Not knowing what he means, but too polite to ask, I answer, “The Callaway ranch hands are all heading over in the morning to pitch in.”
"Well that's mighty fine to hear. I know you haven't been here in town that long," the barber says. "But helping out a family in need is how we like to do things here in Plain.”
He's right, I only moved here six months ago when I found the land on Meadowbrook Lane for a good price. I realized if I wanted to build a house I'd have to put down roots in an area where I could get steady work. That way I could work on the house when I have time off. I already had the position at the Callaway ranch secured, so I thought it was the perfect place to buy land.
Going to the barn raising tomorrow will cut into my house building hours, but I figure it's for a good cause. A family who has two young children lost their barn in a fire. The least I can do is show up with everybody else in Plain and do my part to rebuild it.
I leave the barber’s with a fresh cut and shave. I figure I'll stop at the hardware store before heading to my property. But as I pass the bookstore, I see a familiar figure through the window.
My cock aches at the vision before me. Damn, there she is, her nose stuck in a book, but I wouldn't miss her anywhere. Seeing her browsing alone with a pile of books precariously in her arms, I realize this might be my chance to talk to her one-on-one without other cowboys around. As I head into the bookshop, the bells on the door jingle, marking my arrival.
The woman working behind the counter smiles at me. "Can I help you, sir?"
"I'm just browsing," I say, though it isn't the truth. I already know what I want. I head straight to Laura and I try to make out the title of the book she's opened and buried her nose in.
As I walk closer, I’m able to read the title, A Night with the Mafia King. There's a half-naked man on the cover but it’s the title that shocks me. Mafia King? Hell, is that what Laura's looking for? Because I sure as hell ain't one.
She notices me, hears my footsteps I suppose. And she looks up, her eyes peering over the top of the book. "Oh," she says, "hey, Cole."
I didn't even realize she knew my name. "Morning, Laura."
Her cheeks turn red and she closes the book and sets it on the top of the pile in her arms. "Are you just out running errands?" she asks.
"I reckon I am. And you are too, getting some new books for the week?"
She laughs nervously. "Yeah, I read everything in my aunt and uncle’s house, so I needed to grab some more," she stammers.
"I'm not trying to make you nervous," I tell her, looking her over. She’s in tight jeans and pink V-neck sweater. Her tits are hidden by that pile of books, but even so, she looks incredible. Innocent and oh so tempting.
"I’m not nervous, just…" She leans against a bookshelf. And as she does, several books fall from it. "Oh God," she says, "I'm so embarrassed." She immediately leans down to pick up the fallen books. And as she does, she drops the pile in her hands.
"I'm so clumsy. I'm sorry." She looks up at me, her lips parted ever so slightly. She's kneeling on the floor and the V in her sweater shows me how perfect and perky her tits are.
I get down on the ground myself, kneeling before her, a position I want to do a hell of it a lot more of. "Let me help you, Laura," I say. "But I don't know which books are yours and which books fell from the shelf," I tell her as I pick up the titles.
"Well, it's easy to tell the difference,” she says with a smile. “This section here where the books fell from looks like it's nonfiction on exercise, and the books I was holding are..."
I pick some of them up and read the titles out loud, "The Dark Mafia Boss, The Billionaire and His Bride, The Biker's Desire. I guess you don’t really have a type, huh?"
"Something like that," she says. "I just, never mind. You caught me; I like to read romance novels.”
"Nothing to catch you in—you’re a grown ass woman. You can read whatever you like. I’m just looking to see if you have a cowboy hero in this pile?”
She smirks. “No cowboys for me.” Then licking her lips, she adds, “What do you like to read, Cole?"
Not wanting to get offended over her lack of interest in cowboys, I focus on her question. “I mostly read books about working the land and building houses."