I smiled at her and turned to look at Cricket, who seemed just as amused by her comment as I was. “You know, I think Cricket might actually like you. She’s not one for taking to people, but look at how she’s staring at you. ”
I turned to see the city girl peeking over at the horse with a serious face. She slowly turned back to me and smirked.
“Are all Texas cowboys so…friendly?” She used air quotes as she said friendly.
I gave her my oh-so-famous smirk with a dimple. She didn’t want to, but her lips cracked with the slightest grin. My heart dropped, but I quickly pushed away the feeling.
“Nah, I’m one of a kind,” I said with a wink. “What’s goi
ng on with the overpriced piece of junk?”
She looked back at the car and then at me. “I didn’t call it that. ”
“No, ma’am, you didn’t. I did. ”
She took a deep breath and shook her head. “I’m not sure. It just died. It won’t turn over or even make a sound. Nothing. Can I use your phone to call a tow truck? I just moved to town, so if you could recommend, maybe, where to have it towed, that would be awesome. Oh, also, do you know a Mrs. Pierceson?”
“Yes, she’s my neighbor. ”
She jumped up and down and started clapping her hands together. “Oh my God, is there any way you can take me to a phone or to her house? I’ll pay you! I mean, with cash. ”
Holy shit. I felt slightly offended. “Um…ma’am, you’re in the country in Texas. We help our neighbors out. I don’t want your money. I’d be happy to bring you up to my house to make your call, and then I can take you on over to Mrs. Pierceson’s. ”
She smiled the biggest, most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Great! Let me grab some shi—I mean, some stuff out of my car. ”
When she took off her sunglasses to look at me, I was taken aback by her green eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of green I’d ever seen. They were just as breathtaking as Olivia’s blue eyes.
I stood there and watched her as she searched in her car. She took a box out of the backseat and placed it on the ground. Then, she grabbed a laptop carrier and slung it over her shoulder. When she shut the door, she reached for the box and just looked at me. I just stared at her and the box she was holding.
“Oh, um…I thought you were going to get your truck or something. ”
I looked all around me, then at Cricket, and then back at her as I let out a laugh. “You’re joking right?” I asked.
Her smile faded slightly.
“Sweetheart, if you want me to give you a ride, you’re climbing onto the back of Cricket here. ”
Her mouth dropped open, and I couldn’t help but smile at her expression.
“You want me to get on your horse? With all my stuff? How?”
I sighed and prayed that someone would just put up a sign outside of Llano that read, No more city folk allowed.
“Ma’am, how in the world—”
Balancing the box in one hand, she held up the other and shook her head. “Okay, first off, I’m pretty sure you’re older than me, so please stop calling me ma’am. My name is Whitley. And your name, cowboy?”
What a bitch!
I turned and started to walk back over to Cricket. I stopped and spun around. “Well, Whitley, I’m twenty-five years old, and it’s a Southern thing to address a lady as ma’am. If you want a ride up to my house, you’ll have to get off your damn high-society horse and realize you’re out in the middle of the goddamn country. I own five-thousand acres. My neighbor is a good way away, but my house isn’t too far on horseback. If you want a lift, you’ll get your ass over here, and then I can help you up and over this fence, so you don’t rip your pretty little outfit. If you’d like to wait for a car to come by, good luck. And my name is Layton, not cowboy. ” I stood there with my arms folded over my chest, trying to contain my anger.
She managed to open her car door, and then she tossed the box back inside. Still clinging to her laptop carrier, she grabbed her purse and then started to make her way over toward me.
“You so much as touch me wrong, and I’ll knock the shit out of you, cowboy. ”
I reached for her and picked her up. When I lifted her over the fence, she let out a little gasp. After I set her down on the other side, she tried to adjust her balance.