by S. E. Kloos
Elizabeth watched as the girls stomped away for a second before cupping her hands around her mouth and called out. “Watch out for the ‘Hoe-down’, Sugar Pie. Wouldn’t want ya to pop!”
The remaining four people stood staring at her for a minute before Mark snickered, which turned into a full on belly laugh. “Jesus Christ. That last one was fuckin’ perfect, Little Lady.”
Elizabeth just giggled while shrugging. “I have absolutely NO idea what the fuck most of what I just said was. I heard Uncle Marsh say the cow thing to a farm hand before, and she reminded me of this goat that he’s had for years that has had like seven kids, so she almost walks on her tits.”
Xander groaned a bit as he reached a hand out. After grabbing his girl’s wrist, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her back to lace his fingers together. A smoldering look entered his eyes as he looked at his girl, watching as she looked off to where Lynn and Margaret went with a light glare on her face.
After a minute or so, she turned her face up to him and cocked a brow. “You ain’t ever done anything for her to be all stalker wanna be with you, have you?”
Cocking a brow right back at her, he asked, “Beg pardon?”
“I told you what happened at the rodeo with her and that other chick when you came to my house for dinner, remember?”
Rolling his head on his shoulders a few times, he recalled something about it, but not the whole conversation that pertained to Lynn. Shaking his head, “Not really, no. I tend to not really pay the damnedest bit of attention to anythin’ that has to do with her. I think I have said maybe ten words to the bimbo over the last three years. However, I have told you that I don’t even raise my voice to lady, no matter how they act.” Jerking his head toward the bitch in question, “That just happens to be a side effect of bein’ raised to be nice to ladies... no matter what.” Then he smirked at her. “You jealous, Little Darlin’?”
Glaring at him, Elizabeth cocked a brow. “What would you have done if the situation was reversed?”
There was no need to think about that on his part, “I’da laid him out. ‘Course, I ain’t got a problem admitting I’ma jealous and overprotective sumbitch though, and I won’t give a fella a warning ‘fore I break bones.” Leaning down to place his forehead on hers, he lowered his voice while looking in her eyes. “The only arm my girl hangs on is mine. You got any problems, now’s the time to say so, Little Darlin’. I ain’t ever had any issues fightin’ for what I want.”
Moving his hands down to hers, he laced their fingers on both hands before wrapping his arms back around her. “I don’t do nothin’ half-assed, never have. I also don’t start nothin’ I don’t intend to finish. I make my intentions clear from the git-go, no matter what those intentions might be. I ain’t had an actual titled girlfriend since I was teenager ‘cause I don’t play games. I’m too old for that kind of bullshit, but I want to you to be my girl. Once this cast comes off in a few weeks, I want you to come with me when I travel because I wanna look at ya whenever I want, not just when I happen to be in the area. I wanna hear ya cheerin’ me on when I ride. I wanna finish teachin’ you to ride. I’m in this for the long haul, Little Darlin’, but I want back what I put in. If ya can’t, or won’t, give me what little I ask for, ya need to tell me now.”
Elizabeth blinked at him before sighing. “How do you know you want all that with me when you don’t really even know me?”
Xander just shrugged a bit. “We got our whole lives to find out the finer details, Little Darlin’. If I’ve learned anythin’ from my profession, it’s that when you want somethin’, you go for the whole hog.” Knowing that she would probably take exception to the metaphor, he continued before she could interrupt. “You give it everything you got, ‘cause one false move, and you can lose it all.”
Finally pulling back a bit but still looking in her eyes, “This is all I need to know. I really like you and want to know everythin’ ‘bout you, and I don’t wanna learn it over the phone.” Giving her a smile and poking the tip of her nose, “Think about it, Little Darlin’. You got till this cast comes off to decide.”
Elizabeth cocked her head to the side, already knowing that come a month from then, she wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye. “How far north do you usually go?”
Xander blinked at her a few times before asking. “What?”
Elizabeth just shrugged. “If I’m gonna be running all over the country with some guy, I’m pretty sure there is an unwritten rule about my daddy needing to know about it and I’m also pretty sure he’s gonna wanna meet him.”
Smirking the most panty-soaking smirk she had ever seen, Xander cocked a brow at his girl. “Just like that? What ‘bout all that shit ‘bout not knowin’ each other yet?”
A challenging look sparked in her eyes. “I thought you said we had our whole lives to figure that out?” Then she shrugged, “‘Sides, you only live once, right? Why not do it in such a way that the church pickets your funeral? To another point, we still have about a month before you get your cast off. We have time to learn the big stuff before then.”
Letting go of one of her hands, but using the arm that was still around her to pull her flush with his chest, he used his now free hand to crook a finger under her chin, tilting her head back and lifting her face up to his. There was a wide range of emotions swirling in his eyes as he looked in hers. “You ain’t gonna regret this, Little Lady.” Dipping his head down, he sealed the deal, their agreement, with a kiss.
Chapter 17
As time passed and got closer to the day that Xander was set to see the doctor for his medical clearance to ride again, he and his girl spent most of their free time together; so much so that her aunt, uncle, and his parents also noticed. One or the other was nearly always at the other’s house. They never did anything that gave clues as to the seriousness of the budding relationship, but none of the four older adults could find a single thing bad about how close they were becoming. Marshal and Steff were elated that their niece was actually -finally- smiling like they remembered. Jim and Bev thought the world of the girl, as well as the impact she had on their younger son. As a matter of fact, they figured they had her to thank for the fact their hell raisin’ son had managed to go for so long at home without them getting a call from jail.
Xander was just enjoying listening to his girl talk about her time in school, her friends back home, and this guy Cole he was actually looking forward to meeting. The way she spoke about her daddy reminded him of how he spoke of his mama, when he really got going. She didn’t talk about her mother much, something he could understand after the first time she told him about her. He didn’t press her for too much, just the random question that she would willingly answer if she knew it.
Xander was set to get it cast off in two days, but he decided to push his departure back. His mama wanted him to stay for the weekend, so she could have a barbeque before he left, since he wouldn’t be there for his birthday this year. Never one to turn down him mama’s barbeque and everything that it entails, he was quick to agree to her terms, but only after he wrangled the promise of her apple pie out of her.
The pair had talked about how Elizabeth was going to tell her guardians that she was leaving with him in a week, when he went back out on the road. He had already registered for different events over the next six weeks. Apparently, the return of Xander ‘Xan’ Steele from medical leave had sold out nearly every arena he was set to ride at. She had been absolutely astonished at that. He had simply shrugged it off, saying that he had been doing this a long time, and you don’t do it as long as he has without acquiring a following. He had also made it a point to make sure she knew that he was only interested in hearing her voice calling his name. Xander loved his fans, he really did. He wouldn’t be as big a name or get into half the shit he did without them, but he could certainly do without the groupies.
In the end, they had agreed that the most straightforward way was probably the best. Elizabeth decided she was going
to tell them that night when she got home, to get it over with, instead of waiting for the last minute. The last thing she wanted was to hurt their feelings or anything like it.
Currently, they were in Xander’s room stretched out on his bed, Elizabeth reading a book while Xander was reading over a packet of rules and regulation for the arena he was going to be at first. When his girl decided she was tired of the quiet, she snatched them out of his hands. He didn’t move a muscle, his hands up like he was still holding the papers, an amused smirk on his face as he watched her wave the papers in his face. Moving his eyes from the packet to her, he cocked a brow. “Somethin’ on ya mind, Little Darlin’?”
Tossing the papers on his end table, she moved around to sit on his lap, putting her chin in her palm before whining. “I’m bored.”
Propping himself up on his elbows, he smiled at her. “That a fact? Well, whatcha wanna do?”
Giving a rough shrug of her shoulders, she shook her head a bit. “I don’t know. I just know I’m bored.”
Xander hummed a bit before looking out the window, then at his watch. “Well... if ya want, and we leave now, we can make the trip to town, and get to the drive-in before the show starts.”
Eyes lighting up, she squealed at the offer. “I haven’t been to the drive-in in forever.”
Giving the hips his girl was sitting on a light buck, he urged, “Well, come on then. Like I said, we gotta leave now if we gonna make it on time.”
Leaping off him, Elizabeth whirled back around to face him. “Are we gonna bring anythin’ with us?”
Shaking his head while smiling slightly at the thickness her accent had gotten to in the months she was in town, he glanced at her. “That’s what they created concession stands for. We’ll bring blankets and stuff for the truck bed, but we don’t have the time for much more than that.” Xander cocked his head to the side, trying to remember if the air mattress that he kept in the bed was there, or if he had taken it out.
When he couldn’t for the life of him remember, he shrugged, planning on it not being there as he and his girl pulled the blankets and pillows from his bed. After a quick stop off at the linen cupboard for a couple more, they were headed down stairs, making a stop in the kitchen for a couple of six packs for afterwards. They were actually for Saturday, but he figured he could just replace them later.
As Xander was loading the blankets and things into the truck bed, he paused, turning to the front of the drive when he saw his parents pull in. After closing the hatch to the steel box, he turned to lean on the side of the truck as they pulled up next to him. Once their truck was stopped, he went to his mama’s door and opened it for her, giving her a hand out.
Smiling up at her youngest, “Why thank ya, Sugar Pie.” Once she was out, “You and Elizabeth headed out, Xander?”
He nodded to her, “Yes Ma’am. We headed to the show tonight.”
“Well, that sounds nice. I hate to be a bother, Sugar, but before you go, would you mind givin’ your pa a hand right quick? I swear, he stubborn as a ol’ mule, and I worry ‘bout him hurtin’ his back again.”
Smirking at his mama, he just nodded. “No problem, Mama. Show me what you need me to carry and where you want it.”
All she ended up needing him to carry was the half steer and half pig for, apparently, the huge barbeque she was having on Saturday. Kyle had shown up to help with the rest of the bags of veggies, fruit and junk foods. He did try to help finish taking in the groceries, but he was shooed away by his mama, telling him they were gonna miss their movie if they didn’t get on the road. Kyle was more than capable of carrying a few bags. So, with a kiss to his mama’s cheek, he and his girl were on their way to town.
They got to the drive-in just before dark as the previews started, giving them about ten minutes to get the bed set up. So, he left her to that as he went to concession stand, coming back with a whole mess of crap, since neither of them had eaten much that day. He was starving and, for as little as the girl was, his Little Darlin’ could eat just about as much as he could. Where the hell it went, he couldn’t tell ya, but the girl could eat. Though it was strange, it was something he adored about her. That ‘I’ll just have a salad’ shit when out to eat annoyed the ever living hell out of him. The way he saw it, if they were supposed to eat rabbit food, the little Betty would have been born a fucking rabbit.
His favorite thing she had done thus far when out was about a week ago. He took her to a new steakhouse that had just opened and when she ordered a steak, the waiter asked her how she wanted it cooked. She looked at him with this innocent little smile and said, “Why dontcha just walk outside, take a chunk out of the cow’s ass, and put it on a plate. That’ll be just fine.” As it turned out, she has an iron and protein deficiency, which gives her a hard time digesting red meat cooked past a certain point. The redder the meat, the easier it was on her stomach.
Getting back to the truck, Xander handed over the ‘box’ of food, smiling at her when she let out squeal followed by, ‘Thanks, I’m absolutely starvin’. He climbed up into the bed, sitting next to his girl against the cab. Grabbing a couple of drinks out of the steel box next to him before handing one to Elizabeth, he threw an arm over her shoulders and pulled her right up next to him, settling in just as the movie got started.
If you were to ask him tomorrow what they went to see, he wouldn’t be able to tell you. He had spent most of his time watching her. He would take a guess at it being a horror flick, though, since his girl spent the majority of the time with her face turned into his arm. Every once in awhile, a small gasp or the occasional shriek would come out as she jumped a mile before tightening her grip on his arm, bringing a smile to his lips or a chuckle from his throat.
Little more than halfway through, he had pulled her into his lap and wrapped both arms around her, tucking her into his chest, kissing the top of her head before lowering his lips to her ear. “Jesus, Little Darlin’, it’s just a movie. Settle on down now, Punkin.”
Looking up at him, Elizabeth shook her head. “Why did we decide this was a good idea again? Why the hell would they play something like this?”
Xander smirked at her. “Oh, that’s an easy one, Sugar Britches. This is how the little ladies rope their fella into takin’ ‘em to the movies. They only give the name of the first movie to play then tell the poor bastard that they sat through the slasher so now they owe ‘em the chick flick that comes on next.”
Shaking her head and tucking it under his chin, she whimpered out. “I don’t like it.”
Rolling his eyes, Xander smiled at the top of her head. “You wanna go? We don’t gotta stay if it’s gonna scare ya like this.” When she nodded against him, he patted her ass, telling her to gather up the trash and not look at the screen while he put the blankets up. Since it was Saturday, he was thinking the honky-tonk was a good idea.
Chapter 18
When they pulled into the bar, it was already packed, the party of the night already in full swing. After a stop at the bar, Xander led his Little Darlin’ out to the dance floor, twirling her around to the opening bars of the next song.
By the time the song was over, Elizabeth was all smiles and giggles, the horror movie forgotten in lieu of being twirled around the floor. For the fact that he still had a boot cast on his foot, it certainly didn’t slow him none. Matter of fact, if you didn’t know it was there, you never would have guessed.
They danced for a few hours before Xander asked if she was ready to go. There was something he wanted to show her, and this was probably going to be his last chance to do so before they left. The week they were looking at was a busy one, so time was going to be too tight for him to be able to take her again.
The drive was about twenty minutes before Xander pulled off the main road onto a dirt path, staying on that for a few miles before the trees cleared and the path opened up to a small lake out in the middle of the woods. Looking at his Little Darlin’, Xander winked at her expression before cutting the engine. Keeping
the radio on, he hopped out of his truck, going to open her door.
Elizabeth just stared at the picture the scenery made. The moon reflecting off the water, the fireflies twinkling across the field and lake... it looked like something in a painting. It was beautiful.
Opening her door and picking her up out of her seat like he always did, Xander smiled at his girl as he set her on her feet, then turned to look over the area. This was his favorite time to come here. The best part was, it was on the back end of his parent’s land, so there was literally no one to worry about... except maybe Kyle. With a quick text to him, that worry would be gone, too.
Looking back to her, Xander jerked his head back. “G’on now, I know you wanna chase them bugs.”
She did, too. Catching fireflies was something she hadn’t done since she was a kid so, with a giggle, she popped up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. Ducking quickly under his arms, she tore across the field to where there were thousands of the little fuckers, just ripe for the pickins.
Xander chuckled before calling after her. “Careful now, Little Darlin’. There are all kinds of rodents that dig holes out there.” He snorted when she called back some sort of nonsense, turned to the truck bed to grab a couple of blankets out, and then dropped them on the ground. He pulled out his phone to send that text to his brother, smirking a bit at the ‘have fun’ he got in return.
Looking after his laughing girl, Xander knelt down, pulled up the leg of his jeans, and began the task of taking off that god forsaken boot. He moaned in near orgasmic bliss as he dug his nails into his skin, his eyes rolling up into his head before sliding closed. He couldn’t wait until he didn’t have to put the thing back on, ‘cause it itched like a mother fucker. Turning to sit on his ass, he kicked his actual boot off, took off his sock, then pulled his shirt off after digging his cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting one up and leaning on his palms. Shifting slightly to get comfortable, he looked out over the water while his girl got the kid in her out.