The Cowboy Takes a Bride

by Debra Clopton

  Chapter Six

  When Ross stepped onto the church grounds the next morning, Norma Sue and Esther Mae just about mowed him down as they barreled toward him, both of them hotter than an August wind during a drought.

  “Of all the selfish, unbelievable things to do,” Norma Sue said, breathing hard, her fists balled on her hips. “I’m of the mind that you have something against this girl.”

  “Really, Ross Denton, I’m ashamed of you. That barn is just rotting away out there,” Esther Mae added. Her face was as pink as her hair was red, from anger as well as from her and Norma Sue’s fifty-yard rush.

  “Look, ladies, if I thought this idea of Sugar’s would work, I might give in. But I don’t think she stands a chance putting on something that big.” He listened to them politely, but as soon as he could move on, he did. Only to be cornered by Applegate, Stanley and Sam.

  “It ain’t right you keepin’ that poor little gal away from her dreams,” Applegate snapped, and his buddies agreed.

  Poor little gal. “Can none of you see that Sugar has no earthly idea what she’s getting herself into?”

  Stanley scratched his bald spot. “Well, shor we kin. But what if she had some help? Do ya thank she could do it?”

  “Yeah, what about that?” Sam added, elbowing in between his buddies so he could look up at Ross.

  Ross surveyed the men, their wizened old eyes pushing him to “cowboy up.”

  “Look, fellas. We’re talking lights, sound system, people to run them both. And that’s only the beginning. Where is the audience going to sit? A stage would have to be built, plus she’d have to get costumes and props. It takes manpower, money, and let me say once more, it takes commitment. That’s not even talking about the time that would have to be invested in rehearsals. Don’t you see, we aren’t talking about getting ready for a one-time weekend play. We’re talking about a review-ready production that’ll run weekend after weekend for months. She won’t be sticking around long enough for it to benefit anyone but herself. So why should I work this into my schedule and commit to it when I don’t have the time, or the desire? Especially since she’ll leave the first minute Hollywood gives her a holler. Sorry, but no thank you. If you men want this so much for her, then y’all help her.” He finished his harangue and stalked off, feeling like the bad guy once more. But someone needed to use his head around here. That’s what he’d been telling himself all night long.

  I arrived here in Mule Hollow so certain that God had opened this door and that this was the right move for me.

  His gut clenched as her words came back to him. They had stuck with him long after she’d driven off last night.

  She thought God had a plan for her here. She’d sounded so sincere.

  He’d thought the same thing when he’d given up the stage and moved to the ranch. This was the place he was supposed to be, and no one could convince him otherwise. But they were different. He wasn’t leaving.

  His steps slowed when he saw Sugar across the church lawn. She looked like a rainbow in her colorful sundress, and she was surrounded by cowboys—obviously she held no grudge against them for turning down her show.

  He knew all those cowboys, and knew that if there was a feasible way for them to help her, they would. She laughed at something one of them said, and Ross’s chest tightened. He tried to shake it off as he entered the sanctuary. He reminded himself that he needed to keep his head on straight.

  Not in a sociable mood, he grunted a greeting to those who spoke to him, then slumped into the first empty pew he could find in a far corner of the church. He could not let this woman get to him. He didn’t want anything to do with a production, and he shouldn’t feel bad about that.

  But he did.

  And there was just no getting around the fact that it bothered him how those other cowboys had turned her down, too, and yet they were out there getting smiles, while he’d gotten chewed out. Ross crossed his arms and watched the cowboys file into the choir loft a few minutes later. Norma Sue and Esther Mae took their seats in the center of the front row and smiled out at the congregation.

  They did not smile at him.

  Sugar had watched Ross out of the corner of her eye as he practically stormed toward the church and disappeared inside. She hadn’t missed the fact that he’d been in what looked like a heated conversation with Norma Sue and Esther Mae, and then Haley’s grandfather and his two buddies.

  Sugar didn’t know what the older men were getting on him about, but she could well imagine after last night that Norma and Esther were taking up for her.

  She wanted to feel satisfaction. Oddly, she didn’t.

  She felt self-conscious, too, wondering if everyone in town knew her story. There was a chance that Applegate hadn’t told everyone about her life, but she had a bad feeling that might not be the case. She despised pity. She’d lived with it for years, been coddled to death because of it. When she told people about how she got her name, she usually skimmed over the fact that the complications from her birth hadn’t been resolved for years. Skimmed over her childhood as a lonely little girl who desperately prayed that God would give her a strong body someday.

  She felt weak when people could see deep into her soul.

  Last night, when she’d realized that Ross knew, she’d behaved badly, in part because she really wanted to crawl under a rock. Pity was the last thing she wanted from him. She’d told the truth when she said she’d find a different place for her show. She didn’t need him. But that hadn’t stopped her from going home depressed or from hearing that horrible voice of defeat telling her to give up on her dreams.

  That voice bothered her more and more. She’d thought for certain that she’d left it back in L.A. That it wasn’t the Lord asking her to “lay down” her dreams. She wouldn’t, couldn’t think that God would ask such a thing of her. After all, He’d put these dreams in her heart. He had. And there was no way she’d quit just because achieving them was hard. She knew hard. She knew struggle.

  She’d overcome adversity from the start of her life by believing she had a purpose. She was supposed to be a star, just like ones she’d watched as a child, the ones who’d filled her days with joy. She knew she was supposed to do the same thing. She was supposed to be America’s next sweetheart. One who would bring joy to other little girls with dreams of their own. Some—many, actually—thought her dreams were trivial. But she would not give up.

  She’d finally gone to sleep the night before determined to keep believing that she was supposed to be in Mule Hollow. But she would be lying if she claimed that all the adversity she was meeting wasn’t pulling her down. Ross Denton was number one on that list. Did that stop her silly eyes from seeking him out as she took a seat in a pew near the back of the church? Oh no, it did not. She could see his profile quite clearly. And what did she see?

  The lump on his forehead!

  It probably wasn’t big enough for anyone else to notice, but because she knew it was there, she saw it clearly, even from a distance. Unwanted guilt settled on her and she looked away.

  She was glad when a pretty brunette with a warm smile asked to sit beside her.

  “Oh, please do.” She scooted down the pew, so grateful for the distraction that she could have hugged the woman.

  “Thanks. I’m Molly Jacobs. You must be Sugar,” she said, sinking onto the seat and holding out her hand.

  “I am!” Sugar exclaimed, instantly excited. “You are just the person I’ve been hoping to meet.”

  Molly chuckled. “Well, that makes two of us. I would have looked you up sooner, but I was out of town on a story. We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?” she whispered, leaning in as Adela started playing the piano. “How about lunch at my house after church? I’d love to visit with you and learn all about this production I hear you want to start.”

  “I would love that!” Sugar’s heart lifted. It was as if God had once again given her encouragement just when she needed it. He might not be making her dreams co
me true easily, but she knew He was on her side. And if God was on her side, then anything was possible…anything!

  Like the fact that Bob, Molly’s husband, really did sing like Tim McGraw. When the guy stepped out of the choir and began singing, Sugar noticed right away that he had a voice very similar to the country-music superstar’s. Not only that, but he was backed up by a choir made up predominantly of cowboys who’d turned her down the night before. To her surprise, they had greeted her this morning with warm apologies, leaving her hoping that they might be able to work something out, after all. Her heart’s hopes were renewed once more as she sat in the pew and listened to the music. Mule Hollow had talent.

  Maybe Norma Sue was right. Sugar just needed a show where she was the central star, with only a few cast members that could be rotated in and out. Cowboy singing during the intermission and before the show would also be rotated. She was so excited about the renewed fire burning inside of her that she pretty much smiled through the entire service.

  By the time she got home later that afternoon, the voice of doubt had been pushed far, far away. She and Molly had clicked instantly. The spirited reporter loved her idea of producing a show, and had promised to help all she could. She planned to start mentioning Sugar’s idea in her column the very next week, even though Sugar didn’t have anything completely pinned down.

  Bob had promised to help, too, if she could come up with a rotating schedule, as she’d proposed. The handsome, completely-in-love cowboy had suggested a romance, since that was what Mule Hollow was all about, and to inspire her, he’d picked up his guitar and sung a love song to Molly. It was the most romantic thing Sugar had ever witnessed, and in spite of herself, she was inspired by the couple’s relationship.

  Molly had dreamed of being a journalist on foreign soil before she’d met Bob. That unsettled Sugar a bit, though their connection was undeniable. Both Haley and Molly had forfeited exciting careers for love. And while Sugar had a problem with women sacrificing their dreams for love, she couldn’t deny that they both looked blissfully happy.

  Still, Sugar couldn’t help but wonder about Molly’s future. How would she feel in the years to come? Would she look back on her choices with regret?

  Of course, Molly’s life choices were none of Sugar’s business. She was just grateful that the columnist wanted to support her dream.

  The phone was ringing as she entered her apartment. Dropping her purse and sliding out of her heels, she grabbed the portable receiver.

  “Hey, sis, how are you?” her brother asked.

  “Cody, it’s good to hear your voice…is something wrong?”

  “No, don’t get in a panic. We were all over at Mom and Dad’s for lunch after church today, and no one had heard from you, so we’re checking in.”

  “Are you there now?” With Cody’s words, she felt that familiar longing for family. Though she was hurt that none of them fully supported her decision to become an actress, she still missed them. She got her answer when a loud “hello” was shouted in unison over the phone line. She laughed, and tears threatened suddenly. “Hello, tell everyone hello.”

  “I’ll let you do that yourself in a minute. I’m going to pass the phone around, but first I’m going to get on to you. Why haven’t you called and let us know you were settled?”

  “I’m sorry.” She knew she should have called. But she also knew they’d have tried once more to talk her into moving home. They always did. Always. “I’m here and it’s a lovely place. I think you would approve of it.” What was there not to approve of? If they wanted her to be in a safe location, this was it. Certainly it was safer than the neighborhood she’d been able to afford in L.A.

  “Anyplace has to be better than where you were.”

  “Come on, Cody, don’t start. Please.” L.A. was just as safe as any other city, but they’d hated the thought of her being there.

  “I’m not. But look, do you need any money?”

  “No. I don’t.” They were constantly trying to give her money, and didn’t like that she drove the same car she’d bought for almost nothing five years earlier. But Sugar was determined to make it on her own. So far, she’d been able to. The money she’d inherited from her grandmother had helped. But four overprotective, successful brothers were hard to hold off. They didn’t seem to get that she had her pride, and that she’d decided that if none of them wanted to support her dream, she certainly wasn’t going to let them support her financially. That wasn’t going to happen even if they suddenly came around and started believing in her.

  “Look, Cody, I’m making it on my own.”

  “I know, sis. I know,” he grumbled, causing her to smile.

  She spent the next thirty minutes talking with everyone in her family and enduring much of the same conversation over and over again. Still, when she hung up, she was grinning. God bless them, they meant well. But no matter what they thought, she was going to make it. She was, and she just wished in her heart that they’d believe in her.

  Feeling restless and more determined than ever, she went down to the office to research one-woman-show ideas on the Internet. She had to come up with the show, but so far she hadn’t liked anything she’d found. Nothing felt right.

  And besides, she needed something with singing cowboys.

  Chapter Seven

  “So what do you think, guys?” Sugar asked the bunch at the diner the next morning. It was only seven o’clock but she had been too restless to stay in her apartment, so had headed over to visit with Applegate, Stanley and Sam. “What should I do about a place to have my show?”

  “We think you need ta git in yor car and go out thar and talk to Ross one more time,” Applegate said loudly.

  “That’s right,” Sam agreed. “Y’all have gotten off on the wrong foot, that’s all.”

  “Yup,” Stanley said. “He’s just slap crazy right now ’cause of them critters destroy’n’ his property. Did you know the beavers are tryin’ ta turn his prime graz’n’ land into a lake?”

  Sugar was startled. She hadn’t realized that Ross might be having personal problems. Suddenly, she remembered that he had been working on his tractor on Saturday night, too. “You think that might be one reason he’s been so hardheaded?”

  The three men nodded. Applegate met her gaze with a solemn look. “The boy jest needs some help out thar.”

  Stanley paused, a checker in hand. “He was in here first thang this mornin’ on his way out thar. He needs help, all right. Everybody else is tied up with thar own work and cain’t lend a hand.”

  Sam looked grim. “We’d go help, but, well, we’re old.”

  “Yep, old as dirt,” Applegate grunted.

  On to them now, Sugar bit back a smile. They were totally up to something…but they still had a point. She had awakened this morning thinking maybe she should try once more to speak to Ross. The two of them had ended things on a horrible note on Saturday night and it didn’t feel right. For goodness sakes, they were both Christians. But were these fellas up to no good? “So you think I should go out there and see if he needs some help? Me?”

  They nodded again, looking pitiful. She actually thought they tried to frown so that more wrinkles showed on their faces. She bit her lip harder and breathed in through her nose, trying not to laugh. “Where are the beavers?” she managed to say, though her voice was a bit higher than normal. Not only would helping him give her the opportunity to show him a different side of herself, but she was actually curious about the beavers. She’d never seen one in real life.

  Applegate grinned. “It’s easy. Follow that road past his old barn and head through them trees and you’ll find him.”

  As it turned out, she didn’t have to drive to the beavers to find him. She saw him coming out of his barn—aka her soon-to-be theater—as she approached. She pulled to a halt, and he paused halfway into his truck, with one foot on the floorboard and a hand on the door. He didn’t seem happy to see her. Poor guy probably thought she was here to harass hi
m again.

  She hurried toward him. “I’m so glad I found you.”

  “Sugar, I don’t have time for this now.”

  “I know you’re having trouble with some beavers. The crew at Sam’s told me.”

  His brows dipped beneath the shadow of his hat. “And why did they tell you that?”

  “So I could come help you.”

  “What?” He scowled.

  “Look, Ross. I feel horrible for the way things got out of line the other night. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I’m really sorry. I came to help.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, too. I’m not normally a bad guy. There are some things that I could have said differently. But you still can’t use the barn, and I don’t need your help.” He sat down behind the wheel and closed the door. “Have a nice day,” he said through the open window.

  Sugar wasn’t about to give up. She ran to the passenger door and yanked it open. “Whoa there, cowboy,” she said, hopping inside. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’m coming with you.”

  “You are one stubborn woman,” Ross said. “Fine. You want to come along so badly, then here we go. But it doesn’t mean I’m changing my mind.”

  “Fine. But a girl has to have hope,” she retorted, winning her a chuckle that sent good vibrations straight to her heart.

  “So, you like the country?” she asked as they pulled back onto the gravel road and headed toward the trees. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she winced. Small talk seemed awkward after their heated conversations, but she was trying to start over. Still, did she have to ask such a no-brainer? Not only had he already told her that he liked it here, but it was obvious. He fit the part to perfection.

  “Yeah, I do,” he said. “So, tell me, Sugar. Where are you from? Other than the land of glitz.”

  This was good. Friendly conversation. “Scottsdale, Arizona.”

  He seemed surprised, and glanced at her. “Why didn’t you go back home to do this show?”

  “My parents and brothers still live around there. Being the baby, I find they tend to smother me. Plus, Haley wanted me here, and Molly’s column offers me a great advantage I couldn’t get anywhere else.”