Cowboy Courage

by Carolyn Brown

  “That sounds great.” She carried her bag to the bathroom. Yes, ma’am, it wouldn’t take a very hard push for her to be head over heels in love with Hudson Baker.

  * * *

  Hud had the food ready and on the table when Rose made it to the kitchen. She wore a pair of cute little green pajama pants with a matching tank top, and her wet hair was tied up in a towel on top of her head. “Well, now, don’t you look like a model for a fancy lingerie company? And you smell wonderful, but, darlin’, I’m wiped out tonight.”

  “Me too.” She sat down and picked up a spoon. “And hungry, and sleepy. I’m not up for another round like the one we had last night.”

  “Sleep,” he sighed. “All cuddled up with you sounds like heaven to me.”

  “Tell me about your day,” she said.

  “We put out an electrical fire at a trailer house to start off the morning,” he said between bites.

  “And then?” she asked.

  “We had to dig an old couple out of the debris. They had enough sense to get in the bathtub and cover up with a mattress, but a huge dresser was holding them down,” he answered. “There was a little boy in the shed behind the trailer. He had a shard of glass in his arm. We put him in an ambulance with his mother. Did you see him?” he asked.

  “I did, and Nikki stitched up his arm. He cried, not for the pain, but for his daddy. I located him out in the emergency room. He had a concussion, but they treated him and let him go home,” Rose answered. “I heard they’d opened the churches in town for shelters. Do you know how many houses got hit?”

  “Ten trailers in a park on the south side of town, the B&B, two convenience stores, and a car dealership on the west side, and lots of roof damage and fallen trees. It’ll be a while before it’s all cleaned up, but Texans are a resilient bunch of folks. There’ll be donations to the church clothes closets and food banks, and you can bet that the people who have rental property will be lowering the first three months’ rent to help out those who are left with nothing,” he answered. “Now, your turn. Tell me more about your day.”

  “Mostly, I just translated from Spanish to English, but I did have one little guy from Haiti, and I got to use my French,” she told him. “But in a couple of instances I held someone’s hand while the doctor stitched them up—and assured them in whatever language they spoke that it would be all right.”

  “That’s really special of you to do that,” he said.

  “It’s pretty awesome of you to volunteer as a firefighter,” she shot right back.

  “Tag and I volunteered out in Tulia, so when we came here, we just told the fire chief that we’d be glad to help out.” He carried his bowl to the sink and rinsed it. “Help yourself to the ice cream. I’ll get mine when I get out of the shower.”

  Hud washed away what felt like a week’s worth of smoke and grime. He took time to shave and splash on some cologne and then dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a white T-shirt. If Rose hadn’t said that she was hungry, he would have taken a shower before he heated up the chili.

  He found her curled up on the end of the sofa with a half a bottle of beer in her hand. She handed it to him, and he took a long swig before he sat down beside her. “Thanks. Want to watch a movie until bedtime?”

  “Let’s watch reruns of whatever cop show is on television. That way, if we fall asleep it won’t matter,” she said.

  He picked up the remote and hit the POWER button, then surfed through the three or four channels until he found reruns of Friends. “This all right?” he asked.

  “I love that show.” She moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “Me too.” He kissed her on top of her head.

  If the contentment he felt right then was what he could look forward to with Rose on a long-term basis, then he was already looking forward to it. To come home after a long day at work just to sit together with a woman who was satisfied just to be near him was something he’d never known before. To know that tomorrow he’d wake up with her by his side was pretty great.

  * * *

  Rose awoke the next morning before dawn, realized where she was, and reached out for Hud, but all she got was a handful of pillow. Thinking that she might have been dreaming, she sat straight up in bed, just in time to see Hud coming through the door with a wooden tray in his hands.

  “I thought we’d have breakfast in bed before we go back to work. Nikki already called and asked if you’d help out at the hospital today. She’ll pick you up at seven. Tag and I’ll have to start repairing our roof, and then we’ll go over to Emily’s and help Justin with that one. Seems like the other two over there didn’t even get a single shingle blown off,” he said as he set the tray down on the bed. “By the way, darlin’, you sure look cute with bedroom hair and no makeup.”

  She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Did you forget to put your contact lenses in this morning?”

  “Honey, I’ve got twenty-twenty vision, and I’m speaking the guaran-damn-teed truth.” He sat down beside her and picked up a piece of crisp bacon with his fingers with the intention of feeding it to her. She snatched it from him and popped the whole strip into her mouth.

  “Cooked just right,” she said. “And those pancakes look amazing.”

  “They’re my special butter pecan recipe,” he told her.

  She cut off a bite with the edge of her fork and popped it into her mouth. “Oh, my God! Will you marry me?”

  “Is that the best pickup line you’ve got?” he asked.

  “Short of getting down on one knee and proposing, it’s all I’ve got,” she replied as she handed him a fork. “Let’s share. You’ve got enough on this plate for an army.”

  Never, not one time, had a man brought her breakfast in bed. Sharing a plate of food with Hud was so romantic that she got a little misty eyed.

  When they’d finished off everything on the tray, including a four-cup pot of coffee, she cupped his cheeks in her hands and kissed him. “Mmmm, bacon and maple syrup kisses are almost as good as whiskey kisses on the dance floor.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” he told her as he tossed his truck keys on the bed. “Nikki will be here soon. If you’d rather have a vehicle of your own, you can use my truck. I won’t need it all day, so if you need to run any errands or maybe stop by and see Dixie, feel free to use it.”

  “A woman doesn’t usually come between a cowboy and his truck,” she said.

  “You’re right special to this cowboy, ma’am.” He picked up the tray and headed out of the room. When he got to the door, he turned back and winked. “Matter of fact, you’re real special, darlin’.”

  “So are you.” She blew him a kiss.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rose was walking out of the hospital with Nikki that afternoon when her phone rang. Molly had made it home and was in Sunset with the Fab Five.

  “Hello, darlin’ girl,” Molly said. “We went by the B&B, and I’ve got Chester with me in Sunset. The Fab Five insisted I stay with them until we can figure out what happened. The insurance adjuster is coming at four. You’re right—it looks more like earthquake damage than tornado.”

  “I just finished volunteering for a day at the hospital.” She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “I’ll have Nikki drop me at the B&B.”

  “See you in a few minutes then.” Molly’s voice sounded weary. “I’ve got Chester settled and the folks here said I can borrow the van to drive over.”

  “I heard most of that.” Nikki made a right-hand turn toward the B&B. “Either or both of you could stay with us, or I’m sure Emily would let y’all use the cabin. And one more thing, the hospital administrator asked me if you’d be interested in a job. He could use someone with your skills. You’d probably be working in the admissions office in addition to translating.”

  “I promised my mother I’d come to Kentucky for a visit. Does he need an answer right away?” Rose asked.

  Nikki pulled up next to the curb. “I
don’t think so, but please think about it.”

  “I will.” Rose nodded. “And you can tell him that I’m very interested.”

  “Fair enough,” Nikki said. “Want me to come in with you?”

  “No, Aunt Molly and the adjuster will be here in ten minutes, and Tag is probably waiting for you. Thanks for everything, Nikki.” Rose got out of the car and headed across the lawn toward the house.

  She had to really work on getting the key in the lock that afternoon, and then she had to put her shoulder to the door to open it. She hadn’t had that kind of trouble the day before, but maybe it had something to do with the damage. She picked her way through the glass on the floor, and peeked into the shop. The place looked even worse than it had before—all that lovely crystal shattered into pieces and scattered everywhere on the floor. From there she went to the dining room. The china cupboard was still standing, but only the framework remained. The glass sides were gone, right along with all of Aunt Molly’s antique glassware.

  Molly came in the door like a whirlwind, grabbed Rose in a bear hug, and held on to her for a long time. “I’m so glad to see you, child, and I’m glad you were gone when this happened. Have you ever seen such a mess?”

  “Can’t say as I have, but we can clean it all up and then you can get back into business.” Rose patted Molly’s back. “I’ll see to it that it’s all done before I leave for Kentucky.”

  A hard rap on the door broke up the hug, and Molly yelled, “Come on in.”

  Molly wrapped her hand around Rose’s arm, and the two of them crossed the floor together. “We’re in here, Marvin.”

  “Miss Molly.” An older gentleman tipped his cowboy hat toward her. “I’m right sorry about all this, and I’ll take lots of pictures and look around, but I can tell you that you’d better be looking for another house to live in. Seeing the gap between the porch and the house tells me exactly what happened here.”

  “And that is?” Molly asked.

  “The tornado picked up the house and then set it right back down. I’ve seen this a few times in my career. The only trouble is that the storm doesn’t get the house set back on the foundation right. Come on out here in the yard, and let me show you,” Marvin said.

  “I’m so sorry.” Molly must’ve suddenly remembered her manners. “This is my great-niece, Rose, and this is my insurance adjuster and my Sunday school teacher, Marvin Conners.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Marvin tipped his hat again.

  “Likewise,” Rose said.

  They followed him outside, and he showed them the problem. “See how the house is set back on the foundation a good three inches right here at the front? Now come on around to the backside.” He pointed toward the overhang. “This is structurally unsound and will have to be condemned. I’m putting in papers for it to be totaled, which means that you’ll receive a check for the insured amount for the business, plus the contents. And you paid extra for any case like this, so we’ll have it torn down. Then you’ll just have to sell the land or rebuild.”

  “Holy crap!” Molly gasped.

  “That’s why it looked like an earthquake rather than a tornado,” Rose said.

  “You’re right,” Marvin said. “Only thing is I’d expect a few broken windows, but then one never knows about tornadoes. They’re a phenomenon all of their own. I’ll go on inside now and take some pictures, and again, I’m sorry.”

  “Can we go inside and get our personal belongings?” Molly asked.

  “Sure, but be careful.” Marvin started back around the house, snapping pictures with his camera the whole way.

  Molly sat down on a back porch step and put her head in her hands. “I’ve been thinkin’ about retirin’ and sellin’ the place, but I sure didn’t think it would be forced on me like this.”

  Except for the hair—Molly’s was gray and cut into a pageboy—she and Luna could have been twins. They were both on the slim side, had the same face shape, and their voices sounded enough alike that it would be difficult to know which one was talking.

  Rose sat down beside her and draped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry. Maybe we can salvage some of the furniture.”

  “Nope.” Molly shook her head. “I’ve had to dust all that stuff for years. If I’m startin’ all over, then I’ll do it from scratch, and get comfortable furniture. And I’ll buy a small house in Sunset. There are two or three for sale over there that’s close to my church and my friends.”

  “Won’t you be a little sad after living here so long?” Rose asked.

  “Ain’t no use in cryin’ over spilt milk.” Molly sighed. “The Lord works in mysterious ways. Evidently, He had to get pretty loud to get my attention and tell me it was time to retire. We’ll pack up what we want and not even look back when we leave. You need to go see your mama. By the time you get back, me and Chester will be settled into a new place.”

  “Maybe I’ll catch a bus to Kentucky tomorrow, if you’re sure you don’t want me to stick around and help with things,” Rose said.

  “Catch a bus, my ass,” Molly said. “I’m buying us both a new car, but only if you promise to come back to Bowie and see my new place before you reenlist.”

  “I may not do that.” Rose told her about the job opportunity at the hospital.

  “Does Hud Baker have anything to do with your decision?” Molly asked.

  “Did I hear my name?” Hud asked as he rounded the back corner of the house.

  “Well, good evening, Hud Baker.” Molly stood up. “First night back and a good-lookin’ cowboy comes to see me. Did Marvin tell you the news?”

  Hud’s jeans had holes in the knees, and his T-shirt was stained. His hair stuck out from around a sweat-stained black cowboy hat that he removed and held in his hands. “I saw Marvin when I knocked on the door. I’m right sorry about all this, Miss Molly. You ladies need anything?”

  “Thank you, but it could be a blessin’ in disguise. I should’ve quit the business years ago,” Molly answered.

  “You going to rebuild?” Hud asked.

  “Nope. I’m going to buy a house in Sunset. Rose and I are fixin’ to get our things out of the house, and I’m going back to stay with the Fab Five for a few days until I can get things arranged.”

  “Rose can stay with me,” Hud said.

  “That’s what I figured.” Molly motioned toward the house. “It’s sad, but sometimes it takes a little sadness in the soul to make us appreciate the rainbows more. I’m already liking the idea of living near my friends and my church.”

  When she was out of sight, Hud gave Rose a quick peck on the lips. “I’m too dirty and smelly to give you a hug. I’ll see you later tonight.”

  He settled his hat back on his head and waved over his shoulder as he left. Rose touched her lips to see if they were as hot as they felt.

  * * *

  An hour later, the van that Molly was driving was packed full of their clothing, and they were on their way to the car dealership right there in Bowie. Molly took one long look at the B&B before she pulled away from the curb. “It’s a shame that it had to go the way it did, but it’s a blessing at the same time. I’ve got a lot of good memories from that place.”

  The place would always be special to Rose, since that’s where she and Hud had spent… She blushed at the pictures of the two of them all tangled up in the bed and in the shower. Even if things never worked out for them, she’d carry her beautiful memories with her forever.

  “Maybe after we buy cars, we should celebrate by having dinner together,” Molly said.

  “Aunt Molly, I can’t let you buy me a vehicle. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with my life. I may or may not need a car,” Rose said.

  “I know what you’ll do with your life, but I’ll let you figure it out. But I will tell you that you need one to drive to Kentucky and haul the babies around in when you have them,” Molly said.

  “Aunt Molly!” Rose gasped.

  “Don’t fuss at me.” Molly waggled
a finger at her. “When I die, you’re going to get everything I own, so you can have it now or have it when I’m dead. Your choice. Just pick out what you like.”

  “But—” Rose protested.

  “Shhh!” Molly interrupted. “If I’m buying two cars, I should get a real good deal, right?” She looked at the salesman expectantly.

  Two hours later they were walking off the lot, keys in hand.

  Molly giggled. “Saved fifteen thousand dollars. Luna ain’t got a thing on me when it comes to making deals.”

  “Why would you say that?” Rose asked.

  “She sold that carnival for twice what it was really worth, and then she invested her money. She called me on that cheap cell phone you gave her. She told me that she’s leaving whatever is left of her money to you, just like I am. By the time you’re fifty, you’ll be able to buy a ranch of your own if you want one.” Molly slid behind the wheel of her car and turned the key.

  “But why, if she’s got all that money, does she live like she does?” Rose could feel her eyes getting so wide that they hurt.

  “Money don’t mean jack crap to her, and it means even less to me.” Molly giggled. “We both just like to think we’ve made a good deal and know that we’ve got a giant nest egg if we ever need it. How do you think your folks keep that commune going? Your Granny Dee left them her money.”

  “Daddy runs the construction crew too,” Rose said.

  “I’m not saying that Paul ain’t a hardworkin’ man, but his damned pride just about caused him to refuse that money when Devine died. Your mama threatened to leave his sorry ass and take you with her, if she couldn’t at least live in a decent trailer and have money for your schoolin’.” Molly’s finger shot up again. “And don’t you dare tell her that I told you that.”

  “It can be our secret,” Rose whispered.

  “Now, you unload what’s yours out of this van, get in your car, and go out to the ranch and show it off to Hud, and go on and tell him what I said about babies.” Molly laughed as she slammed the door.