Destry (5 page)

A loud crash had my attention snapping to his hands, and then the floor. “Ah, you can’t wear that,” Destry grumbled when he took in my appearance, clenching his jaw tightly as he focused on a something over my shoulder.

I looked down at my clothes and back up again with a scowl. Who was he to tell me I couldn’t wear what I wanted to? I was three seconds from opening my mouth to give him a serving when a gaping Austin stood before me and groaned, “I—ah, they’re short and that’s… Jesus Christ, you’re freaking hot!”

“Like I said, you can’t wear that,” Destry sighed and bent down to pick up the plate he’d dropped.

“I can and I will. They’re shorts and a shirt. Not a big deal; get over it,” I chastised him. My mother had forever told me what was the ‘proper’ thing to wear and I wasn’t about to let a bunch of horny boys tell me I couldn’t wear what I wanted.

“I’m headin’ out to round up the cows. See y’all soon.” Braxton grabbed his hat from the hook by the back door and left.

I squatted down in front of Destry to help pick up the last of the mess when I registered two less people. “Where are your grandparents?” I asked quietly, hoping they were still asleep; I didn’t want to wake them.

“Gone away for a week to visit our cousins.” My eyes snapped up just as he looked away from the swell of my breasts against my white cotton tank. Destry cleared his throat and focused on the pieces of crockery. “They left earlier.”

"Well, we should get going. Braxton isn't going to move those cows himself and I'd hate for him to think I couldn't keep up.” I smiled sweetly as he registered the fact I’d heard every word he said. I grabbed the Stetson I’d borrowed from Ellie-May and a piece of buttered toast, popping the corner in my mouth before walking out the back screen door.

When I didn’t hear it shut behind me I looked over my shoulder to find Destry with his own hat in his hand, his eyes watching after me. I stepped onto the compressed gravel and slid my sunglasses onto my face, pretending to know exactly what we were supposed to be doing.

The rumble of an engine peaked my interest as Braxton rode out of a huge barn on a blue four-wheeler. The pure power of the engine had my scalp tingling and excitement building. I’d never been
allowed
to ride one; this hadn’t stopped me though. On a few occasions, I’d snuck off and hired one just so I could get away from the madness of my parents and their rules. A smile crept over my face as I climbed over the short fence and jumped down. Braxton winked at me and pulled the quad up in front of me, giving the engine a rev that had me throwing my head back and laughing.

“We’re takin’ the truck.” Destry’s gravelly voice close to my ear startled me, and I spun around, almost tripping over my own feet. His big hands shot out, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me against his solid body. I could feel the warmth of his tanned hands through my light cotton tank. Goose bumps broke over my arms as I tried to hold back a shiver of want. His muscled arms had me doing a slow crawl up to his wide shoulders, which promised he was very able to lift a girl up and give it to her anyway she might want it. His grip on me tightened slightly as my nipples hardened under my bra. My breathing became heavier when he licked his full, soft lips, and without my consent, my own tongue darted out to mirror the action. I bit down on my bottom lip to stop the small moan I could feel working its way to the surface. Looking up, his blue eyes sparkled down at me, desire written all over his face, a look that was quickly sending my breathing into dangerous territory.

“Fuck no.” I watched as Amelia rode off with her head thrown back laughing, one arm wrapped far too low around my brother’s waist, the other holding her hat on as the wind flew through her hair. An insane urge to go after them and snatch her off Austin’s bike crashed over me. I took a few steps before it occurred to me that I didn’t care if she was plastered up against my brother. No, I didn’t care one little bit. I did, however, ponder while I jumped on my own quad; I needed to know what it was about her that had me behaving like a petulant asshole. “City girl,” I scoffed as I hit the gas, taking my frustration out on the bike. I forgot about my plan to take my truck, knowing the quad would get me around faster and cool me down.

Even with the breakneck speed I was pulling, I still didn’t catch up with them. Just as I pulled in, I spotted Austin leaning against his bike beside Amelia, smiling down at her with his hand leaning on the seat behind her ass. I turned the bike off, threw my leg over it, which landed on the ground with a thud and took large strides toward a smiling Austin. My jaw ticked as I ground my teeth with each step.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I fumed at him, glaring from under the wide brim of my hat. I clenched my hands by my side trying to calm my shit down. “You could have killed her, you idiot.” Austin pushed off from his bike and took a step toward me. I knew this was a sore point, yet I did it anyway. Austin had more than a few ghosts in his past and our relationship was one where we constantly provoked each other.

“Don’t push me,” Austin growled, his eyes going stone cold and deathly serious.

“Okay, what are we doing out here? Am I supposed to stand around while you two measure your dicks, or are we working?” My eyes bugged out as I turned toward little miss prim and proper. Pushing away from the four-wheeler, her hands placed on her hips, her tits strained against the thin fabric of her white tank. Did she really just say that?

“C’mon, Amelia. I’ll show you how things work while these two zip their pants back up.” Braxton offered her an arm. She hooked her arm around his and they walked off toward the small cluster of cows.

“The fuck is your problem, D?” Austin drew my attention back from watching her walking away from me yet again.

“Nothin’,” I grumbled, rubbing my forehead in frustration.

“Yeah, right. You’ve had a boot up your ass since you first saw her.” Had it been that obvious?

“She annoys me. She’s just a pain in my ass is all.” The loud bark of laughter he let out was enough to tell me he believed jack shit of my explanation. With a slap on my back, he jogged off to start work, leaving me standing there getting more and more agitated by the second. How the hell was I supposed to work with a chick flouncing around my pastures with hardly a scrap of clothing on her tight little body? As it was, I’d had a hard-on from hell since she came into the kitchen that morning.

“Gotta get laid,” I mumbled to myself while I pulled my tools out of the storage compartment. I had a feeling it was going to be a very long day.

“Lunch!” Austin called out, dropping his tools. I pulled my hat off and ripped my cotton shirt over my head, tucking it into the back pocket of my jeans. The sun was beating down hard and hot, making me sweat like a whore in church.

“How you holdin’ up?” I asked Amelia as we walked toward the big, shady oak tree. I was used to the heat working in the sun all day; I doubted she was.

“It’s hotter than Hades out here,” she puffed. I did a double take when I noticed her thin tank was not only drenched in sweat but see-through. I directed my eyes straight ahead and walked a little faster, willing myself not to gawk while mentally planning a night out at the local bar. I needed a cold beer and some company. It’d been too long since I’d had any of that kind of companionship and my dick was reminding me of the fact almost constantly.

A squeal had me jumping out of my skin and snapping my attention from my internal thoughts.

“Gahh, that was cold.” Amelia laughed and splashed a cup of water back at a laughing Austin. I glared daggers at Austin messing around with her like they were great friends.

“Take it down a notch, D.” Braxton’s low whisper had my head whipping to the side. I grunted in response. He continued, “This girl’s gotten under your skin, huh?”

“No,” I sighed. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and in disbelief. “Maybe a little. She’s not what I expected,” I admitted. Braxton and I had a different relationship to what I had with Austin. While Austin and I were like fuel and fire, Brax and I had a more gentle relationship; he saw through my bullshit.

“Figures.” He smiled, looking down at the dirt he was kicking with the toe of his boot.

“Out with it then,” I sighed, knowing there was no use ignoring him; he’d bug me until he put his two cents worth in.

“I’m just saying it figures the chick who turns you inside out, lands right in your lap.” Brax nodded his head to Amelia, who was sitting cross-legged in the shade eating an apple. Her blonde hair that had been tied up at the base of her head was now blowing out in the light breeze. “I think you need to stop thinking things are so cut and dry, D. Just because it walks like a duck and looks like a duck doesn’t mean it’s just a duck.”

I barked out a laugh at his bad analogy. “Ducks? Really?” I shook my head and cracked the bottle of water he handed me, gulping it down. The cool water that ran down my chin and onto my chest was welcomed in the heat of the day. “She’s only passing through. Don’t go getting ideas in your head,” I reminded him. I wasn’t sure if the two weeks were going to be the slowest, most painful of my life or if they’d fly right by.

“Hmm, maybe she could be convinced to stay,” he mused, with an innocent expression on his face. One I knew better than to buy into.

“I’m warning you, Brax. Leave the girl be; she doesn’t belong in these parts.”

“Ducks, D. Not just ducks.” He looked over at her again. Then I did something I’d never done in my life. I snapped at him.

“You don't have a fucking clue what you are talking about. Finish up here. I'm done.” I jumped on my quad and sped off toward the house. Not only had I just taken Braxton’s head off, but I’d skipped out on my responsibilities too.

Once home, I traded my quad for my truck, stopping just long enough to grab a clean shirt, and flew out of the driveway heading toward the local bar. Once there, I pulled in and crushed the brake pedal to the floor, slamming my door as I jumped out. I stomped inside and threw myself into a bar stool slapping my hand down twice to get Rach, the bartender’s, attention. She took one look at me and slid a beer down the worn wooden counter top. I downed it in a few long pulls and nodded at her as she finished up with her customer and wandered down to me with another two bottles in her hand.

“Rough day, D?” she asked uncapping both bottles and sliding one to me before tipping her own back.

“Rough goddamn week,” I grumbled and chugged down my second drink.

“Out with it then.” Rach nodded putting her drink down and leaned forward onto her elbows. I’d known Rach practically my whole life. She’d grown up round here and went to the same school as us, kicked around the same circles and generally been a good friend.

“Damn city girls coming in and screwing shit up.” I hadn’t intended to say much of anything, but the thing with Rach was once she got you to talk, the flood gates seemed to open and there was no stopping it.

“Oh, shit.” Rach rubbed a hand over her face and grimaced “Is she back? “

I cringed and shook my head knowing exactly who
she
was. She had a name I’d never mention again in my God given natural born life. She had been a city girl too. I slipped back into the memory of my seventeen-year-old self.

“You sure about this, buddy?” Darren, my best friend all through school, had asked quietly while we sat on the grandstands watching all the students walk past.

“Never been more sure of anything in my life.” I shook my head and smiled. “She’s it, bud. She’s the one. I’m gonna marry that girl.” I looked down at the huddle of people on the field and spotted my girl. Long brunette hair, long legs and a magnetic personality. She threw her head back and laughed loudly, everyone around her joining in. Nobody could be near her and not be happy. She was just that kind of person. “Yeah, I’m gonna marry her.”

I snapped out of my memory when I heard glass smashing. I looked further down the bar to see Rach with a guy almost twice her size in her face. I didn’t even think of moving seeing as I knew exactly what would happen next. I watched from out the corner of my eye as Rach grabbed a handful of his shirt when the guy pulled his hand back, and without a second thought, she reared her fist back and planted it square on his face causing blood to flow from the obviously broken nose she’d just served him. She let go of his shirt, pushing him back and he tumbled over his bar stool, cussing her out the whole time. “You bitch!” he yelled at her.

She reached behind the bar, pulled out her baseball bat, and then told him, “Get your stupid ass out of my bar. Don’t let me catch you here again, needledick.” With that, the dumbass got up and scurried to the door just about pissin’ his pants on the way. Rach was a tough one and everyone in town knew not to fuck with her or her bar.

“You good?” I asked when she came back down my way with another cold bottle for me.

“Yeah. No sweat.” She winked and wiped the remaining blood off her hand.

I flinched and pulled my hand into a fist at the next wave of memories that hit me.

“You’re only twenty years old, boy. You sure you don’t wanna wait a bit longer? Gramps had told me that afternoon.