The Cowboy and the Lady

"Hi, little brother," Alex called over to Chris, who was in the field. This was on one of the many horses he and his wife Laura owned.

"Hey, what brings you here?" Chris shouted, and started to ride over. He was surprised to see his brother, and tried to remember if they had plans.

"I came to check out the new foal," Alex said.

"Cool. As long as you're here, you can meet Katie," Chris said.

"Who's that?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry, I'm not setting you up," Chris said with a laugh. "Katie is Laura's little sister. She just arrived."

"How convenient," Alex grumbled.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming," Chris said, raising his hands in self-defence. "Or her. She just flew over, so stop being paranoid. Come on, you said you came to see the foal."

Chris and his brother left the field and headed to the barn. Walking side by side one could tell they were brothers. They had the same jet black hair, the same green eyes and even the same strong jaw. Alex was taller and older by two years. Five years ago he joined a construction firm then left to start his own building company, Alex had worked hard and his body showed the results. Chris was an accountant and had a pretty well built body from working on his own farm, it was not like Alex but Laura never complained.

"So, what brings you here?" Laura asked her sister as they walked to the spare room.

"Can't I just visit without a reason?" Katie asked, looking everywhere but at Laura.

"Come on, you, sit down." Pulling her sister to the bed, Laura took Katie's hands. Katie mentally rolled her eyes; Laura was in full big-sister mode now. They had always been close, relying on each other through a difficult childhood with an abusive father and a purposely ignorant mother. Aside from their noses, few would guess they were sisters. Laura's brunette hair, light blue eyes and slim figure contrasted with Katie's white-blonde hair, dark blue eyes and curves. "You can't just catch a plane to Texas and not tell me why. Is it Jeff? Does he know you're here?" Laura looked at her sister with concern

"Jeff is too busy with his assistant to wonder what I'm doing or where I'm going!" Katie said bitterly.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," Laura said, tightening her grip on Katie's hands. "How did you find out?"

Katie told her sister about how she had found her boyfriend and his assistant in the act on the floor of their living room -- biting, scratching and drawing blood while at it.

"You wanna know the worst part?" Katie asked, finally looking at her sister. Laura nodded, wondering what could be worse.

"His assistant... is a man!" Katie was still surprised about it. "What he was doing on the floor with his assistant was more passionate than we ever had, and now I know why," Katie said with a little laugh.

"So you just packed and left him? Erm, on the floor?" Laura asked her sister, not sure what to say. She knew Katie had only been with Jeff because he was average and safe, but it didn't mean Katie's feelings weren't hurt.

"I backed out before they noticed me," Katie said. "Jeff was my rock, and you know, my security. We've been together for two years."

"Well, you're not crying so that must be a good thing, right? Maybe means you didn't love him after all," Laura said.

"I never said I loved him. If I had loved him it would have given him the power to hurt me. That's why he was perfect," she said looking away."

"Is this about dad...?" Laura started to ask.

"I don't want to hear it, sis," Katie interrupted. "I know you found Chris, and I'm happy for you. Really. Laura had met Chris when she was a temp at his office in town. It had been love at first sight. "But that's you, not me. I just need someone safe and..."

"Boring!" Laura stood in front of Katie. "Jeff was boring," Laura shouted. "God, Katie, you need someone who's exciting, passionate, and adventurous. Someone you can fall in love with. Not someone like Jeff who thought the most exciting thing was flavoured ice cream!" Katie was usually the more outspoken of the two sisters, so hearing Laura say that brought her up short.

"Okay, chill," Katie said. "One problem is that such a man doesn't exist! Not for me, anyway. Why hold out for Mr Right and be constantly disappointed?" Katie said sadly.

Sitting back down on the bed Laura said quietly, "Mum loved dad till she died, even though he hurt her. He wasn't perfect. The perfect guy doesn't exist and if you found him he wouldn't be what you want, you need to find someone you can love, a man just for you. Just don't settle, okay...Katie, it doesn't have to be that way." Hugging her sister, Laura continued, "You're my little sister. I love you and I know you're not meant for someone like Jeff."

"Obviously," said Katie dryly. Laura started laughing.

"Come on, you need a drink," Laura said. Arms linked, they left the bedroom.

"So, what's the sister like, anything like Laura?" Alex asked while his brother dismounted.

"Nope, complete opposites," Chris replied, handing over the horse to the stable boy. He wondered why his brother wanted to know. As far as he knew, Alex was still avoiding women.

"Hey," Laura said with a smile and went to kiss her husband. Pulling back, she noticed her brother-in-law. "Hey, Alex, what are you doing here?" Laura asked, putting her arm around Chris.

"I was just wondering how the foal was doing," he said.

"She's doing great," Laura said, her face lighting up. "She was up walking and...."

Anything else she said he missed because out of the corner off his eye he saw a flash of blue. When he turned to look, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had shoulder length blonde hair that looked so fair she looked ethereal. There were curves in all the right places, which her dress showed off to great advantage. The dress also showed a rack to die for. She must have felt his eyes on her and when she looked in his direction he saw she had the most amazing eyes; a deep sapphire blue, like the ocean. A guy could get lost in those, he thought. She stared back like a deer caught in headlights. Or is that rabbit? Whatever, that's how she looks, he thought. He was clean-shaven, wearing his good jeans, a white shirt and his Stetson. He didn't look bad so he couldn't understand the look in her eyes. Was it fear or shock? He wondered.

Ask and you will receive, Katie thought to herself, her eyes fixed on this magnificent man in front of her.

Is this the infamous brother? She wondered, staring back and starting to look him over. He was over six feet for sure, with nice, broad shoulders. The way his clothes fit, she could tell he didn't spend all his time in an office like Chris. There was a chiselled jaw, a straight nose, and good bone structure. She itched to run her hands through that dark ebony hair. His eyes were as green as grass in summer time and she realized this guy was everything she had spent her life avoiding. The type of man who should have a warning label. Her sister had described him, yeah, "Caution: will break your heart."

Laura noticed Alex wasn't listening. Following his gaze, she realized why. Katie stood in the doorway staring at Alex as if she had never seen a man in her life. Well they don't make them like him in Scotland, she thought.

"Let me introduce you to my little sister." Laura beckoned Katie forward into the kitchen. "Katie, this is Alex. Alex is Chris's big brother."

"Hey," Katie said, a little huskily while holding her hand out. When he took her hand, a spark zinged up her arm. Pulling her hand away as if burnt, she took a few steps back, confused by the feeling that simple touch set off.

"Hi," he replied after they let go, making a fist of the hand she had shaken.

"Its, erm, nice to meet you" she said with a little smile.

"Well, Katie and I were going to grab a drink. You guys want something?" Laura asked. Chris saw the twinkle in his wife's eyes and knew she was up to something. "Yeah, sure, sounds good. You coming, Alex?" Chris asked.

I wanna be buried deep in her, Alex thought, but managed to say, "No, I'll pass, thanks. I better get home." He quickly headed for the door. I can't want her! he thought furiously. No women! Not after Melanie, he thought. Feeling the usual hurt when she came into his head.

Melanie was beautiful; they had planned to get married, have children -- the lot. They had been deeply in love. Then she left him for some rich guy. Women only want you for what you can give them, he reminded himself. No women ever again! I'm not going back until she's gone. With his mind made up he started for home and for his first cold shower in years.

The three of them went out and caught up with each other. Katie told Chris why she was there. He was shocked. He knew Jeff to be a bore -- he had met him at his wedding. But out of all the reasons for them to break up, Jeff being gay wouldn't have even been on the list. They were all laughing about it when a guy came over and asked Katie to dance.

"What the hell," she thought. After he delivered her back to the table he asked her out but she politely turned him down. On the drive home Katie felt much better about herself and her life.

The next few days were very relaxed. Chris worked at the farm, Laura worked at her dress shop in town, and Katie rode the horses in the paddock until she felt comfortable in the saddle again. Katie had stopped riding two years before, when Jeff had said he didn't think it was safe.

When she went into town with her sister they bumped into the guy from her first night who had asked her out. When he asked again Laura nudged her into accepting. They arranged for him to pick her up and she was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, he was less than impressive. He was very vain and talked a lot about stocks. Bored to tears, Katie had told him she wasn't ready to date.

A week after she arrived she rode out to the meadows surrounding the farm. It was a gorgeous day and she stopped to lie on the grass. The dress she wore was a little tight, as Katie had been borrowing Laura's clothes since she brought very little with her. Hands behind her head, she looked up at the sky and started making shapes out of the clouds. After a while she closed her eyes and only opened them when she heard another horse coming. She sat up and saw a beautiful black stallion with an equally beautiful stallion of a man riding it.

"I want that stallion between my legs," she said to herself, shocked at the admission.

Alex couldn't believe it. He had gone for a ride to forget about Katie and here she was right in front of him. Was it fate? He wondered. He had thought about her non-stop since they had first met, having dreams he had no business dreaming. He had gone three years without sex and was getting used to it. Why does this one girl affect me this way? he thought. She was wearing another blue dress, he noticed, but this one zipped up the front and looked like a snug fit.

Katie watched as he swung off the horse and walked up to where she was lying. She hadn't taken her eyes off him since she spotted him. He was coming closer, and her heart rate shot up.

"Hi, Katie. What you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm playing football, Alex, and yourself?" she replied laughing. She shook her head up at him and her eyes sparkled in amusement.

"Yeah, of course, I see that, I meant...oh hell, I don't know what I meant." He was nearly mortified. I'm just out of practice, that's all, he thought, loving the way her accent sounded. It was soft and made her seem just a touch exotic.

When he didn't say anything more, she invited him to join her watching clouds. Alex lay down beside her but left a gap so they wouldn't touch.

He felt himself drift off, the lost sleep catching up with him. Then he became aware of the gap closing and his thigh touching hers, his shoulder touching her shoulder, and he groaned. Does she know what she's doing to me? he thought.

"Oh, to hell with it," he said, and then kissed her. It was soft and sweet. Katie kissed him back passionately. Alex rolled so she was underneath him and pinned her arms on either side of her head. He started to kiss her throat, then using his teeth he started to unzip her dress. He got it to her navel then let go and made his way back up, kissing and licking the exposed skin.

"Alex?"

He heard her call his name, but it sounded far away. He realised he was dreaming. Sitting up and looking around sharply, he saw the sun was setting. Groaning, he got up and without a word swung up and rode off.

Katie stared at him, mouth agape. "What's up with him?" she said out loud. Shaking her head, she went over and mounted her own horse and headed for home.

"Are you coming tonight?" Laura asked Katie later. Katie looked a little confused until Laura reminded her. "It's Bob's birthday, everyone will be there," she continued. Apparently not knowing someone was not a good enough reason to stay home, so Katie went to the party. Bob was the sheriff in Apple Grove and was turning fifty and apparently the whole town was going. Would Alex? she wondered, and then berated herself for caring.

She met and danced with many of the town bachelors. While dancing with Dave, a shy young guy who worked at Apple Grove Bank, she felt like she was being watched. She looked around but couldn't see anyone. After the dance ended, she excused herself and went outside for some fresh air.

She found a tree to lean against and was thinking how different Texas was from Edinburgh when she heard a noise. She looked to the side and there was Alex in snug black jeans, a white shirt and a cowboy hat. He looked like he had just stepped off a magazine cover. He was in front of her before she could move. For a moment, he stood there, just looking at her. He bent his head, his stubble scratching her check and whispered in her ear, "Do you want me?"

"No," Katie said. She suddenly knew why she had taken a step back from him the first time they had met. This was the man who could break her heart. The one she had been avoiding for years.

"You think you can resist me?" he said in his deep gravelly voice intrigued.

"I think you're a cowboy with a big ego," she replied with false bravado.

He laughed. He had tried to forget and stay away, but he wanted her. He knew he needed to have her.

"Is that so?" He took off his hat and grabbed her waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously feeling his other hand travel up her collar bone, sinking into her hair.

"Something I probably shouldn't," he said smiling.

Then he kissed her. So softly that he barely touched her lips. It was just a whisper, and then he nipped her bottom lip. When her mouth opened in surprise, he took advantage, thrusting his tongue in her mouth and backing her against the tree. He pinned her with his body, letting her feel everything she was doing to him. She gasped when she felt him hard against her stomach. She clung to him, digging her nails into his shoulders. He kissed her throat, slowly sliding to her breasts, teasing her through her dress. Her legs gave out and his arms were the only thing keeping her on her feet. With one more hard kiss he pulled back, studied her, then put on his hat and left.

Katie was leaning back against the tree for a few minutes then started walking back inside angry at herself for not pushing him away, when her arm was caught and swung around, it was Alex.

"Come home with me tonight," he said looking into her eyes. Startled, she was speechless for a moment. "Well? What's your answer?" he prompted holding out his hand.