DIRTY COWBOY

by Trejo, Erin

  “Nothing.”

  “Did you need to pick up anything, Hope? You can ride with Gentry,” Mom offers.

  Thanks a lot, Mom.

  “She doesn’t like riding in the dirty truck. Ain’t that right, princess?” She rolls her eyes at me and shifts in her seat when I sigh. “Fine you can ride with me.” Mom just giggles as I drop some food to the floor for Boudreaux.

  “Stop feeding him table food, Gentry!”

  “Why? He likes it. He’s a boy, he needs protein in his diet.”

  “For what?” Mom asks cocking her head to the side looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “You know,” I say making hand motions as if he might be jerking off. “For the ladies.”

  “Gentry Jesse Weston!” Hope chokes on her coffee, some coming out of her nose. I have to say that it might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen her do.

  “Well I’ll be damned. City girl can laugh.”

  “Gentry, leave that girl alone,” my mom says as she stands and grabs the towel off the counter. She wipes the mess that Hope made as I watch her and finish eating.

  “You ready, city girl? Need to get back early and get some sleep. We’re heading to New York in the morning.” Hope nods and stands, grabbing her plate and walking to the sink with it. I watch her wash and dry it in amazement. She’s still a good girl even all these years later. Clearing my throat, I shove out of my chair and walk over doing the same. Putting my plate away, I turn to see the look of shock on my mom’s face. It’s a little amusing to say the least.

  “What? I can’t have that little girl showing me up.” Mom laughs and Hope flips me off before heading for the front door.

  Hope

  “I can’t believe that’s still there,” I say as I look out the window at the old corner store. I thought that would have been torn down years ago. Then again, I haven’t been back here in a long time so I suppose there’s a lot that I don’t know about.

  “Some things never change.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. Just what I said. This is a tight-knit community and they respect their elders. When Mr. Benson died they didn’t want to tear down the store. They kept it although they didn’t keep up with it.”

  “How long ago did he die?” Gentry looks a little lost in thought before glancing over at me.

  “About seven years ago.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “You weren’t around,” he says, his tone short and laced with frustration.

  “Are you going to hold that over my head forever?” I ask as we pull into the local garden store.

  “Nope. I’m over it. Come on, let’s see if you can pick out some flowers.” Gentry hops out of the truck and strolls toward the girl that’s working. His smile brightens as he talks to her. The way he flirts and plays around with her makes me wonder if he’s dated her. Ignoring the nagging in the back of my mind, I walk over and bend down to look at some flowers. That’s when I feel him. His hands land on my waist as he thrusts his hips into me.

  “What are you doing?” I squeal when he pulls back. I stand up straighter and glare at him waiting for an answer.

  “I thought that was an open invite. You were bent over there waiting for me.”

  “I was not!”

  I could have been!

  “Did I get you all hot and bothered?” He winks at me as he smirks.

  “No, you didn’t. What is wrong with you? There are people here,” I hiss in his direction although I can’t deny the way heat coiled inside of me. I won’t tell him that part; I wouldn’t want him to get a bigger head than he already has.

  “You need to cool off,” he says reaching for the hose that lies near his feet. Slowly, I shake my head.

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Wouldn’t I?” he asks raising his eyebrow. I don’t know why I said that, it’s Gentry, I know how he is.

  “Gentry Weston, you put that hose down right this minute,” I say as I step back away from him, keeping my eyes on his.

  “I think you need to calm down, Hope.”

  “As soon as you put that hose down,” I remind him. He smirks and damn does it look sexy. His muscles bulge, the ink on his skin dancing with each movement. I’m having trouble focusing on the issue at hand. Or better yet, the hose that’s in his.

  “You look hot, Hope.”

  “Don’t do it, Gentry.” I take another step back when he unleashes. The cold water hits me and I scream. The girl that he was all smiles at a few minutes ago now looks angry, but Gentry laughs and it’s the best sound I’ve heard in a long time. After a few more sprays, I find myself laughing along with him. He moves closer and wraps his arm around my waist, shooting water at me.

  “Gentry!”

  “Are you cooling off now?” he chuckles as the water keeps flowing. I wiggle out of his arms when he drops the hose. I move in taking advantage of the situation. Gentry spots the hose in my hand and slowly raises his hands.

  “What’s wrong, country boy? Scared of a little hose?” I raise an eyebrow in challenge. He chuckles and shakes his head no. I’m ready for his snarky comeback.

  “You were, which makes me think you’d be scared shitless of the one in my pants.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “You think highly of yourself.”

  “It can salute higher.”

  Instead of playing into his games, I move my aim and fire. The cold water shoots from the hose hitting him right in his dick. He jumps back a good two feet but I counter his move.

  “What’s wrong? Having a little shrinkage from the cold?” His lips are curved into a smile and all I can think about is what he might be thinking right now. Except I refuse to ask.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” he says, pointing at me when the water shuts off. We both glance around to see the unhappy girl scowling our way.

  “He wants those,” I say, pointing the nozzle to some of the flowers and smiling.

  “Yeah, we’ll take those,” he adds with a nod in the same direction. I watch him pull out his wallet and stroll toward the counter to pay. When I walk up next to him, he glances over.

  “You sure you want to go with me to New York?”

  “You said no strings attached. Were you lying?” I question him.

  “No. I meant what I said, Hope.”

  I nod my head. “Then I’m in.”

  Although I might not mind those strings and ropes.

  6

  Gentry

  “I’ve never seen this place aside from on TV,” Hope beams as she looks up at all the buildings and people bustling around town.

  “It’s not bad,” I say with a shrug. She grabs my arm and holds on tightly as we walk down the block, which takes me by surprise. When we reach our destination, I pull the door open and usher Hope inside. Her eyes light up as she takes in the restaurant. Rotelli’s is one of the best restaurants in town.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve eaten here before,” she asks looking at me over her shoulder.

  “I have a few times. You never went to the upscale places in California?”

  “Sometimes but they were nothing like this. I suppose I don’t remember all this from when we lived up here. Mom never really took us to these sorts of places.”

  “Can I help you?” the woman at the podium asks as we step closer breaking our conversation.

  “I’m meeting Mr. Truitt. Is he here already?” I ask her, watching her cheeks blush pink.

  “Yes, sir. Right this way.”

  I place my hand on the small of Hope’s back to guide her through the restaurant. She doesn’t pull away and I take that as a good sign. We follow the woman back until I see Dex. He stands immediately, his eyes roaming over to Hope, a smile crossing his face.

  “Hope, it’s so good to see you again,” he says happily. I assume they haven’t seen much of each other lately even though she is Dexter’s wife’s niece.

  “How are you Dexter? It’s been a long time since I’
ve seen you,” Hope says holding her hand out to him. He smiles and grabs it in his hand.

  “I’ve been really good, Hope. Can’t believe the two of you are here together though. I never thought the past and present would collide the way it has,” he says with a smile.

  “Why? Am I not up to your family standards?” I tease. Dex laughs.

  “I don’t know what you have in mind for her. Care to share?” He asks raising an eyebrow. I chuckle and Hope turns red. I still can’t believe the girl I love and the man I call my best friend are family.

  “Not a chance in hell,” I add pulling him into a quick hug.

  “How you been? That ranch life looks good on you, man.”

  I nod my head and pull out Hope’s chair for her. “I missed it,” I admit as she sits and adjusts herself.

  “I know you did. So, you ready to finalize everything? Sure you haven’t changed your mind?”

  “I didn’t change my mind. If anything, I’m even surer now than I was before.” My eyes slowly sweep over to Hope of their own accord and I thank God she didn’t see it. She’s too busy smiling at her menu.

  “Ah, I see. Well, like you asked I had my lawyers get all the paperwork in order. They were just as skeptical as I was but they understood. The only problem was with one of the places in Florida.”

  I shake my head and move my eyes to Hope and back so that he gets my point. I don’t want him saying anything about the clubs in front of her. I get a slight nod in return letting me know that he understood what I was going for.

  “What was the problem?”

  “Nothing the lawyers can’t handle. All the proper forms have been filed and accounted for. After you sign these you are a free man,” Dex tells me with a smile on his face, slipping me a pen and the paperwork across the table.

  I pick the pen up and it all hits me. This was all the hard work me and my pop put in. We put blood, sweat and tears into that company to set up the clubs but now it’s all pointless. He’s gone and nothing else makes sense but going back home.

  “Sounds great. Should we have dinner? Do you have plans?” I ask, scribbling my name on the paperwork in front of me. When I’m done I close the file, setting the pen on top before sliding it back across to Dex. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly knowing that I’m doing the right thing here. This is what I need to do even if the thought of it still bothers me slightly.

  “Not yet. Unless my wife happens to be home early and has missed her man.”

  Hope’s eyes jump from the menu to his, her mouth falling open like it does when she’s shocked. I just chuckle under my breath.

  “I don’t think we need to hear your fetishes tonight,” I tell him with a laugh.

  “Why not? You’ve never cared before,” he says teasingly.

  “I can see why you two are such good friends. You both think so highly of yourselves. How does my aunt even deal with you?” Hope says looking directly at Dex.

  I raise my hand to cover my laugh but Dex just smiles and shakes his head. “She can’t get enough of me! You have your hands full with this one,” he says bringing his gaze back to meet mine.

  “That I do.”

  “So, Hope, what have you been up to?” Dexter makes small talk for a few minutes before the waitress comes to take our order. Dex orders us all drinks even though he doesn’t drink much. Our food is delivered along with more drinks for Hope and me, and I’m thanking God for that too. As unusual as it is for me, I find myself slightly nervous with Dex and Hope here at the same time although I have no idea why. Maybe because they are family now? I don’t really know and I can’t put my finger on it either. Maybe it’s just me worrying over nothing.

  “I’m still writing stories,” she says beaming with pride.

  “So you still write books. I remember hearing something about that although we haven’t talked much lately. Do you still love itWh”

  “It’s fun and pays the bills, but my dream is to be a full-time writer for Night Life Magazine. I do freelance work as of right now,” she explains with a bright smile on her face. She must really love doing that.

  “Night Life? I’ve heard of it. They delve into the different types of clubs and after-hours things, right?”

  Hope nods her head as she chews. “That’s the one. I have an article I’m working on now that is giving me hell. There’s a company that doesn’t really go anywhere.” She waves her hand through the air to make her point. “It just dead ends and I can’t seem to dig up the owner of that company.”

  “Maybe Dex can help you there. He knows a lot of businessmen,” I suggest.

  “Sure. What’s the name of it?”

  “Waterhouse, Inc.”

  As soon as the words leave her mouth, I panic nearly choking on my chicken. Why is she looking into that? Dex causally looks my way as Hope reaches for her drink.

  “I don’t know that I’ve heard of it. May I ask what you are looking at it for? What’s the purpose behind the article?” Leave it to Dexter to ask.

  “Oh yes. There was someone that owned multiple prestigious clubs down the east coast that just suddenly up and closed them all. I’m talking about millions of dollars running through those clubs.”

  “Why is that a story?” Dex presses her for more information as I grab my drink and toss it back quickly. I flick my fingers in the air at the waitress showing her the glass so she knows to bring me another.

  “Why wouldn’t it be? These clubs weren’t just your run of the mill clubs. People commented on their social media accounts all the time about how homey and different these clubs were. There was talk of an expansion to the west coast then suddenly they just dropped off the map. These clubs were a huge hit and then to just disappear? That’s not normal. People are upset in these areas, well known public figures showed up at every one of them.” I see the way her face lights up when she talks about this and that’s how I know how much this job means to her, but I can’t risk letting her know it was me.

  “Wow. That’s a pretty strange occurrence. I will have my team look into it. See if we can find anything.”

  “Thank you! I’d appreciate that. If you will excuse me, I’m going to the restroom.” She looks to me and I give her a nod, both of us watching her go.

  “Jesus, Gentry. She doesn’t know those clubs were yours?” Shaking my head slowly, Dex blows out a breath.

  “She doesn’t need to know.”

  “She’s digging my friend. She is going to find something. She already found Waterhouse. How much longer before she realizes that it’s yours and your dad’s company?” I sigh just as the waitress sets another drink in front of me. I grab it quickly and take it down looking over at him.

  “There’s just no need for her to know, man. I didn’t want the publicity back then, and I surely don’t want it now. My dad pushed me out into the world and the business was all us but I never wanted any blowback on the ranch. I know there would be if they found out who I was, Dex. I can’t let that happen.” He nods his head, taking a drink of his water before setting the glass back on the table.

  “I’ll see what I can do. I’m not sure what all can be done to hide the names but you know I’ll do whatever I can that’s possible. I understand what you mean. Don’t forget I’m the one who doesn’t go out to be seen or do interviews either.”

  I nod.

  “Thanks, Dex. I appreciate that.”

  “Here she comes,” he says with a smile as he grabs his water and takes a drink.

  Hope

  Dinner was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gentry as dressed up as he was tonight. It was a nice change but he kept drawing my attention to him. I’m not used to seeing him like that. I don’t know that Gentry. I know the Gentry that wears a Stetson hat and the tightest wranglers I’ve ever seen on a man.

  “Did you enjoy dinner?” he asks as we walk around the park. It’s a nice night and I still can’t believe that I’m here with him. It’s so interesting to see this place in person. It’s nothing li
ke what I thought it would be.

  “I did. It was nice seeing Dexter again. It’s been a while.”

  “He’s a good guy.”

  “How’d you meet up?”

  He chuckles and glances down at me before looking straight again.

  “I’d driven my first truck over here,” he starts when I cut in.

  “That beat up Ford?”

  “Yeah, that would be the one. I was driving through the city and didn’t pay attention to all the stopped cars, too busy checking out the scene around me. Slammed right into the back of Dex’s limo.”

  “Oh my God! I bet he was so mad.” I could only imagine that he was.

  “At first he was. Then we started talking and that was that. Talked about the past and everything going on now. We’ve been friends since then.”

  I look over at him and I can see the way his features have changed since we’ve been here.

  “You’re really different here, Gentry.”

  “What do you mean?” he asks.

  “You’re not you. Back home you’re always making me laugh or roll my eyes at your comments. You are a caged cowboy here.” My words must hit him pretty hard. He stops walking and turns to me, cupping my cheeks in his hands.

  “I feel like I can’t breathe here. It’s almost as if the world is closing in on me, but back home, I’m free.” He looks off in the distance before pulling his gaze back to mine. “You’re right. I’m not me here.” His calloused fingers run down my cheek before he pulls away completely. Grabbing my hand once more, he leads us back through the park and toward his apartment. We didn’t go in earlier, just dropped off our bags and went to meet Dex. Now I take in the lobby as he leads me inside.

  “You said you were moving. Funnily enough Walter the doorman calls me to tell me you were back in town.” I glance over at the same time as Gentry to see a beautiful blonde woman talking to him. Where did she come from? I wonder who she is. Did they date? Is this his girlfriend? I’m a homewrecker! I bet it is his girlfriend. And why does it even matter to me? Me and Gentry aren’t even together!