A Cowboy State of Mind

by Jennie Marts

  * * *

  Two hours later, Bryn and Mandy had finally settled into her house. Bryn held up the menu to the only pizza place in Creedence. “Should we order a pizza?”

  “Yes, please. Can we get pepperoni?”

  “Of course. That’s my favorite.” Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, and Bryn was pleased to see Elle’s number pop up on the display.

  She and Mandy had spent the last few hours taking care of the animals, feeding and brushing the horses, putting scraps out for the few farm cats that roamed her barn, and cuddling Lucky, the mama dog, and the puppies. Zane had stomped off after their discussion about the cameras, and all she’d seen of him the last few hours was his muscled back and jean-clad butt as he leaned over the engine of her car. Which wasn’t actually a bad part of him to see. The cowboy did have a great butt.

  Thoughts of their earlier kiss had heat rising to her cheeks as she tapped the phone and put it to her ear. “Hey, Elle.”

  “Hi, Bryn. It’s Elle. Well, shoot, I guess you knew that. I…um…I hope it’s okay that I called.”

  “Of course it is. That’s why I gave you my number. What’s up?”

  “Oh gosh. Nothing really. Nothing that important, I guess.”

  “Are you okay? Did something happen?” Bryn asked, detecting a note of something in the other woman’s voice.

  “Yeah, I guess. I mean I guess I’m okay, but something did happen.” She let out a long sigh. “Apparently, I’ve been let go from my job.”

  “What? You got fired?”

  “I believe the term they used was a ‘career change opportunity.’”

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m not. I mean, I know I should be upset, but really, I just feel relieved. Is that weird?”

  “Not if you didn’t like the job.”

  “I don’t really know what I like anymore. But I liked hanging out with you. It was nice to feel like I had a woman friend again. So I was wondering if you might want to go out and grab a coffee or a pizza. Or a margarita or two? Or five?”

  Bryn laughed. “I’ll do you one better. It sounds like you could use some ice cream, girl time, and puppy therapy. And I happen to be having a sleepover tonight with five puppies and an adorable ten-year-old. Why don’t you grab your most comfy pajamas and a toothbrush and come out here and join us?”

  “Okay, you had me at puppies and ice cream, but why are you having a sleepover with a ten-year-old?”

  “My friend had an overnight conference, so his daughter is spending the night with me. Our plans tonight involve a sappy chick flick and gorging on pizza, popcorn, ice cream, and puppy kisses. We were just getting ready to order the pizza. We’d love to have you join us.”

  “How can I refuse an offer like that? Give me twenty minutes to put some stuff together and I’ll be out. Why don’t I pick up the pizza on my way?”

  “Perfect.”

  Thirty minutes later, Elle arrived with two pizza boxes in one hand and a large duffel bag in the other. “I wasn’t sure one pizza was enough, so I had them make two.”

  “You can’t have too much pizza,” Bryn said, taking the boxes from her and placing them on the counter. She gave Elle a hug, then glanced down at the duffel bag at her feet. “I’m glad you’re here. But you know it’s just for the one night, right?”

  Elle shrugged. “I’ve never been to a slumber party. I didn’t know what to bring. So I threw in everything I could think of. And I wanted to contribute to the fun, so I brought some fancy face masks from the last time I spent a day at the spa and thought we could do facials.”

  “I’ve never had a facial,” Mandy said, peering around Bryn’s side.

  “That’s because you already have gorgeous skin,” Elle told her, eliciting a beaming smile from the girl.

  Bryn introduced the two, then pointed down the hall. “Your room is the first one on the left. The one with the blue comforter. Now go get in your cozies, and I’ll pour you a drink. Although I’m afraid root beer is the strongest ale I’ve got.”

  “I haven’t had a root beer in ages. That sounds perfect.” She lugged the bag down the hall and emerged a few minutes later in a pink-and-purple flannel onesie and pink fuzzy slippers on her feet.

  “Wow,” Bryn said, covering her mouth as she tried not to laugh. “You do look cozy.”

  Elle grinned. “What? I get cold. And you did say to bring my comfiest pajamas.”

  “I love them,” Mandy said. “I think you look beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Elle said. “I think you are my new best friend.”

  Bryn popped the lids on three bottles of root beer and passed them around. She held hers up. “A toast. To comfy pajamas, good pizza, and new best friends.” They laughed, then clinked their bottles and drank.

  The old farmhouse had a spacious kitchen decorated in light blue and sunny yellow with lemon accents. A small herb garden sat in the window above the sink, the long narrow pot spilling over with mint, basil, and dill. The hardwood floor was original and scuffed from years of bootheels and shoes, but still shone from the weekly scrubbing Bryn gave it. A long counter separated the kitchen from the dining area. On the other side of the round table and chairs, a cozy living room sat with a big overstuffed couch and a reclining rocking chair, both covered in fat pillows and soft throw blankets. The walls were painted a soft gray and matched the subtle gray hints in the blue and white pillows. Bryn’s touch was everywhere, from the blue-and-white braided rag rugs on the floor to the white milk pitcher overflowing with fresh lilac stems on the side of the counter.

  Mandy had helped earlier with setting out plates, silverware, and a stack of napkins, and Bryn passed them around, then lifted the lid on the top pizza box. She inhaled the scent of warm cheese and spicy pepperoni. “This smells amazing. Dig in, y’all.”

  They filled their plates with hot slices and settled on the sofa to watch an episode of the newest romantic comedy series on Netflix. Before the show was over, they had polished off the first pizza, a sizable bowl of popcorn, and six bottles of root beer. They had set up a spot on the sofa between Elle and Mandy for the mama dog to lie and have her puppies cuddled in with her, so they could love on the mama and give occasional pets to the tiny puppies. The mama dog rested her head on Elle’s leg, keeping an eye on both her puppies and the woman who had originally rescued her.

  * * *

  Zane leaned over the engine of Bryn’s car to reconnect the battery. The alternator had gone in smoothly, but now he needed to test it and make sure the battery didn’t need a jump. The collie lay in the dirt by the front tire, her ears up and alert, ready in case he needed her to offer some advice or chase a ground squirrel or bunny away from the car.

  The evening was warm, and he’d taken his flannel shirt off and had been working in just his undershirt. He’d just wiped a smear of grease on his jeans when a movement caught his eye. His shirt, which lay on the corner of the hood, seemed to be sliding slowly backward, almost as if being pulled by an unseen ghostly hand.

  What the heck? Zane leaned over the side of the hood. Hmmm. Not a ghost. And not a hand either. Not unless Bryn’s grandfather’s spirit had come back in the form of an ornery billy goat who currently had the sleeve of Zane’s shirt securely chomped in his mouth. The sneaky devil was slowly backing up and pulling the shirt toward him as if he thought he could sneak the thing away without Zane noticing.

  “Drop it, you ornery cuss,” he told the goat.

  The collie’s ears perked up higher, and she trotted around the front of the car, her haunches forward, ready to defend her master against the evil flannel-filching felon.

  The goat froze. He knew he’d been caught. But he didn’t drop the shirt. Instead, he lowered his head, and Zane knew he was going to make a break for it.

  “Don’t do it.” Zane leapt forward and made a grab for the corner of the shirt.
But the soft fabric slipped through his fingers as the goat skittered backward. The collie was quicker and snatched a corner of the shirt as it fell off the side of the car. She let out a low growl as she dug in her heels and pulled.

  Zane sprinted around the hood, determined to help the collie save his shirt. He grabbed a piece of the hem. “Otis, let go, you crazy coot,” he commanded, then let out an exasperated chuckle.

  The laugh must have confused the collie, because her head snapped from the goat to Zane as if trying to figure out if this was serious or a game. She must have decided it was a game, because she dropped her side of the shirt, let out a yip as she raced around the goat, then grabbed onto the sleeve of the shirt the goat had in his mouth.

  “What? You crazy mutt. You’re supposed to be on my side,” he told the dog. She answered by shaking her head and pulling harder. He tightened his grip, mystified at how his night had just turned into a wacky tug-of-war with a goat, a dog, and one of his favorite shirts. And the worst part was that he was losing.

  A loud rip sounded, and he stumbled back as the sleeve of his shirt tore away. The dog let go and raced to grab a new section of the fallen shirt, ready to continue the game, but the goat ran off with his prize.

  Zane ran after it, the collie at his heels, determined not to let the buck get the best of him. But the goat was wily and quick-footed and snuck through the fence into the pasture. The dog followed and tried to herd the goat back toward her master, yipping and running circles around it. Zane changed tactics and ran to the barn to grab some feed. Maybe the goat would trade the sleeve for some food. Although by the way the dang thing was chewing on the flannel, the shirt might very well end up as food. He filled a coffee can with grain and tried to entice the goat to make a trade, but Otis wasn’t having it. That shirt was apparently a treasured prize, and not even grain could coax it away.

  “Oh, keep the shirt, you idiot,” Zane hollered, waving a hand at the animal and shaking his head as the goat pranced away. He couldn’t help but laugh as he whistled for the dog and headed back toward Bryn’s car. Otis had won this round, but Zane had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last argument he had with the greedy goat.

  * * *

  Bryn eased Lucky off her lap and carried their discarded plates into the kitchen. Romantic comedy—check. Gorged ourselves on bad food—check. “Who’s ready to do facials?”

  Mandy thrust her hand into the air and opened her mouth to answer. But instead of words, a belch loud enough to rival a grown man’s ripped from her lips. Her eyes widened, as if the ferocity of the belch surprised even her. She clapped her hand over her mouth and dissolved into hysterical giggles. “Excuse me.”

  Elle offered her a high five. “Good one.” She tapped her chest. “It’s the root beer. And drinking it out of the bottle.” She opened her mouth and let out a tiny burp. Which only made Mandy giggle harder.

  “That was weak,” the ten-year-old said.

  “I know. I’ll work on it. Now that I no longer have a job, I’ll have more time to work on my belching skills.”

  Bryn laid the packets of masks on the table and patted the chair in front of her. Mandy slid into it, and Bryn drew the girl’s long blond hair into a ponytail and away from her face. She pulled her own hair into a messy bun on top of her head, then tore open a packet and squeezed a glob of bright green goo onto her fingers.

  “Eww! It’s green,” Mandy said, wrinkling her nose. “It looks like the gross kale smoothie my dad tried to make me drink once.”

  “Your dad drinks kale smoothies?” Bryn asked as she dabbed the goo lightly over Mandy’s cheeks. The girl’s skin already had all the glorious youthful glow the mask promised it would provide, but Bryn wanted Mandy to feel included, so she kept it to a thin layer.

  “No, but he read an article about how to get your kids to eat more veggies and thought he’d try it. Like I said, it was only once.” She sniffed. “This stuff doesn’t seem so bad though. It smells kind of minty. And it’s cold on my cheeks.”

  “It’s nice,” Bryn agreed, squeezing the rest of the packet onto her fingers. She watched the way Elle smeared it over her face, then globbed it liberally over her own cheeks and forehead. She could use a more youthful glow. “So, Elle, I know it just happened, and you’re probably still reeling and maybe haven’t had time to think about it, but besides improving your belching skills, do you have any idea what you want to do next?”

  Elle shook her head. “No, not really. And I don’t actually feel like I’m reeling that much from it. I know what reeling feels like, and this isn’t it. Sure, I enjoyed the job. But I didn’t really like the travel and spending all that time alone in hotels and always eating by myself. Granted, I do the same thing here. As you may have noticed, I don’t have a lot of friends, but it somehow feels lonelier in a hotel by yourself. They gave me a nice severance package and Ryan left me more money than I know what to do with, so I think for the first time in my adult life I’m just going to relax and take the summer off.”

  “Good idea,” Mandy replied. “I’m taking the summer off too. And I don’t have a whole lot of friends either. But I’ll be your friend. And you could come to the swimming pool with me.”

  Elle covered Mandy’s hand with her own, her eyes blinking back a sudden swell of tears. “Thank you, Mandy. I’d like that. Some time at the pool with a friend sounds wonderful.” She smiled at Bryn, who had to swallow at the sweet show of emotion. “I also need to do some spring cleaning and get rid of some stuff in my house,” Elle continued. “And I thought I could try to do some volunteer work and maybe meet some other people in the community. When Ryan first died, so many people reached out to me, but I wasn’t ready, and I think I gave off the impression that I didn’t want or need their support. And maybe I didn’t. I just wanted to lie in bed and cover my head with the blankets and sleep every day. But my husband loved this town, and it’s probably time I figured out why. And hopefully some of the people here will give me another chance.”

  Bryn squeezed her arm. “I’m sure they will. Creedence is a nice town filled with lots of good people.”

  “I’m sorry your husband died, Elle,” Mandy said, her voice soft as she twisted a paper napkin that had been left on the table. She stared at her hands as she swallowed. “My mom died, and some days it makes my stomach hurt because I miss her so much.” She peered up at Elle. “Does that ever happen to you?”

  “It does,” Elle whispered back, a lone tear escaping her eye as she took in a shuddering breath. She forced her lips into a smile. “But I’m sorry that happens to you.”

  Bryn blinked back tears, wishing she could offer some kind of remedy, anything to ease the pain of these two people she cared about. “Anyone want more pizza? Or ice cream? Or a puppy?”

  Elle breathed out a laugh and pushed her shoulders back as she patted her stomach. “I’m stuffed, but I’m not done cuddling those puppies. I’m going in for another quick snugglefest while this mask dries.”

  “Me too,” Mandy said. “I think that little black-and-white one likes me.”

  “I think she does too.” The air lightened, and the tightness in Bryn’s chest eased. She glanced over at Elle. “If you’re serious about doing some volunteering, I’ve suddenly found myself with a whole lot of animals that I need to take care of, and I could definitely use the help.”

  Elle’s eyes lit, and a grin spread across her face. “Yes. For sure. Whatever I can do.” She held up a finger. “Oh, that reminds me. I stopped at a couple of places on my way here and collected the money from some of the donation cans I put out for you.” She crossed the room to her bag and pulled out two jars full of coins and cash. “I haven’t counted it yet, but I’m sure there’s well over a hundred dollars in here.”

  “Wow. Already? I can’t believe it.”

  “I can. People love you. And that article your friend Tess wrote was really great. Plus, didn’t you say you st
arted a social media campaign?”

  “Campaign is a strong word. Tess made me a page specifically for the horse rescue, and she set up some livestream-video thing that runs for a couple of hours at different times in the day that shows viewers what the horses are up to. I don’t get how it all works, but she does. I’m terrible at all that junk.” She tilted her head and eyed Elle. “If you’re really serious about this volunteering thing, besides helping with the animals I could really use some help with all this publicity stuff. With your background in marketing, maybe you could help with the social media aspect.”

  “What a great idea. That’s the kind of thing I do at work all the time. Well, that I used to do at work all the time. But helping you sounds like a lot more fun. I’d love to work on your social media, and I can set up a website for you too. And I’ll check out the Facebook page you’ve already got and see what I think.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  Elle smiled, and Bryn loved the slight bit of pride that shone through her grin. Sometimes it helped to have a purpose. And anything Elle could do for her on the social media front was a huge blessing.

  Bryn jumped as a knock sounded on the door behind her. She turned to see Zane at the screen door, and she waved him in. It wasn’t until he stepped through and she saw his eyes widen that Bryn realized their faces were all covered in green goo.

  Zane raised an eyebrow. “I’ve always wondered what happened at these sleepover parties, but I had no idea you smeared guacamole on your faces.” He glanced toward the kitchen. “Did anybody bring chips?”

  Mandy giggled. “It’s not guacamole,” she told him. “It’s a beauty mask.”

  “Well, that seems ridiculous since you’re all three already beautiful in my book.”

  Bryn was thankful the green goop covered her cheeks so Zane wouldn’t see the pink color she was sure was heating them. Which was ridiculous. He hadn’t exactly called her beautiful. It was more of an offhand compliment to both women and a ten-year-old girl. She was sure he was just being nice.