Page 4 of Cowboy Crush
“Mmm, I don’t know if I want a bunch of strangers coming in here and tearing shit up that we’ll have to pay for.”
“She has a point,” I agree.
Summer rolls her eyes. “Then what are we going to do? Go to the bar every night? I don’t have the money for that. Not after paying my part for this place. Every dime I have left is going to surviving this summer.”
“I guess we could pick up some part-time jobs to keep a little cash flowing,” Chloe suggests.
I snort. “You two have fun with that. I’ve saved almost every dime since I started working at sixteen, and I plan on spending every cent of it this summer.”
Summer rolls her eyes. “What are you going to do with all your time then? I mean, you can only drink and swim for so many hours of the day.”
I laugh and shrug. “Whatever I want. I’ll read, write, swim, and pick up after you two because we all know how messy you are.” I smile.
They laugh or roll their eyes.
“I have things covered for us this summer,” I tell them. I don’t like to rely on my parents' money, but once they found out that I got the job in New York, they insisted on putting me up in their penthouse that they rent out when it’s not in use. I won’t have to worry about paying for anything other than food and my daily spending, and with what I’ll be getting paid at my new job, I won’t have to worry about that for long. “We’re having fun. We’re not working. We’re going to enjoy every minute of our last summer break together.”
After breakfast, they do what they can to clean up the kitchen while I shower and get ready for the day. I blow-dry my long, blond hair, pulling up the front half and leaving it hanging down my back in long, soft girls with feathered bangs that frame my face. I add a touch of makeup to make my brown eyes pop, then I dress in a summer dress and a pair of sandals. I grab my things, and we head out for the day.
We grab a coffee from the coffee shop in town, and then we spend a couple of hours just exploring. We go into all the shops and boutiques on the main street. I buy some books from a small bookstore. And we stop at a pizza place and have lunch. We end up finding some pool floaties at the hardware store, and with nothing else to do but to buy the groceries we forgot, we head to the store.
The three of us walk in, and we each take a cart, going in our own direction. I start at the first aisle, deciding to grab some fresh fruit and veggies since we just grabbed the quick and easy stuff yesterday. I pick up some strawberries, grapes, watermelon, and blueberries, figuring that all of this would be good for breakfast or a poolside snack. I grab a bag of potatoes, some onions and peppers, and a head of lettuce—all things that will come in handy for cooking or making a salad for lunch. I walk aisle to aisle, grabbing things we forgot the day before and adding new things that I didn’t think of until now.
I stop at the meat section and look over the selection. At first, I’m preoccupied by the various kinds, prices, and sales. But then an angry, hushed whisper reaches my ears, and I look up. Two men are standing ahead of me. One is older and he’s wearing all white—he must be the butcher. The younger one looks to be around my age. He’s tall, lean, and muscular. He’s wearing a pair of dirty cowboy boots, fitted Wranglers, and a red T-shirt that stretches around his biceps. I can see just a tad of his dark hair out of the bottom of his cowboy hat.
I can’t help but take the guy in from his boots to the top of his hat, but then I realize that these men seem like they’re having some sort of disagreement, and I pull my eyes away. Picking up a pack of hamburger, I put it into the cart. My eyes glance back in their direction, and I see the younger guy point at the older man’s chest. Their facial expressions tell me that neither one is happy. They both have their brows drawn together, and the younger guy’s jaw is cocked. Their resemblance is uncanny.
The older man must feel as if he’s being watched because he glances in my direction. My eyes dart away as I walk across the aisle, picking up a pack of paper towels. I glance over at the two men again.
“Just stay out of it, Dad,” the younger one says, shaking his head as he turns and walks away.
I can’t stop myself from watching him go. The way his jeans hug his ass is fascinating, and I can’t rip my eyes away from the way that T-shirt stretches over his broad shoulders without ripping. I notice what looks to be a scar peeking out of the neck of his shirt as he walks away, but he rushes off so fast that I can’t be sure. I don’t know this guy from Adam. Other than thinking the guy is good looking, I have nothing connecting us, yet I can’t stop watching him or wanting to know him as he leaves the store and disappears from my sight.
“Hey, should we get s’more stuff?” Summer asks, holding up a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and a pack of chocolate bars.
I laugh. “Sure, why not.”
She giggles as she drops the items into her cart and we finish walking through the store together.
We make it back to the house and put everything away. This time, I feel like we actually have everything we need, and I plan on making a delicious roast with potatoes and carrots for dinner. After getting everything put away and throwing the roast into the oven to cook, I go into my room for the summer and start unpacking my bags. I hang my clothes in the closet, put others in the dresser, then I take out my diary and sit in the window seat. My eyes glance out the window, taking in the property. I see birds that fly from tree limb to tree limb. Squirrels run through the yard, gathering nuts and rushing up tree trunks. Butterflies flutter around beautifully. The sun is still high in the sky, peeking through the trees.
I open my diary and put pen to paper, wanting to write down everything about this summer so I never forget.
It’s me again…I’m sure you’re probably getting sick of me by now. Brand new diary for the summer and a brand new me. No more complaining about studying, taking tests, and working myself to the bone. No, this summer is about fun, friends, and experiences I hope to never forget. But just in case I do, I’m documenting it all.
We arrived at the cabin yesterday. We spent the afternoon in the pool. Then we cooked dinner and ate in front of the fireplace while watching TV. We all fell asleep and woke up as sore as can be this morning. I cooked breakfast, and then we all went into town to stock up on all the things we forgot yesterday.
While I was shopping, I happened to walk up on a disagreement between a father and son. The old man was the butcher at the store. He looked tired with dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he’s had a lot of stress lately with the deep-seated wrinkles on the outer corners of his eyes. His skin was dark and looked like leather in a way like he’s spent too many years in the sun. It makes me wonder what he did for a living in his younger years…That’s not the weird part, though.
The weird part was the son. He was tall and handsome. He has dark hair, muscles for days, and a jaw as sharp as glass. I was practically drooling in the store. Again, this isn’t the weird part. The weird part was how I saw this guy and was immediately taken by him. I’ve been attracted to many men over the years but not like this. I saw this guy, and it was like I saw the light. I instantly felt concerned and wondered why he was upset. Something inside me wanted to comfort him, make him feel better, make him smile. I happened to notice a scar on the back of his neck, and I couldn’t stop wondering what could’ve caused it. He was handsome like so many other men are, but he was different, and I can’t figure out why.
4
JAMESON
Iturn away from my father and march out of the grocery store he works in. I feel like I have steam coming out of my ears, like I could breathe fire at any moment as I climb behind the wheel of my truck and turn it over. The motor roars to life, and I pump the gas, making the motor scream out as a way to let out my frustrations in any way I can. I shift into drive and make a U-turn, heading for the bar and grill.
My father’s and my relationship has been strained since my accident. We used to be close, real close. He was a professional bull rider when he met my mother. He was constantly working and out on the road, but somehow, they made it through all the nights alone. He would come into town, and they’d meet up. That’s what led to her conceiving me. She raised me mostly on her own until I was two. That’s when my father retired and the start of our relationship. He raised me the same way he was raised. We owned a ranch of our own, and he had me out there working alongside him from sunup to sundown, and I loved every minute of it. I was just a kid when he started training me to ride bulls.
