BEWARE The Cowboy [BWWM]

Chapter 17 - A-class

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- Ang

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••REILLY's POV•

Reluctantly, I sat beside Gerard who insisted that I refrain from going out to work today. Who knows? I may just get fired because of his antics. Hopefully, it didn't have to come to that. In spite of all my woes, I enjoyed working at Ruby's considering the lady herself Ms. Ruby May Beth treated me like her own blood.

Ruby was a short round Caucasion woman who everyone in Red Oak respected and loved. She was the sweetest woman I'd ever known and it was not my view only because she gave me a job at the diner, but also because she made sure I was ok. Besides Liv and Charlie, Ruby was the only other person in my life who gave a damn what happened to me.

My father was too drunk nearly three-quarts of the time to even formulate one coherent thought about me. Never mind that I made sure the refrigerator was stocked regardless of what little I got from waitressing, in the process depriving myself of anything remotely social in my life.

It was not often that I got the chance to go out with Liv, Bryce or even Charlie. In fact, one of the few times I've ever had the opportunity of spending time with my best friends was when Gerard stepped in and took us all to dinner. Never mind that I was nearly twenty-one, all my energy was channeled into supporting my home while my father was out at the Locket's doing whatever he felt in the moment.

Ruby cared and I wanted to believe that Gerard did, despite all his unorthodox and silly antics, I really wanted to but this was an adventure according to Liv. So I would accept it for what it really was ... an adventure.

By the time I made it into the living room, I noticed that no one was in the room. I was quiet enough to here chatter and it seemed to be coming from outside. Suddenly, a slight breeze blew passed the back of my neck and I knew he was behind me. As if on cue, he leaned in placed a soft kiss in the hollow of my neck causing an involuntary shiver to run through me while his hands glided over my arms later intertwining with my fingers.

"You smell amazing," Gerard spoke against my skin.

"Uh ..." He always wiped my mind clean of all thought when he did something like that. "Do you have a phone?"

"Yes," He drew both our hands to hug me at the waist. "I do."

"I need to make a call to Ruby to tell her that I won't be in today." He guided our intertwined hands to his pocket fetching his cellphone in a smoothe movement.

"I'll be here when you're ready." Gerard released me before pecking my cheek and sitting on the sofa.

"Ok." I couldn't help but blush at his chivalry and he noticed chuckling at me before I sighed in exasperation. At times he could be so darn arrogant and next, he could be the sweetest thing.

I made my way down the hall and back to my room all the while entering Ruby's number. I pressed send and I closed the door.

"Hello?" came a kind motherly voice.

"Ruby?" I inquired.

"Yes!" She confirmed.

"It's Reilly."

"Hey baby girl, is everything ok?"

"Hi ... uh ... I borrowed a friend's phone. I won't be in today." I said feeling guilty that I was actually going through with this.

"Whatever it it you will overcome it in Jesus name, baby girl."

"Amen, thank you. Is it OK?"

"Of course baby girl, take it easy now." At this point, my eyes were filled to its capacity with tears.

"Thank you," I laughed trying my hardest not to cry. "I love you."

"I love you to baby girl," Ruby answered laughing herself.

"Bye," We both said in unison giggling all the more before I ended the call.

It was the kind of relationship we had. Ruby was my surrogate mother and I her daughter. The other waitress at the diner weren't so friendly because of it. They thought I was a kiss up because of it. What they didn't know was that Ruby was the reason I was still alive.

I left my room crossing the hall before I met Gerard precisely where he said he'd be when I returned. He stood at once holding my hand leading me onto the patio where we met his siblings. I was about Gerard found a seat and he sat so that I was the only of us all standing. That is until he pulled me by my waist into his laps. I had the unrelenting urge to smack him in that moment but instead I took a piece of crispy Bacon and chewed on it.

There was laughter around the table, I didn't know why until I turned to see Gerard staring at me with an incredulous expression on his face.

"What it's either eat Bacon or smack you senseless."

"I love you," Timothy said while the others buckled in laughter. "Any woman who can stand up to this vagabond is more than OK in my books. In fact, A-class."

I couldn't help but laugh at Timothy's words along with the rest of his siblings. Secretly, I was happy that Gerard convinced me to stay away from work today.

I couldn't remember a happy moment in my home. Since my mother died my father and I never ate a meal together. He couldn't stand to look at me and I thought it was because I reminded him to much of her. So this, sharing a meal with others, felt like a new undertaking.

We held hands as Cody blessed the meal with a prayer. I could tell that theirs was a strong family unit even though they had their differences.

After breakfast, Adela, Avril, Cody and Timothy were taken to school by Ronaldo while Declan stayed behind with Gerard and I. They decided to give me a full-blown tour of the ranch. The one time since Gerard made me his girlfriend that he didn't hold my hand. We three walked in tandem across the land, Declan on my left and Gerard on my right.

We paused in front bunch of guys who were placing straw in the stable working in the stalls.

"Hey guys come here for a second." They turned all looking at me with curious glances and back to Gerard. A few of them blatantly ran their eyes over my form causing me to feel uncomfortable.

"Guys, this is Reilly ... my girlfriend." I noted the seriousness in his deep voice. "Please treat her with as much respect as you do Adela and Avril. I would grately appreciate it."

They we're all in a stupor probably because Gerard mentioned the word girlfriend. I was starting to think that it was a big deal ... even bigger than finding compatible air on Mars.

"Nice to meet you Reilly," A guy a few inches shorter than Gerard himself greeted. He extended his arm offering his hand to me. I accepted it as hesitantly as offering a smile.

"I'm Luke," Despite his attempt to lighten the mood, the tension permeated the air like the noon sun.

Gerard's muscular arm circled around my waist pulling me into his side.

What was that all about?

-- • END of Chap Seventeen • --