Heatherly Bell's Blog, page 2
October 5, 2021
Cowboy, It’s Christmas.4
When Sadie got home from church, she realized Sammy had fallen asleep during the car ride. She carefully unstrapped him from the car seat and lugged him inside, hoping he’d stay down for at least an hour. But the minute she crossed the threshold of their cabin, Sammy woke up as if completely rejuvenated from a fifteen-minute snooze.
Predictably, the moment he saw Lincoln, Sammy squealed in delight and kicked his legs.
“Your son just got the part of baby Jesus in the Nativity play!”
The moment Lincoln turned to her, Sadie knew something was horribly wrong. He gave Sammy a half-hearted smile, not his usual, look out, I’m-about-to-throw-you-up-in-the-air look.
“Congratulations, Sammy.” Lincoln rose and took Sammy from her, then kissed Sadie’s temple. “Hiya, bride.”
She went into his arms, and he used his free arm to pull her in tight. Her cowboy’s arms were so strong and warm that she nuzzled into the deep embrace. She’d loved Lincoln Carver since she was a girl, and still couldn’t believe they were married. Sometimes the happiness was so strong that she could almost feel it in the air around them, sparkling and snapping like a live wire, wrapping around her heart.
All three of them stood in the expansive entryway of their large cabin for a few minutes until Sammy squirmed.
“I’ll make lunch.” Holding Lincoln’s hand, she pulled him into the kitchen.
The cabin Lincoln had built, with help from his daddy and brother, was so new that Sadie could smell the fresh scent of pine wafting all around them. She was still getting accustomed to all the room they now had, too, when for almost a year they’d lived in her cramped cabin on Lupine Lake. Now, they had a two-story “cabin” with a large dining room, kitchen, and three bedrooms upstairs. They were far enough from Jackson and Eve’s cabin and the main house down the hill to have their privacy, but still close to family.
Sadie made turkey sandwiches with all the fixings and opened a bag of potato chips as Lincoln played with Sammy. She’d been worried that Lincoln wouldn’t be happy about them having a baby this soon, since they were still practically newlyweds. Sammy hadn’t been planned, but as Linc promised, they had adjusted their plans, and he didn’t seem at all burdened by Sammy. He was the light of Lincoln’s life.
She watched out of the corner of her eye as he threw Sammy up in the air a few times, each time easily catching him. The first time he’d done that she’d nearly had a heart attack. But Lincoln would never fail to catch his son. He would, however, sometimes fail to tell Sadie when he was burdened with a problem, because he claimed he didn’t want her to worry.
Sadie set Sammy in his high chair and let him pummel a couple of chips with his fist, occasionally taking a bite or two.
Next to her at the large farmhouse table, Lincoln ate his sandwich quietly. The silence between them was thick with worry. She could almost hear his thoughts.
Finally, Sadie was able to take no more of this. She reached for his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He squeezed her hand as if to reassure her.
“Something’s wrong. You need to tell me.”
“I don’t want you to worry if nothing comes of it.”
“I promise I won’t worry.”
He snorted. “You won’t keep that promise.”
“Alright, I lied, because I’m already worried. So, it won’t make a difference once I know why I’m worried.”
“Gah! Bee!” Sammy said, having smashed all his chips into dust.
Sadie gave him another chip. “Here you go.”
“Is that good, buddy?” Lincoln asked Sammy.
“Cooscoo!” Sammy replied with his drooly smile.
“Stop avoiding the subject. Remember, you said on the day we got married there was nothing we couldn’t get through together?”
“And we’ll get through this, too. I just don’t know if everyone else will.”
That sounded ominous and Sadie immediately knew. “Rusty.”
Lincoln slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
Before she and Lincoln were married, an old rodeo cowboy had started sending Hank emails. They’d thrown her father-in-law into such a funk that Lincoln had taken over, as he so often did. Rusty claimed to have had an affair with Lincoln’s mother, Maggie, and that she’d told him Daisy might be his daughter.
Sadie now lost her appetite. Tension coiled through her stomach like a snake. This had to be killing Lincoln. How long had he kept this to himself?
“What’s happened?”
“He’s very ill, supposedly dying, and would like to see Daisy again just once before he goes. He’s leaving everything he has to her.”
Sadie swallowed hard. “Even if…even if he’s not one hundred percent sure?”
Lincoln met her eyes, his eyes hooded and unreadable. “He must be sure.”
“Well, he can’t be. Daisy has at least a fifty percent chance of being Hank’s daughter.”
Daisy was so close to her daddy. She would be devastated to know she wasn’t his biological daughter. Devastated to know the ugly rumor she’d refused to believe was true.
“I’m going to have to tell her.” Lincoln took her hand and squeezed it. “Soon.”
The words lay between them like little bombs.
A while ago, Lincoln had personally met Rusty, even driven him by Daisy’s auto shop, so he could take a look at her from a distance. But Rusty had violated that agreement and hopped out of the truck. He’d talked shop with her, without letting her know who he might be. It was the last agreement he’d made with Lincoln and he’d honored it so far.
But Lincoln had wondered if he should have told Daisy the truth instead of shielding her and protecting her.
“She’ll forgive you.”
“For keeping this from her? I’m not sure that she will. Maybe the right thing to do was to bring it all out in the open, have the DNA tests, be done with it all.”
“You were worried of what it would do to Daisy if she wasn’t Hank’s daughter. She still had a fifty-fifty chance and no matter what, she is Hank’s daughter. You meant well and Daisy will understand.”
“I don’t know.” Lincoln ran a palm down his face, and even Sammy couldn’t make him smile. “I’ve got to talk with my father this afternoon.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“Maybe. But we have cattle business to discuss anyway.”
Sadie spent the day playing with Sammy, grading papers, and planning the last week of lessons before Christmas break. The kids were so excited about the holidays that she didn’t think they’d accomplish much, but she still had to try to keep their attention. But Lincoln wasn’t home for dinner, probably off brooding. This protectiveness of his sometimes went too far. She wanted to be his soft place to fall, always, and that involved knowing what was eating at him. Now she knew, at least, but still had no idea how to comfort him if he wanted to brood.
Sadie gave Sammy a bath and put him to bed in his crib. He took few naps, but the one redeeming grace was that he’d slept through the night early on. When she put him to bed at seven o’clock, chances were good he wouldn’t wake up until six the next morning. That meant she and Lincoln always had the evenings to themselves, making love and behaving like they did before they’d had Sammy.
“Good night, honey.” Sadie shut the light off and left the door ajar.
She’d just washed her face and brushed her teeth when Lincoln got home. She ran down the steps to meet him.
He stood in the foyer, Stetson tipped, eyes weary.
“I told Hank,” he said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “He didn’t take it well.”
Sadie went into his arms.
“Where were you? I wish you’d come home earlier, maybe to give Sammy a bath.”
At least it would distract him if nothing else.
“I’m sorry.” He crushed her against him, so tightly that for a moment she couldn’t breathe. “I love you. More than you’ll ever know.”
“And I love you, but I don’t like it when you brood.” She tweaked his chin.
“Point taken.”
Then he kissed her, the way only Lincoln could. Warm, deep, with a passion that always made her knees liquid.
“You’re forgiven,” she said breathlessly when he broke the kiss.
“Let’s go to bed,” Lincoln said, tugging her up the steps.
He wore the same wicked smile he did when he wanted to tear all her clothes off. This was her Lincoln, the one she’d loved for half her life.
She followed him upstairs, where she took his mind off everything else but her.
On Monday, at work, Daisy decided she’d practice this new dating-Wade thing even if she still hadn’t told him it was happening. Because she worked forty-five minutes away in Kerrville, there wasn’t much of a chance anyone here would tell him before she did. So, when Bob, the tire specialist, asked her to go on a date for what had to be the hundredth time, she didn’t just say no because she didn’t date coworkers who were twenty years her senior.
“I’m sorry, but I’m dating someone.” She wiped motor oil off her hands. “We’re pretty serious.”
“Figures.” He shook his head in disgust. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Wade Cruz.”
“The rodeo star?”
“That’s him.”
She let the idea sink in, letting it roll around her mind like melted chocolate.
Daisy and Wade are dating.
Did you hear Daisy and Wade are a thing?
I thought Wade would never settle down, and now along comes Daisy.
They make a cute couple.
She wasn’t going to lie. It was a nice feeling.
“Man, that was a heartbreaker of a ride. I watched when he went down. He had a real chance at being the best in the world, and now his career is over. What a tough break.”
Daisy never watched the rodeo. Too scary. Lincoln had also done some rodeoing in his day and that’s about the time Daisy stopped watching. It was terrifying to watch her big brother put himself in danger, not to mention Wade.
“He’s recovering nicely.”
This was another lie as she wasn’t quite sure that he was recovering well. But if he wasn’t, he’d certainly put on a good act.
Daisy went about her day, fixing a few sets of brakes and taking out and replacing an old alternator with a new one. Lou was planning on closing down for two weeks during the holidays, which meant that Daisy had to earn all she could in the next several days.
On her lunch break, she crossed the street to her favorite coffee shop and ordered a hot mocha latte and an egg bite. Even Lou was getting into the spirit of the holidays, dragging out the sad, greased-stained artificial tree in his office and setting out garland haphazardly inside the shop. All in all, it was a normal Monday on the job.
Until she recognized the man. Again, he sat in his truck across the street from Lou’s Auto Shop. Short, graying hair, goatee. Every time she glanced in his direction, he made it a point to look away. He was obviously casing the shop, though she wondered what he found valuable at Lou’s. Lou rarely carried cash in the register, and everyone paid with plastic these days. Sure, tires and alternators could be expensive, but he’d be better off robbing the coffee shop.
“Lou, that man is here again,” Daisy said, hooking her thumb.
“What is it with that guy?” Lou scratched his temple, leaving a streak of engine oil. “Last week he told me he was having lunch with his girlfriend. I’ve never even seen him with a woman.”
“He’s obviously lying. I think he’s hoping to break in, maybe while you’re gone.”
“Well, there won’t be anything left to steal. If he wants this old desk and chair, he’s welcome to them. Heck, I’ll do fine with the insurance claim. Get everything around here new again. The missus would be happy.”
Daisy had hoped Lou would take this more seriously, because the dude bothered her. There was something very suspicious about him. Like he was sitting there collecting everyone’s secrets.
“Did you test the alarm system anyway?”
“Sure, sure. Don’t worry so much!” Lou waved her away. “Back to work with you.”
Daisy did get back to it, working her butt off for the rest of the day. Three more brake jobs. Those always took so long. She put in some overtime and after work resisted the temptation to stop in for a cold beer at the Shady Grind to give Jackson the fake news. But she wasn’t sure he’d be there tonight, and she had to stop telling everyone before she actually told Wade. There were two of them in this fake relationship, after all. And he had yet to be informed.
It was true that she’d never known Wade to be serious with a woman, though his high school girlfriend cheated on him and ruined him for all women. Daisy, of course, didn’t want to believe that even if all evidence seemed to support it. All she’d ever known of Wade was a good guy who looked after her when her brothers weren’t around. He’d been Lincoln’s best friend since grade school, and they’d toured the rodeo together for several years. Eventually Lincoln gave up the dangerous bull-riding events to focus on lassoing, but Wade stuck with dangerous bulls for years.
Driving home, she crossed the entrance into Stone Ridge with the weathered sign:
Welcome to Stone Ridge, established 1806 by Titus Ridge Population 5,010
*Women eat free every night Tuesday at the Shady Grind*
Now that Jackson owned the bar and grill, things weren’t quite as loosey-goosey around here. But Daisy nearly drove off the road when she noticed a new, and large, billboard at the entrance to town:
Mr. Cowboy, a new reality dating show
Coming soon to Stone Ridge
It must have gone up after she’d driven to work this morning. Hideous, it blocked some of the skyline. A giant-sized photo of a handsome man Daisy didn’t recognize smiled down on all the “little people.” He had sparkling white teeth. But sparkling wasn’t a strong enough word. How about blinding?
Well, she’d have to speak to someone at the chamber of commerce about this. She would, too, if they had a chamber. Unfortunately, they didn’t, so she’d have to take this up with the biddies of SORROW. They’d gone too far this time, and surely Jackson, and Mr. Lloyd from the General Store, not to mention Pastor June from Trinity Church wouldn’t like this, either.
When she got home, Daisy found Mima knitting on the couch in front of the fireplace.
“Did you see that billboard? It’s taking up half the skyline! It’s hideous. What an eyesore! Why hasn’t anyone complained yet? I’m going to file a complaint. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Mima scowled. “What is this mess? I don’t know what you’re gnawing on about.”
After Daisy explained, Mima chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, that Beulah. I heard that would be going up but didn’t know it would be this soon. She thought that might encourage a lucky man to step up.”
“Lucky man? Lucky man? How would you like to be surrounded by beautiful women, all perfectly lovely, and then have to pick just one?”
“Well, sugar, that’s how it’s done. We’re not going to encourage a harem.”
“These dating shows are ridiculous. No way anyone chooses his life mate with all that pressure. They have a few weeks to get to know each other and make a lifetime commitment. I can’t even decide on a dress in a few weeks.”
“That’s because you don’t like dresses. Speaking of which, sugar, maybe if you wore them more often, like Sadie does…”
Daisy blew out a frustrated breath. “Not this again.”
She was far more like Eve, comfortable in her jeans, boots, and a T-shirt most of the time. Sometimes paired with a flannel shirt if it was cold outside. But Mima didn’t seem to understand that Daisy would have plenty of men to choose from if only she didn’t have big brothers.
“I wish you’d settle down and not just with your fake boyfriend. If you don’t like Jeremy, I’ll think of someone else.”
“You better find a brave one. Did it ever occur to you that I might actually really have a boyfriend if only Lincoln and Jackson didn’t scare every one of them off?” Daisy went hands on hips.
“I’m sure they don’t do that,” Mima muttered.
“Speaking of my fake boyfriend, I have to go over there tonight and tell Wade.”
“Oh, wonder how he’ll take the news?” Mima’s voice sounded deceptively mild.
She didn’t fool Daisy. Mima hoped this would all blow up in Daisy’s face and that Wade wouldn’t go along with it. And while Daisy wouldn’t be too surprised if that happened, she hoped he’d at least hear her out while she made her case.
She took a shower and dressed in her new jeans and flannel shirt. At the last minute, she decided on a peace offering in case this didn’t go as well as she’d hoped. She grabbed one of the apple pies Mima had baked yesterday and was out the door.
“You too?” Wade said several minutes later when he took the pie from Daisy. “Well, at least it’s not a casserole.”
She shrugged. “I remembered you like apple pie.”
“That’s right, Peanut. It’s my favorite.”
Wow, he hadn’t called her Peanut since she was twelve. This was going from bad to worse. She followed him into the kitchen, unable to take her eyes off his behind. Wade wore those Wranglers of his extremely well. Tight in all the right places. What would he do right now if she grabbed him and kissed him the way he had planted one on her all those years ago? She was better at kissing now than she’d been back then, the first time she’d ever been kissed. Wade had been her first real kiss and she could still feel the way her ears had buzzed and her brain stopped processing thoughts.
“Um, so, did you do any more thinking about what I suggested?”
He set the pie down and quirked a brow. “You were serious about that.”
“Of course. This idea will work.”
“I don’t think it’s such a good plan.”
“Why not?”
At the moment, he seemed to be struggling to form words, and she worried he was in pain. Then he grimaced and rubbed his elbow, proving it. “Just…take my word for it, okay?”
“Well, it’s too late. I already told Beulah at church, and it worked. Everyone thinks we’re dating and they’re already looking for someone else to be Mr. Cowboy.” The words came out in a rush and, boy, did she feel stupid when his eyes grew wide, then narrowed. “So, you’re welcome.”
“I wish you hadn’t.”
But she wasn’t scared. Instead, she was gall-darned mad. Fury spiked through her and her heart raced as fast as a cornered rabbit’s.
“Really, Wade? I’m so awful that you can’t even pretend that you’re mine?”
He flinched, and she realized he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying.
“That’s…that’s not the problem.”
“Then, what is it? If it’s my family, I already told you we won’t lie to them.”
“I wish that were it, but that’s not it, either.” He rubbed the stubble on his jaw.
“Are you going to tell me? Do you already have a girlfriend?”
“No, but I wish I’d thought of that.”
“Huh?”
“I’m not fast enough on my feet or I would have thought to tell you that I already have a girlfriend. Another fake girlfriend, so I can’t have you be my fake girlfriend as that might offend her. Maybe that would have worked.”
She felt dizzy with the lies. “Gosh, you lost me.”
“That makes two of us.”
He took several steps toward her, so close she could smell the leather of his boots and see the gold specks in his caramel-brown eyes. It didn’t escape her fondest memories that he’d only been a little closer than this the time he’d kissed her. He reached to tug on a lock of her hair, further enhancing that memory. Now she could almost smell the peaches that had been ripe that September. If she dared to close her eyes right now, she might also remember the taste of his lips on hers, his warm tongue exploring.
But she didn’t dare close her eyes because she didn’t want to miss a thing.
“This is playing with fire. If we spend too much time pretending, I’m going to fool myself. And then we’re going to wind up in bed. Which wouldn’t be a good idea.”
This sounded like a fine idea to her. It sounded like an adventure and she was ripe for one of those.
When his thumb lowered to trace her bottom lip, she nearly lost her balance. “Wh-why not?”
He took a step back, breaking the spell. “Because I’m too old for you.”
“No, you’re not. Maybe when I was eighteen you were, but not now. That age difference has a way of not being quite as important anymore.”
“I’m also a broke-down cowboy, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He held his left arm out.
“I don’t care about any of that.”
“Maybe I do.”
“I don’t think that’s fair. You should let me decide.”
His gaze slid appreciatively down her breasts, to her legs. “Damn, Peanut, you’re all grown up, aren’t you?”
She was glad she’d worn her new jeans tonight that were a size too small.
“Well, I’m glad you noticed.”
“Oh, I noticed.” He sent her a slow and easy smile. “Okay, look. If we’re going to do this, we’ll damn well do it my way.”
The post Cowboy, It’s Christmas.4 first appeared on Heatherly Bell.
Cowboy, It’s Christmas.3
Dear Albert,
I’m writing this note with a short update.
Not only did my amazing matchmaking skills bring Lincoln and Sadie together, they also reunited Jackson and Eve. I do hope you’re watching from wherever you are in heaven, now that you finally found the light.
Lillian “Mima” Carver assumed that her dearly departed husband had found said light because he’d stopped visiting her. Oh, she wasn’t crazy, not according to the doctor anyway. When she’d first started writing these letters to Albert and he’d appear, boots, spurs and all, she’d thought life on the range had finally driven her out of her mind. But the doctor said that as long as she understood Albert wasn’t really there, and if he brought her comfort, there was no harm done. Although the jury was still out on comfort.
Now in her late seventies, and having raised one son and three grandchildren, Lillian worried she might not have much time left. And she still had one grandchild’s happiness to secure.
Her precious Daisy.
She continued writing to Albert:
Not only are Lincoln and Jackson both married and happy, there’s a new Carver baby, and another one on the way! Eve is pregnant, too, and although Sadie had a boy, little Sammy, there’s still hope for Eve. Of course, I love them anyway, boy or girl. But we could use some girls for the future generation. We don’t want this problem happening all over again twenty-five years from now. If you could do something about that and assist me down here, it would be much appreciated. I’m obviously doing all the heavy lifting.
Next up is Daisy, of course, and I will need all the help I can get. She seems bound and determined to fly in the face of everything I’ve taught her and go after “that Wade.” She can’t see the rodeo cowboy is a womanizer and a flirt. Still single at thirty-three. His poor sainted mother, God rest her soul. Rose had her own ideas about the two of them. Claimed Daisy and Wade were fated, and she’d seen it in the tea leaves or some such thing. Anyway, he’s always been too handsome for his own good, that Wade. Quite a charmer, he is, and not right for my Daisy.
I want someone else for Daisy. Someone closer to her age, like Jeremy Pine, or maybe Maybelle’s grandson. There are so many choices for her. Why she insists on this crush she’s had on Wade for years is beyond me. Infuriating, really. I blame Hank for foolishly indulging her every whim. I don’t blame our son entirely, though, as he’d had a lot to make up for over the years. But perhaps he could have kept his daughter away from the ranch hands better than he managed. Wade worked for Hank when he was off the tour, and now and then I’d catch him flirting and smiling at Daisy.
Lillian set her pen down and stretched. She glanced at her wristwatch and noticed it was nearly time to leave for church. She’d finish this letter to Albert later. It wasn’t as if he was waiting for it.
She started down the hall to remind Daisy that it was time to go, when she saw her sitting at the breakfast table. Fully dressed and drinking the coffee she claimed necessary to life.
“What on earth? I usually have to pull you out of bed to make it on time!”
“You’re exaggerating. Don’t I always go, every Sunday?”
“We’re usually late.”
“We won’t be today.”
Well, wasn’t this working out to be a beautiful Sunday morning. Lillian grabbed her coat and off they both went to Trinity Church. Pastor June preached about family and home, two of Lillian’s favorite subjects. She sat proudly between Daisy and Eve. Sadie was helping out in the nursery as she couldn’t bear to leave Sammy alone yet. Naturally, her grandsons weren’t here as they didn’t attend often, using the ranch as an excuse. And, she noticed, neither was Wade. No surprise there.
But there sat Jeremy Pine, right next to his mother. Lillian waved. He waved back, the sweet boy. No doubt about it, he and Daisy would make beautiful babies. Her, with the blond hair she’d inherited from her mother. Say what you will about the woman, she was the town’s beauty before she hightailed it out of here and left Hank and their three small children.
Yes, Jeremy, with matching blondish hair to Daisy’s, but a slightly darker shade. Both had green eyes. Lillian could almost see their adorable babies.
The pastor wrapped up the sermon and then mentioned the Nativity play and the need for a few more last-minute volunteers.
Sadie caught up with them as they were all filing out. “Sammy is going to be baby Jesus!”
“He’s a little big, isn’t he?” Daisy said.
And while Sammy had looked more like a three-month-old at birth, weighing in at a strapping nine pounds, ten ounces, he was still a baby, for crying out loud.
“Do you think they’re actually going to use a newborn, sugar?” Lillian nudged Daisy. “Sammy is perfect for the part.”
“If y’all say so.”
Lillian patted Sadie’s back. “Best of all, we’ll get Lincoln inside the church again. Last time he was here y’all got married.”
“Oh, he’ll be here.” Sadie beamed and cooed at Sammy. “He’s so proud. And Sammy just adores Lincoln. Every time he walks in the door, Sammy squeals in delight.”
Eve elbowed Sadie. “He’s just like his mama.”
“Ha, ha.” Sadie hip-checked Eve.
Outside, the air was clear and bright with a cold snap coming. Lillian felt it in every one of her arthritic bones. “Let’s get on home, Daisy. I have some baking to do.”
But they hadn’t reached the truck when Beulah accosted them. “Lillian, a word?”
Bless her heart, Beulah meant well with the Mr. Cowboy contest. Lillian was of the mind that she didn’t want any of these women being carted in from out of town. She worried they wouldn’t be screened carefully enough. They might wind up with some women who didn’t mean well, like those simply looking for a so-called sperm donor. Ahem. But now that her men were hitched, she didn’t much care if they brought in more women. It might help their future generations, too.
“How can I help you, dear?”
“I just visited Wade yesterday, poor lamb. He’s not too keen on the idea of being our first Mr. Cowboy. I’ll need your help to convince him.” She gave Lillian a conspiratorial smirk. “I know you have a vested interest.”
Lillian didn’t much want to have this conversation with Daisy present, but Beulah did seem clueless to the predicament. “Can I call on you later? We’ll work something out, I’m sure.”
“Sorry, Beulah,” Daisy piped in. “Wade told me that he isn’t going to do it.”
“Well, now, I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion so fast.” Beulah held up a palm. “I don’t give up easily. A few more visits from the ladies of SORROW, a few more casseroles, maybe some photos of whom he’d be dating might be of some assistance.”
“You have photos of these women?” Daisy asked, sounding a little agitated.
“Not the actual ones, no. I have examples. How can I expect them to sign up without knowing something about the rancher they’ll be dating? This is a brand-new reality show, and they’ll have no idea who it could be. Only that he’ll be a real cowboy.”
“That should be enough, for now. Women love their cowboys,” Lillian added and met Beulah’s gaze, trying to clue her in this conversation should take place out of Daisy’s presence. “Daisy, let’s go.”
“Well, I hate to be the one to give you the bad news, but Wade isn’t going to do it because he’s already dating someone. She’d be upset.”
“Why, he didn’t say anything to me yesterday. That little weasel,” Beulah said. “Wasting my time like that.”
“Maybe it isn’t serious,” Lillian said, though she hoped it was. She chose to be encouraged that Daisy didn’t sound at all upset by the fact.
Lillian didn’t much care who Mr. Cowboy would be. Sadie’s brother, Beau, would be a fine choice.
“I think it is. Serious enough,” Daisy said.
“Who is she?” Beulah leaned in. “Some buckle bunny? Surely not Jolette Marie.”
“N-no. It’s a nice girl, someone really stable, and ready to settle down. You’d like her.”
“I still don’t hear a name.” Beulah sniffed.
“It’s me.” Daisy straightened. “I’m his woman.”
“Mima! Mima, are you alright?” Daisy fanned the church bulletin in front of her grandmother’s nose.
She knew that Mima wouldn’t like the idea of her and Wade, but she didn’t think she’d sway and nearly fall down. Mima acted like Daisy had just announced she’d started dating the devil himself. Daisy and Beulah slowly lowered her to the bench seat right outside the church, and a small crowd gathered around them. Good thing Sadie and Eve had already left, or they’d be having fits.
“Let’s give her some air,” Winona said.
Delores, Winona’s housekeeper and nanny, used the double stroller as a weapon to push people back.
“Get out of my way, child.” Beulah elbowed in. “I’ve got the smelling salts.”
“She doesn’t need smelling salts,” Daisy protested. “She’s going to be fine.”
“Fine? She hardly looks fine. What on earth do you expect when you drop a bomb like that?” Beulah got the smelling salts out of her tote bag.
Mima brushed her away. “Bless your heart. Get that ammonia away from me. I’m fine. I just mistakenly heard Daisy say she was Wade’s woman. But I’m old and I’ve had flights of fancy before.”
Daisy chewed on her lower lip and fanned harder while everyone else exchanged worried glances. As soon as she got Mima in the truck, she’d explain the ruse. She should have waited to take Mima into her confidence, but Beulah got so pushy. Suggesting that women would decide whether or not to join the show based on Wade’s good looks! Suddenly all Daisy could picture was Victoria’s Secret models arriving by the truckload, all for Wade. No, she had to put a stop to this, and the sooner the better. Wade would thank her as soon as he heard. No more casseroles or nagging from the old biddies.
He could remain happily single, as long as he pretended not to be.
“I did hear wrong?” Mima pushed the church program out of her face.
“Let’s go home where we can talk about this.” Daisy offered her hand to help her up.
“That’s a good idea,” Winona said, now holding one of her twins on her hip. “Go home and take a nap. That’s what I’m going to do.”
“You and I need to talk, Winona.” Beulah waved her hands in the air. “This news puts a monkey wrench in my plans. We need to confer on who will be our Mr. Cowboy. Lots to think about.”
“I’ll call you.” Winona waddled away, Delores following her with the stroller.
On the drive home to the ranch, Daisy tried to explain. “Honestly, Mima, don’t you think you’d know it if Wade and I were serious? I’m not really dating Wade.”
“Well, butter my biscuit, why would you lie to your poor old granny? A shock like that could kill me!” Mima fanned herself using the same now rumpled bulletin.
“I don’t know why you hate Wade so much. He’s Lincoln’s best friend. They grew up together. If you like Lincoln, and I think you do, then you should like Wade just fine.”
“Sugar, I don’t hate anyone. You ought to know better than that. He’s just not right for you, that’s all.”
“Oh yeah? And who is?”
“Someone wonderful. You’re beautiful, sugar. Look just like your mama. Everybody says so.”
The words sliced through Daisy. She didn’t want to be compared to a woman who’d left her husband and three children. For years, she’d tried to be as different from her as possible. Choosing to be a tomboy and picking an untraditional profession to go into. An ugly rumor occasionally drifted through town that Daisy wasn’t even Hank’s daughter because Maggie Mae had an affair and cheated on her husband. No one believed it anymore, because Daisy was a Carver through and through, but it still burned to think of her mother as an unfaithful woman. Her daddy had never deserved that.
Mima was still talking. “You deserve the best man of all. I think it might just be Jeremy Pine.”
It wasn’t just the comparison to her mama that spiked hot anger in Daisy, but the suggestion that Jeremy was the right one for her. He was a friend, and Daisy liked him, but she wasn’t going to marry him. Not in a million years. He didn’t even like Daisy.
“What’s so great about him?”
“Did you see him today at church, sitting right there next to his mama? What a sweet, sweet boy.”
Daisy groaned. “I love you, Mima, but you’re not going to pick who I date or marry. Sorry.”
“But why would you lie to Beulah? Did Wade ask you to do this for him?”
“He’s too busy recovering from his injury and trying to get a cattle ranch back in business. So, he’s not interested in that silly reality show. Beulah came by yesterday, and we could both tell she wasn’t going to let it go. He doesn’t even know I’m doing this. He’s probably going to be upset when I tell him.”
Wade wouldn’t like it, but they’d probably have to do a few public things to throw others off. He couldn’t, for instance, hang out at the Shady Grind and flirt with every other woman, or no one would believe the lie. And they should probably do some of the holiday events in town. It would just be a fun time, for a little while, and in the end, Wade would thank her someday. Probably.
“And what were you doing there yesterday, young lady?”
Reminding myself of what a real man looked like? Wondering why Wade still didn’t see me as a woman?
In other words, torturing herself.
“I didn’t know he’d quit the rodeo and is back home for good. No one told me. I thought he was just home and getting ready to leave again, just as always.”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you rushing right over there to comfort him. The ladies of SORROW are taking real good care of him.”
“He’s a friend, and I wanted to see him.”
“He should kiss your feet for pretending to date the likes of him. He’s a womanizer, that’s what. A terrible flirt. Honey, you’re too young to know this, but sometimes it’s best to settle for a man that isn’t quite as good-looking. Not as popular with the ladies.”
“What about Lincoln and Jackson? The women all think they’re gorgeous. Not me, of course, that’s disgusting. But you make it sound like they’re homely.”
“They’re Carver men, sugar. That’s a distinction you must always make. Sadly, not every woman is fortunate enough to marry a Carver man.” She shook her head.
Daisy sighed deeply. “You’ll need to help me tell the rest of the family, so no one else has a panic attack. I’ll tell Lincoln, and you can tell Jackson and them.”
“And your father?”
“I’ll tell Daddy, too. But he’s always liked Wade.”
“Hank likes everyone and everything since he got engaged to Brenda. Still, don’t take advantage of this new and easy nature of his when you tell him.”
Later that day, Daisy wondered if she should go up the hill to the large cabin where her father always stayed and tell him first. Not far from the large family home where Daisy still lived with Mima, his cabin was closer to all the cattle operations. But Brenda Iglesias, who was a constant presence in her father’s life these days, would probably be there with him. They’d practically moved in together, and Brenda had quit her job as the live-in maid for the Trueharts. She now did Mima’s previous job of feeding the cowboys three squares a day.
Daisy liked Brenda, but after all these years, it was plain weird to see Daddy with a woman. Her father had always been such a hard and fierce man. She was painfully aware to be his favorite, and he demanded a lot more from her brothers than he ever did from her. She’d always believed it unfair. Daisy had been allowed to make the decision to go to school to be an auto mechanic, whereas for both of her brothers, they were expected to be ranchers.
She’d never even questioned the fact that she’d been fortunate to be born a girl in Stone Ridge. Over the years, a few men had left town to find a bride, but that still hadn’t fixed the men-to-women ratio. Of course, like most women, Daisy saw this as an advantage, and now Beulah and the biddies were trying to change all that.
Well, now she had a timeline. Because even if Wade didn’t get chosen as Mr. Cowboy, if they brought this show to town odds were one or more of the runner-ups would be after him.
And she couldn’t let that happen until she finally had a chance for Wade to see her as a choice.
The post Cowboy, It’s Christmas.3 first appeared on Heatherly Bell.
Cowboy, It’s Christmas.2
Wade’s arm hurt like a son of a gun.
This morning, he’d rolled out of bed, and in a hazy fog of sleep he’d forgotten about the compound fracture he’d earned when he’d fallen off a bull in the last qualifying round of the National Rodeo. He’d paid dearly for that memory slip when he put too much weight on his left shoulder. His arm now ached and throbbed, reminding him of the moment the injury had occurred. But no pain had ever been quite like that one. None of his prior concussions, scrapes, cuts, aches and pains. That had been raw, sweltering, bone-grafting, screaming pain.
He’d simply stayed flat on his back where he’d landed while around him everyone ran to help. The sky had been particularly blue that day and he remembered that a bird landed on a stall and a horse nickered. Other than that, Wade couldn’t process anything. Not the pain, nor the fact that he’d been so close to another win only to lose it all. And he’d sacrificed far too much to the rodeo already.
But all this knowledge would come later.
Then, he’d noticed the blood, and the bone jutting out of his skin. Another cowboy passed out at the sight. Wade was simply numb, possibly protected by his body’s endorphins. Too bad the relief was temporary. The numbness had worn off soon enough.
Even after surgery, casting, and physical therapy his arm might never be the same.
“This is a career-ending injury,” the announcer had said at the time, predicting the future.
Now, Wade staggered to the shower, dressed, and made coffee. He massaged the tightness in his left shoulder caused by the nagging soreness in his arm.
“You won’t win,” he told his arm.
Last night, when he’d reached for the pain-killing meds the doctor had prescribed, he’d knocked the entire bottle off his nightstand. They’d scattered all over the hardwood floor since he’d not tightened the cap after his last dosage. He wandered back into his bedroom and slowly picked up every last pill and shoved them back in the bottle. Squatting, he swallowed one with his coffee. Sooner or later, he’d wean himself off these, but for now they did the trick of numbing the pain so he could get through his day.
The doorbell rang, and Wade fervently hoped it wasn’t someone with another damn casserole for his freezer. A betting man, Wade would stake his life on this being yet another casserole dish.
“Two to one odds,” he muttered as he walked to the door.
There, on the other side of his front door was Beulah Hayes herself, carrying another dish.
“Good morning, Wade.” Beulah held out the covered plate. “Breakfast.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Miss Beulah.” He took the casserole, using his good arm, and stepped aside. “Come on in. Coffee?”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
She followed him into the kitchen, no doubt surveying it all. Beulah was president of the ladies of SORROW (Society of Reasonable, Respectable, Orderly Women) and worried far too much about Wade. Unfortunately, she and the ladies thought it was their personal, God-given duty to look out for every man of Stone Ridge. Now that Wade was without a mother, they’d ramped it up.
“I see some progress has been made.”
But not enough and she didn’t have to say so. Yesterday, Wade had started going through his father’s ledgers. Then he’d walked to the north pasture to survey the land. Unfortunately, there was so much to be done, he didn’t know where to begin. He mucked the stable belonging to his horse, Dante, and checked in on his old bull, Satan. Before the end of the day, he’d run out of steam. So, he’d watched several hours of film of his last winning season. That was enough to send him to bed early.
Lincoln had been over earlier this week, trying to talk Wade into allowing him to help get the cattle ranch back in business. To do that, he either needed an influx of cash or to use up the last of his savings because his father had left him and his mother with close to nothing.
He scratched his chin. “Ran into a little problem with the barn yesterday. I’ll get to it.”
“That barn is about to fall in on itself. You need to allow the men to help. That’s what we do around here, after all.”
“Yum, smells good. What is this?” Wade pulled the tin foil back to peek and change the subject.
“My French toast casserole.” She puffed up with pride.
“I had no idea you could make a casserole out of French toast.”
“You can make a casserole out of anything.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” He grabbed a cup from the top cupboard, ignoring the pain in his arm at the stretch.
Beulah had taken a seat at the small white farmer’s table in the nook. “I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t waste your time. I’m fine.” He poured and set her coffee down.
“You’re not fine. Rose hasn’t even been gone six months.”
“But it was a long time coming.” Wade pushed back the memory, ignoring a different kind of ache.
He didn’t sit, hoping not to encourage too long of a visit. He leaned a hip against the counter and sipped his coffee.
“I’ve been thinkin’…” Beulah began.
“Uh-oh.”
“I have just the solution to your troubles.”
“Really? Have you got a new arm in there for me?” Wade eyed the big brown tote bag she carried.
She narrowed her eyes. “Your arm still aching you much?”
“Nah, it’s all healed up,” he lied. He was not in the habit of worrying anyone. “Pastor June was by earlier with a casserole. She says the answer to my problems is attending church.”
“That never hurts.”
“Those wooden pews are hell on a rancher’s back.”
Beulah shook her head. “You’ve always been strong as a bull. I do hope you’re not as stubborn as one.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve quit the rodeo. Or it quit me. Either way.”
“That’s wise, but it’s not entirely what I meant by stubborn.”
“What did you mean?”
“Wade Cruz, when’s the last time you were in a serious relationship with a woman?”
“Why, Miss Beulah. I had no idea you cared. And here I thought you were happily married.” He winked.
“I’m serious, child. Listen up. Winona has us interest from one of them Hollywood studios. But we have to act fast. Don’t you know, we’re goin’ to have us a reality TV show right here in Stone Ridge, Texas!”
“Did you nominate my house for one of those fixer-upper shows?” He’d been telling everyone who would listen that he would do the work around here himself.
“Why would I do that when we have all the manpower we need, free of charge?”
“But why else would anyone make a reality show here? Does it have to do with a cattle competition?”
Beulah straightened and smiled. “It’s a love competition.”
“I thought that was against the law.”
She squinted. “A dating show: Mr. Cowboy.”
Wade snorted and nearly spit out his coffee. He could just picture it now. A cowboy smiling into the camera, holding a rope instead of a red rose.
He laughed, a full belly laugh, and damn it all, that felt good. “That’s…that’s pretty funny.”
“I don’t know what on earth is so funny!”
“You’re serious?”
“The studio is going to start weeding through the women soon. Interviews, photo shoots, the whole shebang. But it will help pique their interest once we choose a man. They’ll pay for a photo shoot of our cowboy, right here in town, no need to go anywhere. Then the studio will select a large group of women and eventually move them to a location right here in town. Probably sometime next summer. They’ll stay for weeks while they compete for the heart of a cowboy. A man of Stone Ridge.”
“I see, and so you think maybe my house could serve as the location where they’ll all stay? It depends on how much time I have.” He waved his hand around the kitchen.
He’d quite by accident once watched a preview of one of those dating shows, and the homes provided for the contestants were lavish and large. They’d probably expect a little rustic ambience in Hill Country, but Wade worried he had a little too much rust in his mansion.
“No, sugar. I want you to be our first Mr. Cowboy.”
“See, that’s really not funny.”
“We all just want you to be happy. And a good woman would do that for you. I know we don’t have enough of them here, so that’s why I’ve gone out of my way to arrange this for you.”
“Well, quickly go out of your way to un-arrange it.”
“You don’t mean that.”
The hell he didn’t. He’d lasted thirty-three years without getting hitched, and he didn’t see the point anymore. Children would have been the point, according to his mother. But it was too late to make her happy.
Drawing on the manners his sainted mother taught him, Wade forced his voice to be gentle. “I know you mean well, but I’m not interested. And I’m sure there’s a lot of men you could approach who would be. Jeremy Pine, for instance. Why not him? He’s a looker.”
“Jeremy is twenty-five and acts like he’s twelve. If we’re going to put our best face on this contest, we need a grown man.”
“I’m flattered, but still not interested.” He uncovered the casserole, found a fork, and took a bite. “Mmm, Miss Beulah, you sure can bake. Come over anytime.”
Beulah shook a finger. “Wade Cruz, do not distract me with talk of my superior baking skills!”
At that precise moment, there was another knock on the door. “That’s probably Lincoln.”
He threw the fork in the sink and opened the door to Daisy Carver.
His heart hopped and started racing as it always did for no apparent reason other than Daisy always had him feeling off balance.
Kind of comical that she would say that, since Daisy was about the only woman in town he’d never dated. It had to do with her age, since she was a good seven years younger. It had to do with her brother, who was Wade’s best friend in the world. It also had to do with the fact that Daisy confounded him on every level. He’d never fooled himself into thinking he understood women, but Daisy took his confusion to a stratospheric level.
She was at once Scarlett O’Hara and Daisy Duke. Beauty queen and auto mechanic. Overalls and lipstick. Sweet and ornery. Innocent. Sexy. He could go on, but why bother. She was off-limits. He’d kissed her once in a moment of sheer madness, when he was young and stupid, full of piss and vinegar. The intensity of that kiss had scared him off for good.
And for someone who faced off angry bulls for a career, that said something. It wasn’t that he feared Lincoln or Jackson, with whom he could hold his own, thank you very much. But he loved the Carvers, had spent half his life with them, and he couldn’t see ruining that by disappointing Daisy as he no doubt would eventually.
He was forever stunned to see her, and forever making efforts to avoid her.
Then she opened her Cupid’s bow lips and spoke, shattering the quiet, and reminding him that he was staring. “You’re back.”
Two words.
That’s all Daisy had to say as she tried to collect her thoughts. As she tried to control the slow roll of her heart and the sense of utter chaos of emotions. She was at once thrilled to see him, while a rope of fear uncoiled inside her telling her to step lively. Guard her heart. Wade was undoubtedly the best-looking man in all of Stone Ridge. Despite that, he was famously single and had been for as long as Daisy could remember. Rumor went he was a bit of a player, but Daisy didn’t listen to rumors.
Wade had dark, wavy hair and sensual lips with a smile that always tipped slightly at the corner. And the way he filled out a pair of Wranglers was almost criminal. But Wade didn’t look injured even if she had it on good authority that he was.
“Hiya, Squirt. Come on in, it’s welcome-back-Wade week, apparently.” He waved her inside and led her to the kitchen.
Daisy saw Miss Beulah and stopped midwalk. “Hi, Miss Beulah.”
“Hello there, young lady,” Beulah said. “Will I see you at church tomorrow morning?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll see you and your grandmother then.” Beulah stood and gathered her tote bag. “Now, Wade, just think. You could be happily married in six weeks’ time.”
Married in six weeks’ time?
Oh Lord, he was engaged! Another thing no one had thought to tell her.
I knew this would happen one day. Wade was seven years older than she was, the same age as Lincoln. She shouldn’t be at all surprised he was finally settling down. If the thought made her gut roil, it was her own damn fault. She should have stopped thinking about Wade long ago.
Wade walked Beulah outside. “Thank you for the casserole.”
“Think about it. I only want you to be happy.”
“Sure.” Wade shut the door and turned to Daisy. “What’s up? Want some French toast casserole? Say what you will about her, but Miss Beulah can bake.”
Daisy just stared at him. She couldn’t believe this moment had finally come. Wild Wade Cruz was getting married. Although she didn’t understand the rush. Six weeks? Was he madly in love or was the woman pregnant?
He glanced at Daisy and went palms up. “What?”
“You look good, all recovered.” She took a deep breath, sucked in all her regrets. “Well, I’m very happy for you.”
“Um, thanks?”
“No one told me. I didn’t know.”
“Well, that’s because I didn’t exactly want it broadcast all over town. I asked Lincoln not to say anything.”
“Why not?”
“It happened. Not my proudest moment, Twerp.”
Getting engaged was not his proudest moment. At this point, she almost felt sorry for the woman.
Daisy swallowed hard. “Just…h-happened?”
“It’s to be expected, and though I managed to avoid it for years, it finally happened to me.”
“I wish you wouldn’t make it sound like a death sentence.”
“Sometimes it feels that way. But I’ve got the ranch, and I’m going to bring it back to what it was before. It’s just going to take some work.”
Good grief. “Wade, I’m sorry, but I don’t think anyone should go into a marriage that makes them feel like they’re riding out a death sentence.”
Wade narrowed his eyes. “Huh? What you are you talkin’ about?”
“You’re getting married, right? Isn’t that what Beulah was doin’ here, congratulating you?”
“Wait.” He held up a palm. “You thought I was getting married? That’s why you’re happy for me?”
“Why else?”
“I thought you were happy I’m fully recovered from the injury.”
“Well, that too, of course.” She swept her damp palms across the top of her jeans. “You’re not getting married, then?”
“No.” He chuckled.
“But…you said you’d avoided it for years, and it finally happened to you.”
“You thought I meant I was getting married.”
“What did you mean?”
“The injury. I was lucky, for years, but my luck ran out. No more rodeo for me.”
“I’m sorry.” But she wasn’t sorry that Wade wouldn’t be on the road any longer.
“Don’t waste your time feeling sorry for me.”
“I’m not. I hate that you can’t do what you love anymore.”
“I’ll find something else to love.”
“Does that mean that you’ll be stayin’ in Stone Ridge from now on? No more traveling?”
“That’s right.”
A moment passed between them. They were both quiet enough for Daisy to hear the sound of her own breathing.
“What did Beulah mean? You could be married in six weeks? I heard her say it.”
“I see your confusion now. It’s some contest she’s dreamed up with Winona. They’re going to bring more women into town for our very lonesome bachelors.” He scooped some of the casserole into a bowl.
“But what does that have to do with you?”
He shrugged. “I’m single. She seems to think I’d be interested in being Mr. Cowboy and having women fight over my attention.”
“Why would you of all people need any help finding a wife? That’s ridiculous! What did you say to her?” Daisy ignored the bowl he set in front of her. “Are you going to do it?”
“Mr. Cowboy? I told her I’d think about it but aw, hell, no.”
She accepted the bowl and sat at the table even if she had no intention of eating at a time like this. “Good, because surely one of our Stone Ridge women is good enough to be your wife.”
There weren’t all that many eligible women in their women-scarce town, but there was Daisy. And Eve’s business partner, veterinarian Annabeth. Jolette Marie, and Lucy, a waitress at the Shady Grind. There were women available and they’d probably all arm wrestle to get a chance with Wade.
“I’m not lookin’ for a wife. Beulah and the biddies are just worried about me. They’re trying to take up the slack in the nagging department. Doing a good job, too.”
Daisy didn’t touch the casserole even after he’d handed her a fork. With all the talk of marriage, she’d lost her appetite.
“I’m sorry you were hurt.”
“It’s alright.”
He seemed to be, at least outwardly, but Daisy didn’t believe him for a second. The rodeo had been Wade’s life for years. Being sidelined for the rest of his life had to be excruciating.
“You look fine.”
“Still got all my limbs as you can see. Just a compound fracture.” He flexed his left arm and grimaced. “The association took care of the surgery and medical bills, so I stayed in California for a while to recover.”
“Linc told me you’re going to be working on bringing back the ranch.”
“Trying to be a rancher, just like my daddy.”
“You’re staying…for good?”
She almost couldn’t believe this. For half of her life, she’d watched as Wade came back to town and left again. Some said he would sell the ranch after his mother died, and probably never return.
“It’s not like I have a choice. This ranch is all I have left in the world.”
“Don’t make it sound like you’re being punished.”
“Sorry. You know what I mean. I’m used to a little more excitement than mucking stalls and herding cattle.”
“You’ll have plenty of excitement now because Beulah will be on you until you agree to be Mr. Cowboy. You know she’s never giving up on you. Does she ever give up?”
“You have a point. She’ll get the message eventually.”
“You’re not going to want to hurt her feelings and that’s what you’re going to have to do to get her to stop.”
He winked. “Sweetheart, I have a way with ladies. I can figure out how to say no and not hurt her feelings.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re pretty good at that, aren’t you?”
He ignored her comment. “Do you want coffee?”
“I had coffee before I came over. I need it to open my eyes.”
He stopped halfway to the cupboard. “Water? Milk? I think I have milk.”
“Wade, I’m not here to eat!” She pushed her bowl away.
“You sure are ornery today, Twerp.” He came close and tweaked her nose.
Her anger flashed. “I’m not a kid, Wade.”
This is what he did with Daisy. He called her nicknames and tweaked her nose. Tousled her hair.
“Hey, I know that.” He patted her head.
“I have an idea. A really good one.”
“Uh-oh. Now I’m sinking deep in manure. Two ideas in one morning. I hope at least one of them is good.”
“There’s only one way Beulah will leave you alone and that’s if she thinks you’re already serious about a woman.”
“Good point.” He set his coffee mug down. “But I’ve been away for a while, so I haven’t really dated anyone. I suppose there’s always Jolette Marie…”
“No, not her. Actually, all you have to do is pretend to date someone.”
He crossed his arms and frowned. “Sounds…complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Like, for instance, I could tell Beulah that we’re dating. You…and me.”
“No one’s going to believe that, least of all Beulah.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” Daisy stood. “I’ve dated a lot since you’ve been gone, and it would just make sense that I’m ready to settle down.”
He hooked a thumb to his chest. “And me? Does it make sense that I’m ready to settle down?”
“You’re going to have to work with me here. At least try to follow along. Look, I’m trying to help you. I’m different than all the buckle bunnies you’ve dated. That means I’m settling-down material. And I’m right here!” She stuck out her arms.
“I see you.” He chuckled.
“There’s no need to find you a woman from a reality TV show. Those women would be afraid to break a nail and I’m guessing they wouldn’t appreciate the natural smell of a cattle ranch. I fix cars for a living and I’m not afraid of a little crap.” She straightened. “Or a lot of it.”
“You would make any rancher a good wife, true enough.”
“So, it’s a good idea?”
“Who would know this thing is fake and who would know it’s real?”
“We’d have to tell my family the truth, of course.”
“Yeah. I could never lie to Lincoln.”
“He’d see right through you.” She smiled. “But everyone else can believe it. Right? And that will solve your problem.”
“Tell you what. I’ll think about it.”
The post Cowboy, It’s Christmas.2 first appeared on Heatherly Bell.
Cowboy, It’s Christmas
Gather up, everyone, because the ladies of SORROW have news! After last year’s mess, I had a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself.
You’ll remember that last year, Winona James, the country music star, fell in love with one of our men, Riggs Henderson (can’t say anyone blames her). Well, that means another woman in town, for which we are eternally grateful. Another man of Stone Ridge, settled and happy.
Yet, there are so many more. Even though not all seem ready to settle down (Beau Stephens, I’m looking at you) their mothers are anxious for grandchildren, lickety-split! And since we ladies do take care of everything that needs doing around here (by the way, some help would be welcome) we’ve tackled this latest issue, too. The work around here never ends!
But now, with the help of Winona, and all the many connections she has to show-business folk, we have interest from one of them Hollywood studios. The setting of a new reality dating show will be Stone Ridge itself and we will be interviewing women to vie for the heart of “Mr. Cowboy.” I personally have my eye on Wade Cruz, who has recently been permanently sidelined from the rodeo circuit. He’s been injured but he’ll get over that right quick. His lovely mother raised him to be a proper man of Stone Ridge and helpful in every way. Rose died not long ago, poor lamb, and all of us ladies of SORROW have been delivering casseroles and motherly love to Wade.
Frankly, it’s time “Wild Wade” settle down and we want to help him. Yes, we do. He could be our first Mr. Cowboy, and with those smoldering rodeo-cowboy good looks, help bring truckloads of women into town.
Because I’ll let you in on a little secret: only one woman will win this contest, but we have plenty of men for them to stick around for.
~ Beulah Hayes, President of SORROW (Society of Reasonable, Respectable, Orderly Women) and keeper of the Men of Stone Ridge bible, tenth edition. ~
Chapter 1
Daisy Carver loved Christmas, but in her opinion, the Christmas décor at the Shady Grind bar and grill had gone a tad overkill this year. The tinsel seemed to be everywhere, bright blinking red and green lights draped across the stage in the back, and bundles of mistletoe hung from the ceiling at approximately every two feet. This had likely been done by a desperate man looking to hook up. There were so many lonely men in their women-scarce town.
And still, no one was even trying to kiss her. She’d purposely sat under this mistletoe all night.
The bane of her existence was that Daisy had two older brothers. Two big, brawny cowboys that could take care of themselves in a dark alley. One of them, Jackson, owned this bar and was here tonight. And in case he wasn’t, there was always her oldest brother, Lincoln. At some point in time, and without her approval, he’d assigned himself as her guardian and protector. Between her brothers and their tattletale wives, Eve and Sadie, it seemed that no man alive would ever dare to approach Daisy unless he was ready to get married to her the next day.
But all she needed was one brave man.
She’d dated a little here and there, but every kiss was a dud. Granted, she had a high standard to meet. When she was eighteen, a cowboy had kissed her within an inch of her life. Nothing had ever compared. Though she did get asked out a lot, she was often accused of being too much of a “good girl” and “not fun.” That was all going to change. Though marriage, pregnancy, and babies were winding through their town like a virus, Daisy wasn’t interested in any of that. Still, when it came to sex, she’d recently decided that she would like to find out what all the fuss was about.
But tonight, she was here simply to forget her troubles and enjoy the show from a seat on the barstool. Her brother Jackson was on the stage playing guitar and singing “It’s Christmas, Cowboy,” one of his latest country music chart hits. Singing harmony with him was a hugely pregnant Winona James. She’d just had twins seven months ago and must have gotten herself pregnant again the next day. She honestly looked like she’d swallowed a pumpkin. The kind that they sold at the pumpkin patch in nearby Kerrville. This October they’d gone for a personal best with a pumpkin that weighed in at close to two hundred pounds. It won the county contest.
Daisy would never tell her so, but well, Winona looked like she’d swallowed half of that pumpkin. And this time, she wasn’t carrying twins. Just one baby. One!
As the song ended and Winona was helped off the stage, Lenny called out, “Hey there, Winona! You think they forgot to take a baby out?”
There was raucous laughter, including from Winona, who shot back, “So I got knocked up again. But I have it on good authority that this one is a girl.”
A roar of approval at that, because there hadn’t been a girl born in Stone Ridge, Texas, for around ten years or so.
“She sings, plays guitar, and is having a girl,” Jackson said from the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear it for Winona James!”
Winona waddled to the bar where her handsome rancher husband, Riggs Henderson, sat on a stool next to Daisy.
“Hey there, Winona,” Daisy said.
“Hi, sugar.” Winona threw her arms around Daisy. “How are you these days?”
“Oh, you know.” Daisy threw a look at the mistletoe hanging above her head. “About the same.”
“Ah, I see.” Winona caught Riggs’s eyes, and waved her hand. “Riggs?”
“Oh, yeah.” Riggs leaned forward and bussed Daisy’s cheek. “Merry Christmas.”
Lord, he smelled good. If he wasn’t in his forties and married, Daisy would be all over that. Best of all, he didn’t scare easily.
Daisy sighed. “Thanks.”
“Levi?” Winona called out to the bartender.
“Huh?” When the part-time bartender/horse wrangler turned to Winona, she was pointing to the mistletoe above Daisy’s head. He nodded, then leaned across the bar to kiss her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Daisy.”
Gee, how exciting. Practically an air kiss. But this would be about as good as it would get for Daisy Carver in Stone Ridge. And it wasn’t as if scandalous things didn’t happen here, they just happened to other people.
Not Daisy.
She was the good girl, as far from her mother’s reputation as a girl could get.
It wasn’t that she wanted a scandal, but a little excitement would be nice.
Over a year ago, Winona had moved from Nashville to find herself a baby daddy. She’d had a long line of suitors, sure, Daisy heard all about it. But in the end, she’d given up on the idea. Then she wound up accidentally pregnant by Riggs. Some thought Winona would be going back to Nashville eventually, but Daisy didn’t see that happening. She watched Riggs hold out his hand, and when Winona took it, he smiled and led her out the door.
Jeremy Pine slid into the stool next to Daisy vacated by Riggs.
“Boy, I sure dodged a bullet with that one. Whew.” He made a mock swipe of his brow. “Poor Riggs. Got himself saddled with a wife and twins, and another already on the way.”
“What do you care about it?” Daisy took a pull of her beer.
“Riggs is a good guy. He should be enjoying his twilight years or some such thing, not bringing up babies.”
Daisy snorted. “Twilight years? Face it, you’re jealous it isn’t you. I heard you auditioned for the part as her ‘personal assistant.’”
“I wouldn’t have taken the job.”
“You’re too young for her anyway. Winona wanted a real man.”
Jeremy straightened. “I am a real man, sweetheart. I’m twenty-five now, don’t forget.”
Jeremy wasn’t bad looking and he had a sexy cowboy air about him. Tight Wranglers, tipped Stetson, beard stubble. He was no Wade Cruz, but he had a nice smile and an interesting face.
“So, you want to get out of here or something?”
“Hell, no.” He bristled. “Jackson’s here. He’ll see us leave.”
“Coward.”
“I’m no coward, just smart as a whip. I don’t want to get married yet.”
Daisy scowled. “Who said anything about marriage?”
“C’mon, Daisy.” He gently put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed lightly, as if giving her sympathy. “It isn’t just your brothers. You’re a nice girl. And we all know you’re a…a…you know…”
“A what?”
“A tease,” he whispered.
“That’s a vicious lie,” Daisy lied.
“Why would anyone lie about that?”
“I have no idea! That’s my personal business, so how would anyone know whether it’s true?”
“I guess it’s the way you…act. Plus, your two brothers. No one’s turned up dead, so we just assumed—”
“And made an ass of yourself!”
“Well, if it’s not true, then.” Jeremy removed his arm from her shoulder as Jackson headed toward the bar. “Maybe no one has the guts to find out.”
“That’s the first thing you’ve said tonight that makes any sense. There sure are a lot of gutless men in Stone Ridge.”
She would correct herself, but she was just too mad. As she’d been taught from the time she was a little girl, the men of Stone Ridge were above reproach. Honest and hardworking ranchers. Traditional. They banded together in times of trouble, helped each other out with broken fences, stuck cattle, emergencies of any kind, and even construction of the new school and clinic.
And they took care of their women. Who were “their” women? Every female from birth to death. As a consequence, a man knew that if he didn’t take care of his woman, there would be someone else ready and more than willing to take his place. And God help the man who ever raised a hand in anger toward his woman. He’d be run out of town and probably tarred and feathered.
Those were the good parts about Stone Ridge and Daisy appreciate them as much as the next woman. The bad parts were unfortunately conjoined with the good ones. All this tradition and protection grated on a young woman who wanted a little adventure. Daisy might have played it safe her whole life, but it was time to broaden her horizons. She was tired of waiting around for something to happen. She would make something happen!
A little less protection and a lot more freedom was in order. Though probably neither one would happen tonight.
Jackson joined Daisy and fist-bumped with her. “Hey, Shortie.”
“You were good up there tonight,” Daisy said. “Are you and Eve comin’ over for Sunday dinner this week?”
“I’ll have to ask Eve.”
“Please don’t leave me alone with Lincoln and Sadie. The whole night will be about Sammy and how wonderful he is. I hate to tell them, but though I adore Sammy, his ears are too big for his head. So, he’s not perfect.”
Jackson burst into laughter. “Boy, you sure are easy to rattle these days. We’ll be there.”
“Thank you!”
“Hey, so how’s Wade doing these days?”
“Wade?”
Wade Cruz was Daisy’s longtime crush and Lincoln’s best friend. A rodeo cowboy, he was rarely in town, though he’d made an appearance at his mother’s funeral a few months ago only to leave again.
“Lincoln told me that he’s back. He got injured and came home. Didn’t you hear? Thought you of all people would know.”
It felt like the floor had given way beneath Daisy. All the blood rushed to her head.
Wade. Wade Cruz. Injured? When? How? Why?
“Lincoln didn’t tell me. No one told me.”
“Probably figured you already knew.”
“It’s not like I keep tabs on him.”
Jackson cocked his head and grinned. “Really?”
Daisy took one last pull of her beer, set it down, and climbed off the stool. “I’m tired of you teasin’ me.”
“What? I just got started. Okay, okay.” He went palms up. “Shortie, c’mon. Don’t go.”
She shoved his shoulder, and kept walking, waving him away. When she stepped outside, the sky had darkened to a purplish hue. A chill snapped through the air and she tugged her jacket close. They’d had a strange and early winter, ice storms and snow blanketing areas that rarely saw any. In Hill Country, a foot of snow had fallen not long ago, and temperatures dropped to the thirties.
But some folks knew how to keep warm.
Here and there, couples were kissing in the cabs of their trucks, on the tailgates, and in little quiet corners. Jolette Marie Truehart was in a clinch with some cowboy. Sigh. It had been so long since Daisy had been really and properly kissed. Too long since a certain man had pushed her up against the wall, crashed his lips over hers, sunk his fingers into her hair, and pulled her against him. She remembered well the day and time because it may as well have been written on her heart. She’d been eighteen, and Wade Cruz had kissed her in the bedroom of her family home. Then, as if shocked he’d done it, he ran out of the room so fast he nearly fell on his way out.
Even so, she might not have taken it so personally if he hadn’t left town a couple of days later.
She’d called him out on it the next time she’d seen him, weeks later, working as a ranch hand for her father between rodeos.
“I thought you of all people weren’t afraid of my brothers. You can hold your own.”
Wade threw a stack of hay down and wiped his brow. “Who the hell said I’m afraid of ’em?”
“Um, you ran out on me so fast I thought your ass was on fire.”
“Listen, Daisy.” Wade tipped his hat and gazed at her from under hooded lids. “You need to understand a few things.”
She crossed her arms. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me these things.”
“Now, I can’t tell you everything. That’s something your husband’s going to have to do.” He slid her a wicked grin and cocked his head. “But the thing is, men and women need to be on an even and equal playing field. It’s only right. Both should have the same amount of…experience. Know-how. Catch my drift?”
“I think I do.” She suddenly “got” that she was apparently a bad kisser. Humiliation thrummed through her. “But I can learn.”
“I’m sure you will, sweetheart. Just not with me.” Then he’d walked away and climbed back in the pickup to shove out another bale of hay.
And nearly ten years later, Daisy still hadn’t found anyone that came close to that kiss, all thanks to one man.
Wade Cruz.
The post Cowboy, It’s Christmas first appeared on Heatherly Bell.
April 25, 2021
News from my corner of the world
Hi, everyone! Sadie Stephens soon-to-be Sadie Carver here. I forgot my lesson plan, but if you don't mind I'd like to talk to you about cowboys. I'm going to be marrying one pretty soon, and I've done the research. So, gather up your pen and paper and get ready to take notes!
Most cowboys are like my Lincoln - yes, MY Lincoln - they're solid men with strong backs who take on the weight of their families, neighbors, AND the ranch. And boy howdy, do they look good in those wranglers!
Some of them are also in the rodeo from time to time, many are also carpenters, and some of them even learned to play the guitar and sing. But please don't ever make the mistake of thinking that a big, strong cowboy can't be hurt or wounded. They have some of the biggest hearts in Texas, hearts that can be broken by the woman they love.
If you've read Heatherly's Lucky Cowboy, then you already know how Linc and I met. You've read our love story, and happily ever after. But what you might not know is that our story continues in Nashville Cowboy, coming this May 4th! Because, yeah! We're getting hitched which you probably already know!
This summer, it's time for a wedding in Stone Ridge. It's only natural for our story to be continued and included with Eve and Jackson's reunion. Well, maybe I AM getting ahead of myself, but you better believe I have plans for those two. And they involve a quilt.
Anyway, Jackson was rumored to have said to Eve, "Lincoln is my brother, and Sadie is your best friend. They practically ARE us!"
Well, he's wrong! There is no WAY I'm leaving Lincoln at the altar. But in order to find out whether I do or not (I'm tempted, but I have my reasons) you just might have to read the book!
March 8, 2021
March sales and news!
On March 22nd, the first Starlight Hill anthology (1-4) is on a rare sale, FREE to everyone, and not just Kindle Unlimited members! Grab your copy!
Kindle Unlimited members, this anthology is going to be leaving the program sometime in April so make sure you grab your free copy now!
In this anthology, four rom-coms: ALL OF ME, SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, UNTIL THERE WAS YOUR and ANYWHERE WITH YOU.
Also excited to reveal the cover for WINNING MR. CHARMING, the first book in my new Harlequin series, Charming, Texas:
IN CHARMING, TEXAS, THE ULTIMATE CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.
Who’ll be the next Mr. Charming? Odds favor Cole Kinsella, owner of the Salty Dog Bar & Grill. The bachelor is certainly handsome and charismatic, especially to his newest employee, and former high school sweetheart, Valerie Villanueva.
Except…Val’s in the running, as well. Because why can’t a woman be the most charming? As the rivalry revs up, so do the stakes. Each desperately needs that prize money, but do they need each other more?
February 19, 2021
Cover Reveal!
IN CHARMING, TEXAS, THE ULTIMATE CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.
Who’ll be the next Mr. Charming? Odds favor Cole Kinsella, owner of the Salty Dog Bar & Grill. The bachelor is certainly handsome and charismatic, especially to his newest employee, and former high school sweetheart, Valerie Villanueva. Except…Val’s in the running, as well. Because why can’t a woman be the most charming? As the rivalry revs up, so do the stakes. Each desperately needs that prize money, but do they need each other more?
February 12, 2021
Chapter One of Lucky Cowboy
We’re simply everything the name of our society itself indicates. Respectable women, who appreciate the position we’re in. I’ll let you in on a little secret, dear: we run this town. Sure, sure. We’re in the minority but that has mostly worked out to be an advantage. Who wouldn’t love to be one of the few? The proud? Oh, wait. Never mind.
For decades, Stone Ridge, Texas has been a town filled with a majority of men. We’re not exactly sure how this happened, but let’s begin with the fact that we’re a ranching town. Think cowboys. Cows. Lots of lakes for fishing and hunting. In other words, it’s like a huge man cave.
But honestly, our lack of women also has something to do with the lack of jobs and services for us. We don’t even have a hairdresser in town for the love of Pete. My new daughter-in-law does my hair in her home every other Tuesday. But I digress.
What we do have is a great deal of eligible young men around marrying age.
I myself had seven suitors before I chose to wed my sainted husband, Lloyd. This is the place to be if a woman wants to feel special. We’re like Alaska, but warmer.
Yes, thank you, I will get to the point. We need more women in our quaint town because we do have the men. Oh, do we have the men! Rodeo cowboys, ranchers, construction workers. Hard bodies, chiseled jaws, and all those things the young’uns like.
So, of course, when the subject of a local primary school came up, as it does once every five or so years, Sadie Stephens was the first woman I thought of. Uh-huh. She left town for Baylor University a few years ago to get her degree in education. After graduation, for some reason unknown to me, she settled in the metropolis of San Antonio. Can you believe it? San Antonio! Sometimes, there’s just no accounting for taste.
Honestly, she’s the sweetest girl in the world. Close to her family and her older brother, Beau. Never has a bad word to say about anyone. A pretty and petite blond with hazel eyes. No, I’m not giving you her measurements. By the way, there’s a rumor that her college boyfriend broke her heart, and she’s been a little shy of love ever since then.
Suffice it to say, the men of Stone Ridge are above reproach. They know better than to hurt a woman’s feelings. Why, they’d rather break their own leg than any woman’s heart. We’re glad to have Sadie back. That’s right, she’s agreed to take the position as our new school’s first teacher.
Yes, men of Stone Ridge. You are welcome. Sadie Stephens is back in town, and she’s single.
Let the games begin!
~ Beulah Hayes, acting President of the Society of Reasonable, Respectable and Organized Women (SORROW), and author of The Men of Stone Ridge, tenth edition~
Chapter 1
No other twenty-eight-year-old woman in Stone Ridge, Texas could say this, but Sadie Stephens started the Tuesday after Labor Day with circle time.
She stood in the old building that long ago served its purpose as the town’s original church. An old white clapboard building, with a steeple and a tone-less, broken belfry. It had seen better days, on or around the turn of the century. As long as Sadie could remember, everyone had worshiped at Trinity Church in the center of town.
This morning, a small group of children ages five to eight sat in a circle inside of the old but newly cleaned and painted church. All the pews and the baptismal font were removed, and there remained one large room with a strip of carpet in the center over the hardwood floors. Small desks and chairs were flanked in groups around the room. In her class were fifteen boys and five girls. The classroom’s mix of boys to girls was just about right for Stone Ridge, Texas’s demographics, where men outnumbered women by about five to one.
And Sadie would be the first teacher at Stone Ridge Elementary.
“Boys and girls, you probably already know that my name is Sadie Stephens, but y’all can call me Miss Sadie.”
She turned to write her name in large letters on the white board in bold black marker.
Something tapped the side of Sadie’s head and she turned to see a paper plane at her feet.
“He did it!” Ellie Monroe, one of her Kindergartners, pointed to Jimmy Ray, an eight-year-old.
Sadie bent to pick it up from the floor. She didn’t want to start their day off in a negative way, so she turned it over in her hands and admired it for a moment.
“Why, what a wonderful piece of engineering.”
“You’re pretty,” said Jimmy Ray.
How adorable. The cute kid grinned, showing two missing front teeth.
“Ew,” said Bobby Joe. “She’s old.”
“Is not!” Ellie scrunched up her little face.
This brought about a general discussion between the boys and girls regarding who was old, such as one’s grandmother, but Miss Sadie was simply a grown-up. Ellie won the round with her impressive logic.
“You guys are so smart!” Sadie took back control of the conversation. “What a lively discussion. Yes, Jimmy Ray, I’m twenty-eight, a bit old for you. But thank you for saying that I’m pretty.”
“When’s snack time?” Bobby Joe raised his hand. “My mom said y’all would give me snacks if I’m good. I’m bein’ good. Where’s my snack?”
“That’s a great question! We will have our snack soon. Ellie’s mom volunteered to bring it today. But I’m sure you just ate a big breakfast.”
“I have a hollow leg,” Bobby Joe said with conviction.
“Does not!” Ellie said, who would obviously become the classroom’s fact checker.
“All right.” Sadie took a deep and steadying breath. “We’re going to get to know each other a little bit first. Some of you already know how to read, and others are just learning, so I need to find out more about you. This is going to be so interesting! I can’t wait to find out who can already read.”
Nearly every hand raised, all except for Ellie, who pouted and crossed her arms.
Oh, dear. Sadie probably shouldn’t have said that. “Wait. I didn’t ask you to raise your hands.”
Little hands lowered.
“The point is, soon you will all be reading.”
Sadie ended circle time after each child said their name out loud and she’d pointed them to their assigned desk with their decorated name card. She could hardly contain her excitement and nearly rubbed her hands together.
She would finally teach, and mold little minds. She’d dreamed about this day and it was finally here. And in her hometown, no less! How wonderful to influence the future generation of both the women and men of Stone Ridge. She would have a challenge, teaching the first class at different levels, but she’d created a plan.
Until recently many parents of grade school children homeschooled since Stone Ridge was a small remote town deep in Texas Hill Country. Older children were usually sent on a bus to the neighboring town of Kerrville, a forty-minute ride reach way. A long bus ride, one Sadie remembered well. She, her brother, Beau, and all their friends rode the bus for years. But now, local parents would have options.
Thanks to Beulah Hayes’s efforts, they’d began the search for a location and a plan to raise funds last year, and wrangled support from the town’s residents. There would still be many fundraisers ahead of them to fully fund the effort. Because they didn’t yet have all their district certifications, they’d applied for a charter, and received some money from the state.
They’d raised enough through Beulah’s pet organization, the ladies of SORROW, to pay for a year of Sadie’s abysmal salary.
And while the ladies scouted for another, better location, they’d provided the old church so that Sadie could begin teaching this fall.
Two hours into the school day, Sadie counted ten times she’d returned Jimmy Ray’s shoe to him, because he kept throwing it. She talked to him, but he didn’t seem to think he was doing anything wrong. On the eleventh time, she got wise and put it in her desk drawer, telling him he’d get it back at the end of the day.
He then hopped around the classroom for a few minutes on one foot, earning lots of laughs. Sadie asked him to sit down, then handed out reading books, and while some of the kids took to reading them quietly, others fought over them. Ellie wanted Black Beauty because of the horse on the cover, but Jimmy Ray reminded her that she couldn’t read so she should go ahead and take the “baby book.”
Ellie burst into tears. Sadie gathered the little girl into her arms and considered joining her. This day was not going well so far. She’d pictured an entirely different kind of experience, with well-behaved children eager to read a book and learn.
“Jimmy Ray, I’m going to need you to apologize to Ellie. There’s no such thing in my class as a baby book.”
“Baby, baby, baby!” Jimmy Ray laughed as again he hopped around on one foot.
And Sadie could take no more. She rarely lost her temper and never with a child. But Jimmy Ray had just stepped on her last nerve. She would never tolerate cruelty among her children.
“Jimmy Ray! How many times have I told you? Sit down. I mean it now,” Sadie said, and stomped her foot in emphasis.
And went right through the bottom of the wooden floor.
“Termites can do a hell of a lot of damage,” said Riggs Henderson. “I’ve seen entire beams fall.”
A local rancher, Riggs was also a foreman and worked odd construction jobs here and there. He managed the occasional renovation in town and sometimes worked with Sadie’s father. He’d been driving by in his truck when he saw the commotion gathered outside the old church.
Many of the men who gathered stood eyeing the floor and the foot of crawl space under it. There were plenty of head shakes as an entire crew arrived and got to work. In their town residents came together in times of need. It took one call to the phone tree, started by Beulah Hayes herself this time, who’d walked over from the General Store nearby, which was owned by her husband.
Sadie sat with the children outside on the porch steps, out of the way of danger until their parents could arrive. To say the children were fascinated was an understatement. Suddenly no one talked about snacks or reading levels. They’d just seen their teacher’s feet go through a supposedly solid wood floor.
Jimmy Ray simply stared in horror when Sadie’s first foot went through the floor. He must have thought her to be “incredible cartoonish” mad. Not the case, but either she’d gained too much weight this summer, or these termites had feasted. For decades.
Beulah Hayes shook her finger. “The inspector said it was fine. We tented for termites weeks ago.”
“Who did you use?” Riggs asked.
“I’ll have to look through my paperwork,” Beulah huffed. “But he came from Kerrville. Gave me a decent rate.”
A general groan of consensus came out of the men, as if the good people of Kerrville couldn’t be trusted to know a termite infestation from a scorpion one.
“Are you sure you don’t need a trip to the hospital, missy?” This was directed to Sadie from Lenny, one of their volunteer firefighters, a man about her father’s age.
“It’s not like I fell far. My boot took the worst of it,” Sadie said. “I’m fine, but thanks.”
“Miss Sadie went through the floor,” Ellie said. “I’m scared. There’s a monster down there.”
“No monster,” Lenny said, bending. “It’s a teeny tiny little bug, you see, so small no one can even see it.”
“You’re not helping,” Sadie warned.
“Oh, they don’t eat children,” Lenny said with a chuckle and a wave. “But they eat through wood like a sumabitch.”
“Lenny!”
“My house is made of wood,” Ellie said with a hitch in her breath. “Will they eat my house, Miss Sadie?”
“No, no, sweetie,” Sadie said, glaring at Lenny. “I’m sure they won’t.”
A bevy of pickup trucks arrived one after the other, their tires crunching into the gravel as they pulled into the church parking lot. This would be the second wave of men, arriving to help, meaning they would have dropped everything they were doing on the ranch.
Life wasn’t easy in Stone Ridge, as services were few and residents were forced to rely on each other. The fire department, for instance, all volunteer. As a former EMT, Sadie took her turn, too. They currently didn’t have a doctor or clinic, and no police, relying on the County Sheriff an hour away.
There was no hairdresser in town, no clothing stores, no coffee shop, no movie theater, and spotty cell service and Wi-Fi. They did, however, have rolling hills, trees, rivers, lakes, and lots of great fishing. There was Trinity Church, a veterinary clinic (there were more animals in town than people), the General Store, and the Shady Grind, a bar and grill.
But the best part of her hometown was the way the men of Stone Ridge revered their few women. They were held in high regard. Protected. This was just one of the reasons Sadie came home after getting her teaching degree. Here, she’d have a better than average chance of finding a husband.
In fact, he could be here right now, wondering if he’d ever find a woman in this woman-scarcity town. Maybe he’d even bring his niece or nephew to the school one day for drop off or pick up. Ada Armstrong’s nephew was coming to visit, and she couldn’t talk enough about him. But Sadie wasn’t too excited because he sounded so desperate for a wife. In any case, with the right man, their gazes would meet across the tops of the children’s heads.
She’d feel that little zip and zing. The jolt and kablammy that her best friend Eve Iglesias talked about. Sadie’s pupils would dilate, and bam! She’d fall in love. Once, she’d felt that zip and zing, and thought she knew just the right man for her. But that was years ago. She’d given up on him.
As the trucks filed in one after another, Sadie noticed her older brother Beau’s truck, Wade Cruz, two more of the Henderson brothers, and of course, Lincoln Carver.
Lincoln Carver.
The man she’d wanted since she could remember having the slightest interest in boys. The one she’d finally given up on. A few years ago, Lincoln stopped speaking to Sadie and even though everyone else moved on from the feud that caused this, Lincoln still remained civil. But nothing more than civil. Then again, he was a loyal sort, one of his most attractive qualities.
Followed closely by the long, brawny body, strong arms, chiseled jaw, and dimples. Sigh.
He and the rest of the men went to work as if they did this every day, gathering tools and supplies from their truck beds.
Lincoln walked by her first, nodding and tipping his Stetson. “Sadie.”
“Hey there, Lincoln.” Her heart rate spiked the way it always did when he appeared anywhere near her vicinity.
“Hey, sis,” Beau said, as he walked up the steps next. “You okay there?”
“I’m fine. Sorry to be so much trouble.”
“What a first day, right?” Beau said and turned to the first crew of men. “What do we have goin’ on here? How can we help?”
“We’re goin’ to need to move them to another location,” Riggs Henderson advised. “We’ve got to rip out all this wood and replace it. Should take a week or more. We should do a more thorough inspection. Walls, floors, roof. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having children in here otherwise.”
Sadie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Well, there went her teaching career. Maybe she could move back to San Antonio, get her old job, and come back and try this again next fall.
“Now, now,” Beulah said as though reading Sadie’s mind. “I am sorry about all this, but don’t you despair. We’ll find another location for y’all right quick.”
Except a centrally located empty building in the middle of town didn’t exist.
The parents began to arrive for their children and were informed. They appeared well rested, even after the short school day. But Sadie had probably aged ten years in the last five minutes.
Because it was still early in the day, she left the men to it, and headed two blocks down to the veterinary clinic where Eve worked as a veterinarian. Most of the time Eve was out on a large animal call, but Sadie caught sight of her old blue beat-up truck parked outside. She opened the door to an empty waiting room where Eve sat behind the receptionist desk. She and the other vet, Annabeth, couldn’t afford to hire an admin yet.
“Hey,” Eve said, coming around from the desk to give Sadie a hug. “I heard.”
By now, everyone would have. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“How did it go, otherwise?”
“You know what it’s like when you see a dress you love online? And then you see that it’s on sale! The last one in your size. When you place the order, it turns out you get an additional discount at check out. You can’t believe your good luck. The dress arrives, free shipping of course, and when you take it out of the package and try it on, it fits just like it was made for you?”
Eve nodded, smiling in anticipation.
“Well, today was nothing like that.” Sadie collapsed on one of the empty waiting chairs. “It was a disaster. I don’t think I taught them a single thing, except that I’m a pushover.”
Eve sat beside Sadie. “Oh, hon. Well, it will get better.”
“I thought it would be different. I was so excited about my lesson plan, but I couldn’t keep their attention. Until I went through the floor, of course. Then no one would take their eyes off me.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing something that’s never been done before here.”
“And maybe there was a reason for that.”
“Yes. We didn’t have Sadie Stephens, teacher extraordinaire.”
Sadie allowed the thought to cheer her a little bit. “The point is, I was excited about teaching them. They’re not quite as excited to learn. And now I don’t know how they will until the termite damage is repaired.”
“Don’t you worry. I’m sure Beulah is on this like a bean in caffeine.”
“Even Beulah can’t materialize a building out of thin air.” She sighed.
“I’m sure the guys will get the work done soon.”
“I’m not so sure.”
She’d seen the expression on her brother’s face. He worked in construction with their father, and he didn’t look happy as he studied the eaves and beams. He shook his head far too often and once he’d said to Lincoln, “Would you take a look at this. Who would let this building pass inspection?”
“Who’s your favorite student?” Eve said.
“Well, a teacher shouldn’t have favorites, but if I did, it would be Ellie Monroe.”
“Aw, yeah, she’s a cutie. She and her mom come around every now and then to check on our rescues. They’ve adopted nearly every cat we’ve rescued. Ellie names them after the months of the year.” Eve chuckled. “She’s up to May.”
Sadie sighed. “Yeah, and because of me, now every kid in class knows she can’t read.”
“She’s only five, isn’t she?” Eve cocked her head.
“That’s not the point. She cried when another kid took a higher-level book away from her because she can’t read.”
Eve frowned. Only she would know the significance of that for Sadie. She couldn’t help having such a tender heart. Eve had a huge heart for animals of all types. Sadie, a heart for books, followed closely by children. All of them on Earth. But she would have to toughen up to be a teacher. Otherwise, her students would smell her weakness the way sharks smelled blood.
“Maybe I should have become a paramedic. Or just stayed as an EMT,” Sadie said.
Her position after getting her degree was as both a public-school teacher and an emergency medical technician in San Antonio. With the pay so poor, she’d needed two jobs to make ends meet in a bigger city. But teaching remained her first love. She’d been an adequate EMT. Mostly, she’d been a glorified taxi from hospital to convalescent home and back. Giving comfort and aide to people at the end of their lives made Sadie realize she had a lot more living to do.
She’d been about to enroll in courses to become a paramedic and increase her pay, when on a visit to her parents, Beulah again brought up the subject of a school. Sadie wanted to move back to Stone Ridge, like her best friend Eve. And Sadie missed her quirky town.
Eve stood. “Wait right here. I’ve got something for you.”
When Eve returned from the back rooms, she carried a furry little creature in her arms. A rabbit.
“This little guy is so soft. Someone brought him in after finding him injured a couple of weeks ago. He’s fully recovered and I’m ready to set him free again. There’s no way you can hold him and not feel better about your day.”
“Eve, I’m sorry. This must all seem so silly to you.”
“Of course not. I didn’t have the best first day, either.”
Sadie winced. “I remember. You put a horse down.”
And Eve had been through the ringer in the past few years, beginning with her last-minute decision not to show up on her wedding day to Jackson, Lincoln’s younger brother. That awful day caused a feud between the two families, and of course, Sadie, also a loyal sort, took Eve’s side.
Eve’s problems were real, but Sadie just had a bad day.
Okay, a horrible day.
“I love you, little one.” Sadie cuddled the rabbit, gray and white and soft as silk. “You’re right. I feel better already.”
No one ever said teaching would be easy, after all, but simply that it could be rewarding. Just because she’d lost control of her classroom today didn’t mean it would happen again. She’d just have to kindly exert her authority. Kill them with kindness. Or give them a motivation that didn’t involve a sugary snack for a reward.
“Maybe when we get back, I could make this little guy our class pet. Rabbits are always good for that aren’t they? The kids could learn responsibility and it could be a positive behavior modifier.”
“Sure,” Eve said. “Although, rabbits are sensitive to loud noises. I’m close if you change your mind. I’ll just come get him.”
Sadie sat up straighter, inspired. “I’ve tried to think outside the box but some of the old tried and true methods might work also.”
“Why not?” Eve said. “And don’t forget show and tell. Or career day. I could come and talk to the kids about being a vet.”
“Would you? That would be amazing! The girls would love that.”
“And you should get Lincoln to come and show the boys how to rope. There’s nothing boys love more than a rodeo champ.”
Even the sound of his name sometimes landed her with a sucker punch. But despite the fact Jackson had been engaged to Eve, it always seemed that Lincoln didn’t remember Sadie. But of course, he did. The few women in this town hardly faded into the background. And Sadie was Beau’s sister, who happened to be one of Lincoln’s close friends. He did know her. He just didn’t much seem to care.
“That’s…that’s a wonderful idea, too.” She continued to pet the puffy piece of silk. “I should think about asking him. Maybe.”
Eve laughed. “Don’t be shy about it. If you want, I can put a bug in Mima’s ear. I’ve been spending some time up at the ranch lately, helping out with the grooming for some extra cash.”
“Lincoln hasn’t really talked to me since…well, you know.”
“He doesn’t talk much to me, either, but this might be a good opportunity. I mean, the rest of us have moved on. It’s his turn.”
“He’s really loyal to his brother.” Seeing the pained look on Eve’s face, Sadie changed the subject. “And anyway, isn’t Lincoln really busy?”
To hear Beau tell it, Lincoln practically ran that cattle ranch. He and his father Hank, on their own, since Jackson took off for Nashville a few years ago. During the rodeo season Lincoln tended to be gone for weeks at a time. He’d turned pro a couple of years ago and every once in a while, she’d see him at the Shady Grind, having a beer with the boys, showing off that shiny belt buckle to eager women.
He was tall with long legs, built like a running back, but despite his size carried himself with ease and grace. Hair always on the wrong side of a cut, a shiny copper brown, and his eyes…they were the deepest shade of blue she’d ever seen. And they crinkled when he smiled.
“He’s not too busy to help out a friend.”
“Fine,” Sadie said, ready to end this topic. “I’ll ask him.”
“Are you going straight home? If not, I could use a little company while I straighten out the surgery suite before it gets returned.”
“All I have waitin’ at home is Ben & Jerry’s.”
Eve took the bunny back from Sadie and put it in his little cage in the back.
Sadie followed Eve through the back of the clinic, to where the trailer she and Annabeth occasionally rented sat parked. Eve called it a hospital on wheels. It looked like a fifth wheel from the outside. Some surgeries were performed in the trailer, as well as x-rays of large animals. Eve often towed it to horse and cattle ranches in the area. As Sadie stepped inside behind Eve, she noted all the space inside the trailer. The amount of room caught her by surprise.
Eve gloved up and began tidying the counters. “So, did Lincoln come out to help today?”
“You know he did,” Sadie said. “All the men showed up to help poor Sadie who went straight through the wood floor on her first day of class.”
“You make it sound like somehow that’s your fault.”
“No, it’s just my lousy luck.” She hated being rescued. This time, it couldn’t be helped.
“Or Beulah, trying to save a penny and rush things. She’s been wantin’ this school to open since forever.”
“I wish I didn’t get my hopes up.”
“How is Lincoln, anyway? Haven’t seen him for a while.”
“Still just as handsome a cuss as ever.”
“Still just as single as ever.” Eve smiled, wiping the counter.
“Stop. I gave up on him a long time ago.”
“Yeah? If I recall, you gave up after my weddin’ day fail. And I’ve told you before, because Jackson and I didn’t work doesn’t mean you can’t wind up with Lincoln someday.”
But Sadie’s mind was suddenly elsewhere. Her father owned portables bigger than this trailer that he hauled from one job to another. Once a job was complete, the portable moved to the next location. And in some large cities, portables were a way of increasing student enrollment without having to budget for the costs of building, which could be astronomical.
“Oh my Lord!” Sadie jumped up, clapping her hands, as the idea became fully formed.
“What? What is it?”
“I love you! Thanks to you, I think I just figured out a way to save our school year!”
February 10, 2021
Cowboy up!
I'm excited about the author endorsements that Lucky Cowboy has received so far. It gives me hope that many of you will enjoy this new book. You can read sample chapters for free. Don't forget that if you pre-order, or order in the first week of release, you get a bonus epilogue.
"What a delightful story. I adored it." ~ Lori Wilde, New York Times bestselling author
"Be prepared to fall in love, with a story that will warm your heart and curl your toes!" ~ Marina Adair, New York Times bestselling author
"Lucky Cowboy is an engaging read you can really sink into and enjoy!" ~ Cora Seton, New York Times bestselling author
"If you like Virgin River, you'll love Lucky Cowboy." ~ Kate Kisset, USA Today best-selling author of the Lonesome Cowboy series
Up for pre-order now everywhere ebooks are sold: Lucky Cowboy on Amazon and everywhere else.
November 11, 2020
Welcome, Autumn
Living in California, we don't have truly freezing temperatures. When it's 55 degrees over here, we whip out the winter coats and talk about how "cold" it is today. "Should we turn on the heater or just put on a sweater? Brr." I realize that makes mid-westerners and east-coasters laugh. I hear you.
On the writing front, I have another new series coming in 2021. This one is the Men of Stone Ridge, and all 3 are already up for pre-order everywhere books are sold. The first is Lucky Cowboy, and this is what NYT bestselling author Lori Wilde had to say: "What a thoroughly delightful story. I adored it."
This is my first small town western, but don't forget that in October, I will add my contribution to the Montana Mavericks continuity.
So, though I've had little to offer you in the way of reading this year, 2021 should make up for it. Not only will I bring you the Charming, Texas series from Harlequin, but a Montana Mavericks book, and the 3 books in the Men of Stone Ridge series.
