Connor: A Cowboy Stepbrother Romance Novel (8 page)

“Hey, Richard!” I said, smiling. “How are you?”

Richard smiled in return, and then responded, “I’m well. And has your mom told you yet? I’ll be coming out there to visit this week. In fact, I’m leaving first thing in the morning.”

I quickly attempted to pout out my lower lip in disappointment.

“I’m afraid I’m going to miss you then,” I said. “Mom, that’s what I came in here to tell you about. Do you remember my friend Cindy, from high school? Well she invited me to go on a little road trip with her to Grand Rapids where her cousins live. I haven’t seen her in years and I wanted to take the opportunity to catch up.”

The words kind of died in my mouth as I spoke them. I never lied and it felt weird to do so. But I had to. Both Mom and Richard would have thought that it was strange if I had taken a trip to see Connor, especially when he was going to have the farm to himself.

They didn’t seem disappointed at all,; In fact, they actually seemed excited about it. The two lovebirds were going to have the whole house to themselves.

“Well, I’m sorry that I won’t be able to see you,” Richard said. “But your mom and I will have fun without you!”

My mom chuckled and then looked toward me. “Yeah, I think it would be good for you to get out and have some fun,” she said. “When are you leaving with Cindy?”

“First thing in the morning,” I explained. “I’ve got my bags packed and everything’s ready to go.”

My mom. “Well, maybe I’ll see you in the morning, then. If not, be safe and have fun, okay?”

“You guys have fun, too,” I said as I turned to leave. “I’ll see you in a couple of days, Mom.”

Then I headed back to my room. I almost felt sick lying about where I was going. I was a good girl, after all. I had never lied, cheated, or stolen anything in my life. And I started to wonder if a little bit of Connor’s “bad boy” history was already starting to rub off on me.

––––––––

T
he next morning I got up early. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but I had set my alarm so that I could get on the road as soon as possible. After slipping on some jeans and a t-shirt, I tiptoed out of my room with my backpack over my shoulder. I didn’t want to wake my mother, so I left the house as quietly as I could.

After tossing my backpack into the back seat of my car, I slid into the driver’s seat and started up the engine. As slowly and quietly as I could, I backed the car out of the driveway. Then I began driving due West, starting my eight-hour journey to the farm in Iowa, where I hoped that all my questions would be answered.

Who are you, Connor?
I thought as I pulled onto the highway.

The image of the perfect man that I had made Connor out to be was starting to feel blurred. My imagination ran wild with thoughts of him breaking the law, stealing money, and outsmarting authorities. I pictured every kind of criminal I had ever seen on television or in movies. The criminal was always the bad guy, the one who stained society's shiny image. But that couldn’t be the Connor I knew, could it? Could my stepbrother be one of
those
guys?

“There’s no way,” I affirmed. “No way.”

Then I turned up the radio and rolled the windows down, letting the cool, morning air fill my car. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon and I had a long ways to go before I’d get to the farm to surprise Connor. So I put the car in cruise control and relaxed into the seat, settling in for the long drive.

***

T
he time flew by and it wasn’t long before I crossed the state line into Iowa. The giant “Welcome to Iowa” sign that stood proudly by the side of the highway meant that I was getting close to the farm. The thought of seeing Connor again filled me with mixed emotions. Mostly I was excited, but there was still an underlying tone of suspicion that had me nervous.

After a few more miles on the highway, I turned off onto the long, dirt road that led to Connor’s farm. The sweet smell of grass and the warmth of the sun flooded the inside of the car. It felt so nice to be in the country again and I wondered if that was where I belonged. Strangely, it felt more like “home” to me than the city ever had. Something about the fresh air, the sunshine and the simple way of life just resonated with me.

After thirty minutes of driving on the dirt, I pulled up to the fork in the road. I glanced over to Richard’s farmhouse, which sat in the distance. Connor’s truck was parked next to the barn and as soon as I saw it, and a tingling sensation filled my body. Seeing the truck brought back a wave of memories, including the intimate encounter that Connor and I had shared in the back of it.

I drew in a long, deep breath in an attempt to calm my excitement. Then I took a right at the fork and drove up to the house. I parked next to Connor’s truck and stepped out, glancing around the barn. The two horses, Willy and Nelson, were there, but Connor was nowhere to be seen.

As my gaze moved outward across the green cornfields, contrasted against the blue sky, I began to remember why I loved the place so much.

“God, it’s nice here,” I whispered.

It had only been two days since I had left, but I had missed it more than I realized. It made me so happy to be back. There were obviously some very important things that I needed to talk to Connor about, but I hoped to be able to have some fun while I was there, too.

“Now, where is that cowboy?” I wondered quietly as I walked up to the porch of the farmhouse.

After knocking on the screen door a few times, I stepped over to the window nearby to take a peek inside.

Hmm, that’s weird.

There didn’t appear to be anybody inside. So I opened up the door and poked my head in. “Hello?” I called out.

There was no answer. It was completely silent. I turned around and walked outside and then made my way to the wildflower field in the back of the house. To my relief, I found him there relaxing on a bench that was located at the edge of the field. He was facing away from me, with both of his arms over the back of the bench. He was wearing his brown cowboy hat and a sleeveless t-shirt. His head was leaned back slightly as the sun covered his body. A smile crossed my face as soon as I saw him.

With a spring in my step, I walked down the dirt trail that led to the bench. When I got there, I placed my hands on his shoulders and quipped, “Excuse me, sir.”

Connor jumped up immediately and turned around with a bewildered look on his face. “Holy shit!” he cried.

I giggled softly at Connor’s reaction. I had no idea he could be so jumpy. As soon as realized it was just me, though, he relaxed.

“Jesus, Emily,” he said. “You scared the crap out of me. I didn’t know it was you.”

I cocked my head to the side.

“Who else would it be?” I asked.

Connor took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. “I’m just surprised to see you here, that’s all,” he said. “You didn’t tell me that you were for sure coming.”

Then he paused, as he looked me up and down. “But God, I’m glad that you did,” he continued. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”

He stepped close to me and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me close. For a moment, I completely forgot about the supposed black marks of his past. His blue eyes and boyish smile instantly hypnotized me.

“I missed you,” he said.

I bit my bottom lip as I placed my hands onto his muscular forearms, letting my fingers slide up his skin.

“I missed you, too,” I responded.

Then I stood on my tiptoes and leaned forward, bringing my lips to his. We kissed and the moment felt perfect. It was even better than I expected. And the warm sun and smell of wildflowers only added to the beauty of it. As we pressed together, I began to realize that I actually really liked him a lot. His touch caused my knees to weaken and the way he looked at me with those blue eyes took my breath away.

Connor moved his hands my sides and then slowly pulled away from our kiss.

“I needed that,” he breathed, smiling.

My entire body tingled and I started to feel turned on. I guessed that the time apart made me want him even more.

“I hope that I didn’t scare you too badly when I walked up on you” I said, playfully. “I just wanted to surprise you.” 

“Oh, you definitely surprised me,” he laughed. “In fact, you nearly gave me a heart attack. But I’m so glad you’re here. We have the entire farm to ourselves and there are still so many things that I want to show you. It’ll be nice to not have to sneak around our parents, too.”

I nodded in agreement as I let my eyes move down Connor’s body. The outline of his muscular chest and washboard abs were visible with the tight shirt covering his torso. He was wearing jeans that were torn in the knees, which covered up the tops of his brown cowboy boots.

It would sure be a lot easier to be angry with him for his past if he wasn’t so damn hot...

Connor reached forward, taking my hand in his.

“Come on, I want to do something fun with you,” he said.

Then he led me down the trail and back toward the barn. Willie and Nelson got excited when they saw us approaching. They starting snorting and shuffling around restlessly, kicking up dirt with their fidgeting.

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

Connor looked over at me and smiled.

“Well, you mentioned once that you loved to ride horses,” he explained. “But we didn’t get the chance last time. So we’re going to go for a ride now.”

My eyes widened and I squeezed Connor’s hand in excitement.

“Really?!” I cried. It had been years since I had been on the back of a horse and I was so excited to go riding again.

Connor led me into the barn and then grabbed two saddles and their pads, placing them on the horse’s backs. I watched in admiration as he secured the cinch around each horse's barrel in mere moments, tightening it just so. It was second nature to him. And once again, I started to remember why I had been so attracted to him in the first place. He was masculine, confident, strong, and knew how to do just about everything.

“Okay, I’m going to have you ride Nelson,” Connor said, as he stepped next to one of the horses. “He’s a lot more relaxed than Willie. He shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

He held out his hand and helped me up into the Nelson's saddle. I slipped my feet into the stirrups and then took up the reins.

“So he’s not going to buck me off, is he?” I asked.

Connor shook his head. “No way. Nelson has never done anything like that in his life. He’ll pretty much just follow Willie around, so you don’t even need to give him any commands. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

After speaking, he mounted the other horse. Then he whistled twice, and immediately after Willie started walking out of the barn. My horse followed closely behind placidly without being given a single order.

“This is so exciting!” I squealed.

Connor looked over his shoulder with a smile.

“I told you we were going to do something fun,” he responded. “I want to take you someplace special. It’s only a few minutes from here on horseback.”

The afternoon sun beat down on us as we turned onto a trail leading into the foothills. Connor rode in front of me, so we didn’t talk much on the ride. I found myself in a great mood, though. The warm sun, the gentle sounds of the horses, the smell of the fresh country air; it was all causing my spirits to lift.

We rode for a little while, and then the trail took us out of the fields and into a wooded area. The terrain suddenly got steeper and rockier. I felt my senses heighten.

“Is this safe?” I called out.

Connor looked back and responded, “Yeah, just let Nelson do his thing. You’ll be fine. This is the only trail that can take us to where I want to go.”

I held my breath as Nelson navigated the rocks below. The thought of Nelson losing his footing scared the crap out of me. Luckily, though, the rocky part of the trail didn’t last too long and within a few minutes we were at the top of the hill.

“Thank, God,” I whispered.

We rode out of the woods and into a clearing. I glanced behind me, surprised at how much elevation we had gained in just a few minutes.

“Well, this is it,” Connor said as he gently gathered up the reins, causing Willie to slow to a stop. “Come here, Nelson.”

Nelson obeyed Connor’s command and pulled up alongside Willie. Connor looked over at me, smiling.

“That trail was kind of scary, I know,” he said. “But some things are worth the risk. Look at this view.”

The clouds in front of us began to clear, revealing the most amazing view I had ever seen in my life. As far as the eye could see there were rolling green hills, and beyond the hills was a large mountain range, which stood proudly against the skyline.

“This is beautiful,” I said in awe.

The view was absolutely mesmerizing from where we were standing. It was so peaceful there, too. There was hardly a sound, besides a light breeze and the horses breathing.

“You like it?” Connor asked, as he reached between the horses and placed a hand on my knee.

“I love it,” I responded.

I drew in a long breath, letting the crisp air enter my lungs. Then I slowly exhaled.

“Come on, let’s walk around,” he said.

We dismounted and tied them up to a nearby tree.

“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that you’re here right now,” Connor admitted, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“Well, I’m happy to be here,” I responded.

Maybe I should just ask him about the accusations and get it over with.

I turned to face Connor. His cowboy hat was tipped slightly to the side and his blue eyes glowed in the afternoon light. Everything about him seemed so kind and it made me question his so-called “criminal past” even further.

“God, you are so beautiful,” Connor said, as he gazed into my eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

I smiled at the compliment, but didn’t really know how to respond. Was it actually luck that brought us together? I didn’t believe in luck. Nothing in life ever happened out of pure randomness. I had always believed that every little event had a purpose.

“I don’t know if luck has anything to do with it,” I responded. “Maybe it was meant to be.”