Page 5 of Big Rowdy Cowboy

By the third alarm of the night, I’m so exhausted I give up on sleeping in the living room. Instead, I crawl into Zac’s bed next to him. Hopefully, when he wakes up tomorrow morning, he won’t feel like having me arrested for all the trouble I’ve caused him.

Chapter 3

Zac

Something tickles my nose once then twice. The third time I finally open my eyes, and I’m staring down at the most beautiful woman in the world. She’s facing me, her body wrapped around mine like she can’t get close enough.

I brush her long hair from my face, drinking in the sight of her as memories from yesterday come back to me. It’s patchy, but I think we were together outside.Dotty.Her name is Dotty, and she was leaning over me and looking like an angel. It was the best moment of my life. Then we saw Martha, though I can’t quite remember why.

All I know is that this woman in my bed is perfect. Her rosy cheeks and plump lips fill my brain with a dozen fantasies. I want her to open her eyes and see if they are as blue as I think they were.

She sighs softly in her sleep, and I’m suddenly very aware that she’s in my shirt. The buttons are straining as they try to contain her ample chest. I have an overwhelming urge to flick them open and let her tits spill free. I want to lick her all over, taste every delicious inch of her skin. I want to know her with my tongue, my hands, and my cock.

Her stomach growls and in her sleep, she frowns.

Mine.The primal word is a growl that escapes my lips unbidden. She’s hungry, and that’s unacceptable. My woman wants for nothing.

Even though I hate leaving her, I carefully untangle my limbs from hers. I roll out of bed, feeling pain shoot through my hip. I already know it’s bruised and purple. No sense looking at it again.

Grabbing my phone as I leave the bedroom, I check for messages from my family. There are a few of them but I don’t bother replying yet. I’ll get to that in a moment. I have something more important to do first.

A quick search of my fridge confirms that I have the ingredients to make Dotty a hearty breakfast. This is how every day will start from now on, with me caring for and feeding my princess.

I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to find her. I’ve spent years on the road, traveling from city to city. I searched the faces in every crowd, hoping each night to glimpse my soulmate. But she was right here, waiting for me in my hometown.

I’ve cracked an egg when my phone rings. I answer quickly, not wanting to wake Dotty. She’s going to need her strength for all the adventures I want to have together.

It’s a call from my manager, Thea Madison. She’s the best talent manager on the East Coast. That’s not just me talking. It’s what all the fancy music magazines call her. I only know her as my manager.

We took a chance on each other when we were both unknowns. She had no experience managing a singer, and I was a wannabe musician with only a guitar and some dreams. Together, we built my career and her reputation.

I mumble a greeting as a piece of eggshell falls into the pan. This has to be a perfect meal. I’m not entirely sure I made the best impression on Dotty yesterday. I have to do better today.

“Oh, good. You’re still alive,” Thea says in a deadpan voice.

I grunt. She was with me when I fell off the stage. She didn’t try to convince me to go to the hospital. She knows I don’t do that shit. But she did send me one of her patented glares, which means she wasn’t happy with me. “I can’t go to the big rodeo in the sky yet. I’m still your biggest money maker.”

“You’re also the biggest pain in my ass,” she points out, her tone falsely sweet. Anyone else, and I’d believe her words. But Thea has a soft underbelly she never shows. To the outside world, she’s an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.A hurricane in heelsis what one magazine called her. But she’s got a heart bigger than the Carolina sky, and she’s fiercely protective of those she cares about. Including me.

“I make it worth your while,” I remind her.

She grumbles under breath. I’m pretty sure she called me something unflattering.

To distract her from deciding to fire me, which she swears at least once a week that she’s going to do, I tell Thea, “I found her.”

Thea stops mid-rant about how hard it is to dissolve a contract and how much she hates paperwork and that’s the only reason she’s still stuck with me. She gasps. “Where?”

She knows I’ve been searching for the love of my life. Watching my brothers fall for their women over the last year has only made me more desperate to find my own girl. I knew she was out there, and I finally got to hold her in my arms. “Right here in town.”

“That’s amazing!” Thea sounds as happy as if she has found her soulmate. She doesn’t believe in the idea, but she’s always supported my search. “Tell me about it.”

I grunt, unsure of what to say. I’m a words guy. I write songs, but describing the most amazing person I’ve ever met? That’s going to take a lifetime.

Thea is used to my grunts. She knows I save up all my words for my songs. “Wait…you didn’t act like your brothers when you first met her, did you?”

“I didn’t make a great first impression,” I hedge. At least, that’s what I’m guessing since I can’t remember most of the time I spent with her. But I’ll have thousands of days to spend with my woman, and I plan to cherish every one of them.

“Is she even on speaking terms with you?”

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