The Musical Cowgirl (Bear Creek Rodeo)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “Well, if you need to see it more, my sisters and I can take turns coming over . . .”

  “Nah, your sisters aren’t as pretty as you are.”

  “Chris said the same thing to Emily! We’re identical! What part of identical triplets do you men not understand?” Brittany shook her head, wishing she had the courage to pull him in for another kiss, right there in front of Olivia.

  Instead, she looked down at the child. “Now are you going to get on that pony? I need to see you ride!”

  Olivia looked over at the horse and nodded, seeming to size the animal up. It was already saddled, and she was wearing her cowboy boots and her helmet. She looked ready to go. “Help me, Uncle Matt.”

  Matt walked over and showed Olivia where to put her foot. He’d shopped for the gentlest pony he could find, and he’d watched this one with children for a while before he’d made his final decision. Once she was seated, he walked around with her, keeping one hand on her.

  After three turns around the paddock, Olivia said, “I want to show Brittany I can do it by myself.”

  He frowned, but took his hand off her, ready to spring toward her if she fell. He didn’t know why he was so worried. He’d been put on a horse when he was eighteen months old, and it hadn’t hurt him any.

  She rode all the way around once, but when she started her second time around, she got careless, turning around and looking at Brittany. “Look at me!”

  As soon as the last word was out of her mouth, she slid sideways off the pony’s back and crashed hard into the fence. Both Brittany and Matt ran to her, hearing her screams of pain.

  “Is she okay?” Brittany asked, not able to see around Matt’s hulking form.

  “Looks like her arm is broken.” He scooped the little girl up and carried her toward his truck. “Brittany, my keys are just inside the door, hanging on a hook. Grab them and come back. We’re going to the hospital.”

  “Brittany! I need Brittany to go!”

  “I’ll be with you.”

  As Brittany ran into the house and grabbed Matt’s keys, she realized she had tears pouring down her cheeks. How on earth had she forced that girl to get on the pony and hurt herself? She let out a little sob, glad no one could hear her.

  Six

  Olivia was still whimpering when Brittany got to the truck. She hopped in the passenger side and handed Matt the keys, turning around to the little girl. “Do you want to sing songs on our way to the hospital?” Matt was there to drive, but Brittany had no doubt about her part in the day.

  “Sit back here with me?” Olivia asked.

  Brittany was out of the truck in a flash, sitting beside the child. She looked at her to see if there was a way her arm could be made more comfortable, but it didn’t look like it to her. Instead, she started singing the song the girl had told her that her mother sang as a lullaby. As the words of “Puff the Magic Dragon” washed over her, Olivia calmed down, her tears drying a little.

  All the way to the hospital—a twenty-minute drive—Brittany sang the song over and over. She was glad her voice was strong from all the hours of rehearsals.

  Matt pulled up to the emergency entrance of the hospital, and Brittany went in with Olivia while Matt parked. She took the girl to the triage desk and explained what had happened. She was given a form to fill out, and she sat down with Olivia, not bothering to explain she was no relation. Matt would be there in a minute to finish it.

  She filled out as much as she could, and then Matt came in and took the clipboard from her. As soon as Matt took it, Brittany sang softly to Olivia again, not protesting when the child climbed on her lap. She was happy to hold her as long as she wouldn’t hurt her more than she already had.

  Matt finished the paperwork and took it back to the desk, and they were called in very soon afterward. As they X-rayed Olivia’s arm, they made both Matt and Brittany stay out of the room. As soon as she was out of sight, Brittany turned to Matt and buried her head in his shoulder. “I can’t believe I hurt her!”

  “What are you talking about? You didn’t hurt her! I put her on that stupid horse, not you!”

  “But I encouraged her to do it, and she was looking at me when it happened.”

  Matt shook his head, stroking her back. “You’re not to blame.”

  “How are you going to take care of her?” Brittany asked, suddenly worried about what would happen next. She knew his housekeeper was usually with her during the day, but she got the impression the woman mostly cleaned and didn’t spend a whole lot of time with the girl.

  He groaned. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He shook his head. “What am I going to do?”

  Brittany took a deep breath. “If you can have someone else watch her all day Wednesday, I can be there during the day to help. I need to rehearse with my sisters three nights a week, and we have some shows coming up, but nothing huge like what we did this weekend. We have Friday night this week, and I think that’s all.”

  “Are you serious? You’d really help me that way? I’ll pay you!”

  Brittany wasn’t sure if she should be offended or not. “You do not need to pay me to take care of Olivia. I love her.”

  He frowned. “I know it’s not quite two weeks yet, but why don’t you marry me, and then you can just stay there with us? No one would say anything, and I was going to ask you again this week anyway.” He’d planned something romantic while the sun was setting, but at that moment, it seemed more important to get things settled for the next few days.

  “Wow. What a proposal. Exactly the romantic words I’ve always been waiting for.” She shook her head, but when Olivia was wheeled out of the X-ray room and back into the room where they waited, she nodded. “Yes. There’s a three-day waiting period, but I’ll be ready on Friday. We need to get a license tomorrow.”

  “Seriously?” Matt asked. He wasn’t sure if she was marrying him for him or because she loved his niece so much, but at that moment, it didn’t matter to him either way. He needed her. If she didn’t love him now, he was sure it would come.

  She nodded. “Yup. I’ll stay there tonight to be with Olivia. She’s going to need help going to the bathroom and everything as she gets used to having a broken arm.”

  He wanted to grab her and spin her in a circle, but he knew he couldn’t. Not just then. He looked over at Olivia. “I have some fun news for you.”

  Olivia looked at him. “My arm isn’t broken?”

  It had been twisted at an odd angle, and there was no doubt that it was broken. “No, sweetheart, it’s broken. I meant that I’m going to marry Brittany.”

  “And she’s going to live with us?” The excitement on Olivia’s face made everything come into focus for Brittany. This was the answer.

  “Yes!” Brittany said. “We can’t get married for four more days, but after we’re married, I will live with you! And tonight, I’m going to stay with you and help you. It’s going to be hard to do lots of things with a broken arm.”

  Olivia looked at her arm, almost like she was angry with it. “I’m going to need help with my Barbies for sure.”

  Brittany laughed. “Of course you are. I can help with them and anything else you need.”

  “I want to hug you, but I can’t!” Olivia said with a frown. “What will they do to my arm?”

  “They need to set it, which means they’re going to line the bones up right, and it’s going to hurt a lot, but then it will heal properly. After they set it, they will put a cast on it, which will make it hard, and it will heal.”

  “And then it will stop hurting?” Olivia asked.

  “Yes, it will stop hurting once it heals. It’s going to be about six weeks, though!”

  “That’s forever!”

  Brittany smiled. “I’ve known you for two weeks. So as long as I’ve known you three times over.”

  The doctor came into the room then, putting the X-ray picture up on the wall for them to see. “Here’s where the break is, but it looks like a nice clean break. We’re going to
set it and then put a cast on it.” He looked at Olivia for a moment. “You’re a strong girl, sitting there and not crying.”

  Olivia nodded. “It hurts, but Brittany sang ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ to me the whole way here.”

  “Brittany? You’re not her mother?”

  “No, sir. I’m dating her uncle, who has custody of her. We’re getting married Friday.”

  The doctor nodded. “I see. Well, she might need some more singing to make it through this.”

  Brittany nodded. “I’m ready.” She moved over to the head of the bed right beside Olivia, ready to sing her heart out.

  They left the hospital two hours later, and Olivia had a bright pink cast on her arm.

  “It’s pretty!” she said, showing it off to Brittany once she was in her car seat. “Would you sit back here with me again?”

  “Of course I will!” Brittany climbed in beside Olivia and leaned forward. “Do you think we could run to my apartment and get clothes for tomorrow really quick? I don’t need to be home until about six, but I’m going to need stuff.”

  “Absolutely.” He drove the opposite direction from his home toward The Woodlands, where her apartment was.

  Olivia was asleep by the time they arrived, thanks to another six or seven runs through Puff. “I’m going to run up and get my stuff. See you in ten minutes.” She jumped out of the car and sprinted up the stairs, hurrying into her apartment. Stephanie was sitting in the living room, working on her computer as usual.

  “How was the riding lesson?” Stephanie asked.

  Brittany turned to her, shocked that she didn’t know about the last several hours. She sat down. “I’m only here for a minute. So I got there, we coaxed Olivia onto the pony. She felt confident, so Matt let go, and she fell into the fence. She broke her arm. I’m here for a change of clothes to go out and stay overnight, and Matt and I are getting married Friday.”

  Stephanie’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? You and Emily got engaged on the same night?”

  “I guess we did, though Chris did it right and not in the emergency room while his niece was being X-rayed.”

  “That must have been some proposal.”

  “It was.” Brittany sighed. “I’ll talk while I pack if you want to come with me, but I need to get going. They’re waiting downstairs in his truck.”

  Stephanie followed Brittany into her room and sat on her bed. “So wedding on Friday? Seriously?”

  “It would be tomorrow if there wasn’t a three-day waiting period in Texas.” Brittany threw some clothes into a bag. “I wanted to wait a little while, but Olivia needs me there with her, and I’m not going to live there, even just to help out with her, until we’re married. Old-fashioned values and all that.”

  “Hey, we were raised by the same parents. I’m surprised you’re going to stay there at all before you marry.”

  “I am, too, but I have to.” Brittany hurried into their shared bathroom and packed her toothbrush and some basic makeup. She didn’t wear a lot, but she didn’t want Matt to see her without until he’d signed on the dotted line and they were married.

  Once her bag was packed, she hugged her sister. “Is Em in bed already?”

  “She said she hadn’t really had any naps all day, and she was exhausted.” Stephanie grinned. Emily slept more than anyone else they knew.

  “Give her my news in the morning, then. I’ll be here in time for rehearsal tomorrow night.”

  “All right. Give Olivia a kiss for me.”

  “I will.” Brittany hurried out to the truck and climbed in the passenger side. Since Olivia was sleeping, she could sit in the front and be comfortable. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she was still sleeping, and she could see a grimace on the little girl’s face. “How would you feel about stopping for something to eat? I was just about to have supper when I got your text.”

  “I’m sorry. You must be starving.”

  “I am, but she was more important.”

  Matt covered Brittany’s hand with his. “I’m so glad we share priorities.”

  “We do. We both love that little girl.”

  “Where do you want me to stop?” he asked.

  “Would you be all right with running through Taco Bueno? I want a chicken potato burrito and a beef nacho salad.”

  He nodded. “There’s one about ten minutes from the ranch, so I’ll run through that one.” He kept his eyes on the road while he brought up a topic that needed to be discussed. “So I have a spare room next to Olivia’s, or you’re always welcome to share my room.”

  Brittany blushed, shaking her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll stay in the spare room until after the wedding.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “My parents brought us up with a pretty strict moral code. I will happily share your bed Friday night, as long as we’ve said ‘I do’ on Friday afternoon.”

  He smiled, nodding. “All right. Will your sisters be there when we marry?”

  “They will if we want them to be. I just remembered . . . I have a gig on Friday night.”

  “That’s okay. Olivia and I will come watch you.”

  “In a bar?”

  “It won’t hurt her, but she’s not allowed to drink anything but Shirley Temples.” He frowned. “No, she’s not allowed to have soft drinks. She can have apple juice or pineapple juice.”

  Brittany shook her head. “My mother would freak out, but that’s fine by me. It’s kind of an upscale bar and not a place we should be afraid to take her, I don’t think.”

  “Good. Then I won’t be afraid to take her there. I’ll call Chris, and we’ll watch you together. Maybe he can bring another guy to meet Stephanie.”

  “No more guys for Stephanie. Joe was a disaster, and I think Stephanie’s scarred for life.”

  “I feel bad for my part in that. We should have found someone who we knew better and could trust.”

  “Do you believe Stephanie is actually talking about going to a matchmaker? I don’t think she’s decided yet, but she hates the idea of living alone. She found someone through a friend who matches people at the altar. Sounds like a disaster to me.”

  He pulled into the Taco Bueno drive-through. “Are you serious? I’ve never heard of such a thing!” When the voice from the speaker spoke to him, he gave her order and ordered a couple of combination burritos for himself and a taco for Olivia.

  “Seriously. I didn’t know they did stuff like that either, but she thinks it’s the only way she’ll ever get married and be happy because she’s so nervous around men. I don’t know how she thinks she can sleep with one a couple of hours after meeting him, but more power to her!”

  When they got to the ranch, Brittany woke Olivia. “We’re home, sweetie. Uncle Matt got you a taco. Are you hungry?”

  Olivia nodded. “How can I eat a taco with only one hand?”

  Brittany picked her up and carried her inside, careful of her cast. “I’ll help you. And I’m going to stay here tonight to help you get changed and stuff. Everything is going to be hard with one hand.”

  “And you’re still marrying Uncle Matt? Right?”

  “Of course I am. I think my sisters should be at the wedding, though. And do you think you can carry flowers with just one hand?”

  Olivia’s eyes grew wide. “I get to be the flower girl?”

  “Of course you do!” Brittany followed Matt into the house and set Olivia in a booster seat at the table.

  “Wow. I’ve never been a flower girl.”

  “I have a feeling this won’t be the only wedding you get to flower girl for this year.” Brittany reached into the bag and pulled out a taco, opening the paper it was wrapped in and setting it in front of Olivia. Thankfully her left arm had been broken, and Olivia was right handed.

  “I’ll try.” Olivia reached for it, and Brittany watched her, ready to jump in if she needed help. “I’m doing it!”

  Brittany smiled and sat down, getting her nacho salad and burrito out and
handing the combination burritos to Matt. “I’m going to eat mine, then!”

  “Yours looks yummy.”

  “It is!”

  As they all ate, Brittany wondered what she’d agreed to. She loved Olivia . . . and she was very attracted to Matt. Was that a good enough foundation for a marriage, though?

  Seven

  After eating, Brittany took Olivia upstairs, changed her, and got her ready for bed. She helped her do the little things Olivia usually did on her own.

  Once she had brushed her teeth, Brittany led her to her bed and tucked her in. It was her first time to see the ranch house, other than the brief time she’d been there getting Matt’s keys for him earlier. She was surprised at how spacious the place was. Matt had said he’d grown up in the house.

  “Okay, do you need your song before I go to bed?”

  Olivia nodded. “Puff please.”

  Brittany nodded, singing the song softly. She didn’t have the best voice of the three sisters, but it was still strong and pretty as she sang the lyrics the little girl loved so much. After she finished, she kissed Olivia’s forehead and tiptoed out of the room. The girl was already asleep.

  Closing the door, she walked to the room beside Olivia’s and found her bag on the bed. Matt must have gone back to the car to get it for her. She was rummaging through the bag for her pajamas when she noticed Matt, looming in the doorway, looking at her with a half-grin on his face.

  “Hey,” she said, looking at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Thinking about how beautiful you look in the room that was mine when I was a boy.”

  “How many girls did you sneak in here?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “I’d better not just be one in a line of women!”

  He chuckled softly. “I was too busy playing with horses in high school to notice girls.” He walked toward her, a slow stalking walk. “I think I’ve figured out what to do with them now, though.” His hands went to her waist, and he lowered his head to hers, kissing her passionately.

  Her arms went around his neck as if of their own accord, and she moved closer to him, losing herself in the kiss.