Cowboys Fall Hard, page 1
part #2 of Lone Wolf Ranch Series
Cowboys Fall Hard
Lone Wolf Ranch #2
by
Sara Hazel
Copyright 2019 Sara Hazel
Cover designed by Sara Hazel
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Sara Hazel and Holly Pinke
Visit my website at www.hollypinkeromance.com
All characters are eighteen years of age or older.
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Billy
Olivia
Billy
Olivia
Billy
Olivia
Epilogue — Olivia
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Billy
*
Over the years Lone Wolf Ranch has become a popular tourist attraction even though it’s in the middle of nowhere Arizona. I’ve been here since the beginning taking care of the horses, other animals, and doing anything else the boss’ — Thomas Jensen and his wife Dana — asked me to.
I’ve worked hard, and now I’m in my mid-thirties, and have saved up enough money that I hope to use to buy my own ranch. I’ve got friends — aka my chosen family, but there is something huge missing in my life. I’ve only been in love once, but she broke my heart so bad that I just decided to focus on myself until the time was right. Now it feels like the right time to find my girl has finally arrived, only problem is — I don’t get off this ranch enough to find her.
“Billy, you should give online dating a try,” jokes Dana as she feeds her newborn twins Aaron and Alicia.
I’m just resting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee before I go back out to clean the stables.
“Dana, do I look like an online dater to you?”
She shakes her head and laughs. “No, but you’d be a big hit on those sites if you joined.”
“Ma’am, your confidence in me is inspiring.”
Dana is a curvy blonde beauty. She’s smart, funny, and she can charm you into doing anything. She’s the kind of woman I’d love to be with myself.
“Have you ever even been on the internet, Billy?”
“Not for fun. That’s for sure. I mean—what the hell is the point? Mostly just people arguing with each other from what I understand.”
“You’re an old-fashioned soul,” says Dana.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” I add.
Later that evening I head into town to visit my favorite bar — ok, it’s the only bar in town. Tonight, the boys are getting rowdy. There’s broken glass on the ground, and a raucous pool game going on.
And then — in a corner by herself — is what I’m sure must be an angel. A curly haired brunette is sitting on the couch wiping her eyes and sobbing softly. Part of me feels like I should leave her be, and another part wants to go and comfort her.
I decide to sit and watch her for a bit longer to look for a solid opening. And then the universe gives it to me. An obviously drunk and burly idiot sits down beside her and places a hand on her shoulder. Loudly, he says “I’m gonna take you home now and you’re gonna get on your knees like a good girl.”
No one else in the bar does anything. But the girl’s reaction is swift. She stands up and tries to get away from the drunk idiot, but he grabs her arm. She shrieks and still no one comes to her aid.
“You’re mine, Princess,” the drunk says.
I am off my stool and standing in front of him in what feels like a single heartbeat. My blood is boiling and I’m ready for a fight if need be.
“I don’t think she wants to go home with you,” I growl.
“Sir, I can—I can take care of myself,” my angel says.
“I’m sure you can, honey, but I don’t have it in me to stand by and watch a woman be disrespected like this.”
“Get out of here,” the drunk says.
I place my boot on his toe and dig it in.
“You’re the one gonna leave. You’ve had enough to drink for one night. Go sleep it off.”
“Get off my foot!” He howls.
I reach down and wrap my hand around his throat.
The whole bar is quiet. “Go,” I say.
I step off his toe and he stands up. I wrap my arm around the girl’s waist. She leans against me, and I can smell the floral scent of her hair. She smells like springtime.
The drunk stumbles towards me and takes a swing at my face. With my free hand I grab his arm before his fist connects. “Back up, honey,” I say to the girl. “This is gonna get ugly.”
She takes my advice.
All it takes is one powerful punch to the jaw to cause the drunk fool to stumble backwards and howl in pain as he clutches his face.
The bartender, Jack, comes over. “Alright, fellas, take this outside. I don’t want you breaking my couch. Get out now.”
“I was defending the girl,” I reply.
“I don’t care who you are defending or what for. But you gotta get out.”
The drunk ain’t going anywhere from the looks of him. He’s on the couch now and just howling away like a giant baby.
I tip my hat to him, and then to Jack. The girl grabs hold of my arm and we head outside together.
“I didn’t need your help, but I appreciate it,” she says as we get outside.
“What the hell were you doing in there anyway? And why were you crying?”
“It’s none of your business!” She replies.
Out here in the light I get a really good look at her. She’s thick and curvy. Her brown curly hair is spread out over her shoulders. I would love to run my fingers through it, but I obviously restrain myself.
She wipes her brown eyes, and then our gazes fall on each other.
“I’m Olivia,” she says. “Olivia Snow.”
“Billy Parsons, but everyone around here calls me Billy the Kid.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Am not. It’s my nickname, and it has been for years.”
“Well, Billy the kid, thank you again for helping me. But I better walk back to my friend’s house.”
“You’re not from here, are you?” I ask.
She shakes her head “no”.
“I’m from Chicago. I’m just here to get away from my life for a while.”
“You certainly have come to the right place for that. Just be careful in that bar, alright? It’s not your kind of place, sweetheart.”
“There’s not much else in this town. And I didn’t want to cry in front of Cara anymore. I’ve done it enough, and I’m sure she’s sick of it. So that’s why I went in there, ok? No more questions.”
Olivia is the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. And just standing here in her presence makes me get a strange feeling like I haven’t had at any other point in my life. There’s something about her that’s making me think she’s my destiny. I don’t normally think about such things, but I can’t help it around her. At any rate—I’m not letting her get away from me if I can help it.
“You want a ride to your friend Cara’s place?” I ask.
“She’s just a mile away. I can walk.”
Olivia heads off down Main Street without another word. She’s fast too. I blink and it seems like she’s already a thousand feet away. But I jog to catch up to her.
“What are you doing?” She asks.
“I figured I can walk you home, at the very least.”
“Mr. Billy the Kid, I told you — I can take care of myself. I’m not some helpless thing. Look at me.”
She stops on the sidewalk. I take a good look at her and smile.
“What? Why are you smiling? You’re so weird.”
I laugh. “I think you figured me out, sweetheart. I am definitely weird. But you—you’re stubborn, beautiful, and a bit of a pain in the ass, aren’t you?”
She punches me in the arm. It barely registers.
“Okay, fine. You can walk me to Cara’s. But you can’t come in.”
“Sounds like a plan to me, Ms. Snow.”
I offer her my arm. She hesitates for a moment before taking it.
Olivia
*
“So, how old are you, sweetheart?” the big hunky cowboy asks me.
There’s something about Billy that’s so different from every other man I’ve ever met. He looks like he stepped out of a long-lost era and doesn’t belong here. Everything about him is old-fashioned — everything from his clothes, his old beat up leather boots that look like they’ve seen a lot of hard work, and the big charming grin on his chiseled face. He looks like an artist’s rendering of a cowboy.
And I can’t help but feel pulled to him, even though I should know better. He might seem different from every other guy, but I’m sure he’s just like the rest of them deep down. He probably only wants one thing from me and if I gave it to him, he’d take off and I’d never see him again. I’ve never given myself to anyone in that way, and old Billy the kid certainly won’t be my first. I might feel some primal attraction to this fine
“I just turned 22,” I say after leaving an appropriate amount of silence between his question and my answer.
“22,” he says.
“What are you? A parrot?”
“No parrots here, Ms. Snow.”
“There’s not much of anything here. I can’t understand why Cara loves it so much.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the peace and quiet. That’s why I love it so much. I lived in Phoenix for about a month and it almost drove me mad. After that — no more city life for me.”
“Yeah, I can see why the city would be a bad place for you. Phoenix is nowhere near the city that Chicago is. You’d really lose it there.”
The peace of this town is finally getting to me as I walk alongside Billy. I can’t help myself from moving in a little closer and briefly letting my head rest against his arm as we walk. He’s such a tall and muscular guy. I’m only 5’, and Billy must be at least six and a half. I’d probably have to stand on a stool to kiss him.
I don’t know why I’m thinking such a thing, anyway. I’m not staying in this town long enough to kiss this guy. But for some reason I really want to, if for no other reason than to take my mind off my problems for a while.
“So, where do you live?” I ask him.
“I live at Lone Wolf Ranch. I’ve been working there for at least fifteen years now.”
“Lone Wolf Ranch. Yeah, Cara told me about that place. She promised to take me there so I can get a true feel for life out here in the west.”
“Well, if you do come, I’ll give you the tour,” he says. “It would be my honor.”
“It would be your honor? I’ve never heard anyone talk like that outside of a movie.”
“My mama raised me right, I guess,” he replies.
As we approach Cara’s place, I see her sitting in the front yard. I let go of Billy’s arm and push him in the other direction, but it’s no use. He’s immovable.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cara’s out front. I don’t want her to think that I went to the bar for an hour, and already came home with the first cowboy I met.”
“Well, you could introduce me to her. Just say I’m your new friend.”
For some reason, my heart sinks when he says the word “friend”. I don’t think that’s really the goal he has in mind but hearing him say it still makes me a bit sad. I need to get away from him though before I do something I shouldn’t—like let this old-fashioned cowboy screw the sadness right out of me.
“It’s been nice hanging out with you, Billy. For real. Thank you for walking me home. I’ve got it from here.”
“You are really insistent on getting rid of me, so I won’t overstay my welcome.”
He tips his hat at me. “It’s been my pleasure, Olivia. Please ask for me when you visit the ranch, alright? I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again.”
“I’d give you my phone number, but something tells me you don’t have a phone, do you?”
He shakes his head. “Nope! Never had one in my life. But I can use the ranch’s landline to call you.”
“Landline,” I reply. “Now I know you’re old fashioned. I don’t have anything to write it down with for you, so I’ll just call the ranch tomorrow.”
“That sounds wonderful. Maybe we can have dinner this week.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, cowboy,” I say with a smile.
He grins and takes my hand. I giggle as he kisses the top of it.
And then I watch as he heads off back in the direction we came. I go to Cara and sit down beside her.
“Did I just see you with some guy?” she asks.
“No way. Your mind is playing tricks on you.”
“He was kind of big, Olivia. Hard to miss. What’s his deal? I hope you’re gonna go out with him!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I reply. “But why don’t we go to Lone Wolf Ranch tomorrow so I can see him again. He works there. I can’t do anything with him, but it doesn’t hurt to look...”
“You got that right, girl,” Cara replies. “But Olivia—you’re here to relax, so don’t be afraid to have a little fun. This guy could be just what you need.”
“Maybe,” I whisper.
Billy
*
I head back to the ranch and my bosses Thomas & Dana are outside on the porch swing. The sun has gone completely down now, and a small lantern illuminates the porch.
“Have fun in town, Billy?” Thomas asks.
“Sure did, boss,” I reply. “I met a woman that I’m thinking I’m gonna have to make mine.”
“He sounds like you when we met, Thomas,” Dana says. “Obsessed after one day!”
“It ain’t like that,” I say as I take a seat on an old wooden chair. The wood creaks as I sit down.
“Ain’t no shame in knowing in an instant. I sure did,” Thomas says.
“Well, fine then. I took one look at her tonight and I feel like I’ve known her my whole life, even though I only walked her home and she doesn’t seem all that interested.”
“That’s usually how it goes, friend,” Thomas says. I watch as he grins wide at his beautiful bride. “The woman always acts like she don’t want nothing to do with you! But this one right here proves you can win them over pretty easy.”
Dana frowns. “What do you mean by easy? You think I was easy?”
“No! Not at all, sweetheart!” Thomas exclaims. He winks at me.
“I saw that,” Dana mutters. All three of us laugh.
“All it takes is persistence, right, boss?”
“Exactly, Billy! You got it. You don’t need my help.”
“Persistence, and lots of tender loving care,” adds Dana.
I rise from my chair and open the door. But before I step inside, I tip my hat to the lovely couple. “You two are the model relationship as far as I’m concerned.”
“Oh, he’s in trouble if he thinks that!” Dana exclaims. She gives her husband a quick and sweet kiss on the cheek. “Right, honey?”
“Alright, beautiful. It’s time to get you to bed,” Thomas says.
I watch as he picks her up and flips her over his shoulder. She squeals.
“Goodnight, Billy. Hold the door open for Thomas, please.”
“Goodnight, ma’am,” I reply as I step aside and watch the happy couple go off in the direction of their bedroom.
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, I watch as a car pulls up to the ranch. Plenty of cars are always pulling up, but for some reason my gut tells me to pay attention to this one. It’s a small Ford that looks like it has seen better days. But sure enough — Olivia gets out of the passenger’s side. The driver is a short and curvy blonde woman around Olivia’s age.
I go to the two women and remove my hat.
“Ladies, welcome to Lone Wolf Ranch.”
Olivia giggles. “Billy, this is Cara,” she says as she introduces the blonde.
Cara holds out her hand. I take it and kiss the top of it. The two women erupt into giggles.
“I told you he was an old-fashioned man,” Olivia says as she holds her hand out for me. I bend down to kiss it and purposely move my face in close to hers for just a moment before dropping down to her hand. Her floral scent captures me right away. My manhood grows hard against my jeans—and just like that I’m at full length. I’m so attracted to this girl that it almost hurts to be around her, damnit.
“He’s a very big guy,” Cara says.
“I know, right?” Olivia replies.
I stand up straight and put my hat back on. “Ya know, I’m right here.”
“We know,” they reply in unison.
Women. Sometimes they can be such funny and strange creatures.
“What brings you to the ranch today, ladies? I was waiting for your call, Ms. Olivia. I didn’t expect to have the pleasure of seeing you again so soon.”
“Well, I didn’t come here to see you,” she replies. “I came here to visit your horses.”
“Horses. Is that so? Well, you’re in luck then, because I’m the horse guy. Right this way, ladies.”
“I’ll bet you’re the horse guy,” Cara whispers.
I lead them inside the stables and introduce them to Category Five, our fastest runner. He’s a black horse with a smooth and shiny coat.
“This horse is beautiful,” Olivia says as she pets his mane.
“Say, Billy, right? Do you think I can go up to the house by myself while you and Olivia hang out with the horses? Olivia loves horses, don’t you, girl?”
