Cute Cowboy

by Pamela M. Kelley

  She answered on the first ring. “Hello, dear. You were out getting your afternoon coffee, I imagine?”

  “Yes. I saw Simon there, actually. He asked if he’d see us tonight for trivia.”

  “That’s why I called. I’m off to Jaclyn’s soon for tea and she’s going to show me how to make her famous elderberry syrup. We’re making a big batch of it, so she wanted me to see if you girls want to stop by here after work and she’ll give you a small jar of it, and explain how she made it.”

  Lily smiled. She had no idea what elderberries were let alone what you’d do with elderberry syrup, but Jaclyn did seem to know all kinds of interesting things and everything she made was delicious. No doubt there was a story to go with the syrup.

  “Sure, we’d love to stop by. I’ll drive over so you won’t have to walk to the restaurant and we can leave the syrup in the car.”

  “Perfect. We’ll see you girls a little after five.”

  Lily ended the call and noticed Bernie looking at her curiously. She explained about the elderberry syrup and stopping by Jaclyn’s after work.

  “I’ve never been to her house before, but I’ve heard all about it. Is it true that she has gnomes in her yard and pet rabbits? Lots of them?”

  “Yes. No one really knows how many, but there are a lot. Fairies, too!” Jaclyn said that the fairies spoke to her. It sounded crazy, but it was uncanny how Jaclyn often seemed to know things because of them. She was very sweet, and Lily and her Aunt Gillian both adored her.

  “Have my parents called today?” Both Lily and Bernie turned at the sound of Wade’s voice. He was standing in the doorway, looking somewhat frazzled. It was a common look for him as in his role as general manager, Wade oversaw just about everything at the resort and was constantly putting out fires—especially since his parents decided to almost retire and travel the country in their RV. They still seemed to have their pulse on what was going on, though, and called in from the road often for updates or to make requests. Demands, really, and some of them were big ones. The most recent was to build a new conference center, which was going to be an oversized barn in appearance and Lily thought it was a fabulous idea. Most of their events took place in the banquet rooms, adjacent to the restaurant in the main house, but the barn opened up more possibilities, for bigger events. They’d had their first event in the barn recently and it was a huge success.

  “No, not a peep from them today. Were you expecting a call?” Bernie asked.

  Wade ran a hand through his hair and checked his phone which was beeping in his hand. He quickly texted a response, then looked up and smiled.

  “I just had a feeling they might check in today. It’s been a week. Now that the conference center is up and running, I’m almost expecting a new project and am curious to see what it might be.”

  “We’re going to trivia tonight. Are you planning to go?” Bernie asked. Wade loved trivia. Having trivia night at the restaurant had been his idea. He didn’t usually play on a team, but often went and mingled with everyone, making sure things were going well and everyone was having fun.

  “I’ll be there. I’m meeting an old friend that I haven’t seen in a while.” His phone buzzed again, and he went back to his office, which was just around the corner to take the call.

  At five o’clock sharp, Lily and Bernie shut their computers down and stopped by the front desk to pick up Gwen. She was handing room cards to an older couple that was checking in.

  “Enjoy your stay!”

  “Are you ready to go?” Lily asked her.

  “I’ll have to meet you at the restaurant in an hour. Carly called and needs to come in a little later. I’m covering for her until she can get here.”

  “We’ll save you a seat, then,” Bernie said.

  * * *

  They walked outside to Lily’s white Volvo sedan. It had been her Aunt Gillian’s and Lily had been happy to buy it from her when Aunt Gillian decided she wanted a car that was more fun. The candy apple red Miata convertible wasn’t at all practical, but her aunt loved it. When Lily gently suggested that perhaps a car that was better in snow might be wiser, Aunt Gillian had just laughed.

  “Oh, dear. I can walk to just about anywhere I need to go along Main Street and for anything else—well, I have a niece that lives nearby with a car I know is excellent in snow.”

  She did have a point there. Lily lived less than a mile from her aunt and was more than happy to drive her in bad weather. When they pulled up to Jaclyn’s house, the cute convertible was parked right out front, and a fluffy white rabbit was sound asleep on the hood. When they got out of their car and shut the doors, the sound woke the rabbit, and it opened its eyes and assessed them warily. But then, evidently deciding that it was in no danger, the rabbit simply stretched, rolled over and went back to sleep. Two other rabbits ran up to them as they walked to the front door, then scampered off when it opened and Jaclyn called out to greet them.

  “Come in, come in. You’re just in time for the final stirring.”

  They followed her into the kitchen, where Aunt Gillian was standing by the stove, peering into a big pot.

  “Come take a whiff of this, girls. It’s heavenly.”

  The scent of whatever was simmering in the pot did smell lovely. Sweet and spicy at the same time.

  “Go ahead. Give it a stir, both of you, and take a good look.” After they both took turns stirring, Jaclyn lifted the wooden spoon out of the mixture and it slowly dipped back into the pot.

  “See, you want it just about that thick. Nice and syrupy. This is how you know it’s done. When it smells and looks just like this. Now we get to try it.” She opened a kitchen cabinet and rummaged around for a good minute, then returned with four small, mismatched tiny cups. They looked about the size for espresso, but Lily didn’t see an espresso machine anywhere.

  Jaclyn ladled a tablespoon or so into each cup and then handed one to each of them.

  “To your good health!” she said and then drank the concoction down in one swallow. Aunt Gillian did the same, but both Lily and Bernie took tentative sips first, then followed suit. The taste was pleasant, not too sweet and had a hint of cinnamon and a few other spices that Lily couldn’t quite place.

  Jaclyn gathered up the cups and put them in the sink. Then she went back to the cabinet, looking for something else.

  “Is Gwen joining us?” she asked.

  “Yes. She’s working a little later, but will meet us at the restaurant,” Lily told her.

  Jaclyn found what she was looking for and ladled the syrup into four small mason jars, one for each of them, including Gwen, along with four index cards with the recipe in her delicate handwriting.

  “In case you want to make a batch for yourselves, when you run out. This stuff is wonderful. A little each day will keep the colds away and if you do get sick or you know someone who is feeling poorly, give them some elderberry syrup and it will help them feel better faster.”

  They all thanked her, visited for a little bit around her kitchen table and then it was time to go meet Gwen. Lily drove and when they were seated in the restaurant, their friend Barbi was their server. Gwen and Simon joined them a few minutes later.

  “Will I see you for class Saturday morning?” Barbi asked as she set down two pitchers of root beer and a basket of hot bread. They were creatures of habit and always drank root beer, all of them, when they played trivia. Lily had an occasional glass of wine, but the first time they played trivia and won, they were all drinking root beer and so now they always did it for luck, and—well, because they really liked root beer.

  “Yes, I’ll definitely be there. We have a gig that night at Flynn’s.”

  “Oh, good. Ryan and I will try to come and see you.” Barbi and Ryan had recently married and she only worked one or two nights a week now at the restaurant, since her yoga business was growing and she had classes almost every day. Lily tried to get to at least two or three of them as that was her main exercise and she loved how it made her
feel. Yoga was a great stress reliever. Not that was particularly stressed, but she was busy and trying to juggle a lot between working full-time and playing with the band.

  “Do we want something different? Or are you all getting your usual pizzas?” Barbi asked.

  “Anyone want anything different?” Aunt Gillian asked. The table was silent and then Lily laughed. “We are so predictable.”

  “Okay, one plain cheese, one eggplant, spinach and feta, one sausage onion and pepper and a pepperoni?” Barbi confirmed.

  “You are amazing,” Simon said in admiration.

  “One of these days, we should get something else,” Aunt Gillian said.

  “But why? What we get is perfect,” Jaclyn said sensibly.

  They all nodded in agreement, then dug into the rolls and butter while they waited. The pizza, when it arrived, was outstanding as usual and they were just finishing up when Arthur, the new trivia host, walked around handing out pencils and trivia sheets for scoring. They did well in the first half. Having different ages on the team helped for the various categories. Everyone was good at something. Lily’s best category was music, Bernie’s books, Gwen’s was movies, especially old movies. Jaclyn and Aunt Gillian always seemed to do well on food and history and for Simon it was sports and geography. They’d just started the second half when Lily noticed Wade walk in with two guys, one of them her new neighbor, Cody Jamison. She guessed that the man with him, who resembled him more than slightly, was the brother Ben that he’d mentioned. Wade saw them and stopped by their table to say hello.

  “How’s it going so far?” he asked.

  “Tied for first. You three want to join us and make it an easy win?” Simon asked.

  Wade laughed. “Not this time. We have some catching up to do. This is an old college buddy of mine, Cody, and his brother Ben. We’re going to have a drink at the bar, maybe get some pizza, too.” He went around the table, introducing everyone and when he got to Lily, Cody smiled. “I met Lily the other day. She and I are neighbors for a bit. I’m not sure I made a great first impression, though.” He looked genuinely sorry and Lily was surprised.

  She smiled back and explained to everyone, “The guys were over and we were practicing and we were loud. We thought his unit was empty.”

  “Lily’s band is very good.” Jaclyn sounded insulted on her behalf. “They’re playing Saturday at Flynn’s. You should go hear them and you’ll see!”

  Lily felt herself flush with embarrassment. “I’m sure that’s the last thing he wants to do!”

  But Cody grinned and nodded at Jaclyn. “Thanks for letting me know. Maybe I will do that.”

  They walked off and both Bernie and Gwen turned to Lily.

  “That’s Cody Jamison?” Bernie asked. “I somehow pictured him much older and not nearly that hot. And now he’s living next door to you?”

  “Not really living. Just staying for a while, while he and Ben renovate the unit.”

  “Why does he do that? Doesn’t he have a place to live?” Gwen asked curiously.

  “He has a ranch, a big one, on the other side of town, but said he likes staying at whatever property they are working on. I’m sure it won’t be for long.”

  “He could live next door to me as long as he liked,” Bernie said with a chuckle.

  “Ladies, focus,” Simon teasingly scolded them. “Gwen, did you hear that last question? How many movies did Bing Crosby and Bob Hope make together?”

  “I think it’s seven,” Aunt Gillian said.

  “And I think it might be eight.” Jaclyn topped off her mug of root beer and then pushed the pitcher to Simon, who did the same.

  “It’s actually seventeen,” Gwen said calmly and they all looked at her in surprise.

  “It can’t be!” Aunt Gillian said.

  “That seems like an awful lot. Are you sure?” Simon asked.

  “I am. They were in the seven Road movies together. But they also were in ten other movies, though not from start to finish. Some were just cameo appearances.”

  “Gwen does know her movies,” Lily said.

  “She really does.” Bernie wrote the answer down neatly and handed it to Arthur when he came around to collect it. Sure enough, when the answer was announced, they had it correct. That answer put them squarely in first place.

  * * *

  “They look awfully happy over there. Did he just just announce their team as the night’s winners?” Cody asked Wade. They were sitting at the bar, and he had a good view of the trivia group and his pretty neighbor, Lily. She looked very different tonight than when he’d seen her in her casual clothes, with her hair a wild tangle of curls. This Lily looked quite corporate, elegant even, with her crisp navy pants and matching jacket and her hair twisted up neatly, though a few loose curls had escaped and framed her face.

  “Yeah, I think he did just say The Root Beer Floats took it,” Wade confirmed.

  “That’s their team name, The Root Beer Floats?” Cody said with a chuckle.

  Wade nodded. “They all love the stuff. First night they won, they were all drinking it. They’ve used the name ever since.”

  “That sounds good, actually. I think I’ll have one,” Cody said as the bartender, Sam, took his empty beer bottle away. He was thirsty, and not for another beer, though it had tasted good with the pizza.

  “Make that one for me, too,” Wade said with a grin. “We do have a really good root beer here. Ben?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll stick with regular beer. I’m not much for the sweet stuff. So, all three of those girls work at the ranch? They’re all pretty, but that blonde one, Bernie? I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful girl, other than Andrea that is.” Andrea had been disappointed earlier when she’d realized she’d almost forgotten about a hair appointment and had to cancel coming out with them.

  “You should see Lily with her hair down,” Cody said without thinking. Both Ben and Wade looked at him.

  “What? She has pretty hair, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Wade chuckled. “They’re all gorgeous girls and great at what they do. We’re lucky to have them. Bernie is my executive assistant and I don’t know what I’d do without her. Gwen is great with all the guests as they come in, really friendly. And Lily keeps so many things going with all the events we do. I just hope we don’t lose her.”

  “Why would you lose her?” Cody thought that was an odd comment.

  “Well, you heard her sing, right?”

  Cody shifted uncomfortably. “Sort of. Honestly, the music was so loud I didn’t really get to appreciate her voice.”

  “Well, she’s incredible. Writes all the original songs that they sing. That’s her real talent and her voice is special, too. If she were to move to Nashville and really try to pursue it, I think she could go far. Not that I know much about that kind of thing, but she’s just really good, you know?”

  “Maybe she doesn’t want that? There’s nothing stopping her from going, is there?”

  Wade thought about that for a moment.

  “No, I don’t suppose so. She’s very close to her Aunt Gillian. That’s her only family besides her brother, that I know of. But she could up and decide to go anytime. It just wouldn’t surprise me is all I’m saying. She has a trip planned there in another week or so, to visit a college friend who writes and sings country music, too. She says it’s just a vacation, a chance to see her friend. But she went there last year around this time, too.”

  “She said they’re playing Saturday night downtown. Let’s go hear them, while Lily’s still around,” Ben said with a chuckle.

  “Very funny,” Wade said. “She’s probably not going anywhere. But if she ever did decide to move, it just wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Cody said.

  Chapter 3

  Lily woke early Saturday morning, around six, and made herself a cup of dark roast coffee, fed Hope, then brought her coffee and notebook and pen to her small patio. She loved to sit outside when the
weather was nice and work on her songwriting. She was so into it that she almost missed getting to Barbi’s yoga class on time, but made it with seconds to spare. Her class was held in the house that she shared with her husband Ryan, who had inherited it from his aunt, who had once taught dance lessons there.

  The first floor studio was perfect for yoga. The Saturday mid-morning class was a popular one—the room was packed. Lily always enjoyed Barbi’s classes. There were all levels and everyone went at their own pace. By the end of the class, Lily had worked up a nice sweat and was both relaxed and energized. On her way out, she stopped to chat with Barbi for a moment.

  “Great class, as always!” she told her.

  “Thanks!” Barbi took a big sip from her water bottle and waved good-bye as the last of her students filed out.

  “I think I’m going to head over to the cafe for an early lunch. Care to join me?”

  “Oh, I wish that I could. I have an appointment to take Oscar and Felix in for their yearly rabies shots.”

  “Oh. Well, tell Jess and Jake I said hello, then.” Their good friend, Jess, was one of the veterinarians at the clinic and was also recently married to Jake, the other vet there.

  “I will. I’ll see if they’re interested in joining Ryan and me tonight to hear you play. We haven’t all gone out in a while.”

  “Oh, that would be fun. I’ll look for you guys later, then.”

  * * *

  By the time Lily reached Kelsey’s Kafe, the breakfast and lunch cafe at River’s End Ranch, she was starving. She’d stopped along the way and picked up a newspaper. This was the one day of the week that she usually read an actual paper copy. She’d fallen into a routine of having lunch after yoga and sitting at the counter with her paper. Kelsi Weston Clapper, one of the six Weston siblings, usually waited on her and more often than not, Jaclyn and Simon were still lingering at the counter, sipping coffee and chatting with everyone that came in.