Southern Charms (7 page)

Chapter 12

Elizabeth had no idea that so much that went into putting a saddle on a horse. It took almost ten minutes before he said she was ready, then led her out of the stable and out toward the corral.

As she was walking next to him, Elizabeth looked up. “So you’re 26?”

Xander shook his head a bit. “Naw, not quite. Close though, couple more months... in August.” Looking down at her, “Now I know better than ask, but what ‘bout you?”

Giggling as her eyes danced, she asked, “Yet you ask anyways?” Shaking her head, she looked back up at him. “I’ll be 24 in May.” Then she cocked her head to the side, “So how long have you been riding?”

Blowing a hard breath through his lips, Xander lifted both shoulders before dropping them again. “Oh, long time. Since ‘bout the time I could walk.”

“What about in competition?”

Humming a bit, he offered, “It’ll be 11 years in September. Started that shit when I was fifteen, in the junior division. I moved to the one I’m in now when I turned 18.”

“Are there like, huge differences between the two divisions or something?”

Wrinkling his nose, Xander shook head head. “Not really. Bigger animals, longer times, and a few less rules and regulations. That’s ‘bout it.” Pulling the horse to a stop in the middle of the corral, he patted her neck before crooking a finger at Elizabeth, “Come here.” He explained, pointing to a foot hold in the saddle, “Right foot through there. I’ll boost you up.” Once her foot was where he told her to put it, Xander gripped her by the hips and lifted her, telling her to swing her leg over and put her foot in the other foot hold. Once she was up, Xander handed over the reigns. “Hang on to these. Laylonni here will take her cues as to what you want by what she feels through these. You tug to the right, she’ll go right and so forth. You pull back, she’ll stop. Got it?” At the girl’s nod, Xander took a step back while crossing his arms. “Now, TAP your feet to her sides. The harder you hit, the faster she gonna go.”

For the remaining time before Mrs. Steele called them in to dinner, Xander worked with Elizabeth on the finer points of riding; how to sit in the saddle properly so as to not hurt your ass, how to get the horse to follow your commands, things like that. By this time the hour was up, Elizabeth was up to riding a soft trot.

As they were putting Laylonni up, Xander looked over the horse’s back with a smirk. “Not too shabby for a city gal, I suspect. Maybe there’s a bit of a country gal in there somewhere after all, huh?”

Elizabeth just giggled as she threw a brush at him.

Chapter 13

Elizabeth ended up staying at the Steele ranch until after dark, having been invited to take a ride along the trails around the ranch after dinner. Before she left that night, Xander had given her his cell number, telling her to call him to let him know she made it home, since she was still learning the area. She ending up having to call him once from a diner, because she took a wrong turn and couldn’t figure out where, plus she didn’t know her uncle’s number off the top of her head. She appreciated the fact he didn’t laugh at her as he told her how to find the main road she was looking for... well, while she was on the phone with him anyways.

The next afternoon Mark had come over, and as promised, brought his wife with him. To her surprise, they had actually hit it off almost immediately. Elizabeth really liked her; she was blunt and straight to the point, not beating around the bush on anything or holding her tongue. Before Valerie and Mark left that night, the girls made plans for Saturday to go to the city for some shopping, fast food, and a new cell phone for Elizabeth. The way she saw it, Brandon already knew where she was, so it was pointless to hide anymore. Plus, she was tired of it as it was. If she was out and had a phone, she had a better chance of getting help, than if she didn’t.

After Valerie dropped her off at home that evening, she got a shower and ate dinner. About an hour later, she was lying in bed listening to her iPod when her phone rang. Grabbing it off her night stand to look at the caller ID, her brow drew up at the unknown number. After a short debate, she shrugged and flipped it open. “Hello?”

“
Howdy, Sugar Britches.”

Smiling while rolling her eyes, she answered. “Hey Xander, what’s up?”

“
Not a damn thin’. Hey, whatcya doin’ tonight?”

“Not a lot. What number are you calling from?”

“
Kyle’s phone, ‘cause mine is currently deader than a doornail. Anyhow, I was wantin’ to know if ya wanted to go out tonight.”

Blinking a bit, Elizabeth inquired. “And do what?”

“
Get rowdy and raise all kinds a hell. There’s a barn dance out in the sticks and I need a partner.”

Biting her lip, she groaned, “I’m not much of a dancer, and you already have a broken foot.”

There was snort on the other end of the line. “
Then you ain’t ever had a good partner, ‘cause every girl can dance. And don’t you be worried none ‘bout my foot. I got this boot cast doohickey from the doc today that not even Rocky could break if he tried. So, whatcha say, Little Darlin’? Come out with me tonight?”

Taking a minute to think about it, Elizabeth finally gave in. “Alright, I’ll go, but I warned you that I can’t dance for shit.”

After they cleared up the details and he said he would be there to pick her up in an hour, Elizabeth hung up with Xander. She wasted no time dialing another number. Once there was a greeting on the other end, Elizabeth whimpered into the phone. “Val, I need your help.”

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth was opening the front door, pulling Valerie inside and up to her room, where it looked like a Texas tornado had hit. Val looked around the room with wide eyes before looking at the freaking out little Dolly. Scoffing with a shake of her head, Val came up with a plan of attack.

Grabbing the frantic girl by the shoulders, Valerie finally got her attention and very calmly explained. “You head off to the shower right quick, Dolly. I’ll make sense a this mess, then pick you out somethin’ to wear. All you doin’ right now is wastin’ time we ain’t got, Doll.”

Whimpering at that, Elizabeth whirled around, hitting Val in the face with her hair in her haste, making Val snort and shake her head. She then turned back to the mess of clothing that littered every surface of the room with her hands on her hips. Once she heard the bathroom door slam, she giggled, looking back over her shoulder at the door. “That poor Dolly ain’t got no idea what the fuck she in for tonight.” Turning back to the room, she rubbed her hands together, “Now, let’s see what I can find in here.”

By the time Elizabeth came out of the shower, Val had an outfit laid out that was not up for debate, no matter how much protest came out of Elizabeth. When she tried, Val just cocked a brow at her. “You asked me to help, Dolly, so you dress the way I say. Now, put it on.”

What Val didn’t know, was that all she was gonna ask was if it wasn’t too revealing for the first time her and Xander ever actually hung out. She didn’t have a problem with the outfit. If she had, she wouldn’t have bought the damn thing. Glaring a tad, Elizabeth began to get dressed in the short jean skirt and the corset style halter top. It was like most of the rest of her going out clothes in its length, or lack thereof. It only went down to the bottom of her ribs showing off her whole stomach. It was almost the exact same outfit she wore the first time she had met Xander, only the shirt wasn’t a tank top or white. The corset was black with white designs stitched into it.

Valerie watched as her little dolly pulled on her socks, then gagged when she saw her reaching for her sneakers. Rolling her eyes, Val sighed. “What size shoe do ya wear?” A triumphant smile came to her lips when the answer was ‘7’. Sitting down on the bed, Val pulled off the black boots she was wearing before tossing them on the floor in front of Elizabeth with the order to put them on. Once the boots were on her dolly’s feet, she had her stand and do a twirl for her, finger tapping to her chin in thought of what was missing.

After a moment, Val snapped her fingers with an ‘ah ha’ before undoing her belt to take off the changeable buckle. Picking up the black belt from the floor, she hooked it on and handed the belt over to be put on.

Elizabeth looked at the buckle, which was apparently very important to the outfit, snorting hard before laughing out loud at what it was. It was a silver plate with dark pink rhinestones that spelled out ‘
8 seconds don’t win my Rodeo’
with that mudflap girl above it in black rhinestones, the rest filled in with silver ones.

Cocking a brow at her new friend, Elizabeth snorted again. “Seriously?”

Val nodded enthusiastically at that. “Oh, absolutely, Dolly. You goin’ dancin’ with a rodeo boy. You gonna wanna be remindin’ him that eight seconds really ain’t as long as he thinks it is. Plus, you goin’ dancin’ with a rodeo boy, so it’s cute.” Looking out the window when she saw a set of headlights sweep over it and Xander’s truck coming to a stop, she turned back to her Dolly, to usher her out the door and down the steps. Before she opened the door, she gave Elizabeth a look to be obeyed, as well as a piece of parting advice. “Take his hat at some point and wear it.” Lifting a hand to stop the coming question, “You just trust me on this now and do it, ya hear?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath before nodding. “You and Mark are still going to come out right?”

Valerie nodded. “Absolutely, Dolly. I just gotta run home right quick and change, but I promise ya, I’ll be there as long as ya need me to.”

Giving her a tight squeeze, Elizabeth pulled back and turned to the door. Taking one more deep breath before opening it, she called back to her aunt and uncle that she was leaving. With one more glance at Val, Elizabeth was out the door. She trotted down the steps and strolled across the grass, taking in the full picture of her ‘date’. She felt her mouth go dry at the sight. He wasn’t dressed up like she was used to when going to a club or whatever, but she honestly couldn’t even fathom him in anything but the well worn Wranglers jeans that looked like they were tailored just for him, along with the dark red button up that he rolled up to just below his elbows. He left the top few buttons undone, showing the black undershirt he had on under it. He had on one black cowboy boot and his boot cast on the other. The look was completed by his black Stetson, which she had yet to see him without, his just shy of chin length hair peeking out from under it that she could see was still damp from the shower.

She was swallowing a whimper about the same time Xander was doing the same with a groan, after taking in the sight that was his Little Darlin’.

When she reached a point that was close enough to read the belt buckle, he made a silent prayer to God that he could keep his hands to himself. Moving around his truck, he opened the door for her, holding out a hand to help her climb up. Giving her a smile as she took it, “Looks like I was right ‘bout you havin’ a hidden country girl in there somewhere. You just about look the full part, Little Darlin’.”

Looking down at her outfit, she then looked up to give him a coy little smile. Well, he gave her the perfect opportunity. She couldn’t very well turn it down, now could she? Reaching up, she plucked his hat from his head to put it on her own. Giving him the most innocent look she could, her still developing southern twang came out without thought on her part. “How ‘bout now, Cowboy?” This was first time she had seen him without a hat, and she was nearly tempted to run her fingers through his dirty blonde hair.

This time, there was no swallowing the groan before it was born. Letting go of her hand, he grabbed her by the hips, then picked her up and set her on the seat before he got nose to nose with her, his green eyes dark and smoldering. “You, My Little Darlin’, are gonna make me forget to be a gentleman tonight.” With great effort, he pulled back to smirk at her., “Put ya belt on,” before shutting her door.

Once he climbed up in his seat, he looked over at her while starting his truck, but didn’t say anything as his eyes raked over her again. Giving his head a shake, he tossed an arm behind her seat and backed out of the drive.

Once they were on the road, he turned the volume of the radio back up just as the CD track changed one that -to his surprise- made his Little Darlin’ squeal and turn it up more, so she could sing along and dance around in her seat.

As the song ended, Xander was nearly laughing at the way she was wagging her finger at him. Instead, he just chuckled a bit while shaking his head. “Well now, you ain’t ever struck me as someone that likes this kind of music, Little Darlin’.”

Elizabeth just giggled as she leaned back in her seat. “Well, I’m sure there is a lot about me you would be surprised at, Xander. I might not be from the south like you are, but I was raised in a small town. I didn’t move to the city until I went to college.”

Grinning over at her, Xander chuckled again, “Well, my apologies Ma’am, if I offended you.”

The rest of the drive out to the sticks was spent singing along to the music.

Chapter 14

When Xander pulled up the shindig, it was still kinda early, so there weren’t all that many people there. There was enough for it to be a pretty packed parking area, though. Once Xander parked, cut the engine and took the keys out of the ignition, he turned around in his seat, and then dug around a minute before finding what he was looking for. Turning back and sitting down, he dusted off another Stetson, this one white. Once he was satisfied with how clean it was, he put it on before winking at his Little Darlin’ while hopping out. Walking around his truck, he opened her door. Instead of simply giving her a hand out, he once again lifted her by the hips to gently set her on her feet.

Elizabeth pursed her lips before flicking the brim of the hat. “You look better in black.”

Xander just snorted and spoke with a quiet chuckle in his voice. “Well, see... this little daisy I know took my black one. This was the only other hat I had in my truck.”

Giving him a smile, she reached up and took off the white hat, this time taking the opportunity to run her fingers through his hair.  Taking his black hat off her head to put it back on his, she placed his white hat now on her head. Since there was black in the hat and white in her shirt, it still went together. “There, that better?”

Keeping one hand on her hip, he set the other on the open door frame, kicking his boot casted foot behind him and up on his toes to give his ankle a break from his weight, he leaned closer to her. “What do you think? I’m pretty easy to please, Little Darlin’. I don’t need much. Just my hat, my horse, a pack of Marlboros, and a beer and I’m a happy camper. Everything else is just a bonus.”

Looking at him with a weird look on her face, she bit her lip a moment before replying. “You forgot the clothes on your back.”

He just cocked a brow at her. “No, I didn’t.” Then he winked at her, “That’s one of them bonuses.”

She pictured that, nearly choking on her tongue.

Xander smirked at her before dragging her out of the open doorway and shutting the door behind her. Keeping her between him and his truck, he caged her between his arms too and bent down to look her in the eyes, “Like I’m prone to losin’ my temper, I am just as prone to losin’ my clothes.”

Giggling like a teenager all over again, Elizabeth reached up and batted at the brim of his hat, knocking it in his eyes before ducking under his arm. She didn’t get far before she felt his hand close around her wrist. With a smooth maneuver, he twirled her back around into his chest, causing her to squeal while locking his fingers behind her back to keep her there.

Smirking down at her, Xander used the hat on his head to tilt the one on her’s back out on his view of her face. He chuckled, “you blushin’ like a virgin on her wedding night, Little Darlin’. I think someone needs a little white lightning to calm down a bit.”

Feeling the steel muscles under her fingers through the fabric of his shirt, she didn’t think that whisky was all that good of an idea personally, but she also wasn’t about to say no to it. So, like a dumbass, she smiled and nodded.

Smirk growing at the nod, “Atta girl. There is just ONE thing I wanna do before we head on inside.” Seeing curiosity spark in her eyes, Xander dipped his head, pressing his lips to hers like he had wanted to do earlier in the week, before she left the day she had come to his mama’s. He had been kicking his mental ass for two days for not doing so, and had spent a lot of that time trying to figure out how get another chance at it.

He couldn’t be happier that that night’s shindig came up in conversation at the corner store earlier in the day. The way she seemed to melt against him, paired with the muffled mewl, damn near set his blood on fire. She tasted like cherries to him, but that was probably that lip gloss shit and not actually her. He just shrugged a mental shoulder at the thought. This wasn’t the only time he planned on devouring those lips tonight. He was sure at some point it would come off, so he would find out if she really tasted as sweet as he thought.

Deciding not to push her too far too soon, he didn’t make a move to deepen the kiss into anything more heated than it was. However, he lingered for a moment longer before pressing a final peck to her lips and standing back his full height. There was a real stroke to his ego when she opened her eyes and he saw a glossy sheen over the bright orbs.

Her voice was airy and light when she finally found it. “What was that for?”

Xander shrugged, giving her a cocky smirk, his voice off hand when he spoke. “You wearin’ my hat. ‘Round here, that makes you my girl till you give it back or I take it back.” Then he lifted a hand to fix it on her head. “But you too damn cute in it for me to be considerin’ that, which means I get to kiss ya whenever I want.”

Voice still slightly breathless, all she did was say, “Okay” before taking his arm when he presented it. As he lead her inside, she made a very valiant effort to get upset at the way he phrased that, but there wasn’t a shred of her that could muster the will to do so. There wasn’t any darkness in his eyes when he called her his girl and there wasn’t any following threat to it. There was actually a compliment.

She turned her face up to look at him while biting the corner her lip. She wanted to believe that he was different than Brandon, and maybe he was. So far he had been, and other than that one time that was pretty justified, she hadn’t seen him get upset. As a matter of fact, he was on the verge of shooting Brandon the day they met. A small smile pulled at her lips when she thought about that twist of fate. He was only supposed to be in town for a few days and ended up breaking his ankle, keeping him here long enough for her to be able to get to know him a bit.

Smiling wider, she came to the decision that she was just going to go with the flow to see where it went. After the disaster that that was her last relationship, she felt she owed it to herself to have some fun. If this didn’t turn out to be for the long haul, she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. Plus, if Xander ever did cross that line, she wasn’t too big a person to tell his daddy on his ass. She would do it in heartbeat and not feel a bit bad about it, either. She would even sell tickets and popcorn to the show.

Pulling his girl up in front of him once they reached the bar, Xander dipped his head to her ear so she could hear him over the music. “What do you want, Little Darlin’?”

Turning to face him, she just shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t care. Whatever’s fine with me. I’ll drink about anything but gin. That shit is fucking nasty.”

Reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, Xander pulled out his credit card and handed it over to the bartender, ordering two shots of the promised white lightning and two Buds. Leaning to the side of her, his elbow on the bar, he propped his casted foot up on the foot bar with his leg behind her calves. Picking up his shot glass when it was put in front of him, he looked at Elizabeth with a raised brow. “What are we drinking to tonight, Little Darlin’?”

Elizabeth looked at her shot, tapping the glass on the bartop in thought before looking at him and raising her glass. “To having fun for once without worrying about the consequences.”

Xander’s emerald eyes flashing to jade brought the girl up short. She looked at him in confusion when he set his glass back down and shook his head. He laced his fingers together, just looking at her a short time before he licked his lips and clicked his tongue. “I ain’t drinkin’ to nothin’ that has to do with that shit.” He paused a minute before he locked eyes with her, “I can’t make you believe me when I say you ain’t got nothin’ like that to worry about with me, Sweetheart, but I certainly hope eventually you’ll get it through your head.  We out to have fun, and I never worry about no fuckin’ consequences. You said you wanted to forget he existed. Prove it.” Picking back up his glass, he raised it while continuing to look in her eyes. “What’s the toast, Sugar Britches?”

Looking at the glass she was holding then back at him, she picked her glass back up before reconnecting their gazes. “Get me, eat me, bite me, blow me. Fuck me, suck me very slowly. If you kiss me don’t be sassy, use that tongue and make it nasty.” With that, she clanged her glass to his and took her shot.

Xander just looked at her a moment before smirking, a chuckle in his voice. “Now
that’s
a toast.” He then took his shot, traded his empty shot glass for his beer bottle, and gave her a smile, “Where the hell you hear that from?”

Giggling as she too traded her empty for a beer, she shrugged. “It was the toast of the night on my 21st birthday. It was the last time that I went out before I got with my ex. I changed it from what it used to be though. There was a ‘beat me’ in there before, but you said you wouldn’t drink to that so I improvised a bit.”

Wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him, he smiled at her. “Cute and smart. I’m one lucky little fucker.”

Pushing his hat on her head back a bit, she gave him look. “What would you have done had I not taken your hat?”

Xander chuckled and leaned forward, setting his forehead on hers. “I’da kissed ya anyways.”

Cocking her brow, she questioned. “Really?”

Nodding once, Xander said surely, “You bet that cute little ass I would’ve. I’ve been kickin’ myself for not doin’ it since you left my mama’s the other day. Had you not taken my hat, I would’ve waited till later tonight and blamed the booze, had you a problem with it.” Then he shrugged slightly as he pulled back to take a drink of his beer, but paused with the bottle to his lips long enough to say, “I’m resourceful like that.” He took his drink, smiling around the mouth of the bottle when his girl snorted hard before laughing out loud.

Once she calmed a bit, she took a drink of her beer, swallowing before making her observation. “Sounds to me like you got some experience with that little stunt.”

His smirk was wide enough for his teeth to show. “Now, whatever gave ya that idea? I don’t need STUNTS. I’m just that damn good.”

Scoffing with a smile on her face, “well, alright then you conceded little prick. Never fuckin’ mind.”

Snorting, Xander took a drink of his beer before leaning in to whisper in his Little Darlin’’s ear. “There ain’t nothin’ little about my prick.” Then he laughed as she pulled away from him with a cry of ‘Jesus’. Smiling wide at her, he offered, “You might be gettin’ a slight accent, Little Darlin’, but we still gotta work on ya vocabulary. Ya gotta remember you ain’t in the big ol’ city here, and whatcha mean ain’t whatchya say.”

There was a good natured laugh at that as she grinned at him, “You fuckin’ backwoods hick.”

Xander just shrugged a bit as he finished his beer, and then ordered another one as well as another round of shots.