by Trejo, Erin
“I did move. And why is Walter telling you anything?” Gentry asks her. She’s pretty.
I eye her up and down from her big red lips to the dress that she’s wearing that hugs her curves. I shouldn’t be jealous, that’s not even a thing I should be around Gentry. He isn’t mine to get jealous over yet seeing her looking at him like he’s some sort of snack and she’s starving is bothering me. What is wrong with me?
“What difference does it make? I…well, I miss you, Gentry.”
Wow, that came out quickly and she didn’t even bat an eye that I’m standing here. Not that I matter in this situation. With that thought, I step back away from the two of them while they eye each other up and down. She isn’t all that. Okay, maybe she is. But her neck’s too long! Yeah, she has a flaw! Probably the only one but she still has one. I eye her a little more trying to pick out anything else about her that I could use to my advantage but come up short.
“Let’s not do this again, Sable. We weren’t going anywhere and you know it. Apparently you have a thing for Walter though. Maybe you should take him up on that.” Turning to me, he grabs my hand and pulls me along with him without saying a word.
“You move on quickly! I see you got another girl already.”
“Who is she?” I whisper as I peek up at him. He’s fuming mad which I don’t understand at all.
“My ex. If you can even call it that.”
“Should have known you were just a dirty little country boy!”
Okay, that’s it. If anyone is calling him dirty it’s me! I spin around, pulling out of his grasp and storming toward her. My overly expensive heels click on the floor as I go until I’m right in her face. Right in that perfect face that I’ve thought about slapping. Maybe I should slap her. Teach her a lesson in manners!
“First of all, Gentry is one of the most caring people you would ever meet. You should be thankful for that time you had with him. Dirty little country boy? Have you looked at him? That is one giant tree that any woman would want to climb, and if you can’t see that then you are truly ignorant. Now, before my country starts to show, you might want to turn around and walk out of here because I will have no problem whatsoever showing you the way.”
She stares at me for a long second before stomping her foot much like I do when I don’t get my way and walking away. Taking a deep breath, I turn back to Gentry where he stands with his huge arms crossed over that muscled up chest staring at me with the biggest smile on his face. It’s almost unnerving the way he looks at me but at the same time I think it’s a little sexy too.
“What are you gawking at?” I move to stand next to him as the elevator doors open.
“Miss Birch, I do believe there is still some Arizona left in you,” he remarks.
“Did I show my country?”
“You did and if you take that damn too tight librarian skirt off I could see a whole lot more of it.”
“Gentry! First of all, this skirt cost me eight hundred dollars.”
“Secondly?” He raises an eyebrow challenging me to say more.
“Secondly you told me that this was no strings attached.”
“People have sex all the time without bondage, Hope.”
There he is. There’s the man I know.
“You are insane.”
“These little skirts make me insane. Don’t you have other clothes?” he asks with a smile nodding toward my skirt.
“Yes, I do but these are my business clothes.”
“Didn’t know we had business, Miss Birch. I do apologize.” Damn him and that smirk of his. That smirk is going to get him in trouble one day.
7
Gentry
She’s drunk. No she might be beyond drunk. We’ve kicked back and laughed, talked, and just had fun. We have talked about everything from the past up until now. I must say that sitting here having a good laugh with Hope feels natural. A lot more natural than anything with Sable.
“Wait. Wait, I got one,” she giggles holding her glass in her hand.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Why was the cowboy so funny?” She smiles so brightly. Brighter than I’ve ever seen her smile before and it’s intoxicating. Maybe she was right. Maybe Arizona isn’t her place in the world. In the bigger city she seems to light up.
“I don’t know,” I tell her.
“Because he’s always horsing around. Get it? Horsing.” She bursts into laughter as I chuckle and shake my head.
“Your turn,” she slurs.
“Why can’t the cowboy complain?”
“Umm…I don’t know this one!” she squeals while her brows furrow. She’s trying her hardest to come up with the answer.
“Because he doesn’t have any beef.”
“That wasn’t even funny, Gentry! What kind of cowboy doesn’t have beef?” Her eyes are glazed over as she watches me. It would be so easy to go to her, kiss her, and tell her that I want her but I don’t. I won’t do it.
“Well then tell me another one, little Miss. Comedian.”
She sticks her tongue out at me and laughs to herself before she stops and looks at me.
“I got nothing. Aren’t men supposed to have pick-up lines,” she asks wiggling her eyebrows.
“We do. Want to hear some?” She nods her head and grabs another beer off the table, popping the can open. “Do you believe in love at first sight? Need me to walk past you again?”
She snorts a laugh and motions for me to keep going.
“If you have eight seconds, I can show you how to unload my six-shooter.” Oh, I’d like to show her this one.
“Eight seconds?” She bursts into laughter that has my stomach tumbling. “Give me another one.”
“I’m going to cook out tomorrow, if you want some juicy sausage come on over.” Her laughter is infectious. I don’t think I’ve seen her laugh this much in a very long time. My chest constricts when her phone rings. She pulls it out and answers it and the words that leave her mouth shouldn’t shock me but they do.
“Spanky’s sperm bank, you spank, we bank.”
I laugh throwing my head back at her choice of words. It isn’t until I see her face pale that I stop. Sitting forward on the edge of the couch, I watch her. I wonder what’s going on? Who that is? Her face has turned far too serious.
“Hey. I didn’t realize it was you,” she says softly. I should probably leave her to her conversation but I don’t. Call me an ass but I want listen in and see who it is she’s talking to.
“No, no it’s fine. I was awake anyway. What did you need?” A few yes’s and uh huh’s and I shove off the couch to give her that privacy, knowing that she doesn’t want to say a whole lot in front of me. Heading down the hall and into my room, I drop onto the bed and rest my head in my hands. What am I doing? Me and Hope are different people now. Clearly she belongs in the big city living her dream and me? I belong on the ranch. This whole thing with her was a mistake. I should have never kissed her. I should have never brought her along. Even if it was just for fun with no strings. I messed up.
Dropping back on the bed, I let out a breath and pull out my phone. I dial my mom and wait for her to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom. Everything alright back there?”
“Yes. Everything is fine. We have the big cattle sale coming up soon, will you be back for it?”
“Yeah, I’ll be back soon. I pretty much have everything wrapped up around here. In fact, I might head back tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to rush, Gentry. Enjoy your time with her.” I knew she was thinking something.
“It’s not like that, Mom. We aren’t together like that.”
“You took her to New York, Gentry.”
“As a friend. That’s it. That’s all this is. There’s too much between us now. We aren’t kids anymore.”
“Well, I won’t tell you you’re wrong since you should already know that. See you soon.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“Love you
too.”
Hope
I hug the bright white porcelain throne as I heave up nothing. Everything that I had in me has already been flushed into the sewers of New York City. I can’t believe I drank as much as I did. I can’t believe that Gentry let me. Speaking of, the smell of coffee and something else drift through the room. When I stand up and wash my mouth out, I head into the bedroom to find him standing there leaning against the door frame.
“Is that a donut?” I question him.
“Jelly filled. Want one?” I see the look in his eyes. He’s just being an ass now. This man is the devil.
“If you bring that any closer, I will throw up all over your designer bed set,” I warn him. He laughs and comes closer anyway.
“It’s so damn good, Hope. I want to stick my tongue in the hole and lick up all that sweet stuff.” Is he still talking about the donut? Did it just get hot in here? My pulse is thrumming and there is nothing I can do to slow it down as I watch him do it. The man stands there with his tongue stuck in the middle of the donut, licking the jelly and moaning as he does.
“Damn this is good,” he growls.
“Can you stop that?”
“Stop what? Eating my donut?” He would put an emphasis on eating. My thighs clench together, my clit pulsing.
“Yes. That!” I tell him when he sticks his tongue in again. I watch him mesmerized by the way his tongue flicks and pulls at the donut hole.
“Like what you see?” He looks down at my naked legs and groans low in his throat.
“You…”
“That’s a nice set of legs you got there, Hope. What time do they open? I want to be the first in line.”
My jaw drops as he smirks and turns, leaving the room. I fall back on the bed, hot and bothered not even covering what I’m feeling right now. I think about slipping my hand into the front of my shorts but what if he comes back? Against my better judgment, I do it anyway. I gasp when I first touch my clit. How can he have me so worked up with just his dirty words and actions?
Sliding my finger inside of myself, I can’t believe how wet I am right now. I drag my fingers in and out, pleasing myself when I hear him growl.
“Damn, Hope.” My hand stops moving and I quickly pull it out of my shorts. “Don’t let me stop you.” I flip him off and climb off the bed, moving to grab the coffee in his outstretched hand. With his free hand he grabs my wrist bringing my hand to his nose. He inhales before his tongue darts out to slowly lick the wetness from my fingers.
“Gentry,” I whisper softly, my body becoming too hot, too wound up.
“Enjoy your coffee. We leave in an hour.”
“Are you kidding me?” I protest when he turns to walk away. I trail behind him and out into the kitchen. “Why do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?” he asks without even looking over at me. I watch him for a second wondering what his problem is and why he is pushing me like this.
“Nothing,” I huff, slamming the cup onto the counter and spinning to walk away.
“Because I can’t have you.” His words cause me to stop. Slowly, I turn back to face him. Those words. Why those words?
“Look at me, Gentry.” His head lowers and slowly shakes from side to side. “Please.” That word is his undoing. He slowly turns to face me, his eyes holding so many emotions that I can’t even begin to sort out.
“Why did you say that?”
“Because it’s true. You have a boyfriend, Hope. I shouldn’t have strung you along here.” I don’t make a comment on the boyfriend thing but I do give him a strange look.
“Don’t do that. Don’t ruin the time we’ve had here; it’s been fun and freeing, Gentry that’s what I needed,” I remind him.
“Is it? Or did you just need your boyfriend to call?”
“That’s a pretty low blow.”
“I got something you can blow,” he says with that smirk in place. Even though we are having an argument he still makes it sexy. I find myself smiling back at him even if I don’t really want to be.
“You’re insane.”
“And you’re insanely sexy. Now go get ready. I need to get back home.”
I nod my head and grab my coffee before heading back into the bedroom. Things with Gentry can be exasperating, but I wouldn’t change them. I love that Gentry is who he is and doesn’t apologize for it. I think that has to be one of his best qualities. The fact that he doesn’t need to try and be anything but who he truly is.
Within thirty minutes, I’m showered and ready to go. When I step into the living room, I find him with his head in his hands. I want to reach out for him, hold him because I can see there is something more bothering him, but I don’t make a move to do it. Call me a coward, I may be.
“You ready?” I ask all cheery so that he doesn’t suspect me of staring at him. He lifts his head and drags his gaze over my body, making it heat from the inside out.
“You always have to make it so hard for someone to be around you?” he asks, confusing me.
“What?”
“You want me to fly all the way back to Arizona sitting next to you on a plane and not making you a member of the mile high club in those pants?” His eyes lingering on my legs cause me to blush.
“I guess you will have to control your raging hormones,” I state simply.
“That thing rages every time you walk into the room.”
I turn around and head toward the door putting a little extra shake in my step just to bother him a little more. His groan is all I needed to hear. I accomplished what I set out to do.
8
Gentry
“What is that?” she asks as I unload the truck.
“Foaling kit.” Turning back to what I was doing, I see her from my periphery walk up and examine everything.
“What’s it for?”
I narrow my brows and look over my shoulder at her. She really didn’t pay much attention when she was younger.
“Well, when a boy horse and a girl horse love each other, they have sex. Then a baby comes,” I tease her. She sticks her tongue out before her eyes light up when she finally realizes what I just said.
“We’re having a baby?” she asks excitedly.
“No, the horse is.”
“Which one?”
“May Bell. Doc’s on his way out here. He will stay with her in case she needs help,” I inform her as I finish unloading the supplies.
“You really need all that?”
“No but it’s a precaution. We don’t want any surprises. May Bell’s foal has already had bids put on it.”
“What? You are just going to sell her baby?”
“Not right away, no.”
“Why would you sell her baby? Gentry, that just seems wrong.” She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me. With a smirk, I lean against the bed of the truck. God, she is gorgeous when she’s flustered.
“May Bell is a prized show horse, Hope, and we can’t keep every horse we have, you know?”
“Why not?” she challenges, crossing her arms over her chest to mimic me. “You own a ranch.”
“Yeah and? That doesn’t mean we can keep every animal. Hell, Dawson just left with a truckload of cattle to go to the auction.”
Her mouth falls open and her eyes widen.
“Are they going to be sold for meat?”
I chuckle before standing up to full height. “You eat meat, Hope,” I remind her before slamming the tailgate shut.
“Not anymore! I never want to eat meat again.”
“Too bad. I was going to grill some steak for dinner,” I say over my shoulder pushing her buttons just a little bit more.
“Gentry!”
“What? A man needs to eat and you aren’t spreading your legs.” Her face turns red and I laugh harder before climbing in the truck. Within seconds, Hope is in the passenger seat. “What are you doing? You’re going to get those six hundred dollar jeans dirty in this filthy truck.”
“I want to see what you do al
l day,” she states matter of fact, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to see what kind of work you do.”
“I’m not doing much today. I was going to take a ride,” I tell her all while wondering if I could get her alone for a while. I know I shouldn’t. I should leave well enough alone, but I’m not a smart man when it comes to Hope.
“Then I’m going too,” she states simply.
I shrug my shoulders and start the truck up. Backing away from the barn, I drive up to the house and park. When I climb out, Hope is out behind me.
“That was your ride?” She raises an eyebrow making me chuckle.
“No. Figured you might want to wear something else before we go.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Really? You don’t mind getting them dirty now?” I ask, nodding toward her jeans. She was hell bent on not getting dirty when she first got here so I figured this was my best call.
“I did just get in your filthy truck, cowboy.”
With an amused look on my face, I nod and motion for her to follow me. I wave at my mom where she watches from the porch with Boudreaux, a smile on her face. Walking toward the other barns, Hope follows in silence.
“How’s your research going?” I ask casually but hoping like hell she doesn’t know anything yet. I know Dex hasn’t given her any information.
“It’s not going. I can’t find anything. Not even my boss Myra can. It’s like this person is a ghost. It’s frustrating.”
I can see the anger over it in her eyes but I still can’t tell her the truth. I don’t know what to say so I say nothing at all.
Sorry, sweetheart. This is one secret I have to keep.
Hope
I haven’t been on a horse since I was a little girl so to say I’m a little rusty is an understatement. I can’t believe he is out here just gliding over the land on that horse the way he is. He’s been gone just as long as I have, but Gentry is the true definition of a cowboy. That part of him never faded when he was in New York. It’s in his blood and always will be.