Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett
Chapter 22
“Don’t mind my asking,” Sassy said from the booth later at Cindy’s Diner, “but why do cowboys dress like… well, cowboys on their days off?”
“What do you mean?” Ash set his cheeseburger on the plate and looked down at his jeans, boots, and pearl-snapped plaid shirt. Suddenly, he knew exactly what she meant.
“When you were at school in Michigan, what did you wear on warm days?”
Ash thought about his carefree summer days with Erik Olsen, at the beach and on the boat. At first, he borrowed his friend’s board shorts and then bought his own. They didn’t have mercantile stores along the coast in Michigan—they had outfitters of a different kind. Stores that sold shirts with built-in SPF for long days in the sun, and mirrored sunglasses that cut the glare from the water. There were brimmed sun hats, river sandals and deck shoes. And endless tee shirts with pictures of paddle boards, kayaks and sailboats.
Since he’d been back, Ash had automatically donned his plaids and long jeans, even on days like today. Here Sassy was dressed like a Michigan girl in her sundress, while his summer clothes went unpacked, in a box at the ranch.
“Duly noted,” he smiled a wicked grin and picked up a French fry. “But… are you undressing my ranch duds with your eyes, Sassy?”
She let out a surprised laugh.
“No, Ash. I don’t have that much time… you’re probably wearing long johns under those clothes, too.”
It was Ash’s turn to laugh. He liked the easy banter between he and Sassy.
“Maybe we should swing by the ranch so you can change before you take me to the gorge. Otherwise you’ll be too hot,” she said, watching for a reaction.
She had hoped to maneuver their outing into a visit to the elusive West ranch house, whose doors she was keen on going through. But Sassy was surprised at how much she was enjoying her time with Ash, to the point of nearly forgetting her mission.
She found him to be both devilishly handsome and endearingly cute—especially when talking to the prayer chain lady, and the diner waitresses who knew him by name and brought a slice of chocolate cake with two forks.
By the look on his face, Ash didn’t remember talking about visiting the gorge and indeed they hadn’t. But Sassy needed to get inside the family home.
“Unless,” she teased, “today’s sightseeing tour of the hospital, the jail, and your old girlfriend are the very best highlights of the area. Here I assumed it was the gorge, waterfalls and the wildlife. Maybe the town should update the brochures.”
A dark cloud passed over Ash’s gorgeous face.
“I guess I dragged you along on my homecoming tour, instead of showing you things you’d like to see,” Ash said as his shoulders dropped. “Sorry about that.”
Sassy smiled and shrugged, then took a sip of her milkshake.
“For the record,” Ash said, “Amber was never my girlfriend.”
“Does Amber know that?”
“I thought so,” Ash said, sincerely. “I’ve barely spoken with her since high school—barely at all in the past few years.”
“Did you kiss her in high school?”
Ash blushed deeply, giving Sassy her answer. But he surprised her with his next words.
“What makes you think I’d kiss and tell?”
“You don’t need to say a thing, Ash. Your face says it all.”
“Dang,” he said, looking down at his own milkshake to hide his expression. “I reckon you’re getting a big picture of me and my life here in West Gorge, yet I still don’t know anything about you. Except you’re pretty and funny, and not afraid of hard work.”
Now it was Sassy’s turn to smile and blush.
“Well maybe you’ll learn a little more about me on our trip to the gorge.”
“Yeah, we could do that,” Ash said.
“After you change.” Sassy smiled at how easy that had been. Ash truly was her passport to the West family residence.
“But I think we’ll go to the gorge another day when we’re both dressed for hiking,” he said to her surprise, “It gets cool up in the mountains, and you’ve got an itty-bitty dress on. Besides, there’s one more stop on this tour.”
In spite of her disappointment, Sassy couldn’t help but laugh. “Let me guess—the drugstore where you used to snitch gum, or a tree where you once carved your initials…”
“…with a stolen knife, of course,” Ash grinned.
“Of course.”