True Blue Cowboy

by Debra Holt

  She had been able to keep it running this long only because Mother Nature had cooperated at the right time over a two-year stretch, but now they were into the third year of a long drought, and the only thing draining faster than their stock tanks was her bank account. It was a race to see which would go dry first. She was painted into a corner. The ranch was her birthright. It was all she knew. She hadn’t gone to college like so many of her high school classmates had done. What she knew and majored in was the everyday running of a ranch with animals to care for, land to improve, and little money to do it all with. However, she wasn’t about to give it up without a fight. Whatever she had to do, she would do it. She knew that for a certainty. Even if she had to dance with the devil to do it…at their wedding.

  *

  There were more surprises in store for her that very afternoon. Josie quickly had a memory lesson on what happened when Chance got a burr under his saddle about something. Just after lunch, as she was stepping off the porch heading back to the corral area, a silver minivan pulled into the yard, and Marie Ledbetter stepped out. Marie owned Marie’s Alterations and Sewing Goods Place in town. From the passenger side stepped Emily Haskins, who, along with her husband Mike, owned and operated Em’s Sweetest Things, a bakery and deli combination also in Braxton. They waved at her as she changed her direction and headed toward them, a hand shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight.

  “Hi Josie! We were afraid we might have missed you. We came just as soon as we could pack up our stuff and get out here.” Marie threw the words over her shoulder as she bent to retrieve items from the van’s back end.

  “Congratulations, Josie! You must be ecstatic. That bridegroom of yours is quite the man on a mission. We had no idea you two were even engaged until he came into the shop and began booking everything. Eight days…my goodness! Have no fear…we can whip out your perfect wedding in nothing flat. Just leave it to us,” Emily chimed in, two large bags clutched in her hands at her sides.

  Josie was at a loss but had to quickly recover as it was clear the two women expected to be asked inside her home. They were already heading toward the front door.

  “Ecstatic doesn’t describe it,” she managed to return as she hurried ahead of them. If they only knew. “I wasn’t really expecting anyone…”

  “Now don’t you worry about a thing.” Marie smiled as she bustled through to the dining room and set her box on the table with Emily close behind her. “We brought everything we need to help you make your choices. Chance was most insistent that you be given anything you choose…of course, given the time constraint we’re under and all. We will do our best though.”

  “I brought along cake samples. I had them on hand for the Flanagan’s, because they had scheduled a cake tasting for tomorrow morning, but now that they called the wedding off because…” Emily hushed when she saw the look on Marie’s face. “I guess we don’t need to talk about such unhappy things when we have a most joyous occasion to focus on instead. I’ll just go into your kitchen and plate these up.” She hurried through the swinging door with her cake boxes and bags.

  “Marisa’s wedding was called off?” Josie had gone to high school with Marisa and had been surprised when she announced she was coming back to Braxton to marry a man she had met in Houston while at a convention. The invitation had arrived three weeks back and was still on her refrigerator front. The wedding date was just two weeks away.

  Marie shook her head as she continued to unpack her box. “Poor Lila is beside herself. Marisa just walked in the door yesterday at home and announced it was all off. Seems the fellow up and decided to move off to Japan and really didn’t seem to care if Marisa went along or not. Poor thing.” She looked over at Josie and her smile returned. “But that’s something you don’t have to worry about. Your Chance won’t be going anywhere without you, that’s for sure. It’s so romantic how things work out sometimes.”

  Josie was lost. Evidently it showed because Marie hastened to explain. “Everyone knew that one of these days, you’d end up a Braxton. Your mom and dad always set such love, hopes and admiration in Chance over the years. And Chance…well it was plain how he felt about it all.”

  “Plain?”

  “The look in that man’s eyes whenever you came around and wasn’t looking. Made even an old heart like mine flutter. Now where’s your room? We need to get you into the dress, so I can see what I have ahead of me in alterations.”

  Josie was still digesting Marie’s words about Chance when her mind had to focus on the strange question. “Dress?”

  “Chance said he brought it down from the attic and placed it on your bed. It’s so wonderful that you decided to wear your mother’s dress. She’d be so pleased.”

  “My room is upstairs.” Josie led the way. Walking into the bedroom, she was amazed to find a large box, yellowed around the corners with age, but still tied across the middle with a faded pink ribbon. She recognized it instantly. She had taken a peek inside once as a teenager, when she was looking through some trunks stacked in the corner of the dusty attic, and found it inside a cedar chest. There was no way Chance would have known about its existence or its location unless he had been searching for it. That fact just added to an already strange list of things she couldn’t quite wrap her head around in these quickly fleeting few minutes.

  The woman undid the box and carefully laid back the tissue paper until the dress was visible. She lifted the material until it was free from the box.

  “Oh my, Josie. The workmanship is marvelous on this. It looks like all the beading is intact. I understand this dress was also worn by your grandmother. Amazing how it has withstood the test of time. The candlelight satin has retained its color, and the lace is such a beautiful design. Let’s slip it on you.”

  A few minutes later, Josie stood staring at herself in the full-length mirror in the corner of her bedroom. She didn’t recognize the person looking back at her. She looked almost like her mother in the wedding photo of her parents that hung in the dining room. Josie lightly touched the folds of the fabric. Yards of soft candlelight satin made up the skirt that fell from a fitted waist. The sleeves were lace and appliques of the lace covered the bodice. The same lace trimmed the skirt. Miniscule crystal beading and seed pearls decorated the appliques also. Two petticoats made the skirt fuller. The veil was floor-length tulle with the exact lace edging it all the way around.

  Both Marie and Emily stood behind her, admiring the garment. “It’s amazing, Josie. I need to take it in just a bit in the side seams of the top and shorten a bit on the sleeve length. With the proper shoes, the skirt length will be just right. It could have been made with you in mind.”

  “That’s true,” Emily chimed in. “It may have gone through two brides already, but it’s timeless. If you tried to find something like this in a store now, you would end up paying thousands for it.”

  “And the workmanship wouldn’t be able to match it if you did,” Marie noted. “Wait until your groom sees you in this. That’s the moment I want to see.”

  Emily nodded in agreement. Josie reserved her reply on that one. The mention of Chance brought everything back to the present. In a few short days, she would be wearing this dress and saying vows that were meant to last a lifetime. What have I done? Pure panic hit her. She so needed her mother to talk to in that moment.

  “I need to get this off. I’ve got work to do outside.” She motioned for the women to undo the buttons of the dress’s back. Why was it hard to breathe in her room? The material felt suffocating all of a sudden.

  “Careful now,” Marie warned. “We don’t want to stick you with the pins I have in it. Can’t have blood on that satin.” The pair of women carried the dress downstairs with them. Marie had moved her items into the sewing room at the back of the house.

  Josie redressed in her jeans and work shirt and pulled on her boots in swift time. She took the stairs quickly but was brought up short by Emily standing in the doorway of the dining room.

 
“Now Josie, you weren’t trying to escape, were you?” The baker laughed at the thought. “We’re ready for the tasting. You just come sit yourself down.” The chair was pulled out and waiting for her.

  Josie looked at the chair and then ventured a quick glance at the front door. So close to freedom…yet so far. A hand on her arm helped her decision. Emily was probably used to brides with cold feet…or maybe not. At any rate, Josie slid into the chair. On the table in front of her were seven plates with seven different slices of cake on them.

  “You want me to eat all of these?”

  Another laugh. “Well, not by yourself. I expected Chance might want to take a few bites, too.”

  “He isn’t going to be here, I’m sure. Besides any of these cakes…” Josie didn’t finish.

  “Sorry I’m running a bit late, ladies. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” The man came through the doorway and dropped into the chair next to Josie’s while giving Emily a smile, his hat going onto the post on the back of his chair.

  “You’re here.”

  Chance turned the smile on her. “Where else would I be? This is pretty important stuff and one of the fun things a groom can do in all the wedding planning…or so I’ve been told by those brave men who have gone before me.”

  “That’s the spirit! Josie, you’re a very lucky woman to have such a willing groom. Most grooms don’t want any part of the planning.” Emily beamed at the pair.

  Josie looked over at Chance and her gaze was locked by his. The look she saw there made the bottom drop out of the floor, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on the edge of the table top. She could feel the heat rolling over her skin even though she had on warm layers of clothing. But it was the brand of heat generated by the look of desire that brought a response from deep within her core making her forget to breathe.

  “A most willing groom, indeed.” His words whispered across to her. That was the moment Josie began fighting for her life.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Is the coast clear?” Josie heard the loud whisper before the rest of the body appeared. A few moments later, a smiling Dev stuck his head around the corner of the doorway leading from the mudroom into the kitchen. She responded with a smile.

  “If you’re asking if your brother is around, the answer is no. I think he went into Abilene early this morning. Want some coffee?”

  “That would be wonderful.” He moved into the kitchen at that point, drawing out a chair from the table, and making himself comfortable.

  She poured two mugs and brought them to the table, taking a seat across from him. “What have you been up to?”

  “What do you think? Braxton doesn’t exactly have an exciting night life.” He took a sip of the hot liquid.

  “I guess since I haven’t seen you around since our dinner, I just assumed you were busy.”

  “Well, pretty lady, if I haven’t been around it was because my big brother more or less warned me to be on my best behavior around his bride-to-be or else.”

  Josie hadn’t expected that reply. Why would he keep Dev away from her? Did he not think she could handle herself? Did he not trust her? That made for a not-so-great beginning to any marriage. “I make my own decisions. You’re always welcome in my house…anytime.”

  Dev’s grin broadened. “That’s my Josie. I’ve really missed you. You can always make me smile. And the fact that you don’t bow down to my brother is a breath of fresh air. Seems everywhere I go lately, I’m hearing his praises sung. He’s become quite the top dog in this corner of the world. I don’t know if they’ll nominate him first for sainthood or to public office.”

  “People do look up to him,” Josie conceded. “He works hard to keep improving the ranch. The techniques he’s employed in better range management and…what’s wrong?” She caught the look on Dev’s face and broke off the rest of her comment.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve been drinking some of the same Kool-Aid as the rest of the people around here. Or you’re just the president of his fan club. But let’s talk about something more interesting.”

  “Such as?”

  He set the mug aside and reached out, covering one of her hands as it lay on the table top, leaning toward her as best he could with the table between them. “Such as, you leave Chance waiting at the altar and come away with me. You aren’t in love with him. Don’t waste the rest of your life on this ranch. You deserve so much more. Let me take you away from here…today.”

  Josie was speechless. At first, she thought it was just another of his smooth lines. The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice told her soon enough that he wasn’t being his usual flirtatious self. Something inside also told her that what she chose to do in the next few seconds would likely impact the rest of her life. Dev Braxton had represented everything she ever wanted…or everything she ever thought she wanted. Why didn’t she know what she wanted anymore? With dawning clarity, she knew one thing with certainty…and it shocked her. Dev had no place in her future. Somewhere along the way to becoming a grown-up, she had outgrown him. Now she just felt sadness where he was concerned.

  “I told you, this ranch is where I want to be…now and forever. It’s who I am. But I don’t think you ever really knew that or could ever understand it. Just as you know you can’t be happy living here in Braxton; you need to be where there are bright lights and lots of people. I know that this is where I was meant to be for all of my life.”

  “And that sums that up,” he replied. “You’re a smart lady, Josie. Out of everyone here in Braxton, I think you possibly have been the only one who could see me for what I am. Perhaps understand that I’m wired differently from the other Braxtons. And you still cared.” His words were cryptic and, for a moment, Josie thought she saw a glimpse of a man behind a mask. Where that analogy came from, she had no idea. There was an aura of a puzzle when it came to Dev…and perhaps there were one or more pieces that just couldn’t be found. But then the old Dev slid back in place.

  “So if you won’t run away with me, how about dinner?”

  “It’s a little early for dinner for me. I still have a lot to do that I didn’t get around to earlier…seems today was all about unexpected interruptions.” First, the ladies from town, and now Dev. She stood up and took both their mugs to the sink, rinsing them and setting them on the drain board.

  They parted at his car, and Josie went into the stable to fill Cookie’s feed bucket. Josie was emptying the last of the feed into the animal’s bucket inside his stall when she heard Chance’s truck drive up and park outside. A couple of minutes later, familiar footsteps sounded, heading into the stable. Her pulse picked up in the way that seemed to be the norm whenever Chance came near. And there was little evidence of a sense of dread along with the arrival…it was more along the lines of anticipation that she hadn’t recognized before the last few days. She didn’t need to turn to know he was standing behind her…too close behind her. The scent of his familiar cologne drifted across her senses, and her gut tightened in response. Deep breath. Don’t let him rattle you.

  “I passed Dev on the road on the way out. Did you two have a nice visit?”

  There was a slight edge in the underlying tone. Josie knew she could ignore it, or she could meet it head on. Others might think she preferred to hide her head in the sand at times…and perhaps she did on certain things that were too much to deal with in the moment. But those times were becoming fewer and farther in between. Bring it on. She turned to face the waiting cowboy.

  “It was brief, but pleasant enough.”

  “I see. Too bad I missed it. Dare I ask what you two talked about?”

  “Suppose you let me ask my questions first?” She set the empty bucket on the shelf outside the stall. Then she took her time removing her work gloves and stuffing them inside one of her back pockets. All the while, she was aware of Chance standing with arms folded across his chest, leaning against the wall…eyes unreadable.

  “Fire away. I sense you’ve go
t something you want to say, so let’s hear it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had arranged things with Marie and Emily? Don’t you think that’s something it would have been nice to give your fiancée a heads-up on before it happened?”

  Chance gave consideration to her question for a moment or two. He nodded his head. “I should have said something. I guess it slipped my mind amongst all the other things going on around here. I just thought you wouldn’t mind them helping to get things together for our wedding. You’ve got a lot on your own…”

  “Yes, I am busy,” she spoke up. “But last time I checked, I’m the bride, and I should be taking care of these things. Besides, I thought we agreed to a simple ceremony at your ranch with Reverend Morrison. That doesn’t call for a fancy wedding dress and a wedding cake and all that stuff.”

  He studied the toe of one of his boots for a moment before he responded. “I seem to recall you spent more than a little time one summer with your nose stuck in those bridal magazines. Of course, you were planning a make-believe wedding with a totally different groom in mind. I know your parents would have wanted you to have something nice to remember. That’s all I was trying to give you…something they would have wanted for you.”

  Why did he have to say that? It touched something in the center of her chest. She didn’t want him to think she was ungrateful. And why did he have to be so…so Chance all the time? “Well, it’s the bride’s place to pay for those things, so I expect to get the bills.”

  The breath he drew in sounded suspiciously like a heavy sigh laced with thinly veiled exasperation. “Let’s don’t even go there, Josie. The bridegroom gives his bride a wedding gift. This wedding is my gift to you. All you need to do is say a polite ‘thank you.’ Unless you think you could manage something a little more personal, but I leave that up to you.”