Falling For Home: (sweet, clean, contemporary western romance) (Buffalo Ridge Ranch Series Book 1)

by Kim Smart

  Jesse had shared none of his poetry or writings with Kerry’s parents. Sure, he mentioned that he and Stella had done some readings. His mind was racing through his writings to see if he had anything that would work.

  “Oh sir, now you’re making me stretch. I might prefer the night on the river,” Jesse spilled and let out a nervous laugh. “But I would try walking on water to get your blessing, so I will be there, for sure.”

  He gulped down the last of his coffee and stood to leave. He shook Kerry’s father’s hand and thanked him for the chat.

  The event was less than two weeks away. He needed to get to work. Jesse talked to some locals who knew Albert and gathered their impressions. Within days he had written a poem that captured not only the essence of Albert as he had heard it from others, but the commitment of his friend, Kerry’s father, who promoted the fundraiser.

  Work still had to be done, so time to refine the poem was limited. The town celebration was rapidly approaching and Jesse planned to help with several of the activities, besides performing at the fundraiser. Kerry was returning from veterinary school with plans to study for her licensing exam at home. But she would definitely be at the fundraiser with her parents and go for a beer with Jesse afterward. He had been so supportive throughout school and chasing her dreams; she wanted to share her appreciation for him. And she honestly missed him when they weren’t together! His presence alone was refreshing, as it broke that singular focus on her education, and now career, and allowed her to just relax and enjoy life.

  Jesse stood in front of the mirror. He examined his hair and his clothes - just to make sure he wouldn’t offend anyone, his mother in particular. He smiled, not out of vanity but to be certain there was no spinach left between his teeth. Satisfied with his appearance, he headed out to his truck and turned to retrieve his notes off the seat.

  He had rehearsed this poem, “The Taming of Albert O’Leary” two dozen times. If he had more time, it would be twice that before he ever presented it on stage. Jesse experimented with inflection and pace. That’s what made him a great cowboy poet. He hadn’t been at it as long as most; he took the time to polish every piece he presented. He had gotten so good now that he had a whole book of poems published, “Riding the Range, Backwards and Uphill.” Jesse incorporated wit and humor in all of his poems, although some have a more serious overture of loss woven in.

  He had other things on his mind too. Kerry was not aware of this yet, but he had framed and walled in her new clinic. In fact, no one in either family was aware he was working on that project. Since moving into his own cabin, Jesse found he had free time that previously was spent hanging out with his parents. Now, he saw them less frequently but made each visit meaningful.

  Tonight Jesse hoped to hit two home runs. When he arrived at the venue for the fundraiser, there was already about a hundred people there, nearly all of whom he knew personally. He had shared a draft of the poem with Albert earlier in the day so he had a heads-up on what was coming. As Jesse approached Albert, Kerry and her parents entered at the front of the hall, Albert stood, weary and weak but with a smile on his face, and put his hand out to shake Jesse’s. “You are a mighty talented lad there, Jesse. Who knew old Davies could raise such an artist.”

  The group laughed together. Jesse took a seat beside Kerry who gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, “You’ve made him a very happy man, Jesse Davies.”

  She pulled back, looked into Jesse’s eyes and smiled. Jesse raised his eyebrows and gave a slight grin. His nerves were starting to get the better of him.

  He looked around the room. Townspeople had filled tables with arts, crafts, and other donated goods for the silent auction. “Did you find anything to bid on?” he asked Kerry.

  “Not me, but Mom has her name on all kinds of things.” She nodded her head towards her mother who was going from table to table to check on the status of her bids, upping the amount if she had been outbid on those items she wanted most. As 7:00 rolled around, folks had finished eating their spaghetti dinners and were taking their seats in the presentation hall. Albert’s daughter was the master of ceremonies. Jesse knew her as one of his brother Chance’s classmates. They even dated a little. Well, Chance dated all the girls a little, or so it seemed. Another small town hazard.

  “Folks, folks, can I have your attention, please.” Patti stood up on the stage, a baby on her hip and husband by her side. She thanked everyone for taking part in the evening’s fundraiser, introduced her father, named and thanked all the donors for the event. Finally, she held up a book with a cover that looked all too familiar to Jesse. Now where did she get that? It was a signed copy of his book of poems and she was introducing him. Apparently, his mother had donated one for the auction.

  As the applause died down, Jesse took a long glance at Albert, leaned forward into the hand-held mic, bent his knees and started. He told a tale of a young man learning his way around the ranch on a summer job with his uncle, having been sent from the city by his mother to be ‘tamed’. She told him if it didn’t work, she would sell him to the O’Leary family. Now, he was just a boy of eight and an only child, but his mother was a widow and had to work so she wasn’t around much to keep him in line. She couldn’t afford a switch or a belt and had long since broken the wooden spoon, or so the story goes. At the end of the summer, they decided that he would stay with his uncle, who had a big family and could use the help on the ranch. Eventually his mother also moved to town and took a job. Albert, as a teen, saw a spunky girl that matched his wits and sparked his interest. He knew she would be at the country dance and he got permission to go.

  As luck would have it,

  his horse came up lame.

  His truck wasn’t fit

  so he rode in with a dame.

  Millie was there,

  all gingham and lace

  Her ringlets were bowed,

  The rest of her - grace.

  Albert tipped his hat and asked her to dance,

  The poor little girl didn’t stand a chance.

  He trampled her toes and got caught in her lace.

  He got a black eye when she slapped his face.

  Now Albert and Millie,

  they managed to wed

  They birthed in a filly,

  and built her a bed

  The poem shared highlights and funny stories of Albert’s life, talked about his illness and ended on a high note.

  If you’re new to these parts,

  fear not what you hear

  For Albert and Millie

  are now raising deer.

  At Christmas he rents them,

  to PhotoShop with your tree

  That’s what happens to minds,

  that are one hundred and three.

  The crowd rose to their feet, in honor of Albert and praise for Jesse’s tribute to him. In this community, everyone was supportive of each other. There may be spats over fence lines and such but when it all boils down, they are like one, big, happy, dysfunctional family.

  After greeting new fans and shaking hands, Jesse walked up to Kerry’s dad, pulled him close and quietly asked him if he had passed. When he got the thumbs up, he looked to Kerry’s mom and said, “It’s on!”

  With that, she sprung into action and walked around the room, leaving Kerry’s dad perplexed. Now for to the second home run!

  Since they hadn’t any bids in, Kerry and Jesse headed to the local watering hole to see if any friends were hanging around there. Several folks they met on the street congratulated Jesse on his entertaining performance. The bar was crowded, so they stood and chatted with friends they hadn’t seen for a while. It wasn’t long before Jesse became restless.

  “Hey Kerry,” he spoke quietly into her ear. “Your folks asked me if I would give you a ride home since they were going home right after the auction. I’m feeling somewhat beat since the adrenaline rush...”

  “Hey, it’s ok. I’m ready to head home too. I have more studying I want to d
o tonight.” And she did. Kerry was bound and determined to take her licensing exam once, and only once, and then get on with setting up her practice. Other than the few conversations with Jesse about ideas for the clinic she would eventually set up, she had made no plans. Of course, she had taken a business class in school and had lists of essentials she would need, preferably used in order to keep within her currently non-existent budget.

  It was dark, and the sky was moody with clouds partially covering the otherwise bright moon. Kerry walked around to the driver's side with Jesse so she could rub thighs with him in the pickup as they made their way to her house. Before she got in, she turned to face him, wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him close. She planted a warm, luscious kiss on his lips and closed her eyes to take in all the excitement of the night. This man. This poet. He was hers and she loved him.

  “Hey sweet thing, what was that for?” Jesse knew she didn’t need an excuse to kiss him, but this was a very enthusiastic kiss indeed, more than just sweet.

  “You continue to amaze me, Mr. Davies. I am so proud of you and am so grateful you are not hiding all that talent you have. Thank you for helping my pops out. He respects you a great deal.”

  She doesn’t know the half of it, Jesse thought to himself. “Scooch your cute little self in there.”

  He gently guided her in the shifter's direction. There were people waiting, and he didn’t want to lose momentum.

  As they drove to the edge of town, Jesse took one turn before the turnoff to Kerry’s ranch.

  “Hey there, where are you going?” She looked up at Jesse and nudged him, just to be certain he was awake. He twitched when she poked him in the ribs. Kerry knew this country like the back of her hand and she knew he did too. Why would he make a wrong turn?

  “I was working over there on the McHenry place and I think I might’ve left the lights on. I just need to run by and check.” The McHenry place was between their parents’ ranches. The Davies owned most of the surrounding land, but for the longest time the McHenry family would not sell the old cabin even though it had been abandoned decades before.

  “Really? What’s going on at the McHenry place?” Kerry was curious. Her parents hadn’t said a thing about it and she hadn’t been by there for years.

  “Ah, just a local fella puttin’ up a building I’m helping him with.”

  Kerry thought it was pretty strange. Jesse knew she would know whoever this ‘local fella’ was, but she didn’t want to push it. He seemed distracted, and it had been such a good night. Why rain on his parade?

  When they pulled into the yard of the old cabin, the fields around were pitch black but there was indeed a building there with its lights on.

  “Grab that flashlight in the glove box. Let’s go get them lights.” Kerry reached into the glove box and found the flashlight. It didn’t work. Jesse had disabled it earlier in the day. He didn’t want her shining it around the dark field to discover there were about thirty cars parked out there behind the dilapidated cabin. He took her by the hand and pulled her along. When he got to the door, he patted his jeans to make sure his surprise was still stowed safely away.

  “Wow, this is an interesting place out here. What’s he going to do with it?” Kerry could see the outline of the building with the light shining through the windows. Jesse opened the door and Kerry jumped back as the group of familiar faces yelled, “Surprise!”

  A sign was strung across the open space with a bold statement: “Congratulations Dr. Kerry!”

  “What’s all this?” Kerry was stunned. She waved to her mom and dad who stood amongst the community supporters in the crowd. Jesse’s folks and brother Steve was there too.

  “This, Kerry, is your new clinic.” Jesse waved his hand around the room as the group looked on. He knew there was some risk in not including her in the decision about the location, but all things considered, it was convenient and best of all, paid for.

  She looked around and tears rolled down her face. Kerry looked to Jesse, and he enfolded her in his embrace. She buried her face in his ribs.

  “And, there’s more.” Jesse looked to Kerry’s parents. Her mother smiled and nodded. Her father still hadn’t caught on. He slipped the small box from his jeans pocket and slid down to one knee. “Dr. Kerry Braun, vet of all things wild and keeper of my heart...” He paused to make sure she was paying attention. This was a lot of excitement in one night. “Will you marry me?”

  With crocodile tears flowing down her face making rivers of dark mascara, she threw herself to him, nearly knocking him off his bended knee and shouted, “Yes, yes I will marry you!”

  The video later went viral. Only then did she realize what a hot mess she was. Mrs. Braun, who was in on Jesse’s plans, orchestrated the waving of a new banner that read ‘Congratulations to the future Mr. and Dr. Davies’. Corks popped as plastic glasses and champagne were passed around. Mrs. Braun had prepared little desserts that were also making their way around the room. Someone ran to their car to get a blue tooth speaker, and the place filled with country music and chatter.

  Kerry and Jesse, with friends in tow, wandered through the building. Kerry pointed out what would go in each room until she came to a room they hadn’t previously discussed while dreaming about the clinic and drawing it out.

  “Hey Jesse, this wasn’t on the plans. What’s this room?”

  Jesse smiled and shuffled his feet self-consciously. “You’ll have to have someplace to put up a playpen eventually, won’t you? This is the back-office, nursing, childcare suite. Hope you like it.”

  “You think of everything!” Kerry was thrilled with this addition.

  It had been a wonderful night. Friends and family congratulated the couple and thanked them for letting them be part of the night’s fun. There was so much support in this community and the couple was immensely grateful. After everyone had gone and they were picking up the last of the party trash, Kerry smiled and shook her head.

  “What’s going on in your pretty head Dr. Braun, future Mrs. Dr. Davies?”

  “You know I can’t plan a wedding right now, right?”

  “Yes, I know, and I’ve got some thoughts on that too.” Jesse took her in his arms to soothe her angst. “We will save that for another day.”

  Epilogue

  Steve

  Steve watched from his place beside his little brother. They stood at a temporary altar on the edge of the Badlands in their full glory at sunset, with colorful drama building in the sky as the sun cast orange shadows across the carved hills in the background. Kerry walked up the dirt path toward Jesse, on the arm of her father. With each step of her cowgirl boots, a small cloud of Badlands clay dust formed a cloud at the hem of her satin wedding dress. He sniffed and looked at his own boots, willing the tears at the corner of his eyes to disappear.

  It seemed like only yesterday he took a similar sacred walk to exchange vows with his late wife. Steve remembered it as a day of magic, fun and pure love. Vikki and Yvette planned every tiny detail, from the gowns and suits to the sunflowers and daisies woven in the flower girl’s hair. A tear escaped onto the toe of his boot. Steve wiped the lingering evidence from the corner of his eye and looked at Jesse. It seemed like only yesterday they were fighting over childish things. Today was a magical day for a wedding.

  As the reception wound down, Steve took inventory of his family. Yvette and Dan danced to the final slow song, her shoes dangling over his shoulder, their faces gently pressed together. Chance had slipped into the house with his date and Stella was in the kitchen, helping the caterers and drinking wine. The bride and groom were saying farewell to parting guests.

  Jesse and Kerry had a bright future ahead of them. Steve imagined they would have a family one day, when her veterinary practice was more established. Jesse would be a wonderful father. The kind of father Steve longed to be. Steve always saw himself as a family man; a dream shattered by illness and loss. He silently prayed for a second chance to find love and have a family.


  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to Linda Zeppa, mentor, intuitive, coach, and editor extraordinaire.

  About the Author

  Kim Smart was raised on the edge of the Badlands in western South Dakota, but grew up in Alaska after landing there as a young nurse. Two decades later, she moved to San Diego to attend law school. After graduating, she returned to Alaska to again work in health care, this time at the intersection with law and public service.

  Kim has always had a diverse love for writing and reading, enjoying romance, women’s literature, historical fiction, poetry, and stories of people living authentic lives. Following a lifelong dream, Kim has turned to writing. She currently writes romance, women’s literature, and historical fiction, along with nonfiction articles for various publications.

  When not writing or traveling, Kim enjoys time with her parents and extended family, hiking and creating in the kitchen. She presently lives in Arizona, or wherever the wind blows her as she visits her children, grandchildren, and other interesting parts of our world. She has much to write about and many stories to tell!

  Join Kim at https://kimsmartauthor to receive notice of new releases and exclusive reader giveaways.

  Also by Kim Smart

  BUFFALO RIDGE RANCH SERIES

  Two for Love - Book 2 (Coming Spring 2020)

  Steve Davies lived his life in the shadow of his late wife’s dreams. To emerge from his grief, he must take a chance. Hoping to expand the dreams they had together, he starts a dude ranch. In the process, he hires a cook - a city girl who brings along her son.