Page 11 of Cowboy Crush
Walking out into the heat and humidity helps to clear my head. I make my way over to my car and slide into the passenger seat. Chloe is in the back, laying down, Summer behind the wheel.
“Next time, she’s staying sober so I can drink. She’s a handful,” Summer says, starting the car.
I sit back and pull on my seat belt, a smile playing on my lips as I think about how a few minutes and a little alcohol got him to loosen up enough to let me in. Sure, I don’t know his life story, what he wants for the future, or how he grew up, but I did get his name, what he does for a living, and found out that he grew up here. That’s more than I was able to get last night. That urge inside me that’s telling me to get closer to him has been silenced since the first time I saw him in the grocery store. Now, I can sleep. At least for tonight.
I wakein the morning and I have a horrible headache. I take two Tylenol and go for a shower. The hot water helps to ease the pain in my head and by the time I get out, I almost feel human again. I pull on a pair of clothe shorts and a tank top before going to the kitchen for food. Some water and a full stomach will put me back on top. Summer is up and she’s making some toast to go with her coffee.
“Morning. How’s Chloe feeling?” I ask, walking around the island to pour a cup for myself.
“She puked all night. I got no rest. I was too scared to leave her alone, scared she’d choke to death on her own vomit so I ended up sleeping with her and holding her hair back every time she puked. Which was every hour on the hour.”
“Awe, I’m sorry. Why didn’t you wake me? I would’ve switched shifts with you.”
She rolls her eyes. “I tried. You were sleeping like the dead.”
I laugh. “Sorry. Last night was the first night I actually slept. You know how I am about sleeping in strange new places.”
“All I know is that today, I’m resting to make up for the lack of sleep last night. And then tonight, it’s my turn. I can’t wait to go back. I met this cute guy there last night but that was ruined by Chloe and her exorcist style vomiting.”
I laugh. “Poor Chloe. And yeah, same. I’ve been running into this guy all over town. Last night was the first night I actually got him to talk to me.”
Her brows lift. “Why? Is he shy or something? You’re gorgeous. Any guy who doesn’t want to talk you has to have something wrong with him,” she jokes.
I laugh. “I’m not sure what his deal is yet. But I’m making it my personal mission to find out.” I lean against the island and sip my coffee.
“How you feeling after all that whiskey? And when did you start drinking whiskey anyway?”
I grin. “That’s what he drinks and I needed an olive branch. I’ll be avoiding that tonight because I have a pounding ass headache.”
She nods. “Are you going into town today?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“The light bulb above the stove burned out this morning. I nearly burnt my eggs because I couldn’t see them.”
I nod. “If I go into town, I’ll grab some,” I tell her, opening the fridge to find something to eat.
She pushes her coffee cup back and stands. “Cool. I’m going back to bed now that I think Chloe is done puking for the day. Good night.”
I laugh. “Good night,” I tell her, taking out the leftover pizza to eat since I’m in too much of a hurry to actually cook anything. I set the tupperware on the island and take her seat. I take a bite of cold pizza and unlock my phone, catching up on social media for the day.
After I eat, I clean up the kitchen and return to my room to get dressed. I pull on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top before doing my hair and makeup. By the time I’m all ready to go, the house is still deathly quiet. I check on Chloe and make sure she’s still breathing. I leave a bottle of water and some Tylenol by her bed for when she wakes, then I decide to head out without nothing else to do.
8
JAMESON
“You seem a little slow today, man. What’s up?” Kaden asks as he walks into the barn with a brown paper bag in his hand.
I stick the pitchfork into the hay, wipe the sweat from my brow, and turn to face him. “I had a little too much fun last night,” I tell him, walking over to grab my bottle of water.
His brows lift as a smile pulls across his face. “Oh yeah? Good for you.”
I take a long drink of water, and it helps to cool my internal temperature. “I don’t know if you can actually call it fun,” I say, putting the cap back onto the jug. “I always do small jobs around the bar and grill for the owner. I helped him out yesterday, and he paid me with dinner and a bucket of beer. So there I was, minding my own business, and this girl who I ran into the night before walks in. She bought me a shot, and one thing led to another. We ended up having several shots and throwing jabs back and forth.”
He chuckles. “Throwing jabs?”
I shrug. “She won’t leave me alone. Every time she sees me she wants to talk. I’ve even tried being a total dick to her. It didn’t chase her off.”
