The Cowboy and The Pencil-pusher

Chapter 11

"Watch out there, you'll sprain your ankle." Lawrence Blackburn grabbed my arm and held me back just as I nearly stepped into a gopher hole.

I smiled awkwardly and turned my eyes to Kurt. "Maybe I shouldn't talk when I'm walking, but watch the road."

"Maybe," Kurt said under his breath.

"Hehe," I said.

Lawrence noticed my delicate shoes and whistled. "I wanted to ask you, where did you get such wonderful boots?"

Kurt bit his lip but said nothing.

"It's the boot shop in this small town." I knew my voice was unnatural.This is mainly due to Kurt's disapproving aura.

"I didn't expect them to have such a good stock."

"Yes." I really wanted to change the subject.Clutching my iPhone to my chest, I watch as the orange backhoe scoops up the wet dirt and hauls it away. "I thought it would take a long time for the permit to start." I said as I waved my hand to disperse the exhaust from the machine.

"Fortunately your dad chose my company, right?" Lawrence smiled and put his arm around my shoulder. "Listen to me. Everyone in this town knows me well. I wanted to tell you. I'm quick at what I do."

"What we want is to get things right," Kurt said slowly, frowning at Lawrence's way of hooking me. "We don't want to be opportunistic."

Lawrence shrugged. "It's all arranged. There's no need to worry."

"We haven't broken any laws, have we?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm in favor of quick fixes, but compliance with federal and local regulations is what matters."

"Of course I obey." Lawrence averted my eyes, a small gesture that shook my confidence in him.

"Fine." I felt awkward being hooked by Lawrence like that.Especially since Kurt had just mentioned it to me the other day.Lawrence has a good skin, but I have no feelings for him.I moved so that he had to let me go. "We want to avoid problems as much as possible."

"I agree," said Lawrence kindly.

I looked into Kurt's unmoving eyes and said, "I'm going to the foreman's trailer now. Would you like to see the final architectural drawings for the guest cabin?"

He shook his head. "No."

I was surprised and disappointed by his lack of enthusiasm.He's been pretty aloof these days since he snapped at me for sending the wrong paint.His performance distraught me.After all, if I can do my job well, he should too.

I shrug. "As you please."

"I need to deal with some ranch affairs." Kurt said, looking around the area he mentioned.

"It's okay." I dusted the dirt off my jeans. "Just an idea."

"I'd love to check out the trailer you're talking about," Laurence puts in, Kurt's nostrils flaring. "But I have other urgent business to attend to today. Maybe I can go another day."

"Of course." I pretended to be very happy to smile. "welcome any time."

Lawrence checked his phone. "Oh shit. I'm actually late for a meeting. Shit, I have to go." He squeezed my shoulder. "Do you want a lift back to the hotel? But I'll be late if I drop you off."

He was the one who insisted on sending me to the ranch today, so I'm a little surprised that he's going to ignore me right now. "Uh...of course." I think I understand roughly why.

"We'll take you home. Don't worry," Kurt reassured me.

"Great," Lawrence said, turning to me. "Call me, buddy. We can have dinner one night this week. Get to know each other." He winked.

"No problem." I nodded and watched him walk to the shiny red sports car.When I turned around, Kurt was still standing not far from me with a playful expression on his face. "I thought you were busy with the ranch," I said.

He grinned. "I say that because I don't want to spend another minute with that idiot."

"Are you a liar?"

"Exaggerating the facts. I do have business to attend to. I have to ride out to the west of the ranch to check the broken fence. But I was going to go after lunch."

I put my hands in my pockets. "I see. Well, we'll see you later." I was about to walk towards the trailer when he stopped me by the elbow.

He cleared his throat. "Uh...I was wondering...would you like to come with me?"

Surprised by the invitation, I frowned. "are you serious?"

"Yes."

I laughed dryly. "Your invitation really exceeded my expectations. You have been quite cold recently."

He shrugged and kicked a rock on the ground. "I have something on my mind."

"what's up?"

He swallowed hard. "No big deal."

I bit my lower lip and stared at the distant mountains in a daze. "It looks pretty deserted out there. You really want me to join you on your fence restoration journey?"

he laughed. "Yes, why not? You've swam with the sharks. What are rolling hills and barbed wire to a thrill-seeking adventurer like you?"

"I think so."

His eyes are very sincere. "I wanted to ask you out earlier, but...uh...I thought you were going to spend the whole day with Lawrence. Like usual."

Lawrence's red car is driving away. "Clearly not."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Not very disappointed."

His expression became cheerful. "In that case, how about it, Paul? Do you want to go with me to see your investment?" His voice was much friendlier than the previous few days, which made my heart skip a beat.

Suddenly, I felt extremely happy. "I thought I could join you. I haven't seen the rest of the ranch yet. Seems like I should."

He looks happy. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

My face was bitter and my heart sank. "Oh, can't we drive?"

His smile returned. "The area we're going to is very remote. Best to ride."

I scratch my chin. "Hmm... I thought we were going in your truck. The closest I've ever been to a horse was taking a photo with a foal when I was six."

"that's it?"

"I'm afraid so."

He stroked his chin and smiled. "You'll be fine. Join?" He watched me, his eyes sparkling.

"Um……"

He lowered his head and coaxed me, "I'll take care of you, Paul."

His gentle voice warmed my heart. "Okay." In a trance, I found myself agreeing.

"Great." He looked really happy. "Are you busy right now?"

"Not busy. These guys seem to know what they're going to do." I wave to the worker with the backhoe and a few others strolling around with blueprints in their hands. "I'm only going to mess with them here." I don't mind hanging out with Lawrence around the construction site, but I'd be pretty uncomfortable being alone.

"Go and change into some comfortable clothes. I'll pack my lunch and prepare my horse."

"Of course." I can't explain why I'm so excited to spend a day with Kurt.But just thinking about me being with him makes my pulse beat faster.The logical explanation is because I'm bored.After all, Lawrence was in charge of most of the engineering and I was just doing some review work in the background.

Kurt whistled at one of the nearby ranchmen. "Hey Tim, can you drive Paul back to his hotel and bring him back?"

The man nodded kindly. "Of course, boss. Believe me, I'm done with shoveling shit out of barns."

Kurt smiled and patted him on the back. "Thanks, Tim." Kurt turned to me. "See you in an hour?"

"Okay." I followed Tim into his pickup.The trip back to the hotel was quick, and I quickly changed into a T-shirt and jeans as soon as I got there.I also grabbed a flannel shirt in case it gets cold later.With everything in place, I hurried back to the car and drove back to the ranch while Kurt was saddling two horses by the barn.

One of the horses was completely black, and was hopping around, as if looking forward to the journey ahead.The other that Kurt was saddling was gray with white spots and seemed to be dozing off.I prayed in my heart that this was the one I was riding.

Kurt looked up at me while tightening his girth. "Excited?" he asked.

I raise my eyebrows. "Not too excited, I just hope I don't break my neck." I looked back at him.

He turned and held out his hand to me. "bring it on."

God, when he sent out such an invitation, my heart skipped a beat.His husky voice and the look in his eyes sent me into nervous mode quickly.I approached, his pale eyes meeting mine as he tugged my arm closer to the horse.

"Put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your right leg over the other side of the horse," he said, putting his hand on my buttocks. "I'm here, don't be afraid."

I swallowed and followed his instructions.Sliding my left foot into the leather stirrup, I kicked and felt his hand slide down my back and brush my buttocks lightly.It might have just been an accident, but it still made my heart beat faster.Once I'm firmly seated in the saddle, I put my other foot in the stirrup and pull on the rein.The horse did not move during the whole process.

I laughed. "It's not asleep, is it?"

Kurt looked up at me, the light hitting his angular face, accentuating his high cheekbones and square jaw. "I want you to feel safe. Polly is one of our most obedient mares."

I stroked the horse's black mane and her withers twitched. "Thank you. I was very nervous."

He walked to the other horse and got into the saddle cleanly.The black horse paced around, but Kurt seemed to be one with the animal.He smiled at me. "Pineapple, on the contrary, is our worst-tempered horse."

①The horse's name is written as "Diablo".

The appearance of him riding a tall horse deeply moved me and made my heart sway.Seeing his familiar look, my sportsman alarm can't help but go off.I couldn't help but stare at his muscular thighs gripping the horse, and his strong upper arms as he rode that excited horse.

"Ready?" he asked, turning his horse around.

"Yes." I didn't do anything, but Polly followed Kurt.This is the horse I want: automatic operation and automatic acceleration.

Instead of crossing the pasture, we avoided the area where the workers were working and headed into the wilderness.We passed Maddy's old brown trailer and empty corrals and rode down a well-trodden trail out into untouched prairie.The first 10 minutes were all quiet save for the hollow echo of trampling horseshoes.But at that moment, Kurt turned to me and smiled.

"Kick her lightly. You can walk with me."

I was very nervous but did as he said.The filly flicked her tail, as if annoyed that she could no longer doze, and then picked up her pace until I caught up with Kurt.As she sped up, I held on to the saddle horns and prayed I wouldn't fall on my back.His horse snorted and nuzzled at my filly, but they kept going.

In the distance, the snow-capped, undulating mountains straight into the sky, like a rocket ready to go.On either side of us were endless green pastures, only to be dotted with cattle every few miles.

Kurt leaned forward in the saddle and pointed. "Those over there are the San Juan Mountains. A lot of people from out there go skiing at Coronet Peak and the town of Telluride."

I squinted my eyes, trying to see the top of the mountain. "I like skiing."

"Where do you usually skate?"

"It depends on whether I want to cross the interstate. In California I go to Mammoth Lakes a lot, but I've been to Utah too." I took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of wildflowers as I walked. "Do you ski?"

"No." He sighed. "Honestly I've never tried skiing."

"Really?" I widened my eyes.

"I was going to skate years ago, but something happened." He shrugged. "I'll be skiing someday."

"I can teach you." When I suggested, he showed the same astonished expression as I did.I'm not [-]% sure why I'm saying this.Maybe so he can see the non-accounting stuff that I'm also good at.Am I trying to prove my manliness or something?

"You want to see me stumble." He smiled.

I laughed out loud. "Well, I don't mind seeing you kneeling in front of me, it's true." As soon as I said it, I regretted it. "Bah. I just mean... you know... at my feet." My face felt like it was on fire. "forget it."

He snorted. "I don't know what to say about you."

"To shut up."

"Are you sexually harassing me?" He grinned.

I look away. "You know I don't mean that."

"You city folks are like that."

"Seriously. Stop it," I muttered.Most of my embarrassment was because a part of me was clamoring for him to kneel in front of me and do something dirty.It was his sexy cowboy vibe that gave me all kinds of nasty fantasies.In fact, he's my favorite male lead when it comes to dealing with morning wood.But I won't tell him.

He reached out and touched my shoulder. "Relax. I was just teasing you."

We continued riding quietly, and my embarrassment slowly faded.His horse certainly didn't like the stroll, and now and then he ran ahead, which gave me a chance to see Kurt's muscular hips and broad shoulders.I didn't want to watch it either, but things backfired and my eyes were always locked on him.

"Why did you ask me out on this trip?" I asked, hoping to find something to stop staring at him.

He shrugged. "We haven't spoken in days. I think we should communicate." He squinted at me. "What's wrong? Do you regret coming out?"

"No. I didn't expect to say that one day, but it's nice to be away from the computer. I've been in the trailer for too long, and I'm getting a little crazy." In the past, put I don't feel bad when I'm locked up in a place with electronic equipment for a few days.There must be something wrong with me.

He beamed. "Very good." Nodded to me. "As a crowd of onlookers from the city, you did well."

"Well, riding this horse is about as difficult as riding a rocker at the door of the grocery store, so it's okay." I sighed. "If she starts to trot, I won't be surprised if I don't fall on my back. Don't blame me for not telling you."

"No. You'll be fine, Paul," he said slowly.

God, I wonder if he even knows what it does to me when he calls my name like that.

During the hour or so we rode, Kurt taught me to identify a variety of plants, from thorny roses to golden flower bushes.He also told me some stories about his life on the farm with Maddy when he was growing up.His closeness to his grandfather is palpable, and it's clear how much Madi put in raising him after his mother passed away.

"You're lucky to have someone like Maddy in your life." I patted the filly's neck.My grandparents are all in another state and I rarely see them.Of course, I never met my grandparents.

Kurt nodded. "That's right."

"You can tell you care about each other." I try to think about the last time I really cared about someone.Maybe it was when my dad was sick.But when the object is changed to someone else, I must be indifferent.

"Family is important."

"Our family is just me and my dad, so I can only believe what you say."

"Don't you miss your dad at all?" He reined in the horse as it tried to pick up its pace. "You've been here four weeks, haven't you?"

"Almost." I shrugged. "I love my dad. But I don't know that I actually miss him."

He raised his eyebrows. "real?"

"We weren't very close. But I was scared when he was sick." Remembering those days makes my heart tighten. "Like I said, I love him. But he's a tough guy...or at least he used to be." I scratch my head. "He's changed now. I guess he wants us to be closer, but I don't know how to match him."

"Trust what he's showing. Don't dwell on the past against him."

"Simply put."

He shrugged. "No. But if he's genuinely changed, this is your chance to get close to him. If you want."

"It's not like I just sit there and think about it. But when I see you and Maddy, I think about what life would be like if you really believed that there was someone who would support you no matter what. "I squeezed my face. "Damn, I'm so emotional."

"It's got to be the fresh air. At this level, by the end of the project you're going to be tender."

I found myself laughing. "I don't know that kind of thing."

"I like that you become tender." His hoarse voice washed over me, pushing me to the top of the wave. "I can see your subtle changes, I like it very much."

I was confused by how he made me feel.No one has ever spoken to me like this before: so earnest and so unguarded.Suffice it to say, most people—not counting Benji—looked intimidated by my aloof exterior.But Kurt doesn't seem to mind.Because I didn't think about how to reply, I didn't answer the call.So I breathed the fragrance of wild flowers and enjoyed the warm sunshine on my shoulders.

Kurt didn't seem to mind my silence, and we drove on, across the prairie dotted with tall golden chrysanthemums.He looked over from time to time and gave me a warm smile.The feeling he made me feel was strange, but delightful.Somehow, we formed some sort of unlikely friendship.I doubt it will last.Good things are always fleeting.But at the moment, I just want to convince myself that it is because I am cute enough that this sexy cowboy in front of me is willing to get close to me.