Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett
Chapter 27
“Heifer?”
Sassy looked up in surprise at Ash who was standing by her desk. She was just about to take a bite of her cream-cheese-slathered treat.
“No, just a healthy Midwest girl eating a late breakfast,” Sassy said before biting down. Most of the crew left for their assignments, and she was enjoying a few minutes of peace and quiet before tackling the spreadsheets Rowdy asked her to create. She thought she was alone, except for the kitchen staff.
Ash smiled in good humor at her response.
“Um, first, I would never even dream of… and second, there’s a heifer up by the pass who has been late to calve—wondered if you’d like to ride up there with me and check her out. It’s a long ride, and I’d like the company. Besides, all good cowgirls need to be familiar with heifers and their calves.”
Sassy smiled as she narrowed her gaze at Ash.
“What makes you think I plan on being a good cowgirl?”
She could see his mouth fall open as a deep blush turned Ash’s neck red.
After clearing his throat and finding his voice again, Ash went on to tell her that, unlike the Midwest operations, Wyoming ranches like West Ranch had livestock spread out over thousands of acres. A routine check could take hours, or even days. But Ash assured Sassy they’d be back by the end of the afternoon.
“I asked the cook to box up a few lunches for us, and some bottled sodas and waters,” Ash said, dangling the keys.
“Will you let me drive the ATV?” Sassy asked, looking up at him.
“Sure, just as soon as I want to end up on a rock, like the last car you drove,” Ash said, putting the keys in the pocket of his jeans.
Sassy laughed.
“That incident says more about Wyoming than my driving,” she said.
“I’ll tell you what,” Ash said, “there’s a stretch up by the pass with a shallow creek and low hills—you can drive all you like once we get up there.”
“Well,” Sassy said, considering the offer, “I prefer to drive in boulder fields where the sheep dart in front of me, but okay. Deal.”
An hour later, after yelling a back-and-forth conversation to each other, Sassy shouted the word stop to Ash, and he pulled the ATV over under the shade of a large aspen. She slowly swung her legs over the open doorway and stepped onto the sagebrush covered ground.
Stretching, and enjoying the quiet of the air with the motor shut off, she smiled at Ash.
“You know, they have this thing back home in vehicles, called shocks. They help absorb the bumps and the ruts much better than my backside.”
“It’s a little bumpy, I’ll give you that,” Ash said, trying not to stare at the way Sassy’s hands massaged the beautiful aching curves hugged by thin and faded jeans.
“You’ve been giving me that since we left the office, and I just need a little break. I can’t believe we’re still on West land, way out here.”
Ash got out and together they looked at the full expansive view.
“Amazing here, isn’t it?” Ash asked, and Sassy nodded. “We’re not far from the heifer. This is as good a place as any for our picnic.”
Sassy got the blanket from the back and spread it under a tree while Ash fetched the boxed lunches and drinks. They sat down, choosing to face the mountains and the gorge in the far distance.
“Great idea,” Sassy said with a smile, eating her sandwich.
Ash smiled.
“It’s not a fancy second date, but…”
“Whoa there, cowboy,” Sassy cut him off. “You think that tour of the town was a date? That was you, being a good neighbor. And this here is a working lunch.”
“Good neighbor, huh?” Ash challenged back, nudging her with his shoulder. “I nearly kissed you in the art gallery.”
“I know,” Sassy said quietly, and smiled.
“Would you have minded?”
“Who’s to say?”
“You,” Ash said with a smile—it was the same one he gave her when he kissed her boo boo, and just about made Sassy faint backwards onto the blanket.
She leaned back on her elbow and took him in. He seemed to be waiting for something from her—permission maybe to kiss her now, or validation of the near kiss in the gallery. It would change everything for her, she knew. As the breeze moved her hair around her shoulders, she looked over at Ash’s piercing eyes.
The contours of his face were new to him, she guessed. Just as the river chiseled features into the gorge over the centuries, Ash’s face was being carved by life and by time, and he was breathtaking. The seriousness of his gaze made her feel very small, yet being the object of his attention caused her heart to race and constrict.
She saw his forearms, and the muscles that ran from the bone on his wrist to his elbows were capable of both catching her, and removing the smallest of splinters with ease. As Sassy admired the ropey contours, and wondered how it would feel to have his arms wrapped around her, Ash leaned back on the blanket next to her.
A breeze blew a few ringlets from the top of her head onto her cheek, and Ash reached over and gently brushed them from her face. She closed her eyes with a flutter, focusing on the sensation—his fingers were warm on her skin and his caress was gentle. She could hear him exhale as he traced the edge of her jaw, and Sassy blushed at the unbidden thoughts.
“Why did you come all the way to Wyoming?” Ash asked in a rumbly whisper.
If only you knew,Sassy thought.