Romance: Loving The Alpha Cowboy: BBW Cowboy Romance (BBW Romance And Alpha Males, Western Contemporary Romance, Cowboy Romance)

Loving The Alpha Cowboy

Lily West

 Copyright 2015 by Lily West

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced

in any way whatsoever, without written permission

from the author, except in case of brief

quotations embodied in critical reviews

and articles.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any

person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

First edition, 201

Chapter 1

Cold and exhausted, it was fear that pushed Colleen to keep running. She pulled her arms up like a shield as she forced her way through a wall of tall bushes. Thorns tore at the exposed flesh of her arms and sides, her legs planting themselves and driving her through.

Her shirt had been torn open, and Roland’s attempts to remove it entirely had only succeeded in ripping it to pieces. She’d lost her pants to some barbed wire a few miles back, the scratches on her legs still bleeding from it. Colleen didn’t look back to see if Roland was still chasing her. She didn’t need to.

Just keep running. That was all she could do – just keep running.

The next thing she knew, she was lying down on something hard.

“What have we here?” A man’s voice said above her.

Colleen cracked open her eyes, the early morning sun flashing across her vision. When had the sun come up? Sucking in air through her teeth, she shielded her eyes before looking over to see who had spoken.

The most handsome man stood over her. His face covered in stubble from a few days of no shaving, and perfectly sculpted muscles over his torso and arms. His jeans were worn and sun-faded, and the tips of his boots looked worn smooth from use.

He smiled at her as he moved his hands around in a shirt, looking for the sleeves before putting it on.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“Miss, you’re on my ranch.”

“Ranch?” she repeated and looked around.

The forest she had been running through was nowhere to be seen. Pasture stretched in all directions to the horizon.

“Where am I?” she asked, unable to think of anywhere near the city that had such vast fields like this.

The man lowered himself and spoke softly. “Now, I answered that one. Were you looking for something more specific?”

Colleen forced a small laugh, hoping he didn’t think she was demented or anything.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m just confused is all.”

“Well Confused, I’m Tucker,” he said, holding a hand out to her.

“Colleen,” she said, correcting him, and accepted his hand. He smiled and helped her to her feet.

“Pleased to meet you, Colleen. Now, if you’ll pardon my saying, it seems you don’t have pants on.”

Then, holding out his t-shirt to her, he added, “Or a shirt.”

Suddenly realizing her state, she squeaked and took the shirt from him and held it over her chest as though it would cover her.

“If you’d kindly come with me, I’m sure we can find you something that’ll do a spell while you tell me what exactly such a lovely lady like yourself is doing on my porch. I sure didn’t order you.”

He guided her through his home to the bathroom so she could have some privacy while he picked out some clothes for her.

The instant the door closed, she looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced. Dirt covered her from head to toe, old scratches had lines of dried blood going down her cheeks.

Through the dirt, clear lines streaked her face where her tears had cut a path through the filth.

Colleen washed her face first, using some water to get the worst of it off before gingerly washing with soap. The suds stung her cuts, but she forced her way through it in the same of cleanliness.

God forbid she got an infection on her face. Wouldn’t
that
just be perfect. Using a washcloth she cleaned her neck, shoulders, and arms.

She’d have to take a shower to really clean up, but she didn’t feel right asking. It seemed an oddly personal thing, to shower in someone else’s home, and she didn’t even know the guy.

Of course, someone as good-looking as him, she’d shower with the door open just a crack and pray he was the type to take advantage. A knock on the door startled her, and she gave a sharp cry before coming back to herself.

Tucker’s laugh on the other side made her blush.

“Sorry Miss, didn’t mean to frighten you. I got some overalls and things for you to try on. If they don’t fit, lemme know and I’ll find something else.”

“I’m going to be real honest with you, Tucker. I don’t think you could have anything that’d fit me.”

“Try ‘em on anyway. For me?”

Colleen sighed. That voice of his could get a girl in a lot of trouble. That southern drawl of his sent sexy shivers up and down her body. Unlocking the door, she opened it a crack.

In came a hand holding some clothes, and then another hand followed with some boots. Colleen closed the door after taking them and looked at the clothes.

Despite Tucker’s ripped body, the clothes he offered were more her size. How could he have clothes this size? They were far too big for him.

Confused but curious, Colleen removed the tatters of her clothes and the t-shirt he’d originally offered to cover herself, and tried on the shirt he’d just given her.

To her surprise, it was even a little big for her. The overalls were large enough, but too long in the leg. Undaunted, she rolled up the cuffs to her ankle before putting on the socks and trying on the boots. The boots were a bit wide, his feet obviously larger than hers, but they were good enough for now.

Self-conscious and feeling horrid, Colleen opened the door to the bathroom. Leaning against the back of the couch, arms crossed in front of his chest, one ankle over the other, Tucker looked like something out of a postcard.

He’d put on a shirt since she last saw him, and had on a white cowboy hat. Tipping up the hat with a push of his thumb, Tucker gave an appreciative whistle.

“Well hot dog, I’d never seen my clothes look so good before.”

Colleen smirked and gave a polite laugh, but knew a line when she heard one.

“I’ll bet you say that to all the ladies.”

“What ladies?”

“It’s a, ah, figure of speech.”

Tucker chuckled politely and smiled. “I know that. I’m asking, what ladies do you see about here? What ladies you think I talk to ‘round here?”

Colleen shrugged and tried to play it off with a smile as she looked around the house.

“I don’t know. I’m sure you have girls around here somewhere, right? There’s no way you’re here… all alone.” She looked at him. “Are you all alone out here?”

“Not all alone,” he said with a smile. Nodding his head toward the door he added,

“Come on.”

Colleen followed him out the door. Their boots clacked against the wooden boards of the wraparound porch. The dust and smell of manure were noticeable now that Colleen had spent some time inside and away from it.

Early morning rays were still streaking across the horizon, casting long shadows as they stepped off the porch and walked toward the large red barn nearby. Chickens roamed nearby, some clucking and flapping wildly to get out of the way as he walked through their small flock.

“You have chickens, too? Isn’t that a bit…”

“A bit what?”

“I don’t know, cliché?”

“Miss, this is a ranch. I have a few cows, horses, goats, chickens, and a vegetable garden ‘round back. It’s not cliché. It’s how self-sufficient ranches work.”

“All right, geez, I’m sorry.”

Tucker stopped walking and turned to face her. Surprised at his sudden stop, she slipped a little in the dust, nearly losing her balance, but with a quick spin of her hands she was able to right herself and look up at him.

“Is this how you treat people?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Normally, I mean. In your every day. Is this how you talk to them?”

Colleen looked around them to see if anyone was overhearing this, but all she saw were the animals, the dust, and the pastures. What was he even talking about?

“I wasn’t talking to you like anything. I was just saying—“

“That my ranch, my livelihood, is cliché.” Tucker reached out and plucked at the sleeve of the shirt she wore.

“I dressed you without question. About to introduce you to my girls, and then I was going to feed you. Feed you, mind, from the food I make here. Vegetables I grew, milk my cows produced. Cream for your coffee, butter for your toast. That’s how I talk to people. While wearing my clothes, you insult my ranch. My pride.”

“I’m sorry, “she said, and looked away when she realized how defensively she snapped out the words.

“That’s how you apologize?” he asked, crossing his arms again.

“What do you want from me?” she yelled.

Tucker clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shook his head. “What kind of people do you surround yourself with, I wonder?”

“You don’t know anything about me, okay? So why don’t you, hey, don’t you turn your back on me!”

Tucker continued his trek toward the barn, though his stride was far longer now and she had to rush her steps to catch up.

“Who do you think you are, buddy?” She rushed forward a few more steps and stopped in front of him to make him talk to her.

“You can’t talk to me like that. I don’t know how it is out here in the middle of nowhere, but where I come from, we treat one another with respect.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, it is!”

“Have you thanked me yet?”

Colleen opened her mouth to say of
course,
but realized she never did.

As she stood frozen in the realization of her entitled attitude, he wordlessly walked around her and pressed on.

“I’m sorry,” she called to his back.

Tucker stopped and spun on his heel. “Now that sounded a bit more sincere.”

“I am. You… I imposed on you, and without hesitation you’ve been a most gracious host. I have no place to tell you about manners. I can’t believe I was so rude to you.” Colleen walked forward and laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

Tucker slipped a thumb under her palm, hooked it around her thumb, and brought the back of her hand to his lips.

“Already forgiven, Miss.”