by Haley Travis
Getting back to work, I scrubbed each table, prepared the wildflowers, and got the room looking nice just in time to see several cars pull in a few minutes before we were supposed to open.
Iris unlocked the door and flipped the sign. “What’s ten minutes between friends?” she shrugged. “Besides, if people were in the sun all afternoon at the rodeo, they’ll be parched.”
Filling the pitcher, I started off the first round of customers with water. It was nice to see everyone so excited about the events this weekend. I’d been feeling sort of guilty living in this town and not knowing very much about life on a real ranch. But I learned so much about ranches, farms, horses, and cattle just by zipping in and out of people’s conversations. It was fascinating. And I admired how hard working these good people were, no matter what was thrown at them.
An hour and a half later, the tavern was nearly full, and I had just served dinner to nearly everyone. Alice was going to run out of spicy cheeseburgers well before the night was through.
Rushing around was making me feel centered again, and shaking the misery out of my body. I didn’t have time to be upset, or pine for some jackass who listened to terrible gossip. I shouldn’t be wasting my energy on a man who said he wanted to take care of me, then took off.
As I sipped my lime water, staring at the empty stool where Cody usually sat, I realized I was becoming more angry than upset. Even though I desperately needed to go out back and have a good cry, I also needed to punch something. I’d never had emotions this huge before, and it was a strange new feeling.
Yet everything turned to love with a side order of lust again as Cody walked in the door. His face lit up when he saw me, as if nothing in the world was wrong.
I needed to jump into his arms. But I also needed to slap him so badly that my hand trembled as I set the water down.
His dazzling smile dissolved as he came closer. “What’s wrong, angel?”
My mouth opened to speak, then I was suddenly gripped with terror that I was going to yell at him, even though I’d never yelled at anyone in my life. Dashing across the room at a record-breaking speed walk, I made it to the ladies’ room before the tears took over.
Chapter Ten
~ Cody ~
My stomach felt as if I’d been punched. People were already going back to their dinners as if nothing was wrong, thank goodness. I was sure that Lorena wouldn’t want anyone staring at her. But it killed me that she was so upset, and obviously because of me.
I decided that the best plan of action was to give her a minute, I sat down, desperately trying to think of what I did wrong. Last night had been the most incredible night of my life. At the time, it certainly seemed like she felt the same way. What could have changed between then and now?
I left for work in the morning, I ran an important urgent errand, and then I came here to see her. That was it.
Iris came over, her hands in fists, parked a little higher than her actual hips. “Cody,” she said in a lower, serious tone, “Did you upset my girl?”
“I guess I did, but I have no idea how,” I said quickly. “Iris, I swear I’d never hurt her on purpose. I must have just…made a mistake somehow. I’ll make it right as soon as she tells me what it is.”
“Get after her, then,” she glared.
Nodding, I slowly walked to the ladies’ room, trying to think of what the hell to say. Tapping at the door, I could hear muffled sobs and angry muttering. “Lorena, I’m coming in.”
“Leave me alone,” she choked.
I couldn’t stand listening to her cry. Opening the door just an inch, I said, “I swear, baby, I will do as you say every day for the rest of our lives, but right now, I need you to listen.”
I felt like a total heel, especially going into a place that was clearly off-limits to me. But I would have done absolutely anything to stop her tears. I entered the small room slowly to find her sitting on the counter beside the sink. I approached her cautiously, as if she were a wild animal. Since I’d never seen her upset or angry before, I honestly had no idea how she would react.
“Whatever I did, please tell me so that I can fix it,” I said gently.
“How in the actual hell can you not know what you did?” she sniffled, pinning me with a glare that could have stripped paint from metal.
“Lorena, I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I’m sorry, but you might have to train me like a dog for a bit. I swear I’ll learn to obey.”
The corner of her lips twitched as if she was stifling a giggle. That was a start. Then her bottom lip quivered. “It’s not my fault those women hate me, but I certainly didn’t think you’d listen to their lies.”
“What women?”
She handed me my phone from her apron pocket, which I had somehow completely forgotten about. “I wasn’t snooping,” she said quickly. “I would never do that. I was just picking it up to bring it here, figuring you needed it. But I saw some bits of texts telling you to stay away from me because I was a slut.”
Opening my phone quickly, all I saw were a couple of texts from George, telling me about the cars he wanted to show me.
“And then…” she choked, “the one about how I’d ride better because I was heavier. That’s just disgusting.”
Finally I put two and two together, staring at the snippets of the messages she could have taken a different way. Closing my eyes for a moment, I forced myself not to laugh. “Baby, those texts had nothing to do with you.”
“Then why did you leave me this morning?” she demanded.
“I didn’t leave you. I just went to work. I made myself a coffee first, then put it on the timer for you, so that yours would be fresh.”
“You didn’t leave a note,” she whispered.
Dammit.
My hand ran through my hair and I realized the heel of my boot was tapping nervously against the floor. “Shit, baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. There was something I needed to take care of, and I just jumped up and got cracking. It’s the way I’ve always been.”
She bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering, but her sweet eyes looked hopeful. “You really didn’t take off on me?”
I reached out to take her hand, and was relieved when she held it. “I’m so sorry if it seemed that way, angel. Now that I know it’s important, I will never disappear without leaving a note, okay?”
“Then what were those messages about?” she asked. “It really sounded like people were telling you to keep away from me, or just use me as a fling.”
The thought that this could be thought of as a casual fling nauseated me. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, Lorena. You’re beautiful, sweet, and incredibly talented. I don’t give a damn about what anyone says about either of us. Small town gossip comes and goes like waves. All I know is that I love you, and want to be your man.”
Her eyes filled with fresh tears, and I realized what I had said without even thinking. But it was the absolute truth. I loved this girl through and through.
Pulling her against my chest, I wrapped her in my arms. “Baby, I can’t stand seeing you cry. What can I do?”
“You swear those messages weren’t about me being a fat slut?”
I stiffened. “If I hear you say something like that again, I’ll be tempted to wash your mouth out with soap,” I murmured.
She looked up at me, her eyes absolutely pleading. Skimming my thumb under her eyes, I tried to wipe away her tears. “Angel, if you come outside with me for just a minute, I swear that you’ll be happy, and understand everything.”
She hesitated, but her head fell against my chest again.
“If I’m wrong, you can punish me however you’d like.”
“Okay,” she said in a tiny voice. Scooping her up, I pulled her off the counter, holding her tight against me for another moment.
A few eyebrows were raised as we walked out of the ladies room with me holding her hand. I took her straight out the front door, then around to the side parking lot.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of you not having your own way to get around, baby,” I said. As we turned the corner, she could see a little blue car parked beside my truck. George had driven it here for me, followed by his extremely irritated wife.
“The texts were from George,” I explained. “We agreed that you needed a heavier car, to get more traction on these rough back roads, especially when it rains. I test drove three of them, and was going to ask for your opinion, but this one was by far in the best shape, and safest. And I’ve noticed that a few of your dresses are blue, so I know you like the color.”
Lifting her hand, I kissed the back of it. “Your safety is everything to me, angel. This is the project I really had to get done today.”
Lorena stared at the car, then at me, back and forth a few times before bursting into tears again. But this time she was grinning, and slightly bouncing up and down. I silently prayed that this was a good sign.
Chapter Eleven
~ Lorena ~
I thought I was going to explode. This whole day had been too much to take. He wanted me to train him to be my boyfriend, and tell him what I wanted from him? He loved me? And he bought me a car?
Falling into his arms in tears, I murmured, “Thank you. Thank you, Cody.”
“No, angel, don’t cry. Shh.”
Rocking in his arms, I took a deep breath as he held me close, forcing myself to calm down. “I’m a complete ass.”
“Shh,” he murmured, snuggling me into his wide, warm chest. “I should have thought to leave a note. I’m so sorry. That must have put you in a bad state even before you saw those bits of messages. I can’t stand that you thought I’d really left.”
“You left a note on the door the day before so I wouldn’t walk out into the construction,” I said softly.
I looked up to see him looking horrified. “Dammit, you’re right. But I’m used to construction sites. I’ve...well, I’ve never stayed over at a woman’s home before. I’m so sorry, baby. I’ll never leave without a note again.”
“But, a car? What...why?”
“I know you work nights, and I won’t always be able to stay so late when I have an early morning job.”
“Oh, I’d never expect you to!” I exclaimed. “I get a ride with my coworkers. It’s fine.”
Cody shook his head. “Yeah, that’s fine. Until the day comes when everyone is busy, or you’re not quite sure if they had a couple of drinks on their shift. Things happen. That’s why I was talking with George yesterday. He said he had some cars that sounded like they’d be great for you, so I rushed down to test them first thing, before he’d even sent me the details.”
“Oh, wow. Thanks,” I said softly, not quite believing it. “But I really can’t put that much on credit.”
“Lorena, I bought it for you as a gift,” he said, giving me the most adorable, shy smile. “You have to be okay with it, so that I won’t worry about you getting home safely every single night.” Rocking me gently in his arms again, he murmured, “Honestly, you’ll be doing me a big favor. Imagine me tossing and turning, unable to sleep because I’m picturing you stranded.”
“Then you’re going to have to remember your phone,” I said, “so that I can send you messages that I’m home safe.”
“I’ve never forgotten it before,” he said sheepishly. “I was standing by the bed, watching you sleep for a moment, thinking about what it would be like to wake up beside you every single morning.”
Wow. For a guy who had been so quiet up until the other night, he certainly knew what to say to make a girl’s heart light up. I kissed him hard, holding him so tight it surprised me. His arms tightened around me, as we completely forgot where we were for a moment, his tongue against mine, the two of us breathing as one.
Then I jumped. “Oh! I have to get back to work.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, baby. Go.”
I rushed back inside, doing a quick sweep of all of my tables before Iris came over to where I was opening a fresh bottle of wine. “You say the word, and I’ll toss him out myself,” she said.
I laughed too loudly, still twitching with relief. “It was all a big misunderstanding.”
“You sure?”
Nodding, I whispered, “He bought me a car. So now I can work any shift you like.”
“Did he, now?” she smiled widely, looking over to where Cody had just sat down in his usual spot. Iris strolled over, which actually made him look a bit nervous.
“I heard you’re taking good care of our girl after all,” she said with a grin. “You keep doing that, and keep your arse out of the ladies room, and your first beer’s on me.”
“Absolutely, ma’am. Dark stout, thank you kindly .”
As I rushed fresh glasses of wine to the ladies in the corner, it amused me how formal Iris and Cody were with each other. I guess, in a way, he needed her approval for things to seem proper.
Everything really did seem to be in its place now, except for one tiny detail. Rushing around the room, it took me a while before I could take a break, but Cody seemed patient as ever.
When I finally had a chance to stand close beside him, I whispered, “I’m sorry I was so hysterical. I’ve never had a boyfriend before, and I had my hopes up way too high for them to be dashed during our first weekend together.”
“I understand. We both have a lot to learn, but we’ll figure it out.”
Bringing my lips to his ear, I breathed, “And I think I love you too.”
In a flash, he spun and kissed me. The rest of the world disappeared. His lips, his hands, Cody breathing me in. At that moment, I knew that he was absolutely the one. It was only a few seconds, but it was life-changing.
He pulled away too soon, but it was understandable since I was at work and we were already getting funny looks. “Actually, I don’t think,” I whispered. “I know I love you.”
“I love you, angel,” Cody breathed into my ear. “May I follow you home tonight?”
I nodded, grinning, rushing back to the kitchen. The rest of my shift seemed to take forever, but soon I was driving my very own car home, with Cody’s truck right behind me. When we got to my place, there was the perfect amount of space at the end of the driveway for our two vehicles.
As I unlocked the front door, I heard Cody come up behind me, wrapping a hand around my waist. “I’m relieved to see that you’re a good driver,” he said. “Testing the brakes before you trusted them, going at a very reasonable speed, even though you must know how badly I need to get you naked. You’re a very sensible lady, Lorena.”
I giggled, then laughed out loud as I realized he wasn’t kidding. The door was locked, his boots were off, and I was scooped in his arms, being dropped on the bed in a flash.
Although I don’t quite think anything ripped, it felt like he was tearing my clothes off. As soon as we were both naked, his huge body beside mine and his hand on my hip, he kissed me intensely.
“Lorena, I’ve had to corral a wild horse with my bare hands, deliver a calf with no assistance, and put out a brushfire with buckets and my boots. But I’ve never been as scared as I was today when I honestly thought you were going to break up with me.”
“I’m sorry I thought the worst,” I said. “I guess I’ve always just expected that people are more likely to believe the bad things about me than the good.”
He nodded, his hand reaching behind to cup my ass, squeezing my skin. “I guess I can understand that, but I hate it. You’re an amazing girl, and almost everyone in town knows it. The tiny handful of people who don’t like you don’t like anyone, so they can just go to hell.”
We laughed together, then he moved over me, kissing down my neck to nibble at my nipples until I was squirming under him.
During the drive home, I had been hoping for a repeat of last night’s amazing experience. But now that his thigh was rubbing over mine, his hand gripping my hip, his lips wrapped around my nipple, I realized that I needed much more than that.
Pulling his shoul
der slightly, I brought his lips back to mine. “Sorry, baby,” he murmured against my lips. “I didn’t mean to assume that you’d want me like that again tonight.”
“I do want you, but I also need to tell you…thank you.”
“For what, angel?”
I kissed the tip of his nose, making him grin. “For my beautiful new car. It’s not just the car itself, which is amazing, but it’s what it means to me.”
He kissed along my eyebrow. “What does it mean to you?”
