The Cowboy Way

by Christine Wenger

  Emily Dixon called for the kids to make a circle around the campfire. Clint Scully was waiting for them. He announced that he was going to tell a story about “some pioneers who got stuck in a snowstorm in this very valley, back in ’bout 1880.”

  I hope it’s not the Donner party, Beth thought.

  “You’re not thinking again, are you?” Jake asked as he joined her at the picnic table.

  “Yes and no. I’m listening to Clint, thinking about how much the kids are enjoying everything. You have a fabulous program. As the mother of a son who’s just thrilled to be here, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  He shrugged. “No one loves Wheelchair Rodeo more than I do, except maybe my folks. The cowboys love it too. For some, it’s the family they don’t have. They love the kids, and more than one tough cowboy gets a little water in his eyes on occasion.” He nodded toward the circle. “Those kids are the ones who are really tough. I couldn’t sit in a wheelchair the rest of my life.”

  “If you had a choice, why would you?”

  Jake looked down at the cup of coffee in his hands. He seemed a million miles away.

  She left him to his thoughts for a while, then said, “You’re not thinking again, are you?”

  He looked up, chuckled, and returned to staring into his coffee.

  She nudged his arm. “Even tough cowboys need to talk.” She hesitated, then jumped right in. “I couldn’t help but hear what the doctor said to you.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll go with you to Casper if you’d like some company.”

  He looked up and pushed his hat back with a thumb in that characteristic gesture that she’d forever associate with Jake. “That’s not necessary, since I won’t be going. I can’t spare the time.”

  “I’m sure there’s nothing on the schedule today that someone else can’t handle. Besides, I’ll never come back here, and I’d love to see more of your beautiful state.”

  He scratched his forehead. “You want to blow a whole day in Casper keeping me company? Why the hell would you want to do that?”

  “Because your company’s not all that bad. Because of all you’ve done for Kevin and the other kids. Because you found a horse with four white socks and taught me how to ride. But mostly because I don’t want to see you end up in a wheelchair, either temporarily or permanently.”

  “Sounds like you care.”

  “Of course I care,” she snapped, then lowered her voice. She didn’t want him to mistake her concern for interest, so she added, “I’d care about anyone in your situation.”

  “Oh,” he said, raising an eyebrow, seeming disappointed.

  “Say you’ll do it, Jake. Go tell Dr. Trotter to make the arrangements,” she insisted.

  “I’m going to ride in the Challenge even if they tell me I can’t.”

  “Then let’s go find out how disabled you’re going to be after you do so.” The sarcasm didn’t become her, but maybe it would work on him. “So what do you say? They’re only a few pictures. Think of it as your fan club wanting photos for your Web site.”

  He chuckled, drained his coffee, thought a while. “I’ll see if my folks can handle things. If so, then I’ll have Trot make the call. You go tell Kevin. I’ll borrow a couple of horses, and we can ride back to the ranch and hop in my pickup.”

  “Okay.”

  Beth watched as Jake walked away, his limp even more pronounced on the uneven terrain. She was amazed that he was doing what the doctor had suggested. And she was going with him. Why? Why did she care so much about this man? Jake had asked her the same question, and at first she had answered him truthfully. But deep inside, she knew there was more.

  She cared for him. She admired him. She loved how he handled the kids, especially Kevin, and how they adored him in return. He was a good man.

  Looking around, she saw Emily Dixon walking toward her, smiling. “How can I thank you for convincing Jake to finally get those X rays?” She gave Beth a bear hug. “How did you do it?”

  “I don’t know. I just reasoned with him, I guess.”

  Emily released Beth but reached for both of her hands and held them. “That can’t be it. Jake doesn’t listen to reason. It must be you, my dear. He seems quite fond of you.”

  Beth’s cheeks grew warm. “I-I like him too.”

  Emily’s smile grew wider. “You’re good for him. He likes Kevin a lot too.”

  They heard a clip-clop and looked to see Jake leading two horses. One was Thunder with his four recognizable white socks. The other horse was a chestnut color.

  Emily dropped Beth’s hands and turned to Jake. “Try and have some fun on the trip.”

  “At the hospital? That seems unlikely.” Jake gave her a peck on the cheek.

  “Take your time. Take Beth out for a nice supper, too. Hear?”

  “Good idea,” Jake said, handing Thunder’s reins to Beth.

  “I have to tell Kevin that we’re leaving,” she said.

  “I told him. He said to have a good time,” Jake replied.

  Beth chuckled. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. Kevin is mesmerized by Clint’s stories. After they sing ‘Buffalo Gals,’ which only Clint knows the words to, he’ll be telling another story—something about a ghost in mine shaft twenty-nine.”

  “Kids love their ghost stories, but I should go and remind Clint not to make it too scary,” Emily said. “Now, you two have a good time.”

  “At the hospital?” Jake repeated.

  “On the whole trip,” Emily said. “Drive carefully!”

  “You sure you can handle things?” Jake asked.

  Emily waved them away. “There are more than enough volunteers. You just think of yourself right now. You’re hurting with every step you take.”

  With five hops, Beth was up in the saddle. “I don’t know why men don’t listen to us women. Haven’t they figured out that we’re always right?”

  Emily laughed. “True. So true.”

  “Ha!” Jake said. “You’ve both mastered the art of nagging. I’m going just so I don’t have to listen to you both anymore.”

  “Whatever it takes,” said Emily.

  The three-hour drive to the hospital seemed short. Jake pointed out mule deer and elk, but the highlight of the trip was a herd of pronghorns at full sprint across the flatlands.

  They made small talk, and Beth sensed that Jake was a little nervous about what he might find out at the hospital.

  “They probably won’t tell you anything today,” she assured him. “The technicians will have to read the X rays and write up a report for Dr. Trotter. It’ll be a few days.”

  “You don’t know Trot. It’ll be a couple of hours.”

  As they drove, she got to know him better. She loved to listen to him talk. He had just the right amount of country in his deep, rich voice. He was one sexy man, and she could understand why the buckle bunnies flocked around him.

  She asked him questions about the terrain and cows and bulls, and he answered them with the utmost patience and a touch of humor.

  When they arrived they parked in the garage adjacent to the hospital and walked into the main lobby. The candy striper blowing bubble gum behind the desk immediately recognized Jake.

  “Jake Dixon!” She popped up out of her chair. “I just love you.”

  “Thank you.” Jake’s eyes glittered with humor.

  “What are you doing here?” Her gum snapped. “You okay, Jake?”

  “I’m fine. Just going to get some pictures taken. Can you point me towards the X-ray Department?”

  She pointed. “Follow the blue line on the wall until it changes to the green line. Take the green line to the elevator. Take the elevator to the third floor. Then follow the purple line to red. Then you’ll see it on the right. Yellow door.”

  Beth raised an eyebrow. “Blue, green, elevator to three, red, purple, yellow door. Right?”

  “No. Purple then red.” Her eyes never left Jake.

 
; “What’s the room number?”

  She looked at Beth and rolled her eyes. “Three-twenty-two.”

  Jake tweaked his hat to her. “Thank you.”

  Beth felt Jake’s hand at the small of her back as he walked her toward the blue line. She liked it.

  His boots clicked against the polished marble floor. Her sneakers squawked like crows.

  They found the X-ray Department, only having to ask four people to direct them. While Jake signed in, Beth found a rack of magazines and shuffled through them until she saw a pair of familiar blue eyes staring at her. She pulled out the magazine.

  “Jake, your picture’s on the cover,” she said, holding it up to show him.

  He held out his hand and she gave it to him. “It’s a rag. Why don’t you read something else?”

  “I’d like to read this one, since it’s about you.”

  He rolled it up and smacked it against his leg. “I’d really appreciate it if you read something else.”

  “I presume they said something about you that you don’t want me to see.” She shrugged. “Okay.”

  They called his name and he took the magazine with him.

  “Darn,” she mumbled.

  With a shrug, Jake turned around and handed her back the magazine. “Go ahead, but remember, don’t believe everything you read.”

  Beth got comfortable in the chair and found the article.

  Jake Dixon: Should He Retire Or Ride?

  Jake Dixon of Mountain Springs, Wyoming, has won just about every Gold Buckle worth winning, but it’s a coin toss whether or not Jake will make it to Las Vegas this October for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Finals. At the time of writing, Dixon is ranked thirty-fifth out of forty-five bull riders, and he’s currently nursing a groin, leg and back injury.

  To add insult to his injuries, Viking Farm Tractors and Master Pro Tools have withdrawn their sponsorship. Instead they are sponsoring Wade Cord, the number-two ranked bull rider.

  We understand that Jake Dixon wants to go out on top, but we don’t want to see him permanently injured. He’s given a lot to the sport, but let’s face it, he’s a great-granddaddy in a sport of young buckaroos….

  The rest of the article was more of the same. So she skipped it and looked at the pictures of Jake being stepped on by White Whale, being tossed in the air by Grand Slam, and being rolled on the dirt by the nose of Mighty Max.

  Why would anyone want to be a bull rider?

  The door opened and a nurse appeared. She had a friendly smile and a scrubbed, shiny face, with teeth as white as her uniform. A tiny woman, she had an air of authority about her.

  “You must be Beth.”

  Beth nodded.

  “I’m Shirley. Mr. Dixon will be a little longer. Dr. Trotter called. He said that while we have Jake captive, he might as well order more tests.” She laughed. “And Jake is in there hooting and hollering like he’s being hog-tied.”

  Beth smiled. “I can just imagine.”

  “No sense hanging around here, honey. Why don’t you go to the cafeteria and have a bite to eat? I’ll have him meet you there.”

  “Thank you, Shirley. I think I’ll do that.”

  “First floor, rear. Follow the purple line until…” Shirley shook her head. “Forget it. Go to the first floor. Today’s special is tuna-noodle casserole. Just follow the smell.”

  Beth found the elevator and hit the button to the first floor, but made a wrong turn somewhere. She walked on, figuring she’d find a purple line somewhere. Seeing some people ahead, she decided she’d ask them for directions.

  As she approached, she heard a child crying as medical staff scurried about. Straight ahead was a wall of windows and doors. She could see an ambulance parked outside, and EMTs rolling a stretcher from it, then hurrying through the big glass doors into the Emergency Room.

  A young boy lay on the stretcher. He was covered in blood. Next to him, a young woman was crying, saying his name over and over. “Johnny…Johnny… Johnny…I’m here. Mommy’s here, Johnny.”

  Beth pressed her back to the wall. She watched through the windows on her right as Johnny was wheeled to the back of the Emergency Room.

  She couldn’t move, couldn’t swallow the lump that formed in her throat. She flashed back to two years ago. “Kevin…Kevin… It’s Mommy, Kevin. Mommy’s here, Kevin.” She closed her eyes and let the tears come.

  “Are you okay, miss?”

  Beth opened her eyes to see an elderly woman with a Volunteer name tag pinned to her bright red lab jacket. She stuffed some tissues into Beth’s hand.

  “Can I help?”

  Beth shook her head and sniffed. “I’m okay. I’m just thinking…thinking back to another time.”

  “Follow me.”

  Beth didn’t know why, but she followed the woman as instructed. It must have been something in her kindly eyes, or the way she reminded Beth of her boss Inez.

  “This is our meditation room.” She flicked on a dim light. “No one’s here. You relax now, dear.” She left quickly, probably sensing that Beth didn’t want to talk.

  Beth sank into one of the overstuffed chairs and looked around. There was a mural of a water scene on the front wall. To the right of the mural was a fountain, a girl and a boy under an umbrella. Water was trickling down the umbrella into the bowl of the fountain. The sound of the water was soothing. A couple of bushes, probably silk, flanked the fountain.

  Beth sat in the chair, feeling drained. She said a prayer for Johnny, then another for Kevin, and another for all the kids who were sick and suffering in the world. Children, the innocent and yet the bravest and most resilient of us all.

  She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there with her eyes closed, listening to the water trickling, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jake’s voice was a whisper, as if he were in church.

  She took his hand. She wanted some connection with this man, brave in his own way. A man fighting his own battles.

  “How did you find me?”

  “My friend the candy striper saw you go this way. Then I asked one of the volunteers in the hallway, and she knew you right off.”

  He took a seat next to her. In the dim light, she could barely see him, but she could smell his aftershave. Could hear his steady breathing.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I had some kind of a meltdown, Jake. I saw a young boy being wheeled into the ER and it reminded me of the day of the accident. All I could see was Kevin covered in blood and…”

  He took her hand, and she felt a connection to him, a warmness that started in her heart and spread over her like a warm blanket. She looked at their hands clasped together. It seemed so natural to confide in him, to share what was in her soul.

  “It’s my fault that Kevin’s in a wheelchair. I didn’t know that Brad had started drinking again. I should have known. I should have known, Jake.”

  He put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him.

  “It wasn’t your fault. It was Brad’s fault.”

  “I wish I could believe that.”

  “Believe it.”

  “I hate it when I’m like this. I feel…weak.”

  “Weak? So, you’re not allowed to show any emotion? You have to keep it all in, to be brave?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve dealt with the death of your husband and the almost death and long rehabilitation of your son. Plus, you blame yourself for the accident, for not knowing that Brad was drinking again. Let’s see, what else can we load on your shoulders?”

  She smiled and squeezed his hand.

  “Jake Dixon, you’re good for me.” Beth felt the fog lifting from her brain. She wiped her tears and blew her nose. She took a couple of deep breaths and felt better. “How did you make out in X-ray Land?”

  “I was stripped naked and posed and photographed from every angle. That idiot Trot even ordered blood tests!”


  “Did you wear one of those gowns that open in the back?”

  “Yup.”

  “Wish I could have seen that.” She chuckled. “And I’ll bet you never took off your boots or your hat.”

  “They made me take off my boots, but I never took off my hat.”

  “And you only take your hat off for one thing and one thing only.”

  He slapped his knee. “How did you know that, darlin’?” He went heavy on the western accent.

  “I think we’re doing the dialogue from a bad western movie, darlin’.” Beth felt better. He was good for her. “Shall we go?”

  “You okay now?”

  “Yes. Thanks.”

  “Beth?” His voice was low, a whisper on the air.

  He pulled her into his arms. His index finger traced her lips and the side of her jaw. Beth was glad that the chair was behind her in case she fell, because her knees weren’t locking.

  He bent his head and kissed her. When his tongue traced her lips, she sighed, opened for him. He held her tighter. She took off his cowboy hat and ran her fingers through his soft hair.

  She let herself feel—the touch of his callused hands on her arms, the softness of his lips, the way his breath caressed her face when he spoke her name.

  What was she doing? She broke the kiss, astonished by the way he made her feel. He’d kissed her before, but she wasn’t ready for this—this intense feeling for him.

  She couldn’t get involved with a man who might have a drinking problem. A man who could end up in a wheelchair like Kevin because of his injuries. A man who rode bulls, one of the most dangerous sports of all, so much so that being wheeled from an ambulance into the Emergency Room was routine.

  “Jake, I’m going to talk to Johnny’s mother. Maybe I can just hold her hand and keep her company or get her some water or something. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  He smiled at her, a smile that told her that he admired her.

  “Are you sure you can handle it?” he asked.

  “I think so. I’m okay now.”

  “Then you go right ahead, and take your time.”