by Ali Parker
“Connor, are you coming or not?” Abi said, in a rude manner, completely ignoring Madison, before galloping toward the barn. We all looked at each other and rolled our eyes.
“Don’t take no mind to her ma’am. She’s unusual,” Wyatt said.
“Okay—” Madison said, looking at me with confusion.
“Connor, go help your sister,” Wyatt said.
“All right, I’m going, I’m going,”
“Now you’ll have to excuse us,” I said to the others, as I led Madison across the field toward the barn.
“This is just absolutely incredible out here. I can see why you love it so much. It looks like there is a lot of work to keep up with this place, but of course you have your family.”
“That is true, but I do like the work. I am not one to sit back and do nothing. I can’t handle that. I get restless. I’ve been feeling very restless lately,” I said looking at her. The blue tank top really brought out her blue eyes. It also snugly fit around her breasts which I hadn’t noticed were very ample because she always wore a loose t-shirt.
She locked eyes with me. Then she pulled them away sensing that something was building. “It’s probably from spending too much time in the lab. I get restless as well, it’s like cabin fever, you know—lab fever.”
“You’re probably right,” I said, trying to brush off the feelings that were welling up inside of me.
I showed her around the ranch, starting with the barn first. “This is the grand barn. We have a smaller one in the back 40, but this is the heart of the ranch, after the house of course.”
“Yes, I noticed the house. It is really beautiful. This barn is incredible too,” she said, looking at the high rafters.
“Yes… beautiful,” I said, looking at her. She caught me staring and then said.
“What else you got out here?”
“I’ll show you the stables. Do you like horses?”
Her eyes lit up as though I had just said a magic word.
“I love horses. All farm animals, really,” she said.
“Lord howdy, then you’ve come to the right place. Follow me,” I said.
After making sure that Abi was in the fields, I took her to the stables. Watching her pet the horses with the big smile on her face made me happy. I liked being the one to bring that smile to her face. So I showed her more.
We walked around the silos, followed by the gated corals with sheep, goats, and hogs which made her laugh. Then I showed her our vegetable gardens behind the house, where we grew vegetables for our own personal use.
“So, that’s pretty much it,” I said, leading her back to the front porch.
“It’s really beautiful, Tanner. I can see why you love it. And to have such a big family—it’s just amazing,” she said. She was smiling at me, but there was a sense of sadness behind her eyes that shocked me a little, as though she was thinking of some long lost memory. Then she shook it off. “We should—”
“Yes, we should make our way out to the fields to start our experiment,” I said.
“Yes, the cleaner bottles are in my trunk,” she said, as we turned to walk back toward her car. “This really is a beautiful ranch, Tanner,” she said again, speaking quietly.
“Thank you. I do love it. It’s our legacy. It belonged to my great-grandfather and will always remain in the family. That’s why it’s so important that we save these crops,” I said.
“And I am going to help you,” she said.
She smiled at me and then unlocked her trunk and we went to work. Grabbing two bottles of the cleaner, we walked out onto the road that led down to the crop line.
“As you can see I cut all this down. We separated the sick from those that weren’t sick yet, trying to stop the spread,”
“That was a really good idea. Why don’t we take this section here and start spraying. Are you willing to lose these crops if we’re wrong about this cleaning solution?” she asked.
“I have no other choice, do I? We have to stop this before it takes the entire crop and I’m willing to try anything at this point.”
“I understand. Let’s get started. I brought the ribbon,” she said.
We cut pieces of red ribbon and tied it on to the crops that we were going to spray. This way we would know exactly which ones to keep track of. I watched as Madison pulled out her binder and wrote down a few notes about the measurements of the crops and how sick they were. I liked watching her work. Seeing her looking the way she did today was completely different for me. I liked this look on her, but I also liked seeing the smart woman that she clearly was.
“All right, let’s do this,” she said.
We each lifted our bottles of cleaning solution and started to spray the crops. We did just a light mist the way we did in the lab, not drenching the crops.
When we were done, she wrote down a few more notes. Then we started to walk back towards the ranch.
“I have a good feeling about this,” I said.
“So do I,” she said.
I looked at her, realizing that I didn’t want to wait until Monday to see her in the lab. We walked to her car and put the cleaning solution back in the trunk.
“Well, you should check on those crops in the morning and—”
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night?” I blurted out, interrupting her.
“What?”
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night. A proper dinner, like a date,” I said.
“I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Please, Tanner. Just—I don’t think that’s a good idea. I should get going,” she said, opening her car door.
“I understand. I guess I’ll see you in the lab.”
She started the engine of her car and drove off. I knew that it wouldn’t be the last time that I asked her out. She obviously wasn’t ready. I would wait.
12
Madison
When I got out of my car at the Dawson Ranch I was stunned by so many things. I had seen the ranch from the road of course, many times, who hadn’t? It was a town jewel, but I had never seen it up close like this. But what stunned me the most, was Tanner.
I didn’t think it was possible for him to be more attractive than he already was, but when I saw him coming down off the porch my heart nearly stopped. He was wearing a green and white plaid shirt that brought out his hazel eyes. The straw cowboy hat on top of his head only made him look more rugged and like a true cowboy, not to mention those Wrangler jeans that fit his bottom so well. His dashing grin had me hypnotized. His rolled up sleeves showed off tattoos that made him look a little bit more dangerous than he was. But it wasn’t just that, it was the way that he was looking at me. There was something different, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Then, came the Dawson family. His brothers were attractive and charming, but not as attractive as Tanner. All friendly except for one—his sister did not seem to like me at all. I sort of just brushed it off. Things were a little chaotic.
I had an incredible day at his ranch, and that scared me. I didn’t want to get close to anyone, not a guy at least. Not like this. This wasn’t something that I could have in my life at the moment. So when he surprised me and asked me out on an actual date, I had to turn it down. The moment he asked me, the woman with the blond hair and angry look popped into my mind. He was a player, and I had to remember that. He was part of my work at the school and I had to remember that too. He was a Dawson, and I definitely had to remember that as well.
So why was there a big smile on my face as I drove away from the ranch heading to the salon to meet up with Jenna? I couldn’t wipe the damn smile off my face.
“Well, look at you. Don’t you look nice today,” Jenna said, as I walked into the salon, which was just about to close. She was sweeping up hair from the floor into a dustpan.
“I do? It’s just regular clothes,” I said, feeling myself blush a little.
Jenna narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously. “Mm
m-hmm.”
“What?”
“Tell me what’s going on? You’re thinking about something,” she said, as she went back to her work. I sat down in the chair of her work station.
“Well, there is something. The guy I have been working with in the lab. He asked me out on a date, for dinner tomorrow night.”
“What? That’s exciting news. The best news you’ve had in a while. What are you going to wear? Do you want me to help you pick something out? You know I really love that blue strappy dress you have and—”
“Hold on, I didn’t say yes. I turned him down.”
“What? Are you kidding me? You haven’t been on a date in ages. Why would you do a thing like that? From what you tell me it sounds like you really like him.”
“Dating is just not for me right now,” I said, hiding the real fact. I was scared of falling hard and have it throw me off track.
“Oh Madison, you really have to learn to let your hair down. Have a little fun. Life is short, in fact—” Jenna dropped the broom. There was a loud clang on the floor. She swiveled me in the chair.
“Jenna, what the hell are you doing?”
“You’ll see,” she said, running her fingers through my hair.
“Nah-uh, I like my hair long.”
“We can keep the length while still making it a little fun. Trust me, Madison. I am a professional, you know. I don’t tell you what to do in the lab.”
“Oh yeah right. Except that I should date my lab partner.” I rolled my eyes.
She was quiet for a minute, realizing that I had spoken the truth. “Oh, hush up,” she said, annoyed, then quickly grabbed her spray bottle. She started spraying my hair down.
“All I am saying is that you could use a little change. Change isn’t bad you know, that’s how we grow.”
“Yes, I know. You’re right. I just don’t think I’m ready,”
“No one is ever ready for change, you just have to leap into it. What is so wrong with this guy anyway that makes you scared to just go on one little date. It’s just one date, not a marriage proposal,” Jenna said.
I sighed. “There is nothing wrong with him. In fact, on paper he’s perfect. He’s really into his family and his work. He takes his family seriously and does a lot for them. His whole life is devoted to them, actually. He works hard all day long, and then some. It’s just that I think there is a wild side to him that I have not seen yet. I’ve only known him for a short while, and people don’t show their true colors for a long time.”
“Well, he sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and that is saying a lot about the guys around here. They’re just always drinking and brawling at the bar. Someone that is devoted to his family means that he’ll be devoted to his wife and children when the time comes. I’d like to find me a guy like that.”
“It just doesn’t feel right. I’m not going to go out on a date with him. That is mixing work and pleasure, and that is never a good thing. If it doesn’t go right then I’d have to continue to work with him and that could be awkward,” I said.
“I thought you said he was only working with you on a temporary basis. Did that change?” Jenna said, and stopped working on my hair.
“No, that has not changed. It will be temporary, I think. There hasn’t been a deadline put on the situation. It could be for another week, or it could be for two more months. It’s hard to know.”
“Well, it sounds to me like you’re just making up one excuse after another. I know you Madison. I know the real reason why you don’t want to date. If you keep letting that reason stop you, you’re going to be an old maid and be all alone. No one wants that. Enjoy yourself while you’re young. Like I said, it’s not a marriage proposal. It’s just a date.”
“I know, I know.”
“Just promise me that you’ll think about it, at least.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. She didn’t know that it was one of the Dawson boys, if she knew, she would understand. They had a reputation for being wild, and that reputation didn’t come out of nowhere. I saw the look on that blonde girl’s face when she looked at me, he was obviously involved with her at some point. There had to be more of them all over town. Tanner had to be hiding a wild side, otherwise, where did all the rumors come from? I was too scared to get involved with someone like that. I had only known him a short time. But I couldn’t tell Jenna all of this. I had promised my advisor that I would not tell anyone that I was working with one of the Dawsons in the lab. Jenna worked in a gossip shop, she wouldn’t be able to hold that information in. Because of all this I couldn’t tell her the whole story. It was a hard secret to keep.
“Bye Jenna, don’t forget to lock up after you leave,” Gina said, waving goodbye to us.
“Bye Gina, have a nice evening,” Jenna said, following her to the door. She locked it and turned the sign around to ‘Closed,’ and then walked back to me.
“This is nice. I wish I had my own shop,” Jenna said, noting the empty place.
“What in tarnation is that for?” I asked, as I watched her get small pieces of foil.
“You’ll see. Just trust me, Madison.”
“Ugh. Alright, alright, but I better not have blue hair when you’re done.”
She laughed. “Oh, that would be hilarious. I might do it just to see the look on your face and have a good laugh.”
I gasped and leaned forward in the chair. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“No. I wouldn’t. Now sit back and let me do my magic, dang it.”
“Fine.”
Jenna put these little foil things all over my hair. Then I sat under a hair dryer reading a magazine while she finished sweeping the floor.
The next stage was washing my hair which was quite nice. Jenna had a good touch, she was really good at her job. Next, I watched in horror as the scissors came out and pieces of my hair fell to the ground. I wanted to scream and run out of there, but I said I would trust her.
Next, my hair was blown dry until finally, she spun me around to face the mirror.
“There, all done. I must say I did a damn good job.”
I looked at myself in the mirror. “Wow, it’s incredible. I can’t believe it.”
“What did I tell you? I’m good. And to think you didn’t trust me.”
“But it’s still long, and it’s still the same color, only a little different,” I said, trying to figure out exactly what she had done.
“I cut long layers into your hair. So it’s still the same length, but the layers I cut into it give it a little bounce and movement. It’s really sexy looking now, but still long, the way you want it. Then I put in highlights—that’s what the foil was for. So you still have the exact same color you had before, only pieces here and there are a lot lighter, and it really brings out your complexion. Especially these pieces here that hang around your eyes, they make your blue eyes pop,” Jenna said, proudly.
I stood up and gave her a hug. “It looks really good. I don’t think I’ve gotten my hair done since high school. Thank you very much, what do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Well, I take that back. I am starving. You can buy me a burger and fries at the diner, and maybe even a piece of pie,” she winked at me.
“Done. I’m starving too. I’ve had a long day,” I said. As soon as I said it, I thought about my day with Tanner. I got a flash of him standing in front of me, tall and dashing with his fit body in that green and white plaid shirt. A rush of heat came over me.
“Good. I’ll get my things and clean up real quick so I can lock up,” Jenna said, moving to the back of the shop.
I turned and looked at myself in the mirror. That plain looking lab nerd that I had always been was gone. In my cut off shorts, tight tank top, and dusty cowboy boots—I actually looked like a sexy woman. I bit my lower lip feeling turned on by this new me. I liked it - and that scared me.
13
Tanner
I poured the black coffee into my favorite mug and quickly drank it down. It was good a
nd strong and I needed strong this Saturday morning after the night I had. I could not get Madison out of my mind all night. I had a restless night of sleep, and that wasn’t like me. After a hard day of working on the ranch I was always able to fall straight to sleep, but because I couldn’t get Madison and those cut-off blue jean shorts and cowboy boots out of my mind, it made it really hard to sleep—and I mean hard. I thought I was going to explode if I didn’t get some release soon. Being in the lab with her had been days of foreplay and I was about to lose it. So, after a restless night of sleep, I turned to my third cup of coffee to help me get through the day.
The sounds of the dishes clanging around in the sink drew my attention to Abi, who was cleaning up. I had just wiped down the dining table and the counters.
“So, how did your little experiment go?” Jolting me out of my ruminating, she asked the question as she loaded the dishwasher.
“Spraying the crops you mean? I don’t know I’m about to go take a look as soon as we’re done here,” I said.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Really? All right.”
“Yeah, I am just as interested as anyone else, you know. This is my farm too. I sure don’t want our crops to die.”
“I know, I know. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you didn’t seem to have a lot of faith in the work that Madison was doing. In fact, you were downright rude to her when I tried to introduce you,” I said, raising a brow at her.
“Let’s just go, I’m all done here,” She said closing the dishwasher and pressing the start button. She turned and walked out to the living room, grabbing her white felt cowboy hat off the hat rack by the door.
I smiled, knowing that I’d pushed a button with my sister. She had been the only woman in our family since our mother had passed away. Abi liked being the only woman, and clearly wanted to keep it that way. She was very protective of her family and nothing was going to change that.
We walked out onto the porch and down to the main road.
