Cowboy Outcasts

by Stacey Espino

  Callum was used to taking care of himself. He’d broken a rib a few years back. Arden had bound him tight and the wound healed without the need to visit an overpriced doctor. Many of their injuries over the years were brawl-related as opposed to accidents working the ranch. They were two to be messed with before Arden decided he wanted more out of life and moved out. It seemed his brother took Callum’s courage with him when he left.

  He carefully dabbed at her knees with iodine on a cottonball as he crouched in front of her. Callum noticed her legs weren’t half bad, long for a woman of her height. When he’d glance up to see if she was in pain, her big, blue eyes were crystalline with unshed tears.

  “What’s done is done,” he appeased. The last thing he needed was a woman crying her eyes dry in his house. He wouldn’t have a clue how to comfort her. Women were a rare commodity in Callum’s life. The townswomen rejected him on sight, and the last time he’d travelled to the city for a one-night stand was when Arden still lived at home.

  “I should have waited ‘til morning.” She sucked air in through her teeth as he cleansed her wounds. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Damn straight it won’t. In fact, maybe it’s best if you head back to the university tomorrow morning.”

  “No,” she snapped. “Please…please give me a little time to prove myself.”

  He grunted, checking her legs for other injuries. When she reached out and touched his face, he froze. “What’re you doing?” He instinctively grabbed her wrist and held her in place.

  “Your face. It’s bleeding.”

  Callum hadn’t even catalogued his own injuries, only concerned with the girl. He was alive, that’s all that mattered. “It’s nothing, I’m sure,” he said.

  “Let me help.” She bent over and grabbed a cottonball from the medical kit on the floor. With one hand she secured him, gently cupping his face at the jaw. With the other she blotted the wounds. “It’s my fault you got hurt.”

  “I’m a cowboy. I’ve lived through much worse.”

  “I can see that,” she said. “You have a lot of old scars.”

  She began to explore his face with a fingertip, running it along the faint white lines of old injuries he remembered well. Each one told a story. The touch was new to Callum but so was the look of concern on Hailey’s face. People didn’t care about him. He was so used to being disregarded that he was leery of any kindness.

  “Nothing to trouble yourself over.”

  “Are you hurt anywhere else? You had quite the scuffle.”

  “I said I’m fine.” He stood up and backed away. Tension was making his tics act up, but this was different than before. She brought new unfamiliar feelings to the surface, ones he had no desire to explore. Whether nerves or attraction, it was best to keep his distance from the scientist and let her do her job. Love was not in the cards for a misfit like Callum.

  She rose to her feet just as quickly, only reaching his chest in height. He could toss a slight thing like her over his shoulder in a heartbeat. “Take off your shirt so I can make sure. Look, it’s torn and stained with blood.” She snagged his shirt, making him feel more claustrophobic than ever.

  Three, two, one. One, two, three. Three, two, one.

  Callum brought his hand over hers. “Don’t,” he warned. She didn’t know what she was getting into looking up at him with those big, deceptively innocent blue eyes. She’d destroy him if he allowed it. Luckily he was used to depriving himself of female companionship. It had been a long dry, fourteen months since the last time he enjoyed a woman’s body. Ms. Watson wasn’t going to change that now, bringing temptation to his doorstep in the guise of charity.

  “Are you afraid of me?” She smiled, a slight curve of the lips. He was just being paranoid. What was wrong with allowing her to care for his injuries? He’d just done the same for her. It meant nothing.

  He tugged off his T-shirt, not wanting to appear more abnormal by refusing her offer. So far Hailey wasn’t repulsed by him and his frequent subtle noises, which were quickly becoming louder and more difficult to control. He didn’t want to change that now. She stared at his bare upper body for a long moment before acting. He wondered just how bad his injuries were if she was at a loss for words. Callum looked down, patting down his chest and abs. “What is it? You see something, darlin’?”

  She walked around him, trailing her hand from his stomach, around his side, to his back as she moved. It was a slow, sensual drag, which had the unwelcome reaction of making his cock thicken in his jeans. “Your back,” she murmured, running her fingers down his spine. “You’ve been a little gored yourself.”

  He felt perfectly fine. “You sure about that?”

  “Sit. I’ll clean it up,” she said.

  Callum sat down sideways on the chair and leaned over his knees. She rummaged through the medical kit for a minute, and then he felt the cool swipe of iodine on his broken skin. Whatever he had, it couldn’t be serious. But for some reason he humored the girl, allowing her to continue touching and caring. It was addicting.

  Arden never planned to marry and was quite vocal about it. He frequently told Callum that a good woman was a rarity. That their mother was the last. He supposed he’d come to believe it, not even bothering to look. If he did, it wouldn’t be a girl like Hailey. She was too naïve, her skin flawless and youthful. He estimated her to be in her early twenties, young and fickle, but she claimed to be twenty-six. She wasn’t even his type. He supposed the sun-kissed streaks in her dirty-blonde hair were pretty, as was her little pixie nose. No. He was just repressed, his dick trying to find beauty where it shouldn’t.

  The kitchen was like a morgue—quiet and uncomfortable. He had nothing to say, so just allowed her to finish bandaging him up.

  “Where are your parents?” she finally said. The question was a simple icebreaker, but Callum never responded well when asked about his mom and dad. He bit the inside of his cheek before speaking.

  “Gone,” he said. “Buried back home. It’s what they would have wanted.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  He shrugged. Callum wanted to tell her everything. There was so much stored inside him never given a chance to be said or shared. His parents had toiled and struggled since arriving in the country decades earlier. His mother was pregnant with Arden and he came along three years later. In all the time they worked the land, they never returned to Ireland. Arden and Callum worked extra hard to save enough money to send them home for their wedding anniversary—it would be the last trip they ever made. The airport shuttle that picked them up from the airport went off the road, killing everyone instantly when it veered into oncoming traffic. The coroner said the driver went into a diabetic coma, but the cause didn’t change the outcome. At least they died in their homeland, which was a small consolation to the tragedy that left two brothers alone in the world that didn’t want them.

  “That was a long time ago. The wounds aren’t fresh.” He stood up and reached around his body to feel the edge of the bandage Hailey had applied. “Am I fit to leave, nurse?”

  She stared at him, a silent connection passing between them. He wondered if she felt the same thing, or if he was just so damn deprived of attention that he’d read something into nothing.

  ****

  Hailey was at a loss for words. The man had the body of a god and had just wrestled a wild boar with his bare hands to protect her. She couldn’t help that her heart pitter-pattered to a new beat, one spelling out Callum’s name. Why did he remain so aloof? Did he only see her as a problem to deal with? Did she want him to look at her with lust in his eyes?

  She was probably still in shock after having that wild animal trap her in the woods for so long. She’d been cold, terrified, and hopeless. At one point she’d given up, expecting never to see the light of day again. Then she heard him call her name—her savior. He was the most unlikely hero after being so abrupt with her earlier. Now she was seeing a softer side to him, although
he tried to keep it under lock and key.

  Callum retired to his bedroom and she settled in Arden O’Shea’s old room. It felt like a presence lingered with all his personal items still on display. After slipping out of her clothes, putting on an oversized T-shirt Callum provided, she quietly padded around the room. She pulled open one of the wooden dresser drawers and found a small photo album. Hailey couldn’t resist slipping it out. With only the gentle radiance of lamplight, she cuddled on the bed to look through the pictures. Most were of rodeo events with several men in the pictures. Then she came across a few of Callum and Arden. They looked a lot alike, both devastatingly handsome. What on earth could have alienated them from the rest of the town?

  When she heard footsteps creaking along the wooden floorboards outside her door, she shoved the album under the extra pillow and pulled the covers over her. The door cracked open an inch. “You still awake?” he asked.

  “Come in.”

  The door opened fully and a nearly nude cowboy strolled in. He’d taken off his hat, shirt, and even unbuckled. His Wranglers dipped so low she could spy the masculine trail of dark hair disappearing behind his zipper. “I don’t like that you didn’t eat tonight. It’s my place to make sure you have food. There’s bread in the kitchen and I have a small vegetable plot to the side of the house. You help yourself.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You comfortable?”

  “It’s–It’s great.” She fiddled with the edge of the blanket. Part of her felt like a love struck twelve year old, shy and awkward, while another yearned for him to ravage her. It was an odd mix of desire and fear sparked by the way he stared at her. Even with the long shadows cast on the wall behind him, she could still make out the intensity in his eyes. What was he thinking?

  “If you need me I’ll be just down the hall.”

  She nodded politely, her voice not capable of working.

  “And you can find me in the fields come morning.” With that he slipped out the way he came, his footsteps outside the door marking his retreat. She felt bereft once he left but also exhausted from the day’s events. For the first time, she fell asleep dreaming of impossible fairy tales rather than research notes.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning, Hailey knew she had to get started on her research as soon as possible. Callum wouldn’t put up with zero progress, especially after the nightmare she’d caused yesterday. Planning out her research on paper was a lot different than implementing it in the field. She began to doubt her ability to get the job done. The wild hogs were lethal creatures if not handled properly. Studying them would be difficult in the day since they acted mostly at night. She figured lack of food in an overpopulated species was the main culprit. Finding a solution was more of a challenge. She had to come up with a long-term answer, not fall for short-term fixes like traps, shotguns, and poison suggested by many.

  Once outside, she spotted Callum’s combine in the fields. He wasn’t too far off, so she cut through the field to reach him. The earth rumbled as the machine harvested the wheat.

  “Callum!” she called out over the roar of the engine. Hailey wanted him to show her the areas being destroyed by the hogs. She’d also brought him a little picnic lunch as a peace offering.

  When he still hadn’t heard or noticed her, she moved ahead so he’d spot her in his line of vision. It worked because he quickly cut the engine, the motor winding down as silence once again returned to the morning.

  He leapt down, adjusting his Stetson as he strode towards her. “That’s a dangerous thing to do. You could have become another statistic if I hadn’t spotted you.”

  “I brought you something,” she said, changing the subject. Irritating him again hadn’t been her objective. She held out the brown paper bag.

  “What’s this?” he asked. Callum’s brow creased as he peeked into the bag. “Food?”

  “I thought you might be hungry. You’ve been at it since before I woke up.”

  “My day starts with the sun, sometimes before.” He held the bag at his side, waiting for something more.

  “I was going to start my research. I need to know what areas on your property the hogs are destroying.”

  “It’s a bit out of my way right now, and I have to get this field clear before it gets too hot. Come sit for a bit.”

  He returned to the combine and sat on the metal running board. She noticed the small scabs forming on his face, reminding her of the night before. Hailey was tempted to run her hand over the stubble on his jaw, to use his injuries as an excuse to touch him.

  “I’ll have to head into town today to pick up my clothes.” And everything else she owned. It would all fit in the back of her pickup. There was no sense leaving it at the boarding house another few days when she’d be forced to leave before she finished her assignment on the O’Shea Ranch. All she owned were some clothes, tons of books, and a few personal items. She chose not to put value in material items. As a child, Hailey learned that expensive toys couldn’t buy love. She’d have traded everything for some quality time with her parents.

  He took a bite of the apple she’d packed him, looking off into the fields he had left to clear. “I’ll come with you if you can wait a couple hours. I need to pick up a few things at the market.”

  “Okay.”

  Callum finished the fruit and tossed the core. He continually cleared his throat even though they were in the middle of summer and he didn’t appear sick. He was dealing with more than she could imagine. “Want to take a quick ride?” he asked, nodding to the massive machine behind him.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Come on now. Don’t be a yellow belly. After last night, I think you can handle a ride on a combine.”

  She reluctantly agreed, allowing him to assist her up into the mouth of the beast. There was seating for two, everything covered in a thick layer of dust. Just before she sat down, he passed a rag over the metal bench. The random kind gestures were a stark contrast to his frequent black mood swings.

  Once he fired up the engine, her entire body shook. Hailey didn’t know how he could stand clearing fields for hours. The machine was so noisy it was deafening, the dust and sun a constant irritant.

  “Wanna drive?” he shouted.

  She shook her head.

  He scowled. “Don’t be shy. Come here.” Callum grabbed her arm and directed her to where he sat. He lowered her onto his lap, something she wasn’t expecting. A rush of heat and tingles erupted once his strong arm came around her. “Hold here,” he said. “Keep it straight.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You’re doing fine. I’m right here if you need me.”

  She felt like a child sitting on a grown man’s lap, but the ideas swirling in her head were anything but wholesome. He leaned forward against her back, monitoring her actions. Both his arms were around her waist, one securing her to his body. Her traitorous pussy began to pulse in deep, distracting waves. This was so unlike her. Her entire life was based on her research, of finding a place to belong beyond her controlling family. She supposed she’d been trying so hard to make it on her own that she stopped caring about the woman on the inside. If she failed, proving her parents right, it would destroy not only her self-esteem but also something deeper—the sense of independence she valued.

  Now, being in this cowboy’s arms, feeling carefree and alive, she never wanted to return to her old way of life. It felt so good just to talk to someone about anything other than research—to be held, touched, and coddled.

  She squealed when a dark cloud of black birds suddenly descended in their path. Callum only laughed, reassuring her with a kiss to the side of her neck. Her breath hitched. Had he really just kissed her? Was it a friendly peck or something more? It felt like more—like the energy of the entire world trapped into that one moment. She tried to play it off, as if it never happened. It would save her from misreading his intention.

  “We’ll stop when we get to the end of the row,” he said, poi
nting ahead. When he shut down the engine once again, her unease increased. She shifted over to her own seat, not knowing what to say or do.

  He leaned over and set one of his big, rough hands on her thigh. She had to stifle a gasp. “How’re your knees healing?” He assessed her knees and came to his own conclusion that they needed more tending. “Not so good. I’ll soak them in Epsom salt when we get back from town.”

  She didn’t refuse him even though she knew it was unnecessary. Hailey loved the way he looked out for her, going that extra mile when he didn’t have to. The vulnerable girl inside yearned for his acceptance, while the woman knew not to rush into things.

  They walked the rest of the way to the house, their hands occassionally brushing. The heat was already growing in intensity. His checkered shirt was unbuttoned, and he used the corner to wipe his brow. She discreetly admired his ripped abs, surprised how just a simple look could make her body so needy.

  “So, how do you plan to rid me of my hog problem, darlin’? Any ideas?”

  “I–I’m not sure yet. There’re a lot of variables.”

  “Well they’ve plum near destroyed all my wire fencing, and made a mess of my winter wheat crop. I hope you have some ideas.”

  She hoped to God she made a success of her stay. There was no way she could tell him she was clueless, only used to livestock and textbooks. These feral hogs were something new and dangerous. If she admitted that she may not even succeed, she’d never get a grant and would be homeless to boot. She had to make it work.

  When they arrived at the house, Callum wanted to take a quick shower before heading into town. She fixed her hair in the dresser mirror as she waited, using Arden’s comb to smooth out the knots. Hailey rarely gave much thought to her appearance. Now she cared. She wanted Callum to look at her with hunger in his eyes.

  She set the comb down and stared at her reflection. What are you doing, Hailey? She was setting herself up for more disappointment, looking for love in the wrong places. Callum lived on his own for a reason. If he’d wanted a woman, he would have had one by now. He was wrong for her on so many levels but her attraction was undeniable.