Maxwell

I felt the car’s engine shut off and my speed drop, momentum the only thing pushing me along. I pulled to the side of the two-way, poorly paved road as the car coasted to a stop. Once it was there, I put it in park and watched the gas tank light come on. Taking out my phone, I pressed the number of the rental car place. It beeped that one annoying beep which meant trouble. I looked at the phone; there were no bars and the 4G symbol was missing.

“Damn it,” I snarled. Tossing the stupid device on the dash, I threw my head back against the headrest and blew out a harsh breath. The air in the car was no longer running and sunlight beamed into the car, stealing all the coolness that lingered in the vehicle.

I knew I was going to be in trouble if I didn’t get help. When I got down here, the temp at the airport said 99 and the high was going to be somewhere around 107. I could feel the sun burning my face. Sitting here, I had to weigh my options. Should I hoof it down the road like I would if I couldn’t catch a cab in the city or the traffic was too jammed; or should I stay put? I had to decide before there were no options left.

If I walked, maybe I could get some phone reception and call for help. The city had been at least thirty miles in the other direction, and the last I checked before the GPS crapped out, the Davidson Ranch was ten miles away. It seemed I didn’t really have much of a choice. It was walk or bake. I looked in the car for a bottle of water but it was empty and the damn coffee I bought was hot. If I made it out of this heat, I would switch to cold coffee from now on.

I hopped out of the car with my sunglasses on and my suit jacket off and tossed over my shoulder. I would have left it, but I knew they covered up in the desert to prevent burns. Locking up the car, I took only what I needed, my wallet and phone.

I was in the middle of who the fuck knew where, in some hick town in east Texas. One mishap after another left me stranded on a dirt road with no cell reception, marching to the nearest sign of life. This must be what hell felt like. Suddenly, the cold, slushy wintery mix in New York didn’t seem so damn bad. You’d think I was in the middle of the Sahara instead of central Texas. What possessed me to come here and handle this myself I asked myself, wiping a layer of sweat from my brow before it dripped into my eyes.

I held out my phone toward the sky, mentally willing it to find a signal, but I got nothing. How could anywhere in the good ol’ USA not have cell reception? This day and age, there should be a signal everywhere.

I felt the edge of my collar start to stick to my skin as I continued marching down the road with my suit jacket thrown over my shoulder. The heat was unbearable. Every ten feet felt like a mile in this weather. I didn’t know if the car was right before it broke down, but the temp said 110°F outside.

Between the heat and missing breeze, my throat seized up. How long was this road? I turned to see my rental, but it was out of sight now. I was going to be screwed if I didn't find some water soon. What possessed me to get a hot coffee in hell? It was like eating ice cream in Antarctica.

I knew exactly what I was going to do with this damn property once I got it all squared away. Not that I’d be back, but this place needed a pit stop. This was nuts. I was a strong, athletic man, but I could feel the heat winning the battle. My lips were chapped to the point I thought they would start bleeding. I had to be a mile away from the car now, or a guy could hope. There was nothing to the left or the right of me besides empty fields. Didn’t anyone work around here? Was that why they had no money to pay their loan? I looked ahead and spotted a large tree in the middle of nowhere. Taking off my sunglasses, I focused my gaze. The tree was lush and green. The shade was teasing me as I stared in that direction. I’d have to stop there and rest.

I stumbled across the road with the sun in my eyes, dropping my glasses. It was the loud blaring of horn that stopped me from taking one more damn step in the road. I heard the tires screech as the vehicle came to a stop ahead. I collapsed, falling to the side of the road into a bunch of gravel. Damn, that fucking hurt. I supposed it was better than getting plowed down by a truck. Their footsteps were hurried, but I could barely focus on them.

“Buddy, have you lost your fucking mind?” a man’s voice rang in my ears. “Billy, let’s help him up.” A grunt escaped one of them as they helped me up. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. The heat,” I muttered in my heat stroke state, standing with their assistance.

“Here, drink this.” He handed me a bottle of water with his brows scrunched together.

“My hero.”

“Relax, city boy. I don’t go that way.”

I let out a choked laugh. “Neither do I, but fucking hell, this sun is no joke.”

“No, it’s not. Come on, we’ll take you to our ranch. You can get some rest there. Maybe you can tell us why you’re roaming the backroads in a suit.”

“I…I…” My brain was still addled from the heat.

“Buddy, save it until you get your strength back. You’re the size of one of my bulls and you’re barely standing.” He turned to his partner, a younger man in a flannel shirt. “I told ya. You need to stay hydrated in this shit. You kids think because you’re strong that you can pick a fight with the sun.”

The young one shook his head. “Dad, I know that. I just like busting your chops. Come on and let’s get suits to the house.”

“Okay.” They led me to a pick-up truck that had seen better days. It was about ten years past its expiration. The door creaked as they opened it and helped me in before the older man took the driver’s seat. The other man walked around and slipped into the passenger seat, leaving me sitting between them. It was more than a tight fit, but I wasn’t going to complain.

“You got a name, mister?” the old man asked with his eyes on the road in front of him.

“Maxwell,” I huffed out, my energy was too depleted for questions at the moment. I stared straight ahead in a trance as they drove down the road for what seemed like miles upon miles. If they hadn’t come around, I’d be dead. Despite its age, the air conditioning was still cranking in this rust bucket. They deserved a new truck for saving me, mentally making a note for myself later on. That would be the least I could do.

I lost track of time and direction as we pulled into a large ranch. It was starting to look dilapidated. The house could use a good paint job and the wood on the deck could stand to be stained. It had seen better days and I was going to help. The ranch was falling apart piece by piece. I could see the damage to the roof of the barn that was to the left of the main house. I may not be a farmer or a ranch hand, but I knew about property.

“Pops, when were you going to tell me the extent of our trouble? This is bullshit.” He slammed his hands on the dashboard, frustration getting the better of him. I leaned my head back against the seat; a headache was starting to build between my eyes and their potential argument wasn’t helping.

“I wanted you to finish your degree, Billy.”

“I don’t give a shit. I got the damn degree so I could come back here and help make this place twice as big, and here we are on our last dime.”

“You’re a vet. There are hundreds of ranches around that could use your skills.”

My head was spinning and I just wanted to lay down in a cool room. I felt Billy’s face turn to me as I kept my eyes closed. “Pops, not now. Let’s get this fella what he needs to be on his way.”

They both exited as I moved to the passenger side gingerly, my brain pulsing against my skull. I was about to climb out of the cab on my own when I caught sight of a damn angel in skimpy shorts and a tank top that was a bit too damn revealing. She rushed into Billy’s arms, and a twinge of jealousy sucker punched me in the chest. I’d never been jealous over a woman before, but somehow, I knew that she would be the one and only to bring that out in me. Her blonde curls bounced as she jumped up and down. They only brought more attention to her breasts that I ached to rest my head on. I was near death’s door and I was getting a hard-on for her. She smiled at me straight through the windshield with a genuine smile that showed in her cornflower blue eyes. She looked like a wet dream come to life and I looked like I’d been dragged through the mud.

The heat running through my veins wasn’t from the sun; it was all her. I stepped out of the vehicle, still not steady on my feet, and the old man caught my arm and helped me up.

“Oh my goodness,” she exclaimed. “Let’s get him inside.” I stood there, trying to organize my thoughts enough to say hello when I saw a bead of sweat drip down between those succulent breasts. I wanted to lean forward and lick it off her, using my hands to cup and push them together and pressing my face into her cleavage. A low rumble left my chest as I thought about how she’d feel against my body completely naked.

The big guy noticed my attention and whispered in my ear, “You stay away from my little girl or I’ll leave a rattler on your lap, ya hear?”

It was clear he wasn’t joking in the least, but I didn’t care. “Yep,” I said with a nod, ignoring his words and giving her a smile.