Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett
Chapter 45
“So, you’re saying car engineers don’t work at all in the summer?”
Freda was sitting next to Erik at Red’s BBQ, at an outdoor picnic table overlooking the river. Erik had his body slightly turned towards Freda, silently communicating his interest in the pretty girl, who wore a coral-colored dress and strappy sandals.
Her tawny skin glowed, Ash thought, thanks to a little makeup. He’d known Freda for years and always assumed she was a confirmed tomboy.
“Just like your livestock,” Erik said, “car design, manufacturing and sales have cycles. Things happen in summer, but not much. Everyone is focused on selling the newest models. Come fall, it’ll be back to the drawing board.”
“Ash confessed it was hard to leave Lake Michigan after school,” Freda said.
“I thought he was nuts to go,” Erik replied, “until I got here. Seeing Wyoming for myself, why, now I’m questioning everything. Why am I an engineer? Why can’t I be a cowboy—or should I say, caint?”
Everyone laughed as Red himself delivered their dinner, one tasty dish after another.
“Howdy all,” he bellowed to the welcoming group. “Jackie and I are looking forward to coming to West Ranch tomorrow, as guests. Now boys, don’t go hogging all the pretty girls at the dance. My nephew, Wayne, has got to have a fightin’ chance, too.”
“Heard and understood, Red,” Ash said. “I’m one of the hosts, so I have to make sure everyone has a good time. I’ll look out for Wayne.”
“We all will,” Freda chimed in. “Wayne’s a good egg. I’ll be sure to give him a dance. Just tell him to leave his muddy ranching boots at home. I know where they’ve been.”
After dinner, with Sassy sitting by his side and Freda and Erik in the back seat of the open Jeep, Ash drove towards the walking path that wound along the gorge. The sun was setting, and he hoped that if Erik and Freda walked ahead a little, he might get in a kiss or two from Sassy. He reached over and took her hand.
“You look pretty tonight,” he said, as low as he could get away with and still be heard. Not that it mattered much; the two in the back were laughing and talking against the rush of the wind around them, not giving a thought to anyone else.
Sassy was wearing a simple black dress made of a gauzy fabric that hugged her in all the right places. Her boots were shining with fresh leather polish, and turquoise and sterling earrings set off her tanned skin and buttery golden hair. Sitting in the Jeep, the hemline of her dress rested on her thighs, revealing beautiful, sculpted limbs.
The breeze liked to catch her flouncy hem, teasing him with tantalizing glimpses.
Ash tried to forget lying next to Sassy on a picnic blanket as he kissed her at length. How his hand moved from her hipbone to her shoulder, and then her back. Her one simple touch—as her finger gently brushed the exposed skin by his snap buttons—sent him reeling.
He pushed away the memories of holding her close in the dark of the ranch house, kissing her harder and more passionately than he’d ever done in his life, and wanting more.
The growing attraction was dangerous, and he was playing with fire. A girl like Sassy would never stay where a man wanted her to; she would do the leading. All the way back to Illinois, most likely, and her only family. The odds of Sassy staying in Wyoming after her summer internship were slim to none. If he continued to open himself to her, he’d be dropped like a hot rock come September, leaving his heart shattered.
Better to cut his losses now, while he was merely smitten. Rather than later, when he was full-blown head over heels in love.
Right?
His resolve weakened as the two walked along the moonlit path by the gorge, easily holding hands. Freda and Erik had dashed ahead, in a hurry to spot wildlife in the tall bushes.
“You are quiet tonight,” Sassy whispered, her head momentarily resting on Ash’s shoulder. “What’s on your mind?”
Ash smiled sadly in the dark.
“You,” he said. “Us. What’s to become of us.”
“Do you really need to have all the answers, Ash?”
“Not all, but some of the answers. How about just one answer. Like, where? Where will you be at the end of summer? I’ve decided that my future is at West Ranch. But as Erik said at dinner, now I’m questioning everything.”
Sassy stopped walking, and turned to face Ash.
“Erik was making a joke, Ash, and you’re not. Nobody knows what’s ahead. I didn’t know my father was going to die so young, or that I’d end up here, in West Gorge. All the way from Illinois. I didn’t know I’d meet you.”
“But, what if…”
“Ash, you need to decide whether your future is a location or a person.”
The comment confounded Ash for a moment, but then he answered.
“I want my future to have both. I want to live right here with someone I love. I want to be faithful; I want to correct the past. Build a family that knows its place in the world from the get-go; a family I can be true to.” Ash paused to take a deep breath. “Is that so crazy?”
Looking into his eyes, Sassy knew that it was a lucky woman who would capture the heart of Ash West someday. She could see how vulnerable he was under the sculpted face, which most likely mirrored her own insecurities. She wouldn’t toy with him.
Dropping his hand, she answered.
“It’s not crazy, Ash. It’s beautiful. But if living in Wyoming is on the top of your list, then maybe we should just be friends. That’s a big ask and I’m not ready to commit to anything, anyone, or any place—I know you’re not asking me to, right? We only just noticed each other. Just got our diplomas, and all. I’m not sure what I want for dinner tomorrow, let alone where I want to live.”
Ash’s throat tightened up. He began to reach for her, but his arms froze midway to their destination, and dropped again. She looked sad, and he could see the last of the setting sun reflect upon Sassy’s shining hair and glowing skin. When she blinked, a lone tear escaped down her cheek, and he was helpless to wipe it away. He knew that if he touched her even once, he’d be a goner.
“Sassy, I…” Ash began in a hoarse whisper.
“Guys! You’ll never guess what we saw.”
Erik and Freda came running back, laughing and talking over each other, and oblivious to Ash and Sassy’s painful exchange.
“What an amazing first day in Wyoming,” Erik exclaimed as the foursome walked to the Jeep. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“Yee haw,” Ash mumbled darkly under his breath, sadly making his way to the Jeep.