Cowboy Casanova

Chapter Four- Friends?

I sat up quickly, trying to figure out where I was. As I looked around the buttercream colored room I remembered. I pushed the quilt off me and crawled out of the bed.

I grabbed a pair of jean shorts and a baby blue fitted Hollister shirt. Slipping out of the bedroom, I headed into the bathroom down the hall. I turned the water on in the shower. After the water came up to temp, I hopped in and washed myself.

Twenty minutes later, the water started to get cold. Really? Only twenty minutes of hot water?

I hopped out and dried myself off with the threadbare towel I had found in the closet.

I pulled on my clothes and blow dried my hair so I could straighten it. A bit of eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss and I was good to go.

I started down the stairs to the living room.. "Hello! Anyone here?" I glanced around the empty room. I headed to the kitchen next.

Beth, the cook was cleaning dirty dishes in the sink. She turned around at the sound of my footsteps. "Mornin' darlin'! Sleep well last night?"

"Sure," I said. "Where is everyone?"

"Outside doin' the chores."

"Outside already! What about breakfast?"

"Already ate that at five thirty."

"Five thirty! That's insane! No one in their right mind would get up that early."

"Well that's the way it goes around here. Would you like some breakfast hun?"

"Do you have any low fat yogurt?"

"Low fat yogurt? Afraid not sugah, but would you like some homemade pancakes or some eggs and bacon?"

"Um," I put a hand on my slim waist. "No thanks, I'll just take a glass of water." I replied, smiling.

She gave me a disbelieving look. "You sure?"

I gave her a reassuring smile, "Yes." She turned to get a glass of water and I rolled my eyes. Pancakes!? Eggs and bacon!? Talk about fatty foods!

She handed me a tall glass of water and I took a sip. Just then, a tall, leggy brunette walked through the door.

"Hey auntie, how are you?" She said, a large smile on her face.

"Jenna!" Beth smiled, waddling over to where the girl stood and hugged her. "How've you been child?"

"Good. Ready to start summer!"

Beth turned to me. "This is my niece, Jenna. She barrel races in the rodeos. Y'all are probably about the same age. She just graduated this year, you did too right?"

"Yeah!" I said, surprised. "How did you know?"

Beth smiled, "Oh your dad was all sorts of proud of ya. Anyway, once your done with your glass of water, Jenna can show you around outside."

I stood up from where I had been sitting at the kitchen island, leaving the partially full glass of water sitting on the counter. "I'm done," I said, starting to walk out of the kitchen.

"That girl," I heard Beth say behind me. "She's going to be a challenge but everyone comes around to Beth Thomas's home cooking."

I heard the tinkling laugh of who I assumed to be Jenna. "Bye auntie. See you later, save me some apple pie!"

She walked up behind me as I slid on my flip flops. "Um, you might not want to wear those outside to the barn. Do you have any cowboy boots?"

"Um no? I come from California, we don't wear cowboy boots." I sneered at her.

"Okay, well what shoe size do you wear?"

"Eight and a half. Why?"

"I have an extra pair of Justins in the back of my truck, I'll go grab them."

"Kay?" I watched her run to her truck parked out front of the house. I jumped as the screen door slammed.

Jenna came right back with a pair of boots. She handed them to me with a pair of socks. "They've never been worn before," she assured me, seeing my look of disgust at the socks.

I slipped the socks and boots on and stood up.

"Ready?" Jenna asked.

"Whatever," I followed her out the door.

She led me across the dirt yard and toward what I assumed to be the barn. We stepped in the doorway and the cool musty air hit me. I covered my nose, "What is that awful smell!?"

Jenna laughed, "Seriously! That's horses. The best smell in the world."

"Oh I've smelled better. Like Chanel perfume." I rolled my eyes.

"Hmm, never smelled that before," she said.

"Big surprise," I muttered under my breath.

She ignored me instead continuing the tour. "This is where we keep the horses. Ranch horses, barrel horses, all of them. The ones that aren't in their stalls are out in the paddocks. The cows stay out in the pastures. We, well I guess you guys, have over a thousand acres of cattle land."

We left the barn and she pointed to a few buildings next to the house. "That is where the cowboys stay."

"Cowboys?" I asked. "Are they cute? How many are there? What do they do?"

She laughed, "I knew we were more alike that both if us figured. Most of them are cute. There are twelve and they are in charge of the cows. At rodeos, they do bronc busting, roping, bull riding."

"What are these rodeos you keep mentioning?" I was embarrassed to ask.

Jenna smiled. "They are amazing. It is usually a few day long. There as lots of competitions with horses and cattle. There is barrel racing, calf roping, and other stuff. It is a lot of fun and we always have a great time. You'll just have to go to one to see if you like it."

"That sounds great! Listen, I'm sorry for being rude, it's just hard. I mean- all of this," I motioned around me. "It's hard."

"No, it's fine. You don't have to explain. Friends?" She asked.

"Friends." I assured her. "Now tell me more about those hot cowboys."

"Well this one is the best at what he does. She motioned to someone standing behind me. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and tighten.

"Hey babe," Luke whispered in my ear.

I groaned, "When I asked about hot cowboys, I didn't mean him," I told Jenna.

She laughed, "Well according to all the barrel racers, he is the hottest one here."

He smiled, "See, I told ya so babe."

"Don't feed his ego," I laughed at her.

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-Abbi 😘