Cowboy Candy (4 page)

Maddy was casually making her way through the local boutique. She
adored the summery dresses and the casual styles, but needed something
along the lines of a business suit. She cringed at the thought of showing up
at a job interview without one.
However, the town was small and the
nearest strip mall was eighty miles away. She figured she'd just have to keep
searching. The selection was surprisingly diverse for such a small town.
Confident, she knew if she looked long enough, she'd find the perfect one.

Finally, she brought an armload of dresses to the salesclerk.
“Excuse me, miss. I'd like to try these on if I can.”
The sales clerk grinned and handed her a key to the dressing room.
“Thanks so much,” she smiled.
Normally, Maddy couldn't stand the thought of trying on so many

distinctive outfits.
However, this was different.
This was no routine job she was applying for. . .and Dusty was no

Dusty pulled out of Mabel's and headed back for the ranch. The sun
would be setting soon, and he loved this time of day. Grand Valley was
breathtaking any time of the year, but the sunsets. . .now, they were out of
this world beautiful. He whistled along with the country song playing on
the radio as he cruised towards town.

He turned a left on to Main Street and had to do a double-take.
Parked in front of Lily's Boutique was a red sixty five fastback. He slowed
the truck down to a crawl.

He was grinning from ear to ear as the wheels turned in his head.
“Now, let’s see . . . I could park down the road some and pretend I
happened to be in the area. No, no that's not gonna’ work, only crazyass stalkers pull stunts like that.”

He pondered his options. “I could sit and wait for her to come out of
Lily's.”
Nope, he shook his head.
"That's another stalker routine. I don't want to scare her," he muttered.
He smiled, and pulled a u-turn.
"I got it. Might as well just come right out with it.”
He parked across the street from Lily's and hastily pulled a business
card out of the glove box.
Pulling out a pen, he quickly scribbled
something on the back and hurried across the street to place it under her
windshield. He made it back to his truck and was just pulling out when
Maddy happily emerged from the dressing room. She didn't notice the
big Ford truck as it drove away. She was focused on her task at hand. She
had found the perfect outfit, and was fishing through her purse so she
could pay the clerk.
“Did you find everything all right?”
Maddy grinned.
“I sure did. I have an important job interview tomorrow and managed
to put together a great outfit.”
The salesclerk smiled.
“Oh? Where’s the job? Here in town?”
Maddy grinned.
“Well, just a little outside of town, at the Mountain Rose Ranch.”
The sales clerk smacked her forehead.
“Where’s my manners? Hi, my name's Peg.”
"Hi Peg, Maddy Cassidy," she smiled and shook Peg's hand.
"Good luck Maddy . . .and, welcome to Grand Valley."
“Thanks, Peg...I appreciate that.”
As she emerged from the boutique, she swung her shopping bags and
hummed a happy tune. She placed her bags in the back seat and got in to
start the engine.
“What the heck?,”
she
mused when she
noticed a
business
card
underneath her windshield wiper.
Thinking it was just some sales pitch; she reached
around and
snatched it.
"Man, these salespeople never quit," she moaned. When she glanced at
the card, the red rose logo caught her attention.
"What the..." she whispered. Her hands trembled as she tried to steady
her nerves. She read the card aloud, "Mountain Rose Ranch..."Her heart
was beginning to race again as she read the back of the card.
"Howdy Mademoiselle... Miss Mabel told me you were looking for a job.
I sure could use your help. If you're interested, please come up to the ranch
tomorrow morning around ten. Hope to see you then, Dusty."
She was’t sure whether she should to take him up on the job offer or
get the hell out of Dodge. The thought of working at the ranch and having
him around made her spine tingle.
“The pros are...I’d have a respectable job, my own place, and a
handsome cowboy to work for....The cons are, I’d have a handsome
cowboy to work for.” She smiled and kissed the business card, leaving a
large red imprint of her lips on the front.
"See ya' tomorrow, handsome," she sighed.

Maddy checked her appearance in the small bathroom mirror. Pleased
she had chosen the Gunne Sax prairie dress with floral accents. The rich
brown velveteen matched her eye color, and the dark black crocheted lace
matched her boots. Since she was interviewing, she decided to wear her hair
up in a sleek chignon knot.

She spent some extra time applying her "face."
Her eyes were lined
with a smoky charcoal black and the black-black mascara she used made her
eye color pop. Her skin was as smooth as silk, so she applied a bronzer and
to finish it off, a deep red lipstick that was her signature color.

She climbed up on the edge of the bathtub, teetering on her heels to
try to get a full-length view of her dress. From what she could see, it was
perfect. It was a maxi-dress, so the lace edged hem stopped just above the
tops of her Dingo boots.
She carefully stepped from her precarious perch
and grabbed her handbag.

She gave one final check in the mirror to ensure that her hoop earring
were not too large, her fingernails were lacquered in the same red as her
lips.
Some ringlets had escaped from the chignon, but somehow had
managed to frame her face as if it were a work of art.

Satisfied, she picked up Dusty's business card and stepped outside into
the bright morning sunlight. As she walked towards Mabel's diner more
than one pick-up truck slowed down to check her out. He tried not to
notice but inwardly giggled. Men could be so predictable sometimes.

She held her breath and opened the front door to Mabel's. As soon as
she stepped inside, it was as if all conversations stopped. Embarrassed, she
chose to ignore the silence and looked up to see Mabel, grinning from ear
to ear.

"Has anybody seen Maddy," she hollered and everyone began to laugh.
"My, oh my... I damn near didn't recognize you Maddy. You look like
you just stepped right out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Someone is
going to be mighty impressed today," she grinned.

She felt self-conscious as hell, and tried to ignore the approving nods
while she took a seat at the counter.
"Can I please get a strong cup of coffee, black?”
Mabel winked.
"Honey, the way you look today, you'll be able to get whatever you

It was nine o'clock, and Dusty hopped into his jeep and drove from the
hunting cabin to the main house. He hoped to see Maddy's car coming up
the driveway, but hell, he wasn't even sure if she'd show. He turned on the
misters in his mother's greenhouse, pulled a few weeds, and felt as nervous
as a bandy rooster. He was pleasantly surprised to hear a vehicle coming up
the sweeping driveway. He stood up, pushed back the brim of his Stetson,
and whistled low to himself. Maddy was here. He could not believe it.
The woman he had been dreaming about for days was only a stone's throw
away. At the moment, he was enjoying the view as one of her shapely
calves emerged from the driver's side of her mustang.

His heart raced. His mouth suddenly became dry, like cotton. He was
staring, fascinated as she emerged from her car. First, he noticed her boots,
next a shapely leg, and then a cute little behind as she bent over to retrieve
her purse from the passenger's seat. "Lord, have mercy," he whispered.
She checked her appearance in the rear-view mirror, allowing him more
than ample time to look at her lovely derriere.

He inhaled deeply and tried to control a certain bodily function. He
wore under his breath.
"Dammit, she makes me react like a gosh darn schoolboy."
Finally, he began walking in her direction. Maddy heard the crunching

of gravel made by someone's footsteps and turned around slowly.
"Good morning Miss Maddy," Dusty dazzled her with his sensual
smile. "Welcome to Mountain Rose Ranch," he said as he reached his hand
towards hers. Maddy froze for an instant, not knowing whether she should
run and hide, or shake hands with the sexiest cowboy she'd ever laid eyes
on.
She held out her perfectly manicured hand as he grasped it firmly with
his own large, calloused one. The two didn't speak for a moment, as if they
were somehow frozen in time.
"Good morning... Mr. Cash," she managed to half-whisper. His hooded
blue eyes felt as if they were boring into her soul. She felt trapped. She was
mesmerized. She could hardly breathe. She realized that he hadn't released
her hand yet and quickly withdrew her own.
"You can call me Dusty," he grinned, "everyone does." Those dimples,
that smile, she was a goner.
She couldn’t help but imagine making love with him.
“Cowboy Candy is right . . .hot damn.”
She was simply grateful that he couldn’t read her thoughts.
"Alright, Dusty it is, then," she replied with the most sensual smile she
could muster. The air suddenly felt thick, like he could hardly breathe. He
had to resist the urge to take her in his arms and kiss the living daylights out
of her.
He cleared his throat and tried his best to sound business-like.
"First of all, let me just say I appreciate you driving all the way up here,"
I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding the place.”
She gazed directly into his eyes, nearly throwing him off balance.
"Oh no, no trouble at all - I appreciate the invitation," she replied.
He finally released her hand, and she felt herself starting to perspire.
"Well, let me take you for a grand tour of the place so you can see what
you're about to get yourself into," he grinned. She inhaled deeply, why did
he have to be so freaking handsome?
Why did he have to smell like soap
and fresh linen? Why did she ever agree to this interview?
"If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you a little bit about the job.
My
mother, Grace was badly injured a few years back, during a trail ride. She's
doing better than we could have hoped for, but she does need help with her
daily routine some days. She needs to take her pain meds on schedule,
occasionally needs someone to help her to her doc's appointments, and
some days she just needs company. I really wish I could manage to do it all
myself, but that's impossible.”
She did her best to pay attention and felt mesmerized by that gaze of
his.
"The position starts at thirty thousand a year. If you decide to accept,
you will also have access to your own two-bedroom house on the property,
with utilities paid," he confirmed.
She could hardly believe what he was saying . . Did he just say thirty
thousand a year?
He flashed a grin that would make any woman's heart
melt. She cleared her throat.
"Well, your mom sounds positively charming, and I happen to have
some medical training," she stated.
She began to fish through her bag for the resume that she had typed at
the library and attempted to hand it to him.
"Thank you, but this really isn't necessary," he said.
"Oh no, I insist. You need to have my information on file. I think I'd
feel better about it," she stated.
"I'll just give this to Miss Joan, our accountant in town.
She handles
all that stuff," he grinned. He neatly folded her resume and put it into his
back pocket. "Well then, I suppose now's a good time to bring you to meet
mom," he smiled. "Follow me," he said as they walked into one of the
grandest foyers imaginable.
The house was built with a rather large tree square in the middle of the
vestibule. Dozens of roses, gardenias, and Calla Lilies adorned the space.
The smell of Night Jasmine filled the air.
She inhaled deeply and smiled.
"Oh, how beautiful . . . I love the smell of Night Jasmine."
Dusty made a mental note, enjoying the look of sheer happiness on
Maddy's face.
There was a large fountain in the corner. It was in the shape of an
angel, who was delicately pouring water into a basin filled with Koi and
water lilies. Maddy felt as if she were transported to a different world. It
was breathtaking.
Dusty grinned, and she had a difficult time not looking at those dimples.
"Maddy, I take it you approve of my mother's green thumb.?
She hesitated, blushing.
"Oh, absolutely, it’s stunning!" she grinned.
He opened two large French Doors that led to a gigantic great room
with stone fireplace and distressed leather furnishings.
The room had
massive wood pillars, twenty foot ceilings, and was decorated with western
art.
She followed him to a second set of French doors.
"Well, Miss Maddy, time to meet my mom, Grace,”he said with a
wicked grin.
He knocked gently on his mother's door.
"Mom, are you decent?"
"Yes honey, come in!" she yelled from a distance.
As they opened the doors, Maddy was taken aback by the sheer
loveliness of Dusty's mother. She was a beauty, with twinkling blue eyes,
snow-white hair, and a face that was remarkably devoid of wrinkles.
She flashed Maddy a comforting
smile and put her hand on her
shoulder.
"Welcome, Maddy. Come, sit down." Grace smiled as she poured some
coffee.
"Guess I'll go visit Miss Dottie in the kitchen and see if she needs help
carrying in those apples for her pies," Dusty announced, excusing himself.
Maddy smiled inwardly. He was charming, respectful, and worried about
the kitchen help?
He was like one of those cowboys from a western
romance novel. He surely looked like he could be a model on the cover of
one, she sighed dreamily.
Just then, Grace handed her a cup of coffee and the two women sat
and shared an enjoyable hour together. Maddy had always been a bit of a
gardener herself, and they had much to talk about. Grace had an immediate
calming effect on the young woman and by the time they were through
talking, Maddy got the job.
Grace was delighted. She wasn't quite sure what to expect when Dusty
advised her that he'd invited someone to the ranch to interview for the job.
She smiled to herself. She liked Maddy, a lot. The girl had a quiet air of
dignity about her and a good head on her shoulders. She appreciated her
honesty
and knew
that
she
must
have
felt
somewhat
embarrassed
explaining her reason for relocating to Grand Valley.
Dear heavens, it was nothing to be ashamed of. Grace admired her for
it. Lord knows Walt tried to hit her one time, and only once. That night, he
awoke to a loud click and found himself staring into the barrel of a loaded
Smith & Wesson.
"No, nothing to be ashamed about, at all."
She respected the beautiful young girl for taking control of her own
destiny. Maddy had somehow managed a wrong turn and ended up here at
Mountain Rose. The world surely did work in mysterious ways. Inwardly
pleased, Grace thought about her son. She had seen the spark in his eyes as
he looked at Maddy.
A mother always has a sixth sense. And Grace could sense that her son
fancied young woman; who wouldn't? Maddy felt like a breath of fresh air,
and she didn’t simply drop from the sky into their laps.
Grace believed in fate; and these two certainly deserved a chance at
happiness. Her heart broke for her son when that no-good Janie had taken
off with Ramon, without any warning at all. Dusty didn't suspect a thing.
She herself had consistently been treated with an icy air by the woman; as if
she posed some type of threat.
Let's face it, the Janie was insecure as hell. Although she was stylish and
beautiful, her nasty personality was not a very attractive trait. Nevertheless,
as they say, "love is blind." She helplessly watched that bitch treating her
son with disrespect; while he treated her with nothing but love and
kindness. She was more interested in what he could give her monetarily,
not for the decent man that he was.
Grace had never meddled in her son's personal life, at least; she tried
not to. If she ever got wind of that good-for-nothing Janie trying to weasel
her way back, she'd put a stop to it, for sure. She sat down and smiled. On
the other hand, she could sense the tension in the air between her son and
Maddy. She might have been a little older, but she wasn't blind.
"Yes my son, it’s time to take the blinders off,” she smiled.