Why Me, Cowboy?

by Stephy Smith

  Benny’s request was hard to ignore, especially since he owned the feed yard. “Don’t let on we have problems, Gulch. She may prove to be the best cowboy, well, cowgirl, in the Panhandle. And don’t give me any flack about she isn’t the only cowgirl in our area alone. She obviously has skills that surpass most of the men we have here with the cutting trophies she’s won.”

  “You’re probably right. I’ll go easy on her until I see the first sign of trouble aimed at her. If you didn’t own this place and I didn’t respect you I would have her headed back to Mississippi by sundown.” Gulch laid his hand on Benny’s back.

  “I don’t doubt that one bit, Gulch. I appreciate it.” The older man walked out the office door and Gulch followed.

  They moved their conversation to the parking lot to await the expected arrival. In a short time, the out-of-state pickup pulling a horse trailer pulled into the drive. Gulch drew in a deep breath and let it out. He put a fake smile on his face and waited for the woman.

  When she slipped gracefully from the vehicle, Gulch’s fake smile turned into a real, genuine, sincere smile. His heart picked up a beat. He blinked several times to make certain the golden-skinned, blond-headed woman wasn’t a mirage or some kind of mythical goddess.

  His legs grew weak. Gulch backed into the pipe fence to keep from falling down. The last thing he needed was to swoon. Cowboys don’t swoon, he tried to convince himself. The dizziness that assailed him was positive proof that he was close to swooning anyway.

  What had come over him? There had been plenty of women in his life. Some he considered suitable. He didn’t want suitable. He didn’t have time for a woman period, much less a goddess in the midst of a bunch of cowboys to distract them from their jobs. She was already causing problems just by showing up. He didn’t need her to become a burr under his skin.

  How was he supposed to keep focused on his job while his heart wanted to sidle up next to hers? What had she done to cause him to act like a love struck teenager? She was barely out of her vehicle and already hazardous material. He had to find a way to forget her, to hate her and everything she was doing to him since he didn’t believe in love at first sight. Until now anyway.

  The more he tried to ignore her, the more questions Benny asked. Miss Tansy Adams had the voice of an angel. Her soft, pleasant, soothing laughter was exactly how Gulch envisioned her skin if he had the opportunity to touch her. His heart fluttered like humming bird wings. A moan welled in his throat and he swallowed the lump forming there.

  He cursed under his breath when Benny drew him into the conversation by introducing her. She turned to face him. From that moment forward he found himself bumbling through a jumbled mass of confusion.

  Those eyes. Why did she look at him that way? Clear, bright blue eyes twinkling like stars pulled him into the depth of her soul. He was lost in her gaze, her loving air held him captive. Unaware of his own movements, he thrust his hand out to her and knew instantly it had been a mistake.

  The way she slid her hand down the side of her jeans intrigued him. She gently placed her small hand in his larger, calloused hand. His nerves jumped at her touch as if he had just received a jolt of electrical love. He wanted to break contact, but her slender fingers wrapped around his hand as if she had found a prized possession.

  A foreign feeling passed between them. For all he knew, it could be some kind of magical hocus-pocus or . . . or . . . or, he didn’t know what, but it was there. Whatever it was, Gulch couldn’t shake free of it. It took every cell in his body just to talk to her.

  Benny handed Tansy the key to his daughter’s house. It was about time someone moved into it. The house needed a woman’s touch after sitting vacant for so long. Someone special could turn the cottage into a castle and he was sure Tansy Adams was the one who could do it. It was convenient for him. She would be just a few blocks away where he could keep an eye on her.

  Gulch barely heard himself offering to help her move in. The calmness of his voice betrayed the quivering inside him. He let out a sigh when she refused. He didn’t trust himself or his actions if he were in a room alone with her. He didn’t want to be responsible for those actions since he wasn’t able to control himself as far as she was concerned.

  The sooner Benny stopped flapping his jaws, the sooner Gulch could pull himself back into the normal peacefulness of his life. Gulch rushed to unhook the trailer from Tansy’s pickup. As he passed by, he glanced over at Benny. There was a gleam in his eye. Do not invite her to supper. Gulch willed Benny to read his mind.

  The two men stood in silence as Tansy drove away. Gulch turned toward Benny. “What in Sam Hill are you thinking? You know a woman like that can’t work here. How are we going to keep her safe when every cowboy at the feed yard will wait their turn to get their grubby hands on her? You know she’s going to hold up progress.”

  “Whose progress Gulch? Yours? Mine? The rustlers?” Benny said and then laughed. “Oh, I have a grocery list. Your mother asked me to give it to you. Don’t be late or she’ll have both of our hides.”

  “Why doesn’t she ever send you to the store for her?” Gulch snatched the list from Benny’s hand.

  “I reckon she doesn’t like the way I shop.” Benny started for his pickup.

  “I’m going home to take a shower and then I’ll go to the store.”

  “You can’t wash her off, son.”

  “Who?” Gulch paused before he got in his vehicle.

  “Tansy,” Benny said and then let out a belly laugh.

  Gulch stared as the older man drove away, still thinking about the trouble Tansy had already started. The inner war between his heart and his mind were just the tip of the iceberg. He drove to his house and took a nice, long shower.

  After he dried and dressed, Gulch combed his hair. Benny was right. He couldn’t wash Tansy out of his heart or mind. Nothing he tried could erase her from his mind now.

  Absentmindedly, he drove to the grocery store. He found the items on the list. Jo and Andi stood in the check line ahead of him. Finally, the distraction he was looking for.

  The women filled him in on the projects they were involved in for and after work. The doors opened and in she walked. It had only been an hour or so since he had seen her.

  His pulse picked up a beat. Despite the coolness of the overhead air conditioner, he began to sweat. Gulch’s words quickened with more excitement than he cared them to. He had to hear her voice one more time. Calling her over to meet Jo and Andi and introduce them to the new girl gave him that opportunity.

  If it hadn’t been for the women he would never muster up enough courage to walk away from them. That and a little help from Benny’s text that supper would be ready if he would hurry up. He couldn’t get Tansy out of his mind as he wound down the streets towards Benny’s house.

  Benny met Gulch in the front yard. “I tried to catch you before you left the store, but you have that no-texting-while-driving message thing on your phone. You’ve got to go back. Mother forgot to add ice to the list. Our ice maker went on the fritz a few days back.”

  Gulch handed the bags to Benny. Turning around he re-entered his pickup and headed back to the store. His heart hoped Tansy was still there. His mind begged she would already be gone. Within a few minutes he pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store.

  As luck would have it, there she was coming toward him. He opened the truck door and planted his feet firmly on the paved lot. He headed for the store.

  Just before they met face to face, Tansy stopped with her back to him. Gulch tried to avoid the collision but failed and upon impact she whirled around. Everything afterward happened so fast it made his head spin.

  He reached out and grasped her falling body. Tansy’s eyes widened as her beautiful face briefly flashed before him. All coherent thoughts escaped his mind. A wild and raging desire to kiss her confused him. The next thing he knew, his lips were pressing on hers. His tongue sought out and tasted the sweetness of her mouth.

  Gulch
was senseless with delight and no longer wanted to resist the urge to avoid her. When she leaned into him, his self control was all but lost. The gesture melted the world around them. Nothing mattered to him except the want he was sure they both felt.

  The wild, unleashed frenzy of desire intensified as he deepened the kiss. Her hands pushed against his chest. She backed away and glanced around the parking lot.

  “Welcome to Texas, Tansy,” was the only thing he could think of to say. It sounded lame as he walked away. Her response startled him more than anything. “Why me cowboy?”

  He couldn’t give her an answer so he never looked back as if he hadn’t heard her at all. His mind formed a muddle of cobwebs. What had he done? Furthermore, why had he come back to the store?

  Gulch pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Benny’s number. “What did I come to the store to get?” Gulch’s confidence waned as he walked through the store with his cell phone pressed to his ear, waiting for Benny’s reply.

  “Ice. But what−”

  “I kind of got distracted.” Gulch clicked the phone off before Benny could question him further.

  He grabbed a bag of ice and started back to Benny’s house. The kiss lingered on his lips. Heated desire raced through him. He wanted more than a one-night stand with Tansy. Maybe a week or a month, but there was more doubt and fear that wouldn’t be enough.

  Only a lifetime with her could give him the satisfaction he longed for. He shouldn’t have kissed her. Ever. What you don’t know you don’t miss and he already missed her. It was too much too soon. Now he knew and couldn’t picture his life without her.

  As dangerous as the Grow ‘em was getting for the women working there, he couldn’t allow her to stay. He had to find a way to run her off on his own terms and not the terms dictated by a thieving, murderous maniac.

  His mind went blank.

  The question was . . . how?

  Chapter Three

  Tough, hard working Tansia Adams straightened her shoulders. The vastness of the feed yard stretched as far as she could see. Rows of pens faded on top of a slight incline. The vibration of the four-wheeler rumbled against her thighs. Her hair whipped in the wind as she made her way toward Serenity Mountain. This part of the yard lived up to its name even though it was a little more than a hill.

  To Tansy, Serenity Mountain made her feel as if she had found the pot of gold at the end of a feed yard rainbow. The only evil leprechaun she had to fight was Gulch. If he stayed at the bottom of the mountain, in the section known as Purgatory where he belonged, she could work in peace. There was no avoiding him. After all, he was her boss. Sort of. She turned off the key when she reached the top.

  Tansy straddled the four-wheeler seat. She squinted into the pink, orange, and gray sunrise and let the crisp, cool morning air calm her. Puffs of dust at the bottom kicked up from behind moving vehicles that seemed to creep down feed alleys of Millstone, Texas’s Grow ‘em feed yard.

  Tansy thought back to the first day on the job. Gulch and every cowboy on the place had gathered in the office. Her heart lurched when she laid eyes on the tall, handsome man. He welcomed her to the company. His warm hand sent tingles up her arm when he shook her hand. The dimples in his cheeks enhanced the most kissable lips she had ever kissed. A deep, southern drawl that could make a woman feel beautiful, even special, held everlasting promise to the one he pledged his love to. At the time, Tansy hoped she would get the opportunity to try out for the position of Gulch’s wife.

  The next morning things changed. When she met him for her duty list for the day, the wickedness in Gulch surfaced. Tansy shook from head to toe at the coldness and gruffness of his attitude. Whatever possessed him was venomous, vile, and worse than any monster she could imagine.

  His good looks and charming presentation the day before quickly turned into a dreadful lie and remained that way. Tansy dismissed her memory of the deception. It was time to get back to her business for the day.

  Magpies and sparrows lined pipe fences, chirping and tweeting, accompanying the occasional lone, woeful calls of a few steers. Tansy gazed down at the literal cow town. “Why can’t humans get along the way the animals do?” There wasn’t any crime unless a game of king of the mountain broke some silent cow law. No fussing, jealousy, or complaining amongst them, or any praise or thanks.

  Tansy took a moment to enjoy the morning tranquility. From the top, she reveled in the peace, harmony, and freedom away from the constant bitterness aimed toward her by the men she worked with in the lower part of the yard called Purgatory.

  One on one, most of the men tolerated her. When Gulch was around, they all turned away and sided with him as if he were the emperor of the Grow ‘em feed yard. There was no way Gulch would allow her to join in the group no matter how hard she tried to fit in.

  Benny Whipple, the owner, treated her fairly. He accepted her for who she was and her ability to do the job well. Mrs. Whipple took her under her wing. They were a wonderful couple that Tansy respected. The other members of upper management didn’t have a problem with women working in the male dominated profession, so why should Gulch?

  Tansy scanned the pens below and then lowered herself back to the seat of the four-wheeler and started out to do her daily chores. Andrea Block, better known as Andi, stepped out the scale shack door. Tansy waved her stack of papers that were more like orders General Gulch left for her.

  “Andi.” Tansy pointed toward a nice buckskin horse with a cowboy perched on its back. She recognized the cowboy as Edgar Putnam. He had worked for the feed yard since the day it opened. Edgar stayed to himself most of the time. His gray hair and the hitch in his walk gave his age away. He laid claim to being older than the mountain. Edgar told stories of how it came to be. She couldn’t trust him. Edgar was one of Gulch’s friends and as far as she was concerned, he didn’t deserve any recognition. Andi gave a thumb up and disappeared back inside. Tansy slowed to wait for the horse and rider to pass in front of her. She watched the smooth stride of the horse as they headed down the mountain.

  Tansy made her first stop a few yards past the shack. She set her gates and glanced down at the papers. Pen numbers and ear tags stood out under the bright yellow highlight. Without another thought, she was prepared to round up the steers she had to haul that morning.

  Drawing in her breath, Tansy didn’t feel the need to glance up when a clean, tri-colored paint and a palomino stopped in front of her. She had finished setting up the holding pen. There wasn’t any reason to greet the men. If they wanted to say something to her, they would.

  “Where’s your help, Pansy Tansy?” The gruff, sardonic voice carried on a slight breeze. Her knuckles whitened as she squeezed the four-wheeler's handlebars. There was no mistake. He was the only man who could ruin her day.

  “I’m sure you sent him off to do your bidding instead of helping me like he was supposed to.” Tansy matched his tone and the glare of the gray-eyed Gulch. The shiver up her spine sent her hair to standing on the back of her neck.

  On a few occasions, she caught him unaware of her presence. She admitted he was the most handsome man on the yard. He was tall, muscular but lean, wore tight jeans that stretched across his taut thighs and backside. His voice played like a sweet lullaby, his laughter sent heated desire racing to her core. The moments didn’t last long before he would notice her and turn into a demonic sap.

  The horsemen waited until she backed up, even though they could have passed without her extra effort. Many times she inquired of other riders, and even Jo and Andi, what she had done to Gulch to make him hate her. No one could give her an answer.

  “Let it ride Tansy. He’s not worth the worry.” Jo and Andi would tell her. Gulch treated them with the same superior, pigheadedness he inflicted on her. The only difference in the three women was Jo and Andi ignored him. They had been married, had grown kids and grandkids. Tansy didn’t. Not that she considered Gulch a marriageable man since her second day of work.

  She laughed to he
rself as she eased the four-wheeler forward. What kind of woman wants to be tormented for life by a man like Gulch? As Jo and Andi pointed out, there were more cowboys beyond the white fences of the Grow ‘em. They didn’t live in a world where limitations were based on gender. Why couldn’t Gulch wrap his pea-brain around the concept?

  Even in the 1800s, women in blouses and skirts walked hours behind horse drawn plows. They milked cows, slopped hogs, carried water, butchered their own meat, and still raised children, cooked, cleaned, and washed laundry for their families. Tansy wasn’t the type of woman to rely on a man to do things for her either. She was born of tough, working, Mississippi people. Nothing was easy, but they didn’t play mind games like Gulch did.

  She was raised to believe in herself and she knew she could do her job and be good at it. If he didn’t try to find fault in everything she did, it would be out of character for him. She did what she was told without complaining. She gave her one hundred percent in every tasked assigned to her even if she didn’t like what he ordered her to do.

  So far, Tansy loved everything about her job and didn’t struggle with anything other than the cold cruelty Gulch and his string of hooligans heaped her way. She found the steers she was looking for and eased them from the pen. The steady drone of the four-wheeler's engine seemed to lull her as the six steers ambled down the alley to the small pen she set up to contain them.

  With no trust for Gulch, Tansy always took pictures with her cell phone of everything she had done when he was in the area. This time wasn’t any different. She made sure he was in the picture. Too many stories from other female employees about Gulch, plus a little of her own paranoia of his viciousness, consumed her.

  The six steers crowded in the corner of the pen. Tansy closed the gate and headed back down the mountain to get one of the pickups parked at the office. All she would have to do is hook up to a trailer and return to load the cattle.

  The trip back down the mountain was filled with wretched thoughts of revenge. Gulch may be the leader of the cowboys at the feed yard, but she was the leader of her mind. It was one thing she didn’t want him near until she mustered up the courage to hand it to him herself.