Count This Cowboy In
By
Misty Malone
©2014 by Blushing Books® and Misty Malone
All rights reserved.
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Malone, Misty
Count This Cowboy In
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62750-3785
Cover Art by Owlight Designs
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the author's advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
The Strange Healing
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Chapter 1
Samantha Simmerly pulled into a Motel 6 parking lot and looked around. She wasn't in Texas and she wasn't real sure how she felt about that. She'd been born in Texas, grew up in Texas, went to college in Texas and unfortunately, gotten a job and ultimately gotten fired in Texas. But still, Texas was home.
Sam, as she was known to everyone who knew her at all, shook her head to clear those memories and squared her shoulders. Just because Texas had always been home before didn't mean she couldn't make a new home somewhere else.
She wanted to forget about what all had happened the last three years. Sam headed west, then changed her mind and went north. Or northeast, she wasn't paying real close attention. She simply turned onto whatever road looked inviting. Somehow she had wound up in a little town in Oklahoma before she stopped. Now looking around again, this didn't look like a bad little town. She much preferred small towns over big cities and after her fiasco trying to make it in the business world, she'd finally admitted to herself that no matter how much she tried to forget about it, ranching was now and probably always would be a part of her. She'd grown up on a ranch and it was in her blood.
First she went to the little mom and pop's grocery store and bought a newspaper, then drove three doors down to the diner and took the paper in with her. Once she ordered a hamburger and fries, she opened the paper to the want ads. She was so engrossed in the paper that she didn't notice the waitress standing there with her dinner.
"You looking for a job? Maybe I can help. What kind of job you looking for?"
Sam jumped a bit, startled by her words. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," she said, quickly moving the paper out of the way. As she folded it up, she said, "Actually, yeah, I am looking for a job. I want something, anything to do with ranching. Do you know of anything around here?"
The waitress's eyes grew as she asked, "Ranching? Do you mean like being a cook or housekeeper or something like that?"
With a slight frown Sam answered, "Yeah, I could do something like that. I'd rather be one of the hands, but I realize it might be a little tough to get a job like that."
The waitress didn't even try to hide a smile as she asked, "Seriously? A little thing like you wants to be a ranch hand? Have you ever even been on a ranch?"
Sam squared her shoulders and held her chin high as she said, "Of course I have. And for your information, I'd make a damn good ranch hand." Seeing the waitress's hurt look, she quickly softened her voice and said, "I'm sorry, it's been a long day. But to answer your question, yes, I have certainly been on a ranch. And I know it would be difficult to get a job as a ranch hand, but I have experience keeping the books. Maybe I could do something like that, or a cook. I'm not a bad cook."
The waitress's smile returned when Sam apologized. "I like you. I'll bet you could do anything you set your mind to." Setting the hamburger down, she said, "I'm Sally. I'm not sure about any of the ranches around here looking for someone like that right now, but I'd be happy to do some asking for you. Give me a day and I should have something for you."
Now Sam looked surprised at the waitress. She held her hand out to her, saying, "Hi, Sally, I'm Sam. Do you really think you could ask around for me? I'd appreciate that. There's nothing in the paper."
Sally laughed. "You're right there. There's nothing in that paper at all. It's pretty useless. Let me do some checking for you. Some of the ranchers and a lot of the hands come in here to eat. Why don't you go get you a room at the Motel 6 and come back in tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have something for you."
"Okay, thanks, Sally. But why the Motel 6? Is it nicer on the inside than the outside? It looks a little run down."
Sally laughed as she said, "Because the Motel 6 beats sleeping in your car at the roadside rest down the road."
"Not a lot of choices around here?"
"You could say that," Sally answered with a grin. "That's why the ranchers and hands come in here to eat. It's us or McDonald's."
Sam smiled. "Motel 6 it is then. Thanks for your help, Sally."
"No, thank you for giving me something to do. I've got a mission now. This'll be fun. Why don't you give me your phone number. If I come up with anything I'll call you right away."
"I'd appreciate that."
When she left half an hour later, Sally promised, "I'll call you when I find something. You just go get a room and rest. You look tired."
"Thanks, Sally, I'll do that." She hadn't realized it before, but Sam was exhausted. She'd driven all day, only stopping once for gas and a bottle of water. She turned around and headed back to the motel, hoping their beds were comfortable, anyway.
* * * * *
Sam woke the next morning to the sound of the alarm clock. No, wait, it was her phone. But who would be calling this early? Glancing at her watch, she was shocked. It was eight o'clock. She never slept that late. She reached over and grabbed her phone and managed a groggy, "Hello?"
After a giggle, an energetic voice said, "Wake up, sleepyhead. I have a lead for you."
"What? Who is this?"
"Boy, you really aren't awake yet. This is Sally at the diner."
Sam bolted upright. "Hi, Sally. Sorry. I can't believe I slept in. You have something for me?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure if it's really what you're looking for, but I thought I'd pass it along to you. It's better than nothing."
"At this point I'll look into just about anything. What is it?"
"The Babbling Brook Ranch is looking for a lady to be their cook and housekeeper. That's all I know about it. One of the hands was in this morning. He didn't know how much it pays, or if room and board come with it or anything else. He just knew they were looking for someone."
"Hey, it's worth a phone call anyway." Sam got the number and promised to tell Sally what she found out.
Sally called two more times during the day with two more leads. Sam called them both and set up an interview with each.
Sam waited until after the majority of the evening rush had been in to eat before she went to the diner. Once
things slowed down, Sally sat down across from her new friend. "I thought of one more person you may want to call, but I'm not really sure he's looking. Have you gotten ahold of any of the three ranches I told you about?"
"Yes, I did. Thank you so much for your help, Sally. I have interviews at all three of them tomorrow. Can you tell me anything about any of these ranches?"
"The Babbling Brook Ranch is owned by a man in his early sixties. His wife died a few years ago and he hires a lady to clean and cook for him. His kids are all grown and moved out of the house, so it's just him. It doesn't sound like it should be too bad, but it seems like no one he hires stays very long. I'm thinking maybe he's hard to get along with or something. Or maybe he doesn't pay much. I don't really know."
"Okay, I'll remember that. Thanks. How about the others?"
"The Crooked Elm is looking for a cook for the ranch hands. I don't know much about that job, either, except that it's a big ranch. You'd probably be cooking for a lot of men."
"I wonder if they'd hire a woman. Ranches usually want a man since they're around men so much and then they stay with the men in the bunkhouse. I was actually a little surprised that they set up an interview. Maybe they're desperate."
"Maybe."
Sam thought a moment, then said, "Maybe they'll offer me the job, but no place to stay. How much is it going to cost me to get an apartment or something around here?"
"There's not a whole lot of vacant apartments around and The Crooked Elm's a ways out of town. It would probably be at least 20 minutes each way, maybe more."
"That would mean I'd be getting up really, really early. I'll have to be sure and ask if the job includes a place to live. Thanks for warning me, Sally. How about the other one you told me about, The Bar T?"
"The Bar T's closer to town, maybe a ten minute drive. They're looking for a housekeeper and cook. The couple that owns that seems nice. They have four kids and he runs the ranch while she teaches. I guess she'd rather spend her time teaching than taking care of her house and cooking." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I can't really say as I blame her. I'm not much on cooking, either. That's why I'm out here waitressing and not in the kitchen cooking."
Sam smiled. "Not me. I'd rather cook the food. Thanks for these leads. Did you say you know of another one?"
"Well, maybe, I'm not sure. Trevor Nottingham runs The Circle N. His sister used to live there, too and she did the bookkeeping and ordered what he said they needed. I guess she kind of did all the office work. Anyway, she just moved to Connecticut, so I assume he's doing it all himself. If he is, he may be looking for some help."
"You haven't heard that he is looking for anyone?"
"No. His sister, Carol, was a friend of mine. When their parents died, he inherited the ranch and she got the summerhouse in Connecticut. Last summer when she was there on vacation she met a guy and fell in love. She just got married a couple months ago and moved there, so I assume Trevor's doing it all himself. It's a good-sized ranch, so I don't know how it's going for him. He may be looking for someone to do what she did."
"That'd be great. I'd love a job like that."
"Then give him a call. You can tell him I gave you his name. The worst that can happen is he says no." After they visited a bit more Sam left, anxious to call Trevor and see if he would at least talk to her. That sounded like the best job of the four.
* * * * *
Sam was up early the next day, dressed and in the diner for breakfast by 7:30. As Sally gave her more coffee, she asked, "Did you get ahold of Trevor?"
"I left a message on a machine, but he hasn't called me back yet. I was hoping he would and maybe I could talk to him today, too. Oh, well. I'll just have to see what anyone else says. If I get a job offer maybe I can ask for a day to think about it and see if he returns my call."
"That sounds like a good idea. You be sure to come back in here tonight and let me know which job you took."
Laughing, Sam assured her. "I'll be in for supper and I'll fill you in."
She went out and climbed into her old Ford pickup and headed off toward The Crooked Elm and her first interview.
Two hours later she was thinking about the offer she'd gotten, while on her way toward The Babbling Brook. They had offered her the job, but didn't have anywhere she could stay. By the time she neared her next stop, she was hoping one of her other possibilities panned out.
As she was going down a straight stretch of road she saw a small herd of cattle in a pasture by the road, acting awfully antsy. She looked around in the pasture and spotted what was spooking the cows. Down low in the grass was a wild boar! She looked straight ahead of it and sure enough, it had its eyes set on a calf. Sam pulled over to the side of the road and grabbed her gun from behind the seat. She quickly loaded it as she got out of the truck and moved a little closer to the pasture. Just as she got her gun aimed at the boar a few of the cows crashed through the wooden fence and the boar took off after the calf.
With no hesitation Sam fired and the wild boar dropped. She ran towards it, getting close enough to tell it was dead, then took off back in the direction the cows had gone. Luckily for her, when they heard the shot they ran to a nearby clump of trees and brush and stopped. She was able to go around and come in behind them and easily herded them back into the pasture. She was standing there studying the broken fence, trying to decide how to give it a good enough temporary fix to hold them while she went to find the owner, when a man came riding up on a horse.
She could tell he was a bit leery of her and she didn't blame him a bit.
"Are you the one doing the shooting out here?" he asked.
"Yes, I am. I shot that wild boar over there in your pasture as it was taking off after a calf."
His eyes shot open wide as he looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw the dead hog and looking back at her asked, "And the fence?"
"A few of the cows were antsy and when the hog got too close they went through the fence. I got them back in, but I'm not sure how to fix the fence without any materials. If you want, I can wait here and watch the cattle while you go get a couple boards and hammer and nails. That'll fix it for now."
The corners of his mouth turned up as the cowboy said, "I know we haven't met because I'm sure I would have remembered you. My name's Joe. I'm the manager here at The Babbling Brook. Are you from around here?"
Reaching out to shake his offered hand, she said, "I'm Sam Simmerly, nice to meet you. From Texas originally, but I'm looking for work here. Did you say The Babbling Brook?"
"Yes. That's whose cattle you just rescued. Thank you for that, by the way."
"You're welcome. I couldn't just watch that feral pig take a calf. Uh, I'm looking for a Ralph Morton. Can you tell me where I can find him?"
"Ralph's up at the house. Just go down this road a little further and you'll see the entrance to the ranch. What are you looking for Ralph for?"
"I have an interview with him."
"For a job?"
"Yes."
Smiling, he asked, "What kind of job?"
Smiling back at him, she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Ranch hand. Think he'll give me the job?"
Joe outright laughed before saying, "Sam, I think you'd make a fine ranch hand, but there ain't no way in hell Ralph would hire you."
"Why not?"
"There's no way he'd have a woman ranch hand. He's old school all the way."
"Yeah, I figured as much. Actually, as much as I'd like to be a ranch hand, I didn't think I'd ever get hired as one. I'm here for the job as cook and housekeeper."
"I'd say you've got a better shot at getting that, though you look more like a ranch hand."
"I am more of a ranch hand, but I'll take what I can get. At least this'll pay the bills." What he said sank into her head then and she said, "Oh, my gosh, I didn't even think of that, though. I probably should have worn a dress instead of my jeans. Will that keep me from getting this job?"
Smiling again, Joe said, "I hon
estly don't know. I sure hope you get the job, though."
"Why's that?"
"You'd definitely add some excitement around here. Can you cook?"
"Of course I can cook. Why?"
"Because I usually eat supper with Ralph every evening and we discuss the ranch. I'd have a ringside seat to watch you and Ralph butt heads."
"What? Why do you think we'd butt heads?"
"Like I said, he's old school. He thinks a woman should wear a dress and cook and clean and ––"
When he paused, Sam offered, "And not open her mouth?"
Joe grinned as he said, "Something like that, yeah."
She shook her head. "Joe, it was nice meeting you, but I'm wondering if I should even go talk to him."
"Your choice. Like I said, I'd love to have you workin' here, but I have to admit, I can't see you bein' real happy about it."
"Well, I told him I'd come talk to him today and I keep my word, so I'll at least go talk to him." She glanced down at her watch and said, "But if I don't get going, I'm going to be late." Looking back at the fence, she said, "But since I probably won't take the job anyway, if you want to go get the wood you need to fix this, go ahead. I'll watch the cattle until you get back."
He looked back at the fence a bit before saying, "If you'll help me a minute here I think we can prop this back up with this log. That'll last for a half hour. I'll be back by then."
Working together, they got it fixed temporarily. Joe said, "Thank you, Sam. You go on up to the house and talk to Ralph. If you're late, tell him you were with me. Good luck."
"Thanks," she said, smiling. "Does that mean you hope I get the job or not?"
"Not real sure."
They were both laughing as she got back in her pickup and went on down the road. She saw the entrance to The Babbling Brook and went in. It was a pretty house off to the right, with the barn and buildings on the left. She parked in front of the house and went up onto the big porch and rang the bell.
A big man, who looked anything but friendly, answered the door. "Yes?"
"Hi. I'm here to see Mr. Morton."
"What for?"
"I have an interview with him."
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