Cowboy Town (15 page)

He walks away and I watch his ass move in his tight jeans. 
Nice.
  Then the nerves hit.

“Geez, I’m nervous,” I mutter anxiously to the girls.

“He’ll be fine.  I’ve watched the Henley boys ride before and they always do well,” Ava soothes.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, coming out of chute number three all the way from Pine Creek is Jackson Henley.  Tonight Jackson has drawn the bull they call ‘
Diablo
’,” a loud, booming voice fills the arena, exciting the crowd, eliciting screams and cheers all round.  I nervously clap my hands, all the while watching chute three like a hawk.  I see Jackson nod his head and then the chute flies open.  A massive Brahman bull bucks out. 
Black Betty
blares over the speakers as the bull kicks up his back legs before landing heavy and kicking up again.  Twisting and turning.  Jumping and spinning.  He tries to knock Jackson off his back.  Saliva flies from the bull’s mouth and dust flies as he kicks it up with buck.   My hands come up to cover my mouth and restrain the scream that’s clawing up my throat.  The crowd is screaming and cheering, clapping and hooting.  My heart is my throat for the entire eight seconds, which by the way, feels like eight years, until the horn sounds and Jackson jumps free of the bull.

“Thank God,” I whisper.

“Told you he’d be fine,” Ava rubs my arm and gives me a reassuring smile.

“Jeremy’s up next,” I say to Ava after we’ve watched a few more cowboys attempt to ride, some successful, others unsuccessful.

“Yeah.  Now I’m nervous,” she laughs.

Jeremy draws the bull called “Cloud Chaser”.  I see where he gets his name from when, on his final buck after the buzzer, Jeremy goes flying through the air and I wonder if he did actually reach the clouds!

“Good ride, cowboy,” I say giving Jackson a hug when he arrives back at our spot.

“Did you like it?” He asks after laying a long, wet, utter delicious kiss on my lips.

“Mmm,” I hum.

“Did you get hurt?”  I ask noticing he’s not putting his weight on one of his legs.

“Nah, just landed the wrong way.  It’ll be right in the morning,” he replies flexing his leg.

“Are you sure?  Here, you should sit down and let me have a look at it,” I’ve got the most vivid picture in my mind of his ankle bone protruding through the skin of his leg.  I don’t know because there’s no blood, but still…

“Darlin’ I’m alright.  What I really want to do is get you back to the swag and show you how much fun camping can be.”  I feel his hot breath tickle my neck as he whispers the words in my ear.  All of a sudden, I don’t want to be standing around here.  No, I want to be lying in a swag with my man showing me how fun camping can be.

“Okay,” my words are a breathy whisper.

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asks when he feels me tense solid.

“Dannika,” I reply.  He follows my line of sight to see his ex, walking straight towards us. 

“Hey Jackson,” she coos as she sidles up beside him and rubs his arm affectionately.

“Dannika,” he replies curtly.  I have to resist the urge to laugh as he shakes off her touch.

“How you been, baby?”

Jackson looks down at me and answers her without taking his eyes off me, “Fuckin’ fantastic.”  I grin up at him and I’m rewarded with one of his melt-your-heart-and-your-panties smiles.  “Have you met Edie, my woman?”  Jackson asks Dannika.

Her eyes turn from soft to glacial as she narrows her gaze on me. “Edie,” she purrs, at least I think she’s trying to purr but her voice reminds me a mosquito buzzing right near your ear and you can’t swat the fucker –
annoying.
 

“Hi Dannika,” I smile, giving Jackson a squeeze.

Her lip curls up in disgust at me before she schools her features and looks back to Jackson, “See you ‘round then, baby.”  She struts off, putting extra sway into her hips but Jackson doesn’t see because he’s looking at me.  “God I hope not,” he mutters so only I can hear.

We pack up our chairs, esky and blanket and make our way back to where the boys parked the Cruiser.  Once there, Jules and I set up the chairs while the boys unroll the swags.

“I’m going to head off now, Edie.  We should meet up for coffee before Jules goes home.”  Ava says to me.

“You’re going home?”

“Yeah, I never stay.  Text me okay?”  She gives a wave to everyone, calling ‘bye, and then starts to leave.

I jump up and yell out, “Wait!  Ava, stay.  You can’t drive home.  You’ll end up hitting a kangaroo or something.  It’s late.  Please stay.” 

“It’s cool, Edie.  I don’t have my swag or anything.  I’ll be fine – I’ll drive slow.”

Before I can argue with her, a rumbling voice sounds from behind me.  It sounds a lot like Jackson but just a bit different. “You can share my swag.  Don’t want you drivin’ home this late.” Jeremy’s tone brooks no argument.

Ava mouth falls open and I feel mine do the same.  I turn to look at Jeremy and see that Jules and Jackson are flat out grinning like loons.  Jeremy slaps Jackson up the head and mutters something I can’t make out.  I turn back to Ava, who is still standing there like a stunned mullet with her mouth agape.

“Can’t say no to an offer like that, girlfriend,” I say quietly so the boys won’t hear.

“Uh,” she stutters.

“Just go with it,” I whisper.  I grab her hand and lead her back to the campsite. 

Giving me a wink and a gesture of his head, Jackson makes it clear he’s ready to turn in for the night, so we make our excuses and head off to bed.

The swag is more comfortable than I originally thought.  It’s got a thick padded double mattress bottom and is covered in green canvas material to protect us from the weather.  Jackson and I are lying facing each other; my arms around his waist, his arms around mine. 

“You sure you’re okay?”  I say softly.

“Yeah, Ace.”

“So, you going to show me how much fun camping can be?”

“Thought that was what I was doing.  Nice night, open air, good company, beautiful woman beside me.  Fun.”  He tries to keep a straight face but I feel his body shaking with laughter.

“Not funny.  You’ve got tension to work out of my body, seeing as though you put it there,” I snap.

“How’d I put tension in your body?”

“By riding those monsters.  Geez, that was the longest eight seconds of my
life
.”

“Guess I better get to work then.  Don’t want my woman all tense and shit.”  I feel my body immediately relax as he starts nibbling down my neck.  I shiver when he licks below my ear and then blows his warm breath on the same spot. 

“Hmm,” I sigh as he draws my earlobe into his mouth, sending a jolt of pleasure straight between my thighs, with a detour through my nipples causing them to harden painfully.  His hand slides up my shirt to cup the bottom of my breast while his thumb swipes across my tight bud.  I trace my hand down his back, feeling the sculpted muscles bunch beneath my fingers.  Down over his perfectly rounded behind, my hand travels, stopping to squeeze and pull him against me, then moving toward the front to feel the evidence of his arousal.  He’s pitching a mighty fine tent in his jocks tonight.  I run my finger around the elastic of undies and then pull down so his cock springs free.  He groans as I massage his length, loving the feel of its silky smooth hardness.  His hand leaves my breast and finds its way to my wetness. 

“Turn around,” he whispers gruffly.

I roll to my back and then to my other side so my ass in pressing into his crotch.  Pulling my panties down my legs, he grabs my knee and bends it over to rest on his hip; opening me up to him.  He slides inside in one continuous movement causing a long deep moan to escape my lips.  His fingers find my swollen nub and rub, causing me to come apart on a drawn out shuddering sigh.  His thrusts increase until I hear his breath hitch and then he’s pulling out and spilling himself into his hand.

“I’ll just go clean up, baby,” he whispers into my ear.

“’Kay,” I mumble.

Five minutes he slides back into the swag and pulls me into him, tucking me tight against him.  Five minutes after that I close my eyes and drift into dreamland.

The next morning Jackson and I are the first ones up, so while he fires up the Bar-Bar-Que and starts cooking breakfast for everyone, I walk over to the coffee van and order everyone cappuccinos.  When I get back I set the coffees down and look around.  Jules is curled up in her single swag, sound asleep.  I look over and see Jeremy’s arm snaked around a peacefully asleep Ava, who is lying half on him, half off him.  Jeremy is awake and grins at me.  I shake my head and help my man dish up the bacon, sausage and egg breakfast he’s finished cooking.

After breakfast we pack up our campsite and make our way back down the arena, where we spend some time watching the barrel racing. 

“I want to learn to ride a horse,” I say to no one in particular as a cowgirl on her horse flies past us, then pulls her reigns and steers her horse sliding around a barrel before kicking him hard in the ribs so he races to the next one.

“Boys on my side use horses all time in addition to the choppers, Edie.  I’m sure Jackson’ll bring ya over one day, teach you how to ride.”

“Wow, really?” I turn hopeful eyes to Jackson.

“Whatever you want, Ace,” is his indulgent reply.

“I’m going to learn to ride a horse,” I excitedly tell the girls, even though they were listening to the entire conversation.

“You can keep that all to yourself.  No way am I getting on something that big,” Jules says pointing to a huge Quarterhorse

“There’s nothing like feeling the wind through your hair when you’re cantering down a road on the back of a beautiful horse,” Ava says wistfully.

“Okay, when you put it like that.  I want to learn, too.  Will you teach me when I visit next?” Jules questions Jackson and Jeremy.

They laugh and nod their agreement. 

Soon after we left and headed home.  Had I known of the shit storm that was awaiting us, I would have insisted we stayed at Brunette longer.

Chapter Eight

“Do you miss real estate?”  Jules asks.

We’re sitting at the Coffee House. 
We
being Jules, Ava and me.  It’s Monday morning and Jules is due to fly home late this afternoon.  Jackson would be here to drive with us to Darwin, but he got a phone call yesterday about a broken part on a piece of machinery (a Header?) and he spent all day yesterday out trying to fix it unsuccessfully.  So, he was carrying on today in the hope of getting it mended so his workers would be able to harvest the crops.

“No, I don’t,” I say screwing up my nose.  “I mean, at first, I thought I would but then I remembered that it wasn’t me who wanted to go into real estate – it was my dad who pushed me into that career.  I liked it while I was doing it but now that I’m not, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Well lookie here, if it isn’t the home wrecking slut from the city.”  A high pitched whiny voice says behind me.  I turn around and stare at Jackson’s ex, Dannika.    She’s standing there with a hand on her hip, blonde hair piled on top of her head, chunky silver jewelry and decked out head to toe in Country Road.  She looks stunning, until you look closer.  Her fake tan is just a little too orange, her fake nails look cheap and trashy.  Her hair is bottle blonde and I can see where her extensions have been sewn in.

“Pardon?” I narrow my eyes at her and give her a chance to back off.

“You heard me, you home wrecking slut.”  Goddamn her voice is annoying.  I think she’s trying to shriek at me but it’s so fucking whiny …
Like a broken record.

I roll my eyes at her and shake my head in disbelief.  “I’m not a home wrecker, Dannika.  I think you did a good enough job all on your own destroying your relationship with Jackson.”

“How dare you!  You don’t know shit,” she spits.

“Ugh, say it, don’t spray it,” I mutter as I grab a napkin and wipe the spittle off my face.  “And actually, I do know shit because Jackson shared so unless you want me airing your dirty laundry in public, you should walk on.”

“Bitch, you don’t know anything.  There’s no way Jackson would have told some piece of city trash about our relationship.  That’s sacred and he loves me, so I know for a fact that he wouldn’t tell
you
anything,”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I say to her surprise, “I must have read about you screwing around on Jackson for the entire time you guys were together in the
Pine Creek Daily
.”

Ava and Jules both burst in laughter as a gasping Dannika and a smirking me, enter a stare down.  She’s the first break it.  She stomps her foot like a two year old, huffs and puffs then makes a strangled sound before marching off in the direction she came from.

“You go, girlfriend,” Ava laughs.

“I can’t believe this town brought the old Edie back!!” Jules whoops.   “That was fucking awesome,” she adds in a voice laced with pride and admiration.

“That woman just annoys the crap out me,” I offer by way of explanation.

“Did she really sleep around on Jackson?” Ava asks.

I nod.  “Yes, he told me when we first got together.”