Cowgirl Down (Redneck Debutante)

by Jenny Hammerle

  Rachael picked it up. “Yep.”

  They walked out to the truck. Shannah was already sitting in the backseat. Would it be totally immature if I sat in the back too? Of course it would.

  Travis opened Rachael’s door and then closed it behind her. When he got in, Rachael noticed Shannah was unusually quiet. What could it be? Had she heard the rumor about how Rachael was dating Ty? Did she still like Ty, even though she had been dating Gabe for over eight months?

  “Hey, Shannah. How was your summer?” Rachael asked.

  “It was good. I spent it with my grandmother, and we had a great time together. Shopping, canning, that sort of stuff.”

  “Canning? As in preserves and jam?”

  “Preserves, jams, jellies, pickles. Just about anything can be canned.”

  “Cool.” Rachael looked back at Shannah and saw her nod in the direction of Travis. What? Am I missing something?

  Just then Travis spoke. “So, I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with Ty this summer.” He said it as more of a statement of fact than a question.

  Who does he think he is? He parades around last year with girl after girl. First it was Misty, then Sophie, then Trisha, and in my opinion, they’re not exactly chaste choices in girlfriends. Now he’s interrogating me about the guys I choose to hang out with? Is he kidding?

  “Sure have. He’s really nice.” Rachael refused to comment further, but Travis wouldn’t leave it alone.

  “Do you think he’s really your type?”

  “My type? Well, he’s nice and cute. I could do a whole lot worse than Ty.” Okay, so we really aren’t dating, but I’m not about to tell Travis that.

  “You and Colten only broke up two months ago. I didn’t think you’d be moving onto greener pastures this quickly,” Travis said, an edge to his voice.

  “Maybe I’m ready to date seriously again,” Rachael muttered.

  “Oh, so now you’re dating Ty seriously?” Travis had turned angry.

  “No. More like hanging out.” Technically I’m not lying. We are hanging out, in the literal sense. Friends hang out. Right? Besides, when is Travis suddenly my keeper?

  “Fine. Date him. But don’t say we didn’t try to warn you,” Travis spat. He turned the radio up to blaring.

  Rachael was sure she’d suffer some sort of permanent tone deafness.

  *

  Later that day at lunch, Rachael sat with Maysie, who had only gone to the doctor for some new allergy medicines and arrived at school an hour into the first day. Shannah, Alex, and Amber sat with them too.

  “So I guess you really made Travis angry,” Maysie announced.

  “I don’t see why. Since when is he the dating police?” Rachael was a little angry over the situation herself.

  “I thought you said you weren’t dating Ty. Right?”

  “I’m not, but I’m not going to tell Travis that.”

  “Why not? That’s messed up,” Shannah commented.

  “It’s complicated.” Rachael wasn’t about to embarrass herself by admitting she still liked Travis, although he obviously didn’t see her the same way. She decided to take the safe route instead. “Besides, I’m still trying to figure out where I went wrong with Colten. I don’t want to date anyone seriously. Maybe dating someone like Ty is just what I need. Someone who only wants to go to the movies and hang out. I certainly don’t want to date someone who wants to take over my life. I had that with Colten and look how it turned out—badly.” Rachael stood. “I’ll see you all after school.”

  *

  For the next few weeks no one dared bring up Ty or Travis or Colten. Rachael, Maysie, and Shannah had dance practice after school three days each week, like last year. After dance practice, Rachael raced home to cook dinner for her and Michael. She’d become Michael’s surrogate mother—feeding him, doing his laundry, and making sure his homework was done. Her mother and Aunt Margaret were barely home anymore.

  *

  Then her father’s trial began. It dragged on for days, souring Rachael’s mood further. As promised, her mother refused to allow Rachael to attend the proceedings but took time off of work to attend.

  On a school day that started like any other Rachael’s world fell apart. She knew something was wrong when the guidance counselor came to her classroom right before third period and asked Rachael to gather her things and come to the office.

  At the office door Rachael saw her aunt at the desk signing her out. She walked in to stand beside her in silence. In her heart Rachael knew the reason she was there.

  “Let’s go,” was all Aunt Margaret said to Rachael.

  When they were seated in the privacy of her aunt’s car, Aunt Margaret turned toward Rachael. “Your father entered a plea of guilty on the count of conspiracy. It was all worked out as some sort of plea bargain when it looked like he wouldn’t get off on that charge last week. As a result, the other two charges of embezzlement and money-laundering were dropped, and the prosecutor recommended your father receive a lighter than maximum sentence.”

  “Which would be what exactly?” Rachael asked, too numb and shocked to cry.

  “Two years in a white-collar facility, plus probation when he’s released.” Rachael sat in silence while her aunt continued. “You have good grades and can consider virtual school if you’d like, but nothing has to be decided today.”

  Rachael only shook her head. “Where’s Mom?”

  “She went to get Michael.”

  Rachael expected as much. Michael would be devastated by the news.

  Her father had pled guilty. Worse, he was going to prison for two years. Her mother must be devastated. At that moment Rachael had no idea how having her father in jail would affect all of their lives. What had started out as a temporary arrangement—living with Aunt Margaret in rural Manatee County—had just become permanent. They would never go home to Palm Beach. How could they? Their house would no doubt need to be sold. Rachael wasn’t even sure if it was technically still their home. What happened to frozen assets in a situation like this one? Rachael was afraid she’d never see her home again.

  She still had Aunt Margaret, but even she was working long hours to make ends meet. The attorney’s bills had kept right on coming. Her father’s life had made another turn for the worse and taken Rachael’s right with it.

  *

  By the end of September her family’s situation was exacting a heavy toll on Rachael. Between school, dance practice, and Michael, she had little time for anything or anyone else. Her grades were slipping. She was too worn out at the end of each day to focus properly on her studies. Rachael even boycotted the Homecoming Dance. She didn’t have a date…well, Ty had asked, but she’d said no. She couldn’t afford a dress, and last year’s dresses wouldn’t fit, not even the red dress that had looked so nice only a few months earlier. She’d grown at least two inches and finally developed a chest. At least she had something to be thankful for.

  *

  On a Saturday afternoon in late October Rachael sat in the family room watching television. Michael had gone to play at Levi’s for the weekend. Her mother and Aunt Margaret were working their usual shifts at the beach resort. Rachael almost jumped when she heard the doorbell. She ran to answer it. She was surprised to see Melinda, Justin, and Ty.

  “Hey, long time, no see,” Ty said, beaming his pearly whites.

  “I know. I kind of disappeared, but I’ve been super busy. What’s up?”

  “We’re going to the hunt camp to hang out. Thought you might like to join us,” Melinda invited.

  “Sure. Let me put on some jeans. But I have to be home by midnight.” Rachael changed and then texted her mother.

  Her mother told her to be safe and have fun.

  When they got to the hunt camp, Ty asked Rachael if she wanted to go for a hike. Along the way they saw some deer and hogs. Ty had brought along cane poles and worms for fishing. Rachael had never fished with a cane pole, so this would be a first.

  They sat along
a creek bank, and Ty baited Rachael’s hook for her.

  “Thank goodness. Stabbing a worm with a hook isn’t something I’ve fantasized about doing, ever,” she joked.

  “I figured. Let me show you how to cast your line. With a cane pole it doesn’t have to go far.” Ty demonstrated with apparent finesse.

  “Wow. You’re pretty good at this.”

  “Lots of practice.” He grinned.

  Rachael watched her bobber very closely, praying the fish wouldn’t latch onto her hook. Dear Lord, please don’t let me catch anything today.

  Just then her bobber disappeared below the surface. “Fantastic,” Rachael muttered.

  “What—you don’t want to catch anything?”

  “Let’s just say that fish and I aren’t friends.” Rachael pulled her line in and checked her bait. It was gone. “Something stole my bait!”

  “Sure did.” Ty baited her hook again, then tossed her line back into the water. He sat next to her…very close. When Ty turned to look at her, Rachael knew what he was thinking and tried her hardest to gaze straight ahead.

  Then he said “Rachael” very softly, and she had to face him or appear rude.

  “Hmm?” She faked naïveté to his plan. In all the months they’d been hanging out as friends, he’d never tried to kiss her. Was that coming to an end today?

  His closeness made Rachael nervous. She wasn’t afraid of Ty. But if he liked her, really liked her, things would change between them. And she didn’t want that.

  He gently reached his hand out and cupped her cheek. He rubbed her cheekbone with his thumb. “Rachael, I like you. I think in time you’ll realize you like me too. Until then, I’m waiting for you.” He leaned in and gently kissed her lips. Then that was it.

  Rachael sat in shocked silence. So this was the great womanizer at work! He wasn’t exactly forcing himself on her. Rachael had been prepared for the worst, recalling all of the self-defense Taekwondo moves Shannah had taught her last year. But in the end she hadn’t needed them.

  They returned to the hunt camp and hung out until it was time to take Rachael home.

  *

  The following week at school Ty walked Rachael to a few of her classes that shared the same building as his. On Friday night after the football game, Ty waited for her outside of the locker room and drove her home. They were feeling more and more like a couple and less like mere friends. It was fun having a guy to spend time with, even if in her heart Rachael knew he was the wrong guy.

  She was spending more and more time with Melinda and even found herself skipping dance practice each week to hang out with Melinda, Justin, and Ty on the boat after school. Of course, Maysie and Shannah were worried about her, but no one wanted to cause Rachael even bigger problems by telling her mother. Rachael wasn’t sure quite how to stop what was happening and felt as if she was on a runaway horse galloping out of control. She’d see Travis at school, and he wouldn’t even say hi to her. He seemed to truly hate her now.

  Rachael didn’t know what to do. She was miserable.

  *

  One afternoon after school the house phone rang. From the caller ID Rachael knew it was her father calling from prison. She quickly answered the phone.

  “Hi, Dad. How are you?”

  “I’m as good as I can be. How about you?”

  “I’ve been better,” Rachael confided.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve gotten myself into a difficult situation.” Rachael knew the payphones at the prison were for all of the prisoners to use and her father wouldn’t be able to talk for longer than five minutes. She didn’t think she could cover everything in that amount of time, but she could try.

  “I’ll make it fast. Travis got back in town at the end of the summer. I walked over to see him. He had another girl there—Misty his ex-girlfriend. I’ve been spending a lot of time with another guy this summer too. His name is Ty. After seeing Travis with the mystery girl at the beginning of the summer and then Misty at the end of summer, I got jealous of his multiple girlfriends. Now I’m kind of dating Ty, but I don’t want to be.”

  “Wow. Let’s take this one step at a time. First of all, if you don’t want to date Ty, break up with him. It isn’t fair to him or you. Second of all, quit taking it all so seriously. Try to have a little fun.”

  “Okay, Dad. I miss you.”

  “Miss you too. I have to go. Give my love to your mother and brother.”

  “I will.”

  Then he was gone.

  *

  The next day Ty was waiting for Rachael after her first class. She was a little reluctant but knew what she had to do.

  “Hey, Rachael. What’s up?”

  “Ty…” She paused. “I need to speak with you. Have you got a moment?”

  “This doesn’t sound good.”

  Great. I hope this goes well. Rachael had never broken up with someone before. “I can’t date you anymore. You’ve been great, but I just realized I’m not ready for a relationship right now.”

  “So that’s it? After five months of hanging out with me?” Ty stormed away.

  Rachael felt horrible. She walked to her next class.

  I never meant for things to get this out of hand. I never meant to hurt Ty. He’s been a good friend. I should have told him sooner I didn’t feel that way about him. This is all my fault.

  *

  That afternoon Melinda offered Rachael a ride home. Rachael was still bummed about her break-up with Ty and wasn’t in the mood for dance practice. Melinda probably wanted to talk to her about her break-up with Ty, but to Rachael’s surprise she didn’t mention it, and neither did Rachael.

  On their way home Melinda stopped off at a piece of property somewhere near Myakka City. She said she wanted to take a walk and get some fresh air. Rachael thought it sounded like a good idea, so went along with her.

  When they got to the piece of land, which looked like a cow pasture to Rachael, they parked Melinda’s car at the gate and crawled through the barbed-wire fence into the pasture. As they walked across the cow pasture Melinda started doing something Rachael thought was somewhat strange. She flipped over piles of dried cow manure.

  “What are you doing?” Rachael asked.

  “Looking for mushrooms.”

  “Mushrooms? Wouldn’t it be easier and maybe more sanitary to buy those at the grocery store?”

  “Not those kinds of mushrooms, Rachael.” Melinda cut her eyes at her.

  Rachael suddenly became very nervous, but before she could respond, a large truck raced across the pasture toward them.

  “Run!” Melinda yelled and sprinted in the general direction of her car and the gate.

  Rachael stood frozen in place. She was smart enough to know that if they were doing something wrong, the truck had already seen the car parked at the gate and written down the vehicle’s description and tag number.

  The truck stopped right in front of Rachael, and the driver opened the door. It was a sheriff’s deputy. The side of the truck said Game Warden. Rachael knew then she was in serious trouble.

  From behind the door the deputy said, “Put your hands up where I can see ’em.”

  Rachael did as he asked, then realized she recognized this particular game warden. It was her family’s long-time friend JJ!

  Except fully clothed and wearing shoes.

  Rachael hadn’t seen JJ since he’d given her the quarter during the summer on her first outing with Ty and Michael. Although she knew him, she was still afraid to move, so she continued to hold her hands up.

  “Rachael. Is that you?” He squinted into the sunlight.

  “Sure is.”

  “What ya doin’ out here?” JJ asked.

  “Just taking a hike.” Rachael was telling the truth as far as she was concerned. Her friend Melinda, to Rachael’s surprise, had been picking mushrooms. Rachael got the definite feeling that picking mushrooms might be illegal.

  “Go ahead an’ drop your hands. Wha
t about chur friend there? What was she doin’?”

  “She told me a minute ago she was looking for mushrooms, but I honestly didn’t know that when I came out here with her.”

  “Well, it looks like she’s gone an’ left ya here.” JJ jabbed a thumb in the general direction of the gate. A glance confirmed what JJ had said.

  I can’t believe she ran off and left me!

  “Do you know who owns this land, Rachael?”

  “No, sir. I don’t.”

  “Tristan.”

  As soon as JJ said the name, Rachael knew who Tristan was. She had met him at the Baxters’ house last year. He was a very handsome cowboy who trained horses and apparently owned this particular piece of property.

  “Since ya didn’t know he owned this piece of property, I would bet ya also don’t have permission to be on this piece of property. Does that sound ’bout right?”

  All Rachael could do was nod.

  JJ continued to explain. “Tristan has had trouble with trespassers, like yourself, comin’ onto his property an’ shroomin’, like yur friend, who if I’m not mistaken is that Melinda gal who works at the feed store here in Myakka City.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, I’ll tell ya what we are gonna do here. We are gonna ride over to Tristan’s house and see if he wants to press charges against ya both for trespassing.”

  Rachael’s heart hit the bottom of her stomach. Charges? As in criminal charges? First my father and now me? Is my life of crime beginning at sixteen? Her pulse was pounding so loudly she could hear it in her ears.

  Getting into JJ’s truck, she rode with him to Tristan’s house. When they arrived, she was afraid to move.

  “Wait here,” JJ advised.

  Rachael sat there feeling doomed and guilty. From where she waited in the truck she could see Tristan and JJ speaking on his front porch. She should have known better than to have gone onto any piece of property with Melinda. She’d wrongly assumed it belonged to Melinda’s boyfriend Justin, and why not? Justin’s family owned a lot of land. Rachael had no idea where it was all located. It had been a stupid mistake.