Penname: calin-durus

Original or Derivative (fanfiction): Derivative

Rating/Warning(s)/Note(s): Rated M for language. Not my best work but it's something right? Thanks again to Kim for footnoting the shit out of this bitch and all the red pen marks of love lol

Disclaimer: All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

Prompt: Word Prompt - Cowboy

I watched him saddle up the horse before taking off after the lamb that escaped the pen that he and the others had created.

He was the whole reason I wanted to fight for the land out here. Before him, I often thought of leaving the 300 acres of land to my husband. After all, Edward seemed to enjoy the Texas air more than I did.

But then things changed.

I knew the bastard was porking the former Mrs. Whitlock. It was obvious even before I had my proof. Mr. I-don't-ever-want-kids has a bastard son with another man's wife.

Fucking hypocrite.

Then, things became obvious. He was always working off the Ranch, coming home late, smelling like that damn knock-off Channel perfume and freesia. Personally, I preferred Ralph Lauren's Notorious. What? The name was similar to what I was in the boardrooms of Dallas. At Brandon and Cullen LLC, I was a ball buster. And you didn't fuck with the five-foot-five ball buster.

But, I digress.

What had started as a 'whim fuck' in Edward's trusted ranch hand's truck, turned into more. Soon, I was escaping my marital bed to sleep in that of Jasper Whitlock.

At first, I thought Edward had caught on, especially when I started getting up early at dawn on the weekends to bring coffee out to the boys, then get my hands dirty helping them. I normally enjoyed sleeping in and avoided the dirt.

But he hadn't. He began frequenting more out of state shows, leaving Jasper in charge. I lived for the occasions that he would be gone for days at a time. It was in those moments, that I could pretend that the ranch was mine and Jasper's. I loved falling asleep in his arms after making love all night and waking up to the smile on his lips as he pretended to be sleeping.

He and the boys never treated me like a doll; they let me get into the thick of it and laughed their asses off when I failed. They even took me to the bar with them, treating me as a part of their family.

Treating me like I was Jasper's girl.

The sound of boots echoing on the wooden porch brought me out of my thoughts. I looked over to see Jasper walking towards me, slowly removing his hat. I smiled widely at him as my heart raced. Even now, with all the things we'd done, he still made me feel like a schoolgirl near her crush, and he, being the southern gentleman he was, was completely respectful of me... outside the bedroom.

"Ma'am," he said with a slight nod as he occupied the rocker beside mine. I smiled as I took a sip of my tea. The cool autumn breeze made the wind chimes sing a song of beauty and grace as the fading sun painted the surrounding hills in vibrant pinks and oranges.

"Did you find her?" I asked, referring to the escaped lamb.
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He laughed, a deep chuckle that made my body tingle, as he nodded the affirmative. "Peter says the cattle will be here tomorrow."

I smiled at him. We both knew Edward would be pissed that I was adding something other than sheep to our livestock, but the fucker could take a long walk off a short pier, as far as I was concerned.

Word of advice, don't try to hide the fact that you're selling livestock at shows to a breeder from your wife, who maintains the finances. Through some investigation, I discovered that the breeder was actually a butcher.

Just one of many promises he had broken in this marriage.

"Good," I said, rocking slightly in my chair. "You'll teach me how to milk the cows, right?" I asked shyly.

He smirked and took my hand in his. "Trust me, Miss Ali, you'll be a natural," he drawled before kissing my hand.

I felt the heat rise to my face at his words. He was the master with innuendos. "So, what are your plans tonight, Jazz? I heard Jake saying something about going to the bar..."

"Well..." he started, his fingers interlacing with mine. "I was thinkin' of stayin' home with you, Miss Ali."

I smiled up at him and nodded. "I like that idea, Jazz."

We sat together in the fading daylight in silence, watching as the sun ended her shift and the moon began hers.

I started humming a tune I had heard on the radio the other day, a song about a cowboy taking the vocalist away and showing her how to appreciate everything around her. I looked over at my cowboy and smiled. He definitely made me appreciate everything here.