Submitting to the Cowboy

ky

nd a loft. Very small, but cozy, with a southern facing porch that li

running again scattered in her front yard. A short gravel driveway met up to a long, winding d

had to figure things out today. I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do, and most of all, why I

ed them fully, but after learning of the affair it'd been radio silence from th

up that house north of town and living there only to stop Ben Lawson, a perfect stran

ing on Danica's porch sipping c

ffee mug between my hands. "My grandparents died when I was a kid and I didn't have cousins, so it's

ng. Danica wanted to know about my dancing career

t have be

, loving and kind. They drove me all across the country for dance competitions, a

and off kilter in a small town where it felt like

swinging us with one leg and sitting on the

into my co

at I moved away. I rarely go home. They're ranchers and they have a bit of wealth, nothing like out here

your mom th

e that didn't reach her eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a

dded, and it was an incredible risk. She eyed m

does, tr

usly in lov

e knows it. I think that's why he keeps trying. He used to being bullied by

hey fr

ose. Grady lives

he personality of a golden retriever, was the complete and tot

Ben has a whole operation up there. Two-

s Chr

s a dictator who runs that place with an iron fist. Grady works full time as a rancher for him, which was

" I smiled, taking another

t is," she mused, smil

land I'm working with." I looked around at her gardens and the two g

you up on that i

without a shred of hesitation. "If

pered into her coffee, her eyes o

ng to smother m

trying to hide from me. I wasn't going to pry. Danica, so far, was the only friendl

was going to find out ju

*

ff the rusted tin roof and heat snaked through the tall grasses as I got out and took

nd dollars in my bank account, a shitty car on its last leg, a tanking ca

ty-thousand acres of pristine grazing lands with a long documented history tucked away in a bankers box in my t

k in my bed in LA, and all of this w

around, my fingers playing over the waist high gra

didn't matter to me right now. I had more than enough money to repair this old

cking idea what

ts pertaining to who the woman who'd owned this place before me was or why she left and never returned. Again, a nagging feeling that so

the first th

The man at the bank turned the utilities back on, but as I walked around the lower level of the

was a

g room, which had an archway leading into what looked like an office of some kind. Ceiling height b

a screened in back porch I could see what remained of a clothes line in the dist

case that faced the front door with the living room on

ing needed updating, the roof needed to be totally replaced too,

damage from the leaky, partially open roof. It smelled like mildew, and the doors were so warped

ing out the meager groceries and other things I'd bo

a ra

Who would

t being able to get that thing up the road, let alone down that driveway. Thankf

corner of the living room for myself and starte

ew as the hours ticked by

dscape now painted gold. Heavy clouds funneled in t

foreboding tower and wondered if he was up there

e and shut the door

e as hell wouldn't give this up, regardless of w

othing