My Cowboy

CORA

It was difficult to hide my elation when Hael told me that Ellie was his sister and not his wife. Why I was so happy, I wasn’t necessarily ready to explore.

I couldn’t deny that I had thought he was attractive, sexy as hell, in fact, if I was being completely honest.

But in the short amount of time I’d gotten to talk to him, I’d realized that he was more than eye candy. He was a good man. Sweet, even.

Was I developing “a thing” for him? A fucking cowboy?

There’s no way it could work. I don’t even know if I’m staying here.

Still, I couldn’t help but keep thinking about the possibility. As I pulled my stretchy jeans up over my ample ass, my mind drifted to the image of his big calloused hands sliding them off.

He’d asked me if I’d been up to the balcony yet.

“The balcony? I hadn’t even noticed there was one,” I admitted.

“It’s gotta be the best view of the stars in the whole town.” He smirked.

So here I was, putting on my jeans and Converse to accompany him out to take in the view from the balcony.

I glanced in the mirror, grimacing at my still red, puffy eyes from crying so much earlier in the day.

It’s dark out. Who cares?

And with that, I decided to forego putting on makeup. I didn’t want to keep him waiting, nor did I want to give off the vibe of being high maintenance.

I mean I wasn’t by city standards, but people out here were even less focused on their appearance.

Stepping from the guest bedroom into the living room, I smiled at the sight of Hael playing with the dogs. I hadn’t seen Cain and Dell so rambunctious since I’d arrived the night before. He looked up when he saw me with a big grin on his face.

Those dimples get me every time!

“Lead the way,” I said.

I followed him up the stairs, where the other three bedrooms were. I realized I’d barely explored the second floor of the house. Next to the master bedroom was the door leading to the balcony outside.

“There’s an exit from the master bedroom, too,” Hael said. “It wraps around the whole west side of the house.” He opened the door and motioned for me to go out first.

I stepped over to the railing to take in the view as he came up beside me. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Is it the breeze or how close he is?

Standing side by side, we looked out at the stars over the small-town lights of Flake Wood Falls. I couldn’t remember ever feeling this peaceful in the city.

“This is beautiful,” I breathed.

“I helped Greg build the balcony a few summers ago so he could enjoy the stars,” he said, looking a bit sad.

“You really miss him.”

“We all do. Ellie was real close to him. He was a lot like a second father to her.”

Like a father... Yet he could never bring himself to be a father to me. What was so wrong with me?

“It sounds like a lot of people cared about him,” I said as I choked back the disappointment in my throat.

“Yeah,” Hael said, “he was a real good guy. Cared about other people more than himself. He was pretty much the savior of this whole town.”

That’s what Reg said!

Was there more to this man I’d despised my entire life? I’d never stopped to think about what his life had been, only that he’d never been a part of mine.

But what Reg had said earlier in the bar about Greg being so proud of me, showing off my school pictures, made me confused as hell.

How could he claim to be so proud of me to his friends when he didn’t even care enough to call? Was I missing something?

I wanted to know more, but before I could say anything, Hael asked me, “So, Cora, what did you do before you came here?”

“Oh,” I said, “I’m a writer.”

“Really? Wow!”

“Yeah, I have a column in a weekly magazine. Mainly fluff pieces to fill the pages.”

I debated whether or not to tell him exactly what kind of columnist I was. He was a small-town guy, and I figured it might freak him out if I elaborated.

“And you like that?” he asked.

“I love it!” I said. “I mean, sure, it wasn’t exactly what I thought I’d be doing. I thought by now I’d be an award-winning author. But our readers seem to respond positively to my articles.”

“Are you gonna be able to keep writing while you’re out here?” Hael asked.

“That’s...kind of what I’m trying to figure out. There aren’t exactly abundant opportunities around here for the things I write about.”

“And what’s that?” Hael asked. “I mean, what do you write about?”

Here we go.

“Sex,” I said with a smile.

“Excuse you?” His eyes widened.

“Sex. I write about sex. And everything associated with it. Dating, relationships, women’s health, self-pleasure... Sometimes I do reviews.”

“Wha... What kind of reviews?”

The look on his face was priceless, somewhere between discomfiture and undeniable curiosity.

“Mostly new things on the market. Toys and pleasure products for women and couples. Things like that.”

“Now that, I was not expecting.” He had a slight red tint to his cheeks as he laughed.

Holy shit, did I make him BLUSH?

He looked fascinated, so I continued. “Society turns all of these things into something women are embarrassed about, and the result is a bunch of women in this country who don’t even know their own bodies or how to enjoy or take care of them. So, you know, I feel like I’m providing an outlet for self-exploration...plus a little entertainment.

“But my reader-base isn’t exactly here,” I said, motioning toward the twinkling lights of the small sleepy town. “And I’m not sure I’ll be able to work remotely for my current job, so staying long-term... I just don’t know if it’s in the stars for me. No pun intended.”

“You’re thinking about leaving?”

Is that disappointment I hear in his voice?

“Maybe,” I said. “There’s just a lot I have to figure out, and I don’t want to give up my career to take care of a ranch I know nothing about.”

“Well, maybe you don’t have to. I mean there’s gotta be a way you can do both,” he offered.

“I just... I don’t know if this life is for me. I’m so out of my depth. I don’t feel capable of doing everything Greg was so good at. I mean, I don’t even know how to ride a horse.”

“I’ll teach you to ride.” He smiled, a bit mischievously.

I couldn’t quite tell, but I had a giddy feeling his statement had a double meaning, and erotic visions of riding a certain cowboy danced through my deviant mind.

“You trying to convince me to stay?” I asked.

“You belong here. I can see it.”

His words were comforting, but he was wrong. The past forty-eight hours had proven that. Everything that had gone down between the shit at the bar and with Ellie...

“Hael—” I began, but before I could finish, he spun me around so that my back was against the railing, capturing my lips with his own.

I was frozen at first, shocked by his sudden bold and daring move, but when his tongue swiped across my upper lip, I opened my mouth and allowed him in.

I returned the kiss, gently stroking his tongue with my own as I snaked my hands up around his broad, muscular shoulders. His hands came up to rest on my jawline, and he pulled back, leaving our noses slightly touching.

“Don’t leave, Cora,” he whispered. “Things are just starting to get good.”

I pressed my lips back to his and moved my hands up to his hair as our kiss deepened. He slid his calloused hands down my body, grasping my ass and pulling my legs up to wrap around him as he pushed me harder against the railing.

This wasn’t just any kiss. This just so happened to be the most exquisite kiss I had ever experienced in my life. It made me feel like a teenager. I felt butterflies in my stomach... and elsewhere.

I couldn’t help but notice his rising manhood through our clothing as I became increasingly wet. Sensing the sparks between my legs, I longed to shed our clothes then and there.

Everything was right, as if the stars were aligning and we were both exactly where we were supposed to be.

This night, this incredible, sexy man... I can’t believe how perfect this is.

I’d shifted my hips to sit on the top of the railing, when suddenly—

“Fuck!” I screamed. Unable to stop myself, I fell back over the railing of the balcony. My legs clung tight to stay wrapped around Hael’s waist as my upper half dangled upside down over the edge.

Son. Of. A. Bitch.