Brand New Cowboy

by Charlene Bright

  “Good,” said Leslie as she and Becca slid in on either side of her. “And she’s staying with you tonight, right?”

  Kayla nodded, taking another sip of her drink. “Yeah, and Josh is going to pick us up so we can have more than one drink tonight.”

  Josh was Kayla’s husband. They had just barely been married four months. It had been a second marriage for both and they’d had a private ceremony in Vegas.

  “As you can see, I’ve already started.” She raised her glass. “It’s been one hell of a week.”

  “You can say that again,” said Becca, picking up a menu.

  Marty arrived shortly after the server had taken their drink orders and slid in on the other side of Becca, who pulled her into a hug.

  “I ordered your piña colada,” said Kayla over Becca’s head.

  After everyone had a drink in front of them and their dinners had been ordered, Becca filled in Kayla and Marty on Mark’s job and Jacob’s cold. The friends circled their wagons to discuss how they could help. Becca explained what she had told Leslie earlier that week and promised them things were being taken care of.

  “But you will reach out if you need anything, right?” asked Kayla. “And I mean anything.”

  “Of course I will.”

  They each ordered different dishes with the plan to share all four. After dinner, everyone had another drink, since they all had rides, and spent another hour laughing.

  Kayla was telling a story about Josh’s run-in with his ex-wife when something captured Leslie’s attention. She looked up as three men walked into the room and were seated four tables from them. It appeared to be guy’s night out too. Levi was chatting with Eric Cooper and Randy McGregor as they sat down.

  She felt her face flush slightly. He’d certainly impressed her with his relationship with his daughter. Amberlyn was a delight and she and Ava had quickly become inseparable. And age had been his friend, taking his boyish teenaged good lucks and transforming them into a handsome man, well-defined in his ruggedness. More importantly, he seemed to have matured into a kind and sensitive father. But Leslie was no longer that naïve girl who had tried so desperately and ineffectually to get his attention. And her failed marriage had caused her to draw more into herself and become protective of her daughter, caring more for Ava’s needs than her own.

  Leslie knew enough to keep her heart protected but couldn’t deny the easy rapport they had built over the week. She focused her attention back on her friends.

  “Hey, ladies.” A warm, strong hand gripped Leslie’s shoulder and she turned to the deep voice.

  “Well, hey there,” said Kayla. “I’d heard you were back in town. Here for good?”

  “Hope so. Just hanging out with buddies tonight.” He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. The women looked around him and waved at Eric and Randy who returned the greeting. He looked back down at Leslie and gave her a smile that made her feel like liquid. “Don’t want to interrupt you ladies. Just wanted to say hello and thank this pretty woman right here for taking such good care of my baby girl.”

  Leslie could feel all three women’s eyes on her. She smiled in return and said, “It’s my pleasure. She’s a great kid. You’ve really done well with her.”

  “Thanks. I’m lucky to have her. I’ll let you ladies get back to your meal.” He saluted the table and returned to his friends.

  Leslie turned back to the women and found them all staring at her.

  “What?”

  Kayla spoke in an excited whisper as the women leaned in closer to Leslie. “When were you going to tell us about that?”

  “About what?”

  Marty nodded at Levi’s table and Leslie shrugged and rolled her eyes. “There’s no that there to tell.”

  Her friends looked skeptical.

  “Seriously. His daughter is enrolled in my daycare. That’s it. You don’t think I’d make the same mistake of chasing after Levi Wilcox again, do you?”

  This time, Becca rolled her eyes. “That was high school, Leslie. All bets are off. We’re all grown up now.”

  “And he called you, pretty woman,” said Becca.

  Leslie waved her hand dismissively and gave her full attention to her drink. Finally, all four women shifted the conversation to Marty’s yoga studio, much to Leslie’s relief.

  ***

  This had been the first time in months, maybe even years (he couldn’t remember), that Levi had gone out with buddies or even out without Amberlyn. When he had first dropped her off at Eric’s house, where Eric’s wife, Donna, had offered to watch his daughter so the guys could go out, it was all he could do to keep from checking in. But when they walked into Joanie’s, his mind found another preoccupation.

  After he had spied Leslie, he’d had a fierce debate in his head about whether he should talk to her. Finally, he decided that it would be weirder not to say hello. He had been pleased to note the excited whispers coming from the women as he headed back to his table and had the sudden passing feeling he was in high school again. His stomach flipped as he acknowledged that there had been such a reaction, indicating, perhaps, that he wasn’t the only one who was noticing something between them.

  Eric and Randy, however, seemed oblivious and spent most of the evening alternating between conversations about the construction business, sports, and their families. He was glad for the distraction and the opportunity not to have to explore his feelings.

  They’d just gotten their second round of beers when the women stood and gathered their purses. A wave of disappointment washed over him as he realized they were leaving. The four women stopped by their table to say goodbye and the fact that Leslie’s eyes had stayed locked with his until they turned to leave, had not been lost on him.

  Luckily, he was facing the exit so he could surreptitiously watch her as she left. He resisted the urge to follow her into the parking lot and, instead, forced himself to focus on his friends.

  He was startled when Randy observed, “That Leslie Perkins is still a looker, huh?”

  Levi looked up at him and noticed that both his and Eric’s eyes were on him, waiting. He was not able to stop the smile from spreading across his face. “I can’t say I haven’t noticed that myself.”

  Eric scoffed. “I’d have to kick you if you hadn’t noticed, my friend. And something else I noticed? Looks like that torch she carried for you in high school is still burning.”

  Levi took a sip of his beer and glanced back at the door.

  “And I might add that there seems to be a spark on your side too.”

  Levi studied his friends. When had they become so observant? “I won’t lie. She’s got my attention.”

  Randy reached over and clapped Levi’s arm. “Dude, she’s had your attention since you were thirteen. And now that you’re a halfway decent guy who deserves someone like her, you’d better finally man up and ask her out.”

  “I don’t know that I’ve grown to deserve her.”

  “Shit, you’re a helluva lot better than that asshole she married,” said Eric.

  Levi had not found an opening to ask Leslie about Ava’s father. “They divorced?”

  Eric nodded and took a drink of his beer. “Yeah, before that little girl was even born. Man, he was something else. A professor at the community college in Rockford. Sleeping with every female that moved.”

  Levi frowned, a sudden urge to find the man and punch him.

  “He wasn’t even interested in that little girl. I don’t think he’s even ever seen her.”

  Levi was reminded of Amberlyn’s mother. At least they hadn’t gotten married. What a disaster that would have been. It made his stomach hurt a little for Leslie, trying not to imagine what it might have been like for her.

  He was still thinking about Leslie and Ava when he returned home with a sleeping Amberlyn in her car seat behind him. As he gently pulled her from her fastened seat and carried her into their home, he ached at the idea of not wanting to be part of Amberlyn’s life. And he c
ursed Leslie’s husband under his breath as he carried his baby girl to her bed.

  Chapter 4

  In addition to being a teenaged boy, Levi was an angry kid. As far as he was concerned, he’d been cursed. It wasn’t fair that he’d lost both his parents in one night, and especially not fair that he’d been so young. And every time he thought about it, he wanted to scream and punch a hole in something. It helped to be someone else, someone who could handle the pain. It helped to drink beer and see how much he could get away with. Somehow, it took him out of himself and gave him brief moments of relief from the anger and hurt. It may have been the only thing that saved him.

  Leslie Perkins was too sweet, too smart, and too cute. He’d noticed her, and he’d noticed her crush on him. But every time he thought about holding her hand or kissing her, it opened something that he needed to keep closed. And it pissed him off that she liked him. He didn’t want her to like him. He didn’t want to like her.

  The day that he heard Krista talking loudly about Leslie in the hallway and saw Leslie run the other way in tears, his instinct had been to tell Krista to keep her big mouth shut and then run after her. Instead, it seemed to cause less complicated feelings for him to just laugh with everyone else.

  Levi was remembering laughing horribly at her in the eleventh grade. For what, he couldn’t even remember. But what he did remember was her face, and it had haunted him for years.

  He walked up the drive to Leslie’s front door, not bothering to even try to catch up with his daughter, who’d run up to the house as soon as he’d set her down from her car seat. She’d been talking nonstop about Ava all weekend, and it had given him an idea.

  Leslie opened the door just as Amberlyn was ringing the bell. His heart nearly hurt when she squatted down and greeted the girl with a hug. He had to catch his breath. As soon as Leslie let go of her, Amberlyn sprinted into the house, running to find Ava, he was sure.

  Leslie stood and he caught a good look at her frame once he could pull his eyes away from her dazzling smile. He tried not to be obvious as he checked her out. She was plump in all the right places, curvy and fit. He figured running after four children between the ages of two and five kept her in shape.

  When he was standing next to her, he couldn’t help himself and pulled her into a hug. She seemed to freeze for a moment before softening in his arms. They pulled away from each other and he caught the flushness in her face.

  “Did you have a fun girl’s night out?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Did you?” He raised his eyebrows. “I mean, guy’s night out, obviously.”

  He chuckled. “You know, it was nice, but I was a bit nervous about being away from Amberlyn.”

  She smiled. “I hear it gets easier.”

  “Well, I’m headed to the bank to get the ball rolling on the construction company.”

  “That’s wonderful news.”

  “Hey, I was thinking. You know how Amberlyn and Ava have gotten to be such good friends?”

  Leslie narrowed her eyes. “Uh huh,” she said suspiciously.

  “Well, what do you think about setting up a playdate for them this weekend? You could bring Ava out to the ranch and we could go horseback riding.”

  “She’d love that,” Leslie said thoughtfully.

  “Of course, you could join her . . . or just leave her with us and enjoy a day to yourself.” He shrugged, trying to make the comment seem casual.

  “I think I’d feel more comfortable being there the first time she rides a horse. I would want to be on the horse with her.”

  He nodded and started to turn away.

  “I think she would love that so much. Let me just check a few things and see if I can clear my calendar for Saturday.”

  He resisted the urge to hug her again and instead shared a big smile that made her face pink.

  ***

  As Leslie had predicted, Ava was over the moon about spending the day with Amberlyn and her dad. She even begged her mother to buy her a pair of pink cowboy boots and matching hat. Leslie was feeling a bit nervous and excited the morning of the playdate. She hadn’t been on a horse since she was a teenager, and she admitted a small amount of fear surrounding her daughter’s first encounter. But the dominant feeling was the flood of butterflies in her gut at the thought of spending the day with Levi.

  They drove to Levi’s family ranch, and more than once Leslie had to ask Ava to stop straining against the seat belts to see the horses.

  “Baby, we’re about to get out and see them up close. Don’t hurt yourself trying to see them now. I promise it’ll be worth the wait.”

  The three-year-old stopped moving long enough for Leslie to unbuckle her and put her on the ground.

  “Now please stay close until Mr. Levi joins us. And remember, do exactly as he says.”

  “Okay, Mama.” Ava started wiggling in place. “I gotta peeeeee. Now.”

  Leslie sighed as Levi and Amberlyn came onto the porch of the two-story log house. Forgetting her bladder, Ava squealed and ran to meet Amberlyn as she skipped off the porch. The two girls hugged as if they hadn’t seen each other in a year. Ava lost no time in showing off her new boots and hat to Amberlyn’s utter delight. She looked to her father and asked if he’d buy her some too.

  “Hey, didn’t someone need to go to the potty?” asked Leslie.

  “Oh yeah.” Ava started to dance in place again.

  “Here, come with me. I’ll show you where it is.” Amberlyn grabbed the younger girl’s hand and pulled her up the stairs and into the house.

  Both parents were grinning, eyes alight with laughter at their children.

  “How ’bout you? Need me to show you where the potty is?” Levi teased.

  “Actually, it probably wouldn’t hurt to know where it is when I need it.”

  He gestured for her to follow him inside. “Amberlyn and I made some fresh lemonade for everyone,” he said as they entered the house. “Would you like a glass now?”

  “That sounds lovely.”

  “Okay, we’ll give the girls a few minutes to calm down and have a few sips and then I’ll take you all to the barn. It’s just out in the field a few yards.”

  Summer had just barely begun to turn into fall, so it was still hot and the lemonade really hit the spot. An hour later, they were saddling up the horses. Leslie slid into the saddle and adjusted herself before Levi picked up her little one and helped her straddle the horse in front of her mother. Her hat fell off in the process; Levi caught it before it hit the ground, and set it back on the little girl’s head.

  “Here, you might want to tighten this string a little,” he said, showing Ava how to adjust it.

  Leslie watched how comfortable and attentive he was and was reminded of an earlier thought she had questioning his parenting skills when she had first learned he was a father. She felt slightly embarrassed now but relieved that it had only been an internal dialogue.

  After making sure she and her daughter were secure, Levi helped Amberlyn onto his horse, named Snickers, and sidled up behind her.

  “I’m getting my own pony soon. Daddy says so,” the child exclaimed gleefully.

  Ava looked up at her mother with wide eyes.

  “Pretty impressive, huh?” Leslie said to her.

  Ava looked back at Amberlyn. “Can I ride her too?”

  Amberlyn nodded eagerly. “Yeah, and you can help me name her.”

  Leslie kept their horse, Junebug, close to Levi and Amberlyn so the girls could jabber with each other. They had no loss for subjects as they commented on pony names, their favorite Disney princesses, and a joke over which they giggled for what seemed like forever, that neither Leslie nor Levi really got. It was enough to listen to the girls’ squeals for the adults to join in the laughter as well.

  They rode to a peaceful oasis in the middle of the field—a small pond with a couple of shade trees. Levi said this was the best place to picnic and helped the girls off the horses, before setting down the backpack with the
ir lunch and a blanket. He had attached a small cooler with four cold bottles of juice to his saddle and allowed Snickers to act the part of pack mule. Leslie had offered to carry it with her, but he wanted her unencumbered since Ava had never been on a horse and she hadn’t ridden one in more than a decade. He did, however, allow her to help him spread out the blanket and set up the picnic.

  After the girls gobbled down their peanut butter sandwiches, their parents gave them permission to take off their shoes and wade along the edge of the pond. Leslie and Levi moved the picnic as close to the pond as possible without getting muddy so they could be near their daughters in case one of them fell in. They helped the girls remove their shoes/boots and socks and rolled up their jeans. Watching the girls splash and laugh at the mud coming up between their toes, Leslie felt a wave of love for her daughter and her daughter’s new playmate. She was careful to allow herself to articulate that love for only the girls in her head, not daring to make any assumptions about the man sitting next to her.

  After swallowing the last bite of his sandwich, Levi packed away the trash and then removed his own boots and socks and rolled up the bottoms of his jeans. He joined the girls and helped them hunt for pretty rocks around the mud. He pointed out the tiny minnows along the edge and then beckoned Leslie to join them. Unable to resist, she, too, prepared herself for wading and met them in the water. It was colder than she had expected, but felt very pleasant against the heat of the air.

  She was squatting between the girls as they showed her a couple of smooth rocks when she felt a presence behind her. Levi was standing close enough for her to feel energy radiating off him, but not so close that she was uncomfortable. She looked up and felt hypnotized for a moment by his smile. She tried to stand too quickly and, in a panic, began to wobble. He reacted immediately and grabbed her elbow, while the girls jumped to her legs.

  “Mama!” squealed Ava. Then she and Amberlyn started giggling, and Levi and Leslie joined in.