Hitching the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 1)

“I don’t think it’s a surprise who’s going to win this contest tonight,” Nicole says as the audience continues to scream Diesel’s name. Ridiculous as it seems, it’s like he somehow put a spell on every person in the room.

“Diesel! Come get your money, honey!” Nicole finally says. “And if you want a job, you’re hired,” she tells him. Diesel takes his prize and grabs the mic to give his version of a corny acceptance speech.

“I just want to thank my best friend, Riley, who’s sitting over there.” The bastard points in my direction, and all heads turn and look at me. Asshole. “He’s always wanted to see my package, so tonight, big boy, this one was for you,” he tells me, then cups himself. I flip him off, and he laughs.

“Don’t worry, y’all. I’m only into the ladies, so call me.” He smirks and walks off the stage, then heads toward me. I turn around and order us both a beer because I’m gonna need it to get through the rest of the night with him.

“I can’t believe you actually won,” I say as he plops down on the stool next to me.

“Maybe I’ll quit the ranch and move to Vegas,” he teases, happily taking the beer to chug it.

“Yeah, and your mama would kill you,” I remind him.

Looking over my shoulder, I catch sight of the beautiful blonde I saw earlier. This time, though, she’s looking right at me, smiling and biting her bottom lip.

I fully turn around and mouth, “Hi.”

She gives me a sexy wave with an eyebrow popped, and she’s looking at me like I’m the sweetest piece of candy she’s ever seen. I swallow down the lump in my throat, wanting to go to her but feel as if I’m standing in concrete. Girls like her don’t exist back home.

Diesel’s running his mouth about something, and I turn to tell him to give me a second because I need to find out every detail about her.

“I’ll be right back,” I interrupt, and he rolls his eyes. When I glance back, she’s gone, and I’m left wondering if I’ll see her again.

The next morning, I wake up with a slight hangover, but nothing a couple of ibuprofen won’t fix. We’re both starving, so we get dressed and go find breakfast. No matter how much I try to shake the thoughts of last night, I can’t seem to get that gorgeous woman out of my mind. It feels as if she were a dream, some figment of my imagination. An electric current was pulling me toward her, and I’ve never felt anything like that before.

We eventually find a buffet, and Diesel fills two plates full of eggs, sausages, mini pancakes, and a tower of bacon. He’s stacked like an NFL football player and eats like one too. As he’s shoveling food into his mouth, chewing like a goddamn animal, his eyes go wide. He chews faster, nearly swallowing a sausage patty whole.

“Babes,” he chokes out, looking past me with dreamy eyes.

“Babies?” I laugh, confused, but then see the group of women walk past our table.

One of them stops and takes a few steps back, staring at Diesel, who’s grinning like a doofus. “Can I help you, ma’am?”

“Are you the guy from last night at the club?” She’s intrigued. “Diesel, right? Oh wait, that’s probably just your stage name, isn’t it?”

He chuckles, and I find myself laughing too because most people only know him by that name. “It’s whatever you want it to be, sweetheart.”

She turns and looks at me for confirmation, and I nod. “Everyone calls him that back home.”

“So, you’re real cowboys, huh? It wasn’t an act?” She glances back and forth between us, looking at our getup. Boots and ten-gallon hats are what we’re most comfortable in.

“I’m a ranch hand in Texas,” he admits. “But I’ll be a cowboy if you want me to be,” he adds with a wink.

I snort and shake my head.

“Hmm…I like you, Diesel,” she says, pointing her finger at him.

“And what’s your name?”

She lifts an eyebrow at him. “Summer.”

“Wow, what a coincidence. That’s my favorite season,” he says in a heavy accent. All I can do is shake my head.

The conversation continues as Diesel lays it on thick, and from behind, I hear a sweet voice calling out. “Summer!”

Turning, I see the beautiful blonde from last night dressed in blue jean shorts and a shirt that shows her midriff. My mouth falls agape, and Summer notices.

“Zoey, come meet my new friends,” she says with a grin.

I stand, fumbling over my words. “It’s you,” I say. “From last night.”

Zoey smiles and tilts her head at me, then glances at Diesel. “Ahh, yes. You’re Riley, right? The best friend who wanted to see his dick?” She snorts, and Diesel lets out a roar of laughter. I’m gonna kill him.