by Laura Ann
“Her Dream Cowboy”
Sagebrush Ranch #1
By Laura Ann
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
HER DREAM COWBOY
First edition. June 12, 2020.
Copyright © 2020 Laura Ann.
Written by Laura Ann.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NEWSLETTER
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER 1
DEDICATION
The first book in every series is dedicated to my
darling husband. It’s because of his support and love
that I was able to turn this hobby into a career.
I love you more.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No author works alone. Thank you, Victorine.
You and your sister make it Christmas every time
I get a new cover. And thank you to my Beta Team.
Truly, your help with my stories is immeasurable.
NEWSLETTER
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CHAPTER 1
Scarlett bit her bottom lip so hard she was sure it would bleed. This is it. I’m finally going to make our dreams come true, Mom. She closed her eyes as she said the silent prayer and clenched her fist in front of her face in celebration. After she opened her eyes again, she danced in her seat. The feeling of elation and relief was almost more than she could handle. It had taken far too long to attain this goal, but now it was within reach. She only needed to be patient for a few more weeks.
“What in the world are you doing?” Jaz, Scarlett’s best friend and coworker, hissed. “If you keep squirming around, you’re gonna bring Dr. Cranky Pants in here and we’ll lose the rest of our lunch hour,” she snapped, referring to the elderly dentist the two women worked for.
Scarlett tried to regulate her breathing, but the excitement coursing through her was much too strong to contain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “but I can’t contain myself!”
Jaz rolled her eyes. “You never can.” Her down-to-earth pragmatism was a stark contrast to Scarlett’s optimistic outlook on life, but their differences were exactly why they were such good friends. Together they created the perfect balance. “What is it this time?”
Scarlett glanced around the small office space where she and the other dental hygienists were eating lunch, then leaned in close to Jaz to keep their conversation private.“You know that summer cowboy program, the one at Sagebrush Ranch?”
Jaz raised an eyebrow but nodded as she chewed a bite of her apple. “The one where they let you work on a ranch for a couple of weeks?”
“Yes!” Scarlett said too loudly, then ducked her head and quieted down again. “They only do it during the summer, and the waiting list is huge!” She paused to take a couple of fast breaths. “Anyway, I signed up months ago and just found out that they had a cancellation for the one that starts in two weeks.”
“You’re telling me that you’re going to go live in the boonies for fourteen days?” Jaz exclaimed. “What about your job?”
“Pffftt.” Scarlett waved her hand to shush her friend as a few of the other women sent looks their way. “I’ve got tons of vacation time saved up.”
“But two weeks? In the middle of nowhere?”
Scarlett grinned. “Of course! Who wouldn’t want to get away from the concrete jungle? Breathe in the fresh air?” She tucked a chunk of her thick mahogany hair behind her ear. “I’ve been working for this chance almost my whole life, Jaz. You know that!”
“Girl...you’re crazy! I know this is something you and your mom cooked up years ago, but it just doesn’t make sense to me that you would waste your money on something like that. It’s gotta be super expensive, and if you’re not working for two weeks, how are you gonna pay the bills?” Jaz shook her head. “Maybe you should put that money back in savings. Your mom would understand. Besides, your car probably won’t even make the trip.”
Scarlett sighed. “First off, don’t you dare rag on Fiyero,” she scolded with a grin. “He’s worth his weight in gold. And second, where’s your sense of adventure?” She pinched her lips together and her shoulders drooped. “And it’s not about the money. I know it’ll take most of my savings, but to me? It’s so worth it. I mean, how often does a city girl like me get a chance to live her dream? Even if only for a couple of weeks?”
Jaz sighed. “She doesn’t.” Jaz shook her head and looked away. “I know you’ve wanted this since you were little. I hear it often enough.” Her dark eyes came back to Scarlett. “But what if Dr. Mendelson won’t let you off that long? Vacation time or not?”
Scarlett’s eyes dropped to the scarred tabletop in front of her. She pushed one of her fingers along the pen lines that someone had carved in many years ago. “I don’t know, Jaz. I want this bad enough that I think I’d be willing to quit.”
“You can’t be serious!” Jaz yelled. “Sorry,” she whispered, her hands up in surrender to the dark glares coming their way. Jaz turned back to Scarlett. “Chasing your dream is one thing, hon, but ruining your life is another.”
Scarlett reached across the table and grabbed onto Jaz’s wrist. “I’m so glad we’re friends, Jaz. You’re always the voice of reason. But everything I’ve ever wanted has fallen in my lap, and if I don’t jump at it, I’ll regret it forever.” She smiled softly. “Jobs come and go. Getting a new one shouldn’t be that hard. But getting another chance at Sagebrush Ranch? Nearly impossible. I should know. It’s taken me a decade to get here.”
Jaz sighed and fell back in her seat. She studied Scarlett for a long time before speaking. “Okay. I’m still paying off my student loans, so I’ll work double if necessary in order to cover for you.” She leaned forward. “But I refuse to let you quit and force me to get another coworker that I’ll probably hate.” Her eyes drifted to the other girls in the room. “We’ve got enough of that already.”
“You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.” Scarlett grinned widely for a moment before jumping up and coming around the table to throw her arms around Jaz. Scarlett squeezed her tight and rocked back and forth. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she whispered loudly in Jaz’s ear.
“Can’t breathe!” Jaz gasped.
Scarlett pulled back, encouraged that Jaz was smiling as well. Her white teeth were stark against her tan skin, a look that Scarlett absolutely adored while being equally jealous of it. “See?” She pointed at Jaz’s smile. “You’re smiling. Even you know this is a good thing.”
Jaz rolled her eyes, but her smile remained. “Yeah, yeah. It’s hard not to be excited for you when I know how long you’ve worked for this.”
Scarlett fell back into her seat with a sigh. “This is going to be epic. Horseback riding, taking care of the animals, eating at the campfire.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes on a hum. “Hot cowboys...”
“Oh, please...” Jaz groaned. “Don’t you dare come back with a cowboy in tow. He’d
never survive in this place.”
Scarlett put a hand to her chest. “I would never.” She winked. “I’d stay in the country with him. Why would I walk away from all those convenient hay lofts and dark barn corners?”
Jaz pointed a finger at Scarlett’s face. “You better not do anything I wouldn’t do.” She shook her head. “You do realize that staying there would mean leaving me behind, right?”
It was Scarlett’s turn to roll her eyes. “I’d bring you over, of course. As if I could leave you here by yourself with Dr. Never-Smiles.”
“I don’t know...” Jaz hedged. “Those places have bugs and snakes and frogs. Sounds like torture to me.”
“Maybe so, but they also have wildflowers and fresh air and bubbling creeks,” Scarlett responded.
“Okay, okay. I’ll make you a deal.”
Scarlett raised an eyebrow in expectation.
“You get kissed in a hayloft and I’ll buy you a steak dinner.” Jaz held up a hand. “Win the heart of a cowboy, and I’ll actually come to the ranch.”
Scarlett waggled her eyebrows. “Deal.” She chuckled as Jaz shook her head. This was definitely going to make her ranch experience even more fun.
“I’M TOO OLD FOR THIS, Dad,” Noah growled, throwing his spoon on the table. “I’ve been helping out at your summer camp thing for years, and I’m done with all those wanna-be cowboys who think they can just hop on a horse and gallop off into the sunset like Billy the Kid.” He grabbed his utensil again and tucked his chin, refusing to make eye contact. “I’ve got better things to do with my time.”
David MacMillan, Noah’s father, didn’t respond right away. He was a patient man, a virtue developed from his years of running a ranch in a world where the art of ranching was dying. He’d learned to hold his tongue and keep his feet moving. There was nothing else he could do. Bickering and arguing only wasted valuable time. “I understand your frustration, son, but this camp is a key financial aspect in keeping the ranch alive. City folk are willing to pay well for time spent out here and we need that money when winter comes along.” He cleared his throat. “Ranching isn’t what it used to be—”
“I know, I know.” Noah leaned back in his seat and hung his head backward, staring at the ceiling. “I get it, but I’m not sure this is where I want to be anymore.” He straightened and pinned his hazel eyes on his father. “I’m tired. I’m only thirty-one years old and I’m tired. I want a break. I want some time to go to that horse show in Arizona.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “I’d even like a chance to take a young lady on a date. I haven’t gone out in over two years because I’m always so busy here. How am I supposed to live my own life if I’m always doing things like this?”
David sighed and nodded. “I know, son. And you’re right. You deserve a chance to meet a pretty young filly and set up your own household. Heck, by the time I was your age, I had two kids already.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “I’ll contact the woman you were assigned and cancel her reservation.”
“What?” Noah exclaimed. “I thought you had a cancellation already.”
David nodded. “We did. But you know we have a waiting list, so I immediately contacted the first single person at the top. The young lady responded within an hour.” He gave a crooked grin. “I think she was a mite excited for the opportunity.”
Noah groaned and pushed away his bowl of chili. “This just keeps getting better and better.”
David walked over and squeezed Noah’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll just tell her there was a mistake. I’ll put her first for the next session.”
Noah listened to his father as he started to walk away, but the awful guilt pounding in his head was too strong to ignore. “Wait,” he said softly. He knew he would regret this, but what else could he do? Even though he wanted to leave, he had no desire to hurt the ranch or his family. “Leave her be. I’ll do this one session.” He spun in his chair and glared. “And then I want out. This is the last one. In fact, I might go ahead and move out after that. I need my own space.”
David considered him, his eyes, nearly identical to his son’s, staring intently before he nodded slowly. “If that’s what you feel is best.”
Noah threw back his shoulders. “I do.”
David nodded again. “I’ll let you be the one to tell your mother.”
Noah waited until his father was out of the room to collapse into his chair. “Great,” he grumbled. “Mom is gonna love that.” He pushed himself away from the table and stormed out of the house, heading toward the barn.
The night was quiet and the stars were gleaming over his head. Noah’s pace slowed, and he sighed as he looked into the clear night sky. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. A long inhale of fresh air had always helped him clear his head and he desperately needed that right now. He’d been getting itchy to move on with his life for awhile, but he’d been working for his father since he was a little kid, and telling the old man that he wanted to leave had proved more difficult than he’d expected.
Even now, a heavy sense of shame hung over Noah. He wanted his freedom, but didn’t want to hurt his family. “How can I do both? Can’t there be some kind of balance?” he whispered to himself as he started for the barn once again.
Pushing open the large door, Noah walked confidently inside, flipping the light switch at his side. A few neighs and whinnies met his entrance, and Noah grinned. He walked down the center aisle, nodding and greeting the heads that began poking over their stall doors. “Hey, there, Lefty, how are ya tonight?” Noah rubbed her nose affectionately before moving on. The stall he was aiming for was the last one on the left.
As if she knew he was coming for her, Dolly let out a greeting and stomped her foot.
“Hey there, girl,” Noah cooed. He ran his hands up either side of her face and looked into the quarter horse’s large brown eyes. “You get a good dinner tonight?”
Dolly lifted her head up and down, and Noah chuckled, bringing their foreheads together.
“Why can’t it be as easy to talk to my dad as it is to talk to you?” he asked.
“Because Dad isn’t an animal you can tame with your weird magnetism,” a feminine voice called from down the walkway.
Noah sighed and straightened, looking over at his sister. She was only a few years younger than him. “What are you doing here?”
“What?” Violet put a hand on her chest. “You’re not happy to see me?” She grinned, dropping the mock offense. “I heard you talking with Dad.” She shrugged a single shoulder. “Thought you might need someone to vent to.” She played with a thick envelope in her hands, her fingers twitchy.
Noah shook his head, ignoring the envelope and his curiosity. He looked back at Dolly. “I was trying to do that.” He gave Violet a sideways glare. “You interrupted.”
Violet stepped up and put her arm over the gate. “Poor Dolly has enough problems of her own. She doesn’t need yours.”
Noah chuckled when Dolly stomped her foot again. “I don’t think she agrees with you.”
Violet laughed and rubbed the side of Dolly’s neck. “She can’t help it if she fell under your charm. Every female animal in here thinks she’s your girlfriend.” Violet grinned. “Hard not to when they’re the only females you talk to.”
Noah pushed Violet’s shoulder. “Lay off, huh? I’d be more than happy to go out and find a woman, but getting time off this ranch has been hard.”
Violet grew serious. “Are you really leaving after the first camp?”
Noah couldn’t look at his sister. He knew his family depended on him, but for once he needed to do something for himself. Life was passing him by, and every day he grew more weary. “Yeah,” he admitted softly. “At least for a while.”
Violet pushed a strand of her dark hair out of her face. “We’ll miss you. But I think it’s for the best.” She looked down at her envelope again, a tortured look on her face.
Noah looked up, surprised at her admission. “Why do you say that?”
Violet stuffed her hands and the letter in her jean pockets and kicked at some straw on the ground. “If my love life had worked out, I’d be far gone from here,” she said softly. “We need to live our own lives, Noah.” Her hazel gaze hit his, nearly identical to their father’s. “Mom and Dad understand that. They want us to. I think it’s just hard for them to see us go.”
“Are you okay?” He nodded to the letter in her pocket.
Violet pinched her lips together and nodded jerkily. “I think so.”
“Want to talk about it?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
Noah nodded sadly, knowing she would open up when she was ready. A broken heart had brought her home, and he wasn’t sure how the letter played into that, but he wasn’t going to push. Besides, he knew she was right. He needed to move on. “Dad already had a replacement to fill out the roster,” Noah said. “So I told him I’d finish what was started, but then I need to go.”
“Where?”
Noah shrugged, putting his focus back on Dolly. “Who knows? Arizona, possibly. But something’s gotta give. If I wait too much longer...it’ll be too late.”
CHAPTER 2
Scarlett tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the pop song blasting through the radio. She glanced down at her GPS, double-checking that she was getting close to her destination. The butterflies that had been fluttering in her stomach ever since she got her acceptance two weeks ago were extra antsy the closer she got to her home for the next while.
Only a few minutes later, a large wooden arch came into view and Scarlett gasped, nearly swerving her car into the middle of the road. “Oh my word...” she breathed. Turning on her signal, she pulled to the side of the road and got out to admire the artistry.
SAGEBRUSH RANCH was blazoned across the top of the arch, the metal letters painted a metallic black, gleaming in the midafternoon sun. On either side were cutouts of a bucking bronco, also in black. Scarlett didn’t try to stop the slow, wide smile that crossed her face. “It’s just like in Mom’s books,” she whispered. She half-expected the song “Rawhide” to start playing on the wind and a lone sagebrush to roll across the road.
