Page 3 of Her Missing Cowboy
He reached over to his phone and increased the volume of the music he had chosen for their romp. Luther had beenCassie’s favorite artist, so it was a no brainer that he played his music nonstop when they were being intimate. He preferred the musical stylings of Tim McGraw, but his songs didn’t get Cassie wet like Luther’s did.
Just as he was about to hit her with a series of long strokes, a loud noise roared through his head.What the hell?His alarm clock was lethal. He really needed to change the sound on that thing. It was too alarming for his taste.
“Fuuuuuuck!” he yelled out to no one in particular.
His outburst caused several heads to turn his way. It was 3:30 in the morning. Time for the cowboys on Silver Creek Ranch to rise and shine. They needed to get up and ready for another grueling day working the land and animals.
“Looks like Tanner had another one of his sexy dreams,” Rocky chimed from his bunk.
That’s what all the cowboys preferred to call Joaquin because they said his first name was too rock n roll. According to the men who worked the ranch, Tanner was more of a cowboy name.
“Dang, Tanner, you spent the night worshiping Cassie’s body again? At this point, we know that gal intimately,” Cody joined in.
The guys laughed loudly at the scowl on Juaquin’s face. He hated when they talked about his woman. Well, she wasn’t his anymore, but he was still claiming her. They knew it pissed him off. They also knew he wouldn’t say anything to them about it. He kept his emotions bottled up inside.
Looking down, Joaquin realized his massive erection was very evident as he attempted to make his way to the shower. There was no privacy in the bunkhouse, so he had no way ofalleviating the ache in his manhood. Hopefully, the cold shower he was about to take would do the trick. He shook his head because he knew the guys would be throwing jabs his way all day. It happened every time he had one of his dreams about Cassie. She plagued his dreams and his waking thoughts too.
What he wouldn’t give to see her again. But who was he fooling? There was no way Cassie would want a man with one good arm. That IED explosion left Joaquin with one and a half arms. At least his dominant arm was unscathed.
However, his left arm required months of recovery. First it was the surgery to save his life. Then they discovered there was too much damage to save his arm. Then came the amputation. After that healed, he spent months in rehab learning how to use the robotic prosthetic that gave him hell. After almost two years, he now had control of his new limb and thrived on the ranch with it.
His only physical issue was the phantom pain that he experienced every now and then. However, mentally, he still struggled with being self-conscious. In his mind, no woman wanted a man that was missing his original parts. Therefore, he swore off women.
That didn’t keep his subconscious from remembering Cassie and her sexy body. His body craved hers and his heart ached from being without her love. He refused to allow the fantasy of ever seeing Cassie again to rule his life. It was better if he forced himself to forget about her.
Nothing good could come of him being obsessed with her. Maybe he should take advantage of the social worker who visited the ranch. She had offered to sign him up for therapy sessions, but Joaquin didn’t trust anyone with his inner thoughts. They were for him to process, not some stranger.
Three
Cassie
“Hello,” Cassie answered the call from Michaels with excitement.
“Hey, Jacks.” Michaels, being her military friend, always called her by her last name.
“You got something for me?” she rushed him.
“Damn, can I at least get a little lube before you put it straight in?” he chuckled.
“Sorry, how are you doing, Michaels? “
“That’s better. I am very well. Thank you. What I have for you may just make your day better.”
Cassie sat up in the tub salivating for the tea that Michaels was about to serve.
“Don’t keep a girl waiting. Give it to me,” she commanded.
“Well, it looks like we got a hit on your boy. Finally, after two years of searching, he slipped up and used his name on something official. It turns out he applied for a bank account in a small town not more than a few hours from where you live now.”
“What? You mean he’s been right under my nose this whole time? Please send me everything you have. I need to get my affairs in order and get on the road.”
“I just sent the file to you, but Cassie, I want you to be careful. There’s a reason he hasn’t contacted you in all this time. He may want to stay hidden. I want you to be prepared for that.”
Totally ignoring her friend’s warning, Cassie popped up out of the tub and started to her closet to grab her go- bag. Shekept one with essentials in her closet for this very reason. They had found her missing cowboy! She wasn’t about to wait another minute to get to him.
Cassie stormed downstairs with her bag in one hand and her keys in the other. The pure determination on her face was enough to keep anyone from trying to stop her. Everyone except her big brother, that is.
“Where the hell are you going in such a rush?”
