by Pamela Tracy
“Wow,” Natalie said.
“I usually only allow thirty words, but I got so busy listening to your cowboy that I let him go over. Not sure what I would have cut, anyhow.”
“Mommy! It broke!” Robby’s baby’s breath was shredded. Natalie pulled another section off, handed it over and after setting the vase on a table went to get her purse for a tip.
She realized she was still holding the card as she watched the florist drive away.
“Wow.”
Before this went any further, before her heart was fully vested, she needed to tell Lucky the truth. She had a feeling, however, that for her heart it was already too late.
Colorado had been cold, cold, cold. Lucky took fifth in Greeley and third in Steamboat Springs. The cowboys who’d teased him about going to Selena instead of Lubbock were no longer teasing. They were too intent on keeping their standing, knowing their place in line, and Lucky was no longer in the line. No matter how he scored, he wasn’t going to be in the top forty-five. It was too late. At most, if he sat down and tabulated his winnings, he’d find the earnings equal to his spending.
And he didn’t care.
He intended to finish out the year, do one last Cowboy Christmas, and then if the position at the church in Delaney was still open to him, he was taking it.
“Your toes okay?”
“Doc said I broke two.” Lucky opened one eye and checked on Travis Needham. The boy had wasted no time after getting his feet wet in Selena. Apparently, he’d been doing a rodeo near Colorado Springs while Lucky had been doing Greeley, but they’d wound up next to each other in Steamboat Springs. “Don’t worry. If I had to break something, it might as well be toes.”
Travis nodded, and Lucky wondered if the boy really understood that bull riders rode with broken ribs, collapsed lungs and fractured skulls. Lucky thought about telling him, but didn’t. Travis wouldn’t listen. Lucky hadn’t. Marcus hadn’t.
“What time do you think we’ll land?” Travis asked, looking out the window of the Cirrus SR20. They’d lucked out and met up with a wealthy cowboy out of Abilene. He’d fly them to Abilene, and then they could rent a car or catch a bus to Selena.
“We’ve got decent weather except for this wind,” Lucky said when the small plane hit turbulence. “I’m thinking maybe four or five in the morning.”
“I hate the bus. I took it from Lubbock to Colorado Springs. I thought I’d be saving money, but all I did was lose time and money. The bus was so late I almost missed the rodeo.”
“Yeah, the bus definitely is a last resort, but we’ll only be three hours from Selena, so it won’t be that bad. We’ll get home around eight.” That would give Lucky enough time to get to Natalie’s, take her and Robby to breakfast and then make it to Sunday school. He’d be exhausted but happy.
Travis was already exhausted and happy. He’d come in last at both of his rodeos, meaning he got on the bull, wrapped his bull rope around his left hand, shouted “GO!”, burst out of the chute and promptly lost the bull and found the ground.
After an hour of listening to Travis relive the rodeo, Lucky closed his eyes. His toes hurt, and he needed to sleep because he wanted to be wide-awake during his time with Natalie and Robby.
At best, it was a guarded sleep.
The sun had no intention of making an appearance in Selena this late November morning. It was a gray-and-black dawn. Travis’s dad was waiting for them at the bus station. He shook Lucky’s hand and took Travis’s bag. His “How’d you boys do?” was answered with a solemn “Placed third and fifth” from Lucky, followed by an enthusiastic “Dead last, Dad!” from Travis.
Travis’s dad dropped Lucky off at Bernice’s and drove away. Dark, gray clouds filled the sky and seemed to reach for the ground. One ray of blue sky heralded their way. Lucky stood in Bernice’s front yard a moment, thinking that for one bull rider a beginning lay ahead, but for him, he’d reached the end.
Bernice had given him a key when she realized he planned on staying. She wouldn’t hear of letting him hook his travel trailer up to the barn and live out there.
“How’d you do?” Howie Jr. jumped up from the kitchen table and all but ran Lucky down.
“I did good, third and fifth.”
“Why didn’t you come in first?”
“I broke two toes in Greeley, still stayed on. The toes still hurt in Steamboat Springs, and I still did my eight seconds. Guess my form was a bit off, though. I slipped two spots.”
“You want breakfast?” Bernice asked.
“No, I’m going to take a quick shower—” he glanced at the clock “—quicker than I like, and then I’m picking Natalie and Robby up.”
Bernice beamed. She was worse than his mother in some ways.
He showered, dressed and was out to his truck in just twenty minutes. It was another twenty minutes to Natalie’s house, and she was definitely worth the effort. Natalie answered the door, dressed in a silky red dress that emphasized curves and invited him to imagine the future. A future for the three of them.
Yes, he could spend forever with this woman.
Natalie stayed by Lucky all during church. Already he seemed to know everybody, and everybody seemed to know him. Some of them seemed intent on emphasizing that they were from Delaney and mentioned the drive. They all either shook Natalie’s hand or hugged her. She’d never been hugged so much in her life. Robby, on the other hand, liked getting his hand shook, but he wound up with even more pats on the head.
Sunday school was easy. Lucky found a class for newcomers, and the preacher himself was the teacher. It was a small class. There probably really weren’t that many beginning Bible students in Selena. In many ways, Selena, Texas, could be called the starting point, or maybe the stopping point, of the Bible Belt. It depended on which way you were traveling.
This morning’s topic was the prodigal son. Natalie almost wished the preacher had attended the birth-order class. It would have been interesting to marry the older son to the characteristics of a firstborn, and the younger son to the characteristics of the baby.
When class ended, Natalie was surprised. It had been an hour but felt like minutes.
“What did you think?” Lucky asked. He took her arm and guided her out into the hallway.
“Interesting and painless,” she answered.
“Painless?”
“I’ve always figured church was boring. I’m just surprised that it’s not.”
“The Word is never boring.” Lucky looked a bit forlorn. “Sometimes it’s painful, knowing family members are lost and such, but there’s hope for those who seek.”
They fetched Robby from class and took him to Children’s Bible Hour. He was in his element, unable to decide whether he wanted to sit with Patty’s kids or Mary’s. He chose neither and sat right between two older girls who thought he was cute.
“He’s a charmer,” Lucky whispered.
“Like you,” Natalie whispered back. She almost giggled when he stopped in his tracks.
They stopped at Selena Café after church. The waitress brought the correct drinks without being asked and didn’t even blink when they ordered four bowls of ice cream. Then, without even discussing it, they went to Natalie’s house. While Natalie changed into jeans and a T-shirt, Lucky, mindless of his good clothes, carried out the boxes containing her father’s stuff. He stored them in the back of his truck. He knew some retired bull riders exactly Natalie’s dad’s size.
The minute he was done loading the truck, Robby insisted on a movie, which he fell asleep halfway through. Lucky carried him to bed.
When he came back downstairs, he sat next to Natalie on the couch. It reminded Natalie of high school and first dates and how good it felt to be nervous.
Lucky definitely made her nervous. Especially after that card had said he was falling in love with her. Neither of them had brought it up yet, but the chemistry between them was electric.
“I’m leaving Thursday night,” Lucky said, gazing at her. “I’m
taking my travel trailer. Travis Needham’s going with me. That gives me three days to be with you and Robby. I’ve got two things I need to do. One, find a place to live, and two, deal with my father.”
“I’ll help you pick out a place to live,” Natalie offered. “I think Patty will be a little more open to renting to you now.”
“I was thinking,” Lucky said slowly, “about heading over to Delaney.”
Natalie was silent. Patty had already told her about the offer of the Delaney church, and more than one church member this morning certainly had mentioned it.
“Delaney’s not that far,” she said softly.
He put his arm around her, pulling her close, and whispered, “Could it be you don’t want me that far away?”
“Could it be I want you even farther away?” she countered.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Good, because it’s not true.”
Lucky laughed, didn’t remove his arm, and said, “Finding a place to live probably isn’t the biggest issue. If push comes to shove, I can rent from Patty for a while, or even stay with Bernice a bit longer, and then take my time picking out a place in Delaney if everything works out. I’ve never been a pulpit minister, and quite frankly, the thought terrifies me.”
“If it terrifies you, why are you doing it?”
“Because God is calling me to.”
“You’ve been doing Cowboy Church for years. Why are you terrified?”
“Cowboy Church is me preaching to peers. And, really, there’s very little for a preacher to do. Most of the time it’s anybody who feels like it either witnessing or confessing. Their problems are no surprise. I’ve lived their problems. In Delaney, I’ll have to do funerals, baptisms and weddings.”
“Weddings,” Natalie whispered. “I never imagined you doing weddings.”
“Basically, I’ll be a servant to every member of the church, whether I understand the way they live or not.”
“You’re a natural,” Natalie encouraged. “Look how well we’re doing, and what a start we had. When I met you I wished you off the face of the Earth, and today…”
“Today…?”
“Today,” she said slowly, amazed at the words and how much she wished them to be true, “I wish I’d met you four years ago.”
“I wish that, too,” he said.
“But then I wouldn’t have Robby.”
The silence that followed should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. The flowers Lucky had sent were on one of the end tables. The red and white petals delicate, joyful. Everything could be right, if only. For a minute, Natalie worried he’d bring up Marcus, ask the all-important question that had simmered under the surface for weeks. If you didn’t love Marcus, how did you have his child?
Next time he asked, she would tell him the truth. She was just happy that he wasn’t asking today.
“Robby’s a big reason for needing to meet my father head-on. This is killing my mother, and she doesn’t deserve it. My father has acted irrationally more than once. There’s no excuse for his behavior.”
Natalie didn’t have a response because if Marcus had been an involved father she’d not be a mother.
“Anyway,” Lucky continued, “I was thinking about driving to Delaney tomorrow, and I wondered if you’d come along. I want to check out the church and see if there are any rentals.”
“If you’re willing to go later in the day, we’ll go,” Natalie said. “I’m working hard on catching up my Web business. I took too much time off after Dad died.”
“Would eleven be good?”
“Delaney’s just an hour away,” Natalie said. “How long were you thinking of staying there?”
“Two or three hours.”
“If we leave at eleven, we’re talking about being gone during Robby’s nap time. He’s usually—”
“How many hours do you work?”
“I try to put in five hours a day.”
Lucky thought for a minute. “Let’s go at eight. I’ll get us back here about two. Robby can go down for a nap, and when he wakes up, I’ll babysit until you’ve done your work.”
It was like being with her dad again, organizing their lives so both of their needs were met. It was a feeling of not being alone. She could get used to it.
“Tuesday,” Lucky said, “I’m taking on my father. I don’t care where it happens, here or there. We’re going to add Grandma to Robby’s life with or without Grandpa.”
“Are you flying to Austin?”
“Maybe. You wanna go with me?”
“No, I’m not ready for that.”
“Then I’ll try to get them here.”
“Oh, goody.”
“Natalie, I admit, I’m not sure taking you to meet my dad is a good idea, but I’m thinking that once he meets you, he’ll have to realize just how wonderful you are.”
“I’m not wonderful.”
He shook his head. “Just look in the mirror. All you’ll see is wonderful.”
Skeptical was too tame a word to describe the look she tried to give Lucky.
He responded with the familiar half smile, before sobering up to say, “You’re right, though, it might be too early to introduce you to my dad. I’ll fly out alone on Tuesday morning and fly back Tuesday night. What do you want to do on Wednesday?”
“Me? What do I want to do?” She was surprised by the question. Lately, she hadn’t been doing anything but planning on how to get her life back to normal.
There was nothing normal about Lucky Welch, brother of Marcus Welch, asking her what she wanted to do on Wednesday.
“Are we starting to date?” she asked carefully.
“I hope so.”
“It’s happening awfully fast.”
“Not fast enough,” Lucky said. “I’ve already admitted how I feel about you.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“I’m going to enjoy finding out.”
“What if you find out something you don’t like?”
“We’ll work through it.”
Yeah, right, Natalie thought. Before she had time to dwell on the seriousness of the conversation and its repercussions, he went on, “We’re doing what I want on Monday. Tuesday I’ll be gone. Let’s do something you and Robby would like on Wednesday.”
“Like look for a Christmas tree?” Her eyes lit up.
“Hey,” Lucky cried, hugging her close. “You’re making me feel, well, like Santa. I’ve never really looked for a Christmas tree,” he said. “I’m assuming you’re not talking about going to a store.”
“Of course not! Only the real thing will do.”
“My mother grumbled every Christmas about not having a real Christmas tree. My father mentioned pine needles on the carpet and the time and energy to get rid of the tree, let alone the cost of buying a new one every year, getting the permit…”
“I already have the permit. My dad…” Her voice tapered off. Then, she managed to get it back. “My dad applied for it before he died. It came in the mail a few weeks ago.”
“Okay, we’ll get a Christmas tree. Isn’t December second a little early?”
“I’ll keep it watered.” Her eyes sparkled, and she looked so beautiful that he leaned down toward her, his lips meeting hers in a gentle kiss that he hoped would go on forever.
The doorbell rang, and Natalie pulled back, seeming dazed. She shrugged out from under his arm, and Lucky grumbled. “I hope it’s something important because I’m not crazy about interruptions.”
Natalie wasn’t crazy about interruptions, either, especially interruptions like Lucky’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Welch, suddenly standing at her front door.
Chapter Twelve
“W here’s Robby?” Lucky’s mother managed to beat her husband into the room. Lucky came off the couch in a fluid motion that quickly had him standing between his dad and Natalie.
His dad glanced around the living room, the couch Lucky had been sitting on, the Disney movie still playin
g, silently, on the television and the pictures on the wall. He edged around Lucky, both men looking wary, and walked over to the fireplace. A huge photo of Natalie, her dad and Robby was above it.
“Yes, where’s the boy?” Henry Welch demanded.
Natalie felt like she’d lost her breath. “He’s sleeping. He went down about an hour ago.”
“This is a charming house,” Betsy complimented, first shooting a look at her husband. “Perfect for raising a child. If you could pick up our house and move it to the country, it would fit right in.”
“Dad, this is not a good time. I was planning to come visit you on Tuesday, talk this over and—”
“And make sure I didn’t ruin everything?” Henry raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yes.”
“I don’t plan to ruin anything.”
“Dad, I want—What? What did you say?”
“I don’t plan to ruin anything. I accept that Robby is Marcus’s son.”
Natalie didn’t have strength enough to go weak in the knees. Did Mr. Welch know?
Natalie doubted it.
“Lucky, your dad and I had a long talk last night. I told him about your list, the short-term and long-term visitation limits—”
“They’re not limits,” Natalie said. “They’re guidelines.”
“Reasonable guidelines,” Lucky put in.
“We agree,” Betsy said seriously. She looked at her husband. For a moment, Natalie thought she saw fear, but then she saw hope mingled with love, both tinged with doubt. “Your dad and I realized that finding Robby is a gift. We want to get to know him.”
Natalie looked at Lucky.
He wasn’t buying it, either.
Betsy turned to Natalie. “I won’t buy him a pony, I promise. I won’t buy a second home here in Selena. But I will make a room for him at our house.”
