Page 10 of Big Rowdy Cowboy

Zac

Thea threw a wrench into the plan by saying I’d only need Dotty for three dates. I’ll have to work fast if I want to convince her to be mine forever.

“Done!” Dotty says as she taps her signature inside the app on her phone. I don’t know how Thea had a contract drafted so quickly but I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s always ready for anything.

We’re in my kitchen now because the moment Thea ended the call, Dotty was a whirlwind. She made my bed, tucking the covers just so. Then she took the plate of food into the kitchen and began scrubbing the dishes with a fierceness I’d never seen someone use on grease. What’s she going to be like in bed? Will she be that same fierce lioness that I see peek out sometimes?

“Seems like we’re officially dating now,” I tell her. It’s not enough. I want her to be mine for real, but maybe this is a start. Maybe if I’m patient I can convince her to be mine forever. It’s the only possible outcome. Otherwise, I’ll give up touring and spend my days living in the woods behind her apartment. I’ll watch her street with binoculars, hoping for a glimpse of my sweet girl every day.

Dotty blushes, the pink color making me want to crush her against my chest. Will she go on tour with me when we’re married? I can see it now. Finishing a show and walking backstage to see my girl waiting for me, her soft hair cascading down her back and her belly round with my child.

Fuck, I have to find a way to keep her forever. Is it legal to chain the love of your life to your bed? It should be.

She finished the scrubbing earlier. The kitchen is spotless. Now, she shifts her weight from foot to foot, something I’m learning she does when she’s nervous. She has no need to be nervous around me. I’m her man. I’ll always take care of her and put her first.

“I guess I should get to work and explain to my editor why I lost the fascinating story on Betsy.” She offers a tiny laugh that sounds like she’s already dreading that conversation.

“Come here.” I crook my finger at her and beckon her closer.

She hesitates for a second, and it kills me. I want my girl to expect only good things from me. I want her to bound into my arms eagerly every day, always anticipating hugs and kisses and praise.

When she finally crosses into my space, I give her a slow, sultry smile. “You should kiss your boyfriend goodbye before work.”

She smiles at me sweetly. “Three dates, Zac. Not three kisses.”

I growl at her, but she laughs and leans around me to grab her purse. She slings it over her shoulder and gives me a wink. “See you later, boyfriend.”

“Oh, you will,” I mutter as I watch her walk out.

As soon as she leaves, I fight every irrational instinct to get into my truck and follow her into town. I want to know thatshe arrived safely at the office. There’s one hairpin turn I should warn her about. She’s not a local. She could miss it entirely.

“Stop it,” I tell myself out loud and wipe my sweaty palms against my jeans. I’m acting like a crazy man.

I open my phone and have a few dozen text messages from my family. They’ve managed to get to most of the people on the mountain who were impacted by the storm, but no one has heard from Jasper. He’s been my best friend for years now. He’s not the most sociable guy, but he’ll answer me when I call him after a storm. He’ll tell me to stop talking to him and get back to writing music.

But this time is different. He hasn’t answered a single message or call, and no one else has been able to get in touch with him. Given the devastation, it might take someone a day or two to check on him.

Swearing under my breath, I grab my Stetson and a few supplies, tossing them into the back of my truck.

The drive to his cabin is filled with thoughts of Dotty. She’s a pretty little enigma wrapped up in one juicy, curvy package. I can’t wait to know all of her secrets. The ones in her mind, her heart, and her beautiful body.

Someone hasn’t treated her well. They’ve made her feel small and worthless. That’s unacceptable to me. I plan to spend the rest of my life showing her how amazing she is. I’ll celebrate and support her every day. She’ll always have a protector in her corner now.

When I’m about half an hour from Jasper’s cabin, I have to pull off on the side of the dirt road. There’s a massive tree in the middle of the path. Someone has already been here working on it, judging by the number of branches that have been sawed off.

I get out of my truck and survey the damage with a chainsaw in hand. It had to be a hell of a job to clean up. As I’m thinking that, Jasper breaks through the forest. He’s panting and coveredin sweat, his limp more pronounced. He must have spent the last two days working on this thing. But he never called for help. That’s not his style.

He grunts. “Are you going to help or have your hands gone soft from all that time on the road?”

I rev my chainsaw. “Can’t have you cutting off one of those million-dollar fingers of yours.”

Jasper makes art. Expensive shit that people buy and put on their walls and invite their rich friends over to view it while they throw around fancy words and swirl their wine. That’s never been Jasper’s scene. He prefers the solitude of his cabin here in Courage County.

He flips me the bird and just like that, we get started. It takes us most of the morning, but we finally get the road cleared. Jasper will have firewood through the winter. He won’t have to go into town for months.

He tosses his chainsaw in the back of his truck then uses the hem of his flannel shirt to wipe his damp forehead. “Hate the sound of those things,” he mutters.

“Because it was the last sound you heard when you had two legs,” I guess in a dry tone.

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