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  RIDE ME COWBOY

  BOOK 1

  By Alycia Taylor

  Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  LEXI

  “You have got to be kidding me!” I said this aloud to my empty car. I know talking to yourself is the first sign of losing your mind, but seriously…this is ridiculous! Maybe my mother has lost hers, as well. I was on my way to spend the summer with her and her new husband on his ranch. I wasn’t thrilled about the ranch part. I was born and bred for city life. I loved the noise and the chaos. I loved the fact that it never slept. I knew that I wasn’t going to love this…but it’s what you do for family, I guess. I’d already blown off their wedding. Well, truthfully I hadn’t blown it off, but I wasn’t there, so I had a lot to make up for.

  I had turned off the main highway ten miles back. According to my GPS, my next turn was five miles ahead on the right…that was before the GPS stopped working and before I lost all cell service. I turned around because I hadn’t seen the road and I went all the way back to the main highway again. The GPS came back on, and I sat and waited for ten minutes for it to load up and tell me where I was. The little robotic bitch told me once again the road was five miles up on the right. And in exactly five miles…I had no GPS or cell service once more and there was no damned road here called “Sunset Ranch Highway.” I seriously considered just going back home and calling my mother and saying, “I’m sorry, I tried.” I knew she would be terribly disappointed, she was so excited about me coming to spend the summer here with her and her new husband, but what was I supposed to do? As I started to pull off and turn around, I saw it. Alongside an almost invisible dirt road was a tiny little sign that said, Sunset Ranch Highway. You have got to be shitting me.

  I made another U-turn and then a sharp left onto the stupid little road. I was all kinds of confused about what my mother was thinking. My mom likes money. She’s not a bad person, and she actually has her own money. She doesn’t want a man that she has to support and I can understand that. She likes money because she likes to be comfortable. I’ve met Rob a few times, and he seems nice and he’s a very nice-looking older man. Every time they came to the city before they were married, my mother had been dressed to the nines and Rob had taken us to dinner in one of the most expensive restaurants in the city…so I assume he has money. So why on earth would they choose to live in the middle of nowhere? Between the dust and the mud holes, the money I had paid the guy who details my Charger was out the window. Damn it! I had to shake my head again. This guy might have money…I’m sure he does if my mother is with him… but there is no way that living out here could be comfortable.

  I followed the long dirt road for probably another five miles before passing what looked like a big row of stables and then some kind of pen full of cows…or bulls? Then there was a small row of little tiny cottage-looking houses, a big barn…and then the house came into view. It was nice…not as imposing as the mansion in Orange County that the last guy mom was with lived in, but nice. It looked like one of those houses you might see on the cover of a Country Living magazine. Everything was freshly painted. It was white with yellow trim, and it had a giant bay window on either side of the front of it that almost seemed to be watching me. It was two stories high and had a chimney on each end. There was a wide, wrap-around porch with rocking chairs on it just like you’d see in a movie. It was cute. Not my mom’s usual style, but cute. Maybe she was going through a mid-life crisis.

  The gardens in front of the porch were filled with colorful flowers and what looked like river rocks. Behind the house as far as the eye could see was nothing but rolling hills, grass, and trees…and a cow…or a bull here and there. It was a pretty picture, but one that I would prefer hanging on my wall rather than to be living in. I just cannot imagine what she is thinking, I thought again. It has to be thirty miles to the closest Starbucks.

  I turned off the car and started to step out. I caught a flash of blue coming towards me and when I focused on it for a moment I completely forget where I was. Hell, I may not have even been able to remember my own name at that very second if someone had asked. The blue was a shirt – one of those long-sleeved cowboy things. It was hugging one of the most impressive…if not the most impressive torso that I’d ever seen. He looked rock hard underneath that shirt, but not hard like you get from going to the gym. It wasn’t all bulky and massive. It was long, lean muscle – the kind you get from years of hard work. I was shocked to find suddenly I found that much more attractive. Who would have known? The shirt was tucked into a pair of well-worn blue jeans holding a pair of legs that went on forever. A pair of dusty cowboy boots poked out from underneath them. I let my eyes travel up then and they landed on a pair of blue ones unlike any shade of nature I had ever seen. It took me way too long to be able to draw my own hazel eyes away. Thankfully, I was still in the car, and I still had my sunglasses on. Wouldn’t want to get caught lusting after a cowboy…or ranch hand? I’m not sure exactly what he was…besides hot. Anyways, he tipped the dark brown suede hat he was wearing in my direction, and I caught a glimpse of dark curly hair underneath the hat that totally contrasted with the blue eyes. The whole package was like a little glimpse of heaven. I gave him a little nod back and adjusted my rear-view mirror so I could shamelessly watch him walk away. It was as impressive as the sight of him coming towards me.

  I opened the door of the Charger and sucked in a lungful of the fresh country air. Maybe it would calm down the hormones that were suddenly raging. Maybe Mom knows what she’s doing after all. They sure don’t grow them like that in the city. I thought my last boyfriend was hot. Compared to this guy, he was a troll. Maybe I’ll take a wait and see approach to how this would all play out. This summer might not be too bad after all.

  CHAPTER TWO

  MARK

  I watched the pretty little sports car coming up the dirt path towards the house, and I knew it must be my new “sister.” I was home for a couple of months because all of my competitions are pretty close by. I was right in the middle of rodeo season, but there were only three important ones I had to attend this summer in order to still be a contender.

  Dad told me that his new wife Lydia’s daughter was coming to stay for the summer. Dad also told me to be nice, like maybe I’m still twelve and needed to be told how to use my manners. He seems to think that since I choose not to live my life the way he thought I should, that meant I wasn’t as mature or intelligent as I should be. He would never say that out loud, though. Nope. Talking was over-rated as far as he was concerned – talking about real feelings, anyways. If he wanted to spout a bunch of B.S. about how proud he was of me at a barbecue or charity event where people were suddenly interested in me and what I do, that was different. All of a sudden, I was no longer the prodigal son.

  I have no idea why he might think that I wouldn’t be polite to Lydia’s daughter. I was polite when I first met Lydia. I’ve been nice to her every time I’ve stayed at the ranch. I like Lydia and actually prefer her company over my father’s. She’s a genuinely nice lady, and she had gone out of her way to make me feel welcome since they’d gotten married. Even though she was straight up city when she first got here, she tries hard.

  I stood on the porch looking at this pretty car that looked like it’s just been detailed…that is before it had to drive five miles in the mud and muck to get here. I’m guessing Lydia’s girl is as city as her – if not more so. Folks around here don’t flaunt their weal
th. Our houses are sturdy and comfortable, and our vehicles are usually beat up old pick-up trucks because you never knew when you would need to haul something, and you didn’t want to drive around on the ranch worrying about putting a scratch or a dent in your pretty new paint. City people always thought they had to go around “one-upping” their neighbors. In our neck of the woods, we help out our neighbors and wish them well. We’re happy for them when they do well, not envious. I’m not much of a fan of people who live and thrive in the city. I’m not judgmental either, though. To each his or her own, I suppose.

  With resolve to “be nice” as Dad had asked me to and since I had to go to the barn anyways, I walked by and tipped my hat to her as she was getting out of the car. I didn’t get a good look at her because she had a giant pair of sunglasses on that nearly hid all of her face, but I’m pretty sure I was right about the city attitude based on those alone. I’d also seen one shiny new boot as she set it out on the ground. I just love how city people think it makes them look like us when they slap on a pair of designer jeans and cowboy boots made by Jimmy Choo. I’d be willing to bet my next rodeo purse that Jimmy Choo had never even seen a bull in the flesh.

  I stopped walking when I got to the barn and turned around to watch her maneuver the path up to the front porch. It had rained like a son of a bitch last night…thank God. We’ve been stuck in a drought for the past year and a half and the ranch was starting to suffer for it. Dad had to spend a lot more money on hay for the cattle and horses since things in the pasture were so dry, amongst other expenses that the drought brings along with it. The lake on the property saved our ass when the brush fires came, but even drinking water was scarce. Right now, the path was full of mud and muck. Dad had the intentions of paving it, but now he’d have to wait until things dried out. It’s been dirt and mud for as long as we’ve lived here. I’d have to guess that the paving was Lydia’s idea. City people loved all of that concrete and asphalt. I wasn’t typically a rude guy, but as polite as I’d promised to be, I was kind of looking forward to watching her make her way through all of that mud in them pretty new boots.

  I watched the other shiny boot come out and as she stood up, the smile fell off of my face. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but a gorgeous leggy brunette was not it. From where I stood, she looked like she was modeling those boots and jeans. Damn! If this was my new “sister,” I just sinned like a son of a bitch in my head. All I could think at that moment was, “Please let her be anyone but Lexi.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  LEXI

  I stepped out of the car and right into a puddle of mud. Are you freaking kidding me? I just bought these stupid boots and I had paid a fortune for them…well, I guess Mom paid a fortune for them since she still paid most of my bills, but it still sucked. It was my first pair of cowboy boots, ever. I bought them because I wanted to look like I belonged here…but I didn’t seriously want to belong, if that made any sense. I just can’t imagine why anyone would want to belong to a place where they don’t even bother paving their roads or their driveway. To each their own, I suppose. I was trying hard not to judge, but as I stopped and looked at the path ahead of me and realized it wasn’t paved either, it was hard. Jeez! Do they have something against sidewalks out here? There was no other way up to the house and it was completely submerged in mud. Who the heck lives like this? As I splashed and gushed along, I suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around and came face to face with hot guy ranch hand or whatever he was. He was splashing through the mud in his already caked boots, and he was grinning. The grin only added to his physical appeal, but it pissed me off because I’m pretty sure he was laughing at me.

  “Why the hell isn’t this paved?” I snapped at him. It was a stupid question for the ranch hand, but I was annoyed and he was the only one around to take it out on.

  He laughed out loud then and said, “You ain’t from around here, are you, ma’am?”

  Ma’am? Really? Jeez, I hate this place already. I hate that the hot guy is making fun of me. I hate that I loved the hearty sound of his laugh. I ignored his question, rolled my eyes, and started forward again.

  “Would you like some help?” he asked politely and to his credit without too much amusement at my misery in his voice. I really did not want his help though. I did not want this cowboy thinking I was some helpless female just because I happened to live in this century. As I had that thought, my new boots slipped, and I felt my body lurch backwards. The ranch hand grabbed my arm and stopped me from falling. His hands were big and strong and hot…my heart actually skipped a beat, there was a tickle in my belly, and I felt the slightest little twitch down south. Quickly reminding myself where I was and that hot or not, this guy wasn’t my type, I thanked him and pulled my hand back, telling him I had this. The last thing I wanted or needed was a country bumpkin. I would shrivel up and die out here. I need the hustle and bustle of the city. I need my venti caramel latte with an extra shot, too. I had to wonder how long it would be before the new, or whatever it was that attracted Mom here, wore off. Maybe it would last long enough for me to get me through this summer without losing my mind.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MARK

  I knew when she jerked her arm away with that curt, “I got it, thanks,” she was going to be trouble. I was only trying to be polite and help. Maybe her father should have told her to be nice and use her manners. I was annoyed with her, but watching her make her way through the mud and up onto the front porch in her designer jeans and fancy boots was definitely a treat. She wore those jeans better than she had a right to, and I was really, really hoping that I was wrong and this wasn’t Lydia’s daughter. I could overlook her bad manners – and then I could do lots of other things to her, as well. As long as she wasn’t my stepsister….I followed her up onto the porch and opened the door. She didn’t say anything, but she gave me a strange look like she thought I was being overly forward or something. Maybe she was one of those feminist types. I stood just inside the foyer and held it until she finally stepped inside. She passed me closely and damn if she didn’t smell as good as she looked. As I closed the door behind us, she reached up and took off those ridiculous sunglasses. I almost wished that she would put them back on now because if she was my stepsister, this feeling in the front of my jeans was getting out of control. Her eyes were as pretty as the rest of her and they were huge and kind of almond shaped. I guess most people would call them hazel, but instead of the brown and green being mixed together, they were a smooth chocolate brown color with flecks of green in them and a dark green rim around the outside. They were framed with eyelashes that must have been an inch long and didn’t look like they had any of that mascara on them that women were so fond of. Her lips were full and glossy and, God help me, but I was already imagining what it would be like to kiss them. Her skin was all smooth and soft looking. It didn’t look like she had any make-up on her face, either, and I wanted to touch it and see if it was as soft as it looked. Her hair was dark and long and curled to her shoulders. The body that went with all of that was spectacular. I felt incestuous just looking at her, and I didn’t even know for sure who she was. I guess I had a good idea, but for now, I wanted to remain in denial.

  I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead as I yelled, “Hey Dad! We have a guest.”

  She gave me a wide-eyed look when I said, “Dad.” Strangely, I liked that. It made me think that she’d been hoping the same thing I was – that we weren’t related in any way. Maybe we could still make this work. I shut that down quickly. If this was Lydia’s daughter, that would just be too weird.

  “I’m so glad you made it. How was the drive out?” Dad knew who she was, and he was expecting her. That wasn’t a good sign, either – at least, not good for me. It had to be her. Dad didn’t receive many visitors. She smiled and she went from a ten to an eleven. She was off the charts. Her being my stepsister would be like the worst cosmic joke ever.

  “It was good, thank you, Rob. It�
��s good to be here.”

  “Did you introduce yourself to your stepsister, Lexi?” Dad asked me. There it was the kick in the nuts. The news I was most hoping not to hear.

  “Not exactly,” I said, trying not to look as disappointed as I felt. I put out my hand and said, “It’s really nice to meet you, Lexi. I’m Mark. Welcome.”

  She looked at me again with those wide eyes, and for just a second I saw a flash of something that told me I was right. She had been hoping for family friend or employee. She wanted me. Hot damn! I let myself have that moment, and then once again, thoroughly disgusted with my incestuous self, I forced myself to put those thoughts back away. She’s my stepsister and this might be the country, but were not mountain folk and we don’t do our sisters.

  “Hi Mark,” she said. The smile I got was not as bright as the one she’d given Dad. She took my hand and I held onto hers firmly for a few seconds while we made eye contact. It was literally only seconds, but it was intense. I could feel the sparks flying. I was more than reluctant to let go, but again, major creepiness holding onto her hand and gazing into her eyes. I could attest to the fact that her skin was as soft as it looked now, at least on her hands. I had to force myself to break the eye contact, too. When I did, she turned back to Dad and said, “It’s really nice of you to have me here for the summer. The ranch is lovely and so is your home.”

  And so are you. Damn, I might have to think about staying somewhere else for the summer. I’m just not sure I trust myself not to do something stupid around this woman. God I hope all of these incestuous thoughts were not splashed across my face.

  “Thank you,” Dad said. “Your Mom actually has more to do with the inside being nice than I do. The land is my forte.” That was true. Lydia had redecorated, but she’d done a really nice job of keeping with the ranch theme. It was a lot more comfortable now for us all than it used to be. I looked back at Lexi. She was still smiling, but now it was beginning to look forced. She was nervous. I guess I couldn’t blame her.