Monica and the Crushworthy Cowboy

by Diana G. Gallagher

  Chloe and I relaxed.

  “Can we order room service?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Logan said. “You can watch movies or go to the pool. The hotel also has a game room and gift shop.”

  “Awesome!” Chloe said. She grinned.

  “Just don’t go anywhere alone,” Logan said. “Stay together.”

  Chloe and I promised.

  Then we fell asleep listening to music on our MP3 players. We woke up when Logan drove over a large bridge. The grooved road rattled the tires.

  “Almost there,” Logan said.

  The highway followed the river. Then it curved around the tall buildings in the center of the city.

  “Welcome to the big city, girls,” Logan said.

  “Kansas City isn’t as big as New York City,” Chloe said. “We went there on vacation last year.”

  “Did you stay in a fancy hotel?” I asked.

  Chloe shrugged. “It wasn’t that fancy,” she said. “But it was cool.”

  “Here we are,” Logan announced as he pulled into a circular driveway. “The Royal Hotel.”

  “Fantastic!” Chloe said. She grinned.

  I tried not to look too impressed when a valet opened the car door. A bellman loaded our bags onto a cart. Then the valet drove the car away to park it.

  The lobby looked like the elegant hotels I saw on TV. A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling. Groups of sofas, chairs, and tables were placed here and there. Palm trees, ferns, and flowers grew in large pots and planters. An adorable café was set up by the huge front windows.

  “Can we eat lunch there?” I asked. The café would be more fun than room service.

  “You and Chloe can,” Logan said. “Right after we check in. I have to get to the trade show, but you can charge lunch to our room.”

  Our room was on the twenty-first floor. The express elevator went so fast it made my stomach feel like I was on a rollercoaster.

  “Wow!” I exclaimed when we walked into our room. It wasn’t just a room. It was a suite with two bedrooms and a sitting room.

  “This is way better than the hotel in New York,” Chloe said.

  “Pick a room,” Logan said.

  Chloe and I couldn’t control our excitement any longer. We shrieked, ran into a bedroom, and flopped on the beds.

  “No jumping on the beds!” Logan yelled.

  “You never let us have any fun!” I teased.

  We all laughed.

  Chapter Five

  Pool

  Party

  Chloe and I unpacked quickly. It wasn’t hard. There was lots of room in the closet and dresser. We had our own bathroom, too. Chloe put her stuff on one side of the sink. I used the other.

  We took the express elevator back downstairs for lunch. It made my stomach feel weird again. But I was definitely hungry by the time we got to the café.

  Our table was outside, on the stone patio. Chloe and I sipped water out of heavy goblets. We pretended to be fancy ladies at lunch. And I felt very important when I told the waiter to charge the meal to our room.

  Once we were done eating, Chloe said, “Is it time to hit the pool?”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “Let’s go!”

  We headed up to our room to change. Then we went back down the elevator to the pool.

  The outdoor pool was on the third floor. Large glass doors opened up onto a patio. We picked two lounge chairs near the hot tub and spread our big fluffy towels out in the sun.

  “Do you want a soda?” Chloe asked.

  “I’d love one,” I said. I gave Chloe money for the vending machine. Then I leaned back and closed my eyes.

  No one else was at the pool. It was so quiet and warm, and I was so tired, that I dozed off.

  “Are you asleep?” Chloe asked when she came back.

  I sat up with a start. “Oh! Um, yeah. I guess I fell asleep. Did I miss something?” I asked.

  “Almost,” Chloe said. She handed me a soda and sat down. “We’ve got company.”

  I looked up. Three guys around our age, or maybe a little older, were in the pool. A girl was sitting on the edge, dangling her feet in the water. She smiled when she caught us staring.

  “Come on in!” one of the boys yelled and waved at us. “The water’s warm!”

  Chloe and I looked at each other. She shrugged. “We might as well,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said. We got up and headed over to the pool.

  We sat down by the girl, and the boys swam over.

  “I’m Jillian Wheeler,” the girl said. “This is my brother, Jon.” She gently shoved the shortest guy with her foot. “He’s thirteen and totally obnoxious.”

  “She’s fourteen, and she’s just mad because she’s not an only child,” Jon said. He looked at me and smiled. “I’m only a little obnoxious.”

  I grinned. “I’m Monica Murray,” I told them, “and this is Chloe Granger.”

  “Hi,” Chloe said.

  “Cory Slade,” said the cute, tall blond boy. He shook hands with Chloe. “I hope you don’t think I’m obnoxious.”

  “Hmm. It’s too soon to tell,” Chloe said. She winked. Then she slipped into the pool.

  “Who wants to play Marco Polo?” the third boy asked. He seemed older than the other two. He grabbed Jillian’s leg and pulled her into the water. Then he looked at me.

  “I’m Bobby,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’ll get you for that, Bobby!” Jillian said, coming up for air. She laughed and splashed him.

  Then everyone looked at me. I was the only one who wasn’t wet!

  “Come on in, Monica!” Chloe said.

  I jumped in.

  “You’re it, Jon!” Jillian yelled.

  Jon didn’t argue. He closed his eyes and started counting to ten. Everyone scattered.

  “Marco!” Jon yelled.

  “Polo!” we all yelled back.

  Jon hesitated, then called out again. “Marco!”

  The third time, he turned right toward me! I tried to keep out of his way, but he started swimming right for me.

  “Gotcha, Monica!” Jon said. He grinned when he tagged me. “You’re it.”

  I tagged Bobby when he tried to sneak up behind me.

  Bobby went after Jillian right away. It was obvious that they liked each other.

  When we got out of the water, Cory helped Chloe bring our towels and drinks to their table. Jon brought two more chairs over to the table, one for him and one for me.

  I didn’t mind the attention. Jon wasn’t quite as cute as Rory, but he was nice. And cute enough.

  “So, Monica. Are you here for the rodeo?” Jon asked me.

  “My stepdad is here for a trade show,” I said. “Chloe and I came along for the ride. We have tickets for the rodeo tomorrow night.”

  “Are you guys going?” Chloe asked.

  “We have to be there,” Bobby said. “We’re all competing tomorrow and Sunday.”

  “Wow!” I exclaimed. “That’s fantastic!”

  “You must be really good,” Chloe said.

  “We have great trainers,” Cory explained. “Ty and Joann. They’re Jillian and Jon’s mom and dad.”

  “Also, we practice a lot,” Jillian said. “My parents gave us the afternoon off to relax.”

  “I’m impressed,” I said.

  “Good,” Jon said. “Maybe you’ll bring me luck.”

  “Bobby wrestles steers,” Jillian said.

  “
It’s called bulldogging,” Bobby said.

  “What do you do, Cory?” Chloe asked.

  “Calf roping,” Cory answered. “Jillian is a barrel racer.”

  “I’ve never had the guts to try that,” Chloe said. “It looks like the horse might fall over.”

  That’s how it looked to me, too. In barrel racing, the horse ran a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels. It leaned in as it turned to save time. The fastest horse was the winner.

  “I’m not the bravest rider. I’ve never had the guts to try jumping a fence that’s as tall as my horse!” Jillian exclaimed.

  “I’ve never jumped that high,” I said.

  “Me either. But I’d like to someday,” Chloe said.

  “You guys ride?” Jon asked.

  I nodded. “We ride jumpers and hunters,” I explained. “Not really the same thing.”

  “That’s cool,” Jon said.

  “That’s really cool,” Jillian said. “So you guys totally get it.”

  Chloe and I looked at each other and smiled. “I guess we do,” she said.

  “I want to win a champion belt buckle,” Cory said. “Jon’s dad has four.”

  “That is so cool!” I exclaimed. “Was your mom a rodeo rider too, Jillian?”

  “She was a trick rider,” Jillian said. “Now she helps Dad with our training.”

  “But they don’t push us to win, or anything,” Jon quickly added. “They told us that we have to do this for ourselves, not for them.”

  “They push me!” Cory joked.

  “That’s because you’re good and want to break records,” Bobby said. “I ride for fun.”

  “Hey, we’re having dinner in the hotel café tonight,” Jillian said. “Maybe you two can come too. And your stepdad, of course.”

  Chloe looked at me and nodded. She wanted to go.

  “What time?” I asked. I just hoped Logan hadn’t made other plans.

  Chapter Six

  Bad

  Dad

  I wasn’t positive Jon liked me until we got to the café. He saved me a seat. Cory saved one for Chloe. I was pretty sure the big smiles they gave us were clues that they saw us as more than just new friends.

  The Wheelers were very nice. Logan liked them right away.

  “Just call us Ty and Joann,” Jon’s father said. “You too, kids. Mr. Wheeler sounds like an old man, even if I am.”

  “You’re not that old,” Joann said.

  “I am for a rodeo rider,” Ty said.

  “I hear you were a champion,” Logan said.

  “Four times All Round Cowboy,” Bobby said.

  Jon beamed with pride. “Dad roped calves and rode bulls and broncs bareback,” he said.

  “Joann was a trick rider,” I said.

  “That sounds exciting,” Logan said. But he didn’t seem all that excited. I was starting to feel nervous. Luckily, just then a waiter walked over to take our order.

  “What business are you in, Logan?” Joann asked once we’d all ordered.

  “I’m in electrical installation and repair,” Logan told her.

  “What do you do at a trade show?” Jon asked.

  “Oh, mostly look at new products and try to get low prices,” Logan answered. “It’s mostly to meet people and network.”

  I knew that the trade show was a bigger deal than that! Logan was the manager at Granite Electric. He had to make sure the company used good materials, and he had to keep costs down.

  But before I could brag about my stepfather, Jillian asked him, “Do you ride?”

  “Horses?” Logan asked. He shook his head. “No. Watching Monica ride is close enough for me.”

  Logan didn’t like horses. He and my mom paid for my lessons because they knew it was important to me. He didn’t know much about horse stuff, and that was mostly what we talked about at dinner.

  He acted like he was interested, but I knew Logan. He was just being polite.

  “We’re going to see Raven’s Revenge after dinner,” Jillian said. “Can Monica and Chloe go with us?”

  Chloe and I looked at Logan. Logan hesitated.

  “Can we?” I asked.

  “Everyone I know wants to see that movie,” Chloe said.

  “I’ve been waiting since Raven’s Rise came out two years ago,” Jon said.

  “The theater’s on the next block,” Joann said. “Our kids go to the movies alone all the time.”

  “We trust them,” Ty added. “If they get into trouble, they know they won’t go again.”

  I knew Logan wasn’t comfortable letting Chloe and me go out alone. But he also knew that we’d be totally embarrassed if he said no. I hoped that would make a difference.

  “Please?” I said.

  Logan sighed. “Okay, you can go,” he said. “I have to organize my notes before my meetings tomorrow.”

  I was so surprised and so happy I hugged him.

  An hour later, I wanted to kill Logan.

  Jillian, Bobby, Chloe, Cory, Jon, and I were sitting in a row at the theater. Chloe sat between Cory and me. Jon was on my other side.

  About halfway through the movie, Chloe went to get more popcorn. When she came back, she leaned over and whispered, “Logan’s here.”

  “What?” I whispered back. “What are you talking about?”

  Chloe pointed toward the back of the theater. “He’s here,” she repeated. “He’s sitting two rows behind us.”

  Chapter Seven

  Scared

  of What?

  We stopped to look at posters after the movie, and everyone saw Logan leaving the theater. It was pretty obvious that I was embarrassed, but nobody said a word. I couldn’t believe he’d followed us.

  When we got back to the hotel, Logan was talking to Ty and Joann in the lobby.

  “If Jillian was out with strange kids, I would have followed her, too,” Ty said.

  “You were just being a responsible parent,” Joann said. “I’m sure Monica understands.” She looked at me. “Right, Monica?”

  I did understand, but that didn’t change how I felt. I resented being treated like a baby.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I get it.”

  “I’m sorry, Monica,” Logan said. “But I had to make sure you were safe.”

  “Yeah. I know,” I said.

  “Are you busy tomorrow?” Cory asked Chloe.

  “We’re going to the Plaza,” Chloe said.

  “When?” Jon asked.

  “That depends on how long I’ll be at the trade show,” Logan said. “I might be tied up all day.”

  “The girls could go to the rodeo with us,” Joann said. “Jillian rides in the morning.”

  “That would be great!” Jillian exclaimed. “Then you’ll see what rodeo is like first hand.”

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  “That would be amazing!” Chloe whispered.

  “We can always use extra help,” Ty said.

  “We’ll be with them all day,” Joann added.

  Logan frowned, like he had to think hard to decide. Then he grinned. “They’re all yours,” he said.

  “Breakfast in the café at seven on the dot,” Joann told us.

  Ty gave Logan a barn pass so he could find us after the trade show. Then we headed upstairs.

  “Want to watch a movie with us?” I asked Logan as we rode up in the elevator. I wanted him to know I wasn’t mad anymore.

  “I wish I could,” Logan said. “But I went to the movie instead of doing my work.
So I can’t.”

  “Oh. Okay,” I said.

  When we got to our suite, Chloe and I went into our bedroom and closed the door.

  “Now we know why Rory warned you to watch out for cowboys,” Chloe said, smiling.

  “Cory and Jon are so nice,” I said.

  “Exactly.” Chloe grinned again. “And adorable.”

  “And talented,” I added.

  “And they really like us,” Chloe said.

  “Maybe,” I said, frowning. “I can’t tell. I kind of thought the movie would be more like a date. But it wasn’t.”

  “Yeah, Cory didn’t even put his arm around me,” Chloe said. “Did you want Jon to?”

  “No!” I exclaimed. “I would have pulled away if he put his arm around me.”

  “Why?” Chloe asked.

  I shrugged. But Chloe didn’t give up. “It’s because you like Rory, and you just don’t want to admit it. Right?” she asked.

  “Is there something wrong with me?” I asked, flopping onto my bed.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Why didn’t Jon want to hold hands or kiss me or anything?”

  “Logan was there,” Chloe said.

  “Jon didn’t know that until we left,” I reminded her.

  “Maybe Cory and Jon are just scared,” she said.

  I laughed. “Of what?” I asked.

  “Girls,” Chloe said. “Cory freaked out when our knees touched!”

  Chapter Eight

  Racer, Rider,

  Runaway

  Getting ready for a rodeo was just like getting ready for a horse show. Chloe and I helped. All morning, we filled water buckets, polished saddles, and brushed horses.

  Barrel racing was the first event. When it was time, Ty, Joann, and Bobby walked Jillian to the staging area.

  Cory and Jon took Chloe and me to the huge indoor arena. We sat in the exhibitor seats, and the boys explained barrel racing again.

  “The fastest horse wins,” Jon told us.

  “But you can’t knock down a barrel or mess up the pattern,” Cory added.