Cowboy Brave

by Carolyn Brown

  He smiled and said, “Everything was going pretty good. We had two children and then Vietnam happened, and my plane was shot down in enemy territory. I spent two years as a POW.”

  Emily dabbed a tear from her eye. She was a strong woman, but she wasn’t sure she’d survive something like that. Thank God, Justin was a rancher and not a soldier.

  April shook her head slowly from side to side. “I never believed for a minute that he was dead. My heart would have known if he wasn’t alive. One day I was outside hanging up clothes, and a big black military-looking car drove up. For a minute there, my positive attitude took a nosedive, but my Leonard got out of the car and limped toward me.”

  Leonard draped an arm around her shoulders. “She dropped the clothespins and froze. She didn’t rush to meet me like I’d imagined. I had to go all the way to her before she’d believe she wasn’t seeing things.”

  “That’s right.” April smiled up at him. “And that was the end of his military. When he got his health back, he got a job in Dallas flying for an airline, and we had four more children. Many of them live in this area, so we chose this retirement home so we could spend our last days close to them.”

  Emily wondered if she and whoever she married would be in a retirement home, close to their children when they were near ninety? Or would they still be living on a ranch somewhere?

  A ranch? Her mother’s voice popped into her head. Well, that’s a surprise. What ranch might that be?

  “I don’t know,” she whispered softly.

  “We’ve had a wonderful life,” Leonard was saying when her attention went to what he was saying. “And now if Miz Emily will put on the song I asked for, I’d like to start this party off by dancing with my beautiful bride. The rest of y’all can join in if you’d like, or if you want the refreshment table is now open.”

  Leonard took April by the hand and then turned back to the microphone. “One more thing. This song is the way I feel about my life. The hardships made us stronger and made us appreciate the good times even more. I love you more today, April Wilson, than I did in that little bitty apartment, which by the way, was even smaller than the one we have here at Oakview. Y’all listen to the words to this song because I’m sure it was written especially for me this night.”

  There were a few chuckles, and tissue boxes passed from table to table as the first piano notes for “The Older I Get,” by Alan Jackson, started playing. The song was half done when Justin stood to his feet and crossed the floor. He held out his hand to Emily.

  “May I have this dance, please, ma’am?” he asked.

  She put her hand in his, and he led her to the middle of the floor. Everyone clapped for both couples. The present and the future right there on the floor—or at least that’s the way Emily saw it.

  “Like it says,” Justin whispered into her hair. “It’s those folks you love, not the money and stuff that makes you rich.”

  “And that’s supposed to mean?” she asked.

  “You think about it,” he said.

  The next song on the list was a request from Otis, and Justin didn’t let go of her but kept dancing to the beat of “Storms Never Last” by Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings.

  “This is my song to the beautiful lady in red tonight,” Justin said.

  “Oh, yeah, why’s that?” she asked.

  “You make the sun want to shine, like it says,” he said.

  When the song ended, he led her to the refreshment table. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Is there any way I can help you out with the food?”

  She shot a look over his shoulder to the Five. “You’re the first guest they’ve had at this thing in the five years I’ve been here. It’s more important that you spend the time with them.”

  “Then I’ll be around to help with cleanup afterward.” He went to the table where he held out a hand to Sarah for the next dance. After that, he had a turn with Bess and Patsy. Then he got a plate of food and sat with them while he ate.

  “He’s a good man,” Nikki whispered as she joined Emily behind the refreshment table. “Those ladies are almost swooning.”

  “It would be easy to fall for him,” Emily said out of the side of her mouth.

  “You almost fell down?” Otis frowned.

  “No, she was talking about that time when she slipped and sent papers flying everywhere.” Nikki quickly covered for her.

  “I’m glad.” Otis smiled. “You and Justin looked real good out there on the dance floor.” He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “I think he likes you.”

  “Oh, really?” Emily raised a dark eyebrow.

  “Yep, and I think you like him too. But that’s your business, not mine. You do what your heart tells you and never look back or have regrets, because when you follow your heart, it’s the right thing to do. Now please put two of them brownies on my plate. I’ll take one to Sarah. She really likes them and she already ate hers.”

  Emily did what he asked and then used the remote to turn the music down, since everyone had settled down to eat and visit with their families. In another hour there’d be nothing but cleanup, and then the folks would take their boxes of cards to their own apartments, where they’d read through their Valentines numerous times for the next few days.

  She made the rounds one more time, telling the visitors how much she appreciated their support. When she reached the table where Justin was still sitting with the Five, she pulled up a chair and joined them.

  “It’s a big success,” Larry said. “Best one ever.”

  Sarah nudged him on the shoulder. “You’re a lucky dog that Justin was here to dance with me this year.”

  “My hip has gotten worse since last year. Don’t think I could keep up with a sexy fox like you,” Larry teased.

  “Your hip was fine when we were at the ranch, and you wanted to ride bulls,” Patsy said. “So don’t give us any of that crap. I oughta make you dance with me for lyin’.”

  Larry cut his eyes around at her. “You’re too short to dance with me. You better get Otis out there. I’d be in the therapy room a month if I had to bend far enough to dance with you or Bess.”

  Bess threw up both hands. “Hey, leave me out of this fight.”

  “So are you going to stay up all night and read through your cards a dozen times?” Emily asked, changing the subject.

  “I am,” Otis said. “I’m going to take a big plate of them leftover cookies and some of them pigs in a blanket to my room. I’m going to eat until I feel like a stuffed turkey and read through every one of them. I’ve always loved Valentine cards even when I was a little boy. I kept them until they were frayed and ugly and cried when Mama made me throw them away.”

  “I still got a few hidden away that my wife gave me through the years. It’s one of the few things I kept when I sold my business,” Larry said. “I’ll read all my cards to her tonight. I hope there really are holes in the floor of heaven, and she can hear every word I say.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Sarah said. “Makes me wish I’d married. Times like this, I wish that I’d had a family, but…”

  “But what?” Patsy asked.

  “But my soldier didn’t come home, and I’d given my heart to him. Just wasn’t ever able to get it back to give to another man,” Sarah answered. “But this ain’t a night to be melancholy. I’m ready to take all my Valentines to my room. Thank you for a beautiful party, Emily, and for the dance, Justin. I felt like a young woman again.”

  “I can’t believe you said ain’t.” Patsy giggled.

  “Y’all old rednecks has rubbed off on me.” Sarah laughed. “I bet I got more cards than any of you.”

  “How much?” Larry’s eyes twinkled.

  “Five bucks,” Sarah answered. “And I’ll even let an impartial party count for us. Y’all meet me in my room in five minutes. And don’t you dare stuff your box with those extras you have in your room.” She shook her finger under Larry’s nose.

  “I’ll watch
him,” Bess said.

  “And I’ll keep an eye on Sarah for you, Larry, so she don’t slip in a few extras,” Otis said. “I’m ready. Are y’all?”

  “Yep, but I got to get a hug from Justin first,” Sarah said. “Boy, you can’t ever know how much it means to us to have family here tonight.”

  When he stood up, she hugged him tightly, then she stepped back. “Now you’ll have to bend down to hug these two.”

  “No sacrifice at all.” Justin gave each of them a hug, and then shook hands with Otis and Larry. “I’ve had a great time this evening.”

  “Will you come back next year?” Otis asked.

  “If y’all invite me, I sure will,” Justin answered.

  “That was so sweet,” Emily said after the Five had picked up their boxes and taken them down the hallway toward their rooms.

  “What?” Justin asked.

  “The way you became their family tonight,” she said.

  “Everyone needs a family. I’m glad they let me into theirs,” he said. “Is it cleanup time?”

  “It won’t take long.” Emily nodded. “I just put what few leftovers there are in containers and wad up the rest of the stuff in the tablecloth and toss it.”

  “Then we have time for one more dance?” He held out a hand.

  She let him pull her up. “My feet hurt. Mind if I kick off these high heels?”

  “Not one bit. You can pretend you’re dancing on green grass in your bare feet,” he said.

  Emily had no idea what was next up on the playlist she’d gotten from the residents for the evening’s music. But when “A Picture of Me Without You” started playing, Justin pulled her tighter into his arms.

  “Great choice to close out the evening,” he said.

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m surprised that you know all these old tunes.”

  “My grandpa was a huge country music fan. He kept it going on the radio from daylight to bedtime. I’ve heard the songs that were played tonight my whole life. How about you?”

  “Same story, different part of Texas.”

  She wished the music would’ve gone on until morning, but in less than four minutes it was over. Justin planted a kiss on her forehead, and then took a step back. “Let’s get this place in order. Where’s the dust mop. I’ll take care of the floor while you do the table business.”

  “The morning maintenance crew will take care of the floor. We just have to do the tables and be sure everyone picked up their cards. Looks like they did. Even Nikki’s is gone, so I guess she’s left for the night.”

  “There’s a box left on the table, and it’s got your name on it.”

  “I wish we’d had one for each guest. It doesn’t seem fair that I’ve got a whole box of cards and you don’t have even one,” she said.

  “Dancing with you means more than six boxes of cards,” he said.

  They finished the job quickly and she said, “I have to get my things. Meet you back here in five?”

  “I’ll be the one in the cowboy boots sitting in that chair.” He pointed to the one still by the door.

  “Grab my valentines,” she said.

  “Will do.” He nodded.

  She shoved everything into her tote bag and found him holding the box and her shoes in his lap when she returned. “Guess you’d better put these on, right?”

  She felt like Cinderella when he knelt in front of her and slipped them on her feet.

  “Now, where do you want to go for coffee?”

  “The ice cream store makes good coffee,” she suggested.

  He rose to his feet and took her hand. “Then that’s where we’ll go. Tonight was special. I enjoyed all of it, but especially spending time with you.”

  “Well, you sure made the Fab Five’s night—and mine,” she said as they made their way across the parking lot to his truck.

  He opened the door for her and leaned in once she was inside. He traced her jaw with his forefinger, and then his mouth covered hers in a long, lingering kiss.

  Emily was glad she was sitting because her knees trembled. She just hoped that they would recover enough to walk in the high heels from the truck to the store.

  “And I’ll need one more of those when I bring you back for your car,” he said. “Just to see if I like your kisses better with or without the taste of coffee.”

  Every hormone in Emily’s body hummed. This was either the start of something wonderful or else she was going to get her heart broken, but like Nikki said, she either had to kill it or cure it to get any peace.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Emily toted her bag and the box up the stairs to her apartment, and tossed them on the table. She touched her lips to see if they were truly as hot as they felt, but they were actually cool. Melting onto the sofa, she closed her eyes and relived the dances, the kisses, and the way his eyes had drawn her to him all evening and then the way he held her hand on the table at the ice cream shop. She took a quick shower, made sure her new dress didn’t have any stains before she hung it up, dressed in pajama pants and a baggy nightshirt, and crawled up in the middle of her bed with her box of cards. Just like when she was a little girl, she removed the lid, closed her eyes, and picked out a card.

  The first one was from Otis and had a picture of Betty Boop and a little bag of three sweetheart candies attached to it. The second one was from Nikki and had the same picture on it, but Nikki had taped a miniature chocolate bar to the back. The very next one she picked up had a heart-shaped lollipop stuck to it. She picked it up and held it to her chest before she read it. The message on the front said BE MINE. She flipped it over to find a drawing of a heart on the back and J+E written inside it.

  She slipped her feet into the same high heels she’d worn to the party, grabbed her purse, and drove to the Longhorn Canyon ranch. Otis had said to listen to her heart.

  It didn’t hit her that she was doing a totally stupid thing until she’d gone down the bumpy lane to the cabin and parked behind his truck. She was wearing faded pajama pants, a baggy shirt with none other than Betty Boop on the front, and absolutely no bra or panties.

  But he gave me the lollipop, she reasoned.

  She opened the car door and glanced up into the rearview mirror. Her damp hair hung limp and she’d washed off every bit of her makeup. She shut the door, thought about what she was doing and where she was.

  This isn’t me. I take the bull by the horns and spit in his eye, she told herself.

  It was something that a teenager would do, not a grown woman. Maybe it was the ranch. Which one of the Five had said that they felt like the old people in the movie Cocoon? Perhaps there was a strange energy on the place that made everyone feel younger.

  She opened the car door and gingerly made her way across the yard. With a long, deep breath, she hurried to the porch and knocked before she could talk herself out of it.

  No one answered, so she knocked again.

  That time she could hear movement, so she waited, shivering as the cold wind let her know she should have at least worn a jacket.

  “Emily?” His wet hair indicated he’d just gotten out of the shower.

  “I…” Her teeth chattered.

  “For goodness’ sake, come on in,” he said.

  Her breast brushed against his bare chest as she slipped past him. Even through the nightshirt, it made every part of her body tingle. She went straight to the fireplace and warmed her hands. “I shouldn’t have come out here uninvited. I’ll get warm and…” She turned to find him not three feet behind, his arms open in invitation.

  “You are welcome here and the door is never locked. Don’t knock, darlin’, just come right on in,” he said.

  She walked into his arms, suddenly self-conscious about her breasts under that thin nightshirt. “Thank you, but…”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” He took her hand and led her to the sofa, where he pulled her down onto his lap. Without saying a word, his eyes closed and he leaned in to kiss her.

&nbs
p; “Thank you,” she muttered when they both came up for air, panting as if they’d run a marathon.

  “For?”

  “The lollipop.” She kicked off her high-heeled shoes.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She stood up and turned to face him. “I may regret this tomorrow but my heart says it’s the right thing to do. I’ve never done something this impulsive in my life, Justin. I want you to know that.”

  Taking him by the hand, she led him toward the bed. “Turn out the lights.”

  “No,” he said. “I want to see your beautiful body, Emily. All of it.”

  “But…” She wasn’t a virgin, but she’d never had sex in a well-lit room. Darkness covered a multitude of things, including her body.

  He slowly pulled her shirt up over her head and ran his hands down her sides. “So soft.”

  Then he removed her pajama pants and held her out at arm’s length. “You are gorgeous, Emily Baker.”

  His eyes said that he meant it, and she truly felt as if she was the prettiest woman on the earth in that moment.

  Had he known that a simple card with a red lollipop on it would create this kind of thank-you, he’d have given her the biggest box of candy he could find. That thought caused him to realize what was about to happen, and he wasn’t sure the timing was right. This wasn’t a one-night stand. This was Emily, the woman he’d fantasized about living with in his new house, the lady who might be the one. What if he broke her heart or if she broke his?

  She cupped his face in her hands and brought his mouth to hers again. Then as if she could read his mind, she said, “No strings attached. We’ll just see where this goes, right?”

  He nodded and peeled off his shirt. “I feel like this is my first time.”

  “Please tell me you haven’t used that line a hundred times,” she whispered as she wiggled free of his hands and slid his pajama pants down over his hips. “Oh, my! You are ready.”

  “I have been ever since you got here,” he said. “And, honey, that is not a pickup line.” His naked body pressed against hers as he walked her backward the rest of the way to the bed. Her legs buckled on the last step and she fell backward, dragging him down on top of her when she did. Without stopping the steaming hot kisses, they shifted positions until they shared a pillow. Then he was on top of her, feeling all that glorious body underneath him. With one hand she reached down and guided him into her, and they began to rock together as his hands roamed her body. Her soft breasts pressed against his chest. The rhythm quickened and she groaned when he slowed things to a crawl. She brought his lips to hers in a series of hard, passionate kisses.