Broken (4 page)

I rode along the fence line, just trying to clear my head. This was where I did my best thinking. I loved it out here. I could get lost, just being in the quiet of it all.

“Motherfucker! Son of a bitch! Stupid-ass car! Oh my God, I hate you!”

What in the hell?

I came up over a small hill and saw a silver Lexus RX pulled off on the side of the road. The girl standing next to the car, kicking the wheel, was obviously from the city. She was dressed in light gray slacks and a sheer white blouse. Her brown hair was pulled up and piled loosely on top of her head. The way she was screaming at the tire and yelling at the car made me smile instantly.

Too fucking cute. Damn city girls.

“Piece-of-shit car!”

I let out a small laugh. “Excuse me, ma’am. You’ve got a problem with your car?”

She spun around and threw her hands on her hips as she tilted her head. When she crinkled up her nose, I guessed it was something she did when she got mad.

“No, cowboy. I like standing on the side of the road in Texas in the middle of July, yelling at my piece-of-shit car. I get a kick out of it.”

Wow. What a bitch. Yep, city girl. Bet she’s from New York or somewhere like that.
“Wow. Full of spit and fire, and here I was, trying to be a Southern gentleman and help you out. If you prefer that I keep moving along, I’ll be more than happy to—”

“No! Wait! Oh God, please don’t go. I’ve been here for almost an hour, and not one car has gone by. Not one! My cell phone doesn’t have a signal, and you’re the first person I’ve seen. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a bitch. I’m late for my first big job interview, and I really wanted this to go so differently.”

When she tried to hold back a sob, my heart sank.

Ah, shit.

I guided Cricket up against the fence, and then I pulled my leg over and jumped.

“Oh shit! Aren’t you afraid your horse is going to run away?”

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 going 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.

“The name’s Layton, not cowboy.”

She glared at me as she put her hand on Cricket.

“Let me help you up,” I said.

She slammed her purse and laptop carrier into my chest. “Just hold these, will you? I know how to get on a damn horse.”

I smiled as she climbed up onto my girl. She certainly did know what she was doing. She moved behind the saddle and reached down for her things. I smiled as I handed them to her.

“What? No tip of your hat? No, ‘Well done, city girl’?” She arched her eyebrow.

“Do you need me to tell you that you did a good job?”

She turned her head and sighed.

I climbed onto Cricket and said, “Hold on.”

We rode along in silence for a bit before she finally started to talk.

“So, you’ve always lived here?”

“Yes, ma’am, my whole life.”

She let out a sigh, and I smiled, knowing I was agitating the shit out of her by calling her ma’am.

“Family? Are you married?”

“Nope.”

“Nope to not married? Or nope to no family?”

I turned around to look at her. Her eyes caused me to catch my breath. I’d never seen such beautiful green eyes. I’d always been one for blue eyes, but this girl’s eyes just did something to me.

“Both.”

I felt her tense up and grab on to me tighter.

“Oh. Do you mind if I ask where your family is?”

“Are you going to see Mrs. Pierceson regarding business? Or is it personal?”

She let out a gruff small laugh. “I’ll take that as, it’s none of my business. I’m meeting her for business. I’m starting an event-planning company here. She’s my first client.”

“Really?”

“Really. She’s throwing a sixtieth birthday party for her husband. I met her in the coffee shop in town, and we got to talking. She’s very nice, and once she found out I was new to town, she couldn’t wait to help me out by being my first client.”

“Well, she’s pretty well-known in Llano, so if you do a good job, you’ll most likely get more work out of it. One thing we like to do in the country is throw a damn good party.”

“Oh shit. That just makes me more nervous. Damn it. Why’d you have to tell me that?”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Just be yourself, CG, and you’ll do fine.”

“CG? What in the hell does that stand for?”

I let out a laugh. “City girl!”

“Oh my God. No. You did not just give me a nickname, and to top it off, a lame nickname at that!”

“Lame? That is not a lame nickname. Are you not from the city? I mean, come on. New York City, I bet, right? You can’t get any more city than that.”

“Whitley, that’s my name. Please call me Whitley.”

“Fine. Whitley, it is.”

“Fine.”

“I already said fine.”

“Jesus Christ, no wonder you’re not married.”

I started to laugh. This girl was full of spit and fire. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Married? Boyfriend? Family here? What brought you to Llano? How old are you?”

I felt her tense up.

“I’m single and plan on staying that way. My family lives in New York, and my best friend, Courtney, moved here with me. I needed a fresh start, and Texas was it. I’d heard about Llano years ago, and I decided this was what I wanted—small-town, country living. And I’m twenty-four.”

“You running from someone?”

“What? Why would you ask me that?”

Jesus, she was instantly on guard.
Yep, she’s running from something…or someone.

“It was just a question, CG.”

“No, I’m not running. Shit, I thought you were supposed to be a Southern gentleman, not an asshole.”

“Ouch. Now, I see why
you’re
single.”

“Can we just not talk anymore? Please.”

“Fine by me,” I said.

“Good.”

When she placed her head on my back, I instantly felt like a dick. Just by the way she was holding on to me, I could tell she was upset. I should have just dropped it. My heart actually hurt, knowing I might have caused her pain.

We rode the rest of the way to the house in silence.

I couldn’t believe I was trying to get to my first appointment with my first client on the back of a horse with a damn cowboy—and a smart-ass cowboy to top it off.

Wait until I tell Court about this.
She would be pissed. My first official contact with a cowboy, and she wasn’t with me.

I smiled, just thinking about telling her.

Shit. Why did my car have to break down?

Damn it! Why does he have to smell so good?

Breathe out of your mouth, Whitley. Don’t breathe in his heavenly scent.

I closed my eyes and thought back to fifteen minutes ago when I saw him for the first time and felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. He was about five-eleven and built like a god. He had the bluest of blue eyes. I’d never in my life seen eyes that looked like they were piercing into my soul.

His smile…good God, his smile.
I swore my panties had combusted the moment he’d flashed that smile.
Fucker had to have a dimple, too.
Ugh.

I opened my eyes and looked at the back of his head. He had on a black cowboy hat, but his brown hair was peeking out. My eyes moved down to the tattoos covering his arm. I saw the name Mike and a date, but I couldn’t make out the numbers.

That would be another reason Courtney was going to be pissed. She loved guys with tats. I could take it or leave it.

He turned his head and said something, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I’m sorry. What was that?”

“My house is right up the way a bit. It’s just another couple of minutes.”

“Perfect! I can still make my appointment and not be too terribly late.”

When we came up over a hill, the house in front of me literally took my breath away.

“Holy shit. Is that your house?” I stared at the most amazing house I’d ever seen.

“Yes, ma’am, it is. My brother and I built it.”

“It’s…it’s breathtaking.” I shook my head.

This house looked almost exactly like the dream home I had planned in my head. It was a two-story house made of stone and wood. Most of it was a sandstone rock, and the chimneys on the ends made it look like a log cabin. It even had a silver tin roof. The porch pretty much wrapped around the whole house. On the second floor, I noticed a huge balcony that had to belong to the master bedroom. There was a three-car garage, and behind the house was an even bigger barn.

As Layton headed to the barn, I saw a young man running toward us.

“Mr. Layton! My dad said you might need some help this summer. I couldn’t wait to ask you. I’ll do anything, sir, anything you want. You want me to take Cricket and get her cooled off and fed, sir? I’ll take care of her for you.”

I had to let out a laugh. Whoever this little boy was, he certainly looked up to Layton. After bringing Cricket to a stop, Layton leaned back and asked for me to sit tight. He jumped down, took my purse and laptop bag, and then handed them to the little boy. Then, Layton turned and reached for me. As much as I wanted to tell him that I was very capable of getting off a horse by myself, I also longed for his touch, which really surprised me. So, I let him help me down. The moment he touched me, I felt a surge go through my whole body.