by Ali Parker
“Well, thank you for coming in today, Mr. Dawson. I’ll be getting back to you on the items we discussed,” I said, using my most professional voice.
With a tip of his hat, he said, “Ladies,” then walked out.
“Well, he’s a tall drink of water,” Janet said, moving to her box and digging through it.
“And I know someone that is thirsty,” Whitney mumbled under her breath. I shot her a dark look that said cool it. She just pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
“Help me with these,” Janet said.
“Coming,” we said, and set to work.
I was just glad the encounter with Connor didn’t end with some bigger form of embarrassment.
13
Connor Dawson
The next morning I rolled out of bed feeling damn good. I was going to see Lydia again. Not only was I going to see her, but she offered to spend the day with me, helping with my work on the ranch. For me, that was incredible, even though I didn’t think a girly girl like her could handle more than an hour of ranch work. It didn’t matter though, I just wanted a chance to get to know her.
But as my feet hit the floor I realized something. “Shit,” I said to myself. I ran to my window overlooking the driveway. Abi’s pick-up truck was out there. I hadn’t thought this through. When I was agreeing to having Lydia come out, I wasn’t thinking about Abi at all. My mind had been so focused on Lydia’s lips, her sexy smile, and everything else she had going for her that I hadn’t thought about the corner I had backed myself into by agreeing to her idea of coming to the ranch. With Abi and Lydia together, I was sure to get caught in my lies to both of them. Dang it!
Quickly, I jumped in the shower then made my way down to breakfast. Wyatt was cooking up a large pan of eggs with potatoes. Dylan was making a fresh batch of coffee, and Father was sitting behind his newspaper, as always.
“There you are. Come shred this block of cheese,” Wyatt looked at me.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m on it,” I looked around the kitchen and Abi was nowhere in sight. I leaned back and peeked out the back screen door to see if she was gathering ingredients from the garden. She wasn’t back there. Then I heard her come down the stairs.
“Alright I’m off. I’ll see y’all later!” She grabbed a slice of cheese from the cutting board in front of me and popped it in her mouth.
“Where are you off to?” Dylan asked.
“Tanner’s on his way to pick me up. I’m going with him to look at some horses over in Greenville. He values my opinion,” she said, confidently.
“Well, he should. You’ve got a fine eye for horses, girl,” our father said without putting his paper down.
“Thanks Father,” she said with a smile.
Honk. Honk. Tanner’s horn blared.
“That’s him. Gotta go,” she said.
“Y’all ain’t gonna eat breakfast first?” Wyatt asked.
“Nah, we’re gonna pick up breakfast burritos and coffee on the road. See ya,” she darted out of the kitchen. The slamming of the front door followed.
I exhaled in relief. This was perfect timing and I couldn’t be happier.
“Hurry up with that cheese, would ya? What are you staring at?” Wyatt shouted at me. I had been staring at the wall, holding a block of cheese and the grater in my hand.
“Alright, hold on.” I got to work grating the cheese and passed the cutting board to him. He mixed it in with the eggs and potatoes. Ding! The timer went off. “Biscuits are done!” Dylan shouted.
“I got ‘em,” I said, grabbing the oven mitt and pulling out the biscuits. A few minutes later we sat down to scrambled eggs filled with potatoes, onions, and cheese. Plus biscuits and gravy on the side. Soon, I was making my rounds on the ranch. Since I knew Lydia was coming around ten, I wanted to get the harder stuff out of the way. I worked quickly, and saw Wyatt give me a strange look, probably wondering why I was ripping through my chores like a Texas tornado. Then I remembered how they were the last time when Lydia had showed up without me warning them. They were jerks. Now that it was nearly ten, I knew I better prepare my idiot brothers or they would say something to make a fool of me.
“Dylan!” I shouted, as I walked over to Wyatt. He was fixing the bolt on the small tractor. Dylan was pushing a wheel barrow full of manure from the stable to the gardens.
“What? Can’t you see I’m dealing with some shit!” he shouted back.
I laughed. “Okay, that’s a good one, but put that shit down and get your ass over here!”
“Dang it,” Dylan huffed.
Walking over to Wyatt, I waited for Dylan to jog over.
“What’s going on?” Wyatt turned the wrench on the loose bolt.
“Alright, now listen you two. Lydia Myers is coming over today. I don’t want to hear nothin’ about her slappin’ me or dancin’ with me. No teasing her at all, got it?”
“Ooh, someone’s got a date,” Dylan teased.
“And he’s nervous or he wouldn’t be warning us like this,” Wyatt grinned.
“I mean it, y’all,” I warned.
“When is she coming?” Dylan asked.
“Any minute now.”
“Dang it, Connor. You got a pretty girl comin’ right now when I’m arm deep in shit?” Dylan said.
Wyatt laughed, “That’s alright. She’ll get the real version of Dylan Dawson that way—a little shit.”
“Hush or I’m gonna bring some of that shit over to you,” Dylan teased back.
Just then, Lydia’s car turned down the road. I took a deep breath. Wyatt was right, I was nervous. I hated being nervous. Girls had never made me nervous before. What the hell? “Now listen, I’m gonna show her some things around the ranch, so don’t come nosing about. Then she’s gonna do some work inside the house, too. Keep your mouth shut,” I pointed my finger at Wyatt, and then at Dylan. They both were fighting back laughter. Dang it. I rolled my eyes and walked toward the driveway. It would be a miracle if one of them didn’t try to make an ass of me at some point during the day.
“Mr. Dawson,” Lydia said, getting out of her car as I walked over.
“Connor. It’s Connor,” I replied. I noticed that she was wearing even more casual clothes than the last time she was here. This time she wore lace up boots, jeans, and a tank top. She had a white straw hat in her hands. It wasn’t exactly a cowboy hat, but it was still adorable.
“Right. So Connor, I’m ready to work,” she said as she put her sun hat on.
“I was just about to get started feeding the chickens. Wanna help?” I arched a brow.
“Absolutely. I love chickens,” she said. Her gorgeous smile nearly knocked me on my ass.
“Right this way then.” I held out my hand in the direction of the coops, and we walked side by side. While she was looking around, I was looking at her. Damn she was pretty. Her platinum blonde hair was in a braid down the side and draped over her shoulder. She smelled really good, too.
“Have a nice drive in from the city?” I asked.
“Yes. Actually it felt much shorter than the previous drives. I didn’t even finish my coffee.”
“Well, we have plenty of that here, and water. That’s important too. But I know what you mean about that drive. You know, a lot of people that live in Safety actually work in the city and do that commute twice a day.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. I guess that makes sense though. It’s really just like a suburb outside the city,” she arched her brows.
“Alright, here we are.” I opened the gate to the chicken pens and hooked the wire to keep it open. “Now, these here are free range chickens. As you can see they’re already heading out the gate to the grass patches back here. We just put them back in the pen near sundown and then inside the actual coop overnight.”
“That is very interesting. So, they just stay out here roaming around all day?” she asked.
“Yes. It makes them happy.”
“Freedom does that,” she smiled.
“
Now, we’re going to feed them. Pay attention now,” I said playfully, as though I was giving a life lesson. She laughed, and it was music to my ears.
“Just dig a bucket into the feed,” I lifted the box of feed and dipped a small bucket in. She grabbed a small bucket and did the same thing. “Good,” I said as I closed the box. “Then we come out here to the chickens. Now, we can’t just dump a pile of feed, they’ll get too excited and fight each other and then the weaker ones don’t eat. It’s an ugly thing. Trust me, you don’t want to see it.”
“A chicken fight?”
“Yep. Chicken fight—bad,” I joked.
She laughed again and I thought, finally, a woman that gets my humor. I liked making her laugh. “So, what you do is get a handful and then sprinkle it out like this.” I grabbed a handful and sprinkled it all around in different directions as I walked.
“I think I can handle that.” Lydia walked away from me and began to do the same thing on the opposite end, spreading the chickens out.
“Look at that! You’re a natural!”
“Why thank you, Connor.”
When we were done with the chickens I took her to the stables. I had this grand notion of taking her out on a romantic ride.
“Now, the key to saddling a horse is to let the man do all the heavy lifting,” I joked.
“Oh, is that right?” she said, arching a brow.
“Yep. See, I can lift this saddle off the rack easily and put it on Sunshine’s back,” I said, showing off just a little as I lifted the heavy saddle and placed it on the horse.
“Mmm-hmm, what else, Mr. Expert,” she teased.
“Then you have to belt the saddle on the horse gently. I like to whisper to the animal first, and gain its trust, but of course I’ve known this horse for years. Isn’t that right, Sunshine,” I whispered to the horse, scratching her nose. Lydia laughed again. Then she joined me and was scratching Sunshine as well. She seemed to have a way with animals.
After I was done cinching up the saddle, I mounted Sunshine. “Alright now, you. Hop on up. Use the step and get behind me,” I said.
“Together? I don’t get my own horse?” she asked.
“No. I think it best that you ride with me for your first time and all. It’s just safer that way. I want to show you around the ranch,” I said.
“Alright, if you think that’s best,” she said. She stepped on the small step and mounted Sunshine, putting her arms around my waist. I felt the heat of her body on mine. She smelled amazing. My body was responding to her already. I grinned, “Now hold on tight.”
“Yes sir,” she said, leaning in closer as she moved her hands onto my stomach. A small groan escaped my mouth and I really hoped she didn’t hear it.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
I pushed Sunshine into a trot, darting out into the back pasture, just to warm her up. Lydia laughed, and her laugh was infectious. A grin came across my face and she held on tighter. It felt good and I was having a great time with her. But after I slowed Sunshine down a little, I wanted to show her around a bit.
“I’m going to take you over by the silos, which is where we keep the grain.”
“Those are massive. I wasn’t expecting them to be so big this close up.”
“Yeah. That seems to be what catches most people off guard.”
After I showed her around the ranch, I led Sunshine to the back of the house.
“Are you hungry? This is about the time I eat lunch,” I said. “I’ve got some cold sandwiches waiting for us in the fridge.”
“Yes, I could definitely eat. I really worked up an appetite,” she said, climbing down from Sunshine. I climbed down after her and let Sunshine roam free.
“She won’t run off?”
“No. She’s a good horse. She’ll just graze in the back pasture for a while and then make her way to the stables when she’s ready. She’s very smart,” I said.
“That is very cute.”
I led Lydia to the back door and peaked in slowly. No one was in the kitchen. It was fortunate that Dylan and Wyatt were too busy and had already come in to eat on their own earlier in the day. “Come on in.”
“Could I use the bathroom to wash up?”
“Sure. Up the stairs and second door on the right.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I washed up in the kitchen sink which gave me time to get the lunch together that I had made earlier. I grabbed a large tray and put two plates on it with two glasses. I pulled the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and set it on the tray as well. I completed it with cloth napkins and silverware.
“That’s nice,” she said, coming into the kitchen.
“I thought we could eat on the porch. There’s a nice table out there.”
“Yes, I would like that. What can I help with?” she asked.
I pulled the large container full of sandwiches from the fridge and handed it to her. “You could carry this.”
“No problem.”
I carried the tray out to the porch and set it on the table. We looked out over the ranch as we ate.
“What’s next?” she asked.
I arched my brow at her. “You’re not tired?”
“Heavens no, I’m having so much fun.”
“Alright. You can help me with the goats, sheep, and milking the cows if you like?”
“Yes, I would love to. Do you think I could get my measurements first right after lunch? It will only take me about thirty minutes?”
“Take all the time you need. There’s still plenty of daylight.”
“Did you make these?” She held up her ham, cheese, and avocado sandwich.
“Yes.”
“Really good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, as I smiled at her. She smiled back. We just looked at each other, holding that gaze. I wanted to say a lot of things in that moment. I wanted to say that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I wanted to say again that I was sorry for kissing her on the dance floor and that I was usually a better gentleman than that. I wanted to tell her that I needed to see her every day because she occupied all my thoughts. But I didn’t. I didn’t say any of it. I didn’t want to scare her away. So we just stayed silent, looking at each other. It was only when she pulled her gaze away from mine and looked out over the land that I stopped staring at her. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
After our refreshing break of sandwiches, lemonade, and water—she took her measurements while I put things away then freshened up in the bathroom. Then we were off to work again. The hours working at her side went by in a flash and we laughed a lot.
It was a very long day and I was surprised she was able to keep up the way she did. I wasn’t expecting it at all. She was more than just a girly girl, and I had no idea.
“Now, let’s go over to the barn,” I said, once we were done with the rounds and the sun was starting to approach the horizon. We walked through the large open doors.
“Well howdy, “Dylan said, as he put the shovel in the ground and held onto the handle, looking at us with a big stupid smile. I already knew what was coming. He was going to say something to embarrass me—that’s just what we did to each other.
“Howdy,” Lydia said back.
“You having a good time?” he asked, with grin that implied so much.
“I am. How’s the work coming?” she asked.
“It’s coming along, but I’m starting to get hungry. It’s just about time for dinner. Say, I have an idea, why don’t you join us for dinner?”
I gave him a look. I wasn’t planning on having her stay for dinner. At least not here. I wanted to take her out to dinner, and we were planning to go to the diner. That way, I could have some alone time with her. Sitting around the dinner table with the family was not romantic at all. In fact, it could be disastrous if Abi returned.
“I would love to. Thank you, Dylan,” she said.
She turned to look at me and I immediately turned my
frown into a smile. “Great. That would be just great. Should we go wash up?”
“Sounds like a good idea,” she said.
“I’ll see y’all in a little while. I think Wyatt is already in there prepping dinner. Perhaps you all could help him since Lydia is such a good help around the ranch?” Dylan said. I was able to secretly narrow my eyes at him. He just laughed. He was having a good time setting me up for disaster, and I would have to get him back for it later.
“That would be lovely. I never expect a free meal, I like to pull my own weight.”
I smiled at her and led her away from the barn, giving Dylan one last angry look over my shoulder. I only hoped that Tanner had a lot of work with Abi, and that they wouldn’t be home until after Lydia left.
14
Lydia Myers
I was having such a good time at Dawson Ranch. My boss would kill me if she knew what I was up to. It wasn’t professional to spend time with a client like this. But I just couldn’t help myself. This tall cowboy had gotten in my head. I couldn’t get enough of him and I didn’t even feel guilty about fondling him when I was sitting behind him riding the horse. I could feel his strong six-pack abs underneath my fingertips. I made it a point to move my hands up and down more than necessary. It was wrong, but I couldn’t help it.
The ranch was more than I had ever expected. I remembered Whitney telling me that the ranch provided for the whole town one way or another, but seeing it had exceeded my expectations.
After seeing the place, it all made perfect sense. There was a lot of work on both the farm side of things and the ranch side. No wonder these brothers were incredibly fit and rugged, they had grown up doing this every day. There was nothing more attractive to me than a real cowboy.
Now, I sat around the table with these cowboys, about to eat dinner.
“We are glad to have you here with us for a meal, Miss Myers. Just because you are our employee doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” Connor’s father said.
“Thank you, Mr. Dawson. That means a lot to me. I regard your family as more than just clients as well,” I said.