The Cougar and the Cowboy

Richard: 62 He wanted to use Yahoo messenger so we could see each other while we talked. He called every morning around 6:30 so many times we talked while I drank my coffee. At first, it was general subjects, even some politics and religion but then it became almost solely about sex. That coupled with the fact he told me he was sitting in his office chair with no underwear on. I could only see him from the waist up, thank God, but that was the end of those conversations. (Have you figured out by now there are some really weird people out there?)

Jackson: 48 nice-looking gentleman He was a mechanical engineer and he worked for an international company. He was sent all over the world when a country needed some repairs to their infrastructure, he and his crew would go there. Interesting. He had a son who lived in London. He’d like to take me there some time. He lived in a town not too far away, so I suggested we meet there for coffee. He couldn’t as he was going out of town. We carried on our texting friendship for a while when he said he was being sent to some foreign country with a crew. He would text me as soon as his plane landed. He did and told me a sad tale of how his camera and computer and his wallet containing his credit cards were all stolen as soon as he got there. Could I purchase a computer and send it to him? No. Well, he was desperate so could I give him my credit card numbers so he could replace his electronics and he would pay me back as soon as his company reimbursed him. I told him I was not going to give him anything. I had never been sworn at in a foreign language before that day. Needless to say, I never heard from him again which was perfect.

Antonio: 42 The photo he used was that of a very handsome man. When he contacted me, I asked why a gorgeous young man like him was contacting a woman my age. He answered that he was Italian, he liked older women and he thought I was beautiful. Okay, now even when we know it’s BS, what woman doesn’t want to hear that kind of statement? I ignored his ‘hellos’ on the site for a few days but then gave him my email address. We had some interesting email conversations which led to phone conversations. I looked him up on WhitePages.com and his address was legitimate. We would talk until the wee hours of the morning. I truly liked him and he was one sexy man. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it and he assured me he also knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Eventually I told him that I couldn’t continue talking to him but it would have been interesting to see where it might lead in time.

That was enough for the first installment. She knew her staff and trusted they could polish it up. She used fictitious names but used the correct ages. Now that she was on a site for younger men, it should be even more interesting. This was about online dating but specifically, the younger man with the older woman. So far, what she was sending was about men of any age, with the exception of Antonio. He was the youngest.

CHAPTER 22

DANIELLE WATCHED LUKE and her father play checkers while she prepared breakfast. She hadn’t seen her father that happy for quite a while. It was good for him to have some diversion and activity.

Cal and Lucy had arrived yesterday afternoon. They rented a car and followed the directions to her house. It was good to see them again. When they returned in a few weeks to pick up Luke, it would probably be the last time she’d see them for a long time.

They stayed for a few hours, then they were on their way to Seattle, Washington. It seemed they were looking forward to the scenic drive and were anxious to be on their way. After stowing Luke’s bags in the spare bedroom and giving him a few last instructions, they left.

Dani wasn’t sure how she would keep Luke occupied for the entire time but there were always chores to do and he was going to spend time with Jace, learning more about rodeos.

Ah, yes, Jace…she had relived the last part of their Colorado trip in her mind more than once. After he talked about being on a dating site and looking for an older woman to bail him out, she lost all respect for him. She asked herself many times if she was being honest when she felt appalled at what he said or if she was hurt because she was imagining the two of them dating.

She hadn’t spoken much after they spent the night together at Mandy’s house in some little town. She couldn’t even recall the name of it at the moment. They got up in the morning, returned to the café for breakfast, took care of Star and then waited for the truck to be fixed. He asked if she wanted to wander around the side streets for a while but she declined, opting to read a book she brought with her. There was no mention of the awkwardness of the previous night and the experience had lost its humor after he talked about his dating plans. If Jace noticed her quietness, he didn’t mention it. Maybe he was glad she stopped talking and he could enjoy some solitude.

It really didn’t matter now. They took different paths and life went on. She was supposed to take Luke to Jace’s ranch so she would have to see him and speak to him again, whether she wanted to or not. It would be difficult to avoid him even if she wanted to.

‘Do you want to avoid him, Danielle or are you nursing hurt feelings? You know better than to jump to conclusions, especially about men and how they think. Admit that you were falling for Jace Matthews and imagining all sorts of scenarios. Once you face the truth, you can move on. He’s a good guy and you can’t avoid speaking to him forever.’

“Dani,” her father almost shouted, “are you going to finish your scrambled eggs or are you gonna sit there in never-never land all morning?”

She smiled. “Sorry, Dad, I was thinking of something else and forgot to come back to the present, I guess.” She cleaned up the dishes with Luke’s help and after taking a deep breath, she called Jace’s number.

Jace answered on the second ring when he saw the caller ID. “Hi Dani. Did Luke arrive safely?”

“Yes, he’s here and ready to come to your place whenever you’re ready. It doesn’t have to be today, I know you’re busy.”

“Today is fine. I’m looking forward to it. Give me an hour to finish up a few things here at the bar and then I’ll head home.”

It was good to hear her voice. He hadn’t given much thought to the last leg of the trip before today. He missed their conversation that last half a day but thought perhaps she was tired. It had been a long two days, although he thought she seemed a bit miffed at him but his intuition about females was not the best, for sure.

“Hey, Boss, before you leave, could you give me Danielle’s phone number?” Mitch asked.

Jace hesitated. “Sure, I guess I can, but what do you need it for?”

Mitch smiled, “I want to ask her out. I think she would be a fun date and besides that, she’s really pretty. Don’t you think so?”

Jace frowned. “Yeah, she is pretty. I’ll ask her if it’s okay to give you her number when I see her today. I don’t want to give it out if she wants to keep it private.”

“Sure, I understand. Ask her and if she says yes, I’m going to ask her to go to the movies on Saturday night.”

‘Why is this bothering you so much, Jace? You have no exclusive rights to Dani’s friendship. Mitch is a perfect person to ask her out and you know he’d be a gentleman. And if he wasn’t, I’m pretty sure Dani could handle him. Besides, you’re not her big brother or her father. You’re just a friend and maybe not that. She didn’t seem to think too highly of your plan to date a wealthy older woman.’

“Are you ready, Luke? I’m not sure what Jace has planned for the two of you today but I’m sure it will be instructive in some way.”

They pulled into the drive which

curved around to the house and barn. Jace’s truck was there so obviously he arrived before them. He came out to meet them, shook hands with Luke and was going to give Dani a handshake too but she kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

“It’s nice to meet you, Luke. The last time I saw you was the day I bought the two horses from your dad and I believe you were maybe one or two years old. You’ve grown just a little bit since then.”

Luke laughed. At thirteen, he was tall like his dad and was going to have his broad shoulders, too. He had also inherited his mom’s red hair, although a much darker shade of red.