Bought by the Lone Cowboy

by E. Walsh

  The End

  29. New Friends

  By: Naughty Nicole

  New Friends

  © Naughty Nicole, 2016 – All rights reserved

  Published by Steamy Reads4U

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Warning

  This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+ years old.

  If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.

  * * *

  Chapter One

  It was first thing in the morning, the first day of spring, and Maria Campbell was happy to be going to work. It had taken her several years of trying in her younger days to find the perfect vocation that suited her personality, her interests, and her lifestyle, but she had finally found it five years ago when she opened her own art gallery.

  The gallery had somewhat of a rocky start, and for a while, she had considered that maybe switching careers at forty years of age was a bad idea.

  Now, with a little more time behind her and a successful boutique gallery to show for her efforts, she finally felt like she could settle down and really start loving her life.

  Every morning, when Maria headed from her little house on the outskirts of town to her gallery on the main stretch of downtown shops, she counted herself lucky.

  She was doing what she loved in a town that she adored, and really, there was not a lot more she could ask for out of life.

  Of course, she had never found the right person and settled down, much to her family’s chagrin, but it had never bothered her much until recently.

  After her most recent birthday, she had finally started to realize that she needed to find someone to share her wonderful life with. She had it all… except someone to love who loved her back.

  Unfortunately, Cat’s Haven was a small town, and there were not a lot of other openly lesbian women who lived nearby, which made it more than a little difficult to meet anyone who might be interested in her.

  Still, she had nothing to complain about, so she went to work every morning with a smile on her face, and closed up every evening pleased with the day, no matter how it might have gone.

  This morning was no different. As she unlocked the front door to the gallery and flipped on the overhead lights, she told herself it was going to be another excellent day.

  She had no idea how great it really would turn out to be.

  * * *

  Chapter Two

  Several hours into the day, Maria was thinking about breaking into the hummus and vegetable sandwich she had brought along for lunch when the door to the gallery opened.

  She had been sitting, perched on a tall barstool and flipping idly through a book on her tablet, but when the door swung open, she got to her feet and strode over to meet the new visitor with confidence.

  “Welcome!” she said brightly. “How are you today?”

  The girl who stepped inside was much younger than Maria, with big brown eyes and light chocolate skin to match. She had her thick hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she was wearing neutral makeup that only seemed to accentuate her pretty face even more.

  She was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a cat on it, over a pair of vintage jeans, and under a thin blue jacket.

  She looked a little out of place in an art gallery, but over the past five years, Maria had learned that no two customers were the same.

  Just because one dressed a certain way, there was no reason to believe all of the gallery’s visitors should match.

  “Oh, I’m good, thanks,” said the girl, shoving her hands into her back pockets and relaxing a little as she admired the art hanging on the walls. “I just got into town and heard there was a gallery around here. Glad I found it.”

  The girl’s relaxed style made Maria feel a little self-conscious in her dressy top and khakis. She caught herself hoping the girl would notice, at least, how good she herself looked among the artwork, but quickly shook off the feeling.

  The girl was attractive, yes, but Maria was at work. She was not about to start trying to flirt with her visitors, particularly when she had no indication of whether or not they were remotely interested in her.

  It had been a while since Maria had flirted with anyone, anyway, and she knew if she tried, she would probably just fall flat on her face.

  Instead, she said, “Well, I’m glad you found it, too. Right now, we’ve got three separate small exhibits from local artists, so there’s a lot to look at.”

  “Great!” The girl smiled and tossed her ponytail back over her shoulder with a flick of her head. “I’m all about local artists. I love to paint, myself, but I don’t even pretend like I’m good at it.”

  Maria laughed. “Same here, but every now and then, I sneak one of my pieces into the gallery just for fun.”

  “I’ll keep my eyes peeled in case you’ve done it today, too.”

  Still grinning, the girl dug out her wallet, paid the entry fee, and immediately disappeared behind a floor-to-ceiling display to admire the paintings that were hung in the back corner of the gallery.

  Maria left her to it for a while, but as time wore on and the girl still had not moved to a different part of the room, she wandered into the corner to check on her.

  “Do you need some help with anything?” she asked.

  The girl shook her head as if she was coming out of a daze. “I’ve just been so in love with this piece!” she said, pointing to a large painting on the wall.

  It was an abstract work made with mostly pastels, and Maria had been fond of it, too.

  “I guess I lost track of the time just looking at it. It’s so meaningful.”

  “I love that about art,” said Maria. “There’s always a way to find something deep and personal in it, no matter who you are.”

  The two stood in silence for a while, looking at the painting, each lost in her own world of imagining what it could have meant.

  Although they did not talk for several minutes, they both felt a strange sense of comfort and a draw to the other, simply by sharing the unspoken affinity for this unique work of art. Maria had admired this piece from the first time she had laid eyes on it, which was partially why she had chosen to center it so prominently in its display.

  Even the painter (a local man who spent most of his time holed up in his apartment creating abstract works) claimed he was not very fond of this one, but nevertheless, Maria had taken a shine to it, and she was glad to see that the girl did, as well.

  Finally breaking the spell, the girl turned to Maria with a smile. “I always feel so inspired when I look at art. Not to paint, or anything, but just in general. I find it very empowering, even when it’s something totally abstract like this. I guess that’s why I seek out local art galleries whenever I can.”

  Maria nodded. “I’m glad you made your way to my little corner of town, then,” she said with a smile of her own. “What’s your name, anyway?”

  “Rianna Jones,” the girl said brightly. “And you are?”

  “Maria Campbell,” she said, holding out her hand. The girl took her hand and gave it a gentle shake. The warmth of her touch gave Maria a little jolt.

&n
bsp; Maria said, “It’s a pleasure to officially meet you.”

  “Same to you,” Rianna said. “Do you have a mailing list or something to notify people when you get new items in? I’d love to come back by and see what new pieces you get in, now and then.”

  Maria could not help but perk up at that. She would really enjoy having Rianna around more often.

  Aside from clearly being impressed by the same types of artwork that Maria herself liked, Rianna was nice to look at, and Maria appreciated her down to earth beauty as she stood among the paintings that hung on the walls of the gallery.

  Of course, she could not very well say anything like this to Rianna, so instead she just gestured toward the front of the room.

  “You’re the first person to ever ask about something like that, but I’ll be happy to jot down your phone number to call you when something new comes in. You’re welcome anytime, though. Honestly, I’d be happy to have the company!”

  They walked to the front counter so Maria could put Rianna’s phone number in her computer’s contact list. Maria subconsciously memorized the number even as her fingers hit the keys.

  Even if this girl did not turn out to be a potential romantic interest, she would be fun to flirt with, and she seemed like the type who would probably not mind a little harmless appreciation from an older woman every now and then.

  Maria was about to say that she would also try to negotiate some small discounts on the pieces of art themselves, when Rianna’s phone vibrated loudly in her pocket.

  “Ah, shit,” Rianna muttered, pulling the phone out and glancing at it worriedly. “Listen, I have to run. I didn’t realize how much time I’d spent here.”

  She bit her lower lip, clearly worried about something, and plucked one of Maria’s cards from the holder on the counter. She stuck the card into her pocket and all but ran to the door, calling over her shoulder, “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

  Maria watched the girl hurry down the sidewalk and shook her head. “What a strange girl,” she said to herself, but she could not help but smile.

  It had been a long time since Maria had met someone who sparked such an interest in her, and she hoped Rianna would make good on her word and come back again sometime soon.

  * * *

  Chapter Three

  A few days later the little bell over the door tinkled and Maria looked up from her desk to see Rianna standing in the open doorway.

  This time, it was raining outside, and Maria did not recognize the younger woman at first. She was covered in a yellow raincoat, standing in the doorway and shaking water from her umbrella before she came inside.

  As soon as she realized who the woman was, however, Maria was on her feet, a big smile spreading across her face.

  “Hello again, Rianna!” she said.

  Rianna did not smile, which Maria immediately noticed. Previously, she had been a very chipper person, if not a little bit strange, and the lack of a smile on her face was startling.

  It seemed as though it took the younger woman a moment to register Maria’s greeting, but a few seconds later, a small smile did creep across her face. “Hey, Maria,” she said. “I’m sorry it’s been a while before I could get back over here.”

  “A while? It’s only been a week!” Maria said with a laugh.

  Rianna looked taken aback. “Really? Is that all? I completely lost track of the time. It felt like so much longer. I guess I just wanted to come back again so badly that it felt like time was dragging by.”

  Maria was not completely sure whether or not she was supposed to laugh at that, so she just smiled nervously and said, “You look great today!”

  The compliment was meant as a way to test the waters toward flirting with Rianna, while still remaining safely within the realm of something many female friends might say to each other after a few days of being apart. She hoped Rianna would respond positively to her thinly-veiled flirtation.

  “Do I?” Rianna finally laughed, although it was a small chuckle compared to her previous bubbly nature. She looked down at herself, covered in rainwater, and said, “You must not have seen very many people today, if you think this is looking good.”

  “I think you just pull it off well,” said Maria. “What brings you to town today?”

  “Not much. I just wanted to get out of the house for a little while.” Rianna pulled off her raincoat, trying to keep it from dripping too much onto the floor, and added, “Where can I hang this while I look around?”

  Maria, however, was not paying attention to her question. She was staring at Rianna’s arms instead. When the younger woman had taken her raincoat off, her sleeves had ridden up, showing most of her forearms in the process.

  Several bruises, some fresher than others, ran the length of her arms, and they looked as though they probably continued beyond Maria’s line of sight as well.

  She could hardly take her eyes off of the damage that had been done to this beautiful young woman’s arms, but she forced herself to make eye contact in order to be polite.

  When she looked back into Rianna’s face, the younger woman was frowning again.

  “You weren’t supposed to see that,” she said quietly.

  “I get the feeling you haven’t let anybody see that,” said Maria. “What happened to you?”

  “Car accident,” Rianna said.

  Maria shook her head. “That’s not going to fly with me. I know enough about bruises to recognize that not all of those happened at the same time. It wasn’t a car accident, so what was it?”

  “I didn’t do it to myself, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Rianna said. Although her secret had been discovered, she was in no hurry to leave, and Maria was glad to see that she was willing to talk about whatever had happened, at least to some degree. “I just wasn’t planning on you finding out about this so quickly.”

  Maria took a quick glance around the room. There was no one else in the art gallery at the moment. It had been a slightly more profitable day than she had seen in the past week or so, but as soon as the rain rolled in, her customers had disappeared and no more had taken their places.

  She would not be risking too much to simply lock up and devote her attention to Rianna.

  Without second-guessing herself any longer, she hurried over to the door, pulled it shut against the wind and rain, and locked it tightly.

  “There,” she said. “Now we can have a little more privacy, and you can tell me about what happened to you.”

  Rianna stared at Maria, clearly surprised by her actions. “Why are you doing this? Why are you closing up just because of me? You could always have some more customers today. You might be losing money by doing this.”

  “First of all, I don’t really expect anyone else to try to visit an art gallery in a downpour like this one,” said Maria. “But even if I had customers beating down the door, I would rather give you a chance to get this off your chest. You need a listening ear, I think, and I’m happy to offer that to you.”

  “Thank you,” Rianna said, and she offered Maria a small smile.

  “Why don’t you come into the back room with me? I’ll make you some tea.”

  Maria led the way, and she was happy that Rianna followed her without question.

  She did not want to think about it, but she was partially grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with this younger, very attractive woman, even if it was under less than desirable circumstances.

  Clearly, something had gone quite wrong in Rianna’s life, and Maria had no intentions of taking advantage of her in such a state.

  She could not shake the feeling of wanting to spend more time with Rianna, however, and so she was happy that the chance had presented itself, even if their conversation was not shaping up to be a very fun—or flirty—one.

  Maria showed Rianna to the back room and turned on her small hot water boiler as the younger woman settled down and made herself comfortable. They exchanged few words between themselves before the t
ea was finished brewing, and Rianna did not speak up much at all until she had sipped gingerly at the hot liquid for a few moments first.

  Finally, with a deep breath, she said, “It was actually my boyfriend who did this.”

  “Your boyfriend?” Maria tried desperately to quell the rising disappointment that she felt in her chest.

  Of course, a young girl like Rianna would have a significant other already. And of course, no matter how much Maria would have liked the woman to be interested in her, the chances were much greater that she was straight.

  This was not the time to let her own feelings get in the way of trying to help someone, however, and Maria desperately shoved the thoughts aside.

  Rianna had caught the way Maria’s voice had cracked just a little bit, and she looked up to meet the other woman’s gaze.

  “I’ve only been with him for about a month. Things got serious pretty fast, and before I knew it, he was pushing me around, figuratively and literally. It feels like it’s been a lot longer than a month, honestly. It feels like I’ve been trapped for ages.”

  “Why did you get involved with somebody like that?” Maria pulled the extra office chair around from its usual place in the corner to sit close to Rianna, hoping to offer some comfort in her presence.

  Rianna rolled her eyes. “That’s what people always want to ask, isn’t it? How could I get involved with a guy like that? But guys like that never start off acting that way. It’s something that develops over time, and something you really only realize when you’re in too deep to get away. If he knew I had told you he was the one who gave me all these bruises, he’d probably kill me.”

  “I hope you don’t mean that,” Maria said. “If you do, you need to get away from him right now.”

  “I don’t know if I mean it. Honestly, I’d love to get away, but he’d probably find me. This town isn’t very big, and you’re one of the only people I know. I don’t know where I’d run that isn’t just a hotel or something, and in a place like that, it would be way too easy for him to figure out where I am.”