Cowboy Strong - Includes a bonus novella

by Carolyn Brown

  As soon as they were inside, several of the girls Alana had graduated with came over to make noises about her engagement ring. The lyrics from that old country song about always being sixteen in your hometown played through her mind as she held out her hand. No one among this group where she was the center of attention was a teenager anymore, but put them all together, and by damned if they really did act like they had in high school—all drama, flipping hair around and flirting. Most of them were married and had kids. A few were even on their second marriages, and at least two of them were past that and working on their third set of wedding plans. As far as Alana was concerned that last bunch was bat crap crazy. Thank God for the wedding planner her father had hired or she’d already be certifiably insane with all the preparations. Thinking about going through all the process three times was enough to give her a case of the hives.

  “I can’t believe that you’re really going to marry Paxton,” Melissa said. A short blonde who was thirty pounds heavier than when she’d been a high school cheerleader, she’d dressed in a skintight dress that barely reached her now chubby knees. She’d gotten a divorce from her second husband and kept scanning the room, as if she was looking for number three.

  She went on her tiptoes and cupped a hand around Alana’s ear. “But then I suppose you finally caught him with the oldest trick in the books.”

  “So when’s the baby due?” Danielle asked. She’d been one of the other cheerleaders in high school and was still so thin that even skinny jeans looked like they were hanging on a hoe handle. She’d had quite the reputation for sleeping only with guys on the basketball team, and had actually married the star player. They had two kids, and Frankie was now the owner of the local gas station/convenience store.

  “I’m not pregnant,” Alana said.

  “Sure, you’re not.” Danielle gave her a big wink. “If you weren’t, you’d have taken a year to plan the biggest wedding in the whole state of Texas. You can’t fool us, but we’ll play along.”

  “But only after you tell us when the baby is due,” Melissa giggled.

  “In about two years,” Alana whispered. “I’m really not pregnant.”

  “Bullshit!” Rachel Freeman, who’d been Alana’s nemesis in high school, pushed her way through the crowd. “I’ve had my eye on Paxton for three years and was about ready to close the deal. I even learned how to drive a tractor so I could impress him. The only way he would have chosen a big old horse of a woman like you over this”—she swept her hands down over her body—“is if you tricked him with pregnancy.”

  Rachel had been a thorn in Alana’s side since they’d been in junior high school. Alana’s dad had told her that the girl had a severe jealousy issue, and he was so right. His advice was for Alana to ignore the girl and eventually karma would catch up to her. But Rachel’s bullying had gone beyond jealousy. She’d told ugly tales about Alana, and then denied saying a word when confronted. She’d tried bronc riding and failed at that, then she’d raised a steer for the county fair and come in behind both Pax and Alana. The days of being able to ignore Rachel came to an end that very evening.

  “Like I said, I’m not pregnant.” Alana fought the urge to cross her fingers behind her back. “I don’t have to catch a man—or even three—that way.”

  The woman had recently divorced her third husband and had claimed that she was pregnant all three times, but then after the wedding, she suddenly “had a miscarriage.”

  Rachel’s hands knotted into fists. “What did you say to me?”

  “You heard me,” Alana said with a sweet smile on her face.

  Bridget, bless her heart, must’ve overheard or maybe read the expressions of the women around Alana, because she chose that moment to make her way through the maze to hand Alana a glass of what looked like wine. “Hello, all. I’m Bridget, Maverick Callahan’s wife. Alana is going to be my new sister-in-law in a few weeks. Pax tells me that he’s been in love with her since they were barely knee-high to a grasshopper, but it’s only been recently that she’d agree to go out with him. Have you seen her gorgeous ring?”

  “So you’re the Irish woman who had Maverick’s baby,” Rachel said. “I got to admit, y’all both”—her eyes shifted from Alana over to Bridget—“were smarter than we were.”

  “Come on, Rachel.” Melissa took her by the arm. “I see two empty barstools, and I do believe that Billy Ray is making eyes at you. Let’s go let him buy us a drink.”

  Rachel wobbled slightly on the three-inch spike-heeled shoes that she wore with her skintight designer jeans. “Poor old Billy Ray has been in love with me his whole life. Maybe I need a younger man in my life. I believe I’ll make him a happy man tonight.”

  “Sorry about that,” Danielle said. “Rachel never has been able to hold her liquor, and we all know that she’s been jealous of you for years.”

  “I wish I knew why,” Alana said.

  Danielle smiled. “Because she had her eyes set on Paxton all these years. She even flirted with him every chance she got when she was married.”

  “But Pax and I didn’t even start dating until this year,” Alana said.

  “You sure hid it well when you did.”

  “Poor Rachel,” Bridget said. “She was married three times, and all the time wanted to be with someone else. That must’ve been miserable.”

  “She’s definitely got some problems that would probably make a therapist pull out his hair.” Danielle lowered her voice. “I don’t think Rachel likes who she is, but we won’t let her ruin our night. I’m going to go get another glass of wine. Can I bring you something?”

  “We’re good,” Alana said.

  Danielle nodded. “Great seeing you, Alana, and meeting you, Bridget. I’ll see you both at the shower.”

  Bridget and Alana disappeared into the crowd. Bridget wiped her brow in mock fear and smiled up at Alana. “Thought for sure there we were goin’ to have to go all superhero on that woman.”

  “She gets worse when she’s drinkin’. Billy Ray may have to spend a lot of time on his knees.” Alana took a sip of her wine. “God Almighty, this is terrible.”

  “Maverick says all we get is nonalcoholic everything since the reunion is held in the cafeteria. No drinking on school property,” Bridget told her. “So Rachel is psychologically drunk or else she had her fair share before she got here. And why would Billy Ray have to do some praying, or were you referring to kinky sex?”

  “Nope, I was talkin’ about praying for sure.” Alana set the rest of her fake wine on a table. “His mama, Trudy, is super religious and would have an acute cardiac arrest if she found out he’d slept with Rachel Freeman. That girl has always had a horrible reputation, and lies flow out of her mouth like hot lava from a volcano.”

  Alana caught Pax staring at her and pointed at her glass of wine. He returned the greeting by holding up a can of root beer. Why? she mouthed.

  He shrugged and started her way. When he was close enough he set the can on a nearby table and opened up his arms for a dance. “School rules, even though most of us in this room are adults. I asked Billy Ray about why we couldn’t have real alcohol, and he said that the alumni committee is mainly made up of older people now. Except for him, none of the younger folks want to step up and be a part of it. But he also said there’s a keg in the back of his truck and plenty of red plastic cups right beside it. And that Bubba Joe has a private little bar set up in the old bullpen for anyone who wants to buy a real drink.”

  “Leave it to Billy Ray and Bubba Joe.” She walked into his arms and the two of them began a smooth two step to “Lost in this Moment” by Big & Rich.

  “Whoever was on the music committee got the songs right at least. Remember when this one came out?” Pax buried his face in her hair. “I’d pretend I was dancing with you around the kitchen floor with a mop.”

  “That’s sweet,” Alana said. “Did you really want to dance with me?”

  “Oh, honey,” he groaned.

  “No one can hear
us,” she told him. “You don’t have to pretend so well. And FYI, darlin’, Rachel still has hopes of hookin’ up with you when”—she did half a shrug—“when we get our divorce.”

  “No thanks,” Pax said. “What makes you say that, anyway?”

  “She was about to ask me outside for a catfight when Bridget came up with that awful wine. I’m going to get elected to the committee, and believe me, we’re going to have the next reunion somewhere other than the school, even if we have to put it on ourselves out in the sale barn,” she said. “This is ridiculous. We might as well have it in the church fellowship hall.”

  The song ended and “Don’t Blink” by Kenny Chesney began. Alana listened to the words and tears dammed up in her eyes. The song talked about a man over a hundred years old being interviewed. His advice was that you shouldn’t blink because time goes so fast. She couldn’t hold the tears back when the lyrics talked about the love of his life lying in the bed dying, and said to take every breath God gives for what it’s worth. She was sobbing when she heard the words saying that when the hourglass ran out of sand that she couldn’t flip it over and start it again. She was so glad that Pax was holding her and she could bury her face in his shoulder so everyone around them couldn’t see her crying.

  * * *

  “Don’t cry, darlin’.” Pax lifted her face and wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb. “I know exactly what you’re thinkin’. The time is going by so fast, but I’ll be with you until…”

  In that moment he wanted to say that he’d be with her until they were married fifty years like the song said, but he couldn’t promise that.

  “Until Daddy is gone and we get an annulment or a divorce?” she said.

  “Until you are ready to be on your own,” he said. “I’ll stay with you longer than the day after.” He stopped at that, but the week after, the month after, the year after, went through his mind.

  “Thank you.” She leaned back and locked gazes with him. “I might hold you to that. I’m going to need a friend to lean on when it happens.”

  He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. “You’ve got my word.”

  “Are you bored with this thing, yet?” she asked.

  “Never,” he replied. “Not when I’m dancing with the prettiest girl in the room. Besides, we’re Maverick and Bridget’s ride home, so we have to stay until the last dog is hung. They’re having a great time.”

  “Let’s slip outside, get a drink from Bubba Joe, and sit on the tailgate of your truck,” she said. “I can’t deal with all this drama right now, Pax.”

  “We’ll two-step over to the door, then sneak on out of here,” he said. “I’ll tell Maverick when we pass by him.”

  “At least we made an appearance,” she said but then started falling.

  He tried to grab her, but it was impossible to get a hold anywhere. She landed hard on her side, and then Rachel was on the floor right beside her. Pax figured they’d both slipped on root beer that was dripping from a table where a can had been turned over. He extended his hand toward Alana and helped her stand.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  Her tone and the pained expression on her face suggested that she was anything but fine. He turned to help Rachel, but Billy Ray was already at her side.

  “That bitch grabbed my high heel and dragged me down,” Rachel hissed.

  “Aww, come on, sweetheart. It was all an accident.” Billy Ray draped an arm around Rachel’s shoulders and led her out the door. “Let’s go find you a real beer. That’ll make it all better.”

  Bridget and Maverick made their way across the floor and stopped in front of Alana. “Are you all right?” Bridget asked. “That was a nasty fall.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Alana said, again. “I need to get out of here and get a breath of fresh air. Y’all go on and enjoy the evening. Pax and I are going to visit Bubba Joe’s bar out in the parking lot and buy a drink. Want me to send him back inside with something real for y’all?”

  “Maybe later,” Bridget said. “I can be the designated driver if y’all get more than one drink.”

  “Thanks.” Alana tucked her arm into Pax’s and leaned on him on the way out of the cafeteria.

  “Do we need to run over to the emergency room and get an X-ray of your side?” Pax asked when they were out in the hallway. “That sounded like a pretty solid crack. You might have fractured a rib.”

  “I had cracked ribs back when I was bronc riding. This is only going to be a bruise. I know the difference,” she told him. “It hurts like hell, but by damn Rachel is going to hurt too. I’ll teach her to trip me.”

  “What?” Pax stopped in his tracks.

  She pulled on his arm. “Let’s get out to the truck, and let me stretch out in the bed, then we’ll talk.”

  Pax scooped Alana up in his arms and carried her out to the truck. He set her on the ground, lowered the tailgate, and said, “Stand right here, darlin’, while I get a blanket out of my truck.”

  “Right now I don’t even care.” She held her arm and groaned. “I hope the bruise is gone by the day of the wedding, but at least I won’t be walking down the aisle with an arm in a cast.”

  Pax rushed to the backseat, grabbed an old patchwork quilt, and carried it to the pickup bed. He quickly spread it out, put his hands around her slim waist, and picked her up again. This time, he set her on the tailgate and motioned for her to slide on back. “Tell me what to do to help you, and I’ll do it.”

  “I can do it without help.” She managed a weak smile. “Thank you, though.”

  She scooted until her back was braced against the back of the cab. He did the same until he was right beside her. His heart threw in an extra beat when he gently pulled her to his side. “Now what’s this about Rachel tripping you?”

  “She was dancing with Billy Ray, and she snarled her nose at me, stuck out her foot, and kicked me in the shin about the same time I stepped in that spilled root beer. Then as I was falling, she gave me a shove with her elbow and called me a bitch. Man, she’s really got the hots for you,” Alana said.

  “For me?” Pax frowned. “What have I got to do with anything? Like I told you, I never did like that girl.”

  “Well, honey, she sure had a mind to marry you. She told us that she even learned to run a tractor to impress you,” Alana told him.

  “She’d have to do more than that to make me take notice,” Pax said. “You ready for a drink? Name your poison, and I’ll have Bubba Joe mix it up for you.”

  “Jack Daniel’s on the rocks, triple, please,” she answered. “And if you’ve got a couple of aspirin in the glove compartment, I’ll take those too.”

  “Yes, ma’am, to both,” Pax said. “Guess she got her comeuppance when she went down with you.”

  “I suppose she did.” Alana smiled. “Truth is that I grabbed her high heel and gave it a good solid twist. I was glad she didn’t fall right on top of me. Drunk as she is, she might have upchucked all over me, and I’d hate to have that in my hair.”

  Pax chuckled, then laughed out loud. “And all this because she’s mad at us?”

  “Yep, she thinks I tricked you into getting married by getting pregnant,” Alana confessed.

  “People sure like to meddle in other folks’ business, don’t they?” He swung himself out over the side of the truck bed. “Two triple shots of Jack coming right up,” he said.

  Of all the dumb luck, Billy Ray and Rachel were in line right in front of him. Rachel turned around and put both her hands on his chest.

  “I can’t believe you asked Alana to marry you.” Rachel slurred her words. “We could’ve been good together, and we’d have made such pretty babies.”

  “Billy Ray would make gorgeous babies with you. Just look at his big old blue eyes.” Pax grasped her hands in his and laid them on Billy Ray’s arms.

  Mama would kill me graveyard dead, Billy Ray mouthed over the top of Rachel’s head.

  “I don’t have an
y doubts about that,” Pax agreed. “But go for it anyway.”

  “Oh, Billy Ray, darlin’, why didn’t you speak up sooner? We’ve lost so much time. I don’t care that you’re younger than me. Age is numbers on paper,” Rachel finally caught up.

  Billy Ray narrowed his eyes at Pax. “Let’s talk about it when we’re both sober.”

  “You got it.” Rachel pointed a finger at Pax. “Too bad. So sad. I’m over you now. You can go on and marry Alana Carey. I don’t give a damn. I’ve got Billy Ray now, and he’s goin’ to be so good to me.”

  Billy Ray led her back to a line of folding chairs, helped get her seated, and then he returned to the line. “What in the hell is going on? I thought this would be a nice reunion, but it’s worse than all the other ones I’ve been to put together. We should’ve rented the Wild Cowboy for the evening like you said last year.”

  “Yep,” Pax said. “Good luck with Rachel.”

  “I hope to hell she doesn’t remember anything when she sobers up,” Billy Ray said. “Is Alana all right? Rachel told me that she tripped her on purpose.”

  “She’ll be sore for a few days, but it’ll wear off, and take my advice, old friend.” Pax laid a hand on Billy Ray’s shoulder. “Get Rachel back inside, hand her off to her friends, and make yourself scarce, or you might find yourself walking down the aisle. She’s lookin’ for a husband, not a one-night stand.”

  “I hear you,” Billy Ray said.

  What are you lookin’ for? His grandmother’s voice popped into his head, and he remembered that Mam was coming to the ranch. She’d arrive sometime tomorrow for the wedding shower, and she planned to stay until after the wedding.

  I’m lookin’ for what Bridget and Maverick have, he answered honestly.

  He waited for a few minutes, but Mam didn’t offer any advice, one way or the other. No doubt, though, when she was at the ranch, and they were face-to-face, she’d give him plenty of sass about everything.

  He finally reached the front of the line, got his drinks, and was carefully carrying them back to the truck when he realized that he hadn’t missed flirting. He’d always spent most of his time at the alumni reunions flirting with all the ladies—but he’d had eyes for only Alana that evening.