Page 15 of Take Me Please, Cowboy
Marietta reminded her of small towns you’d see in rural Texas, and she liked that.She liked the charm, and the history of turn-of-the-century America.Someday, she wanted to paint the courthouse, and majestic Copper Mountain properly.She’d sketched the mountain peak a couple of times but didn’t feel as if she’d done it justice yet.She was still new to mountain landscapes, which was why selling the Bridger Mountain piece had meant so much to her.She might not be rich and famous, but she loved her art, and was getting better every day.
Ansley found a parking spot three blocks over, near the corner of Second and Bramble.It was a small spot, but she had a small car and even though she wasn’t the best parallel parker in the world, she got the job done.
Shouldering her small leather backpack, she walked quickly down Second to Main Street, coming out very close to the diner.Despite all the cowboy hats dotting the crowd, she spotted Rye Calhoun almost right away.He wasn’t necessarily taller than everyone else, he wasn’t necessarily bigger, but he radiated strength even as he stood still, thumbs hooked over his leather belt.He commanded attention.He commandedherattention.Her insides did that flutter again, a whisper of adrenaline that made her heart pound.
The attraction baffled her.Why him?Why now?
She didn’t know the answers, only that she was compelled to be with him, and eager to see him smile at her, the smile that made her feel… special.
*
Rye watched herwalk toward him through the crowd filling Main Street.The sun poured down on her, a spotlight that haloed her, making her long hair even more golden, kissing her lovely face, and bare shoulders, a gilding that made her shimmer and shine.She was beautiful, remarkable.He had beautiful sisters, sisters he cherished, but Ansley… she took his breath away.The sun adored her, too, seeking her out above all others.
He didn’t quite know how to internalize his response to her.She elicited such a strong reaction that it bewildered him.She was too golden, too lovely, too untouchable.
She wasn’t for him.He didn’t deserve a Texas homecoming queen.There was no room in his life for such radiance.His world was full of hard things and tough choices.He should want to keep her from that, shielding her from his reality.And yet, here she was, smiling at him, her dark blue eyes full of light as well.
“Hello,” he said, stepping forward, to greet her.
She was still smiling up at him, and as she lifted her face, he kissed her cheek, the brim of his hat brushing her forehead.Without even thinking he took her hand, her fingers slipping between his as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Rye glanced down at their hands and then out to the crowd, chest tight, filled with bittersweet sensation.“You look lovely,” he said gruffly, his voice deepening further.
She gave his hand a light squeeze.“Thank you.You look quite handsome.”
He didn’t know what he was feeling, only that he was feeling, and they were strange emotions, big and fragile at the same time, reminiscent of the boy he was once with a million hopes and dreams.“I hope you’re hungry, because I am.”
She nodded.“Very.I’ve only had a sandwich today wanting to be sure I had a big appetite for tonight.”
He grinned, delighted by her confession.She wasn’t just gorgeous, she was smart, sweet, and strong.Ansley had backbone, grit, spirit.He liked her feistiness.He liked her.Rye wasn’t easily distracted from his goals or sense of purpose.He normally had tunnel vision—work, work, work.But today had been such a surprise.She’d knocked him off-balance with that smile of hers and the humor in her blue eyes.
He offered to get her coffee so he could spend five more minutes with her.
He’d lingered in town after his meet and greet hoping he’d hear from her.
This—walking with her, holding hands with her—was exactly what he’d wanted.Time, as well as a reprieve from his unrelenting schedule and the unrelenting demands.Perhaps it was corny, but it was a joy to break free and do something different… unexpected.She was unexpected and having an evening to just relax and get to know Ansley better was a vacation in itself.
But like all vacations, they eventually ended, and one was forced to return to the reality of the ordinary world.He’d return to his reality soon enough.So tonight, he wasn’t going to be practical, and he wasn’t going to think of Sunday when he drove back to Eureka.That was still two days away.Tonight, he was just going to enjoy Ansley and enjoy this—dinner with a beautiful woman in a small town celebrating a significant anniversary.
He was proud of being from Montana, proud of his heritage as a fourth-generation rancher, although his grandfather’s addictive personality had meant that he made bad choices with the ranch in Eureka, forcing his dad to sell off the most profitable land and turning to construction to support his family.They still lived on part of the property, but it would never be what it once was.Rye always vowed that once he had enough money he’d buy a proper ranch, land that would allow them to make a living from it, rather than this piecemeal life of construction and competing.
One day he wouldn’t have to compete at all.
One day he wouldn’t have to be on the road, away from everyone he loved.
One day.
“You’re a million miles away,” Ansley said, reaching across the picnic table to put her hand on his.
He dipped his head.“I am.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.Everything.”
“Come on.You can do better than that.”
“Thinking of my family, and the property we have outside Eureka.Thinking that one day I won’t be on the circuit anymore competing.”
