Cowboy Endings: Down Under Cowboy Series, #7

By Kasey Millstead

Join your favourite Australian couples for one last goodbye. 

Life is wrought with ups and downs, and if we are lucky, we will have the one we love to relish the joys and to navigate the rough waters of heartache. 

Cowboy Endings takes place ten years after the end of Cowboy Redemption and comprises of six novellas. There will be joy, heartache, laughter, sorrow and love from your favourite Australian couples, as they deal with issues that plague many marriages. 

Join Jackson & Edie, Jeremy & Ava, Clay & Jules, Luke & Laura, Zeke & Sienna, and Kye & Kennedy one last time before they say goodbye. 

**Cowboy Endings should be read as the final book in the Down Under Cowboy Series. It is not intended to be read as a standalone** 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kasey Millstead
• Release date: Oct 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516324712

Book preview

COWBOY ENDINGS

Join your favourite Australian couples for one last goodbye. 

Life is wrought with ups and downs, and if we are lucky, we will have the one we love to relish the joys and to navigate the rough waters of heartache. 

Cowboy Endings takes place ten years after the end of Cowboy Redemption and comprises of six novellas. There will be joy, heartache, laughter, sorrow and love from your favourite Australian couples, as they deal with issues that plague many marriages. 

Join Jackson & Edie, Jeremy & Ava, Clay & Jules, Luke & Laura, Zeke & Sienna, and Kye & Kennedy one last time before they say goodbye. 

EDEN & JACKSON

CHAPTER ONE – EDIE

There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane, sometimes they barely fan one’s cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do a future that is impossible to ignore. Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle

I have always considered myself to be extremely lucky.  After all, I am married to the most handsome, generous man who thinks the world of me.  He is completely faithful, which is a huge thing to me considering my last boyfriend cheated on me.  Together we have three beautiful children who are growing into kind, considerate people, and we live in paradise surrounded by loving family and friends who we adore.

It was the winds of destiny, blowing with the fury of a hurricane that brought me to Pine Creek, Northern Territory.  Those winds had been quiet for the past decade, but soon they would blow again, creating a tornado and tearing down my defenses in one furious gust.

~*~

Have a good day, guys.  Love you.

Love you, mum, Brooklyn replies, kissing my cheek.

You too, ma, Max mumbles, forgoing the kiss to get out of the car and bolt to his friends in case I embarrass him.

I watch them walk through the school gates, my heart swelling like it always does.  At fifteen, Brooklyn is my baby.  She is kind and sweet, beautiful, and popular among her friends.  Max is a typical eighteen-year-old and what I imagine his father was like at his age.  In his last year of school, his focus is primarily on female subjects instead of those set by the school curriculum.  I swear to god, he is going to make me a grandmother sooner rather than later and the thought fills me with dread.  Still, like my husband always tells me, Max may like the girls, but he is also incredibly responsible.  Meaning Jackson had a very stern talk with Max about the use of condoms!

Olive, our eldest, is at university in Darwin.  She is studying to be an ultrasound technician and will be graduating in just over a year.  It is crazy how fast time flies, especially when you are busy raising children.

Unlocking the door, I walk into the Coffee House and immediately turn on the air conditioners.  It is hot and stuffy in here, despite it only being eight-thirty in the morning.  I flip the sign to Open and then do the small amount of preparation that needs to be done before the customers start coming in.

Four years ago, Ava, Jules, and myself bought the Coffee House from Ava’s parents, Liz and Michael.  Prior to us buying it, it was managed by a middle-aged married couple, since Liz and Michael were travelling around Australia and Europe.  When the managers wanted to retire, we decided to make an offer on it and go into business together.  Originally Kennedy was going to join us, but since she is so busy running the business side of Kye’s extremely successful coaching clinic, she decided not to.

Ava, Jules, and I share shifts, so we are not working all the time.  We each work two days a week, plus we have two permanent employees who alternate the day shift.  Brooklyn, Ava, and Jeremy’s daughter, Haidee, and Sienna and Zeke’s daughter, Ivie, also do some after-school, weekend, and school-holidays waitressing for us.  It works well and keeps us busy, which we like.

Morning, Edie, Sharna chirps as she clocks on for work.  Oh, it’s nice and cool in here. She fans herself. 

It wasn’t when I came in.  Gosh, it’s hot outside.  I think it’s going to rain.

Hope so. Might cool things down a bit.

I place some slices in the display fridge and then move over to the oven, filling it with meat pies and sausage rolls.

I’ll restock the fridges, Edie.

Thanks, Sharna.

A few minutes later, I look up when I hear the bell ring over the door.  A smile stretches across my face when I see Skip walking through the doors.

"How’s my favourite customer? I ask.

Battlin’ on.  I pull out a chair for him and he plops down. 

How’s the knee going?

Well, it hasn’t fallen off yet, so I s’pose it’s doin’ all right.  He gives me a rueful grin.  Skip suffers terribly with gout.  I gave up telling him to ease up on his yeast intake because he doesn’t listen anyway.  Stubborn old man!

Coffee? I ask him.

He gives me a nod and picks up the paper to have a read while I set about making his regular morning drink.

Being the only coffee shop and café in Pine Creek means we are always busy.  The town might not have a lot of permanent residents but there is always people travelling through and they love to stop and stay a few hours or days in our beautiful town.  This means we get a lot of business.  The day passes quickly with a steady stream of customers and when school finishes, Brooklyn and Max walk through the door.

Hey, babies, I greet and Max cringes.

Mum, he grits out under his breath, glancing over his shoulder at a group of girls his age who are sitting around a table enjoying an after school milkshake.

I roll my eyes at him and finish off the coffee I am making for a customer. 

The kids help themselves to an afternoon snack and when they are done, Brooklyn puts on her apron and gets to work.

Maxy, while you’re here, could you help me with something? I ask my son as he loads his dirty plate in the dishwasher.

Mum, don’t call me Maxy in front of people, he grits out, his eyes darting to left to see if the girls heard.  They are giggling and talking amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious, but I have noticed one of them in particular keeps eyeing Max off.

Come out back and help your mother.  Are you okay here, sweetie? I ask Brooklyn.

Yeah, mum.

Max follows me outside and around the side of the building. 

Can you get the ladder and change that light bulb for me?  I noticed it was blown last night.

You scared to get up that high on the ladder, ma? he teases.

Stop making fun of your mother, mister.  Just remember, I taught you to use a spoon! 

Yeah, yeah. He laughs while walking off to fetch the ladder and I go back inside to get the spare bulbs.

After he has changed the bulb, Max begins working his charm with the girls on the table, while I do the parent thing – you know, that thing parents do when their kids are chatting and flirting?  You pretend you are extremely involved in doing something extraordinarily focus-consuming, like polishing the cutlery or making sure there are no streaks on the coffee mugs.  When really, the only thing you are trying to do is crane your neck in a non-obvious way so you can hear what they are saying.

Are you guys going to the party on Saturday night?

Um, I’m not sure. I don’t really have a ride there...

I can pick you up.  We can get a bite to eat beforehand, if you want?

That sounds good.

*Cue the giddy schoolgirl giggling from the friends*

I wonder where the party is at?

I lean closer (discreetly, of course).

From the corner of my eye I see Max lean in and whisper something in the girl’s ear.  Her cheeks turn pink and she smiles shyly.

If he is anything like his father – which he is! – I can only imagine what sexual innuendo just came out of his mouth to make that girl blush like that.

Mum, what are you doing? Brooklyn’s question startles me and I jump in fright, the coffee mug I was diligently polishing goes flying and smashes to the ground. 

Shit, I mutter.  You scared me, I say, my heart pounding.

You were spying, she accuses.

I feign shock.  I would never do such a thing!

She rolls her eyes at me and then hands me the sweeper so I can tidy up the shards of porcelain littering the floor.  When I stand up again, Max and the group of girls have disappeared.  I am such a lame mum.

As we close up the shop for the day, making sure everything is ready for the following morning, my phone rings in my pocket.

Hello, I answer.

Hey, Mum, Olive replies.

How are you, sweetie?

Good.  Busy with work and study.  Are you guys busy on the weekend? I was going to come home for a couple of days.

Okay, darling, we’ll be home.

See you Friday then.

Love you, bye.

We end the call and I place it back in my pocket, smiling.  As well as studying, Olive also works in a bar for extra cash, so we don’t get to see her much.  Of course, Jackson and I travel to Darwin whenever she has days off, but it still isn’t as often as I would like.

Okay, guys, let’s go home.  I’m sure you’ve both got homework to do and I know you’ve got chores.

We climb in the car and drive the thirty minutes to our home.

G’day, Ace. How was your day?

One thing I am positive I will never tire of is the sound of my husband’s voice.  It’s husky, rough at the same time as being silky smooth.  It glides over my skin, warming me from the outside in.  Every time.

Good, honey, I reply.  Yours?

Better now you’re home. 

I walk into his waiting arms and breathe him in.  He kisses the top of my head like he always does and holds me tight.  We have a moment, just soaking each other in, like we haven’t seen each other in years, despite it only being a few hours.  I give his butt a squeeze and hear Brooklyn mutter, Eeew, gross.  Then I smile.  Jackson chuckles.

My life is amazing.

CHAPTER TWO – JACKSON

Fucking stubborn cattle, I mutter.  I signal with my hands for my worker to go around the mob, containing them.  I roar off in the opposite direction to go after one that got away from the group and bring him back.  We have been flat out the past week bringing cattle in from all over the station.  They are being sent overseas in the morning, so they have to be put in the yards, checked, and then loaded on to huge Road Train trucks this afternoon. 

Hearing the chopper blades whir close to me, I know my twin brother, Jeremy, is doing his part in the air.  Since the land up here is so densely populated with bush land, majority of the property can’t be accessed with vehicles.  This is where the choppers come into play.  They can seek out cattle from the air and push them into the open grounds for us to then round them up.

Got a few more coming for you, Jack, Jeremy tells me over the radio.

Roger that, I reply.

We put the cattle in the yard and then turn our quad bikes around to wait for the next lot of Brahman bulls to be pushed out of the scrub by Jer.

A few hours later, we have loaded two thousand head of cattle onto the trucks and we are all thirsty.

Cow and Calf? Jer throws out.

Sounds good to me, I reply.  An ice cold beer will go down just right.

I’m in, Phillip, one of our employees says, and Pete, our other worker nods his head.

We all go back to our houses first to clean the sweat, dirt, and cow shit off ourselves, then an hour later, we meet at the local watering hole. 

Hey, boys, Sienna says with a smile.  Beers all round?

You got it.  Zeke around?

He’ll be in later.

She passes our beers over to us and I take a big gulp.  Just what I needed.

A few beers and a round of darts later, the boys and I are sitting outside shooting the shit when a blast from my past comes strutting up to the table.

What the fuck does she want? I hear my brother mutter.  I shrug my shoulders, praying she will walk right past.

I haven’t seen Dannika in a fucking long time.

She sidles up and stops right beside me.  I shift slightly, my chair scraping the concrete, as I attempt to distance myself from her.

Jackson, she purrs, her long fingers reaching out to rest on my shoulder.

With a jerk of my shoulder, I shake her off.  What do you want, Dannika?

I need to speak with you.

So speak.

In private, she stresses.

You can say whatever you have to say here.

"Please, Jackson.  I don’t want everyone knowing our business."

Fuck me dead.

Fine. I stand up, pushing the chair back and follow her.  Once we are out of earshot, she morphs her body language into contrite.

What’s she playing at?

Right, you got me here, Dannika.  Now speak.

I need to tell you something.  Something I should have told you a long time ago, but I didn’t because I was scared.

Spit it out then.

"I...Twenty-two years ago, I had a baby.  Your baby."

Impossible.

I did! she stomps her foot.  Don’t you remember that night you spent with me?  It was our last time together, Jackson.  A beautiful baby was conceived that night.

"Think I’d remember if I fucked you that night, Dannika.  I haven’t even so much as thought about you since the very first night I laid eyes on Eden here at this pub twenty-four years ago."

You can’t tell me you’ve never thought of me over the years, thought of how good we were together.  She attempts to be sexy, looking at me through her lashes and moving closer to me. 

That’s exactly what I just said, I mutter. 

She ignores me and rests her hands on my pecs.  "We were so good together, Jackson.  No one has ever been better than you.  Just give me one night, for old time’s sake," she whispers.

I grip her hands and her eyes heat.  Tugging her body into mine, I dip my head down so my gaze is directly focused on her.  She tilts her head up, her lips a breath away from mine. 

Time hasn’t been kind to Dannika.  Her face is weathered, wrinkly, and she has cracks so deep in her forehead not even the shitload of makeup she has on is covering them.

"You’ve got no chance of that ever happening, Dannika.  My cock only gets hard for one pussy.  My wife’s," I growl.  She startles, thinking this was going in a completely different direction.

W-what? she stutters.

You concocted this whole scenario to get me alone in the hopes I would stick my cock in your cunt again? I snarl, squeezing her wrists just a little too tightly.  She winces.

I-I thought you’d love it.  Even with her lip quivering and bullshit tears filling her eyes, she still manages to press her tits into my chest and discreetly rub herself against my non-existent erection.

Stay the fuck out of my life, Dannika.  If I ever see you again, it’ll be too fucking soon.  I shove her off me and stalk out of the room.

You were a shit lay anyway, Jackson Henley! she shrieks.

Shaking my head, I walk back to the table where the boys are still sitting.  I grab my beer, down the rest of it, and slam it back down on the table.  I’m getting another beer.  You boys want one?

They nod, eyeing me carefully.  I return moments later with the beers and hand them out before taking my seat.

What’d she want? my brother asks.

Cause fuckin’ trouble, like usual, I rumble.

Don’t worry about her, Jack, Pete says.  She’s more trouble than she’s worth.

You’ve got no idea, I mutter.

~*~

Mornin’ Ace, I say, my voice taking on that husky-with-sleep tone my wife loves.  I rub my morning wood between the smooth, bare cheeks of her arse as my hand slides around and up over the weighty curve of her tit.  I find her nipple, hard and wanting.  I pluck it with my fingers and she moans, pressing her arse against me.  My cock slides through the slick moisture from her pussy and I resist the urge to ram inside her.  As I continue working her tits, she dry humps my dick, driving us both wild.  My cock throbs, craving the warmth only the heat of her pussy gives me.

You want my cock, darlin’?

Yes, she hisses.  Baby, please.

Fuck, I love when she begs for it.

"Jackson, please," she whimpers.  Leaving her nipple, I slide my hand down over her toned stomach, finding her bare mound.  I dip my fingers down further into the slick heat that awaits me.  My fingers circle her swollen little nub until she is panting and bucking against my hand.  Right when I am sure she is soaking for me, I leave