Page 36 of A Cowboy Of Her Own

“Oh, hell no. You’ve been shopping with a woman, would you want to go?”

“Not in this lifetime.” Roy gave him a nod and both men headed into the barn to get some work done.

It was already hot and Roark knew it was just going to get worse as the day went on, especially working in the barn. They both picked up rakes and started working on the stalls. Once they were finished, they would put fresh hay in the stalls but in the meantime, they worked filling each wheelbarrow with muck. Each one was then dumped into a bin and the stuff used later for fertilizer.

As he worked, Roark thought about Priscilla and hoped she found her way all right, and found something she liked. He shook his head. Women took forever to find what they liked. It was one reason he didn’t want to take her shopping. He hated sitting around waiting for a woman to make up her damn mind. Trying on dress after dress and coming out of the dressing room to ask if he liked it. If he said yes, she wouldn’t just buy it then, and there. Oh, no! She had to try more on until she found onesheliked. It didn’t matter what he said, so why bother going and wasting a day? He had too much to do on the ranch to sit and smile, and nod when he knew she expected him to. Priscilla might not be like that but he’d been shopping with enough women to know how they were and he swore he’d get out of it any way he could. And God forbid if she wanted to buy shoes. Nope. Not doing that either.

He thought back to whenever Heidi had dragged him along on shopping trips, it took up an entireday and since they’d been in a long distance relationship and only saw each other once or twice a month, there were much better ways to spend a day. Like in bed. But sex with her couldn’t begin to compare to sex with Priscilla. Could he do another long distance relationship though? He didn’t like the idea of that but he also didn’t like the idea of never seeing Priscilla again. It was all too good just to walk away from and never experience again.Damn it all to hell.What was he going to do? He decided since he had a few weeks yet to be with her, he’d make every minute count and maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to work something out for down the road.

Chapter Eight

Priscilla drove the truck down the road and came to a sign stating,Welcome to Clifton, population fifteen hundred. As she passed through the little town, she smiled. It was wonderful and quaint like a throwback to another era. She stopped the truck at a stoplight and looked around. Not many people were out but it was very warm, so understandable. When the light changed, she drove on until she came to the Clifton Diner. She pulled into the parking lot to leave the truck so she’d remember to go in there before heading back to the ranch.

“Best burgers in the world? We shall see, Roark Callahan,” she murmured as she found a place to park. Throwing the gear into Park, she turned off the engine, opened the door, and stepped out. After locking the door, she slung her purse strap over her shoulder and started down the sidewalk outside of the diner. The smells coming from inside quickly had her stomach growling. She walked on past then entered the first shop she came to and looked through the clothes. She pulled a dress out and looked around for a dressing room but before she found one, she spotted another dress she liked—then another one. Sighing, she took all three into the dressing room and tried them all on. Not sure, which one she liked best, she bought all three. Of course, now she needed to get shoes.

Strolling further down the row of shops, she entered a shoe store, looked around, and decided on a pair of cowgirl boots with blue stitching, along with two pairs of sandals. Having satisfied her shopping needs, she returned to the truck with the purchases. After putting her packages in the truck,she decided it was time to satisfy her hunger, and entered the diner.

A bell above the door announced her arrival. Almost everyone in the place stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Feeling a little self-conscious, she walked to the counter and took a seat on one of the red vinyl stools. A woman looking to be in her fifties stopped in front of her, and smiled.

“Hi, hon. What can I get ya?”

“Hi. Is, uh, Connie here?”

“I’m Connie.”

“Oh.” Priscilla smiled at her. “I’m Priscilla Butler, nice to meet you. I need to get two burgers and Roark Callahan told me to tell you one was for him and that you would know what to put on it.”

Connie laughed. “I see. All right then, and what would you like on yours?”

“I have no idea but those onions cooking smell fantastic.”

“Roark likes cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and mayo.”

“I’ll take the same then, thank you.”

“Sure thing, hon. Would you like something to drink while you wait?”

“I’d love some water, please.”

“You got it,” Connie said then poured a glass of water and set it on the counter in front of Priscilla. “I’ll be back with your order in a few minutes.”

Priscilla nodded and looked around. The diner was a definite throwback to the fifties with its black and white floor tiles. She looked through a window behind the counter and could see the cook back there. The smells emanating from the kitchen were amazing.

A few minutes later, Connie came back with a white paper bag and handed it to her. Priscilla stood, removed her wallet, and paid for the burgers.

“Thank you, Connie,” she said, picking up her package of delectable aromas.

“I’m curious, Priscilla. I’ve never before seen a woman come in and pick up burgers for Roark.” Connie tilted her head in obvious curiosity.

Priscilla smiled. “I’m a writer for Western Cowboy magazine. I’m doing an article on him, kind of a day in the life piece so I’m following him around his ranch learning what it is he does. I was supposed to follow him on the circuit, but… well…”

Connie frowned at her. “Oh, yeah, right. We all know how that went.” She smiled. “You have a good day, hon, and come back to see us.”

“I’ll try. Thanks again.” Priscilla waved away the change Connie offered then returned to the truck to head back to the ranch.

Pulling the truck up to the barn, she shut it off, opened the door, and stepped out. She carried the bag of burgers into the barn to see Roark strolling toward her. He grinned when he saw her and her heart slammed into her ribs. After taking a deep breath, she held the bag up like a trophy. “I almost stopped to eat mine on the way home. They smell fantastic.”

He stopped in front of her, leaned down, and kissed her lips. “Just wait until you taste them. You’ll want to move to Clifton.”

---