Page 1 of Sexy Cowboy
Chapter 1
Mabel
The Sunrise Spring town hall is about a quarter full. These awards don’t attract much attention, not like Sexiest Cowboy or the mechanical bull ride or the town square all decked out with hay and pumpkins for the Fall Festival. But these are my people. The ones who think history and photography and art is more important than a chiseled chest of a whoo hooing cowgirl.
“And the winner of the best town history essay is…… Mabel Ziegler!”
My heart races with excitement. It’s just a silly award, there is a tiny patter of half-hearted applause. But still,it feels good to be singled out as the best. I rush up to the stage where old Mrs. Bats hands me a small trophy with a tennis player on top.
Glancing at the others on stage I see they are all holding tennis player trophies.
“Bulk deal, dear. Got a great discount this year.” Mrs. Bats says with a wink.
I do a little shrug. It’s still a trophy. And acknowledgement of my hard work. I join the line up of other winners on stage with a big smile.
“Now.” Mrs Bats booming voice commands attention. “We are going to do something a little bit different this year.” She addresses the crowd with excitement. “We will have our winners line up here and they all have won something very exciting. Okay…. bring out the cowboys!!.”
Facing the audience I am shocked when the crowd erupts with whoops of joy and cat calls and whistles. From the side of the stage comes a line up of sexy, shirtless cowboys.
OhGod, kill me now.
“No, no, stay there winners. Each of our winners today gets to help oil up a cowboy for the Sexy Cowboy competition!!”
More calls and cheers from the audience. I give a panicked look at Mrs. Bats who seems to think this is the greatest idea since sliced bread. On my other side, old Mr. Hodgens, the high school math teacher, looks as uncomfortable about this twist as I feel.
Turning around as instructed, I face my shirtless Cowboy.
“Hey there, Mabel.”
He gives me a smile that would melt most girls panties. Oh crap, it’s Levi Jones. I know him from school, his sister was in my year, with Levi a few years above us. Everybody knows Levi Jones. There are four Jones brothers, each one of them charming trouble makers, all blessed with good looks and all of them are ruthless heart breakers.
Some girls travel here for miles just for a chance to make it with a Jones brother in the back of their truck. But not me. My panties are staying firmly on. I’m not swooned by a pretty face and a charming smile. At least, not any more. No silly childhood crushes for me.
I’d been keeping my eyes firmly locked on Levi’s face. A face I’ve known my whole life.
“Congratulations on your win.” His voice is deeper than it used to be. This isn’t the same boy I went to high school with. He is all man now. But the oh so sexy smile is still the same. The brown hair is the same. With highlights from days spent in the sun, the slight curl at the ends. Thick brown eyelashes and bright blue eyes.
My gaze drops lower.
Oh crappy crap. My resolve to not be affected by this is slipping. His broad shoulders, bare chest. Who has pecks like this? Abs so defined my fingers ache to touch them.
He holds up the tub of oil. My head snaps up and sees that grin. “Ready for this?”
“Ready for what?” I ask dumbfounded.
“All right winners.” Mrs. Bats voice booms over us. “Oil up those cowboys. Fastest wins a dinner voucher! And go!”
Without checking in with my brain, my hands get to work. Slathering oil onto Levi’s chest. Over his pecks. Slowly working my way down. Feeling every bump and dip on his stomach. My mouth is gapped open. I don’t care. Fascinated by the naked chest in front of me. Behind us I’m vaguely aware of cheering, but the world feels smaller than that. Just me and Levi.
My hand on his chest. My movements slow. Like how one might run their fingers over a beloved old book or wood carving. The slippery oil makes it all so sensual. Like we were made to touch like this. Like this was the reason fingers were invented. To explore a man’s bare chest. To tenderly run oiled fingertips slowly across each ridge of stomach muscle.
“Sure you got all of it?” Levi asks in a slow cowboy drawl.
Looking up at him I blush realizing he had been watching me the whole time. Looking around, people had gone oil crazy, slathering it all over their cowboy front and back and all I had done was Levi’s front. .
My face on fire, my head fuzzy with embarrassment, I’m vaguely aware of a winner being announced and then people start to file off the stage. I turn on my heel and race off the other way. Running out of the town hall, through the square with it’s pumpkins, hay maze, food stalls and crowds, all the way back to my little cottage.
Chapter 2
