Page 3 of Haunted Cowboy

I’m a cowboy through and through. And this lady is so obviously a city girl. Let her plan her event. I don’t want anything to do with it. From here on I’m keeping a good distance between me and Hazel.

Chapter 4

Hazel

This job is more exciting than I had expected. Each morning I jump out of bed, eager to get going. We have volunteers from town helping to get the location ready for the festival. The place is a hive of activity, with people hammering and fixing things, making sure it’s safe. We’ve got some vendor stalls being built. Museum pieces being arranged in the jail house and the doctor’s office. And decorations are starting to go up. Pumpkins everywhere! And hanging garlands, hay bales, an old wagon that will be set up for photos. Everything is drenched in fall colors of orange, brown and greens. The place feels alive and exciting.

My job is mostly administrative, but I like to be out here to oversee everything. Plus, how often do you get to turn up to work in a replica of an Wild West town? So I’ve set myself up in the apothecary store. It still amazes me that old man Jones didn’t just build the fronts, he built actual buildings, complete with rooms, shelves, counters.

“What are you doing in here?” Liam had asked on the first day, when he’d found me in the apothecary. “There are bigger rooms for you to use.”

“I like it in here.” There is a line of shelves behind me that will be lined with old fashioned bottles. The counter is a long polished bit of wood and I get to look out the shop window at all the goings on in the street.

He stepped forward, looked around and then ran his hand over the curve of the counter. “I made this. Old pa had me polishing this thing over and over.” There was the barest smile on his face with the memory. And obvious pride in his work.

“You spent a lot of time helping your grandfather?”

Liam nodded. “The old man insisted on it. Said it builds character.”

Then he looked up at me and smiled and for a moment I got lost in his stormy green eyes. His face transforms when he smiles. Softer. Even more handsome. The kind of handsome that makes my poor heart beat faster and I find myself blushing for no reason.

I’d offered to share my chicken and salad roll with him and he had told me a bit about his grandfather, his family and life on the farm.

On the second day he turned up at around the same time. “You know you’ve got people putting up fake spider webbing all over the place out there.”

“I do know that.” I smile up at Liam. “What’s a Halloween party without spider webs?”

“The very same people were clearing spider webs yesterday.” He grumbles. “You could have just used the real thing.”

And then he produced two lunch rolls and we sat down on a hay bale to eat, while we watched the commotion around us. I noticed that the volunteers from town gave Liam a respectful nod. But there were no friendly hellos that I have come to love from this small town. The people here are generally friendly. A little bit too involved in each other’s lives. But I like that too.

“Do you have much to do with the town?” I ask Liam, though I have a feeling that I know the answer.

He looks away from me. The cool breeze teases at the curls of his hair. It’s long and he has a habit of running his hands through it when he is not sure what to say, or just before he puts his hat back in place.

Since he is not answering, I continue talking. “I’ve come to love the small town feel here. I grew up in a big city, so this is a nice change. It’s nice to know your neighbours are there to help if you need them.”

Now he shrugs those big shoulders. “I don’t need anybody.”

I let out a laugh and he turns his gaze to me. “You can’t be serious?” I ask.

He looks down at his boots. “I never needed anything from this town. I’ve got my family. I’ve got my land. Everyone else can just go to hell.”

“I guess it’s different growing up with brothers and a sister.” I shake my head in wonder. “I was an only child. And for a long time it was just me and my dad. He ran a grocery store and it was the hub for our little part of the world. People would come and share news and gossip. And a lot of those women helped raise me. Dad did the best he could but he was always working and so I hung out at the store. I got to know everyone. And if ever I needed to talk, or help with my homework, it was always one of our neighbours or one of our regular customers, who was there to help me. It was nice. That whole it takes a village thing.”

He is looking at me again. But this time I can see a mix of sadness and wonder. I’m guessing that we had such different upbringings. But there is a connection between us I can’t deny. Something physical. Something electric that makes my heart beat faster and has me feeling hot all over. But also, something more. I feel drawn to him. Like I want to reach out and sooth his wounds. Like I wonder what it would be like to wake up in the morning with him when he is all sleepy. Before the walls go up and the stern look settles onto that handsome face.

On the third day when he shows up, I suggest we help with the construction of the hay maze that is going up. For a little while we work quietly next to each other. I find myself quite absorbed with watching Liam lift bales of hay. He has shed his jacket and it is pure pleasure to watch the toned muscles of his arms stretch and tense as he works. I bet his big hands are rough from a life working on the farm. I find myself wondering what it would be like to be touched by those hands. To be held in his arms. To be kissed by him. Would he be rough? He seems like a man who takes what he wants. The thought has my body reacting as though he has put his hands on me. He happens to look my way and my cheeks go bright red.

“You okay?” He asks.

“Fine.”

He takes off his hat, placing it on my head. “It’s hot out here.” His voice is low. A husky, gravel that sets my blood on fire. I stand still while everything in me wants to jump into his arms. Or stand on tippy toe and put my mouth to his. But we are surrounded by people. People who have been glancing our way all morning.

I take a sip of the bottle of water that Liam hands me. “You know, you're scaring the volunteers with that look on your face.”

He looks at me with genuine surprise. “What look?”