Dirt & Desert

She didn’t know what he could possibly show her that she hadn’t already seen, but she gave in and followed him up the trail.

They walked up a relatively large hill, and once they reached the top, Austin sat down and stared off into the distance. Josephine looked around, trying to discover what Austin wanted to show her.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?”

He looked up at her and laughed. “Give it a minute, just sit down.”

She looked down, searching for a place to sit. She sat beside him but not very close. They were close enough so they could talk, but she was cautious in her decision to keep a fair amount of space between them.

Not that it mattered because once she was firmly seated on the ground, he scooted closer to her. Feeling nervous and not knowing where to look, Josephine just looked down and, with her fingers, started playing with the grass.

He took his hand, lifted her chin, and then pointed towards the distance. “Look, just over that canyon.”

She squinted her eyes, trying to see what he was pointing at. “I don’t see anything. What am I looking for?”

“Just wait.”

It was 7:30 p.m., so the sun was beginning to set. Josephine looked around, and then her eyes locked onto the canyon. The oranges and reds spread across the sky as if God himself took a brush and started painting for their entertainment.

Josephine was mesmerised by the beauty. It wasn’t her first time seeing the sunset like that, but it had been years since she had taken the time to enjoy it.

She felt joy and excitement as memories from her childhood came flooding back. She was caught up in the moment and forgot how close she was sitting next to Austin.

She turned towards him to thank him for the memory he stirred inside her, but Austin was so close that her nose almost brushed his cheek when she turned her head.

He was still staring at the sunset and Josephine took the moment to take a good look at him.

His cheek had a small scar, but his facial hair covered it. You had to be close even to notice it. Feeling Josephine’s stare, he turned his face so they were looking directly into each other’s eyes.

Josephine didn’t mean to, but staring into his crystal blue eyes and looking at his full, soft lips, she licked her lips very subtly. When she realised what she had done, she started to turn her head.

But Austin’s hand stopped her, turning her face back to his. He pulled her to him, and they shared a passionate kiss. The butterflies swarmed inside her, and tingles raced through her body as if they would shoot out of her fingertips.

Austin kept his hand on her head but pulled away just a little. As if Josephine had no control of her body, she leaned back into the kiss.

Austin slowly laid Josephine on her back as their lips moved across each other. He made his way between her legs and pressed his body close to her.

She could feel all of him. She felt his firm pecs against her breast, and between her legs, she could feel his erection.

She released a soft moan, and Austin moved one of his hands under her shirt. He kept it on her stomach, just gently pulling her body down so that his groin was pressed even tighter against her.

She began to feel a sensation between her legs that made her want to rip his clothes off, but fighting all the urges of her body, she placed her hand on his chest, pushing him away ever so slightly.

“Austin,” she whispered, moving her lips away from his.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her, then took his thumb and slowly rubbed it against her cheek.

He smiled and said, “Let me get you back to the house.”

He stood up and reached his hand down to pull Josephine up. She grabbed it, and with one gentle pull, she landed against his chest.

He put his hand on the small of her back, pressing her against him. They stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. Josephine closed hers to signal to Austin that he could kiss her again. He smiled and leaned down for another kiss.

His upper lip fit into her mouth while his bottom lip massaged her bottom lip. He stuck his tongue in just a little and rubbed it against hers.

He pulled away and allowed some space between them. “Shall we go?”

Feeling a bit lightheaded, Josephine stumbled, but Austin caught her before she could fall.

She blushed and laughed it off, blaming her shoes. “These damn shoes.”

Austin just smiled. He knew why she stumbled, but he let her save face. He felt no need to point out the obvious; she was falling for him.

They walked down to the house, and the sky was completely black when they arrived. Only the stars and the lights from the house lit the way.

Josephine started, “Um, thanks for tonight. That was pretty incredible.”

Smiling at Josephine, Austin said, “Yeah, it was. Best sunset I’ve ever seen. Goodnight, Josephine, have sweet dreams.”

Austin turned and started walking towards the cowboys’ house. Josephine went inside and was prepared to receive the third degree from Boone, but he was passed out on the brown leather sofa.

She tiptoed to her room and closed the door behind her. She stripped down and stepped into the shower. As the water rained over her body, she couldn’t help but think about Austin.

What was going on with her? She was always in control of her feelings. She never acted this way; it was entirely out of character for her. She was known around the town as the girl every guy wanted but could never have.

Josephine never dated someone from Arizona. She had zero interest in the boys from her town. She was determined that she would never fall in love with a cowboy.

The boys Josephine dated were well-educated and wealthy, and most were in line to inherit the family’s fortune, but money didn’t interest Josephine; she had her own.

Her family was extremely wealthy; the ranch had been good to them. Although, you wouldn’t be able to tell that from Randy or Boone.

They dressed like regular cowboys, and they drove pickup trucks just like the rest of the men in the town. They were also humble and well-mannered.

Josephine enjoyed the finer things in life. She liked designer clothes, jewellery and lavish vacations. She let the men in her life spoil her and felt no guilt from it.

She believed she was worth it, but at the same time, she had no problem spoiling them. For birthdays or holidays, she always bought her boyfriend something just as expensive as he would buy for her.

She found dating men with money was just easier. No one felt less than in the relationship. She never competed for a guy’s affection and never needed validation.

They were out the door if they didn’t respect her boundaries. She treated people well, and she expected the same in return.

She exited the shower and put on a pair of pyjama shorts and a top. Pulling her sheets back, she lay in bed, closing her eyes and trying to fall asleep without thinking about Austin.

Austin got back to the house, and as he opened the door, he could hear the other guys laughing and poker chips moving around the table.

“Hey man, where have you been?” Cole asked.

“Just out.”

“Yeah, right, I saw you walk up to the family house with the ice queen,” Buck chimed in.

In shock, Rick said, “What? Josephine? How the hell did you pull that off?”

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Austin said as he sat at the table and started grabbing the cards.

“Austin, we’ve known Josephine since we were kids. I can go ahead and tell you, not going to happen. She doesn’t date cowboys. She’s too good for us,” Cole explained.

“Guys, honestly, I don’t know what you are talking about. I happened to pass by when she was cleaning the fish, so I helped out, and that got me an invitation to dinner. She was just being polite.”

Buck laughed. “Whatever, man, but that girl didn’t even recognise us when Boone introduced us. That’s how disconnected she is from this place. Faces don’t even register with her.”

Austin said, trying to defend her but not wanting to give away too much, “Maybe she didn’t recognise you. Didn’t she go to boarding schools?”

Rick answered, “Yeah, when she was fifteen, her old man sent her away, but she was always home for the summers, so it’s not like we didn’t run into her.”

“Oh man, and the douchebags she dates! Cole, you remember that one guy?” Buck asked.

“I don’t know. They all look the same to me. They all drive the same foreign car, wear the same overpriced suits and have their noses so far up their asses, I’m surprised they can even see to walk.”

All the guys started laughing, but Austin didn’t care for gossip, and he certainly wasn’t going to listen to any of them when it came to Josephine.

He also didn’t feel threatened by the men they described. Like Josephine, Austin didn’t compete for affection, wasn’t insecure, and didn’t play games.

He started shuffling the cards and passing them out to the guys. “Alright, boys, one more game and then we need to hit the hay. We are getting up at five in the morning, so I suggest you lose some more money and then get some sleep.”

They laughed, but just as Austin predicted, he won the hand. Austin was the manager of the cowboys. He was new to this ranch, but he had managed other ranches in the past.

He was a good manager and never acted like he had some power over the other guys. He treated everyone equally and didn’t ask anyone to do a job he wouldn’t do himself.

Austin was twenty-eight, but the other guys were twenty-five, the same age as Josephine. The guys liked Austin and respected him.

Boone put him in charge because he liked the idea of having a manager who was from somewhere other than Arizona. He believed hiring a manager who wasn’t from the town created less friction.

He figured the rest of the ranch hands would respond better to someone they didn’t grow up with or know from the town. Before Arizona, Austin was working on a ranch in Texas.

He came highly recommended, so for Boone, it was an easy hire. Austin moved around a lot. Not necessarily for any particular reason but more so because he had adopted the life of a vagabond.

If a job ended, he’d find another one, or if an opportunity presented itself, he would take it.

The cowboys live in a large house. Downstairs has two bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms. Upstairs is another bathroom, two other bedrooms and one large primary bedroom with its own bathroom.

Austin has the primary bedroom. It wasn’t his decision, but Boone insists the manager has that room. The other guys don’t mind; they have a room to themselves, and there is never a fight for a bathroom.

As the guys went to bed, Austin reminded them to set their alarms and be prepared for a full day of work. Austin went to his room and got into the shower.

Like Josephine, he began to think of the night they had. He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered the taste of her lips. He also laughed at what the boys had said to him about her.

How wrong they were, he thought. He got out of the shower, put his boxer briefs on and climbed into bed. He was eager for sleep.

He welcomed the morning and the thought of seeing Josephine feeding the chickens.