Out of all the cowboys I've met so far, I must say the one I'm most curious about and interested in getting to know is the guy I embarrassed myself in front of the night before. There's something about the guy that has me feeling all giddy inside just from looking at him.

However, there's one problem. I have no idea if he's available after Jack told me he stays far away from women. So because it was a small town with everyone most likely knowing one another, I decided to end my curiosity by asking Natalie what she knew about him.

"Do you know that guy that just left?"

"Yes, what about him?" she asked, smiling widely.

"Do you know him?"

She continued smiling, and then she giggled. "I do. His name is Jesse, and I know him very well. Why?"

"You do?" I excitedly asked, handing a ticket to the cook. "Do you happen to know if he's single?"

She lifted a shoulder while saying, "Well, if you were to ask him, he'd say he's married. But as his sister, I can tell you he's pretty much single."

Even though she made a point to say he's single, I didn't like the first part of her response, and it had me bummed. Why would he say he's married if he isn't? "Married and pretty much single? That doesn't sound promising," I pouted. "Are there any more like him here? Because all I've seen since coming here is either not my type, taken, or just blah," I said, sticking out my tongue.

Natalie laughed, then smiled. "Oh, girl... there are plenty of cowboys here, if that's what you're looking for. But if it's my brother you have the hots for; I want you to know I freaking love it. But I also have to tell you; he's one very stubborn asshole. Don't get me wrong; I love him dearly; he's a good man, and he has a heart of gold, but he's as stubborn as a mule and refuses to move on with his life," she enlightened. "But if you're dead set on getting to know Jesse, then the best thing I can suggest to you is for you to work whatever magic you have within you to get him to notice ya."

I tried getting as much information as I could from Natalie about Jesse, but she wouldn't tell me much more than she already did, saying she couldn't speak for him. So the little I learned about him tells me there's more to his story than him just being one stubborn cowboy.

When Jack asked if he could take me out, I noticed how Jesse glared at him like he was when Jack ordered his food, and it had me wondering if there was some sort of rift between them or if it was because he asked me out. So, curious to see what Jesse would say, I asked if he'd be coming along; I got the hint he wasn't fond of Jack when he adamantly said no.

Thirty minutes. That's how late Jack is from picking me up from the diner. I looked at my watch. And then at the street to see if anyone was pulling up to park, and nothing. So, thinking he had forgotten or changed his mind, I started walking home. Within seconds, I heard a vehicle honking and turned around.

Jack hung his head out the open window, saying, "Don't you be going anywhere, pretty lady; I'm here now."

He pulled to the side of the road, stopped, then waved his hand, wanting me to come to him. "Come on, now. Nobody's coming," he shouted. As I approached, he grinned, then flashed me a bouquet. "I'm sorry I'm late. But I stopped to get you these," he said, handing the flowers to me.

It had been a while since someone gave me flowers, and I thought it was a sweet gesture for him, but I didn't feel right taking flowers from a man I wasn't interested in. "You didn't have to get me those."

"I know I didn't. But I wanted to." He held the flowers closer to me. "Come on, take them," he grinned.

I took the bouquet from him and smiled. "Thanks."

"Shall we go have some fun?" He leaned across the seat and opened the door, saying, "Come on, get in."

All I want from Jack is for him to be a friend. And by him being as nice as he's been, giving me flowers, and showing me around the town, I hope he doesn't think this is a date or that I'm interested in him.

Jack was very respectful and informative as he drove me around the old town, and I enjoyed every bit of the city and the old town's feel and looks.

"Is there anything else you'd like me to show you, or would you like to grab a drink somewhere?"

I hadn't had any alcohol since before I went into treatment. Alcohol was never my poison, and I never had an issue with it; it was the cocaine and hash I enjoyed doing. But, since I've been clean for over a year and had no interest in returning to the dark life, I didn't see why I couldn't enjoy a cocktail or beer.

"Well? Did you want to have a drink, or would you like just to go home?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"Sure, we can go have a drink or two," I hinted, letting him know I'm not looking to get drunk.

"Perfect, I know, just the saloon to take you. The place is fun; they have live music, bar games, a dance floor, food if you're hungry, and more."

"Sounds fun."

He pulled up to the bar, and as I was about to open my door, he reached across me. "Let me open that for you."

He really does think this is a date, doesn't he?

Jack hurried around the truck, opened my door, then offered me his hand. "Thanks," I said, wondering if I should remind him that we were not on a date.

As we walked toward the bar's doors, Jack made me feel slightly uncomfortable when his hand rested on the small of my back. Usually, it wouldn't have bothered me, but his hand was a bit too low for my liking.

Jack's hand lowered a little more when everyone inside watched us walk toward the bar. Now more than ever, I hope Jesse changes his mind about coming out.

"So, what are you having?" Jack asked as we sat down on the bar stools.

At first, I was going to order a mixed drink, but how Jack is acting like we're on a date, I think it would be best to stick to something that won't affect me, like drinking hard liquor would do. "I'll just have a beer."

"Beer? Not a Sex on the Beach, Leg Spreader, Tight Snatch, or a Creamy Pussy?"

My eyes widened, and I coughed, surprised by his drink suggestions. "Excuse me?" I've heard of Sex on the Beach, and it's one of my favorites, but the other drinks? What the hell are those?

He laughed and looked at the bartender standing in front of us. "Willie... you're working tonight; I figured you would've been off after working the event last night," he said, smirking. Then he looked at me with a scared look in his eye, afraid of what I might say. "Tell her, Willie... I need you to help me out here. Tell her those are some of the names of drinks the gals like to ask for around here."

I noticed the bartender giving him the stink eye, looking not too pleased with Jack. "Listen here, ya fool. From my understanding, she's only been here a couple of days. And here you are, offering to buy her a drink with sexual meanings when she hasn't a clue of who you is..." Willie shook his head. "You're not very bright, are you?"

"What? Oh, come on, man. They're drinks, for crying out loud! You know that!"

Willie pointed his finger at Jack, an angry look in his eye. "You're a damn fool; that's what you is," he snapped, making me want to laugh. And it's because I read that's one of the worst things someone could call you around here—a fool.

"Ahh, Willie, why you gotta be like that? Come on now, I'm only trying to show this pretty lady a good time," he pleaded, then looked at me. "I apologize for my behavior; I just know that's what some ladies come here asking for. That's all. I meant nothing by it, I swear."

I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, but it still shocked me.

I looked at the older yet attractive bartender, who was most likely looking out for my best interest, and told him what I was having. "I'll take a beer, please," I said. Then I smiled, letting him know I was okay with Jack's lousy drink suggestions.

Willie set a beer in front of me, then reached for my hand. "This is on the house, welcome to Bandera..." he cocked his thumb toward Jack. "And if this fella sitting next to you gives you a hard time, or does something you aren't comfortable with, let me know... I'll take care of it."

My eyes slowly wandered over to Jack and then back to Willie, resting my other hand on top of his, smiling. "Thank you. I'm sure I can handle him just fine."

How the bartender talked had me wondering if he was letting me know that Jack was a troublemaker or if he was hinting that he didn't know how to treat a woman.

I took a swig of my beer while eyeing Jack out of the corner of my eye. Besides the uncomfortable situations he's put me in, he's been friendly toward me. So, now I wonder if he says or does things to get the ladies to like him.

Jack seems harmless. He's not a big guy by no means. I'm five foot nine, and he's only a tad bit taller than me, slanky, and has no muscles. At least, none that I could tell. However, he was gifted with a handsome face that I'm sure the ladies around here swoon over, especially with his bright blue eyes and somewhat longer hair that hangs below his hat a couple of inches.

I raised the beer bottle to my lips, tilted my head back, and guzzled. The beer was as cold as ice, refreshing, and it hit the spot so much that I drank the entire bottle instead of drinking a sip. As I set the bottle down, I felt a burp forming and covered my mouth while turning away from Jack. The belch was louder than I anticipated, causing Jack to burst into laughter.

"Not bad manners, just good beer!"

I giggled, and using the back of my hand; I wiped my mouth while turning to face him. "Excuse me..."

Jack's eyes widened when he picked up my empty bottle. "You must have been thirsty!" He whistled at Willie, then waved the bottle from side to side. "I've seen girls drink before and have drunk me under the table, but damn, what you just did was sexy as hell."

My cheeks heated in embarrassment. "It's been two years since I last had a drink, and once I got a taste of it, I couldn't stop."

His eyes widened again. "Two years? How come?"

Thankfully, Willie saved me from having to explain my reasoning behind it when he came over. "Would you like another?"

"Yes, please. I'll take another," I was quick to say.

"Everything okay here?" Willie asked, looking back and forth from Jack to me.

"Yes, everything is fine. I'm just thirsty."

The next beer I was given, I drank slower. Knowing my history, I had to be innovative and not allow alcohol to change my way of thinking and cause me to make bad decisions. Especially around the guy thinking, we're on a date.

Jack talked my ear off. And I found myself turning every time the door opened, hoping it was Jesse walking in, to save me, to sweep me off my feet and show what a real cowboy is.

The longer Jack talked, the more I got the feeling he was a wanna-be trying to fit in with the others around town. I also got the feeling that not many people in Bandera liked him. But that's just my assumption, and the last thing I wanted to do was to be judgmental like my father.

"So, where you from, anyway?" Jack asked, taking me away from my thoughts.

"Anchorage," I responded, taking another pull of my beer.

"Wow, Anchorage. What brought you down here?"

"After living a boring life, I needed a change of scenery, to live somewhere warmer, hoping to add new adventures to my life."

He chuckled. "Well, you found it here. But if you don't mind me asking, what made you decide on this town?"

I shrugged and spun my chair around, my back facing the bar. "I don't know," I lied, not wanting to tell him how I was looking for a cowboy to fascinate me and to show my father that blue-collared guys are just as good as white-collared ones. "I just wanted something different and to be around different individuals. After reading about the town and its history, I felt it would be an interesting place to live."

He leaned closer to me. "You made a good choice to move here. I hope you don't regret it," he winked, then when a Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson slow song came on the jukebox, he offered his hand and asked, "Would you care to dance?"

I bit my bottom lip. I can dance to slow songs, but with him? I'm not so sure I should give him another reason to think we're on a date. But I also don't want to be rude either. "Sure," I said anyway, taking his hand.

Jack held me a little too close than I wanted, and his grip around me tightened when I tried making more room between us. I looked at the bar and noticed the bartender's eyes were on us, watching Jack's every move, and he didn't look thrilled. At least, that's how I'm taking the glare he's giving. With my eyes on Willie, Jack lifted my hand, twirled me around, then pulled me to him, smiling as if he was in love, and it made my stomach feel sour.

Finally, the song ended, and the look in his eye made me suddenly nervous. He looked as if he was about to kiss me. And I was right. Just as I turned my head, his mouth landed on my cheek.

"Thanks for the dance," he said in my ear, giving me cold shivers. And not the goosebumps I cared to have; they were the heebie-jeebies.

I nodded, quietly saying, "You're welcome." Then I beelined it back to the bar.

Willie immediately walked over to me, concerned as he asked, "Would you like me to call someone to bring you home?"

"Thanks, Willie, but I don't think that'll be necessary. I should be alright."

"Are you sure?"

I turned, looked at Jack walking toward me, and noticed the hurt in his eyes. I hurt him. I didn't mean to, but he needs to understand that I only agreed to hang out with him to make a friend. "I'm sure," I breathed heavily.

Jack sat next to me. He finished his beer, then set the empty bottle on the bar top, quietly staring at it while rolling it between the palms of his hands. Knowing I needed to say something to end the quietness, I reached over and rested my hand on the top of the bottle, stopping him from thinking about whatever he was.

"Hey, I want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done tonight. Showing me around the town, showing some landmarks, and taking me to have a couple of drinks. But you need to understand that since I'm new here, I didn't go out with you tonight because I thought this was a date; I agreed to come out hoping to meet new people and make new friends like you."

"I understand," he responded, his voice monotone and refusing to look at me. Which told me he didn't understand. "You like him, don't ya?" he asked, turning to face me.

My brows pulled together, confused. Even though I had a feeling of who he was referring to, I acted dumb, hoping to get some information out of Jack since he seemed to know everyone around here. "Who are you talking about? I like who?"

"Jesse, the one you were eyeing the night before. The same guy I was sitting with at lunch today. I saw desire in your eyes both times when you'd look at him."

Was it that noticeable? Shit...

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I fibbed, a little white lie hoping to throw him off. "Last night, I embarrassingly fainted in his arms, and then, making sure I was okay, he got me a glass of water before taking off in a hurry. Then, today, I took his order and brought him food. He won't even talk to me, and he avoids eye contact. So how can there be desire in my eyes if he won't look at or conversate with me?"

He found humor in my response, acting as if he knew I was full of shit, then he waved Willie over to us.

"Yes, Jack?"

"Another beer, please," he then looked at me, asking, "Did you want another beer?"

I looked at Willie, shaking my head. "I'm done." I could definitely have another, but not knowing much about Jack or what kind of person he is, I didn't want to leave the bar annihilated with him and make poor choices or have him take advantage of me, either.

"Jesse doesn't think much of women. He also doesn't trust 'em," Jack informed. "The only women I know he'll talk to, or hang out with, are his sisters. Like I said last night, Jesse stays far away from women."

"Why? I curiously asked, looking to see if he'd give me more details. "Jesse seemed nice when he helped bring color back to my face, and he was very polite when he was in the diner today."

He laughed. "He was only being nice because you dropped to the ground; he's one very stiff-necked man... he's also married," he said, emphasizing married.

Natalie claimed Jesse's single but also mentioned that he tells everyone he's married. So what's the truth? Why lie about something like that if you're not? Hmm... "His sister said he was single. So why would he tell you or others he's married? Does he despise women so much that he feels the need to lie about it?"

Jack shook his head with an arched brow. "He's not lying. He's definitely married and has been since they were eighteen; they even have a son together, Maverick."

Now I'm confused.

"I don't understand. How can Jesse hate or not trust women if he's married?"

None of this makes any sense to me. I wasn't sure if Jack was pulling my leg, hoping it would stop me from wanting to learn more about Jesse, and so it would have me wanting to get to know Jack better, or if he was, in fact, telling me the truth.

"Mark my words... he's married."

Willie stood nearby, listening in on our conversation. And because he didn't come to Jesse's defense as I thought he would, it made me believe everything Jack told me was true.

"So, if he supposedly hates women, as you claim he does, did she do something to him that has him thinking that way? Did she break his heart where it caused them to separate? Why else would he be that way?"

Instead of answering any questions I was seeking to know, he said, "It's just how Jesse is. And every woman here knows that's how he is, so they won't even give him the time of day."

***

Jack stopped at the diner every day for lunch for the last couple of weeks, asking how I was and if I'd go out with him again. He'd also show up at the end of my shift, asking if I needed a ride home, thinking it would finally be a way for me to give in to him. Not wanting him to believe there was a chance between us, I'd decline, thanking him for the kind offer and telling him I needed the exercise.

Then there was Jesse. He was also coming into the diner daily for lunch. However, he refused to initiate a conversation and would brush me off whenever I tried. He also avoided contact by staring at the menu when he ordered his food. And when I brought it up to Natalie about how he'd act toward me, she'd insist on how stubborn he was and that I needed to continue trying to talk to him. Saying eventually, he'd give in.

I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb. For Jesse to act the way he is, there has to be more to his story than everyone tells me. You just don't hate or avoid talking to women for no reason. So because he acts the way he does with me, I'm more determined to find out what his problem is.

Natalie continued encouraging me to talk to him, mentioning that he needed a helping hand with his horses and that I should go to his house to offer my help. She gave me his address and insisted I don't leave until he gave in.

For the next week, I paced around the house, pondering what to do—asking myself if I should go to his house and see if he needed my help or not go and forget about him altogether. I wanted to go but was afraid of Jesse slamming the door in my face after Jack told me about him and how he was toward women. And because I'm told he's married, I also didn't want to cause any problems between him and his wife by me showing up at his home.

Decisions, decisions...

Finally, after another week of deciding what I should do, I got the courage to see him. Instead of using my landlord's vehicle as she said I could use it, afraid of something terrible happening while driving it, I contacted Uber.

Once the driver realized where he was dropping me off, he looked at me funny. "Are you sure this is where you wanted me to bring you?"

I looked at Jesse's house, then glanced at the farm and stables before looking back at the driver. "Yes, I'm sure. Why?"

He shook his head, quickly responding, "No reason." Then he handed me a card and offered, "If something happens and you need a ride back, call me immediately; I'll come to get you, and I won't even charge you."

What's that supposed to mean? Is he some kind of murderer or something?

"I'm sure I'll be okay. But thank you."

After getting out of the car and closing the door, I looked at Jesse's house, rubbing away any wrinkles I had on my clothes and wiping off the sweat that had formed on the palms of my hands. I took a deep breath, then as I exhaled, I breathed, "Let's see what your deal is."

I headed to his house, knocked a few times, and when he didn't answer, I looked over to the stables, wondering if he was working with the horses Natalie claimed he needed help with. So I headed down there, and while approaching the barn's opening, my heart decided to race up a storm after seeing him working.

There he was, wearing tight blue jeans, shirtless, and full of sweat.

Damn... I whispered, my eyes on his body while slowly entering the stable.

"Hello?" I said, finally, trying to grab his attention. He immediately halted what he was doing and quickly turned around. Seeing his beautifully sculpted chest and abs, I gasped and told myself not to faint from the sight.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!❤❤