Dirty Cowboy

by Alycia Taylor

  “Of course I remember Aaron.” Aaron was Terra’s ex-boyfriend who moved to another city for a job. She still referred to him as ‘the one that got away.'

  “Well, Aaron was good friends with Byron.”

  “Ah,” I said, and my face reddened.

  Byron and I had an on and off relationship for a few years in my early twenties. We were terrible as boyfriend and girlfriend, but we constantly found ourselves in bed together. We were both very attracted to each other despite our personalities clashing.

  “You see! I told you!” she said in triumph.

  “What exactly did Aaron tell you?”

  “According to Byron, you were a sweet little thing in your normal life, but that you were anything but innocent in bed. I mean, it’s really only the men that you sleep with that get to see your tattoos, right?”

  “That has nothing to do with anything. You’ve seen them.”

  “Well yes, but I’m your best friend. And I’m going to marry you if you don’t find the man of your dreams by thirty. So I’m an exception. So, back to Grant. How are you going to hold out for a week?”

  I looked at her in shock. “I haven’t had sex in a very long time. I think I can hold out for another two weeks. I mean, what do you think of me? That’s even if I have sex with him in the first place. I mean, we’ve only had one date.”

  “I saw that kiss. You want him. And it’s the very fact that you haven’t had sex in such a long time that is going to make waiting even harder.” She was mirroring my own thoughts which I had desperately trying not to conjure.

  “Well, even if that’s true, I’ll just have to wait. I’m not sleeping with him at your house or at Brady’s house for the very first time. I can wait.”

  “Or,” Terra said with a mischievous grin. “I can go and stay with my mom the next time that you need the house to yourself. I don’t mind doing that for you.”

  I chuckled. “You’re impossible, Terra. We’re not going to have sex. I don’t even know if I want to.”

  Terra grinned at me, and I quickly looked away. It was pretty obvious that I’d been thinking about it as much as Terra thought. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t wait two weeks. I barely knew the guy. I could wait.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grant

  “So, how do you feel about working in an office again?” Brady asked me as we worked in the shed together.

  We usually worked in different areas of the ranch and only really saw each other for food breaks, but today we were working together, and it was nice. I rolled a barrel over to the other side of the room and then stopped to look at him.

  “I don’t think I could do it again.”

  “What about the gym? Don’t you miss it?”

  I laughed. “I honestly thought that gym was the best thing in the world. Little did I know that I was using it as some sort of escape every day. I don’t need a gym with all of this work. Imagine going for a workout on top of all of this. No thank you.”

  “Yeah, that would be madness. Some people think that life on the ranch is easy, but it’s not at all. Although, we’re pretty much our own bosses out here, which is nice.”

  “Tell me about it. I like that we get to do our own thing. As long as we get the work done, there’s nobody really telling us what to do. It’s definitely something I could get used to. But, as nice as this is, it’s good to get out too. Come on, Shotgun, don’t you ever want to meet a girl? Start a family, all of that?”

  Brady groaned. “Are we really having this conversation right now?” he said and shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess so. But I like being alone, and I’m only twenty-six. I have plenty of time for all of that. And I want to meet someone that is okay with my lifestyle. I don’t want to change for anyone. This is who I am.”

  “Actually, I know what you mean. But I’m sure there are plenty of women out there who are looking for someone just like you.”

  “Have you looked around? We’re part of a small farming community in Buffalo; it’s not like there are new people moving in all the time.”

  “Hey, I’m new, and I already went out on a date. With someone that was your neighbor for like forever. You could’ve asked her out too, you know.”

  “Nah. She’s beautiful and all, but she’s not my type.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “What exactly is your type?”

  “Now that, Patriot, is the question of the year. I have no idea. I guess I’ll know when I see her.”

  “I guess so. Do you sometimes think that we have a messed up view of family life because of our own family?”

  Brady didn’t meet my eye; he just continued working. But I could see the question had shaken him a bit. “Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it lately. It’s not like we had a very different life or anything and I know there were families worse off than ours. But we were five brothers growing up with our father. We had no women influencers for most of our lives. I just wonder sometimes what that did to us.”

  “I think we turned out okay,” he said.

  I shrugged. “I guess so. Speaking of family, when are you going to talk to Pop?”

  “Ah, we’re not going to talk about that again, are we? Let me guess; he wants you to go back?”

  “He wants me to at least visit again. He loves us, you know.”

  “He loves you, Patriot. And he loves his motorcycle club.”

  “He loves all of us. But yeah,” I said and laughed, “he sure does love that club. When is the last time you even went there?”

  “To the clubhouse? I don’t know. Years ago.”

  “Do you know Gunner ran the club while Pop was away in the hospital?”

  “He did? I can’t picture him standing up and talking in front of all those people.”

  “Yeah, he was nervous about it. He didn’t want to. He kicked up quite a fuss about it, actually, and got all angry like only Gunner can. But he did it. He got up there. I was there the day that he had his first meeting, and he was incredible.”

  Brady looked up. “He was?” Even though it was slight, I could detect a sense of pride in his eyes.

  “Yeah, he was great. He reminded me so much of Pop. He has something in him that he doesn’t realize. He’s got a natural flair for leadership. He just has to stop being so goddamn stubborn about everything.”

  “Is that secretly an insult to me? Are you trying to call me stubborn in a roundabout sort of way? Because you know how I feel about that club?”

  “Why do you hate it so much? It’s a part of our lives.”

  “Why do I hate it?” he said and sighed with so much dramatic flair that I knew he was trying to make it seem worse than it was. “Oh, come on. You know why I hate it. The club is bullshit, man. It’s just a bunch of men who get together to talk about bikes and to pretend like they really give a damn about each other. It’s all pretentious nonsense, and I am glad to be out of there. And everyone is always pretending to get along when nobody really cares about anyone but themselves. That’s how it always was, that’s how it still is, and that’s how it will always be.”

  I sighed. I didn’t believe one word of it. Brady used to love going to the clubhouse. We used to go there all the time together as a family. Back when things were good between us. I hated that he was so against it now, and that he was so against our father. Why did I seem to be the only one that was fine with everyone? I seemed to be the only one that hadn’t inherited the stubborn gene.

  I thought about saying something else, but I knew we’d just be going around in circles. That’s how it was with us. Brady would never back down and tell me the real reason that he hated the club or why he wouldn’t speak to my father. Nobody wanted to talk. And I wasn’t going to change their minds. They’d have to come to the realization on their own. So I gradually changed the subject until we were talking and laughing again like usual. Brady didn’t get upset about many things in life, but bringing up family or the motorcycle club were guarantee
d to rile him up.

  Later that day I decided to leave work early and surprise Emily at work. I still hadn’t had the chance to call her and I wanted her to know that I was still thinking of her. I figured a visit would be better than a call, and it would be nice to see where she worked. Also, I wanted to step away from the ranch for a little while, and give Brady some breathing space. I knew he hadn’t quite forgotten everything that I had said earlier that day.

  “Uh, hi, Terra, nice to see you,” I said as Terra opened the door.

  She cocked her head to the side and gave me a look that I could only assume meant ‘what are you doing here?’ I couldn’t figure out if the look was good or bad. For someone that was so small she sure was feisty.

  “Grant? Hi, nice to see you. Is Emily expecting you?”

  I shook my head. “No, she’s not. I hope it’s okay that I came over unannounced like this. I just thought it would be nice to come by and say hello. Is she busy?”

  “Nah, it’s cool. She’s not busy. Her last client left a little while ago. We’re both just about done for the day. Come on in, I’ll take you to her room. She’ll be happy to see you.” I breathed a sigh of relief to hear Terra say that.

  I followed Terra down the passageway and into a room, and tried not to chuckle at the surprised look on Emily’s face.

  “Emily, there’s someone here to see you. Call me when you’re ready to go. And Grant, nice to see you again,” Terra said and walked out the room. At least, for once, she wasn’t hanging around to stop us from kissing.

  I grinned at Emily. “So, this is where you work? It’s nice,” I said and looked around.

  The room was clean and neat, but one wall had been dedicated solely to kids’ drawings, which was an incredibly sweet touch, and one that I was sure Emily had come up with herself.

  She smiled. “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d come and say hello. I was in the area.”

  “You were?”

  “No,” I said honestly. “But I felt like saying hi. I remembered you telling me where you worked. It’s nice to see you again.”

  “It’s nice to see you too,” she said and smiled shyly.

  “I’m sorry for not calling you. The day after our date, I got called in by the fire team.”

  “Oh no, another fire?”

  I sighed. “Yeah. Can you believe it? It happens more than you think it would. It was a pretty bad one, but thankfully no one was hurt. And I got to run in and save a cat.”

  She chuckled. “That sounds like a scene from a movie.”

  “I thought the same thing when I was doing it. His name was Peanut, and he didn’t seem at all grateful that I had just come in to save him.”

  She laughed. “That sounds like something a cat would do. I’m sure he was secretly happy and trust trying to act cool. Well, I’m glad nobody was hurt. And don’t worry about not calling. I could’ve called you too. I actually wanted to, but it’s been a busy week. I found a house, by the way.”

  “You did? That’s wonderful. That was quick.”

  “Yeah, I found the most amazing agent. She showed me five places in one day, and I went with the first one that I saw. I haven’t moved in yet, but I should be in the next week or two. And it’s wonderful. I’m very excited.”

  “That’s great news. Look, I won’t keep you because I know you’re about to leave for the day. But I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner with me tonight?”

  “I’d love to go out with you again. But tonight is not good. How about Friday?”

  “Friday sounds perfect. I’ll pick you up.”

  “Great.”

  I walked over to her and kissed her quickly and softly on the mouth. Then I smiled. “Looking forward to it.”

  I went to say goodbye to Terra and then walked out feeling happy about how my life was going at the moment. Only a few months ago I was starting to feel depressed, and now I was doing work that I enjoyed and about to see a girl I really liked for the second time. I couldn’t complain. Peter had been right about me getting out of that job and changing my life. I’d always be grateful to him for that.

  As I left her office, a man was standing nearby glaring at me. I wasn’t sure what it was about him, but he made me feel uncomfortable. I glared back at him and then walked away. Then I felt bad as I realized that the man might just be having a horrible day, just as I used to have back as a real estate agent. So I turned around to give him a smile. But he was staring at the building with a scowl, and not looking at me at all. I shrugged and walked away. It was clear that everyone was fighting their own battles. Hopefully he had his own Peter to make him change his life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Emily

  “Come on, we better get going,” I said to Terra that morning.

  “So early? But we haven’t even had coffee yet. And you know we both need coffee!”

  “We can make at work. Mr. Dalton is coming this morning. And I’d like to be there before he gets there.”

  Terra laughed. “You’re such a suck-up. But yeah, you’re right. Let’s go. Anyway, the coffee is better at work. I don’t know why we even bother with having here.”

  We made our way to work and arrived half an hour earlier than usual. Mr. Dalton arrived ten minutes before opening time, so we’d done the right thing. We were just making coffee when he walked in.

  “Wow, girls. You’re here early.”

  “We’re always here early. Best to get a nice start on the day before anyone comes in,” Terra said and smiled so brightly at Mr. Dalton that I almost believed her myself.

  “Yeah, we’re early birds,” I lied. “Nice to see you again Mr. Dalton. Would you like some coffee? I’m already making some for Terra and me, anyway.”

  “Coffee would be great. Do either of you ladies have some time this morning? I thought it would nice to sit down and have a talk about everything that’s been going on. I haven’t been in to see you in such a long time, so if you have any suggestions on improvements or any complaints you can let me know.”

  “Oh, we both have about an hour this morning until anyone comes in.”

  “Wonderful.”

  I finished up the coffee and took it over to the table where Terra and Mr. Dalton were already sitting. He spoke to me about my house and how awful the whole thing was, and then he said that he was going to up both our pay for everything that we’d been through.

  “But I haven’t been through anything,” Terra said.

  “Oh, but I can’t up Emily’s pay and not yours. You are both equal parts of this company. Do you know why the series Friends did so well for such a long time?”

  “Why?” I asked. I wished Mr. Dalton would come around more often. He always had funny and interesting anecdotes to tell.

  “Because one day they discovered that they were all getting paid differently. So they told the producers that they would not be part of the show unless all of them got equal pay. The producers gave in and said yes, and there were never any problems between them. They worked together seamlessly for ten seasons of the show.”

  I smiled. “That’s nice. I didn’t know that.”

  “Now, is there anything you want to talk to me about?”

  “Actually, there is something I wanted to mention. Something that we’re both not sure what to do about,” Terra said. Then she looked at me. “I’m sorry, Em, but we need to talk about it.”

  I groaned. I didn’t want to bring anything up with Mr. Dalton, and I’d asked her not to do the same. But Terra obviously thought she was doing this for my well-being. Mr. Dalton was looking at us expectedly, and I knew there was no going back.

  I sighed. “Okay, fine. Well, Mr. Dalton, do you know the little girl that comes here called Wendy? She’s the one with the scar on her mouth.”

  “Wendy, yes of course. Sweet little girl,” he said fondly.

  “She is. But her father, well, he’s not so sweet.”

  Mr. Dalton sat up straighter. “What do you
mean? Has he done anything to you?”

  I shook my head. “No, no. Not really. He asked me out on a date a few weeks ago. I always thought he was a very nice man. He’s a good-looking guy and seems to really care for his daughter. But despite this, I didn’t feel anything for him. Not only that, but I had no interest in dating a patient’s father, especially when I didn’t see it going anywhere. Anyway, so I turned him down, and it was fine but a little awkward. The following week he asked me out again. He brought me chocolates and everything. I turned him down again. I was very polite and explained that I was looking to date at the moment. Anyway, a week later, he heard about my house, and he invited me to stay at his house. He said he had a spare room.”

  “And,” Terra interrupted, “I heard all three times from my office. He didn’t do it in a sweet way. Maybe the first time. But not the second or the third time. He was a little pushy and a whole lot creepy. I don’t know, Mr. Dalton, we just don’t feel very comfortable with him here.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because of Wendy. I don’t want to tell him to stop coming because she’s the one that is going to suffer. I can’t do that to her.”

  “Do you think he is cause for concern, though?”

  “I’m not sure.” I looked at Terra and shrugged. “No, maybe not. Maybe we’re both just being paranoid. The good thing is that he only ever comes when his daughter is coming in. And he wouldn’t . . . do anything in front of her.”

  “That’s true. But still, I don’t like the thought of some creepy man here when the two of you are alone. Maybe I should look at installing a panic button or something.”

  “Yes! Great idea,” Terra said.

  I groaned. “A panic button. Oh no, I think that maybe I’m just being paranoid. I’m sure we don’t need to go to those lengths.”

  “Let me think about it, Emily. And will you both do me a favor and keep me updated on the situation? Is he coming in today?”

  “Not today. And yeah, we’ll definitely keep you updated. Thanks, Mr. Dalton. I’m glad we told you.”

  “I’m glad you told me too. It’s best not to keep things like this to yourself. The more people that know, the better. Then we can all keep a lookout for you.”