me so I feel the need to say something else. “Well, my home is yours for the next few weeks so make yourself comfortable,” I say, trying to sound a little more charitable. “And feel free to make a list of things you might want from the store.”
Before she can say anything else, I turn on my boot heel and practically run out the door. Good Lord, I need a drink.
“I have to admit big brother, I’ve never seen you look so flustered around a girl in my life,” Luke teases when I meet up with him in the barn.
I grunt and start to inventory the feed bags so I can put in an order. As much as I hate to admit it, Luke is right. Sydney has me tied up in knots like no other woman ever has and I’ve known her all of twelve hours.
“Why do you think Aunt Nora sent her here?” Luke was asking.
“To torture me,” I say, to Luke’s great amusement. He is loving watching me sweat this girl. “I don’t know, she just called and said she had a friend who had had a rough year and needed a break. She thought the fresh air and quiet might help and so she asked if she could send her out. I couldn’t exactly say no to her.”
Luke nods his head. “Yeah, the way she took care of us all those years, we kind of owe her a favor or two. Besides, Sydney won’t be hard to look at for the next few weeks.”