Her Favorite Cowboy

by Mary Leo

  Cori took stock of her surroundings, and sure enough, just a couple steps up ahead, next to a real estate office, stood a softly lit shop with an inviting open doorway. She walked up to the window and peered inside. High-end wine and spirits crowded the shop. Some of which she would like to buy and bring back to Gram’s. Cori loved a smooth Pinot Noir and she spotted a great bottle for only sixty-five dollars.

  A steal.

  She was thinking how she’d buy a couple of bottles before they left town when Gage said, “I’m a recovering alcoholic. At least that’s the term I’m supposed to use. I crave a drink twenty-four-seven, but somehow I manage to control the craving by telling myself I’m better off without it.”

  “And do you believe you are?”

  He moved to get closer to her and stared into her eyes. She saw the vulnerability of a man in need of affection, in need of family, of friends, of a lover...of a drink.

  “Moments like this, being this close to you, I would have to say yes. I believe I am.”

  He gently ran his fingers down the side of her face, like feathers caressing her cheek. She’d so missed a man’s touch, his laughter, the intimacy of his affections.

  Gage leaned in to kiss her, but at the very last moment she stepped away from him. Reality took hold, stark hurtful reality of a past event that had changed her life forever. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Only seconds ago, she’d been daydreaming of his kiss, and now his touch clenched her insides. The mere thought of her being intimate with a recovering alcoholic made her feel as if she was betraying her past and jeopardizing Hailey’s future. She envisioned herself running toward a cliff without the ability to stop.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t...I can’t do this. I need to get over to the hotel. My daughter won’t sleep without me tucking her in.”

  His forehead furrowed, breaking the trance. “Sure. I understand. We can hustle back.”

  She took a few steps backward, feeling as if being near him was wrong.

  “No. That’s okay. You continue with your walk. I don’t want to force you to come back with me. It’s a nice night. You should enjoy it.”

  He stepped toward her, just as she turned and headed up the sidewalk. She needed to get out of there. Needed to get away from him before she did something she’d regret.

  “You’re not forcing me to do anything. I want to escort you back to the hotel,” he said from behind her.

  He caught up to her and tried to take her hand. She snapped it away, as if he was a stranger.

  “You’re not understanding. I don’t want you to come with me. Please. Just let me go. Our grandparents were right. We can’t talk to each other anymore.”

  He stopped walking as she moved ahead of him, leaving him standing on the corner. She jogged across the deserted street, heading straight toward the hotel. She heard him call after her, but she kept moving forward, kept jogging until she stood in front of the hotel, struggling to catch her breath, thinking about what had nearly happened.

  How could she have flirted with an alcoholic? Fallen for his charm? It wasn’t like her to be taken in so easily. She should have caught the warning signs from the start. His ordering a soda in the bar when they first met should have tipped her off.

  As she ran up the three cement steps right outside the lobby, she decided she wanted nothing to do with Gage Remington, no matter what her libido told her. She could not and would not fall for an alcoholic, not when it was a drunk driver who had taken her husband’s life.

  * * *

  AFTER A RESTLESS night’s sleep, speculating on why Cori had left him standing on the street corner when they’d been having such a nice evening, he awoke thinking he should have simply listened to his gramps. She obviously wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. Or perhaps her grandmother had gotten to her? Or she secretly never liked him and when he pushed it, her true feelings came out? But did she have to run away? He’d never experienced a woman actually running from one of his advances. What was that all about?

  All he could conclude from her odd behavior was that she wanted no part of any kind of romantic interlude. That was now crystal clear. He’d just have to learn to suck it up, like his gramps had taught him when he was a kid.

  He took in a deep breath and let it out. “I can handle this.”

  Still, he was hopeful she’d come around.

  And maybe it would happen as soon as today. He wasn’t exactly ready for a day of horseback riding. The working dude ranch was located just outside of town. Unfortunately, Gramps wouldn’t hear of him not participating. Grandpa Buck always loved to ride, no matter if it was on his own ranch wrangling steer or for fun with his friends and family. He’d taught Gage how to ride the summer he’d turned five. It took a while for Gage to get the hang of it, but once he did, his mother had a hard time getting him to do anything else during their visits.

  Now, that seemed like light-years ago. He hadn’t been on a horse in more years than he cared to remember, and had probably lost his ability to ride. He’d forced himself to not care about ranch life and riding once he began making it on Wall Street. None of that mattered as long as he was moving up the ladder and making an insane amount of money. How could he possibly want to be a cowboy when all of Manhattan was laid out at his feet?

  He snickered at the irony of it all.

  It seemed this simple trip with his grandfather would be taking him back to something he’d shoved so far back in his mind that riding a horse now seemed foreign to him, almost as though that had been some other kid riding around his grandpa’s ranch.

  Gramps used to tell him, “You’re a natural cowboy, son. And one day, this here ranch will be all yours.”

  Gage wondered if his grandfather still felt that way, and if he did, what the heck would Gage do with an entire ranch?

  Sell it, came rushing into his thoughts. Take the money and run.

  He took a deep breath as he pulled his car onto the gravel road that led to S & J Ranch. He felt certain he was headed for a day of pure misery.

  “We’re starting off with a mighty fine breakfast, served outdoors like it should be,” Gramps said as Gage drove their car into a spot. “Got my appetite all riled up for some flapjacks, eggs and biscuits this morning.”

  “Should you be eating flapjacks with your sugar problem?”

  Gramps glared at Gage. “What I eat ain’t none of your concern. I won’t be collapsing again anytime soon, so you don’t have to worry. Just stay out of my business and we’ll get along fine.”

  Gage turned off the engine. “I was just trying to...”

  “Look, son, I know you’re trying to say and do the right things so you and me can get our relationship back on track. There’s been a lot of bad blood between us, and it’s going to take some time for me to believe you’ve changed your haughty ways. So please do us both a favor and try not to tell this old cowboy what to do. It brings out my worst side, and right now, being here with all my friends, talking about my favorite writer, I don’t need a mother. What I need is my grandson. When you find him let me know, ’cause I miss that rascal more than I wanna say.”

  Before Gage could respond, his grandfather slipped out of the sedan and walked off toward his friends who were gathering in front of the massive red stables. Everyone shared a smile and a nod as they moved on toward the Old West town that was part of the ranch. Breakfast would be served behind the hotel.

  Gage sat there trying to digest what his grandpa had told him. It was the Gramps of his youth who had just lectured him, not the Gramps he’d been traveling with for the past couple of days. That Gramps hadn’t spoken a kind word to him since he’d said hello, and even hello had seemed forced.

  The good thing was his grandfather had actually spoken to him in a calm voice. Now all Gage had to do to keep the momentum going was find his way back to being “
that rascal,” so he and his grandfather could rekindle a relationship they both seemed to want more than either one of them was willing to admit.

  As he stepped from the car and beeped it locked, another car pulled up, containing Cori, her grandmother and Hailey. Maybe now he could get to the bottom of Cori’s speedy departure last night.

  “Hey,” Hailey said as she bounced out of the car, her white cowgirl hat momentarily slipping from her head, revealing golden curls catching sunlight. Gage could tell she was excited about her day. Her face and demeanor announced it loud and clear.

  “All set for the ride?” he asked, eager to engage someone in Cori’s family in a conversation.

  “You bet. I’ve never been on a real live horse before, just the fake kind on a carousel. Have you ever ridden a real horse?”

  “Yep, when I was a kid.”

  “I bet that was a long time ago.”

  Gage chuckled. Did he look that old? Was thirty-two getting up there? He supposed that to Hailey anyone taller than her had to be old. “It sure was, and I’m a little scared I forgot how.”

  She shook her head. “You can’t forget something like that, silly. It would be like forgetting how to dance. Just because you haven’t done it in a long time doesn’t mean you forgot how.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because my dad taught me how to ride a two-wheeler bike when I was three, and after he died and we moved to New York, I had to give my bike away. So I didn’t ride in a really long time. Then when we went to visit Grammy, she let me ride her bike and I remembered everything. Even how to use the bell and keep pedaling when someone is in front of me.”

  Gage wanted to hug her, but he restrained himself. He wondered if all kids were as precocious as Hailey, or was she one of a kind?

  “Thank you for telling me that story. I feel much better about riding now.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, beaming.

  “I hope Hailey wasn’t bothering you,” Cori asked once Hailey skipped off with her grandmother, who never really looked his way. Apparently her dislike for Buck Remington was, by default, passed on to his grandson.

  “Not at all. She’s surprisingly smart. Are all kids her age that smart?”

  “I get the feeling you haven’t been around children much.”

  “Hardly ever.”

  “Most kids are pretty smart these days, but Hailey happens to be more intuitive than other children.”

  “She takes after her mom,” Gage told her, hoping that would help cut through the icy chill.

  Regrettably, it didn’t, and she began to walk away.

  “About last night,” he called after her.

  She stopped, and spun around to ace him, the sun dancing on her raven hair. She looked absolutely stunning in the morning light wearing a red T-shirt, tight jeans and boots. Gage wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and kiss those adorable lips. He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way, knew he needed to take a step back, but the attraction was too strong. And given the way the light embraced her slim body, his thoughts were all about the bedroom, and definitely not about getting up on a horse.

  “I told you, I’m honoring my grandmother’s wishes, and if you want a relationship with your grandfather, you’ll do the same.”

  Then she abruptly spun on her tan boot heels and left him standing there, exactly as she had the previous night.

  “But we don’t even know why they’re fighting,” he yelled after her.

  She didn’t look back.

  * * *

  CORI HADN’T BEEN horseback riding in years. The last time had to be when she was about twelve or thirteen, she couldn’t be sure. Now that she was almost thirty-one, that made it seventeen or eighteen years ago. Way too long. Most likely it had been the last summer she and her mom had gone from their home in Brookhaven, New York, to visit her grandparents. Her dad was a physician with Brookhaven Memorial and seemed to work 24/7. When Cori announced that she was following in his footsteps, her parents did everything to accommodate that goal, including keeping her in school almost year-round.

  Cori had been under the misconception that if she could be a doctor like her dad, they’d spend more time together. That never happened. Medical school only gave them less time to spend with each other.

  She had so little free time, in fact, that her grandparents started coming out east to visit her and her parents. When Cori was a teenager, summers were dedicated to more school. Her total focus had changed. All her free time was spent studying so she could get into an Ivy League school. Nothing else mattered.

  Gone were those long summer days of reading Zane Grey books, wading in the nearest river, baking with Gram, working in the garden with Gramps or flying high on the wooden swing her grandfather had made just for her. He’d hung it from a sturdy branch out in the backyard from a huge oak tree that shaded the entire property.

  She didn’t resent her parents for helping her achieve her educational goals. Nor did she resent her father for spending most of his time working, which he still did. She only wished they had set aside some time for play in that schedule for success, a pastime Cori would have liked to participate in during her high school years.

  Those summers with her grandparents were some of the best memories of her life, and now, watching her daughter’s excitement as she saddled up for her first ride on a horse, she realized how much she wanted to re-create those times for her. The difference between herself and her dad was that she needed to be a part of Hailey’s life, especially now that Hailey’s dad had passed away. She didn’t know exactly where they would end up living, or what their life would look like on a daily basis, but whatever she chose for them, it most certainly would not include a man who was an alcoholic, recovering or otherwise.

  “Come on, Mom. We’re waiting for you,” Hailey yelled from a few feet away. She rode a beautiful paint that looked as tame as a bunny rabbit, a trait Cori had insisted on. No way would she allow her daughter to ride anything less. Hailey wore a hard hat, her new Western boots, thick jeans and a pink T-shirt. If Cori could have made her wear body armor, she might have felt a little less frightened about her daughter’s first ride.

  Of course, she didn’t let Hailey see her fear. Cori tried to raise a strong daughter who knew her limits, knew when it was too dangerous and knew when to proceed. Hailey didn’t always live up to those expectations, as was evident from her abysmal grades last year in school. And by the growing lack of confidence those falling grades had caused. She and Hailey had had long talks about her schoolwork, with some heavy restrictions attached to those talks. By the end of the school year Hailey had managed to bring up some of those grades, but her self-confidence was still lacking. Cory hoped this move, and spending time with both her and her grammy, would help.

  So far, it seemed to be working. However, on this particular morning Cori wasn’t so sure whether horseback riding at nine years of age constituted bravery or just plain stupidity. That went for Cori’s own apprehensions about getting up on a horse as well.

  Fortunately Hailey’s horse was pretty small compared to the others, which eased some of her stress. Not so much for her own horse. Her stallion seemed to be taller than the rest—or was that simply her fear talking? She wasn’t exactly sure of anything as she tried to stifle her trembling insides.

  The Zane Grey conference attendees who thought themselves hardy enough to ride a horse had downed their cookhouse breakfast, received basic pointers on handling their horse and were now waiting for the first group to take off on the designated trail. Their leader, a middle-aged cowboy who sported a handlebar mustache, a trail hat and red scarf, brown fringed chaps over dark blue jeans, a charcoal colored shirt and well-worn Western boots had a disposition that even the sternest cowboy would have admired.

  Standing next to Tonto, a honey-colored stalli
on, Cori figured she’d hesitated long enough. The wrangler, an older teenager with handsome rugged looks that probably drove the local teen girls to delirium, stood by, holding on to Tonto and patiently waiting for her to mount. It was time. She couldn’t put it off any longer. She took a deep breath, and mumbled a request as she grabbed the reins. “Please be good to me, Tonto, and I’ll try to remember everything I learned about riding.”

  Tonto held steady as she slipped her foot into the stirrup, grabbed the horn on the saddle and in one smooth movement lifted her body up onto the horse. She gently rested her bottom in the saddle. Tonto took a step to regain his footing and in what seemed like an instant, Cori felt as comfortable as she always had whenever she was on horseback. All her fears and apprehensions vanished as soon as she guided Tonto in the right direction.

  “You good?” the young wrangler asked as he took a step back from the horse.

  “Perfect,” Cori answered, the smile on her face so big her cheeks hurt.

  Her grandmother and Buck were up ahead in the advanced group. Of course, they both kept their distance from each other. Gram had planted herself near the beginning of the line, while Buck was second to last.

  Once Cori joined the beginners group, she spotted Gage at the back of her line. She assumed that, just like her, he hadn’t had much opportunity to ride while living in New York City. Or perhaps she was completely wrong about him, and he could ride with the best of them but had stayed behind in order to persuade her to warm up to him again. He was wasting his time. It would take nothing short of a miracle for her to ever let her guard down.

  Hailey was directly behind her, which made her a bit uncomfortable. However, it was the spot that Hailey had chosen, so Cori forced herself to go along with it.

  As soon as everyone had mounted, the lead cowboy started up the trail. Cori’s horse seemed to know what to do with merely the slightest nudge, which made the ride much more pleasurable. It didn’t take long before Cori relaxed and allowed herself to enjoy the trip through some of the most beautiful country she’d seen in years. Whenever she glanced back at Hailey, a wide grin seemed glued to her little face.