Her Rancher, Her Protector

Chapter 3 - Tyler

I drove up to the small diner. I didn’t go as often as I used to. Since my wife, Maggie, died a few years ago, I didn’t leave my ranch often. I just stayed busy working, making more money than I knew what to do with since my cattle were high selling. It was what I could do to get my mind off of the love of my life. She left me to soon. So, I kept myself busy. I had to come into town to see my mom. Something I wasn’t looking forward to. She was worried about me and would be overlooking me like a hawk when I was there, worrying about me. I wish she didn’t. I wasn’t rushing to see her. So I decided to stop at the diner to prolong it. I walked in and Gretchen, instantly, smiled. “Tyler! It has been so long. How are you doing, sweetie?”

I smiled at her. “I am doing well, Gretchen. How are the boys?”

“Moved all out. So, I am bored at the house. Clint just went off to college.” She beamed.

I sat down at the counter. Clint was her youngest out of three boys. She was a single mother. Her husband took off with some younger woman when her kids were young, so she was a single mom since. I admired her for that. I nodded. “That is good. It’s about time you finally got time for you.”

“But I have no clue what to do with myself.” She joked.

I slightly laughed. I looked around at all the people in there. I knew all the faces there as it was a small town. I grew up here, on my ranch. It was my dad’s till he passed away. I took over and my mom moved to the town once I got married. She said that three was a crowd and I needed to spend time with my wife and have a family. A year later, my wife was gone. Never started that family. I continued to keep scanning the faces in there and smiled. Then I noticed a face I didn’t recognize. She was a waitress. She was beautiful. She was slender yet curves in all the right places. Her hair was long and chestnut brown. She smiled at some customers and her smile lit up a room. I was quickly drawn in. “Gretchen, who is that?”

She looked at what I was looking at and said, “Oh, that is Angel. She has been working here for a week. Poor thing, she came here to get a bite to eat with her son when her car broke down. She had been stranded here. No family. She is alone in this world with her child. It’s heartbreaking really. She doesn’t talk a whole lot but is the sweetest girl you could meet.” I looked at her. Gretchen eyes lit up. “Oh, you should talk to her, Tyler. She would be perfect for you.”

I gave her a look. The woman was beautiful but I wasn’t ready. It still stung how I lost my wife. I wasn’t ready to be with anyone else. “Gretchen, I’m still not ready.”

She sighed. “Sweetie, I know you loved your wife, but you have to one day move on.”

I just gave her a nod. “Can I have a coffee, please?”

She just nodded and walked away. I looked over at the woman again. She was walking towards me and as she got closer, she was more beautiful than I could even imagine. I eyed her body, I couldn’t help it. She was down right gorgeous and it had been years since I have been with another woman. As she got behind me, she dropped a tray of dirty plates she was carrying. I quickly got up to help her. As I was picking up the pieces, she pleaded, “Oh, please, don’t. I am already embarrassed enough.”

“I don’t mind, ma’am.” I looked up as we got the last of the broken glass in the bucket. She looked at me with green eyes and I felt like the breath was taken from me. “And don’t be embarrassed, Angel. We all have clumsy moments. You are not the first. Should have seen my first time getting on a horse, you want to talk about graceful.” She smiled as she looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear. God, she was beautiful. We both stood up. “No harm done.”

“Thank you.” She said softly as she smiled sweetly, as we both looked at each other.

I could have stared into those green gems all day. I tipped my hat to her as I touched the brim. “Anytime, ma’am.” I smiled at her.

She flashed another small smile and moved past me as I watched her. I watched her ass as she moved, I felt my c**k stiffen. Down boy. Is all I thought as this was the first woman to get the fire burning deep within since my wife passed. She was doing a number on me just a few moments of talking to her. I had to go in the bathroom and adjust myself. I didn’t need anyone from town to see my raging hard on I had for this woman. I walked to the bathroom and as I almost got there, I almost ran into a small boy. About ten, maybe eleven years old. “Sorry, sir.” The small boy said.

I just smiled at him as I moved into the bathroom. I looked around to see the three stalls empty and the place was empty. Quickly, I adjusted my c**k and walked over to the sink. I washed my hand and than moved my hat off my head. I splashed some water on my face. “Get a grip, Tyler.” I breathed as this woman was doing a number on me. I looked at myself in the mirror as I turned off the faucet. “What is wrong with me?” I asked myself. Than I kept question myself that over and over. I stood up straight as I shook it off. “I am a red blooded American male is what is wrong with me.” I mean, what guy wouldn’t want to bend a girl like her over and f**k her till she was full of his c*m. She was beautiful and her body was amazing. I mean, the way she made me feel was something I haven’t felt in a long time. I haven’t wanted a woman in so long. But I wanted this woman, I wanted Angel. I shook my head. “Get it out of your mind, buddy.” I told myself in the mirror. I grabbed my hat and put it on. Than something caught my attention, it was a stuffed bear at the corner of the sink. I only saw one child in the diner and it was the boy I almost ran into. I knew it was his. I grabbed the bear and walked out of the bathroom. I scanned the diner looking for the boy. I saw him, in a corner booth, with her. She was sitting next to him and smiling at him. She kissed the top of his head. The boy was her son. I walked over to the table and said with a smile as I held up the bear. “Is this yours, young man?” I asked him.

He beamed when he saw the bear. “Yes, sir.”

I smiled as I handed the bear to him. I looked at the boy. Yeah, he was definitely her kid. He had her green eyes and her smile. But his hair was blond. I looked over at Angel as she said to her son, “What do you say to the nice man?”

He looked at me and smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

I nodded. “No problem, young man.” I then asked him, “What is your name, son?”

He looked at his mother unsure. “Go on, honey.” She encouraged him.

He looked back at me. “Cory.”

I held my hand out. “I’m Tyler. It’s nice to meet you.”

He took my hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you too, Tyler.” Than he let go of my hand and hitched his head to the side as if he was curious. “Are you a cowboy?”

“Why do you ask that?” I asked him as I chuckled.

He pointed to my hat. “You are wearing a cowboy hat.”

I slightly chuckled. “Well, Cory, I’m a rancher. I own a ranch outside of town. Where I have cattle.”

“And horses?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I have a few horses.”

“That is so cool.” He beamed.

I looked over at the boy’s mother. She smiled at our interaction. Cory looked at his mother. “Mama, can I have some pancakes?”

“I swear.” She laughed. “All you eat is pancakes and waffles. Pretty soon you are going to turn into one.” She ruffled his hair as she laughed and moved him closer to her as she placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head. I couldn’t help to find that quality in her so attractive. She was a loving mother. It was...hot. “Of course you can have pancakes. I will have Gus to whip you up some.”

He smiled as she moved out of the booth. As she stood up, she brushed against me. Instantly, my senses went wild as she was so close I could smell her perfume and her skin touching mine, for a brief moment, sending electricity through my body. f**k, this was just from unpurposed touch and I wanted to do so much to her. She looked at me as I looked at her. Her eyes were filled with something that I recognized. Lust. She wanted what I wanted. She cleared her throat as she looked away. “Excuse me.”

She moved away from me and I watched her. I shook my head. I had to get the hell out of there or I might do something I couldn’t take back. I looked at the boy. “Nice talking to you, Cory.”

“You too, Tyler.” He said, cheerfully.

I walked away and walked to the counter. I leaned on it. “Gretchen, I will take my coffee to go, please.”

“Okay, sweetie.” She poured a cup into a to go cup. She handed it to me as I paid her. I quickly left but not before I looked over at the sweet angel who made me feel alive for the first time in a very long time. With one more look, I was out the door.