Page 1 of My Cowboy Date
Chapter 1
Aspen
Shit happens. Literally.I’m walking across the parking lot of the feed & seed store to straighten out a supply mix-up and suddenly, I’m on the ground, stunned by how fast everything happened. I’ve landed in a pile of cow shit, and it takes me less than a second to realize two awful realities.
One, I’m covered in the smear from the bottom of my neck to the middle of my blue dress shirt.
Two, my ex-boyfriend, Peter, is staring at me with that better-than-everyone-else smirk on his face.
Then he opens his mouth and says, “I knew your life would go to hell without me. Shit belongs on shit.”
I’m not a vindictive person but his sneering words make me wish I had the ability to lift my hands to the sky and command lightning to strike. If I could, then Crispy would be his new name. Given that he caused my life to go to hell and I ended up jobless and had to move, I think I’d be justified if I did that.
I sit up, giving myself a moment to get my bearings, and the entire time, my ex is shaking his head, his carefully styled hair not budging under all that gel. He’s not even trying to hide his glee.
That alone would constitute a bad day. But to add insult to cow shit, Elizabeth, my former colleague, joins him, sidling up to him and putting her hand to her chest like a silentoh my.
They’re both from families with oceans of money and I’m not “on par” with her or Peter according to her.
“You should have helped her up. Is your back broken?” a voice snaps from behind them. Claudia Morris, the elderly woman who coordinates Lucky River’s annual Lasso a Cowboy event steps into view.
She glares first at him and sends a dismissive glance at Elizabeth, before she returns her focus to my ex. She narrows her eyes like she’s trying to place him, then snaps her fingers. “Well, if it isn’t Peter and peter eater. Shouldn’t you both be in Clover County?”
His skin flushes and his mouth opens but nothing comes out. He snaps it closed before taking Elizabeth by the arm. “We have a meeting to get to.” They both whirl around and stride away.
Now that he’s gone and my adrenaline is fading, I’m a little shaky. It’s the first time I’ve seen either of them since the breakup.
Claudia pats my back. “I know, dear. It’s shocking when you encounter wild assholes out of their natural habitat.”
And just like that I’m laughing while covered in shit. As soon as I moved onto the ranch where I now work, Claudia started dropping by weekly with things she thought I might need.
The warm welcome that I’ve received not just from her but from the rest of the people in this small town means a lot to me, especially after everything my younger sister, Arizona and I went through.
“My place is nearby. Come clean yourself up there,” she offers. Since Claudia lives within walking distance of the feed & seed, I go with her. As we walk, she takes off her sweater and drapes it around me.
That simple act makes me blinking back tears because it’s something my mother would have done.
When we arrive at her place, she directs me to the shower and says she’ll wash my clothes. By the time I’m out of the bathroom and wearing a thick robe, she has a glass of sweet tea and a slice of warmed apple pie on the table.
The second I’m seated, she says, “I know you’ve had to become an adult early to raise your younger sister.”
I nod, my throat tightening. All these years later, the grief still hits me. Sometimes, it’s like a gentle ocean wave breaking gently against the shore. Other times, it’s a storm strong enough to toss ships around. I was eighteen when a car accident took our parents from us and left me to care for my then fourteen-year-old sister.
“And I also know that you’re as sweet as this here pie,” Claudia continues gently. “Most everyone in Lucky River talks about how kind you are.”
“Well, I don’t know about that but?—”
She silences me with a wave of her hand. “Youare, and being sweet is all fine, Sugar, but you know what’s sweeter? Getting revenge.”
I take a sip of tea and set the glass down. “Getting revenge?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t entertained at least a thought or two of bringing that asshole down a peg. I know he’s the reason you got fired and I know he’s the reason you had to move in with your sister after all that happened.”
“It was his family’s company so after we broke up, he had his dad fire me and the apartment was in his family’s name too so they told me to get out.”
She smacks the table lightly. “He reminds me of this fella with a dick the size of a comma that I dated back when my boobs weren’t at my knees.”
I nearly choke on a bite of pie. Claudia might look like a sweet old grandmother that would be home knitting but in reality, she’s well known for her cutting wit.
