When You Fall For a Cowboy
Katy McCroskey
CHAPTER 1
I awoke to the sweet smell of mama’s watermelons in the garden drifting through the open window in my small messy room. The sun was barely starting to rise, yet the roosters were crowing telling me to start on the morning chores. I stretched, started pulling on the dirty clothes from the past week and looked out the window to see Flash, my horse running along the fence line with the other horses. I had him ever since I was seven and he has been my favorite on the farm ever since. I live on a small farm in northern Kentucky with my little sister and Sarah and baby brother Mark. My dad did most of the farming, yet there was still a lot to take care of.
I tromped down the stairs and into the kitchen to see mama cooking breakfast. “Morning honey” she sang cheerfully.” Where’s dad?” I asked. He usually was the first one up and ready in the family. “Oh he had to check on Bessie”(are prize winning dairy cow) “she’s due to delivery any minute and your dad is going crazy checking on her every five minutes!” mom said sounding a little warily. So like dad, always the worry wart. I choked down the rest of my burnt bacon and oatmeal and headed out side to the barn. It had been a long year at Derby high school and I was looking forward to having some fun this summer. As I reached the rugged old barn I could hear my dad talking to someone, as I turned the corner I saw beside my dad a blond boy about my age, he looked my way as I entered. “Oh jess, hey I want you to meet Jacob Owens he gona be our new farm hand from now on since I’ve got that new job in town”. “Nice to meet you umm… “- Jessica brown” I interjected ”Jessica” he said slowly he reached out his hand and we shook hands, his touch wasn’t the reason I felt light headed it was his shimmering blue eyes that looked warm and gave me goose bumps. He smiled and was about to say more when my dad started a conversation on what he would be able to do. I left the barn and ran to the house, up to my bed room and immediately dialed up my best friend Julia (she’s my go to girl). “Hello??” she answers sounding like she didn’t get much sleep. “Julia!! O my god you will not believe what just happened to me!” “What? Did you start you PMS early or something!?” she wined. “No not even close, ok well you know how my dad said that he had hired I new farm hand!?” “Ummm ya I guess.” “Ok well I met him today and he is the super cute!” “Really!!!?” she said excited, “Do you think he might have a thing for city girls you know, I’m always free.” “Um no I don’t think he does and besides this farm boy I all mine.” “Ok well good luck!” she sang. “Hahaha ok I’ll see you tomorrow ok we need to chat bye!” I looked in the mirror, yuck my brownish red hair was all mangled in clumps and my freckled face defiantly needed some make up. I rushed to the bathroom and quickly washed my face, dabbed on some powder and tamed my wild hair. I changed into some old ripped shorts and my favorite T and went to go clean chicken pen. The warm breeze made the work stuffy and having the chickens squawking at me as I carefully pulled each small egg from underneath them didn’t help either. I hosed myself off and went inside the kitchen to poor some lemonade for myself. I gazed out the window to see Jacob shirtless pulling hay bales off the barn rafters. I gaped mouth open watching him, I hadn’t noticed how muscled he actually was. He looked thirsty. Hmmm should I bring him some lemonade or does that seem too friendly? I pondered. Just as he threw the last hay bell off the rafters he glanced my way my heart stopped he smiled I tried to smile back but I’m sure I looked like a sweaty hot mess.
After I sat for about 3 hours arguing with myself on whether I should bring him something to drink or not, I headed down to Uncle Joe’s ice cream shop to start my summer job. It still smelled of old tomatoes in there and when I got through the front door I almost gagged; yep this was going to be a long summer. When I got to the counter there was already a girl behind it serving ice cream. “Hi can I get you something?” she asked in a strong southern voice. She was a short, Burnett colored haired girl that looked almost Mexican because of her dark tan. “Umm-yes I’m supposed to come in to start working for my summer job?” I stammered. What was this girl doing here anyway? Was she going to work with me to? I guessing she was thinking the same thing because her expression was puzzled. “Um well he never told me about another girl being here let me go get him.” She went behind the counter and walked through the open door while I waited patiently.
I few seconds later she comes sauntering back behind the counter. “Seems like we’re going to be working together this summer,” She says with a small grin “You can call me Ellie.” I smile back and begin unloading candy onto the shelves. The rest of the day went smoothly a few costumers here and there and I also learned a few things about Ellie. She had an older brother and a baby brother that was just turning five months old. She said it was fun being the only girl because then she didn’t have to do all the hard work and share the easy work with another sister. She was in the middle of telling me a story about when she almost burnt her house to the ground when the store bell rang. I turned around and my mouth went slack, there coming through the door looking yummy as ever was Jacob. “Oh, hey Jake”. Ellie said casually. “You know him”!? I said I little too loud. She laughed “haha of course I know him, he’s my brother!”
