by Ali Parker
“So, I got an email from my last client right before we walked out of the office. He asked me out to dinner,” Whitney said.
“What? Really? Did you reply?” I smiled at her.
“Not yet. I don’t know, he’s not my type at all. Look, there’s no line going out the door,” she said, as we walked up to the door.
“I guess that’s one of the advantages of going to lunch late,” I said.
“Three slices of basil and tomato and an iced tea,” Whitney said, sticking with her usual.
“Two cheese slices and an iced tea for me.” I also had my usual order and handed him my credit card.
“I’ll get it next time,” she said.
“So what if he’s not your type. Sometimes good things can come out of dating someone that isn’t your type at all,” I said.
“Are you talking about you? Like you dating a rugged cowboy instead of a career-centered city guy?” she asked.
“Here you are, ladies,” the worker said, as he put our order on the counter. We thanked him and walked outside to our usual spot, a counter height table with no chairs. We stood around it and dug into our lunch.
“Yes, I am referring to my experience with Connor. He’s not the usual type I would date, that’s for sure, but I’m sure having tons of fun.”
“Are you just having fun? Or is it a little more serious?”
“No, it’s just fun. Who knows, I might end up with that career obsessed city guy after all, but right now I’m having fun spending time with someone that isn’t my usual type. That’s my point. I'm just saying think about it before you write off his invitation completely. Oh, and Whitney? I’m just giving you the same advice you gave me a while back when a client asked me out.”
“Yes, I remember. You have me there.”
“Yes I do. So, how is that basil and tomato today?”
“Extra greasy, want a bite?”
“If you insist,” I said.
I took a bite of her basil and tomato slice, it was delicious.
“I should start getting this from now on, instead of plain cheese.”
“Yeah, look at you, you’ve been very adventurous lately. First, a rugged cowboy, and now you want toppings on your pizza. You’re becoming a crazy woman!”
“Funny. But I guess I have been coming out of my shell a little. It feels kind of good after everything I went through. Guess I just needed some time.”
“Yes, that’s true, but do be careful with Connor. I told you those Dawson boys have a reputation, and you don't want to get mixed up in trouble or find yourself having to bail him out of jail. That is definitely not you, no matter how adventurous you become,” she said.
“Everything has been fine so far. I think whatever they did when they were younger is what we all did when we were that age. We all got into trouble.”
“That’s true, but I think these Dawson boys might be a little bit rougher. There’s a story that says they stole a fellow rancher’s boat and wrecked it, racing it down the white water rapids or something like that. I can’t remember.”
“That’s actually kind of funny,” I said.
“Yes, you may be right, it could have just been boys being boys when they were younger. I just want you to be careful because I only want the best for you,” she said.
“I know you do and I love you for it. Now, what do you think about sharing a slice of cheesecake?” I asked.
“Dessert? Wow, you really are going crazy,” she laughed. “Let’s do it. I’ll go get it before you change your mind.”
She finished her last bite of pizza and ran inside to grab our dessert. I did take her words seriously and I knew that the Dawson boys were rough cowboys that weren’t opposed to the occasional bar fight, I’d even seen that with my own eyes once. But I didn’t think that was all there was to them, it couldn’t be. But somewhere deep down inside, I knew she had a point. She did know of the Dawson family from when she was younger, and I had only known them for a very short time. I couldn’t exactly compare my short lived experience against her knowledge gained from growing up in Safety.
We ate the rich dessert and then walked back to the office to find the front door was unlocked. I looked at Whitney, she shrugged her shoulders and together, we walked in.
“There are my employees. It is 2:45, where were you?” Janet said, as we walked in. I was relieved that it was just her and there wasn’t someone else there or that we had forgotten to lock the door.
“We took a late lunch. We both had a lot of work to do this morning,” I said.
“Well, that is good to know, but while you were out there were two messages on the voicemail, two different people looking for interior designers, and we missed those calls. I want you each to call one of them back and try to book them, if they haven’t found someone else already, that is.”
“Yes, of course,” we both said. We could tell she was irritated, but as soon as Janet turned her back from us, Whitney rolled her eyes. I smiled, thinking how much I’d like to point out to Janet that had she been there at her own business she could have received those phone calls herself. But I knew there was no point in doing that.
I went straight back to work and was glad for the distraction. My mind was always thinking about Connor, especially because I’d been working on the Dawson Ranch remodel almost all day for the last few days. Having a new client coming up would help get my mind off of him.
Quickly, I called one of the potential customers back. It was the same type of thing that we’d been booking—remodeling the interior of a business office. We had word-of-mouth working for us, and I guess that was good. But I wasn’t looking forward to having to do the same exact thing again. Remodeling the interior of a business office was starting to get old. But I booked the client anyway to make Janet happy, and it was also good for me to have another project to work on when I finished the Dawson job.
25
Connor Dawson
I was working hard at the ranch, trying to keep my mind off of Lydia. It seemed like a smile always appeared on my face when I thought about her. She was beautiful, intelligent, fun, and just downright perfect. But she did take up a lot of space in my mind and I needed to concentrate on work. Besides, I was going to see her over the weekend, and I needed to give time to my family.
“Turn that engine off,” my father hollered, as he came up to me. I cut the engine of the small tractor. I had a small trailer attached and had been moving animal feed across the ranch to the pens at the edge.
“What’s going on Father?” I asked.
“I just checked in with your brother, making sure everyone is on top of their duties for the fair. Wyatt gave me his check list, and he’s ready.”
“Yes, I’m ready too. I’ve got the feed here to take with us. I could leave tomorrow if we had to, that’s how ready I am.” I smiled at him.
“That’s good to hear. I’m going to go check in with Dylan and Abi, but Abi told me that we’ll be moving furniture in the morning. For the paint job and all,” he said.
“Yes, that’s true. It’s getting closer to getting done. It will be good to have a fresh coat of paint on those walls,” I said.
“Yeah, I suppose, but for me it’s like painting over memories. I’ll have to make sure to sit and have a scotch in the living room tonight then before everything changes,” he said.
“That’s a good idea. But don’t worry, Father. I’ve seen the designs and it’s still going to look like home, just a little bit different. I promise you that.”
“Good. This ranch has been in the family for generations and I like it to seem that way when someone walks in the door. I’m real proud of this place,” he said, looking off into the distance out at the land. It reminded me of something Dylan had said.
“Yes, we are all proud. I think Dylan might be feeling the thought of the generations lately. I think it’s really bothering him down to his core because he doesn’t quite know where he belongs. We know you haven’t exactly said it in words, but
he said the ranch is going to Wyatt, and because of that he doesn’t know what to do with himself.”
“He said that to you?”
“Yes. He was drunk and confused when he said it, but that’s typically when the truth comes out, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that is usually the case. Don’t you worry about it. I’ll talk to Dylan when the time is right. Now, get going and finish your work,” he said, and then turned and walked off. I’d hit a nerve, but I knew my father had it handled.
At the end of the day, my brothers and I moved the furniture out of the living room and kitchen into the library, office, and hallway. Basically, anywhere that we could fit it we would put it. The areas were ready for the painters to come the next day. I went and showered before dinner, but when I came out and back to my room, I had a pleasant surprise—I’d missed a call from Lydia.
I smiled. She was thinking about me just as much as I was thinking about her.
Picking up the phone, I called her back.
“Sorry I missed your call,” I said.
“Connor, do you think you can come to the office? There is something I need to show you,” she said.
“Sure, when? Tomorrow?”
“Can you come now? I’m still here?”
“Sure, I just got out of the shower so I’ll just need to get ready. I can be there in about forty-five minutes? Are you sure you’ll still be there? Isn’t the office closed?”
“Yes, I’ll still be here. The business will be officially closed, but I have the keys. Just call me when you get here so I can let you in,” she said.
“Alright, is everything okay?”
“Sort of. You’ll see when you get here.”
“Okay, I’ll be headed that way soon. See you in a bit.” I hung up the phone and got dressed quickly. I knew that everyone else was still cleaning up after the day, so I would have to sneak out. I could already smell dinner cooking. I put on my clothes and boots quickly and grabbed my hat. Then I went down the stairs as quietly as I could. Peeking into the kitchen, Wyatt was the only one in there.
“I won’t be home for dinner. I’ll see you later,” I said quickly, as I made my way to the front door.
“What? Where are you—” he asked, but I didn’t stick around to answer, or even hear the rest of the question. I just kept going and hopped in my truck, only feeling good when I had crossed over the cattle guard. That was a close one. I didn’t want to have to explain to everyone that I was going to go see Lydia again. They each seemed to have their opinion on the matter and I didn’t want to deal with it, not today anyway.
I drove through town and got on the highway, making my way to the city. The commute had started to feel shorter and shorter the more I did it. Lydia seemed closer than ever, and I was glad for it. I smiled as I turned onto the off-ramp that led me into the city near her office.
Pulling into the parking lot, I quickly checked myself in the mirror. I was feeling really good already, and the thought of seeing Lydia made me happy every time. That was definitely a good thing and something I wasn’t used to experiencing with any of the other girls I had dated before her. They weren’t special the way she was.
I got out of my truck and called to let her know I was there while I walked to the front door. It opened immediately and she looked incredibly beautiful in a green dress, one that matched her eyes. I felt my body responding to her already, and she hadn’t even touched me yet.
“Conner, thanks for coming. I’m really upset,” she gave me a hug.
“Upset? Why? What is it?” I didn’t like her to be upset. I only wanted her to be happy, and I wanted to be there to fix things for her anytime that I could.
“It’s a huge mess,” she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the building. She closed and locked the front door.
“What is a mess? I don’t understand. What is going on?”
“Come look at this,” she said, walking over to the counter. On the counter were two lamps. I looked at them, she looked at them. I was quiet and didn’t know what the big deal was.
“You’re going to have to explain this to me, Lydia. Why are we looking at these two lamps?”
“Don’t you see? These are the lamps I ordered for your living room. They came today and they’re the wrong color,” she said, with a frown on her face.
“Oh right, the lamps.” I stared at them for a long time. The fact was, I didn’t remember what color they were even supposed to be. Abi had paid more attention to that sort of thing.
“I’m so upset. If I send them back for the right color I don’t think they’ll come in time with the rest of the furniture. It might be up to a week later,” she said, pacing back and forth.
I put my hand on my chin, looking at the lamps. “These look like fine lamps. What color were they supposed to be again?”
“Eggshell. These aren’t eggshell, they’re white,” she said, pointing at them.
I looked at the lamps. They looked white to me, but eggs were white, at least store bought eggs. I looked at her, completely confused.
“Okay, eggshell. These aren’t eggshell?”
“No, eggshell is a deeper richer color, not this gleaming white.” She held up a square of an off-white color against the lamps. “What should I do? I don’t want to fail your family. This is a disaster,” she said.
I tried to restrain my smile, because I didn’t see the difference between this eggshell color and white.
“You didn’t fail my family. Mistakes happen, this is not your fault. It was the store. Just exchange them, I think we can go a week without the lamps. Or just use these. I’m sorry, but I can’t really tell the difference between the two colors anyway. It looks the same to me and these would work just fine with what you designed. But if it’s going to bother you that much then send them back and bring them to the ranch when the right ones come in,” I said, putting my hands on her arms and rubbing them up and down, trying to calm her.
“Yes, I suppose. It’s just that I am a perfectionist. I like to do things right the first time, that’s just the way I am,” she said, looking up at me with those big beautiful eyes and trembling lips.
“Yes, I know that feeling. I’m very hard on myself as well. But take a breath and calm yourself down. I don’t like to see you stressed like this over something that can be fixed. You’ll figure it out, I know you will,” I said.
She took a deep breath, starting to calm down a little. “Yes, you’re right. I was just getting frustrated and upset. This is my first project on a house like yours and I wanted everything to be perfect.”
“Everything is perfect. You’ll see,” I said. I looked down into her dark green eyes, like a deep pool. She was so beautiful, I just couldn’t resist. Leaning down, I kissed her and she moaned, putting her arms around my neck.
“Do you feel a little better now?” I whispered.
“Yes, though I feel a bit silly for calling you to come all the way out here for something that seems so trivial now,” she whispered between kisses.
“I’m always more than happy to make the drive just to see you, no matter what the reason is. I’m so glad you called me.”
“Me too.”
“Besides, now we can see just how strong your desk is,” I said.
She stopped kissing me and her eyes grew wide. “What?”
“You heard me.” I grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to her office.
“Connor, we can’t do that.”
“Why not? Is Whitney here?” I opened the door to her office.
“No.”
“Is your boss here?”
“No. She’s hardly every here anymore.”
“Then I don’t see why I can’t have you right now. I can’t wait any longer, Lydia. Look at you, look what you do to me.” Grabbing her hand, I put it on top of my jeans on my hard cock. She moaned.
“Well, when you put it that way.”
“Yes, it is that way.” I put my hands on her waist and picked her up, dropping her dow
n on her desk.
“We really shouldn’t. It’s so bad.” She moaned as I kissed her neck.
“That’s what makes it so hot. I’ve thought about nothing else but taking you on this desk since that very first meeting in here. Remember that?” I asked, while I kissed her.
“Yes, I remember. How could I forget? I was so shocked to see you walk in here after the dance hall. I wanted you then, too,” she whispered.
“You did? I thought you hated me,” I said, pulling back to look into her eyes.
“Well, maybe just a little, but I also found you irresistible. I thought about you a lot after the dance hall.”
“Me too. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. You are really special to me, Lydia,” I said, as I kissed her again.
“Oh Connor.”
Damn. I wanted this woman every day of my life.
26
Lydia Myers
I was so upset when the lamps came in wrong. I’d wanted everything to be perfect for the Dawson Ranch project. Not only was this a big project for me, but I also wanted the family to think well of me. I didn’t want anything to be wrong. So when I realized the lamps were wrong I was sick and immediately called Connor. I don’t know why I responded that way, but I did. But when he came in, he immediately took away my anger and frustration. He was able to make things right with just a few words. Then I even felt silly for making such a big deal out of it. Of course I could fix it, but the lamps would be coming in later and not delivered with the rest of the furniture. I always liked to deliver the finished product all at once and felt badly, but he made me feel better about not being perfect all the time.
Of course, once he calmed me down, he turned me on. He was able to do that very easily as well. I was so attracted to him to begin with, and the fact that he had calmed me down only turned me on more. I felt safe in his arms, he just had that effect on me. He was able to quiet me down, make me feel protected, and very, very sexy.
