“Don’t laugh, I do actually wear one sometimes. It gets hot out there all day. But, I’ll have you know that I’m not just working on the ranch anymore.”
“What do you mean? What else do you do?”
“I’m actually a fireman.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
“That’s cool man. I didn’t realize that. Yeah, I can see you as a fireman,” he said as he assessed me. “Congratulations. How on earth did you get into that?”
“Well, to start, Emily’s house burned down.”
He laughed. “Funny one.”
“No, I’m being serious.”
“So, you’re telling me that Emily’s house burned down, and you became a firefighter?”
“Something like that,” I chuckled. “Trust me; it’s a very long story.”
“Well, at least your life isn’t boring anymore.”
“Yeah, far from it. It’s certainly a far cry from my life as a real estate agent. Well, want to come over and meet Emily?”
“Do you I want to meet the woman that made you a much more pleasant man to be around? Hell yeah!” he said.
We took our coffees and walked over to the table. Both my father and Emily looked up in surprise that Ian was there.
I smiled. “Emily, this is my brother Gunner.”
“Gunner? Oh, you’re Ian!” she said. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Uh oh. Sounds like my brother has been talking about me. Good to meet you too, Emily. So, what do you call him? Grant or Patriot?”
I noticed that Emily went slightly pink at the question. “Both,” she said. She squeezed my leg, and I wished for a second that we weren’t sitting with my father and brother in a crowded café.
“Yeah, it depends on the situation,” I said and smiled at Emily. “But Ian here will always be Gunner to me.”
“And I’ll always be Pop no matter how many times I’ve asked him to call me Dad,” my father said.
Emily chuckled and leaned in. “So, can I count on the two of you to tell me everything there is to know about good old Patriot here,” she said, and everyone laughed.
“Oh, she’s a keeper,” Ian said to me afterward, when we were leaving the café.
I smiled. “She certainly is.”
Epilogue
Two years later
“You know,” I said to Grant as I reached out to take his hand. “Sometimes I still can’t believe that we’re living in my old house. Like I’m aware of it, obviously, but then sometimes it hits me and takes me by surprise.”
“Do you like it here?” he asked. “I mean, are you glad that I did this?”
“Are you kidding me? I couldn’t ask for a better house. And, I like living with you.”
“I like living with you too. Especially when you go to sleep like that,” he said and lifted up the covers to look at me.
I chuckled. The night before we’d fallen asleep after a rather vigorous love-making session, and I was now completely naked, as was he. He was right; it was a nice way to fall asleep.
“I also like that after two years of being together, our sex life is still this good.”
“I’d go as far as saying it’s even better,” he said.
“Patriot and Audrey are alive and kicking.”
“Now, what can I get you eat, my lovely girlfriend?”
“You’re making me breakfast?” I asked. To this day, Grant was not the best in the kitchen. He’d tried a few times, but he was never very good.
“Surprisingly, I can actually make peanut butter on toast without burning anything down. Unless you want me to attempt something a bit more extravagant today?”
“No, let’s stick to the peanut butter,” I said and grinned. He’d once managed to burn an entire batch of scrambled eggs. This was a safe bet.
“Okay, give me five minutes and meet me downstairs.”
I stretched out when he left and sighed happily. It had taken almost a full year to finish building the house. Mostly because there had been issues with contractors, and all sorts of other things that we hadn’t considered at the time. But Brady was patient enough to let Grant stay with him in that time, especially with Grant helping at the ranch so much. And I stayed in my house. But six months after moving in, he’d invited me to live with him, and I couldn’t say no. It still felt so much like my house, even though much of it had changed. And anyway, I was spending more time at the house with Grant then I was in my own house. It had been a big move, but a good one. I couldn’t imagine living on my own anymore now that I lived with him. We gelled well together, and so far hadn’t gotten on each other’s nerves.
I climbed out of bed, put my robe on and made my way to one of my favorite parts of the house. Grant knew how much I loved the kitchen in my other house, and so he’d fashioned this one to look the same. It even had a bright yellow wall. I’d cried when I’d seen it, and to this day it makes me smile.
“Morning wall,” I said as I did every morning.
Grant laughed and handed me my breakfast. He’d slathered on so much peanut butter that there was more of it then there was bread. I held it up in admiration.
“I do like the way you make this,” I said and smiled. “Thank you. So, what are you doing today?”
“Actually, I have to work at the ranch for most of the day. But I’ll be back to get you later. I’m taking you for dinner.”
“Oooh, you are? That’s cool. Where are we going?”
“Don’t worry about the details. Just get ready by, say, six this evening.”
I smiled. “A secret rendezvous. This is exciting.”
I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and went out to meet Terra for a quick coffee. Despite seeing her every day at work, we were constantly meeting up for coffee and wine. When I told her about the dinner that night, she gave a funny smile that I couldn’t quite understand and told me that I was going to have a great time. When I asked her if she knew where I was going, she said she couldn’t confirm or deny it. I assumed Grant had asked her for ideas. He was always phoning Terra when he wanted to do something for me. He knew that she was the number one person I went to and that she knew more about me than most people did. After meeting with Terra, I called my father, and we had a long conversation about his upcoming novel. He also invited me to come and stay with him the following weekend, to which I eagerly agreed. Every now and again we’d talk about him leaving when I was a child, but for the most part, it didn’t actually come up anymore. We’d moved past that, and I’d accepted the fact that he’d made a mistake. We were constantly working on our relationship, and I just felt happy to have a father in my life again.
At exactly six that evening, Grant showed up. I was surprised to see that he was all dressed up. Grant had become very casual since moving to Buffalo, but that was mostly because everyone else around him was so casual. And he suited the casual look. But still, he looked incredibly handsome standing in front of me in a suit and tie.
“Oh wow. You look amazing,” I said. “You got dressed there?”
He grinned. “Yeah. I knew getting Brady to build a bathroom at the ranch would pay off. So, are you ready for our date?”
“I sure am.”
“Come on, hop in the car. And Emily, you look absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I said. His compliments still made me happy.
“Oh no, I forgot my wallet at the ranch,” he said as we were just about to take off.
I laughed. “Is this your way of getting me to pay?”
“Ooh, I didn’t think of that. I’ll remember that for the future. Nah, it’s okay. We can swing by really quick before we head out. Anyway, there’s something I wanted to show you there. Might as well just show you tonight. It’s something I’ve been working on.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“Oh, you’ll see. It’s hard to explain. You know Brady and I. We’re always working on things to make the ranch more efficient.”
We got to the ranch and climbed out of the car. Grant took my hand and led me toward the barn. I’d been there a few times over the past few years, and I was always impressed with how much hard work went into making the ranch work. Grant and Brady were two of the most hardworking men I’d ever met. And while Grant worked full time with the fire department, he still spent a lot of his time helping out at the ranch. He loved it. The door was closed, so Grant got out his key and opened it. The moment the doors opened I gasped.
The entire barn had been transformed. Candles had been placed all around, and in the middle was a table and chairs, with champagne and a wide selection of food. It looked absolutely beautiful.
“What? You did this?” I asked.
“Yeah, this is where I wanted to take you tonight. I call this Restaurant Maxwell.”
“Oh, I love it here. I’ve heard rave reviews about this place, you know,” I said and chuckled. “I hear the owner is pretty damn hot.”
“Oh yeah? Come on, take a seat,” he said and gestured toward the table in the middle.
I kicked off my shoes, which seemed pointless in the barn, and walked barefoot to the table. I sat down and giggled as Grant poured a glass of champagne for me. He poured one for himself and sat down beside me.
“This is amazing, Grant. I still can’t believe that you did all this.”
He laughed. “And you thought I was working today. Nope, this is what I’ve been up to all day. I even convinced Brady to help me put it together.”
“Oh, I’m sure he loved that. This is incredible.”
“I’m glad you like it. I was so nervous all day, but I’m glad it all came together. Emily, I never thought I would ever find someone like you. I never thought that I’d ever be as happy as I am right now. For a long time, I just thought I was doomed to be a lonely man. I honestly believed that. But you showed me a different side to life. You showed me how to relax, how to laugh, and how to enjoy every moment of my life. Hell, your house got burned down and you still saw the good in life. You’ve shown me a whole new side of things, and I never want to let you go. I love you so much. I wanted to do something for you to show you how much you mean to me. I want you to know that I appreciate you and that I don’t take you for granted.”
“I love you too, Grant. And you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world. You don’t need to do anything to prove your love for me. Honestly.”
“I know. But I want to. Emily Audrey Wessler, will you marry me?”
I couldn’t believe what was happening. The tears came rushing down my face. Even though he’d gone out of his way to put this all together for me, I still hadn’t realized it was part of a proposal. No wonder Terra had looked so mischievous today. She clearly knew what was about to happen.
“Yes! Of course, I’ll marry you.”
He pulled out a small box and opened it up. Inside lay a small silver band with three blue diamonds. He’d told me so many times that blue was the color that looked best on me. And this ring was the exact color of my eyes, which I knew was no mistake.
“Oh, Grant. It’s beautiful,” I said as he slipped it on.
“And so are you,” he said. “And, of course, tonight we are celebrating with lots of food and lots of champagne. And yes, there’s lots of cheese and bacon. And, in case you’re wondering, I didn’t cook a thing. So you’ll be glad to know that none of the food is burned.”
I chuckled. “This is perfect.”
“Oh, but there’s one more thing,” he said and reached under the table to retrieve a box and handed it to me. The box was about the size of a shoe box, but incredibly light.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open it.”
I opened it up and pulled out the cutest bunny slippers that I’d ever seen in my whole life.
“Bunny slippers,” I whispered. “How did you know?” I’d never told Grant about my bunny slippers, which I used to wear all the time. I’d lost them in the fire and hadn’t been able to bring myself to buy another pair.
He laughed. “It’s a funny story, actually. Remember the first day I moved in with Brady? Well, I caught you peeping out from behind your car.”
“What? You did? I didn’t know you saw me! Oh, that’s so embarrassing. I remember you turning your head, but I thought I ducked down just in time.”
“You didn’t do it in time. I was just about to wave to you, but you ducked down under your car. It was pretty funny, and rather adorable to be honest. I couldn’t see any of you except your feet.”
“My bunny slippers!”
He smiled. “And after that, all I wanted to know was who the cute girl with the bunny slippers was. You had me intrigued from the very first day.”
I put them on and stood up to show him. “They’re even better than my last ones. They’re perfect. Thank you, Grant. This is by far the best proposal ever.”
“I love you, Bunny Girl.”
“I love you, Patriot.”
“Patriot, huh?” he said and winked at me.
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DIRTY COWBOY
By Alycia Taylor
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Alycia Taylor
Chapter One
Brady
It was Monday. So, as usual, I was up before five. Not that it being Monday really made much of a difference—I was up that early even on my days off. Even when I promised myself I would sleep in. I couldn’t help myself. My body had just grown accustomed to waking up early. People who thought that ranch life was easy had it all wrong. It was busy work, and I went to bed exhausted every night. Thankfully, I loved it. I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. Especially now that I’d gotten involved in rodeo, something I never would’ve considered doing a few years ago. It was Harold, the owner of the ranch, who had introduced me to it. He often held contests at his farm and made some extra money from it. Not that Harold needed money. He claimed the rodeo was good business for him, but I was sure it was mostly just a matter of him wanting a hobby.
I was sitting in the kitchen enjoying my coffee when there was a knock at my door. It was still relatively dark outside, and I jumped in fright. I grabbed my shotgun, opened the door and immediately pointed the barrel of the gun out. I put it down when I saw my brother, Grant, standing in front of me.
“Whoa! Are you crazy? You’re really taking your name a bit too literally these days,” Grant said.
Shotgun. The nickname had been given to me by the motorcycle club my father ran. He and my other brother, Ian, were big into the motorcycle business. At one time in my life, I’d been part of the club, too. Even though I now wanted nothing to do with the club or the bike shop my father and brother ran, the nickname had stuck. Although, being out at the ranch, Grant was the only one around who called me that. Thankfully, the longer Grant stayed out this way, the more the nickname was being dropped. I’d noticed him calling me Brady more and more often these days.
I chuckled. “Sorry about that, but what the hell are you doing here at this time of the morning, anyway?”
“I’ve run out of milk, and I didn’t want to wake Emily.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes, but inwardly I was smiling. Grant had lived with me when he’d first moved to Wyoming, and after years of living by myself, it had been nice to have some company. Although he lived right next door, it sometimes felt like we barely saw each other at all.
He used to help on the ranch often, but he worked full time with the fire department these days.
“Come on in. Why don’t you just have some coffee here? I doubt Emily will wake up anytime soon. I’m about to have some myself, anyway.”
“That sounds great. Thanks, man. Yeah, she’s fast asleep. She starts work at eight thirty, so she doesn’t even get up until about seven thirty. Can you imagine ever sleeping in until that time? It seems crazy to me. Although, she seems to think that waking up at this time is crazy. In her opinion, we are the nutty ones, not her.”
“I guess we are. It’s just so normal for us. Hey, why are you up this early? You’re not on the ranch anymore. Do you have to go in so early?” I asked as I poured him some coffee.
He shook his head. “Nah, I don’t. And even though I don’t work at the ranch anymore, I just naturally wake up at that time. It’s like ingrained in me or something. I don’t mind, though. It’s still my favorite time of the morning. And I’ve taken up jogging lately, which is perfect to do at this time of day. I’ll go jog, shower, and make food and Emily’s only just waking up at breakfast time. She’s always amazed that I’ve done so much already.”
I laughed. “So, you don’t miss the gym?” I asked. Grant had been a huge gym rat when he’d lived in Arizona. At one time in his life, it was the only thing he could talk about. I remember how he used to laugh at me when I told him how ranch work was the equivalent of three gym workouts a day.
“Oh hell, I don’t miss it at all,” he said and laughed. “Man, I was obsessed at one point. Remember? I thought about joining one here. Some of the other guys at work go, but I just don’t want to anymore. I get enough of a workout on the job, and I love my morning and evening jogs now. Don’t have to pay any membership fees for that.”
“You’re an outdoor guy now. I think you always were. So, how’s the wedding planning going?”
“It’s going well. I think we’re going to do something very low key. We both don’t want anything too extravagant. I’ll be honest, right now we haven’t done much planning, but we’re both not worrying about it too much.”
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