by Ali Parker
“Really? I’d love to stay here. Of course.”
“Alright then, I’ll set the alarm.”
“Mm, I like the idea of sleeping wrapped around your naked body.”
I laughed. “Yes, but maybe we should dry off first and I can change these wet sheets.”
“Good point.” He chuckled softly before pulling out of me. I loved the sound of it. We got up from the wet bed and together prepared to sleep in each other’s arms.
21
Connor Dawson
The light hit my eyes. I rolled over in bed putting my arms around Lydia, I enjoyed sleeping with her. She felt good next to me, I didn't know where this was going between us, I was extremely happy. I pressed my chest against her back, placing light kisses on her shoulder. She moaned lightly in her sleep. Then it hit me, we had turned the lights off. So why was there light hitting my eyes? I opened my eyes to see that it was the sunlight flooding through the windows.
“Shit. I’m late. I’m really late.” I groaned as I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 9 a.m.
I kissed her one more time on the shoulder and rolled out of bed. My father would be pissed.
“What are you doing?” She asked, in her sleep.
“It’s morning. I’m late.”
“Oh no,” she opened her eyes and sat up. “I don’t know what happened. Why didn’t the alarm go off?” She grabbed it off her nightstand and looked at it.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. But I really got to get out of here. Everyone will have been up for hours by now.”
“Crap. I’m so sorry, Connor.”
“It’s fine.” I sat down on the bed and pulled on my boots. Then I leaned over and gave her a kiss. She smiled at me with that brilliant smile. Damn, I was really falling for this woman. “I’ll see you later today. You made an appointment with Abi right?”
“Yes, at 5 p.m. in my office.”
“Alright then, we’ll see you at your office later.” I kissed her again and headed out of her bedroom and outside to my truck. My father was not going to be happy about this. But I also didn’t like that everyone knew I was at dinner with Lydia last night, because that meant they would know I slept over. I didn’t like them knowing so much about my personal life, but it was impossible to hide these kinds of things when you lived with your family, a very big family.
I drove the thirty minutes back to Safety and back to the ranch. I jumped out of my truck and headed into the house at top speed to change into work clothes.
“You’re late son,” I heard my father say. I stopped in my tracks and turned to see him sitting on a rocking chair in the living room, with the newspaper in his hands.
“Sorry Dad, time got away from me. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not. You know how I feel about tardiness. It’s one thing to be late if you plan it, but being late spontaneously is not good for this ranch. You know that Dylan is out there doing your chores. I would be out there doing them for you but I’m about to get picked up by your uncle to go see about a new stock of cattle.”
“No need to do my chores Dad, I’m sure Dylan has it covered. I’m going up to change and head right out there. I apologize again for being late. I didn’t do it on purpose, it was an accident.”
“All right, I hear you. This isn’t something you do often, so I’ll let it slide this one time. But hurry up and get out there, and make sure he’s doing everything right. Double check his work.”
“Yes sir,” I said, as I ran up the stairs. I changed clothes as quickly as I could. I didn’t like hearing my father disappointed in me. None of us did. It was the worst feeling. We all looked up to him and wanted his approval, we had always thought this way since we were young. When we were younger we would even try to be the one to impress him the most. Growing up this way, it felt awful when we disappointed him. So, I didn’t feel good about myself at the moment. But it was done and there was nothing I could do to change it.
As I got back downstairs, my uncle’s truck was pulling out of the drive way with my father inside. I sighed. At least I wouldn’t have to see the look of disappointment in his eyes again until dinner. But now I had to get to it. I had a lot of work to do and only a few hours to do it in, because later I had to take Abi to the city for the meeting with Lydia.
“There you are. Dang it. I’m out here doing your chores and mine,” Dylan shouted at me as I walked toward him inside the sheep pens.
“Sorry about that, Dylan. But whining and complaining ain’t going to make it better. I’m here now you can go on with your own responsibilities,” I said, taking the pitchfork from him. As I started to pull hay from the hay stack and spread it out in the pen, Dylan just stood there. Staring.
“What? Go. I’m here now,” I said.
A big stupid grin came across his face. “So, how was your date? It must have went pretty well if you’re just getting home.”
“I’m not talking about that with you,” I said, ignoring his statement.
He laughed. “So much for taking it slow. Right?”
“Dylan, if you don’t get out of here I’m going to pitchfork your ass.” I gave him a stern warning.
“Alright, alright, I’m going. I would think you’d be in a better mood after conquering the woman that slapped you at the dance hall,” he said, walking away with a big grin.
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
He laughed as he walked away. “I think someone’s in love.”
I stopped working. Shit was he right? Was I in love with Lydia Myers? My brothers knew me best, just as I knew them. If Dylan was seeing that, then he might be right. A smile came across my face. Was it such a terrible thought? It had been a long time since I liked anyone this deep. This was good.
“Hey. What are you so damn happy about?” Wyatt interrupted my thoughts. I snapped out of it and continued moving the hay.
“Nothing. What’s up, Wyatt?”
“I already checked behind Dylan’s work. He did the chickens, the horses, and prepped the feed stock for the cows, but didn’t get them out to graze yet.”
“Thanks, Wyatt. I appreciate it.”
“All good. Seems like she’s worth it.” He smiled, and then turned. I knew that was his way of telling me that he knew I got laid. My grip tightened on the pitchfork. Damn it, everyone knew, obviously. What else could it mean if you went on a date and didn’t return until the next morning?
“Shit,” I said to myself. That meant that Abi knew, too. She had been growing toward being okay that I was seeing Lydia, but would she be alright knowing this far too personal fact? I wasn’t looking forward to our trip into the city later.
The hard work and my attempt to do it in record time proved to be a good distraction from thinking about the chewing out I was going to get from Abi. Not to mention worrying about how awkward the meeting between the three of us was going to be. The fact that Lydia and I had sex and everybody knew it would be an uninvited elephant in the room. That thought made my stomach turn.
“Lunch is ready!” Abi shouted from the back door of the kitchen.
I waved my hand in acknowledgement, but no way in hell was I going in there when everyone else did. I would wait thirty minutes or so for everyone else to eat, then go in and grab something real quick. There was no way I was going to give them all the chance to embarrass me with questions about why I was late. I knew them too well. I noticed when Dylan and Wyatt made their way to the back door and I kept on working. It wasn’t uncommon for us to take lunch at different times. Stopping in the middle of a task just didn’t make sense at times. You just had to keep going ‘til it was done. Because of this it was rare that we all took lunch together. I kept working.
Half an hour later I grabbed a bowl of cold pasta with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden and cheese from the local dairy. Carbs were good for keeping you going so this was a typical lunch and one that kept nicely in the fridge. I ate fast, not wanting to stay in the house too long.
Fortune was on my side as I didn’t meet up with any of my siblings, and soon was able to go back out to work without any embarrassing questions.
Rushing through my rounds was a game I was playing with myself. Seeing if I could be done with the most important items that couldn’t be put off was a personal challenge.
“I’m going in to get ready!” Abi called to me as she passed the barn door a few hours later.
“Alright! I’ll be right in, too!” I said back. Giving myself time to clean up was a necessity after pushing through the work like I had.
Later, we were in my truck and driving toward the city. I could feel the tension between us because she knew that I hadn’t come home the night before. It was quiet, and not even the radio was on. I looked at the console to make sure the heater wasn’t on because I was getting really hot, like I was sitting in the principal’s office about to get a lecture.
“So, you got lucky last night, huh?” she asked.
“Abi!”
“What? It’s true. You didn’t come home.”
“That’s none of your business,” I said, annoyed.
“It is my business. I like Lydia. She’s growing on me, but you have to be careful with these girls, Connor. Next thing you know, she’ll be at the ranch all the time trying to take over, or she’ll be after one of the other boys, or even turn up pregnant and wind up with your piece of the land—”
“Stop it Abi. I get it. This is the same thing you’ve told all of us, over and over. But she’s not like that. That’s all you need to know,” I said, cutting off her tirade.
“Fine. Just be careful.”
“I am careful.”
We were silent again, and I couldn’t believe the embarrassment of having to talk to my little sister about this.
“So, was it good?”
“Abi!”
She giggled herself into a fit as I just shook my head trying to drive. This meeting was going to be awkward.
22
Lydia Myers
“Two extra-large cappuccinos with whipped cream please.” I ordered coffees at the drive-thru window. I was on my way to work and knew that the sweet caffeine packed treats would be needed.
After picking up the order I drove to Patton Designs and parked in the lot. I could see that Whitney’s car was already there, but thankfully, Janet’s was not.
“Well, I feel like I haven’t seen you in a long time. Where have you been?” Whitney said, as I walked in. I was holding out the cappuccino to her.
“I brought you a treat with extra whipped cream,”
“Uh-huh, is this supposed to butter me up?”
“Yes! I'm sorry, I know I haven’t been in the office a lot, or even around the city.”
“Tell me what’s going on then. Yum, this is really good,” she said, taking a drink and leaving a layer of whipped cream on her upper lip. I smiled.
“Nothing, I’ve just been busy is all.” I took a drink of the hot cappuccino, and she was right—it really was good with the whipped cream and all.
“Busy? Do you mean busy with your client, Mr. Dawson?” She raised her brows up and down comically.
“Well, he is my client and I’m redecorating his home, so I’m supposed to be spending time with him, am I not?”
“Oh, that is such a load of crap. Tell me what’s going on. Details please. Did you sleep with him again?”
“Whitney—”
“That is a yes,”
“What?”
“If the answer was no, you would have just said so. Right? So, how was he the second time? He is pretty hot, I’ll give you that.”
I couldn’t contain my smile, and I felt my face turning bright pink. Quickly, I took a drink using the massive coffee cup to cover my face.
“So, what’s on the books today? How are things going with your client?”
“Oh, switching up the conversation, huh? Don’t think for a minute that I don’t know what you’re doing there. You’ll tell me eventually. But I am happy for you, Lydia. This is a really big step and I’m glad you are putting yourself back out there. Seems to be getting pretty serious.”
“Serious? No it isn’t. We’re just having fun.”
“Yeah, just keep telling yourself that,” she said, as she winked at me.
“Where is Janet? Has she been in the office?” I asked.
“No. I haven’t hardly seen her in a few days, actually. I don’t think she has any clients this month herself.”
“That sounds about right. Sometimes I wonder why I even work here anymore. It was fine in the beginning you know, seeing how it all works and making a name for myself. But why should I give her a cut of what my clients pay me now, it's not like she does any of the work anymore, and she’s not even here half the time.”
“You can always open up your own place if you like. For me, I like this structure. I don't want to be taking care of the books and feeling the pressure and expenses of running a place. So it works out perfectly for me right now,” Whitney said.
“Yes, I suppose there is that. I think I could run the books, eventually. How is your client?”
“Good. I have a few more days on the final touches, just putting in the decorations mostly. All of the major pieces of furniture are already in and the walls have been painted. It’s just an office though, not a big project like yours. Kind of boring, but I’m used to the routine.”
“Speaking of my big project, my clients will be in this afternoon, so don’t be snooping around and making jokes. His sister is coming with him, so don’t be inappropriate.”
Whitney laughed, “When am I ever inappropriate?”
“Uh, pretty much all the time,” I said, teasing her.
“Well, you might be right about that.”
“So, try to keep it to a minimum please,” I said, walking down the hall to my office.
“Yes, Mother. I’ll try. But you better be careful with that Dawson boy. Remember, I told you they have quite a reputation for getting themselves into trouble. I mean, if you’re getting serious and all, that’s something to think about for the future.”
“Yes, Mother. I’ll try,” I said, giving it right back.
Sitting down at my desk, I started to go through my work for the day. But I couldn’t stop thinking about something Whitney had said. The fact that it looked like Connor and I were getting serious. But we weren’t getting serious, were we? Yes, I had slept with him, but it was all in the name of fun and flirtation. I couldn’t get serious with a rugged cowboy like him. Whitney warned me that he was rambunctious, just like his brothers, and that wasn’t the kind of future I wanted. So, I couldn’t get serious with him. We were just having fun. I repeated that last statement in my mind over and over—just having fun. As though I was trying to convince myself.
I worked throughout the day and had a quick lunch with Whitney, grabbing a slice from the pizza joint down the street. It was good to be back into my normal routine, just like she had said. I’d been spending a lot of time in the land of Connor Dawson, and I needed to remember to concentrate on myself as well. It was just hard when he was so handsome, not to mention that cute butt that fit so perfectly in his Wrangler jeans.
Before I knew it, five o’clock had come and I heard the bell on the front door as they walked in. Of course, Whitney just happened to be out front to greet them. I knew she was there in order to give me crap and tease me.
“Hello Dawson’s,” she said, loudly enough that I could hear her from my office. I quickly jumped up from my desk and stood in front of the mirror, giving my appearance one last check and wiping the extra lipstick from the bottom of my lip. Then I headed out front.
“Hello Connor. Hi Abi,” I said, with a big smile.
“Well, hello Lydia,” Abi said, looking at me with a sly smile on her face. I knew what that look meant and my face instantly turned bright pink. I was mortified. She knew that Connor and I had slept together. I looked at him, searching his face for answers, but he just sort of looked away with
an awkward smile. Of course she knew, they would all know because they knew we’d gone to dinner the night before, and he didn’t go home until this morning, and late at that. The significance of all that hadn’t hit me until just now, and the way Abi looked at me had me feeling extremely embarrassed. Whitney had a massive smile on her face, so she clearly knew what was going on, as well.
“Why don’t you to come to my office and we can get started,” I said, giving me the chance to turn my back to them and hide my face. I could feel the sweat on my body from feeling so embarrassed.
“I’ll be right out here if you need any help,” Whitney said, a little too loudly.
“Thank you,” I said.
I walked to my office, allowing them to enter first, then made sure to close the door. I didn’t need Whitney making this even worse.
“Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything?”
“No, we’re fine. I’m very excited for this next step. I’ve been asking Father about this for such a long time, I’d given up thinking it would actually happen,” Abi said, as she sat down.
“Yes, we are getting very close to actually putting things in the house. Today, I want to review the paint colors one last time to make sure we have that right. Once we do that, I’ll book the painters to come out and paint at your convenience, though I must warn you it will be disruptive. Everything will need to be moved out of those rooms, of course, just so you know. We don’t want to risk damaging those heirlooms and antiques. I can book a crew to come and do this for you if you prefer,” I said.
“No need to do that. It’s nothing my brothers and I can’t handle, and I’m sure my father wouldn’t want anyone else handling those items anyway,” Connor said, as he sat next to Abi with a smile on his face. I knew he was right. He and his brothers were very strong, and I knew they could easily handle it.
“All right then, I’ll give you fair warning once the painters are booked. Now let’s go over the paint samples that you picked out to begin with and we can make our final decisions,” I said, pulling out the paint sample book and laying it on my desk. I could feel Connor’s eyes on me. He kept staring at me and I knew he was probably thinking about what we’d done the night before. Flashes of it kept distracting me, and I knew it was not very professional, especially in front of his sister. Forcing myself to focus, I drew Abi into a conversation finalizing the color choices.