Her First: A First Time Romance Box Set

by A. J. Wynter

  He smiled back. “We’ve got this.”

  With the hours that they had spent training together, their techniques came to them like second nature. They were able to communicate with each other with brief glances and the most minute body language signs that most people would miss.

  Sydney’s practicing had paid off, and she could tell that Mr. Tiller was impressed with her barrel technique.

  They spent a good two hours with the horses on the ranch, making suggestions to the rancher, showing them the various techniques that they had perfected.

  Sydney was typically good at reading people, but she couldn’t tell if they were impressing the rancher or not. She decided that she wasn’t going to worry about it. She and Russell had gotten into a flow state and she knew that they had put their all into the session. She wouldn’t have changed anything, and if that wasn’t good enough for the rancher, she was fine with that.

  As they wrapped up their session, Mr. Tiller shook both of their hands enthusiastically. “I’ve never seen anything like what you have.”

  “Thank you,” Sydney smiled and caught Russell smiling out of the corner of her eye.

  “Now, I have to have a discussion with the powers that be,” the rancher stated, a smile crinkling his eyes.

  Sydney was confused. She thought that he was the owner.

  “That’s the wife,” he laughed. “And my lead ranch hand.”

  “Oh,” Sydney smiled at the man but wondered if the animosity between Russell and Dakota would hurt their chances. “Will we get the chance to meet her?”

  “She’ll be back tonight, and I got some good video of the two of you out there. If I have anything to say about it, I’d say clear your calendars and get ready to join the team.”

  “We would love to work with you,” Sydney said and shook the man’s hand and Russ followed suit but remained quiet.

  “I’ll be in touch. Thanks for traveling so far to our little ranch.”

  Sydney looked around. ‘Little’ was the last word she would use to describe the ranch. The main house was huge and modern, there were several recently constructed barns complete with solar panels, a covered arena, round pen, and shiny John Deere tractors everywhere.

  “Thanks for having us,” Russell finally spoke up.

  As they walked back to the truck, Sydney tried to contain her excitement. The rancher basically said that they had the job. She couldn’t believe that the dream she and Russ had concocted was at their fingertips.

  They rounded the corner of the barn and once they reached the truck, Sydney squealed and jumped into Russell’s arms. He gripped her tightly around the waist and spun her around. “You were amazing.”

  “We were amazing!” she laughed and threw her head back. “I think that we’ve got it.” She hugged Russ tightly as he set her down on the ground.

  “Don’t start counting your chickens just yet. If Dakota has a say in the matter, it might not be a sure thing.”

  “Are you going to tell me what the deal is with you two?”

  “Oh, that’s a long story,” Russ said, opening the door for Sydney.

  She gave him a peck on the cheek and jumped into the truck, firing it up. “It’s a good thing that we’ve got a long drive.”

  Chapter 27 – Russell

  Like a starving man knowing his last meal is on the table, Russ tried to take in all of Sydney that he could. He would watch her with the horses for hours, but he would also watch her sleep. But his favorite by far, was watching her smile. He sneaked a couple of photos of her while she wasn’t looking and knew that he would cherish them, but that they couldn’t capture the electricity in the air that surrounded her presence. The glint in her eye wouldn’t shine as brightly on the phone screen, but it would have to do.

  The sadness he felt, knowing that he would never see her again, consumed him. All he wanted to do was hold her, tell her how amazing she was, but he couldn’t overcome the pit of blackness that was spreading throughout his body, knowing that he was going to have to say goodbye to the only woman that he ever loved.

  He felt terrible about his behavior, but knew that in the end, it would make things easier for both of them. It killed him to hurt her, but he knew that he was sacrificing his love and happiness for her future. She deserved more than him. She needed to go back to Connecticut and save lives, be a doctor, and live in a big house with servants a hell of a lot more pleasant than Mary.

  He looked over at Syd as she drove the big pickup truck, her left hand slung over the wheel, her eyes focused on the road from behind her aviator sunglasses. He reached out and folded his big hand over hers. He felt her body stiffen and then relax at his touch. She looked over at him and smiled.

  “You did good today,” he smiled and patted her hand, returning his to rest on his knee.

  Her smiled faded as he retreated back to his side of the truck. She turned the knob on the radio, trying to get another station to come in, but when she was met with only the crackle of static, she flicked it off and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

  “Thanks. You too.”

  “What did you think of their set up?”

  “I mean, it was incredible,” she gushed. “Floyd tries, but you can see why the Tillers are the most successful family run rodeo ranch in the state.”

  “Try country,” Russ replied.

  “That wouldn’t surprise me. When are you going to tell me what your deal is with Dakota?”

  Russ’s heart sank. He hadn’t told the story in years, and he knew that if Dakota had any say in the decision, the two of them would never be hired on the ranch.

  “Let’s just say that he’s not my biggest fan and I’m probably his biggest hater.”

  “Wow. Those are strong words.” Sydney signaled to pull the truck onto the interstate, gunning its powerful engine to speed past all the other surrounding cars. The setting sun was glowing orange on the horizon and glinted off her glasses, casting a reddish hue on her otherwise almost white hair.

  “Did you want to go to the Country Kiln to celebrate?”

  “Oh no. Don’t you do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Change the subject. Get on with your story, Russ.”

  “Geez. I’m getting there. I just thought that you might be hungry after a long day. And I think that we should celebrate our performance at the Tillers’ regardless of whether or not we get the job.”

  Sydney glanced at Russ out of the corner of her eye. “Sounds like you’re accepting defeat already.”

  Russ took a deep breath. She clearly wasn’t going to let it go.

  “If Dakota has any say in the matter, we’re as good as dead in the water.”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure you’ve made that very clear, Russ. Now tell me why.”

  The country scenery started to give way to suburban sprawl as Russ stared at his reflection in the window. He could make something up, something a little more palatable, but that wouldn’t be fair to Sydney. She deserved the truth, even if he didn’t want to tell her.

  “He was a part of my team on the circuit.”

  “Really? I would’ve guessed arch nemesis…”

  Russ ran his hands over his jeans, the emotions of the past boiling up and sending jitters out through his fingertips. “If you get some time, go to a rodeo. All the boys want to be the cowboy. You have to work your way up. My dad was a champion bull rider, so I got a pass on working my way up the ladder, and a lot of the guys who had to put in their time shoveling shit, literally, weren’t too happy about it. But I didn’t care. Sydney, I’m not going to lie to you. Rodeo cowboys have a certain reputation, and I could’ve been their poster boy. I had women in every town, groupies, I guess you could call them…”

  Russ ran his fingers through his hair and hesitated when he saw Sydney clench her jaw.

  “I’ve heard,” she replied grimly.

  “I’m not the same man I was back then. Actually, I was really just a boy. All I wanted to do was live up to the fa
mily name. My old man died when I was ten and I had some big shoes to fill. He was one of the biggest rodeo stars back in the day, and I thought that if I could be just as good as him, it would somehow honor his memory.”

  “You’ve never talked about your parents before,” Sydney said quietly. She pulled off her sunglasses and placed them in their expensive leather case. The sun had fully set and the last rays of sunlight were giving way to the blue twilight of the early evening. She flicked on the headlights and reached over to hold Russell’s hand.

  He let her.

  “He was killed.”

  “By a bull?”

  “No, I wish.” Russ gripped her hand. “He fell into the rodeo lifestyle hard. He cheated on my mom all the time until she left him. Left us. He started to drink even more heavily and got into hard drugs. It was the late nineties and cocaine was just starting to make a comeback. It turned him into a different man. I remember walking in on him in his motel room. There were women, hookers, although I didn’t know it at the time, drugs and booze everywhere. I was little. I mean, it happened so often, I thought that was a normal way to grow up. And then—”

  Russ took a deep breath to try to keep the tears at bay but failed miserably as his gasp turned into a sob.

  Sydney released Russell’s hand and signaled to get off the highway. She pulled into the empty parking lot of a feed store and shut off the truck. She slid across the bench seat and pulled Russell to her, cradling his head on her chest. He resisted, but then softened into her embrace. She ran her fingers through his hair but didn’t say a word. He had held the tears in for seventeen years and now they flowed freely, soaking the front of Sydney’s plaid shirt.

  “I’m sorry, Syd,” he said as he pulled back and wiped the tears from his face with the fumbling hands of someone unaccustomed to wiping away tears.

  “For what?” Sydney brushed away a lone tear from Russell’s cheek. His eyes appeared royal blue next to the bloodshot whites.

  “For telling you all of this. It’s just so, so… white trash compared to where you come from.”

  “Please, Russ. It sounds like your dad had some issues, but under it all, did he love you?”

  Russ looked up at her. He had never really thought about his childhood in this way. “He did. I never doubted that… even though he was a fuck-up.”

  “My dad gave me everything, but you saw it, today I realized that he doesn’t love me. Never did. It sounds like you had a messed-up childhood, but at least there was love.”

  Russ couldn’t help himself. He knew that it was wrong, but he reached out to grip Sydney behind her neck and pulled her in roughly, planting a hard kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, hungrily and tenderly at the same time. She threw her leg over Russell’s lap and straddled him, planting kisses along his neck and jawline.

  Russ knew that he should push her off, but it felt like her chest had melted into his and that they had become one, their heartbeats racing, but in sync. And the want and need pressing against his jeans was greater than he had ever felt. His erection’s need to escape was almost painful.

  Sydney seemed to sense his desire, or hers simply matched his and she fumbled with his belt buckle, freeing his desire from its constraint. Russ lifted his hips off the leather seat and Sydney slipped her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pulled them down to his knees. She rolled off of him, so that she could pull off her boots and shimmy out of her tight jeans.

  Russ smiled when he saw her white cotton panties. The rodeo girls always wore lacy thongs, but somehow Syd’s simple undergarments were ten times sexier than their barely-there counterparts.

  Russ felt slightly exposed as his member stood straight up like a sentry in the diffused light of the parking lot. Sydney gripped his neck and returned to straddling him, slowly grinding herself against him as she kissed him.

  Russ hooked a finger into the crotch of her panties and pulled them aside, allowing her wetness to meet his throbbing hardness. He heard her gasp as the warmth of her skin met his. She raised herself up, positioning her womanhood atop Russell, his cock gently pressing against her opening. She started to sink down, but Russell lifted her up by her hips and she groaned with desire, trying to resist his resistance.

  “Syd. Baby, I don’t have um… anything with me,” Russell said, his fingers gripping her hips using all his strength to hold this lioness at bay.

  “It’s okay,” she breathed into his ear and attempted to push herself down onto him.

  He met her eyes with his, “Are you sure?”

  She nodded and nipped at his earlobe. “I’m sure, Russ.”

  Russ knew that this was the worst possible thing to do hours before breaking up with Sydney, and he felt weak, but couldn’t resist feeling her one more time. He eased his grip and Sydney lowered herself fully onto Russ, moaning as he entered her tightness. Russ gasped and leaned his head back as the ecstasy of her warmth and the sensation of her rocking hips made his vision start to blur.

  It didn’t take long for Sydney’s breath to hitch faster and when she parted her lips and moaned with her orgasm, Russ felt his legs shudder and the warmth surge through his body as he met her moans with his own.

  There in the parking lot of the feed store, they remained connected, holding each other and Russ wondered if he would ever experience another encounter more sensual than the one that had just happened.

  Chapter 28 – Sydney

  The parking lot of a farm supply store would’ve been the last place Sydney imagined falling completely and utterly in love with another human being. She knew that she loved Russ, but the moment that their bodies became one in the cab of the pickup truck, she knew that she had met her soulmate. Nothing could tear them apart, so she was confused when she started the truck and looked over at Russ only to see tears welling up in his eyes. She could tell that he was trying to hide it, but she could see the reflection in the window.

  “Russ, if you’re not ready to talk about what happened to your dad, I understand.”

  Russ hastily wiped at his face and turned to look at Sydney. “Thanks, Sydney.”

  “That’s what you’re thinking about right now, right? Your dad?”

  Russ hesitated, then whispered, “Yes,” followed by an even quieter, “I love you, Syd.”

  “I love you too, Russ,” she smiled, noticing the sign for Claystream she veered and rapidly decelerated onto the off-ramp.

  “Easy there, Tex,” Russ smiled at her, but even though his lips were smiling, his eyes still looked sad. Sydney didn’t want to push him to talk about his dad but was dying of curiosity about Dakota and his role in Russ’s life. Even though her curiosity was killing her, she decided to press pause on that conversation.

  “Now, did you say that you’re taking me to dinner to celebrate?” she smiled, trying to lighten up the sombre mood.

  “That I did,” Russ said. “And you haven’t had the pleasure of Claystream’s finest dining establishment, The Country Kiln. Russ pointed to a brightly lit log cabin style restaurant on the side of the main street.

  “Isn’t this the only dining establishment in Claystream?” she laughed.

  “The one and only.”

  Sydney steered the truck into the busy parking lot.

  “I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she laughed as her stomach emitted a loud growl, not unlike a whale call.

  “Watch out, Country Kiln, Syd’s about to eat you out of business.” Russ jumped out of the truck and jogged around to the driver’s side to grab the door handle. She had forgotten how old-fashioned Russ was and let him open the door, accepting his hand to help her jump down out of the big vehicle.

  They were seated at a table near the back and ordered a pitcher of beer from the hostess. Sydney perused the offerings; her vegetarian friends would’ve had a heart attack just looking at the giant beef-only menu. Their pitcher of beer was delivered by a pretty brunette with teased bangs and waves that would’ve made 1980s Farrah Fawcett’s hair look limp.


  “Russell,” she drawled in one of the thickest accents Sydney had heard since moving to Texas. “It’s been too long,” she said, resting her hand on his shoulder as she set the heavy jug of beer down on the picnic table.

  “How have you been, Sherry?” Russ smiled politely at the waitress and shrugged her hand off his shoulder.

  “Oh, busy as a bee,” she replied. “Who’s your friend?”

  “This is Sydney,” Russ replied, studying his menu.

  “I haven’t seen you around here, Cindy.”

  “It’s Sydney,” Syd replied. She didn’t like the way the waitress was leaning against Russell’s chair, her hip wedged onto the backrest, so she was practically perched on his shoulder.

  “Well, excuse me. Sydneee,” she drew out Syd’s name. “How do y’all know each other?”

  Sydney was shocked at the gall of the woman. She looked like she had stepped out of an eighties’ rock video, which didn’t make sense because she couldn’t have been more than twenty-five years old, her frosted blue eyeshadow and pleated jeans aging her.

  “Sydney is one of the best horse trainers in the state. She’s been working on the ranch with Floyd’s new horses.”

  Sherry gave Sydney a very obvious once over, her eyes resting on Sydney’s shirt. “Your buttons are a little crooked darlin’.”

  Syd looked down at her shirt and to her horror saw that in her haste to get dressed in the car, she had buttoned up her shirt crooked. “Shall we order, Russ?” Sydney said instead of moving to button up her shirt correctly. She was dying to fix it but didn’t want to give the trashy tart the satisfaction. She territorially rested her hand on Russ’s and stroked his thumb with hers, steeling her gaze on Sherry.

  “Ladies first,” Russ smiled and pulled his hand away to pour the beer into their frosty mugs.

  Sherry took their orders and Sydney tried not to watch as she sashayed away from the table, looking back to catch a second glimpse of her and Russell.

  “What was that all about?” Sydney asked although she knew the answer.