by Kennedy Fox
Copyright © 2021 Kennedy Fox
www.kennedyfoxbooks.com
Kissing the Cowboy
Circle B Ranch, #5
Cover designer: Outlined with Love Designs
Cover image: Wander Aguiar Photographer
Copy editor: Editing 4 Indies
All rights reserved. No parts of the book may be used or reproduced in any matter without written permission from the author, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Bishop Family Tree
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
What’s Next
Bishop Brothers World suggested reading order
About the Author
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A love me like he should one
Like he wrote the book one
The kind you find when you don't even look one
Anybody can be good once
But he's good all the time
He's one of the good ones
And he's all mine
“The Good Ones”
-Gabby Barrett
THE FOUR ORIGINAL BISHOP BROTHERS & THEIR FAMILIES:
Organized in the order the series released. Kids are also organized by oldest in each family.
Alex & River (from Taming Him)
Riley
(Hitching the Cowboy)
* * *
Rowan
(Catching the Cowboy)
Evan & Emily (from Needing Him)
Elizabeth
(Bossing the Cowboy)
* * *
Ethan
(Kissing the Cowboy)
John & Mila (from Chasing Him)
Maize
(Wrangling the Cowboy)
* * *
Mackenzie
(Winning the Cowboy)
Jackson & Kiera (from Keeping Him)
Kane & Knox
(Claiming the Cowboy & Tempting the Cowboy)
* * *
Kaitlyn
(Seducing the Cowboy)
For reference: Riley (the oldest of the kids) is 6.5 years older than Kaitlyn Bishop (the youngest of the kids).
Prologue
ETHAN
“Isaac just fucking broke up with me through text message,” Harper says on the other line. Her voice shakes, but I can also hear anger in her tone. She and Isaac have been together for four years—the last two years of high school and the first two years in college. Breaking up with her that way is so damn disrespectful that I’m ready to track him down and hog-tie him.
“I’m sorry, Harp. What can I do?” I want to tell her how much of a piece of shit he is and how he’s always seemed like the jealous type, but it wouldn’t be helpful.
“Come to my dorm? I just need someone to talk to, and I don’t want to be alone.”
A small smile hits my lips. “Sure. Give me about an hour. I need to finish some things, then I’ll be right there.”
“Sounds good.” She sucks in a deep breath, then exhales slowly. “Text me when you arrive so I can let you in.”
“I will.” The call ends, and while I shouldn’t be happy that douchebag dumped her, I selfishly am. He wasn’t good enough for Harper and never treated her the way she deserved. Nine times out of ten, he acted like she was an inconvenience when she wanted to do something other than barhop.
Just the thought of him doing that to Harper pisses me off all over again.
I close my livestock genetics book and check the time. It’s just after five, and I’ve been studying for hours since finals are in just a few weeks, but I’ll drop everything for Harper when she needs me.
Always have. Always will.
Grabbing my keys, I go to my truck, but instead of heading straight to Harper’s, I pick up her favorite meal—a chicken burrito with all the fixings. Considering Eldorado, our hometown, has no fast food, we consume a ton of it during the semester. I also stop and get her the largest frappuccino with extra caramel drizzle and whipped cream.
On the way to her dorm, I think about how busy she’s been lately with trying to help her mom come up with new ideas to expand the family’s business, Big Hart Boutique, while also preparing for finals. She’s been juggling so much, and Isaac has selfishly wanted to be the center of her attention.
If Harper didn’t drop everything when he wanted, there was an argument. She’d spend the rest of the week making it up to him, trying to prove how much he meant to her. I can’t even list how many guilt trips she’s had when she chose to study instead of going drinking with him.
Once I park in front of Harper’s dorm, I grab everything and walk toward her building with my hands full.
Three flights of stairs later, I twist the knob to Harper’s door and enter. It’s not always locked because her roommate's boyfriend lives on the same floor so she’s in and out.
I hear Harper chatting in the bathroom, and that’s when I realize she’s on the phone. I set down our food and patiently wait because she has no idea I’m here yet.
“I know, Hads. You were right.”
She’s talking to one of her friends we grew up with in Eldorado, Texas. It’s a few hours from San Antonio, where Harper and I attend college together. Hadleigh’s a year younger than us and is going to nursing school. Since she spent a lot of time on the ranch during the summers with my cousin Kane and was always around, we all became good friends.
“I just never thought he’d give me an ultimatum about spending time with Ethan. He’s my best friend, and that’s it. For Isaac to accuse me of sneaking around on him…” Her voice cracks with rage. “I’d never do that. I’m not a cheater.” She pauses briefly as if she needs to collect herself. “I just thought we’d be together forever. He acted friendly around Ethan, so I always assumed he liked him. Now I realize it was all a lie.”
My heart rate quickens, and my hands ball into fists. I’m shocked to hear that was the reason, but I’m grateful Harper chose our friendship and didn’t bend to his will. Seems he was looking for any excuse to break up with her and picked the lowest hanging fruit.
She clears her throat, then loudly blows her nose. “I can’t believe it’s really over, after everything we’ve been through.”
I only tolerated him because Harper wanted us to get along. He was an egotistical man-child. They were long distance in high school, so when I heard he’d gotten accepted to the same college as us, I wasn’t happy. I thought they’d break up before the first day of class, but Harper was determined to make it work.
Over the past two years, I hadn’t seen her as much during the week as I’d like, but we still made time to study or watch movies when our schedules didn’t clash. Then when we’d go home during breaks, we hung out nonstop.
Moments later, the bathroom door swings open, and Harper notices me. Mascara streaks dow
n her cheeks, and her cute little button nose is red. Dark hair is messily piled on top of her head, but it looks adorable. Her face immediately lights up when our eyes meet.
“You didn’t text me to let you in!” she playfully scolds, and I can tell she’s trying to be strong.
“My hands were full,” I say, but really, I wanted to surprise her.
“How long have you been here?” She closes the space between us.
“Couple minutes.” I don’t want her to know that I overheard her speaking to Hadleigh.
I open my arms, and she falls into them. As I hold her tight, she squeezes me, and her emotions break free.
“I’m so upset,” she mumbles into my chest, the tears turning on again. “And mad.”
I pet her hair, trying to calm her. “I know. But guess what?”
“What?” She pushes back slightly, and her big blue eyes meet mine.
“There are more fish in the sea. More cows in the pasture. More cookies in the oven? I’m not great at analogies, but you know what I mean. You’ll find someone else, Harper. Someone who’ll actually appreciate you and treat you the way you deserve.”
Harper snort-laughs, and it makes me happy to hear. It’s a sound I would bottle up if I could.
“Thank you.” She lets out a long sigh. “And you’re right. Hadleigh told me that I should enjoy my hot girl summer and have fun being single for the first time in four years.”
I lift my eyebrows and try to be supportive even if I don’t like the sound of whatever that implies. “Where’s the lie, though?”
“Ugh. Dating apps are a total miss back home. Just ask your cousins.”
I grin, recalling how they’ve all said the same thing. Eldorado is small, so everyone’s either taken, too old or young, or related to you.
“Truthfully, I have no desire or plans to date soon. Hadleigh was right about enjoying being single for now, but I think I need to take some time to find myself first. I’ve been with Isaac since junior year. Who am I even?”
“You’re my best friend who always laughs at my corny jokes, who’d give her last dollar to someone else who needed it, and who is willing to work for what she wants,” I tell her sincerely. “You haven’t lost yourself. You were just comfortable with the way things were. Now you get to do whatever you want.”
“You’re too good to me, Ethan Bishop.” Her tears are long gone, and she smiles wide, then finally notices the brown bag and drink on the counter.
“Oh my goodness. You got me Chipotle and Starbucks? You really are too good to me!”
“Nah. You’d do the same for me.” I shrug it off like it’s no big deal. We’ve been best friends since we were in diapers. She’s a few months older than me and always enjoyed teasing me about it when we were kids. She grew up on my family’s ranch because her dad works there, which means I don’t know what life is without her in it.
Nor do I ever want to.
I open the Chipotle bag, taking out our food as we walk the few steps to the small couch. She grabs the remote and flicks on the TV as I pull the foil off my burrito. “What do you wanna watch?”
“You choose this time.”
Her brows shoot up. “You’re giving me free rein?”
I nod, and she flashes me an evil grin as she sucks down her drink. I chuckle when she makes a face as if she has a brain freeze.
She flips through all the Netflix Originals and lands on Pretend it’s a City. After we’ve finished our food, she turns off the living room light, then plops next to me while finishing her coffee. Her arm brushes against mine, and I force myself to ignore the fire Harper ignites inside me, especially now that she’s available. The last thing I’d ever want to do is admit how I feel when she’s emotionally vulnerable.
I’ve always told everyone that we’re only friends because it’s the truth, but I can’t help the way she’s always made me feel. I’d never do anything to sabotage her relationships, so I’ve sat on the sidelines, and even though the timing never feels right, I’ve been waiting. Though I’ve dated people too, it’s never turned into anything serious.
Her words about her wanting to find who she is repeat in my mind, and I hold on to it tight, wanting to give her the ability to do just that. The last thing she needs is to jump into another relationship, no matter how badly I want one with her. Though I have my hesitations in the event things didn’t work out, I’m more than content being in her life any way I can be.
When one episode ends, the next one automatically begins, and we end up watching three in a row before we realize the time.
“It’s almost nine thirty.” Harper’s eyes widen. “I’m so sorry for keeping you out this late. I know you have an eight o’clock class in the morning.”
I shrug, enjoying every minute I get to spend with her. “It’s not a big deal, but I should probably go.”
We stand, and I press my lips to Harper’s forehead.
“Thank you for being such a good friend, Ethan.”
Friend.
That’s all I am, and I’ve come to terms with understanding that’s all I may ever be to her, regardless of what my heart wants.
Maybe one day, the timing will be right. Maybe it won’t ever be.
Regardless, I’m not going anywhere.
Chapter One
ETHAN
SIX YEARS LATER
“Well shit!” I say under my breath when I realize Cupcake got out again. Cupcake is an alpine goat who produces around a gallon of milk per day, but she’s also a little asshole.
It’s barely past six in the morning and way too early to be chasing animals, but that’s ranch life.
“Maaaa,” she screams in a tone that sounds like an angry old woman.
“Get your ass over here!” I say, pointing at the ground as if she can understand me.
“Maaaaa. Maaaaa. Maaaaa.”
Shaking my head, I let out an annoyed sigh and climb the fence. Cupcake narrows her eyes at me and backs away. This should be considered routine by now because it’s happened at least once a week for the past two months. Should’ve named her Houdini because she’s made escaping an art, and I can’t figure out how she’s doing it.
“You’ll never catch her,” I hear my uncle Alex shout from his truck. Not wanting to spook her, I flip him off instead of screaming what I want. People always think goats are stupid, but they’re not. They’re sneaky little things and enjoy a good game of chase and run. It’s the reason she wears a collar. It makes it a tad easier to grab her.
Taking a step forward, I place my hand in my pocket and pull out some dried apples, then hold it out for her to see. “You know you want it.”
She literally screams at me because it’s her favorite snack. Curiosity takes over as she takes a step toward me, and I reach out my hand farther.
Moments later, she moseys toward me and licks up the apples. I grab her collar. “Gotcha, asshole.”
As she chews, I lead her around the fence and through the main gate. I don’t know how she keeps getting out, and I’m halfway tempted to put up some game cameras because I don’t want her teaching the others.
“Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” She yells as I take her into the barn. Shaking my head, I pass a few workers who help me with the goat operation as I go back to my office.
One of the ranch hands, Grayson, helps me out when he can. He’s a year younger than me, and we’ve hung out since he started working here about five years ago. He’s friends with pretty much everyone on the Circle B Ranch—well, with the exception of a couple of the girls. Then there’s Knox and Kane, my younger twin cousins who also help when I’m shorthanded.
To be honest, though, I underestimated how much work establishing a goat farm would be. I don’t regret it, though, considering my goal was to help expand the family’s ranch, and it’s been very lucrative. Not to mention, the goats help clean the pastures too because they eat shrubbery and poison ivy that the cows won’t touch.
It started small with around a dozen goats, but when
Uncle John ran the expense and income numbers, and we realized the high-profit margin, we decided to expand. Now I’m dealing with over a hundred heads. We sell their milk wholesale. They’re all free roam too, which is why Cupcake thinks she can escape from time to time, but I’m glad to do it and contribute to the success of the family business.
Once I’m back in the office, I go over our daily goals with Payton and Luke—my right-hand workers.
“After lunch, I’d like you to put the alfalfa hay out. I had a trailer brought in yesterday, and it’s parked on the side of the barn,” I tell them.
They nod as I go over a couple more items. As soon as we’re on the same page, I head to the barn to check on things when I get a text from my sister.
Elizabeth: Good morning to my favorite sibling ever.
I shake my head because I’m her only brother.
Ethan: What do you want?
Elizabeth: Gasp! That’s no way to treat your pregnant sister! But since you asked…
I come out through the other side of the barn where feed has been put out. The goats couldn't care less about me because it’s breakfast and milking time. The funny thing about these animals is they will eat until they literally die, so it’s crucial they aren’t overfed. They’re milked twice a day, once in the morning and twelve hours later. We use machines to automate the process, so it’s easier and faster than doing it by hand. When I don’t immediately respond, she sends another text.
