DIRTY COWBOY

by Trejo, Erin

  “Where am I going to hide?”

  “Right there behind that bush. The rope will be ready for you. You got it?” I ask watching her face light up.

  “I got it.”

  She turns and takes off running toward the house as panic eats at my insides. What if she isn’t ready for this? What if she doesn’t want to get married? I pull the ring out of my pocket and open the box. Just looking at the way the ring sparkles under the moonlight makes me nervous. I love her. I love that woman with everything I have and I have no doubt that she loves me, too. I feel some peace despite the underlying anxiety.

  A few minutes later, I see Ally duck into the bush. I smirk and turn to meet Hope so she doesn’t see what we’ve done. When she walks up, she looks confused.

  “What did you need me out here for?”

  “I have a surprise for you.”

  “What is it? If it’s your dick again, that’s not a surprise, Gentry. I’ve seen it more times than I can count.” Laughter erupts out of me before I grab her and pull her into my arms.

  “My dick loves to see you too but that’s not what the surprise is. Come here,” I tell her pulling her along with me. When I get her close, I spin her around and let her see what we did. Her eyes widen as she takes in all the jars.

  “Oh my God, Gentry!”

  “You like it?”

  “It’s so beautiful. Look at all of them!” She squeals looking over all the jars. While she’s turned away from me, I lower myself down onto one knee and pull the ring out of my pocket. When she turns back around tears fill her eyes.

  “Hope, I love you. I’ve loved you since we were four and you hit me in the head with a shovel. I loved you when we were ten and you gave me chicken pox,” I tell her watching her as she laughs.

  “You had them first!”

  “No, I sure did not. My mom was mad, too,” I tell her with a laugh. “I love you, Hope. I will never stop. We’re going to be parents and I’ll probably teach our son all kinds of sick jokes, but I promise you I will be the best dad I can be. I can’t imagine my life without. I already tried. Twice. But I don’t want to do it again. Stay with me forever. Will you marry me, Hope?”

  She covers her mouth with her hand as tears stream down her cheeks.

  “Don’t leave me hanging here.” I nudge her leg with my elbow.

  “Yes, Gentry. I will. I love you,” she says before I stand and spin her around. She was moving in for a hug and a kiss, but I know that Ally is ready. The lids snap off at the perfect time and all the fireflies dance into the nights sky. “That is perfect! How did you do that?”

  She spins around, and I grab her up and kiss her this time. A long hard kiss before we’re interrupted.

  “I helped!” Hope pulls back to look at Ally with a smile on her face.

  “You did? It was perfect, Ally!”

  “Okay, now both of you shut up a minute. I’m not done here.” The both turn to look at me giggling together as they do. Pulling the ring from the box, I slip it onto Hope’s finger before I pull the other box out of my pocket.

  “I know this change hasn’t been easy for you, Ally. Moving here, losing your mom and all. I want you to know that I love you, too. You’re my sister and we’re a family,” I tell her as I open the box and hold it out for her. Inside is a small delicate chain with a tree of life pendant.

  “It’s so pretty, Gentry.”

  “This represents us as a family. All of us,” I tell her. She moves quickly, wrapping her arms around my waist and holding me tightly.

  “Can I go show Betty?” she asks excitedly when she pulls back. I nod my head and pass her the necklace before she takes off running again.

  “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met in my life,” Hope tells me when I pull her back into my arms.

  “Yeah, I know. It’s like a gift.”

  Epilogue

  Gentry

  “That hurts! It’s so damn big!” she squeals making me laugh a little more.

  “Stop wiggling around and it wouldn’t be so bad,” I tell her with a grin.

  “What are you smiling at? That thing is huge. You can’t just stick me with me and expect me to sit still.”

  “Would you rather I leave it in there?”

  “No! That’ll hurt worse and it’ll get infected. Just…just get it out, Gentry!” she roars once more. I chuckle and lean back down pulling the splinter from her finger with the tip of my knife as she whines. I hold it up in front of her so she can see just how small it actually was.

  “That isn’t even that big,” I tell her.

  “Are we comparing sizes now?” She smirks. I reach for my jeans and start to unbuckle them when she stops me with her hand on my wrist.

  “You wanted to compare the sizes,” I remind her.

  “You are insatiable. I can’t believe that you actually wanted to do it.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she glares at me. Hey, she knows how I am.

  “I can’t believe that you actually wanted to compare them. I’m pretty sure you were talking about my dick in the first place.”

  “I was not! I think you need mental help for your situation,” she says nodding toward my jeans. I like getting her all riled up. She has no idea what to do with herself. Her cheeks flush and she gets frazzled. It really turns me on.

  “The only thing that can help him now is your lips.”

  Hope rolls her eyes and stands from the chair, her long white dress cascading around her body. I can’t stop staring at her. She’s gorgeous and everything any man could ever want. And most importantly, she’s mine. Or at least she will be soon. And she’s carrying my baby. I can’t believe that she actually has a little baby Weston in there. Hope sort of wanted to wait until after we announced the baby to get married, but I didn’t see the point. I got this wedding together in no time. I wasn’t ready to waste another second of her not being my wife. I’ve had years of that already. Now it will be official. Everything in my life has lead up to this point. The time I spent in New York was really a wakeup call for me. As much as I loved the clubs and spending time making people happy, I love the ranch more. My dad was a good man and the overall idea was perfect but that wasn’t who I was meant to be. My legacy is this. Here. This ranch, my family. I think in the back of my mind I’d always known that settling down and having a family was a priority but until Hope came back into my life, I didn’t see it for myself.

  “You know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” she says eyeing me back. Like I care about superstitions.

  “You’re the one who was screaming bloody hell in here. I’m surprised half the people out there didn’t come running in.”

  “I was not screaming that loud! And that thing hurt,” she says pointing to the table where I’d left the tiniest of tiny slivers I pulled her from finger. Drama queen.

  “Why can’t we just skip this part and get to our wedding night?” I joke with her. Okay maybe it isn’t really a joke. I would mind taking her back to my room and having my way with her.

  She rolls her eyes and turns around giving me her back. I smile at her reaction. That’s my girl. My eyes travel down her exposed back to the curves of her hips. My heart swells with pride as I look at my soon-to-be wife. She’s everything any man could ask for. She’s perfect. She has a good head on her shoulders and she knows what she wants out life. The fact that she isn’t afraid to go after is another plus in my book. We’ve had our bumps in the road but looking at her standing there ready to take me on forever? A surge of pride hits me hard. There isn’t any other woman in the world that could handle a man like me, I’m sure of it. Whether she knows it or not, she is special.

  “You two about ready in here?” her mom walks in and asks.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Hope, give us a minute,” she says looking at me. I don’t know what this is about but I’m ready for it. As soon as she leaves the room, she turns to me.

  “I know you’re missing your dad right now, wishing he w
as here.” I nod. “He loved you, Gentry. You always brought him joy and he was so damn proud of you. You were the best son he could have asked for.”

  “I appreciate that, ma’am.”

  “I wanted you to know that I’m proud of you, too. Now, I know I’m not your real mom and I can never take her place, but I accept you as my son by marrying my daughter. We’re all family after this, Gentry. We all stand as one. I’m glad she came back to you. She knew where her heart was and she followed. She couldn’t have picked a better man.”

  “I have to agree there,” my mom says behind me.

  I look over my shoulder while she smiles at me. She looks so beautiful in her long dress. She’s an image of perfection and I hate it that my dad couldn’t be here to see this, although I do believe he is out there somewhere. Ally stands next to her in her own beautiful gown, a smile on her face. She’s going to be our flower girl. I can’t believe it. My sister is here to be our flower girl. Then Faith, Hope’s sister walks in.

  “I’m happy for you both, Gentry,” she says coming to pull me into a hug.

  “Thank you, Faith. It looks like you’re stuck with me too then,” I tease her. She pulls back and laughs.

  “Not a chance. My sister is marrying you not me! I can leave when you get annoying, she can’t.”

  “You two are twins, you should tag team him,” their mom says making me chuckle.

  “Mom, really? You have met the man right? He is cocky and has the dirtiest mouth I’ve ever heard. I have no idea how Hope puts up with him,” Faith adds.

  “Hey now! She loves me. Don’t forget that part!” Mom laughs.

  “We’ll leave you two alone,” her mom says, taking Ally’s hand in one of hers and wrapping the other around Faith before she leaves.

  My mom approaches with a smile on her face. I love seeing her lit up like this. She’s happy.

  “This has been a long time coming,” she says adjusting my tie.

  “Has it?”

  “Oh hush. You know you loved her all those years ago. The heart never changes; you remember me telling you that?” she asks.

  “I do.” More times than even I can count.

  “And it was the truth. And what she said was also the truth. Your dad was proud of you, Gentry. I know he’s somewhere up there smiling down on us right now.” A tear slips down her cheek but I reach up and quickly wipe it away.

  “He’s with us, Mom. I know he is.”

  She sniffs and straightens up. “Let’s get you married. I always wanted a daughter.”

  “Mom?”

  “What? I couldn’t dress you up and do your hair now could I? A daughter, I could have done that with. I love you Gentry but that girl is precious.” She smiles at me. She isn’t telling me anything that I don’t already know. It may have taken me a while to see it but I know what I have in that girl.

  “That she is.”

  And she’s mine.

  Hope

  “In the presence of God and before our family and friends, I, Gentry, take you, Hope, to be my wife. All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you. I don’t know what our future holds, but I will love you and stand by you as long as we both shall live. Hope, you came into my life a little brat that hit me with mud pies.” The guests laugh as do I. “You came back into it a stronger woman who knew deep down who she was. You brought light into my darkest hours on this earth and for that I can’t ever repay you. You lifted me up when I was down, you caught me when I was falling. You took my dirty words and kissed them with your even dirtier mouth.” The guests all laugh again as tears fill my eyes. “You brought my heart to the surface and grabbed it in your hands. You made me a better person without even realizing it and I will thank you every day for the rest of my life. I love you, Hope. I always have and I will never stop. This I promise you.”

  “Hope, if you will repeat and add your own vows.” Dawson says looking to her.

  “In the presence of God and before our family and friends, I, Hope, take you, Gentry, to be my husband. All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you. You saw through every façade that I wore. You saw me at my worst and you didn’t care. You took me into your arms and loved me regardless. When I was lost in a past that didn’t hold meaning, you showed me a future that was bright. There were times I wasn’t sure who I was,” I say with tears streaming down my cheeks. “I was lost and you found me. When I didn’t even see myself, you saw me. I often found myself wondering what and who I was but when I’m with you, everything falls into place. I’m just a country girl that’s in love with a country boy. I love you, Gentry.”

  “The rings please,” the ordained Dawson says.

  Myra hands him the rings as he looks between us. Ally holds the flowers as she beams up at us standing right next to Faith, my twin sister. My mom and dad are sitting front and center and I can see the slight sparkle of tears in their eyes. Dexter stands next to Gentry looking the perfect part of his best man. Dawson clears his throat getting our attention before handing us each the rings; we slip them onto the other’s finger. The feeling is surreal. I never thought that I would be here becoming Gentry’s wife when I came back all those months ago for his dad’s funeral. I never thought our love could withstand the test of time, but it did. My past has taught me many things about life. One is to never take anything or anyone for granted. I think I did that a lot when I left so long ago. I took my life, my simple yet beautiful life for granted. I know I took Gentry for granted and the fact that he still loves me is proof that I will never do that again. I’ve found my piece of happiness here in his arms and that’s something I will never let get away from me.

  “I’ve known you both since we were all kids. We played together, we cried when my dog Rover died as a family. I watched you two fall in love when we were in high school. I saw the way you looked at each other. You were meant to be back then. But I watched Gentry try and move on when you left after high school. And although he has done a damn good job on this ranch, something was missing. You were missing,” he says turning his gaze to me. “You were a piece of his heart, Hope, and you always will be. I’m blessed to be friends with both of you and I’m even more blessed to say this. I now pronounce you, husband and wife. Kiss your bride, Mr. Weston.”

  Applause sound all around us, but I’m lost in him. His kiss is soft and sweet, full of love. My heart swells as he wraps his arms around me holding me tightly. This right here is what I was born to be. I was born to be Gentry Weston’s wife.

  “I can’t wait to get you out of this dress,” he whispers in my ear.

  “We have guests,” I remind him with a laugh.

  “You want to be become an exhibitionist?”

  I slap at his chest as he pulls back and grabs my hand. Leading me down the aisle and toward the barn, I smile. I don’t think I could be any happier than I am right now.

  Gentry ushers me into the barn where the reception us being held. It looks downright amazing. Bright white lights sparkle as I look around the room. White flowers are on every surface. It’s perfect. Everything is perfect. I’m amazed that he did all of this in such a short amount of time. He was a man on a mission that’s for sure.

  “Do you like it?”

  Gentry did all this. He is probably the only man I know who would want to decorate for his wedding. This is all him. Doing it all for me.

  “I love it,” I tell him grabbing his face and pulling his lips to mine. Music begins to play as he ushers me out onto the dancefloor.

  “You remember that night at the bar?” he whispers.

  “What night?”

  “The night I first kissed you. We were fourteen.”

  “Wasn’t that someone’s uncle’s funeral?” I ask with my nose scrunched up.

  “Yeah, it was. We snuck in because we thought there was a live band when found out it was a funeral,” he chuckles.

  “And you danced with me all night. You told me I was the prettiest girl you’d ever laid eyes on and
then you kissed me.”

  “That was the worst kiss ever,” he adds when I pull back and look up at him with my mouth hanging open. He didn’t just say that!

  “Excuse me?”

  “You sucked half my face off, Hope. You were slobbering like a dog,” he laughs.

  “I was not! I thought it was one of the best kisses I’d ever had!”

  “Yeah, because I didn’t slobber all over your face.” Gentry laughs and kisses me once more. Slowly, softly, and then bam, I pull back and lick his face, making me laugh harder than I have in a long time. That’s what he gets for talking about our first kiss like that.

  “If you wanted to get something wet, I could have done that for you, you know?” he says smoothly making my cheeks heat.

  “Maybe I already am,” I tease knowing that he will get a rise out of it.

  “Is that so? Maybe we should end this party sooner rather than later,” he whispers taking my lips in a sweet kiss. I’ll never get tired of kissing this man. I think Gentry has to be the best kisser ever.

  “Can you at least try to control yourself a little?” I giggle when I look up at him and feel how hard he is. That doesn’t even surprise me. The man is a machine.

  “That’s a pretty hard thing for me to do.”

  “Oh my God, Gentry! Even at our wedding you can’t control your mouth can you?” I beam up at him with an angry look on my face, but I’m far from mad at him. How could I be?

  “Look at me, Hope. You’re lucky you aren’t having to fight off all the other girls here.”

  “You are such a conceded man.”

  “But I’m your conceded man,” he reminds me, causing me to smile brighter.

  “What am I going to do with you, cowboy?”

  “Oh, I can come up with a few things.”

  “Can I ask you something, Gentry?”

  His eyes sparkle as he looks down at me. “Anything.”

  “You said when you were in New York you felt caged. Is that the only time you felt like that?”