Cowboy Courage

by Carolyn Brown

  He’d barely made it out the door when her phone rang. She reached for it and accidentally knocked it across the floor. Chester grabbed it up in his mouth and carried it back to his igloo, and she had to fight him for it. She finally got a hold on it on the fifth ring, swearing the whole time that she was buying a case not made of soft plastic next time.

  “Hello,” she panted. “Please don’t tell me they’ve sold the last one.”

  “Why are you out of breath? And what did they sell the last one of?” Aunt Molly asked. “It sounds like you’ve been running. Girl, it’s not safe for a woman to be out jogging at this time of night.”

  “The phone fell, and Chester grabbed it and carried it to his igloo, and I had to battle him for it,” Rose explained. “I’m so glad you called. I’ve got a million things to tell you and to ask you about.”

  “Well, talk fast. Me and my friends are on a train. It’s three in the morning here, but I couldn’t sleep so I decided to call you,” Molly said.

  Rose told her about the fire, the rescue, and that Hud had brought Sally to the Rose Garden, and ended with, “What do you think?”

  “I hate to admit that Luna was right, but if I’d been there, I’d have handled things the same way she did. You’re doing just fine, Rose. What about you, honey? Have you had time to think about your future?” Molly asked.

  “Not yet,” Rose said. “I’m still weighing all my options. Last time I talked to Mama, she said she and Daddy would be elated if I came back to Kentucky to the commune, but that’s the last thing I’d ever want to do. I’ve gotten a job offer to be a translator for an oil company out of Fort Worth, but I’ve still got a while to make up my mind.”

  “You’ll make the right decision. You’ve always been stable like me, not flighty like the rest of the women in our family.” Molly ended the call after she said, “Good night, darlin’. Sweet dreams.”

  Hud tiptoed into the room with the big box in his hands, so evidently the store still had one of those portable beds in stock. He carefully opened the end and set it up right there in the living room floor. Chester came out and jumped inside it while Rose was gently picking up the sleeping baby from the floor.

  “Oh, no!” Hud picked up the big cat and set him on the sofa. “This is for baby, not for cat.”

  Rose laid Sally in the bed, put her pacifier in her mouth, and stretched out on the sofa. “You can have the recliner. I’ll trade spaces with you in four hours and you can get some real sleep. Just try not to snore.” She grinned.

  “I never snore,” he declared as he kicked off his boots, sat down, and threw the lever to raise the footrest. “And you can have the sofa all night. I’m fine right here. If she wakes up, what do I do?”

  “Make her a bottle and rock her back to sleep.” Rose tossed a throw his way. “You might need that.”

  “Thanks,” he said and shut his eyes.

  In minutes he was snoring. Not like her father, who made noises like a grizzly bear, but more like deep sighs. The sound wasn’t enough to keep her awake. Her thoughts did that for her. Finally, she got up and made her way out of the living room, and to the other side of the foyer, where the dining room and kitchen were located. She was surprised to find Aunt Luna sitting at the table with a deck of cards and a cup of steaming hot tea in front of her.

  “You couldn’t sleep either?” Rose asked as she got the milk from the refrigerator.

  “Nope.” Luna laid out the cards. “There’s going to be a death in the family.”

  “How can you know that?” Rose poured milk into a mug, added a couple of squirts of chocolate syrup, and put it in the microwave for thirty seconds.

  “The cards and tea leaves never lie to me,” she said. “Anytime I can’t sleep, I just get out my cards and make myself a cup of real tea, not that bagged stuff that tastes like paper and lint.”

  The microwave bell dinged. Rose removed her warm chocolate milk and carried it to the table. “I’m sure there will be a death in the family sometime in the future. We don’t all live forever.”

  “Don’t mock me.” Luna narrowed her eyes at Rose. “Last time I got this feeling, your Granny Dee died the next week. Too bad you’re not having tea; I’d read your leaves.”

  “I don’t want to know if I’m dying,” Rose told her as she sat down and took the first sip of her milk.

  “I don’t think the cards are sayin’ that you’re the one that’s only got a few days or weeks left.” Luna sighed. “But I’m real worried that it might be Molly. She has no business traipsing around the world at her age.”

  “I can’t believe you’re worried about Aunt Molly when you were out there on the road hitchhiking,” Rose said.

  “Truck drivers think I’m their granny or their mama. They’re not gonna hurt me,” she said. “Now stop sassin’ me, and I’ll lay out the cards to see what your future might be.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know,” Rose told her.

  “Sure you do.” Luna shuffled the cards and laid out the first one. “I see a hard decision in the near future.”

  “That much is right,” Rose said. “I’ve got a fantastic job opportunity to work as a translator for an oil company. I can speak several languages. But I can reenlist and either go to Italy or return to Washington, D.C., to work inside the Pentagon. Or Mama would love it if I came back to the commune. Do the cards tell me exactly what to do?”

  “Nope, but they will guide you, and, honey, I feel for you,” Luna said. “My advice is not to get in a big hurry with none of it, but do not go to the commune.”

  “Why’s that?” Rose remembered days of running wild through the hills of Kentucky. Living there had had a certain freedom that she missed.

  “Your daddy will try to run your life”—Luna laid out another card—“that’s why, in a nutshell. He’s a good man, but he likes to be in control. That’s why you left the commune to begin with, if you’ll remember.”

  Chester chose that moment to hop right up on the table and scatter the cards. Luna didn’t even fuss at him but scratched his ears instead. “I miss my big old cat. Did I tell you that I had him stuffed and he sleeps forever in his little bed right at the end of the sofa?” Luna reshuffled the cards and laid out one.

  Rose shivered at the visual of a dead stuffed cat in the living room. “What does that one mean?” She looked down at The High Priestess card. “Does that mean I should go into a convent?”

  “No, darlin’ girl.” Luna shook her head and kept petting Chester. The cat was purring at about the same volume that Hud was snoring. “She symbolizes your dream world, your instincts, and your emotions. She’s here to guide you through those tough decisions. She senses what’s going on beneath the surface and will be there to help you. She would never tell you to go back and live with your folks. She would think that was a big mistake.”

  If Rose believed in all this hocus-pocus of cards, that would mean she now had two options—military or oil company job.

  Luna slapped down another card. “Aha, we have The Hierophant! He will ground you in wisdom to make your choice. He’s a powerful card, and you’re lucky he showed up.”

  The first part of the word was hero, and that made Rose think of Hud. He’d been a hero that day. Dixie probably felt very lucky he had shown up on the scene and was watching over her child while she was in the hospital.

  The next card was The Moon and put a smile on Luna’s face. “This means that there’s a light at the end of your tunnel. It says that you should rely on your intuition and work through your dreams to find peace and tranquility.”

  “Only one more,” Luna said. “I only do readings with four cards because that’s my lucky number.” She laid out The Lovers card. “You might think this means that you are going to fall in love with a sexy cowboy, but it really means that you must make choices to get to that place where you’ll have balance in your life.”

  “Do you ever do more than one reading for a person?” Rose asked.

  “I have in the
past, and you’d be surprised how often the same cards show up. In a nutshell, you’ve got to make up your mind—not your mama’s, not mine, not that hunk of a hero in there in the living room—but you. You have to make the decisions about your life or you’ll have regrets and never be at peace.”

  “Have you done what you really wanted with your life?” Rose asked.

  “Damn straight, I did,” Luna said. “And I ain’t never had a single regret. Now I’m sleepy, so I’m going to bed. Breakfast is at eight in the morning, so set your alarm. Ain’t nothin’ worse than cold gravy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Rose picked up Luna’s teacup and her empty mug, rinsed them both, and put them into the dishwasher.

  Luna was already in her bedroom when Rose went back to the living room. Those crazy cards had been right in saying that she had a big decision to make, but could that Lovers card mean that once she made up her mind about the future, there would be a relationship waiting for her?

  Chester jumped up on the sofa beside her and curled up in the crook of her body. His purring and Hud’s snoring soon put her to sleep. But not for long. At midnight Sally awoke with a whimper at first and then a full-fledged screaming that brought both Hud and Rose out of a deep sleep.

  “Is she sick? Do we need to take her back to the hospital?” Hud got to her first and picked her up. She threw herself backward so hard that he almost dropped her.

  “She’s probably just hungry. I’ll make a bottle.” Rose headed to the kitchen.

  The weeping got even louder as she shook the powdered formula into the water, so she hurried back to the living room and held out her arms. She took the baby and settled into a rocking chair with her, but neither the bottle nor the rocking chair brought the poor little thing a bit of comfort.

  Rose checked Sally’s diaper and it was dry. “She missin’ her mama. I bet she’s not been away from her.”

  How could Aunt Luna sleep through all this? Rose wondered as she handed Sally back to Hud and suggested that he try walking her.

  “I’ll do anything.” He yawned and held Sally close to his chest, keeping a hand firmly on her back, and started pacing the floor. That didn’t work, so he hummed a slow country ballad—more to keep his own sanity than to help the baby.

  She settled right down, sighed heavily, and shut her little eyes. He tiptoed to the little bed and laid her down, but the minute her body hit the mattress, her eyes popped open and the screaming started all over again.

  He immediately picked her up again and held her to his chest. “What did I do wrong?”

  Rose took the baby from him and began to walk back and forth, but nothing worked. “Here, you see if you can work magic again.” She handed Sally back to him after a few minutes, and he tried, but with no luck. Even though his expression left no doubt he was stressing, his patience with Sally impressed Rose. Suddenly, the child gave a big sigh, settled down, and went right back to sleep.

  “What did you do?” Rose whispered as she threw herself back on the sofa.

  “Hummed,” he said softly as he sat down in the recliner with Sally still in his arms. He threw the lever and leaned back so that he was stretched out.

  Rose listened carefully to the soft humming and recognized the song as one by Randy Travis, “Forever and Ever, Amen.”

  “Whatever you’re doin’, don’t stop,” Rose told him.

  “What if I fall asleep?” he asked.

  “Then pray that she doesn’t wake up,” Rose said.

  Hud closed his eyes and kept humming. In a few minutes the noise turned to his deep, even breathing, and Sally kept sleeping. Rose propped herself up on an elbow and took in her fill of Hud lying there with a baby on his chest. Someday, that cowboy was going to be a mighty fine father.

  Chapter Five

  Hud awoke to the squeak of a rocking chair. He opened his eyes slowly to see Rose sitting on the other side of the room. Sally was in her arms, and she was singing a sweet lullaby to the baby as she gave her a bottle.

  “Good mornin’,” he said.

  “Mornin’ to you.” Sun rays filtered through lace curtains, putting highlights into her light red hair. The sight fairly well took his breath away. “You were supposed to wake me if she needed anything.”

  “She slept through the night and only woke up a few minutes ago. Aunt Luna is making breakfast. Dixie will be ready to come home in half an hour. They’re getting the release papers ready at the hospital now,” Rose said. “When you’ve had a cup of coffee, you can go get her.”

  “Forget the coffee.” He picked up his phone and called Claire and asked her about the job.

  “With all the support I’ve had through my pregnancy, I can’t imagine being all alone and sleeping in an abandoned house,” Claire said. “Where is the baby now? Did you take her home with you?”

  “No, I took her to the Rose Garden B&B, but I wondered if maybe you could talk to her mother,” Hud said. “You’ve been looking for someone to help out at the quilt shop. I have no idea if she knows anything at all about fabric or quilting, but…”

  “Sure, I will,” Claire said. “Thanks for thinking of me, Hud.”

  “Thank you for even considering it,” Hud said. “I appreciate you giving her a chance.”

  “We all need a helping hand at times. I’ll be there about eight thirty, before my doctor appointment,” Claire told him.

  “What was that all about?” Rose asked.

  “That job thing for Dixie. My friend says she’ll be here about eight thirty. I guess I’d better get my boots on and go get Dixie so she can talk to Claire.” He stole long sideways looks over toward Rose. The sun rays had moved, but that was quite a picture of her with a baby in her arms.

  The dream he’d had the night before filtered through his mind as he pulled on his boots. He and Rose were having a picnic at the creek that ran along the backside of the ranch. He could remember every detail—from the way the spring wind blew her red hair across her face, to the tiny sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Most of all, he remembered how happy they both had been, and how much he craved that feeling to be in his heart forever.

  Suddenly the sun disappeared and it started raining. He was headed for the door when the first clap of thunder hit.

  “Take an umbrella and that bag of clothing I set aside for that girl,” Luna yelled.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said over his shoulder as he picked up the bag.

  When he arrived, Dixie was sitting on the side of the bed in a hospital gown. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she looked a lot better than she had the day before. “Luna sent these things for you. I’ll wait outside while you get dressed.”

  “Bless her heart.” Dixie teared up. “Did Sally do all right during the night?”

  “She did fine. Slept all night,” Hud replied.

  “I feel like I need to pinch myself to see if I’m dreamin’. Rose just called and told me not to eat breakfast—that Luna was cooking.”

  “It smelled pretty good.” Hud’s stomach grumbled as he left the room.

  He’d barely sat down in a chair when she came out of the room. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and worn tennis shoes, and her brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail.

  “That was sure quick,” he said.

  “I’m ready to go see Sally. I ain’t never been away from her this long,” she said. “And truth is I’m hungry.”

  The nurse appeared with a wheelchair, and despite Dixie’s argument, she rolled her out the front doors to Hud’s truck. The rain was still pouring, but the awning kept Dixie from getting wet.

  “I want to thank you, again, for everything,” Dixie said as she settled into the passenger seat.

  “Well, I guess there’s no time like the present to tell you that my good friend Claire is coming to see you in about half an hour. She’s been looking for someone to work in her quilt shop, and I think you might be just the right fit,” Hud said.

  “Oh, my!” Dixie sucked in a long breath. “Tell me more
about her.”

  Hud shook his head. “Nope, you need to make your own opinion.”

  “Right now, I’m just glad that those folks giving me a lift put me out here in Bowie,” she whispered.

  After Hud got Dixie into the house, he decided to forgo breakfast and go on home. He didn’t want to be there when Claire arrived. That was something the ladies needed to discuss, and besides, he and his foreman planned to do some ranch work that day.

  “My sweet baby.” Dixie reached for Sally the moment she was in the door. The baby wiggled against her mama’s shoulder and looked up at her as if she couldn’t believe that she was there.

  “I think she’s missed you,” Rose said.

  “Not as much as I missed her.” Dixie kissed the baby all over her face. “I’m glad we’re both alive, and I promise to never take you in an abandoned house again.”

  “We’ve got someone in the kitchen that wants to meet you,” Luna said.

  “I’m going to leave you ladies to this,” Hud whispered to Rose.

  “Will you come back later?” she asked.

  “Of course I will,” he said. “Call me when Claire leaves and let me know what Dixie decides.”

  He wanted to hear more than the news about the baby, but just hearing Rose’s voice about anything would do for starters.

  * * *

  The yellow line in the road was barely visible as he drove home to the ranch that morning. It sounded like pellets hitting the windshield and hadn’t let up a bit when he parked his truck. It beat down on his body like BBs as he ran from his vehicle to the house.

  Paxton was just coming out of his bedroom when Hud opened the front door. “I didn’t mean to sleep in this late, but when I woke up and heard the rain, I knew we wouldn’t be plowing today. I’d rather have snow than this stuff,” he groaned. “I hate being in the house all day.”

  “Guess we can catch up on laundry or get the place cleaned up,” Hud suggested.

  Paxton just grunted and headed for the bathroom at the end of the short hallway. He’d never been a morning person, but neither was Hud, so they made pretty good roommates. At least there were only two of them in the little two-bedroom house these days. Last year all four of them—Paxton, Maverick, Hud, and Tag—had lived in the place. Some mornings it had been like four old bears were coming out of hibernation until they got their first cups of coffee.