Falling

Falling
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine.
Author’s Notes- This is the follow-up to “Wild Times”, I think this will be 4, maybe 5, parts in total. I couldn’t leave Dick and Summer’s story with a one shot. Thanks again to boneandfur for helping me hash out the details of this fic and Summer’s backstory (which will be slowly unfolding).
Pairing- Dick Mulligan/MC
Rating- NSFW
Summary- Summer and Dick spend a week together, culminating in the Sweet Ridge country fair and the realization that their relationship has grown beyond a casual encounter.
Words- 3847

I finished getting dressed in the tiny motel bathroom, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I’d managed to pull together a pretty cute ‘country’ look, if I did say so myself.

I was about to go out and join Dick and get his opinion when my phone rang. I picked it up, after checking the caller ID and making sure it was someone I wanted to talk to. “Hey, Ellie.” I paused, reaching for a tube of lipstick. “No, I’m still in Montana. I’m planning on hitting the road tomorrow, I’ve already called Evie and let her know.”

We chatted for a few minutes, then I made my excuses because I could hear Dick pacing in the other room. I hung up my phone and slipped it in my purse, banished along with the thoughts of where I should be as opposed to where I was.

Because instead of on my way to California, and my new life, I was still in Sweet Ridge, camped out in a cheap motel room with a sexy cowboy. At first, it was because of my car, but my car had been ready for 3 days and I was still here.

“Ready to go darlin’?” Dick called out. “I have to go check on my equipment.”

“I’m ready,” I answered, exiting the bathroom. I smiled at the way his eyes scanned me appreciatively, lingering on my short denim skirt. I took the hand Dick offered, letting him tuck me into his side as we walked to the parking lot.

I had agreed to stick around to see him perform at the country fair, I told myself it was just curiosity and wanting this encounter to end on a high note, but it was also that I hadn’t been able to resist the eagerness in Dick’s voice when he’d asked me to stick around and watch the rodeo.

Dick lifted me up into his truck, stealing a kiss as he did so. “I’m glad you stuck around,” he told me, his hand resting on my hip as he leaned against the side of the truck.

“You just want to show off for me,” I teased, trying to ignore the butterflies that his words caused. I wasn’t supposed to be falling for this man. It was just sex. The best sex of my life. But tomorrow I’d hit the road and get back to my fresh start. I’d stayed long enough, if I stuck around any longer, I wouldn’t want to go. Which… Was a dangerous thought, one I couldn’t afford.

“Maybe I do,” Dick commented, stepping back a bit, “do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” I answered, “I like seeing what you’ve got.” He’d been showing me all week, making the crappy hotel room feel like paradise with the things he did to my body. “But you can’t show me anything in the motel parking lot.”

“Well, I could…” Dick began, but he closed my door and then quickly moved to get in the driver’s side. He settled in and then reached over and tugged me closer on the bench seat. “You’re too far away.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll distract you?” I teased, pressing my leg against his and resting my hand on his thigh. “That could be dangerous…”

Dick laughed, a rich melodious sound. “I’m a cowboy, darlin’, I live for the thrill.”

“I bet you do,” I murmured, letting my eyes sweep over him. He was dressed to compete, giving him a sharper look, the black and silver of his outfit complimenting his red hair and grey eyes. I could barely take my eyes off of him.

I wasn’t alone. Once we got to the fair, I noticed that a lot of the women’s eyes landed on Dick and lingered there, but he didn’t appear to notice. A pair of brunettes in short shorts and high boots approached, totally ignoring me as they honed in on Dick.

“Dick!” One of them squealed, “I was hoping you were competing tonight.”

“We drove here just to see you!” The other one told him, angling to give a good look at her breasts in her skimpy tank top.

“I appreciate the support” Dick said smoothly. I moved to pull away, leave him with his fans, but his hold on my waist tightened, keeping me anchored against him as he continued talking, “however if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check in, enjoy the show ladies.”

With that he steed me away.

“Friends of yours?” I asked once we were out of earshot.

He shrugged. “No idea. They all blend together.”

I stiffened. “Is that so? I guess I’m just going to be another face once this is over?” The words came out before I could stop them. It made no sense, this was just… Well, it had been a one-night thing that had turned into a one-week thing, but that was all it was. I had no reason to be jealous and no right to be.

Dick laughed. “Jealous, darlin’?” Before I could answer, he reached over and brushed a strand of long blonde hair out of my face, “you have no reason to be, you’re no buckle bunny, Summer, there’d be no forgetting you, even if I wanted too.”

My breath caught. “Dick…” Just then, someone bumped into us, knocking me into his arms, but cutting off whatever it was I was going to say. He held me close for a moment, helping steady me, and then released me.

“Are you hungry?” Dick asked after a moment, once we’d both gained our bearings. “The best part of a country fair is the food.”

“I love fair food, carnival food, all of it,” I admitted, “my grandparents and I used to go on adventures when I was a kid and they’d let me eat whatever I wanted.” I smiled at the memory. Those weekends had been a precious secret, because my mother would never have approved. If it didn’t come with a bunch of pretentious reviews, she wouldn’t touch it.

“Were you close to your grandparents?” Dick asked casually, taking my hand.

“Yeah,” I answered, “what about you?” I turned the question on him like I had been doing all week, unwilling to give more than a few basic personal details.

“Never had any,” Dick said with a shrug, “At least none that I knew, my dad’s parents died when I was a baby and my mom…” He trailed off and I knew I wasn’t the only one who had things they didn’t want to talk about.

“I want a milkshake!” I declared in an attempt to lighten the mood. “What do you say?”

“Don’t you want real food first?” Dick asked, but he let me drag him in the direction of the booth advertising decadent milkshakes.

“We’re at a fair, none of the rules apply,” I reminded him.

“Fair enough,” Dick agreed with a laugh and we made our order, the heavy moment having passed. We enjoyed our milkshakes, walking hand in hand towards the barn. As we got close, Dick’s smile faded away, replaced by a scowl. “Sawyer,” he greeted as a handsome man in a cowboy hat stepped into view.

“Dick,” The cowboy greeted, equally grim. His eyes passed over me and he smiled. “I’m Sawyer Oakley,” he introduced, sticking out his hand.

I shook it, noting Dick’s scowl from the corner of my eye. “Summer Layton.”

“New in town?” Sawyer asked politely.

“Something like that,” I answered, then wondered why I didn’t tell him I was just passing through. Maybe it had something to do with the obvious tension between him and Dick.

“Did you just come from the office?” Dick asked, the aggressiveness of his stance at odds with the forced lightness of his words, “I thought you weren’t riding tonight.”

“There’s been a change of plans,” Sawyer said tightly, “I just entered.” There was a moment of awkward silence, then Sawyer smiled at me and tipped his hat. “I should go prepare. It was nice to meet you, Miss Layton.”

“Summer,” I said automatically, noticing Dick’s scowl.

Sawyer smiled again and strode away. I immediately turned back to Dick. “Friend of yours?”

His scowl deepened. “Hardly.”

“You didn’t seem happy to hear he’s riding,” I commented, trying to figure out the situation. “I take it, he’s in the same event as you?”

“Probably,” Dick muttered, “at least one of them. Sawyer and I always seem to end up in direct competition. But he’s been off the circuit all season.”

“Until tonight,” I said slowly, “what changed?”

“He probably just couldn’t pass up the chance to be adored,” Dick said scornfully, “Sawyer is Sweet Ridge’s local hero, he’ll have a big crowd cheering for him tonight.”

“Is this fair a big deal?” I asked, trying to deflect from the topic of Sawyer.

“No,” Dick told me, “not even close. It counts for total season points, but the purse is laughable. Still, it gets a lot of entries because Sweet Ridge is one of the only events that lets competitors place bets,” Dick explained as we headed towards the barn, “it’s what makes it worth it.”

“So you’ll bet on yourself to win,” I commented, half-statement, half-question.

“Yeah,” Dick confirmed, “I’ve got ten grand to bet, five on each event. Odds are 5-1 for me to win. Meaning I’ll walk out of here with 50k plus my purse.”

I whistled, I could see why that would be worth it. But it also meant he could risk losing 10 grand and while I’d grown up in a world where that was pocket change, I’d spent a week in Dick’s company and I knew he didn’t have 10 grand to lose. But I couldn’t say that, couldn’t let him think I didn’t believe in him. I didn’t know Dick well, but I knew his ego would take a hit if I questioned the wisdom of his bet and I knew that when a man’s ego was on the line, they did stupid things.

So, instead, I grinned. “You know, I feel like I’m in a betting mood, myself.”

“Yeah?” Dick asked, cocking his head. “You think I’m worth betting on, darlin’?”

The words were light, but the way he was looking me wasn’t and I knew we weren’t talking about the rodeo anymore.

I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I do. Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

Dick slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me in close, obviously not caring that anyone could see us. “None at all.” His grey eyes met my blue ones. “Summer-”

“Dick, there you are,” another cowboy called out and Dick groaned, letting me go. “I should–”

“Go, I’ll be fine,” I promised him, “and don’t worry, I”ll be there to cheer you on. And I won’t forget to make that bet.”

Dick grinned and bent down, giving me a hard, swift kiss and then walked away. I watched him, silently thankful for the interruption. That was the second time today that Dick and I had gotten dangerously close to saying things that we shouldn’t. We’d been good at keeping it casual all week, what had changed?

I forced myself to focus on something else as I explored the fair, making small talk with several locals before finding my way to the arena for the rodeo. I knew that Dick was entered in two events, though I didn’t know anything about them.

“You look a little lost.” A friendly voice commented from my left. I turned to see a pretty dark-haired woman smiling at me. She didn’t look like the groupies that had approached Dick later, so I was guessing she was a local. “You’re new here.”
“Just passing through,” I commented, “I’m watching a…” What was Dick? A friend? A lover? Neither term really fit. He was just… A moment in time, or at least he was supposed to be.

The woman smiled, unconcerned with the way I trailed off. “I’m Juliette,” she introduced.

“Summer,” I told her, shaking her hand. “Are you cheering for anyone in particular?”

She turned her head slightly, hiding her face, before shaking it, “No, no one in particular. What about you, who are you here with?”

“Dick Mulligan,” I answered, catching the look of distaste that crossed her face before she hid it. “He’s been very kind to me.”

She looked surprised but then forced a smile. “That’s good then.”

“You know him well?” I asked, wondering what it was about Dick that had caused such a reaction.

“No,” Juliette denied, “but my friend Sawyer…” That explained it.

“We met, earlier,” I told her, “It was pretty obvious there was some bad blood there.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “but just because there is bad blood between them, doesn’t mean there has to be between us. Would you like me to explain the events to you?”

I nodded and Juliette explained the scoring to me. There were a couple of events before Dick and Sawyer’s and I found Juliette to be good company. Finally, it was Dick’s turn. “They want a score of as close to 100 as possible,” Juliette reminded me.

“And he has to stay on for the whole 8 seconds,” I remembered, my eyes riveted to Dick’s figure on the wild, bucking horse. Those 8 seconds felt like an eternity until Dick hopped off with a triumphant grin.

“89!” I cried as they read the score. “That’s good right?”

“That’s real good,” Juliette told me, not seeming as thrilled. Of course not, she was rooting for Sawyer, after all.

There were a couple of riders between Dick and Sawyer, only one completed the 8 seconds and his score was an 81. Dick was in the lead, with only Sawyer left to compete.

Juliette was as tense during Sawyer’s ride as I had been during Dick’s, seemingly holding her breath the entire time, her eyes glued to him. When he safely dismounted, she finally relaxed.

“91!” The score rang out. I saw the joy on Juliette’s face. “He did it, he really did it!” She cried and then she realized who she was talking to. “Sorry Summer, I know you were rooting for Dick.”

“I was, but I’m happy for Sawyer,” I assured her because it was the polite thing to say. “I’m gonna find Dick before his final event.”

Juliette nodded. “Ok, well it was nice to meet you. If you decide to stick around Sweet Ridge, give me a call, ok?”

I nodded, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

I slipped out of the stands towards the barn. I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to be there, but I didn’t care. I made my way through the barn, looking for Dick’s horse, he’d taken me there a few days earlier…

 

“This is Thunder,” Dick said proudly, his hand caressing the stallion’s flank.

“He’s a beauty,” I commented, stepping closer. Thunder prodded me inquisitively with his nose and I reached out and petted him.

“You’ve been around horses before,” Dick observed. “I thought you were a city girl.”

“There are stables in the city,” I reminded him, “I took riding lessons as a kid.” I figured there was no harm in sharing that detail.

“And here I took you for a hopeless city girl,” Dick teased, the news seeming to please him.

“There’s so much you don’t know about me, cowboy,” I responded, but the truth of the words was overwhelming. To cover my sudden melancholy, I turned my attention back to Thunder…

 

Dick was there like I’d expected, examining his equipment, his back to me.

“Dick?”

He whirled around at the sound of my voice. “Summer? What are you doing back here?”

“Looking for you,” I told him, placing my hand on his arm. “I wanted…” I don’t know what I wanted. I’d wanted to see him, to comfort him? Except our relationship didn’t allow for that. “I wanted to see how you were,” I finished weakly.

“I’m fine,” he said tersely, “why wouldn’t I be?” Despite his words, I could sense his barely concealed frustration. He kicked the barn door, causing Thunder to whinny in protest. “Damn Oakley.”

“You still have one event,” I reminded him, wondering if this was about the money or if it was something more.

“Yeah and there’s no Oakley in that one, so I guess I’ll be the victor,” Dick said bitterly. Ok, it was definitely more about losing to Sawyer than the money.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked, glancing around the barn. No one seemed to be paying attention for us. “Or you prefer a distraction?” I ran my fingers down his shirt as I asked that last question, gazing up at him from under my lashes.

Dick sucked in his breath, his arm instinctively encircling me and pulling me against him. “Are you offering?”

Was I? We were in a horse stall in a crowded barn during a rodeo. It was far from ambient, in fact, it made the Motel 6 look glamorous, but the idea gave me a bit of a rush.

“Yeah, cowboy, I am,” I said, reaching for his belt buckle. He groaned, but reached out and stopped me, his calloused fingers circling my wrist. He tugged me out of the stall, pulling me into an empty tack room.

Oh, much better location. Dick reached for me, pulling me tight against me and kissing me desperately, his hands covering my ass. I returned the kiss for a moment, pressing myself closer to him and grinding my hips against his, and then I wiggled out of his embrace.

“This is about you, not me,’ I reminded him, reaching for his belt again, this time he didn’t stop me, just let out a groan as I dropped to my knees.

“Summer…”

I pushed his jeans and boxer-briefs down enough to free his cock, taking in in my hand. “Lean back and enjoy the show, cowboy,” I told him before I lowered my lips to him. At first I teased him, kissing and licking, but time was at an essence, so I quickly took him in my mouth, as deep as he would go.

Dick’s hands dug in my long hair, no doubt making it a tangled mess, as his hips thrust towards my mouth. I swirled my tongue around him, one of my hands playing with his balls while the other rested on his hip to give myself leverage.

“Summer,” Dick groaned, “damn you look…” His hand tightened in my hair as he thrust into my mouth. “Fuck… Summer…” My name was both a curse and a prayer as he came into my mouth.

I swallowed every drop and then stood up, a satisfied smile on my face. “How was that?”

“Incredible,” Dick told me, shoving his cock back in his pants and then pulling me towards him. “If that’s what I get when I lose, what are you going to do when I win?” There was an arrogant gleam to his eyes, the confident Dick I had come to know over the last week back in place.

“Go win and you’ll find out,” I promised him, before sashaying out of the barn.

I made it back to the arena but didn’t bother trying to find Juliette again. Instead, I found the first available seat and kept my eyes peeled for Dick. Once again he was one of the last competitors. But this time, there was no miracle performance to steal his victory.

I found him after the fact and threw my arms around him. He caught me easily, pulling me towards him and kissing me.

“We should go collect our winnings,” I reminded him. I saw the tension on his face and knew he’d been banking on a profit of $40,000 not just $15,000. “What’s the money for?” I inquired softly.

“I got some land,” Dick confided, “Northern Montana. It’s not much yet, but it’s mine. I plan on building there. I can’t ride forever, right?” He paused, looking suddenly nervous. “I know you were planning on heading out in the morning, but you could come with me instead and I can show you my place, well the land at least, there ain’t much there yet.”

His eyes met mine and I knew he was asking for more than to just show me some land and I knew I should say no. There was a lot that Dick didn’t know about me and I wasn’t in a position to be making promises, it would be easier to stick to my plan. But even though I knew I should say no, I heard myself saying yes, instead. “Sure, cowboy, I’d like that.’

**

~3rd PoV~

Across the fairground a man in an expensive suit checked his phone. He needed to be on his way back to Billings, besides he had gotten the information he’d come for.

Oakley winning the rodeo was a complication, but not an insurmountable one. Just because they could make this payment, didn’t mean the Oakleys wouldn’t be persuaded to sell. The fair had given him ammunition on the family and several angles to explore.

He was headed towards his car when his gaze fell on a couple standing a few feet from him, completely wrapped in each other. His gaze skimmed them and then he stopped in place, recognition hitting him. It wasn’t the man, though he recognized him as Dick Mulligan, the name having come up in his research into the Oakley family. No, it was the girl that caught his attention. He’d seen her before… A few years ago, in New York.

 

“This is Dawn Harrington, my fiance,” Jason Hawthorne introduced, a possessive arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist. Garret noted she was a little young, she couldn’t even be 20 yet. “Dawn, meet Garret Redmond, an associate.”

The blonde gave him a polite nod, but her attention was focused on Jason. She shrugged off his arm. “Jason, I”m not..”

Jason’s smile faltered, “It’s just matter of time, babe, so why waste time with formalities?” There was a hint of warning in his voice though he didn’t attempt to draw her back into his embrace. He turned to Garret, a fake smile plastered onto his face. “I’m sure you don’t want to be concerned with our squabbling, why don’t you tell me about life in Billings instead?”

WIth Jason occupied, the blonde, Dawn, took the opportunity to slip away. Garret watched her, filing away the encounter because you never knew what would be important when you were discussing business.

 

It had been an odd encounter, the girl’s obvious unhappiness at being referred to as Jason’s fiance, and it had stuck in his mind. And he was positive that the woman with Dick Mulligan was Dawn Harrington.

But what would a girl like that be doing in Nowhereseville, Montana, smiling up at a two-bit cowboy like he’d hung the moon? It was certainly interesting and Garret decided he needed to give his old friend Jason a call…

 

• The End