April 24th, 2009 – Sully Schools, Missouri
Elizabeth stood behind one of her students as she talked her through a style of painting to easily create a sunset. The 8th grader caught on quickly and began to blend the colors on the canvas. Elizabeth moved through the classroom, checking the work of each student, giving advice when needed.
She had been a teacher for the Sully School system for over three years, straight out of college, and loved her job. It was a small rural community and she taught K-12 art classes. Today they were working with acrylic paints, Elizabeth's favorite.
Laurel raised her hand again and Elizabeth moved across the room to look at her painting. "Is this right, Miss Thatcher?"
"Laurel, that's beautiful. The way you mixed the colors here is perfect." Elizabeth pointed to the sky in her painting. "Here, let me show you something." Elizabeth picked up a small brush, dipped it into a light green paint, and dabbed it across an area over one of Laurel's trees. "See how this brings the tree to life? It adds depth to it and looks like little highlights on the leaves."
"Oh, yes. I see that. Thank you." Laurel picked up a brush and began repeating what her teacher had just shown her. Elizabeth smiled and returned to the front of the classroom.
Ten minutes later, Elizabeth looked at her watch and announced, "Five minutes of class left. Everyone, wash out your brushes and clean up your stations. Be sure to put your brushes in heads up and put your paints away."
The students buzzed around the classroom, getting everything put away before the alarm rang.
Once the alarm rang, the student began to file out of the classroom. "Goodbye, Miss Thatcher," several of them said on their way out. As soon as the final student was out the door, Rosemary burst in.
"Let's go."
"Now what?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her arms.
"To Jack's. He texted me earlier today and said that Delilah is doing great and that he'd be doing round pen work with her tonight if we wanted to come watch."
"We? He mentioned me?"
"Yep, he sure did." Rosie grinned.
Elizabeth thought about it for a brief moment then smiled. "Okay. Let's go."
Rosemary clapped her hands together and jumped. "Perfect."
…..
Jack had just led Delilah into one of the round pens when he heard the low growl of a diesel truck pull into his drive and stop near his barn. He unsnapped the lead, closed the gate, and walked around to the front of the barn. The two women had just closed the doors to the truck and were headed into the barn.
"Good evening, ladies," Jack said as he rounded the corner.
Rosemary and Elizabeth both jumped slightly in surprise and turned to face Jack.
"Hello, Jack," Rosemary replied in her high-pitched voice. "How's Delilah?"
"She is doing alright. Had a couple of setbacks but then she seems to come right back around. She wants to trust me; she just needs to figure out that she can."
Jack was now leaning with his shoulder against the barn, one boot crossed over the other, and his arms crossed. He was still dressed in worn Wranglers and a dingy white t-shirt; his attire of choice, Elizabeth presumed. She was eyeing him up and down and when her gaze stopped on his dark hazel eyes, he was staring back at her. She quickly dropped her gaze to the ground and once again, felt the heat rise into her cheeks.
Jack was speaking to Rosemary, but watching Elizabeth. "She is very spooked by loud noises so I will get her desensitized by using plastic bags, whips and guns around her." Jack moved his gaze to Rosemary, "Follow me to the round pen, I was just about to start working her when you pulled up."
They followed Jack around to the side of the barn where they could see three round pens, spread out beside and behind the barn. The ladies got their first glance at the house that had been hidden behind a row of trees and both of their jaws dropped.
Nestled in the trees was a large log house. A porch wrapped around the entire house with railing all around it. Steps led up to a beautiful front door with side-light windows on either side. Three dormer windows lined the front of the second story above the front porch roof. Stones decorated the front of the porch below the log railings. Whiskey barrel planters filled with flowers and greenery were lined along the entire front.
Jack stopped and turned when he realized the women were no longer following him and found them both staring at his house, mouths opened; a reaction he had grown used to. He rolled his eyes, sighed and continued toward the round pen.
Rosemary shoved her elbow into Elizabeth's arm and Elizabeth pushed her back. Realizing that Jack was in the round pen now, she poked Rosie in the side and started toward the pen.
The women found a picnic table next to the round pen and sat on the top with their feet resting on the seat. Rosemary was watching her horse but Elizabeth found herself staring at Jack.
Elizabeth had grown up in the city, with most things handed to her due to the success of her father's law firm. She had dated a few boys in high school that had been raised in the same lifestyle that she was used to, but none had ever seemed to meet her expectations of what she thought she needed in a man. Charles, a guy she met and dated in college, was the perfect match, she had thought. But once Charles got serious, Elizabeth could not see a future with him in it and called things off.
At no point in her life, had she ever thought about dating a cowboy. Ludicrous is the word that popped into her mind when she thought about it now, even as she watched Jack work with Delilah. She shoved the thoughts from her mind and attempted to watch Delilah, but her gaze continuously returned to Jack.
Jack began to work his magic on the horse when he saw the women sit down on the picnic table. He was constantly checking out Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye and caught her looking at him on several occasions.
He returned his focus back to the horse and sent her off to the right with just a point of his hand.
The women watched Jack as he worked. After sending the horse around the edge of the circle, he would step back, give the horse a look and slightly lean toward the direction she was headed. Each time, Delilah would stop and turn toward Jack and wait for her next queue. He would then send her in the other direction and after a few rotations, he would step back again.
After doing this a few times, Jack walked up to Delilah and petted her neck. He then began to walk toward Rosie and Elizabeth as Delilah walked alongside him.
Rosemary hopped off the table and met Jack at the fence. "She's come so far already." Rosie reached through the fence and petted Delilah along her jaw.
Jack slid his hand under the horse's mane and rubbed her neck. "Yes, ma'am. She is a very smart girl. Once she knew that I wasn't going to hurt her, her eyes softened and I can see that she's going to be a great horse."
"Jack?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
Rosemary tipped her head to the side and looked at Jack around Delilah's head. "Please stop calling me ma'am."
"Sorry, Rosemary. It's how I was raised."
She continued to pet her horse. "It makes me feel old."
"Just a sign of respect, ma'am." Jack was smiling now.
Rosie looked back at Jack and rolled her eyes.
Jack heard Lee's truck slow to a stop by the barn. "Lee's here," he said as he pulled a comb from his pocket and proceeded to comb Delilah's long mane.
"Who's Lee?" Rosemary asked.
"A good friend of mine."
Rosemary turned to Elizabeth, who had been watching the pair, and wiggled her eyebrows up and down. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned toward the sound of a closing door.
Lee came around the side of the barn and walked to the round pen.
"Good afternoon, ma'am," he tipped his cowboy hat toward Elizabeth then looked at Rosie. "Ma'am," he tipped his hat again.
Jack chuckled as Rosemary rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner.
Lee looked from face to face, his brow furrowed. "Did I miss something."
"Yes, buddy. You sure did." Jack gently slapped Delilah on the neck and led her back to the center of the pen.
"Hi, I'm Lee," he said to Rosemary and put his hand out to her.
She shook his hand and replied, "Rosemary. But you can call me Rosie." She batted her eyes at him.
Lee held on to her hand a bit longer than necessary then turned to Elizabeth. "Hello," he shook her hand.
"Hi, Lee. I'm Elizabeth."
"So, what's ole Jacko doing today?"
"Working with Rosemary's horse." Elizabeth slid off the table and they joined Rosemary at the pen.
Lee placed a foot on the bottom rail of the fence and rested his arms on the top rail. He stood so close to Rosemary that his elbow was brushing hers. Elizabeth stood on the other side of Rosemary and watched Jack send Delilah into another circle. The trio stood in silence as they watched Jack.
…..
Lee and Rosemary were talking just outside the barn door and Elizabeth waited in the aisle for Jack to put Delilah in her stall. Her eyes drifted down toward the back of his jeans just as Jack turned into the stall and caught her staring. He laughed to himself as not to embarrass her; Elizabeth hadn't noticed him look at her.
When Jack was done, he and Elizabeth joined Lee and Rosemary outside.
"So, Elizabeth, do you ride?" Jack asked her.
"Me? No, not really."
Disappointment filled Jack and he continued. "Do you two like rodeos?"
Elizabeth motioned toward her friend, "Rosemary here is a barrel racer."
Lee's eyes lit up and he responded, "Oh, really? Where do you compete?"
Lee and Rosemary started talking rodeos and Jack motioned with his head for Elizabeth to follow him. He walked to a swing that sat below a large weeping willow tree that spanned across a hundred feet of his yard.
Elizabeth sat next to him, making sure to keep a gap between them. "You have a very beautiful place here Jack."
"Thank you."
They both sat in an awkward silence before Jack continued. "So, Elizabeth, what do you do?"
"I'm an art teacher at Sully."
"Wow, that's great. You enjoy it?"
"Oh, yes. Very much. Do you just train horses?"
"No. I just do this for fun during my down time." Jack picked up a small twig from the ground and began to strip the bark off of it.
"Down time from what?" Elizabeth turned sideways in her seat so she could face Jack.
"I'm a bull rider." He turned his gaze back to Elizabeth to watch her reaction.
Elizabeth's eyes widened and she was speechless.
Jack nodded, "I get that a lot."
"I'm sorry. I just thought you trained horses or was a rancher or something. I never dreamed that you rode bulls. Isn't that dangerous?"
"If you fall off." Jack winked and turned to face Elizabeth.
"Seriously. Don't a lot of guys die doing that?" She asked, eyes still wide.
Jack's smile faded from his face. "Yeah, some do." He turned in his seat to face forward again and picked up another twig.
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"
Jack shook his head. "No, ma'am. You didn't say anything wrong." Jack looked up to see Lee and Rosemary walking their way and he stood. "Here Rosie, have a seat," he said as he stepped to the side to make room for her.
Rosemary was smiling ear to ear as she took the seat next to Elizabeth and wrapped her arm through hers.
"I think we all need to go out dancing tonight," Lee insisted.
"That sounds like a great idea," Rosie exclaimed.
Jack looked at Elizabeth, "How's that sound to you?"
Elizabeth looked at Rosemary, who was staring at her with pleading eyes. "Well, how can anyone say no to that?" Elizabeth laughed at her friend.
"Yeah!" Rosemary shouted and jumped off the swing. "Let's go get ready, Liz." Rosie was off toward her truck before Elizabeth could even get out of the swing.
Jack stepped forward and extended his hand toward Elizabeth to help her up. She looked up into his eyes; the smile from his lips had reached them and added a new sparkle. She took his hand and he pulled her up. Elizabeth didn't have her feet under her properly and she stumbled into Jack's firm chest. She quickly straightened; her eyes filled with mortification. Jack gripped her arms and steadied her, then stepped out of the way for her to follow Rosie.
"I'll see you tonight, ma'am," Jack said and tipped his hat to her.
Elizabeth smiled, "I'll see you then."
…..
Rosemary had informed Elizabeth that her wardrobe did not contain the necessary articles of clothing to wear to a western night club and insisted that her friend go home with her and borrow an outfit. Elizabeth finally caved and agreed to go with her.
As soon as they were in her room, Rosemary began pulling shirt after shirt, dress after dress, jeans after jeans from her closet; tossing all of them onto her bed.
"Rosemary, you have entirely too many clothes." Elizabeth stated as she watched her friend frantically search for just the right outfit.
"Shush. There's no such thing." Rosie suddenly stopped and pulled a dress off the hanger, "This will be perfect. Here," she tossed the dress to Elizabeth. "Try this on."
Elizabeth caught the dress and held it up in front of her. "I don't think so. Think again, Rosie."
"What? What's wrong with that one?"
"Rosie, it would barely go past my butt cheeks. I wouldn't even dare sit down in this."
"You're not going to a parent-teacher meeting, Liz. We're going dancing."
"Yes, dancing. Not picking up johns."
"Fine." Rosie dug through her closet some more. She pulled out another dress, looked it up and down and smiled. "Here it is." She walked over to Elizabeth and held it up.
Elizabeth looked at it and smiled. "Now that's more like it. It's perfect."
…..
Jack and Lee stood outside the club, waiting for the girls to arrive.
"So, Rosemary seems like a real hoot." Lee finally said as he looked at his watch for the fifth time.
"Yes, she sure does." Jack was leaning back against the brick wall of the club, his thumbs tucked into the pockets of his new jeans.
"So, what do you think about Elizabeth?" Lee leaned against the wall onto his shoulder and crossed his arms, facing Jack.
Jack looked at his friend. "She seems nice. A bit quiet for my taste."
"Your taste? You have a taste?"
Jack shot Lee a look, "What do you mean by that?"
"It's just in the past, you didn't seem to care what type of girl you got. As long as she looked good in your bed."
Jack shook his head and looked back out toward the road. "I'm not like that anymore."
"I hope not. You got pretty bad there for a while right after your dad..."
Jack snapped his head toward Lee, "Don't go there, Lee."
Lee threw up his hands, "Sorry, man. Sorry."
Both men leaned with their backs against the building and waited in silence.
A few seconds later, they heard the diesel turn into the gravel parking lot of the Midnight Rodeo. Jack and Lee walked out to where Rosie parked and waited for the girls to exit the truck.
Jack's breath was taken away when he saw Elizabeth step out from behind the truck. She was wearing a long, burgundy dress adorned with cow skulls and roses and had a slit up to her thighs. Her perfectly shaped knees and calves peeked out with each step. She was wearing brown cowgirl boots and a long turquoise necklace. Her long brown hair was down, cascading over her shoulder in loose waves. It was the first time Jack had seen her without her hair in a bun or ponytail. He was quickly changing his assessment of her.
He walked up to her and put his arm out for her to take, "You look amazing."
"Thank you," she replied as she slipped her arm into his. She could feel her heart begin to race in her chest and butterflies began to dance in her stomach; simply from the touch of his arm. "You look very nice too, Jack."
Jack tipped his black, felt hat to her, "Thank you." He was wearing a black plaid shirt with a touch of red, white and grey. He had on a brand-new pair of Cinch jeans and his best square-toed boots. His sleeves were rolled up and Elizabeth noticed that he had just shaved. The lack of distance between them had allowed Elizabeth to get a deep breath of his cologne and she thought she might just melt right there. "Sorry, I'm not wearing my Wranglers tonight." Jack winked at her and flashed a wry grin.
"What?" Elizabeth asked and then realized that he had heard what Rosie had said about Wrangler butts. A bright crimson filled her cheeks as Elizabeth turned her head to hide it from Jack.
Lee, in his blue plaid shirt, Wranglers and white straw cowboy hat, walked around the truck to meet Rosie. "Wow!" He exclaimed as she stepped down.
Rosemary was wearing a little black lace dress, the hemline landed mid-thigh. She had it paired with a brown leather belt and brown boots as well as a chunky silver necklace with matching earrings.
"You look, wow. Just wow." Lee looked her up and down. "That's a great dress."
"Why, thank you, Lee." She hooked her arm into his and they followed Jack and Elizabeth into the building.
The group found a table near the dance floor. The guys pulled out the chairs for the ladies to sit, and carefully pushed the chairs under them.
"Chivalry isn't dead." Rosie said, flashing her smile in Lee's direction.
"Not in our world, ma'am." Lee said, tipping his hat to her.
"There's that word again. Ma'am! Ugh!" Rosie blurted out.
"She doesn't like being called ma'am." Jack filled Lee in. "Makes her feel old."
"We were raised to be respectful and that includes saying ma'am and sir." Lee told Rosie.
"Okay, okay." Rosie said, throwing up her hands in surrender. "I need a drink. What about you, Liz?"
"I could use one," she answered her.
"We'll go and get them," Jack offered. "What would you like?"
"I would love a Bahama Mama," Rosie answered.
"How about you, Elizabeth?" Jack asked.
"I think I'll just have a strawberry daiquiri."
Jack tipped his head to the women, motioned to Lee to join him, and the men walked to the bar.
"Holy smokes, Liz. Those are two very hot cowboys." Rosie said as soon as the guys were out of earshot.
Elizabeth hadn't taken her eyes off of Jack and watched him as he leaned against the bar, waiting for the bartender.
"Hello? Lizzie?" Rosemary waved her hand in front of her friend's face.
"What?" Elizabeth asked and looked at Rosemary. "Oh, sorry."
"Wow, you are hooked."
"What? No, I'm not. I was just looking at...at...that couple over there. They are really cute together."
"Uh, huh. Sure." Rosemary teased. "I'm so glad you came out with me tonight."
"Me, too." Elizabeth took a quick glance toward Jack to make sure the guys were still standing at the bar. "I'm really struggling with him being a bull rider."
"Really? Why's that?"
"It's so dangerous."
"So is driving a car to work but you still do that." Rosemary replied, very matter-of-factly.
"That's not the same."
"Look, Liz, he's probably some small-time rider that rides easy bulls. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just enjoy the company and the evening. He seems very sweet and I mean...look at him. Seriously."
Elizabeth looked back toward Jack to see the men returning to the table with their drinks. Jack handed a tall cocktail glass filled with the red drink to Elizabeth then took the seat next to her.
"Thank you, Jack," she said before taking a drink of the delicious, fruity drink.
"You're very welcome." Jack smiled at her, his dimples forming deep in his cheeks.
After she took a few more sips and Jack downed half his beer, he stood and held his hand out to her, "Would you like to dance?"
Elizabeth smiled and stood, taking his hand, she followed him to the dance floor. A slow song had just begun and Jack pulled her in tight against him. Elizabeth, at first taken aback by the audacity of his move, found herself relaxing in his arms. Electricity began to flow through her as she felt the muscles of his arms wrapped around her. She laid her head against his shoulder and he tightened his hold around her. Her heart was racing, butterflies were doing somersaults in her stomach, and a lump was forming in her throat. They swayed back and forth to the beat of "Speechless" by Dan + Shay. Jack moved his hand to the back of Elizabeth's head and began to stroke her hair.
Just before the song ended, Jack released his hold and leaned his head back slightly. With his thumb and forefinger under her chin, he tipped her face towards his and covered her mouth with his. At first, Elizabeth kissed him in return, but as his kisses and motions became more fervent, she pulled back and took a step away.
"What is it?" Jack asked her.
"I need a drink. Can we go back to our table for a while?"
"Of course." Jack took her hand and led her to the table where Rosemary and Lee were sitting, facing one another, their faces only inches apart, talking.
Elizabeth picked up her drink and took a few small sips while Jack picked up his half full beer and chugged it in one gulp. He raised his can in the air, capturing the attention of the waitress to bring him another.
He turned to Elizabeth and took her hand in his, rubbing the top of it with his thumb. "Are you having a good time?" His voice was louder in order for her to hear him over the music.
"Yes. Thank you for inviting us."
Jack looked around to see if the waitress was on her way. She was nowhere in sight, so Jack stood and pushed his chair back. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go grab another beer. You need anything?"
Elizabeth lifted her glass, showing Jack that was still mostly full. "No, thank you. I'm good."
Jack returned a few minutes later with four beers and another Bahama Mama for Rosie. He sat two beers in front of Lee and the other two were for himself.
As the night dragged on, Jack and Lee began downing their beers, one after another, with shots of tequila mixed in. They would occasionally return to the dance floor where Rosie taught Elizabeth the Cowboy Cha Cha and the Watermelon Crawl.
"Are you having fun?" Rosie asked her as they left the dance floor.
"Yes, it's alright."
Rosie could see in Elizabeth's face that something was wrong. "Hey, boys. We're going to the little girls room. We'll be back in a few."
The two intoxicated men just raised their beers as if toasting them, then began to chug them.
Once they were alone in the restroom, Rosie turned Elizabeth to face her. "What's going on? And tell me the truth."
Elizabeth took in a deep breath and slowly let it out before beginning. "I'm not sure about Jack."
"What do you mean? He seems great."
"He seems to drink a lot for starters. When we were dancing for the very first time, he started kissing me...hard."
"I'm sorry, Liz. I don't see the problem here. Enlighten me."
"I don't know what kind of past he has, but I get the feeling that he's had his way with a lot of girls and is expecting me to do the same."
"Oh, I see. Just tell him you want to take things slow. I'm sure he'll understand."
Elizabeth shook her head, "I don't think he'll be game for that."
"You worry too much." Rosie leaned toward the mirror, wiped some stray mascara away and fixed her hair. "Let's get back out to the guys. Alright?"
"Sure." Elizabeth did a quick mirror check of her hair and make-up, then followed Rosie back to the table.
Jack and Lee had created a pyramid out of their empty beer cans. Fifteen to her count as Elizabeth watched them struggle with the top one. They successfully placed the final can, threw their arms up in the air and yelled.
Jack saw Elizabeth in her seat and leaned her way, "You're back. I didn't even see you walk up." His words were slurring and his head was swaying back and forth. "You're so pretty," he said as he slid his hand up her inner thigh.
Elizabeth firmly grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand out from under her dress. "Jack, you're drunk. I think you need to go home."
Jack leaned back in his chair, his eyes half closed, "Shmush. I'm not drunk, you're drunk."
"Jack, I haven't even finished my first drink."
Jack grabbed his chair and scooted over until his was touching Elizabeth's. He pushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear. "You're beautiful. Your eyes are blue like the ocean." He started to lean in for a kiss when Elizabeth quickly ducked to the side, causing Jack to tip over onto her lap. He was out cold.
"Jack?" Elizabeth shook his shoulders. "Jack!" She tried again. Nothing. She let out a big breath, leaned back into her chair and pulled Jack's shoulders up so his head was resting on her thigh instead of hanging off. She looked down at his face, relaxed in such peace. Elizabeth ran her fingers through his thick brown hair and swept it to the side, off his eyes. His hat had fallen off when he fell over so she reached down and picked it up, placing it on the table.
Lee and Rosemary finally returned from the dance floor to find Jack still passed out.
"What happened?" Lee asked.
Elizabeth pointed to the pyramid of beer cans. "That happened."
"Oh. I'll round up a couple boys to help us get him out of here so we can get him home."
Once they had Jack safely buckled in his truck, Elizabeth turned to Lee with her hand out, palm up. "Hand me his keys, please."
"What? Why?" Lee asked.
"Because Jack is obviously in no shape to drive and neither are you."
"She's right, Lee. Let her drive him home and I'll take you home."
Lee spun to face Rosie. "That sounds great to me." He tossed the keys toward Elizabeth, without even looking, letting them fall to the ground at her feet.
Elizabeth sighed, bent down and picked them up. She closed Jack's door and walked around to the driver side. She hadn't seen his truck before. It looked as if it was a brand-new Chevy 2500, black, with every option possible. She found the buttons to the power seat and moved it forward so she could reach the pedals. Once she got it started, she put it in reverse and backed the huge truck out of its parking spot, put it in drive, and started toward Jack's place.
Thirty-five minutes later, she turned into his drive and followed it all around to the house this time; bypassing the barn where they normally stopped.
When she came around the line of trees and the house came into view, her breath was taken away again. Most of the lights were on and the house was gorgeous. Lights lit a path along the large parking area and led to the steps up to the front door.
Once she had the truck parked and turned off, she turned toward Jack, who was still passed out. "How am I going to get you into your house?"
She climbed out of the truck and walked up the steps to the front door, checking to see if it was unlocked. The door swung open and Elizabeth gasped at the interior of the house; it was more breathtaking than the exterior. She stepped inside and began to look around.
The front door opened into a large open floorplan. She could see the living room, dining room and a gourmet kitchen, all from the front entry way. The ceiling was lined with log beams which had chandeliers hanging from them made of what she assumed were deer antlers. Deer head mounts adorned the walls, along with a black bear skin, an elk, and something she had never seen before.
A large log staircase in the middle of the house led up to what she assumed were the bedrooms. "There is no way I'm getting him up there," she said out loud to herself.
She checked the living room where a big, brown leather sectional resided and decided that she would attempt to get him to it.
Elizabeth returned to the truck where Jack hadn't moved at all. She opened the door, removed his seatbelt and began to shake him. "Jack. Jack, wake up!" She shook his arms and shoulders some more, "Jack!" she yelled quite loudly, enough so that it caused him to wake just enough to get him out of the truck and on his feet.
Once outside the truck, Jack leaned almost all of his weight onto Elizabeth as she struggled to get him up the five steps and into the house. Almost dropping him three times, she finally made it to the couch and attempted to carefully lower him down, only to drop him onto the cushions. She pushed him onto the couch the best she could, grabbed his legs and swung them around to rest on the cushion. After removing his boots, she found a blanket on the back of the couch and draped it over him.
Jack started talking in his sleep, and although she felt like she was eavesdropping, Elizabeth sat down to listen.
"Dad, no dad. Don't do it." Jack shook his head slightly and his body jerked to the side. "Dad, no!" And just ask quickly as he started, Jack stopped talking and his body relaxed.
Elizabeth started toward the front door before realizing that she had no vehicle to drive home. She looked around the room, trying to decide what to do. Seeing the staircase, she climbed it to the second story and looked around.
There was a decent sized bedroom with a bathroom attached and Elizabeth would have thought it was the master if it weren't for the fact that the closets were empty. She walked to the other end of the second floor to find a set of double doors. She opened them, revealing a massive bedroom.
Inside was a king-sized, log-framed bed. Two large windows with built-in window seats flanked a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace that filled the corner. Two leather chairs were positioned in front of the fireplace with a footstool and reading lamp. A large moose antler chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the beautiful room.
Elizabeth walked into the bathroom and gasped again. A large Jacuzzi tub set in bordered by tan tile, lined the wall on the left with a window above it. The wall on the right was lined with a long vanity with his-and-hers sinks. At the end of the room stood a massive walk-in shower. Rustic barnwood adorned the walls, framing in the shower doors and inside, the walls were several shades of brown and tan slate tiles.
Elizabeth wondered to herself; what one man needed with all of this? "Do bull riders make this kind of money?" She asked out loud, as she continued to look around. Back in the bedroom, she found the drawer that held his t-shirts and pulled one out. Then found another drawer that had some shorts. She changed out of her dress and stood staring at the bed. "Do I dare?" She did. She pulled back the covers and climbed in and was quickly asleep.
