A Cowgirl at Heart

by Christine Lynxwiler

  Andrew flipped the football up to Luke then pushed to his feet and offered a blushing Elyse his hand. “And you accused me of being corny.”

  She flashed him an apologetic smile as she took his hand. “How do you think I recognize it?”

  “Hey, hey, no fraternizing with the enemy,” Chance said and playfully tugged Elyse back over to their side.

  As Andrew lined up again for the hike, he thought about Chance’s words. Heaven forbid that Elyse really consider him an enemy. But if she found out about his past, she most likely would. Every time he felt as if he had to tell her, that thought stopped him.

  “Stone! We’re playing a ball game. How about you?” Luke yelled from down the field.

  Andrew looked up and realized he’d missed the play entirely. “Sorry.”

  “Oh man, he’s got it bad,” he heard Chance mutter. He saw Jonathan and Lynda McCord exchange an amused look. This time it was Andrew’s face that flamed.

  ***

  After supper Elyse walked over to her house to put the dogs in their playroom. Her mama loved her “granddogs,” but since she’d been raised to believe that dogs were outside pets, she couldn’t quite get used to the pandemonium of three big dogs and one small yappy one in the house, even if they were well behaved. Out of respect, Elyse usually put them up when her mama came to visit.

  She’d barely let them back in from outside and closed them in the playroom with lots of toys and plenty of food and water when Victoria called.

  “Hey, happy Thanksgiving.”

  “I’m sorry for interrupting family time, but I wanted you to know: Adam and I are getting married.”

  Elyse sat down. “Really?”

  Victoria laughed. “Thank you so much. When I told him how I felt, he went with me to tell Allie.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said, ‘Finally!’”

  Elyse laughed. “Vic, I’m so happy for you. When’s the wedding?”

  “January, I think. Maybe early February. I’ll let you know.”

  “Congratulations.” The doorbell rang.

  “Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

  Elyse said good-bye and went to let Kaleigh and Bree in. “Welcome to the party.”

  “Are you kidding?” Kaleigh held up a box with some streamers hanging out. On top of it perched a gift bag with wedding bells on it. “We brought the party.”

  “Mama is delaying Crys for a few minutes,” Bree said. “I brought her gift, along with mine.”

  Elyse took the three gift bags and turned away to hide her smile, leading the way down the hall. At Aaron’s urging, Bree had recently decided to call her in-laws Mama and Daddy. Bree had confided in Elyse back in the summer that she felt a little awkward doing it, but she’d do anything for Aaron.

  Since meeting Andrew, Elyse could totally relate to that sentiment. Her smile disappeared. Where had that thought come from? “So Kaleigh, how’s the wedding date quest coming?”

  Kaleigh shrugged. “I’ve got a bite. We’ll see if I can reel him in.”

  Bree raised an elegant eyebrow. “That sounds fascinating. What is this about?”

  While Kaleigh filled her in on Operation New Me, they hung the banner and streamers in Elyse’s living room.

  When Kaleigh finished, a frown flitted across Bree’s face. “Since Aaron insisted we couldn’t have the Internet in the house with the boys, I’m missing all the fun stuff here. We’ve got to figure out a better way to stay in touch.”

  Elyse gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Aaron and Bree made a lot of sacrifices to be houseparents at an inner-city Chicago home for boys. They were true missionaries, as far as she was concerned.

  A knock sounded on the front door, followed by the doorbell. Mama had remembered their agreed upon sign.

  “Shh ... they’re here,” Kaleigh hissed.

  “Ya think?” Bree teased.

  “Go let them in,” Kaleigh whispered to Elyse. “Bree and I will stay in here to yell ‘Surprise!’”

  Elyse followed her little sister’s orders and hurried to the door. Her mama and Crystal stood on the doorstep.

  “It’s about time y’all got here,” Elyse said, winking at her mother over Crystal’s shoulder. “Kaleigh and Bree are in the living room.”

  “It was my fault,” Mama said and hurried on down the hall to the living room.

  “She had to have my help getting the lint out of the dryer,” Crystal murmured, her face puzzled. “I tried to tell her we’d do it later, but she insisted.”

  Elyse shrugged, fighting a blush. “Look at it this way: thanks to you, there’s less chance of fire tonight.” She went ahead of Crystal into the living room then turned and joined the others in yelling, “Surprise!”

  Crystal’s blue eyes widened, and she put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my goodness! I can’t believe y’all did this.”

  “It’s just a McCord girls thing,” Kaleigh said. “Hope that’s okay.”

  Crystal’s smile was tremulous. “It’s perfect.” She hugged her mother then Kaleigh, Bree, and Elyse, in turn.

  “I’m glad you and Jeremy made up,” Elyse whispered as they hugged. “Otherwise tonight could have been really awkward.”

  Crystal laughed and let Kaleigh tug her over to the couch. “Presents first.”

  “Really?” Crystal grinned. “This is my kind of shower. Usually there are games and food first.”

  “Both of those come later,” Elyse assured her. Kaleigh had a definite idea of how things should be done.

  Crystal exclaimed over each gift, from Kaleigh’s sassy terrycloth robe with “Just Married” written on the back of it to the long, flowing white gown and beautiful royal blue one from Mama and Elyse. They all giggled at Bree’s gift, a tiny red negligee. “From one newlywed to another,” Kaleigh noted wryly. “Mama would have had a heart attack if you or I had gotten her that,” she said in an aside to Elyse.

  “Hey, I’m not primed for a heart attack just yet,” Mama protested.

  “And I’m not a newlywed.” Bree put her hands on her tiny hips, faking disgruntlement. “I’ve been married more than a year.”

  Elyse stood. “Then you should both do great with the game we’re going to play.”

  “Game?” Crystal moaned. “I’m awful at games.”

  “Whoever wins gets chocolate.”

  Crystal let out a sigh. “Okay. I’ll play.”

  For the next several minutes, the five of them went around the room, each one naming a song with the word marry, married, or wedding in the title. Finally, they’d exhausted their repertoire and it was Kaleigh’s turn.

  “First comes love then comes marriage,” she shouted.

  “What song is that?” Crystal asked.

  “You know: Crystal and Jeremy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes mar—”

  They all started laughing. “That’s not a song,” Bree choked out.

  “Yes, it is.” Kaleigh was indignant, even though Elyse could see a smile teasing her lips. “I was just singing it.”

  Elyse grinned. No matter how much Kaleigh might want to conform, she marched to the beat of a different drummer.

  “Chocolate all around,” Mama said.

  “I was robbed,” Kaleigh grumbled good-naturedly as Elyse passed out Dove Chocolate Promises.

  “I’m so happy.” Crystal’s face was beaming. She looked at Kaleigh. “Not about you being robbed. But about marrying Jeremy. I can’t wait.”

  Elyse smiled. “It’s wonderful to see you so happy.” They’d all been through a lot when Cami died, but as her twin, Crystal had been especially devastated.

  “I wish Cami were here,” Crystal said, almost as if reading Elyse’s mind.

  “We all do.” Mama reached over and patted her hand.

  Kaleigh handed Crystal the last piece of dark chocolate. Her green eyes glittered with unshed tears. “Life is really weird sometimes.”

  Elyse thought about her childhood, then about meetin
g Andrew and all the things that had happened since. “But God gives us what we need to handle it, I guess.”

  “That’s what Aaron always says.” Bree brushed away a tear of her own.

  Kaleigh rolled her eyes. “Then it must be true. Because we all know Aaron’s perfect.” Her grin took the sting out of her words. “I hope someday I love a man as much as you love Aaron.”

  “It’ll hit you like a ton of bricks when you least expect it,” Crystal said.

  Mama smiled. “Yes, that’s how it was with me and your daddy.”

  Elyse remained quiet as she remembered her earlier realization after dinner. She’d met her ton of bricks. But would she survive?

  CHAPTER 29

  Kaleigh smoothed her hair and glanced down at her black pants and matching blazer. If she weren’t already late, she would stop by the restroom and put on more lipstick. No, better to forget the lipstick.

  She pushed open the door to the Underground and scanned the darkened room. Carlton and a couple of his friends were at their normal places near the front, and she wended her way through the scattered tables and touched his shoulder.

  Carlton turned and smiled up at her. “I was afraid you weren’t going to show.” He pulled out the chair beside him and patted it.

  When the waitress came by and it was her turn to order, Kaleigh hesitated. Operation New Me. Even though she would normally order a caramel mocha latte, she forced out the words, “Black coffee.” Her sacrifice was rewarded a minute later when the subject of Crystal’s wedding came up and Carlton said it might be fun to go with her. Unfortunately, the poet stood before Kaleigh could answer.

  Kaleigh leaned back in her chair, prepared to be bored. This morning the poetry reading was by Nicole Broome, a girl dressed casually in blue jeans and a red sweater. A contrast to the usual look and an unfamiliar face. To Kaleigh at least.

  Nicole began reading, and Kaleigh straightened in her chair. Her eyes widened. The words seemed to speak directly to her.

  The poem ended and the lights came on. Kaleigh blinked as the sudden brightness pulled her back to the present. “Wow.” She breathed. “That poem was awesome.”

  “You must be kidding.” Carlton narrowed his eyes. “I thought it was drivel. And who was that girl anyway?” He glanced around the table. “I’ve never seen her here before.”

  “Should we go and introduce ourselves?” Kaleigh looked over at the crowd surrounding the poet. “I think I’d like to meet her.” And interview her for the school paper, although she hated to admit it, since Carlton obviously hadn’t been impressed.

  Carlton shook his head dismissively. “Maybe another time.” He pushed his chair back and stood, offering a hand to her. “You working this afternoon?”

  Kaleigh nodded.

  “Well, I need to get to the library. Call me sometime and we’ll get together.” Carlton gave her a one-armed hug. “Maybe tomorrow?”

  She nodded and watched as he headed toward the door, responding to friendly greetings from his fellow students. After she made sure the door closed behind him, she worked her way through the clusters of people surrounding the poet.

  “Hi, I’m Kaleigh.” She stuck out her hand. “And I loved that poem.”

  Ten minutes later Kaleigh had arranged to interview Nicole for a profile piece in The Bison. In only a few minutes of conversation, Kaleigh recognized a kindred spirit.

  Heading toward the door, she glanced at her cell phone. Yikes. She should have left fifteen minutes ago. No time to change if she was going to make it on time to meet Chance for their afternoon fishing tour. She hurried to the dock to meet her brother.

  Kaleigh was thankful for her haphazard car-cleaning skills when she fished out a pair of tennis shoes from the floorboard behind her car seat. She had neglected to put them away after her last hike. Pulling off her heels, she quickly laced up the more suitable shoes. She snagged a hoodie from the trunk before she rushed down to the landing where Chance was waiting with two flat-bottom trout fishing boats. And four impatient clients.

  Kaleigh walked past a group of local fishing guides, friendly competitors, and a wolf whistle split the silence. Followed quickly by two more.

  She glanced around to see who they were whistling at, and her face reddened as she realized she was the object of their attention. She stopped and put her hands on her hips. “I know you didn’t.”

  “Kaleigh?” Jared Tolliver, one of the guides from Tolliver’s Fishing Service, shot her an abashed grin. “Sorry, girl. Didn’t recognize you.”

  She shook her head. “Better not happen again.” She waved over her shoulder. “Bye. Good luck this afternoon.”

  Chance frowned at her and looked pointedly at his waterproof watch. He handed out life jackets to the four men. Two of them were outfitted in camouflage fishing vests and caps with lures sticking out of them.

  Kaleigh hid a grin. Who was she to question the appropriateness of their clothing? She pulled off her jacket, put on her hoodie, and zipped it up over the silky sleeveless shirt. When her jacket was safely stowed in the small storage compartment, she climbed in and took her place at the back of the boat. Her two passengers settled themselves into their seats, and she pushed off the bank.

  Chance motored up beside her with the other two men.

  Kaleigh distributed the rods and reels, offered them their choice of corn, night crawlers, or power bait, and offered to bait their hooks with night crawlers, her preferred bait. They opted to do their own baiting and made it plain that they didn’t need her help.

  Wind in their faces, they headed toward Mossy Shoals, and she began her practiced spiel. “A world record brown trout was caught here in May 1992. It weighed forty pounds and four ounces.” She guided the boat through the shoals. “And either of you could catch one just like it today.”

  After a couple of hours, they caught up with Chance at the Cow Shoals catch-and-release area where she rigged their poles with barbless hooks. “Anything caught in this area must be released, but I figure you’ll catch your limit before we leave tonight.” She checked the live well to make sure they were still legal as Chance glided up beside her in his johnboat.

  “What happened to you?” he murmured, as quietly as he could.

  “I was with Carlton. And I didn’t have time to change.”

  “I don’t have time for you to change, either,” Chance snapped. “Into a different person, that is. This Operation New Me has got to stop.”

  Kaleigh glanced down at her black dress pants, looking ridiculous with her tennis shoes peeking out from beneath the hem. “Look, I want a date for Crystal’s wedding. And this morning, after I ordered a black coffee instead of my normal caramel latte, he basically agreed to go with me.”

  Chance rolled his eyes. “Whoop-de-do.”

  “You ordered black coffee when you really wanted a latte? Just so you could get a date to a wedding?” The words came from behind her. She turned around to face her accuser. One of the doctors. His straight hair, not quite as red as hers, wisped sideways around his handsome face, in a look more befitting a rock star or a poet than a doctor. As a rule, she avoided fellow redheads. And this buttinski wasn’t about to be the exception.

  “So what if I did?”

  He shrugged. “It just seems like being ourselves is the one thing we have that no one can take away from us. I don’t know why you’d give that up voluntarily.”

  A childish taunt she and her sisters used to say to their brothers popped into her mind. This is an ABC conversation, she wanted to say. It’s between A and B, and you need to C your way out of it. “Minding your own business is something else that you might not want to give up voluntarily.”

  He shifted in his seat. “You’re probably right.” He looked at her. “Nice fishing pants, by the way.”

  “Thank you,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Chance gave her a warning look and motored away from her.

  For the rest of the afternoon, she thought about what the doctor said. S
he didn’t want anyone to take away her right to be herself, so why was she giving it up willingly?

  ***

  The real thing beat those little tree-shaped air fresheners anytime, Elyse thought, as she bounced down the lane, the smell of fresh cedar surrounding her. Amazing how a particular scent could give her courage. Or make her temporarily lose her mind. She pulled up in front of Andrew’s camper and parked. As soon as she’d smelled the Christmas trees, she’d thought of Andrew and his camper. She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. Maybe she should just leave the four-foot-tall tree in the Jeep as permanent aromatherapy.