Dirty Cowboy

by Alycia Taylor

  “Beer sounds great.”

  We walked in and I fetched us both a cold beer from the fridge. I threw one to him, and he caught it with one hand.

  I grinned. “Nice catch. You haven’t lost your touch.”

  “Good throw. You see, we’re a good team,” he said.

  I felt the hair on my arms stand at his comment. A good team? Since when we were a good team? There might have been a time where we were close, but it had been so long since I’d considered him as anything else but a distant brother. A distant brother who didn’t live all that far from me.

  “So, you still working out?” I asked for conversation. I didn’t want to talk about what sort of team we were or weren’t good at. And if there was one thing that I had learned over the years, it was that gym was one of the safest topics to turn to.

  “Oh yeah. You know me. I still go to the gym. I don’t think I’d feel myself if I didn’t go.”

  “How often do you go then?”

  “Roughly six times a week. I have a trainer now. He’s this crazy guy who refuses to let me take a break. He’s amazing, but I hate him at the same time.”

  “Ha! Sounds like a lot of your relationships. Six times a week, though? That’s crazy.”

  His green eyes shone as he spoke about his love for working out, and I wondered if he’d always been so into building muscle. I tried to remember back to a time when he didn’t work out, but I couldn’t. He’d always enjoyed pushing himself far beyond where his limits should be.

  “I thought you’d be more of a swimmer, to be honest,” I said.

  He looked at me in surprise. “A swimmer? Why on earth would I be a swimmer?”

  “You know, because you were a SEAL.”

  “You do know that it stands for sea, air, and land, don’t you?”

  I laughed. “I’m kidding. Anyway, I thought it was funny.”

  “Wacked out sense of humor, if you ask me.”

  “At least I have one,” I retorted.

  “Hmm, sounds like something Pop would say.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Does it? I don’t think so. Although, maybe to you. Dad and I don’t exactly swap jokes.”

  “So, speaking of which, what’s the deal with you and Pop? You just walked out of that meeting the other day. Not that I was surprised by that. You’re not very good with things like that, are you? I could see how much you hated everyone looking at you. Maybe he should’ve given you a heads up or something.”

  “No, I’m not good at things like that. And I’m glad you noticed. I agree he should’ve given me a heads up. Anyway, I was so sure that Dad was going to offer it to you. I guess I was more surprised than anything else. I was staring at you the whole time that when he said my name, it didn’t even register.”

  “Are you kidding me? There’s no way that I would’ve gotten it. You should totally get that spot. I think you should take it. But that’s only my opinion of course. I doubt you want to hear it. No wonder you looked like a deer caught in the headlights, though.”

  “You think I should take it?” That was a surprise to me. “And since when do you care about what happens at the club, anyway?”

  I could feel myself getting angrier the longer the conversation went on. Why should I listen to him? He knew nothing about the club. And why could we never have a conversation without it turning nasty?

  “Whoa,” he said and held up his hand in protest. “Why are you being so hostile? You know, people always say that I’m the one that’s quick to anger, but I’m not so sure about that. I think you get your anger problems from Pop. You see, you’re even more like him than you think.”

  “I’m nothing like him.” It wasn’t the first time that someone had said that I was just like my father. Every single time I would wonder what on earth people saw in me that I didn’t see in myself. I looked a bit like him, but that was it. That’s where the resemblance ended. That, and our mutual love for motorcycles. But that was it.

  “You are, though. Both the good and the bad. Anyway, he only gets angry when he has a reason to be angry. You get angry for no reason at all. Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe you are different. Come on, Gunner, don’t be an idiot. Take the job. It’s a cool opportunity. And it was a pretty sweet thing for Pop to do, don’t you think?”

  I took a big gulp of my beer and then looked at him. “What I think is that you have no right telling me what to do. And to be honest, Patriot, I’ve had a very long day. And I was really looking forward to a nice night in with just myself and my beers. And now, I’m one beer down.”

  “You’re the one that offered it to me.”

  “Well, I regret that now.”

  “Oh come on, man. Don’t be like that,” he said.

  But it was already too late. The damage had been done, and the two of us knew it. “I think it’s better if you just go.”

  “What? But I only just got here. And I’m your brother. I’m family. You can’t kick me out.”

  I stood up. Family? Chris was more my family than he would ever be. Family was more than just blood. If there was one thing that I hated, it was someone telling me what I could or couldn’t do. I nodded. “Oh, yes I can.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously!”

  He stood up and shook his head as walked toward the door. He opened the door and then turned around one more time to look at me. He looked like he was about to say something else, but then he shook his head again and changed his mind. I waited until I heard his bike start and ride away. Only then did I take a deep breath. I looked over to where he was sitting and saw that he’d left his beer behind. I walked over and downed the rest of it in a few gulps. Why had he come over, anyway?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Eliza

  I was starting to get used to waking up every day and feeling good about my day ahead of me. Even when I was given jobs to do that were small or menial, they were still a million times better than anything I’d done in the past. And actually getting along with my boss and my co-workers was a huge change for me. It certainly added to my overall happiness. I practically skipped all the way up the stairs to work that morning. I felt almost as if music was going to start playing and everyone in the office, including me, was going to break out into song. Sadly, I couldn’t sing to save my life, but it was a nice thought, anyway. It was the first time that I’d ever compared my life to a musical.

  I walked over to the coffee machine and poured myself and Mae a cup of coffee. While there, I decided to make one for Paul as well, and decided that John needed one too. If there was one thing that everyone in the office had in common, it was our love of strong coffee. I put them all on a tray, and then got out my box of cookies that I’d taken from home. I walked first to John, then to Paul, and then to Mae. Everyone seemed delighted with the service.

  “This is nice,” Mae said. “You do know that you don’t actually have to prove your worth to us. We’ve accepted you as one of our own. But, admittedly, the cookies help. Man, these are good,” she said as she took a bite.

  “I’m glad you like them,” I said. I pulled up a chair. “So, should we pretend to be doing work together? We’ll change the conversation to work as soon as John walks in.”

  Mae chuckled. “You’re already thinking like me. Yes, I like this plan a lot. Anyway, John looks so busy. I doubt he’ll even figure it out.”

  I took a sip of my coffee and scooted a bit closer so that it looked as if the two of us were working on something together. My phone rang just as I was about to eat a cookie, so I put it down and reached inside my bag for my cell phone.

  “Hello, Eliza speaking,” I said when I didn’t recognize the number.

  “Ah, so now you answer your phone.”

  I groaned when I heard Raymond’s voice. He was the last person that I wanted to speak to. I reminded myself to now not answer any number that I didn’t recognize. I honestly hadn’t expected him to go to all this effort just to talk to me. I saw Mae giving me a funny look and I pulled a
face. “Why are you phoning me from a different number?”

  “Because it was the only way I knew you’d reply. You never reply when you see that it’s me. Why do you have to be so damn rude all the time? We used to be a couple, remember? You were my girlfriend.”

  “Don’t remind me,” I said. Although I was glad to hear that he was finally referring to me in the past tense.

  “Since when are you so mean to me? You used to be so nice to me.”

  I sighed. He was right. I had always been so nice to him, even when he didn’t deserve it. Especially when he didn’t deserve it. I knew my new attitude was taking him by surprise. “Look, I don’t want to be mean to you. But I also don’t want to talk to you. Anyway, I’m busy now. I’m at work. So I can’t talk.”

  “You’re at work? Since when do you have a job? I thought you were still searching for one.”

  “Well, I found one.”

  “Hmm. Where is it?”

  “Raymond, I’m putting the phone down.”

  “Tell me,” he started saying. But I put the phone down before he could say anything else. It rang once more but I ignored it.

  “Oh no! The ex?” Mae asked.

  I nodded. “Yep. He’s been trying to get in touch with me, but I keep ignoring his calls. I told him that it was over, but he just can’t seem to accept it.”

  “You know, I could hear him through the phone. He’s got a horrible way of speaking. I don’t like him one bit, Eliza. There’s something off about that guy.”

  “I’m glad you heard that. Because if you met him, he’d probably try charm you.”

  “Don’t worry. He’s never going to charm me. I know too much. What are you going to do? Aren’t you worried he’s going to find you? It’s not that difficult these days.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think he’ll come all the way to Arizona. I’m not sure what else I can do right now except ignore him.”

  “Have you thought about changing your number?”

  “Yeah, I’ve thought about it. I’m not sure, though. I don’t really want to do anything too drastic. It might make him even angrier.”

  Mae sighed. “Yeah, that’s true.”

  “Anyway, enough about Raymond,” I said. “I’m sick of talking about him.”

  Just then, my phone rang again. I almost ignored it but checked and saw that it was my mother. I told Mae that I was going to take the call and took my coffee over to my desk before picking up.

  “Wow, you took a while to answer,” my mother said. “Everything okay?”

  “Hi, Mom. Yes, everything is fine. I’m just at work. I was walking over to my desk so that we could talk in private. Actually, hang on. I’m going to go to the boardroom. We can talk there.”

  I made my way to the boardroom and closed the door. I didn’t really enjoy airing my personal calls out to everyone to hear, and I knew that the boardroom was going to be empty all day.

  “Okay, that’s perfect. Now we can talk.”

  “Won’t you get into trouble?” she asked.

  I thought about John and smiled. “No. I definitely won’t. As long as I’m doing my work, I’m all good. And right now I’m actually ahead of schedule. John, that’s my boss, won’t mind if I take some time off to talk to you.”

  “Well, your boss sounds wonderful. And you know, you sound happy, dear. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  I thought about Mae, and then immediately thought about Ian. Was I enjoying myself? I’d say so. In more ways than one.

  “I am. I really like this job. I feel like I’ve finally found the right place for me. Like this is what I’ve been searching for all along. I was starting to think that being a party planner was not at all what I thought it was going to be. But this job is exactly the environment I was looking for.”

  “And have you found many people that are looking for parties?”

  “Oh yes. It’s all sorts so far. We’ve done a lot of little projects, but we’re currently working on something much bigger. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m finally starting to figure things out. It wasn’t easy at first because I didn’t know this area at all. But I’m learning.”

  “And you like the people you work with?”

  “Oh, Mom, they’re lovely. Especially Mae. She and I work closely together, and she’s fast becoming my best friend. I’m very lucky to have met her. She’s roughly my same age, only a few years older, and the two of us have a lot in common.”

  “Well, I’m happy to hear that,” my mother said. “It wasn’t nice seeing you go from job to job or interview to interview without finding what you wanted. I can definitely hear that you are happy. It’s a pity it’s not in California, but I do understand. I’ll have to come and visit sometime. And you’ll have to come and visit me.”

  I thought of going to California and bumping into Raymond, and the thought was too horrible to even consider. I’d obviously go back to visit one day, and maybe even back to live if things didn’t work out here. But going back to California wasn’t a part of my immediate future plan.

  “Yes,” I said. “You should totally come and visit me. I have the loveliest apartment.”

  I thought of my mother sitting in my tiny apartment and tried not to laugh. My entire apartment could fit into her living room alone. She’d probably be horrified, but I didn’t mind. Why would I need a big place? It was only for me. And it made me happier than any place has ever made me before.

  “I will. I will. That’s a great idea. Now, have you spoken to Raymond at all? I’m very sorry that things didn’t work out between the two of you. I must say that I was very surprised. I thought that you were going to tell me that the two of you were going to get married. Is there really no chance of reconciliation? I really liked that boy.”

  I thought that perhaps now was the time that I should tell her all about how he had abused me, the things he’d said and done to me. Maybe I should tell her about how he was harassing me and calling me to find out where I was. But it didn’t seem worth it. That was my past now, and I didn’t want to relive it. And the last thing that I wanted was for my mother to be concerned about me.

  “Yeah, it just didn’t work out. Maybe we were too young or something. But these things happen. It’s okay, Mom. I’m not upset or anything. I’ve moved on, and I’m sure he has too. There’s definitely no chance that the two of us are going to get back together.”

  “I don’t know, darling. That boy was besotted over you.”

  Besotted? He sure had an interesting way of showing it. “I don’t think so, Mom.”

  “I don’t know. I have a feeling that the two of you will find a way back to one another.” My mother had a lot of feelings that didn’t ever pan out. I was twenty-six and it was obvious that she just wanted me to find a man to marry and to settle down and have kids. She wanted it so badly that she would probably never see the bad in Raymond. That was why it was better not to tell her anything at all.

  “No. It’s not like that. Things between us just didn’t work out. Anyway, I better go. John doesn’t mind me sitting here, but I don’t want to take advantage. And I have tons of work to get through today. Come and visit soon, okay?”

  “I will. I’m glad to hear you’re happy.”

  I looked down at my almost empty coffee and my half-eaten cookie and smiled. “I am.”

  I walked back to my desk and spent the rest of the day working on a few projects that John had sent through. Every now and again Mae would slide her chair over to mine, or we’d walk to the coffee machine together. It was a good day, and everyone in the office seemed to be in a good mood. Even Paul didn’t complain about his home life and instead told us funny stories about the things that his baby was doing. We laughed and told him that he didn’t need to pretend to be unhappy. It was clear to us all that he was in love with both his wife and his child.

  “But that’s not a very manly thing to do,” he said.

  Mae and I had laughed. Paul was one of the least manly men you’ll ever meet. But we tol
d him that it made him manlier to admit his love for his family. Which, really, wasn’t a lie at all. By the time I walked out of the office that day, I had all but forgotten about that conversation with Raymond.

  I was smiling to myself and obviously not looking where I was going. Because the moment I walked out of the office, I almost bumped straight into a man on a motorcycle. I grinned when I saw that it was Ian.

  “Gunner? Well, this is a surprise.”

  “Lashes, you look like you’re in a world of your own today,” he said. He seemed amused.

  I chuckled. “I guess I was.”

  “Good day? Hey, do you work in that building?” he asked as he looked up at the old building that looked like it might fall down if someone just sneezed.

  “I do indeed. And, trust me, don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s beautiful inside. It’s one of my favorite places to go to every day. I cannot believe I’m actually saying that about my own office. I’m a lucky girl. So, what are you doing here?”

  “I was just driving around. But I’m glad I bumped into you. Any chance you’re free tomorrow night?”

  “That depends,” I said and smiled. “Is there sushi involved?”

  “Only the best sushi restaurant in town.”

  “Then I’m in.”

  “Great, I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  I grinned as I watched him ride off on his motorcycle with ease. I probably should’ve been staying away from guys at the moment, but Gunner was a welcome distraction that I was finding too hard to ignore.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ian

  I was just about to head out to work when there was a knock on my door. Who the hell was coming to see me at this time of the day? It better not be some salesman trying to sell me something, because I will give him a piece of my mind. I scowled as I opened the door and then frowned when I saw Chris standing there.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Well, a very good morning to you,” he said. “Aren’t you a grumpy one in the morning? Can I come in?”