by Parker, Ali
The entire day was very slow for me because I would start working, then stop to watch him. This happened over and over.
“Need any help in here?” I heard him say while I was stretching over the mattress pulling the sheets off the bed.
I turned around to see him standing with his arms stretched up on the door jamb above his head. He was shirtless still, and sweat dripped down his six-pack abs. I swallowed hard as I looked at him. The button-down shirt he had worn earlier in the day was now hanging down his backside, tucked into the waistline of his jeans.
“No, I’m almost done here,” I said nervously. I couldn’t help but think about him coming to me and taking my clothes off then throwing me down on the mattress. This was the very same bungalow where that had happened before. I felt warmth flush all over my body and between my thighs.
“All right, if you don’t need me then I’m gonna go shower and take a nap. It’s a big night,” he said.
“Yes, absolutely. You go and do that,” I said.
“The fire watch is all set, though I’m sure all those Taylor brothers will be at Mickey’s. They wouldn’t all miss this, but you never know, I don’t trust them one bit, and that sister is trouble, too,” he said.
“Yes, good point.”
Then he just stood there and stared at me. For a moment the heat passed between us, like it always did. I could feel the chemistry growing tense, about to burst into fire. He smiled and his arms looked very toned and tanned, and for some reason, my eyes kept wandering off to look at them.
“You should get going then,” I said.
“Okay, see you later,” he winked.
He turned and walked away, and I watched as he walked toward his bunkhouse. I couldn’t get enough of looking at him. Why did it feel wrong even still? I got back to my work, furiously working the mattress.
The long list of work to do that day was a welcome respite from my lust. Anytime all the guests checked out it was a lot of work. I buried myself in the work, constantly thinking about a freshly showered Dylan lying asleep on his bed with a towel wrapped around his waist. It was not an easy image to get out of my mind.
I did the laundry, all the bedsheets and towels from the guests. Every single bungalow was cleaned from top to bottom and exhaustion was setting in, but I kept going. Maybe I would take a nice Epsom salt bath later with a bottle of wine to relax my tired limbs. This would also put me to bed early and keep me from walking across the ranch to Dylan’s bunk in the middle of the night. It was like putting a leash on myself.
When I was finally done with the guest check out routine, it was late but Dylan’s truck was still in the driveway. I could see the light on his bunk, so I knew that he was awake. Now back in my own house, I went to take a quick shower to wash the grime and sweat of the day off of me. Then I headed down to the kitchen to relax with a hot cup of tea as a reward for my hard work.
With a nice western textile blanket draped on my shoulders, I stood on the porch with the hot cup in my hand. The beautiful sounds of the crickets and cicadas filled the air as the day turned to evening. There was still a soft glow in the west where the sun had gone down an hour before. In the summer, sunset happened around nine at night allowing for long hot days. I loved it immensely.
The sound of boots crunching across dirt and gravel reached my ears. Correcting my posture and tipping one hip out to the side, I knew that I was making a show of trying to look becoming. That was what this man did to me. Dylan came around to the front porch.
“What do you think?” he said softly, as he rounded the corner. My mouth nearly fell open.
Damn, my brain said silently as I looked at him up and down.
He was dressed up, ready for a night out at Mickey’s. He had on a black felt cowboy hat, a blue western shirt that brought out his gorgeous eyes, and Wranglers that weren’t as snug as he usually wore them. I assumed this was to ride the bull more easily.
“You look great, like a cowboy destined to win tonight,” I smiled and raised my teacup in the air. It felt like a cheesy response, but it hid the lustful response going on inside my mind.
“Thanks. I know that I will, because Helen, I’m doing it for you.”
I looked at him with that endearing statement. “Best of luck, Dylan.”
He quickly jumped onto the porch and was suddenly close and towering over me. My eyes shifted up to look at him and his masculine cowboy scent enveloped me.
“I know I’d do better if you’d give me a lucky kiss,” he said.
“I don’t think that would be appropriate,” I said, looking around knowing that there were still workers around, keeping watch.
“We could go inside,” he said.
I shook my head no, standing firm even though I really did want to give him a good luck kiss. But I knew better.
“All right, but if I don’t win it’ll be ‘cause I didn’t get that kiss,” he said.
“And yet I’m still not persuaded,” I smiled with a raised brow.
“You—you are a heartbreaker, Helen Larson.”
He walked off the porch shaking his head. I watched his cute bottom as he walked because I couldn’t not do it. Then he climbed in his truck and drove out of sight. Once he was gone, I had a sinking feeling. I didn’t know what it was, but I suddenly wanted to go to Mickey’s.
19
Dylan
The country music was blaring, and couples were dancing. It was a hot Sunday night at Mickey’s dance hall and the energy was good, I could feed off of that. It was a proper honky-tonk after all. The cold beer in my hand reminded me to take a swig.
“Want another, Dylan?” Marshall asked at my side as we leaned against the bar.
“No. One is plenty. I’m not trying to get drunk here. Just needed a little something to wet my dry mouth, I’m a little nervous,” I said.
“Good thinking. Getting drunk won’t help you stay on that bull,” he said. “But I’ll take another,” he turned around and waved the bartender down. I was glad to have someone at my side, but I really wished that my brothers were at my side instead of Marshall. He was a good man but no substitute for the Dawson brothers. Especially when I was going up against a man that had a pack of brothers just as fierce as mine.
I looked around and noticed that even though it was early, the dance hall was starting to fill up. More and more couples took to the dance floor and empty tables were being grabbed by those walking in.
My eyes were on the front door, waiting for the competition to walk in. Finally, they did.
The Taylor brothers walked in, along with their sister Billy, looking like a gang headed to a gang fight. Again, I felt the absence of my brothers keenly.
My eyes went directly to Andy, my competitor. He had a mean look on his face as he scanned the area and his eyes landed on me. A devilish grinned crossed his face. He nodded and his brothers looked in my direction, their eyes narrowed at me almost in unison. I smiled and shook my head, laughing at how ridiculous they were.
“Looks like my competition has arrived,” I said, grabbing the one Lonestar I’d been nursing for half an hour and took another swig.
“Yep, those are the Taylors all right. Everyone knows them,” Marshall said. We watched as they walked up to the bar. It was a very long bar, almost the entire length of that particular room. They were all the way down at the other end. I watched as all of the brothers took shots, including Andy. It didn’t bother me none, they could take shots if they wanted to, but I wasn’t going to risk it. They took one, then another and another. This might be easier than I thought.
A few moments later the Taylor brothers were standing in front of me with Andy out front.
“You ready to do this, outsider?”
“I was born ready,” I said. “But I’ve got stakes.”
“And what would that be?” Andy’s eyes narrowed.
“You win here tonight. I’ll pay you $1,000.”
“Ohhh, shit. Take it, Andy,” Brandon said.
“An
d if you win?” Andy asked.
“He won’t. Look at him,” Billy said.
“If I win you all leave the Larson Dude Ranch alone. No threat of fires, no stealing, no dirty dealing—nothing. Just pretend it don’t exist,” I said.
“That’s it? Shit,” Christian mumbled at his side. The brothers mumbled to each other while Andy stared at me dead in the eyes.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, outsider,” Andy spit tobacco on the floor. “Let’s do this.”
He turned and his family followed him toward the back of the dance hall where the mechanical bull was located. I looked at Marshall who grinned in acknowledgment of their ridiculous behavior. I had to agree with him.
Damn I wish my brothers were here, I thought again as Marshall and I followed my opponent and his posse.
There was already a crowd around the mechanical bull as cowboys and cowgirls took their turns riding the thing. I stood around the rail stretching my arms and looked over at Hardy. He was manning the bull. He nodded to me and I nodded back, letting him know we were here for our competition which he had already known about. After the last rider got off, he stopped the bull.
Hardy stood in the middle next to the mechanical bull and put his hands up in the air to quiet everyone in the immediate area. Then he started shouting to be heard over the crowd. “All right, we’ve got ourselves a little contest here. We’ve got two riders competing against each other, so they’ll be the only ones riding for the next three rounds each. It’s the best out of these rounds—whoever can stay on the longest just like in the real rodeo, folks. Now, I bet you’re wondering who would do such a thing. First, we got here, Andy Taylor!”
Andy stepped out into the ring and raised his hand. Everyone clapped and cheered. Then Hardy continued, “And, all the way from Safety, Texas, we’ve got Dylan Dawson!”
Some of the crowd cheered but not many. It was only a spattering of applause mixed with murmurs from folks wondering who I was. I wouldn’t expect them to cheer me on since I hardly knew anyone there. Andy, on the other hand, was a local, and his bad reputation made him sort of a bad boy celebrity. If this were my own home turf, I would have had a similar reputation.
“Let’s get this party started,” Hardy said, as he headed toward the controls of the mechanical bull.
Andy made it very clear that he was going first. That was fine with me, since then I could watch him and his technique. He jumped on the bull and there was a lot of fanfare for him. He got comfortable, made his grip tight and put one arm in the air. Then he jerked it back with a nod when he was ready to start. The bull came alive and I could tell that it was at the medium speed. Not too bad. Andy rode it with ease and stayed on the entire time. He was even cocky about it. The bull stopped and he threw his hands up in the air once again the crowd around him cheered.
His leg swung over and he jumped off and nodded at me, daring me to go next. I watched as he walked over to his brothers who had a shot of whiskey waiting for him. Andy shot it back and then another. I just smiled.
Now, it was my turn. I jumped on, and didn’t think about anything else but the ride. My hand gripped and my knees pressed against the leather. Raising my hand in the air I was ready, I gave the signal. The bull jolted into action at medium speed. It was almost the same ride that Andy had, and I easily stayed on just the way he did. The crowd was cheering and I felt good. I stayed on for the eight seconds and then the bull stopped. I smiled and jumped off, and tipped my hat at Andy, something that he did not like.
He took another shot, and jumped on the bull. This time the ride was more aggressive, it was at a higher speed and with a jerking motion.
“You got this Andy!” his brother shouted.
“Show this fucker who’s who!” Billy shouted.
The crowd was shouting various statements as well. They were mostly just having a good time. Everyone liked a little competition. The honky-tonk music from the main dance floor filtered in and gave me some motivation.
Andy stayed on for this ride, it was obvious that he was a pro.
When he jumped off after staying on the eight seconds he celebrated again with another shot, and then another. Billy handed him a beer, I wondered how much he had drunk before he showed up.
Now it was my turn. I jumped on and went for the ride. It was just as aggressive and as high-speed as Andy’s was, but I was familiar with these movements because I had been practicing with Hardy. His routine was cemented in my mind and I knew which ways he liked to go. Even if he didn’t realize that he had a pattern, I did.
Eight seconds! I stayed on!
The crowd cheered. I jumped off and went over to the side rail to stand next to Marshall, and I couldn’t help but give Andy a smug look. He didn’t like that at all and his face grew red. Something told me he didn’t expect me to last this long. That was good, anger made people sloppy, and no one knew that better than myself. It was something my brothers had been trying to get me to let go of.
“What the fuck you doing, Hardy? Get this bull going, would you! This is nothing but a kiddie ride!” He shouted at Hardy as he jumped back on the bull. Hardy didn’t like that one bit. Like any cowboy, he had pride and didn’t like to be criticized.
Andy jerked his arm in the air giving the signal and the ride began! It was aggressive as all hell, a violent mechanical bull. Hardy was focused, really giving it to him. Then at five seconds, Andy jerked back and rolled off the bull!
The entire area seemed to grow quiet. Everyone was stunned including myself. Andy was a rodeo champion. I looked over at Hardy who had a smug grin on his face. Andy got up from the cushioned ground cursing like crazy.
“Son of a bitch!” He moved over to his brothers who patted him on the back. They gave him reassurance that I was going to fall off as well.
I took a deep breath looking at the bull, but something caught my attention. On the other side of the bull in the crowd, was Helen. Suddenly everything else seemed to go away and I remembered that I was doing this for her and for the ranch, not simply my ego. She smiled a beautiful smile and nodded her head at me as though reassuring me that I could do it. She was in a strappy green dress and wore a white cowboy hat.
Smiling, I remembered to have fun with this. Seeing her changed everything and suddenly, I felt like I could do anything for her and that included winning this damn thing. Her happiness was tied to this next ride and I was sure as hell going to make sure she was happy, so I needed to focus.
Pulling my cowboy hat on lower, I fit it well on my head. Grabbing the horn, I jumped on the bull. This was it. It didn’t have to be a perfect ride, and just as long as I stayed on for the eight seconds I would win.
I signaled Hardy to start the ride.
The bull violently jolted and immediately spun around and around, rocking back and forth harder than I’d ever felt it do before. I felt myself lift off the saddle and pulled my knees tighter. Then I sat back down and held on. A few more times I thought I was going to slide right off, but I used my legs to put me back into position. Then the bull abruptly stopped.
“Eight seconds! We have a winner!” Hardy shouted.
“Woo-hoo!” I shouted as I jumped off. Suddenly strangers were around all high-fiving me, but my eyes were looking for Helen. She was smiling a big smile, just for me. Damn, she was beautiful. She nodded, acknowledging my victory and for a few moments, it seemed we were the only two people in the massive crowd. The connection I felt with her was pure euphoria and I didn’t want that to go away.
“Good job kid! Good job! Here!” Marshall patted me on the back and shoved a cold Lone Star in my hand.
“Thanks Marshall,” I said, wishing it was one of my brothers congratulating me, but I would take a good ranch friend as the next best thing.
I locked eyes with Andy Taylor. He spit tobacco dip on the floor and sneered at me. He and his brothers and his sister Billy, all turned and walked away into the crowd. They were obviously pissed, but I could only hope he would keep his word on the bet.<
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“You did real good kid,” Hardy gave me a slap on the back.
“Thanks a lot, sir. You did a good job too. That was some rough riding,” I turned back to the crowd where Helen had been standing, but she wasn’t there. Turning around and scanning the crowd, I looked everywhere but couldn’t find her. Had she gone? I knew she didn’t want folks thinking we were together, and since I didn’t want to disrespect that decision, I couldn’t exactly walk up and give her a big hug and a kiss like I wanted anyway.
“Come on, let me buy you a couple of beers,” Marshall said pushing me toward the bar.
“All right, but just one more. I’m driving,” I said. What I really meant was that I wanted to get home to Helen as soon as I could.
After a celebratory beer with Marshall, I was on my way back to the ranch. I was feeling damn good. Not just because I put Andy Taylor in his place, but because I’d done it for her. It was so much more rewarding to do something for someone else.
The porch light was off when I pulled into the lot at the Larson Dude Ranch, but Helen’s truck was in the driveway. She was definitely home. As I got out of my truck, I heard her voice.
“That was quite a ride, cowboy.”
I turned to see her standing in the dark on the porch. I didn’t say anything. With a fast pace I strode over to her, walking quickly down the drive and up the steps to the porch. My arms wrapped around her waist and I pulled her to me, planting my lips on hers. There was fire between us. Her thigh moved up my hip and I placed my hands underneath her bottom. She jumped, wrapping her legs around me. I set her on the rail of the porch. We were lost in the moment and hiding from everything and everyone in the darkness of the night. Her thighs were soft as I moved between them. My cock was aching to touch her, to be inside of her. Kissing her felt like sweet relief from an itch I had been dying to scratch like crazy.
