Cowboy Kissed

“So, are you two brothers?” I ask.

“Yes, but as you can see, I’m the better looking one,” Tanner winks.

I like him. He’s easy to talk to and he’s easy on the eye too.

“Who’s the oldest?” I assume it’s Tobias, as he seems more sensible and boring than Tanner.

“I am,” Tanner says. “Only by a couple of years. There’s the three of us. Our oldest brother, Travis, works on the ranch here too. He lives just in that house y’all can see on top of the hill there with his wife Dawn and my nieces Kayla and Marla.”

“Do you all live somewhere on this ranch then?” I ask.

He nods. “It’s been in our family for decades, we love it. Toby, not so much. My dad, Antony, he lives at the big house but it’s only half-habitable now since the last storm we had out here.”

Tobias rejoins us with a handful of rope and a face like a sack of spuds.

“Tanner, if you want to take her out, just ask so we can get on with this,” he snaps.

Maybe he could get better use out of that rope by taking it to the tree over there and putting it around his neck!

I can swear he read my thoughts by the look he just gave me!

“Listen, my uncle is demanding I do something, so please just tell me what I need to do?”

Tobias looks out into the distance like he is wishing me to walk the ten miles of field so I’m out of his sight.

“Something easy,” I add.

Tanner smiles. “I could kill for a glass of lemonade,” he says.

Tobias tuts loudly; his brother isn’t making this any easier for me.

“Here, you can hold these into place while I tie them up,” Tobias snorts. “Tanner, you get the lump hammer and go in front to push the posts in place.”

I obey and simply hold the rope while Tobias uses his muscle to knot it.

As he pulls, his body moves close to me and I get tiny wafts of his scent. He smells of manual labor but not in an unbearable way.

I find myself breathing heavier to draw the smell in. It’s like a scratch that hurts but you can’t resist itching.

After I follow him to the fourth post, he finally looks up at me. His eyes go to mine then quickly back down to the post.

I hadn’t noticed how blue they were until that millisecond-long glance. Against the backdrop of the dark blue sky, they are unlike anyone’s eyes I have ever seen.

Usually, the sweat and manliness would put me off a guy, but he actually pulls off wiping his sweaty forehead with his sleeve.

I don’t understand why I’m not gagging at this, but something is satisfying about seeing him sweaty and hot.

I draw my eyes away from him when I hear Tanner shout over.

“So, Frank says you’re going to Vanderbilt. What are you studying?”

Tobias’s eyes go to me again as he waits for my response.

“Economics,” I yell back to Tanner, ignoring Tobias watching me.

He pulls tight on the rope, and it catches my skin.

“Fuck, that hurt,” I yelp as I pull my hands away.

“Sorry, are you okay?” he asks, and I’m back into those eyes again.

“I suppose, but watch what you’re doing.”

My phone rings, and I step away to answer it. The line is bad, so I move around the field trying to get a better signal. Then it goes dead.

I huff as I head back to Tobias.

“Is there no signal or internet around here?” I ask.

Tanner interjects again. “We have Wi-Fi at our place, you’re welcome to call anytime to use it. There’s no password,” he bellows, much to the annoyance of his brother.

“Thanks, Tanner. I might just do that.”

He giggles to himself. “You have to come wearing your Daisy Duke outfit, though.”

I smile and lift my eyes to Tobias, who is watching me with a look of annoyance on his face. When Frankie warned me about the shorts, I don’t think it was the grass he was thinking about!

I watch Tobias through my sunglasses. He looks around mid-twenties but acts a lot older. I wonder how the two of them can be brothers—they’re so different!

When they say we’re done, I thank the Lord. My shoulders are red from the morning sun, and I’m dying for something to quench my thirst.

I pull my phone out to check it before going back to the house. Tanner startles me when he comes up behind.

“Hey, everyone is going to be out at this live music thing tomorrow night, you should come,” he says.

I shake my head. “Oh, I don’t know anyone and—”

“Come on,” he pleads. “Don’t let my brother scare you off, most of us Southerners have charm and are happy to welcome a pretty girl like you to the town.”

“Fresh meat?” I laugh.

He looks taken aback before he laughs too.

“Come on,” he pleads. “Me and Tobe are playing in our band. You’ll see we’re not just pretty faces.”

“I don’t think your brother would want me there,” I add.

“Just think about it. Frank knows where it’s at.”

I nod, and he runs to catch up with his brother.

I feel the cool air hit me as I walk into the shaded house. I need another shower to get rid of the stench of sweat and grass that is stuck to my skin.

When I look at my phone again, the signal is at one bar. I need to spend some time walking this place to find the best areas for a signal if I’m going to survive.

At least I know now that there is some Wi-Fi around here somewhere.

I can’t see Frankie anywhere, so I saunter straight past the sign that says food in the fridge. I need to call my dad to see when my car is arriving. Until then, I will live off the snacks in my room.

I pull out a packet of crisps as my phone finally rings again. I try not to make any sudden movements as I pick it up.

“Hello,” I say happily.

“Ella, where you been at?” It’s my best friend Carla.

“Hey, girl, am I glad to hear your voice.”

“That bad?”

“Worse. I’m staying at this ranch, the house is a shit hole, the people are fucking weird. I expect to be home by the end of the summer or I will die.”

“Well, you said a couple of months then split, your dad can’t complain if you show willing. Seen any fit cowboys yet?”

“There is this guy, he hates me, though and well, I’m being silly because I don’t like him either, really. He might be good for a bit of fun though if I get desperate.”

“Ohhhh, keep us all updated.”

“Hello, hello?”

Nope, it’s gone.

Motherfucker!

My only connection to civilization. What the hell am I meant to do all day now? I can’t be stuck here until my course starts; I have months.

I text my dad.

I don’t even know if they have been sent yet, and because it’s gone back to stupid old-school text, I can’t even see if he has read them.

How did they do this in the old days?

After my second shower of the day, I sit out on the porch. I’m bored after twenty minutes, so I decide to go for a walk with my phone to try and catch the Wi-Fi signal.

The green fields seem to go on forever. I stick to the dirt track that runs through the ranch.

It feels like I walk for miles before I get to any other buildings. Although, when I look back, it’s not that far—maybe the heat is messing with my head.

Still no Wi-Fi at this place. The buildings here are closer, so I can imagine if there were internet this would be the main hub for it.

As I walk past the first small barn, I see the house we dropped Tobias at yesterday. His house is cute, and I wonder if he lives alone or with his brother Tanner.

I know his oldest brother lives in the house over the other side of the field from Frankie’s, and their dad lives in the big one which is now just in view.

Tanner wasn’t lying when he said it was only half-habitable—I would hazard a guess it’s zero percent habitable, from the looks of it.

Tobias’s place is the best of the bad bunch—his porch is cute with a swing and bench. I can see in from the long window that runs down the side that it’s homely with a lot of amazing wood furniture and a huge TV.

Unlike Frankie’s, it doesn’t look like there’s any mess or shit lying around.

I’m having a good nosey peek when I hear his rough, husky voice and panic.

“Can I help you?” he asks.

“Holy shit,” I squeal as my cheeks flush. “No, just looking for that Wi-Fi signal,” I say casually as I start to move on.

How fucking embarrassing!

“Anyone would think it was a life-or-death situation,” he mumbles under his breath.

He’s pissing me off with his snide little remarks. It isn’t my fault if this jackass couldn’t go to university. Maybe he should have worked harder to get the grades!

“It kind of is,” I reply, regaining my confidence.

Why should I be embarrassed because I need my internet connection?

“If you head down to Nashville, you’ll be able to sit in Starbucks and use it,” he says, mimicking my tone.

“Oh, I suppose I would get knocked if I said I could kill for a Starbucks too. Just because people have different wants to you, doesn’t make what’s important to them bad.”

“When they want it all, I have to disagree.”

“Well, maybe my problems are first world, but they’re mine. My other big problem—I misplaced my AirPods so if you see them around, please holla.”

He screws up his face and heads into his neat, clean home.