The Cowboy Kiss (Romance Short Story) Read online



  The Cowboy Kiss

  By Kristen James

  Copyright 2013 Kristen James

  All Rights Reserved

  https://www.writerkristenjames.com/

  © Kristen James

  www.writerkristenjames.com

  www.facebook.com/WriterKristenJames

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  Edited by Carol Teegarden

  Cover Design by Ramona Lockwood

  www.coversbyramona.blogspot.com

  Thank You:

  To my husband for teaching me to fish for the big ones.

  To my editor, Carol, and my cover designer, Ramona;

  I’m so grateful that I’ve found such talented people to help me with my novels.

  By Kristen James:

  More Than Memories, Book 1

  A Wedding to Remember, Book 2

  Embers of Hope, Book 1

  More Than a Promise, Book 2

  Costa Rica

  A Cowboy For Christmas

  The Cowboy Kiss

  The Enemy’s Son

  The Fairy and Her Giant

  The River People

  His kiss was a curse that wouldn’t let go.

  1.

  August 2006

  Cory sat strumming his guitar on the front porch the day Autumn waved out the car window as she drove past, leaving for college and her new life. A flash of hand, a wisp of honey-blond hair, and possibly a slight hint of her voice on the wind. The air smelled sweetly of dry hay and blackberries, a smell that embodied their long, lazy summers spent together growing up. A dark cloud crept across the sky and slid in front of the sun, throwing a shadow across her car and the surrounding landscape.

  She took my sunshine with her…

  The line popped into his head and into the song he’d been working on. It was one of several songs for his next gig, and one of these days he’d make it to Nashville. If she could get out of this small town, so could he.

  He didn’t need Autumn. She could go chase her dreams and he’d chase his.

  So what if they’d spent hours of their childhoods together, telling each other secrets and dreams, climbing trees, playing chase, watching stars and falling in love? He lifted his hand in a symbolic gesture since her car was long gone.

  So long to childhood best friends and summer romances.

  Hello to a whole new life.

  2.

  Six Years Later…

  From: [email protected]

  Re: I have a great idea!

  September 1, 2012 2:58 pm

  Autumn, baby, your blog is just the thing our resort needs. Of course dad and I miss you, but I know how busy you are. But… If you write about the Rugged Resort, maybe we’ll get enough business so I can take a vacation and see some of the places you write about.

  Come home for a visit. It’ll be good for both of us.

  Love,

  Mama

  ***************

  From: [email protected]

  Re: re: I have a great idea!

  September 2, 2012 4:55 pm

 

  Mama, you sound so busy whenever we talk. Are you sure you want me telling people all across the US to come stay with you??

  I’m about to take off for a spa resort in Southern California. Not so far from home, in the big picture anyway. Maybe I could head up that way.

  Love you, too.

  And I’ll write about the resort if you want me to—just be warned it might send a lot of customers your way!

  *****************

  From: [email protected]

  Re:re:re: I have a great idea!

  September 2, 2012 5:02 pm

  Autumn, that’s just what we need. To be honest, money’s been tight for quite a while, and I don’t want to lose the resort. I’d like to retire sometime! I’d love to see you again. It’s been way too long. Please come up!! Dad and Lily are so excited to think you might come back.

  Love,

  Mama

  3.

  Autumn let off the gas and rolled slowly down the country drive in her rented red-hot Camaro convertible, breathing in the smells of her childhood: dry, sweet summer hay, crisp apples, and a hint of cool water from the nearby river. The sun was thinking about setting, but it was still a hot September day. She slowed down even more, pausing by the ancient oak and noting how a few boards remained from the old tree fort. She’d spent many hours up there with Lily, sharing secrets and whispering.

  It felt good to be going home, even if Mama had guilted her into it. She was sure their lodge (ahem, “resort”) could use the national exposure from her widely read travel blog, but it’d been something else that finally pushed her into coming home. It’ll be good for both of us. Something was different. Maybe Mama or Daddy was sick? Or they were running into problems with Lily? Maybe her mom missed how things used to be between them.

  Life didn’t have to be so complicated, especially not in the midst of all the beauty of the oak-covered hills, evergreen forests, and rolling pastures. A deer near the side of the road lifted its head out of the brush to eye her camper. Apple trees lined the way on both sides, and the orange-red hue on the apples meant they were about ripe. Homemade cider, here I come.

  The large, ranch-style lodge came into view at the end of the drive, and she noticed they’d paved the parking lot since she’d been here last. A few cars meant there were guests. She pulled into a space and gazed around her. Everything still looked the same. The covered porch welcomed family and visitors alike with the words Office - Come on in! painted on a long, flat piece of driftwood. The flowerbeds in front of the house and the pots on either end of the wooden porch bench all overflowed with bright pansies in red, blue, and white. Behind that, large windows let ample light drench the main room and dining area. Those rooms had windows on the other side too, facing the river, so they were always bright and cheery.

  There were two little cabins on both sides of the main house for guests to stay in, and all five buildings overlooked the twisting, wild river on the other side.

  Speaking of wild… Could Cory still be around? Mama hadn’t mentioned him in the last year or so, but now that she was here, Autumn saw him in every memory, every nook of the countryside. As kids, Cory, Autumn, and Lily had been inseparable, even though Cory loved nothing more than to endlessly pick on the girls. There were other kids that came and went, summer visitors and friends from school, but they had been the main three.

  Funny…over the last few years, she’d focused on the memories of him picking on her. Now, however, every memory came rushing back, including the day when Henry Kirkpatrick picked on Autumn for talking too much. Cory had stalked right up to Henry and yelled, “You got a problem with that?” It surprised Henry so much he slowly shook his head and back away. For some reason, she had pushed many of her memories with Cory out of her mind.

  She turned off the engine and went right into the house…and smelled freshly baked peach pie. Mama didn’t forget her favorite. Autumn’s mouth watered while a tinge of longing slipped into her heart—not for the pie but for the hours she used to spend in the kitchen talking to her mom.

  If the house was empty, that meant everyone was on the back porch. As nice and inviting as the front porch was, it didn’t overlook the river. The old-fashioned wall clock showed it was a little after seven in the evening, and as expected, noises floated in to meet her through the sliding screen door. Her dad’s laugh rang out over guitar music. She guessed several guests were there with them.

  A voice started singing, blended into the strumming, singing something about she took my sunshine with her. It sounded like Cory. A step closer to the sc
reen and she saw the guitarist also looked just like Cory, with the same straw-blond hair, shaped from the cowboy hat that no doubt sat beside him somewhere. Same light tan that looked like a finely roasted marshmallow. Same long face with those piercing hazel eyes.

  And there was her redheaded, freckle-faced sister Lily, sitting next to Cory and watching him with big, brown eyes. Autumn had been about to slide open the screen door when she found herself stuck, watching them. Lily looked like a young lady instead of a little kid sister, and the change over last year took Autumn by surprise. Cory glanced up at the door just then, as if drawn by her thoughts.

  Autumn hopped back a step, but his singing continued as if he hadn’t seen her. She took my sunshine, my dandelion... His voice trailed off and his eyes focused through the screen, onto her. The serious song face cracked into a wide smile, the same one that used to light up after teasing her. “Well, look, Autumn’s here!”

  He was probably counting down till he could pick on her again.

  Her parents sprang up like they were thirty instead of fifty plus. Dad clapped his hands. “Well, Autumn, what are you standing around in there for?”

  She slid open the screen and stepped out with a giant grin, falling into his arms for a long overdue hug. Her parents were both talking, and she was sure Mama was bouncing up and down. She held onto her dad and looked over his shoulder at Cory.

  Cory’s face was strangely neutral, just a welcoming smile that didn’t seem to say anything. Her mom grabbed her, pulling her in for a tight hug.

  “Did you smell your pie?”

  “How could I miss it? The house smells like heaven.”

  “We have ice cream in the maker too.”

  Homemade ice cream on her favorite pie, yummy! Autumn turned to Cory but didn’t step in for a hug.

  “Hi, Cory. It’s been a while,” she said, holding back Cory Weasel. His last name was Wesslin, but she’d always called him Cory Weasel instead.

  “Hi, Summer.”

  “Hey, I held off on teasing!”

  He flashed a grin that faded right away, followed by sadness that dimmed his richly colored eyes. Then it was gone. Huh? Maybe she’d imagined it.

  Lily was still sitting and watching her, so Autumn playfully remarked, “Are you too cool to hug me anymore?”

  A smile played on Lily’s lips, even while she tried to suppress it. “No…” She sighed and pushed herself to her feet and gave Autumn a soft, awkward teenager hug.

  Her dad introduced the quiet sixty-something couple sitting on the porch who were smiling at the exchange. They shook her hand and soon excused themselves for the night. “Dinner was lovely, my dear!” the wife called as she stepped carefully down the back stairs.

  Once they’d seen off the guests, Dad opened the screen door and waved all of them in. “Autumn, did you eat dinner?”

  Her mind was still backpedaling, wondering why Cory had picked Summer. He called her by all four seasons, and it often depended on how she was acting. Course maybe she was making him out to be more complicated than he was.

  “No…” she answered her mom. “Well…” She hadn’t eaten, but she didn’t want anything but that peach pie a la mode.

  “The pie needs to cool just a bit more, Autumn,” her mom said, throwing a knowing look over her shoulder. “There’s porketta and carrots the way you like them.”

  Her mom pulled a covered plate out of the oven with her dinner on it, and her dad sat down at the table like he wanted a second dinner too.

  Cory put on his hat. “Well, night, Teresa. Night, Randy. I’m headed home.”

  Both her parents turned opened mouths at him. Lily was the one who said, “Huh? You’re not staying?”

  “You’re leaving before pie?” Mama sounded even more shocked.

  Her peach pie, Autumn thought but kept her mouth shut. Instead she lifted an eyebrow at her childhood teaser.

  Cory just nodded and left without even meeting her gaze or saying goodbye to her.

  “Bye, Cory!” Lily called after him.

  Autumn played blind to the look her parents shared and dug into dinner. “This is great, Mama.”

  Funny—she’d drove all over the US, staying in resorts and five star hotels, but nothing compared to sitting down to her mama’s cooking.

  With an exasperated yet loving sigh, Mama let Dad fix a second plate. Autumn peeked at her sister, sarcastically wondering if Cory had moved on and spent his time picking on Lily now. Or maybe… Maybe there could be something between the two of them? She thought about the age gap, but it wasn’t that big. Thinking along those lines unsettled her.

  “So what’s Cory still around for? He didn’t ever go to college or head off to do his own thing?” Autumn asked. That wasn’t all that nice or subtle, but her mom could see through her anyway.

  “Still around?” Lily didn’t look up from her lilac-polished nails. Her condescending tone rubbed Autumn, but she just looked at her parents for an answer.

  Mama glanced at Autumn’s dad and smoothed the look of concern off her face. “You didn’t hear about Cory’s dad passing away this spring?”

  Oh….maybe that’s where the sadness came from. She felt horrible for him, but her ego took a hit too. Of course their past didn’t bother him after all this time.

  4.

  Thankfully everyone let the topic of Cory drop, and Autumn was able to talk to Lily without any tension.

  “I missed you, kiddo,” she said, nudging Lily’s arm.

  Lily flicked an annoyed look her way. “Missed you too, but I’m not a kid anymore.”

  “No,” Autumn said with a laugh. “You’re grown up. But you’re still my baby sister.”

  Lily tilted her head, studying her for a second before saying, “Then you could have come around more the last couple of years. Or taken me with you on one of your trips.”

  Guilt made her drop her eyes and go back to eating. The room was quiet for a long minute.

  “Well, you’ll want to get some rest before tomorrow morning,” her dad told her as she finished her pie. “We head out at five-thirty.”

  Huh? She looked at her sister but Lily just got a big grin on her face and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

  “Excuse me?” Autumn looked around but there wasn’t anyone else there. “You’re saying something about me getting up at five-thirty?”

  She had firm plans with some hot cakes, strawberries, and whipped cream, not to mention sipping several cups of hot coffee while watching the river.

  “Our fishing trip.” He grinned like he’d already hooked and netted a fifty-pound salmon. “You can’t blog about our resort if you don’t try all our wonderful offerings.”

  “But fishing? And why tomorrow?” she asked. His grin faded just a bit, and she recognized the look. “Dad?”

  “Well, we’re booked after that. But tomorrow’s open.”

  She scraped the last bite from her pate, mostly to give herself a second to think. Unfortunately, she didn’t see a way out of it, seeing as that was what brought her here in the first place. “Lily, are you coming?”

  Her sister gave her a disbelieving, wide-eyed look. “Um, at five thirty in the morning? You’re on your own.” Lily rose and took her plate to the sink, and Autumn wondered if that statement applied to more than the fishing trip. She made a mental note to spend some quality time with her little sis while she was here.

  Mama swatted Dad with the dish towel. “Now, come on, Autumn, and I’ll show you to your cabin.”

  Cabin? Her mom saw her confusion. “You’re writing about our wonderful cabins, right? So you have to stay in one.”

  That seemed logical, but it made her wonder about her parents. Had they turned her old room into an office or something? There seemed to be some vague agenda going on.

  Still, Autumn plastered a smile on her face and said, “Sounds great.”

  She rinsed her plate, wondering about her mixed emotions. Had she been hoping to hang around here tomorrow a
nd run into Cory again? She wanted to know how he’d been since she left, at the very least. She was feeling guilty about how she hadn’t kept in contact, and the feeling intensified when she heard about his dad. What kind of friend was she?

  The cabin was small, cozy, and everything a person could want when staying in a rustic cabin by the Umpqua River, known globally for its beauty and fishing. She settled in and then spent awhile answering emails on her blog, checking Facebook, and moaning about the slow internet. Finally she gave up and went to bed.

  Hi Summer.

  Why had he called her Summer? It was going to keep her up all night.

  5.

  It was hardly light even! Were they out of their minds? Autumn trudged along in the dim half light of pre-dawn, reminding herself she’d gotten up this early to leave on a boating exposition, and once to hit the ziplines in Costa Rica due to the long drive, and countless other times for a day trip and then a write up on her blog. This time, for some reason, she’d been thinking about sleeping in and lounging around at home.

  She spotted her dad in the boat and yelled, “Fish can’t bite if they can’t even see the hook!”

  Her dad looked up and laughed good and loud. “We need time to motor upstream, baby girl. Now don’t jinx your trip. Then we’d have to go out another morning too. We need you to write about catching a hog today.”

  She wondered if her blog readers would have a clue that hog meant a big fish, although it might be funny if some city slickers mistakenly thought people out in the sticks in Oregon caught hogs on a fishing line. More than a few people she’d encountered thought Oregonian girls ran around in shorts, hiking boots and hairy legs. Sigh.

  Autumn pulled her fishing hat down lower in front and slogged her way down to the boat. As an afterthought, she noticed another other person was ready to go, and she wondered how many usually went.

  “Morning, Autumn,” the other man said. “Regular bet?”

  She stopped so quickly, it probably looked like a half stumble. Cory was coming with them? (And smiling about it right now.) Her guard went up, but ironically, at the same time she felt glad to have things return to normal with his teasing. “I suppose we can bet—if you like losing.”