by Kim Redford
Belle walked with Storm to the back of the trailer where Slade and Sydney joined them.
“Your generosity has made my daughter very happy,” Sydney said. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad I was able to help,” Belle said. She knew she sounded stilted, but she couldn’t help but think they were part of the Rowdy deception and were no longer to be trusted with friendship. She felt sad about that fact, but she couldn’t ignore reality.
“You really came through for us,” Slade said. “We won’t forget it.”
“I’m happy I could do it.” Belle gave them all a smile she hoped was warmer than it felt to her. “I’m delighted everything has turned out so well.”
“Please, let’s let Daisy Sue out,” Storm said. “Fernando is getting impatient.”
“Is she on a lead?” Slade asked.
“Yes,” Belle said.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take her out of the trailer,” Slade said.
“Please do. She belongs to Steele Trap Ranch now.” Belle knew her job was basically done here. It was now the Fernando and Daisy Sue show. She stepped back to get out of the way and hit something. She glanced back.
Rowdy stood there with a burning look in his eyes.
“Excuse me,” she said formally. “I didn’t see you.”
“My fault. I came up behind you.”
“I won’t be staying long.” She moved closer to the railing so she had a good view of Slade opening the door to the trailer.
Rowdy followed her. “May I come over later?”
“No.”
“We need to talk.”
“No.”
“You can’t just throw away what we’ve got.”
“We’ve got nothing.” She moved away from him again, but he followed her. “Rowdy, please. I’m trying to enjoy the show.”
“We make a better one.”
“Oh look, Slade’s bringing Daisy Sue out now.”
As she watched, sunlight glinted on the beautiful cow’s sleek coat, and the crowd roared its approval. Storm walked up, gently ran a small hand down Daisy Sue’s long nose, and then took the lead from Slade and led the cow toward the corral where Fernando stood, tail switching as he extended his head in her direction, blowing softly through his nostrils.
Slade opened the gate and held it wide. Storm led Daisy Sue into the corral, unclipped the lead, and slowly backed out. Slade closed the gate and put an arm around his niece.
Fernando walked over to Daisy Sue. They touched noses. He licked her face. She licked his face in return. And they slowly walked together away from the noise and people and excitement toward the pasture in back.
“That’s the way it ought to be,” Rowdy said.
“Sometimes there is no happy ending.” Belle quickly strode away from him and caught Kemp before he left so she had a ride home…or at least to her temporary home.
Chapter 37
Belle woke up the next morning to loud noise…scraping, thudding, and hammering above her head on top of her roof. She just lay in bed blinking sleepily. What were the cowboys doing? Maybe they were at the barn and it just sounded like they were on her roof. As soon as she could think straight, she’d get up and do something about it.
She was in a bad enough mood as it was without being subjected to extra irritation. She’d tossed and turned all night, thinking about Rowdy, not thinking about Rowdy. All her thoughts had whirled around him. She’d had enough of it. She was going to her family’s ranch that afternoon to celebrate Christmas with them. And that meant leaving Wildcat Bluff County forever.
Yes, she’d miss all the county festivities that started tomorrow, but they wouldn’t be fun without Rowdy anyway. She’d enjoy her Christmas vacation in East Texas, get over her cowboy poet, and be back at work in her Dallas office after the New Year celebration. If she felt sad and a little blue, she’d get over it. Hearts didn’t break. They just cracked a bit. She’d mend once she was away from the constant reminders of him.
But first, she had to get that awful racket stopped, brew a pot of coffee, pack a bag. And all in that order.
She threw back the covers, put her feet over the edge of her bed, and pushed her hair back from her face. She wouldn’t worry much about what she put on, since most anything was too much trouble and not worth the effort. She wouldn’t be seeing anybody anyway, unless it was Kemp for a moment. No photo shoots. No parties. No nothing.
She grabbed clean underwear out of a drawer and put it on. She found a green sweatshirt and sweatpants tossed over the back of her chair. Good enough. She pulled those up, over, and on before she slipped into running shoes without socks.
She stumbled out of the bedroom and made it to the kitchen…all the while listening to the horrible racket on her roof. She was going to give those cowboys a piece of her mind right away.
She walked to her front door, threw it open, and stepped onto her front porch. She froze, squinting into the sunlight, trying to make sense of the scene before her. If she hadn’t known better, she’d think she’d thrown a party in her sleep and invited half the county. Maybe she should’ve given her clothes, her makeup, her hair a little more thought.
All sorts of vehicles were parked on her circle drive and on the lawn, from four-wheelers to pickups—big and small—to one-tons with attached trailers. Folks she’d met and folks she’d never seen before were busily filling a dumpster with shingles that others on the roof were scraping off with shingle shovels and sending flying to the ground. Dust swirled in the air. Somebody walked by with a roll of tarpaper. Others hoisted heavy shingle stacks onto broad shoulders, nail guns hanging in holsters attached to belts around their hips, and jogged toward the back of the house.
Who were all these people? Did they take a wrong turn? Get the wrong address? And the best question of all…why were they roofing her house?
“Belle, good morning!” Hedy zoomed over in her power wheelchair, grinning from ear to ear. “Did we wake you?”
“Uh…yeah.”
“Early bird gets the worm and all that.”
“What’s going on?”
“Can’t you see? You’re getting a new roof just in time for Christmas!”
“But why now?”
“As to that…well…” Hedy looked down, around, and back at Belle. “I could use a cup of coffee. And a visit. Would you be kind enough to make a pot for us?”
Belle hesitated, not really wanting to talk to anybody this morning, particularly not a powerhouse like Hedy who just happened to be involved with Rowdy’s dad.
“You’re owed an explanation. And they don’t need me out here, so we could go inside.”
“I’m not so sure if—”
“Please give me an opportunity to explain things.”
She wanted to leave the county, but she didn’t want to leave a mess behind her. It’d reflect poorly on her family and maybe even her business. She opened the front door wide enough for Hedy’s wheelchair.
Hedy powered into the house.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the kitchen.” She sounded formal and knew it, but she didn’t believe she was on a friendship basis with anyone in Wildcat Bluff County anymore.
“Thank you.”
She led Hedy into her cozy kitchen with its eat-in table. She pulled out a chair and set it aside so Hedy could roll up to the table.
“Thank you.” Hedy positioned her wheelchair at the table and then smiled at Belle.
She tried to return the smile, but it didn’t go anywhere. She just wanted to go back to bed and tug the covers over her head to block out all the noise and confusion. Instead, she pulled out the coffee maker.
“Texas pecan coffee okay?”
“Perfect. Nothing better,” Hedy said in a cheerful voice.
“Good.” She spooned in coffee, poured in water, and start
ed the machine to humming, gurgling, and burping.
“Life isn’t always easy or straightforward.” Hedy drummed her fingertips on the arm of her wheelchair. “But love really does conquer all.”
Belle cringed because she knew just where Hedy was going with a talk about love. Rowdy. She put both hands flat on the countertop, watched dark liquid drip in the coffeepot, and tried to control her reaction.
“I love Bert,” Hedy said.
“I’m sure he’s a very nice man.”
“Bert Two, or Rowdy as he wants to be called now, is like a son to me. He’s hurting…and it’s our fault.”
Belle kept her back to Hedy because she didn’t trust her expression not to reveal her total skepticism.
“It’s not his fault. It’s not your fault.”
“Can we just let this go?” Maybe she could persuade Hedy to leave the Rowdy situation alone. “I’m done here. I’ll be out of y’all’s hair in no time flat.”
“Maybe we’re so set in our ways or maybe we’re so protective of what we’ve built here over the generations that we’ve come to distrust outsiders. All your high-flying ideas simply set our teeth on edge.”
Belle watched the coffee drip, giving up on diverting Hedy. She’d let her say her piece, and then they’d be done with it.
“I’m here to explain our actions. Like I said, Rowdy isn’t to blame. He warned us it wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t want to do it, but he drew the short straw, and so it fell to him.”
Belle wheeled around, finally goaded into action. “What was his job? Seduce me?”
Hedy chuckled softly. “Oh no, that came straight from his heart.”
“Right.”
“We didn’t want to hurt you. We just wanted you to leave. We thought you’d get discouraged and go away if you couldn’t get work completed on your house in time for Christmas. Rowdy was our last resort to slow down the process.”
“Do you mean to say that’s what this has all been about…just keeping the job from getting done?”
“Yes. It’s pretty simple really…and not even our brightest idea. You could’ve brought in a team from Dallas and had the work done in no time.”
“I thought about it, but I wanted to be liked in the community.”
“We counted on that fact.”
Belle just shook her head as she poured two mugs of coffee. She set one in front of Hedy and held the other as she walked over to the window and looked outside at all the activity.
“That’s in the past. Done. Over.” Hedy sipped coffee. “Now you’re liked, admired, appreciated.”
“You don’t really think it’s so easy, do you?”
“No, of course not.” Hedy set her mug on the tabletop with a click. “What we did was wrong. As a community, we apologize. We’re here to roof your house as a way of making amends and asking you to stay.”
“Don’t you think it’s too little, too late?”
“Nothing is ever too little or too late when so much is at stake. Our county needs you. We need your smarts, your drive, your vision…and your love.”
“It’s all about trust now.”
“If you stay, we’ll earn your trust.”
Belle held her mug tightly for warmth and support. She was wavering and knew it. She wanted to believe Hedy, but could she afford to do it?
“Another thing,” Hedy said. “Your house will soon be ready for your party.”
“What party?”
“New Year’s Eve. It’ll be a good way to start the year. What about a benefit for the one-room schoolhouse renovation? What about we start that transformation right here at Lulabelle & You Ranch? What about you give us a second chance?”
“A second chance?”
“Exactly.”
Belle looked into Hedy’s earnest brown eyes…and questioned her earlier determination to leave. What if everything Hedy had just said was true? If so, could she walk away from so much promise?
“Never forget the power of love. It doesn’t just make the world go ’round, it powers this community.” Hedy backed away from the table. “If you can find it in your heart to forgive, please go see Rowdy. He’s waiting for you on the patio.”
Belle simply stood there as Hedy left her alone…with her jumbled thoughts, with her new dilemma, and with her desire for Rowdy. Did people make mistakes, learn from them, and go forward? Was she a big enough person to accept an apology, particularly one as huge as putting on a new roof, and go forward?
She set her mug down beside Hedy’s mug. She needed to see Rowdy before she made any sort of final decision.
She quickly walked through her house to the back door. She stepped onto the beautiful patio he’d made for her, but he wasn’t there. Instead, the Buick Brigade lounged on her cedar furniture, appearing quite pleased with themselves as the noisy roofing activity went on around them.
“Belle, please join us,” Louise said.
“We brought cowboy cookies.” Ada gestured toward a plate heaped high with drunk-looking cookies. “As you can see, I made enough for all the busy bee workers.”
Belle smiled, not even surprised at the sight. She should’ve known this was all part of their master plan. “I don’t suppose you lovely ladies had anything to do with my new roof being put on today?”
“Us?” Ada feigned innocence. “We just brought cookies.”
“And this.” Blondel set a tarnished gold locket on a long chain beside the plate of cookies.
“Is that the other Belle’s locket?” Belle put a hand over her heart, feeling it ratchet up with heightened emotion. She quickly sat down because her knees had suddenly grown weak.
“Yes, dear,” Blondel said. “Belle’s locket has come home…to you.”
“Christmas is a time to heal and renew,” Doris said. “Bertram will be back from visiting the pigeons soon.”
“He needs you,” Louise said.
“And you need him,” Blondel said.
“Together,” Ada said.
The ladies of Destiny rose as one, smiled benignly at Belle, walked across the patio, and disappeared around the side of the house.
Belle simply sat there, feeling almost as if the Buick Brigade had never quite been with her or real at all. Yet the cookies and locket were on her table. And the thud of nail guns hammering shingles continued unabated on her roof.
As she gazed at the locket and listened to the guns, she felt a soft breeze caress her face…and her heart expanded in happiness. If the locket had come home to her, had she come home to Wildcat Bluff County?
She glanced up. And there was Rowdy. He walked toward her with his strong, confident stride. As he grew near, four pigeons flew out of the barn, circled overhead, and disappeared in the direction of the Buick Brigade.
Wait. Four pigeons? What was the message of the fourth one? And then she knew. The last pigeon-gram needed only one word. Love. And Rowdy was its messenger.
He stepped onto the patio that he’d built with so much love, looked down at the table he’d created with even more love, and picked up the locket steeped in long-lasting love. He knelt in front of her with hope shining in his eyes.
“If you’ll marry me, I’ll love and cherish you forever.” He held out the locket nestled in his palm.
She clasped his hand…and felt the locket grow warm.
Acknowledgments
Judy Forehand Lewis deserves credit and appreciation for her wonderful book reviews of my Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series and her suggestion that it “sounds like Bert Two is about to get a little matchmaking from Hedy and friends!” Exactly right. It’s high time Bert Two aka Rowdy found love in his own book.
Once more I set off into the backwoods, took a canoe down the Kiamichi River, and arrived at the red rock enclave of the Williams—Buck-Saw, Hot-Rod, and Reed-the-Steed. A shout-out goes to them for input on pigeo
ns, memorial trees, brush fires, construction, taste-testing cowboy cookies…and to Rod for help with the shingle chase scene.
I attended the delightful production of “Some Enchanted Evening: the Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein” at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, Oklahoma, as a benefit for the music department. Shelley Dennis, actor and writer, gave a great performance while Ruth Askew Brelsford, former professor of theater, made sure the audience was enthralled with the entertainment. They inspired me by their dedication to the arts to create the Wildcat Bluff County Arts Center.
Cathy Dennis Cogburn also inspired me to create Lulabelle & You Western Wear with her clothing designs for Cowboy Threads and jewelry designs for Grace Designs.
Ron Shaw and Roy Shaw are the perfect duo to set everything right when something breaks or goes wrong at Twin Oaks Ranch. They’re also wonderful bluegrass musicians. I appreciate their long-time dedication to the community.
Deputy Sheriff Julie Garriety deserves a big thank-you for her timely arrival when the shingles for my house were stolen…along with fun lunches, great advice, and support for my books.
About the Author
Kim Redford is the bestselling author of Western romance novels. She grew up in Texas with cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle, and rodeos. She divides her time between homes in Texas and Oklahoma, where she’s a rescue cat wrangler and horseback rider—when she takes a break from her keyboard. Visit her at kimredford.com.
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When Ivy Bryant arrives at Wildcat Hall, she goes from website designer by day to honky-tonk manager by night. How to handle it all? Enter Slade Steele—rancher, firefighter, and proprietor of the Chuckwagon Café—who offers his services. Add his award-winning pies and a fiery chili recipe to the menu, and folks will stream in the front door. It’s an offer Ivy can’t refuse, even though the passion between them is already at the boiling point…
