The Cowboy Takes a Bride

by Debra Clopton

  She got a mental picture of him tumbling off that slick roof, and her stomach rolled right along with him. It shook her to realize just how much it would have mattered. She looked up at him and nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Very much,” she added.

  Ross’s surprise was palpable. He clearly hadn’t expected her to admit that. Sugar was just as astounded at the admission. She blamed it on her conversation with Dottie.

  “Well,” he said, swallowing hard. “I’m fine. The roof is protected and the storm is almost over. God’s good.”

  Sugar took a deep breath and nodded.

  God was good. But she was beginning to wonder if she understood Him at all. She was suddenly wondering if she understood anything.

  Ross pulled up in front of Sugar’s apartment. The rain had stopped, but mist still hung in the air, seeming as undecided and frustrated about its next move as Ross. He glanced at the dashboard clock. One-thirty in the morning. It had been a long, eye-opening night.

  Coming face-to-face with his mortality up on that building had shaken him. He hadn’t wanted to let anyone else know exactly how close a call he’d had up on that slick roof, but when his foot slipped and he went sliding down those shingles, it had been an act of God that he’d not ended up going over the edge. That his boot had caught the lip of the gutter and the gutter had held…well, he was giving the good Lord all the glory on that one.

  Sugar’s admission that what happened to him mattered to her had caused his adrenaline to pump even more furiously than it had as he plunged toward certain disaster on that roof. When she’d said that standing there beside him, he’d wanted to draw her close and hug her. He’d held back, though. He was soaked to the bone and she’d changed into dry clothes, not to mention he was sure she wouldn’t have welcomed the advance.

  He’d been fooling himself for weeks now. In spite of all his attempts to guard his heart, he cared about Sugar. He was obviously a glutton for heartache, because that was the only place this could take him.

  “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, fighting off the urge to reach out and touch her now. She’d been quiet the entire drive into town. She nodded and started to open her door. He hopped out of the truck and reached her just as she closed her door behind her.

  She stepped up onto the sidewalk. He followed, not wanting the night to end. At the bottom of the stairs she paused, her hand on the railing as she turned toward him. “You came to find me tonight.”

  “Yeah, I did.” All he’d been able to think about when he couldn’t get her on the phone was that she might not be safe. Just as she, apparently, had worried about him while he was out on the roof.

  She’d admitted that it would have mattered to her if he’d fallen, but he knew her confession was bothering her. Still, that fact gave him a little glimmer of hope.

  He’d read her like an open book after she’d made the admission. She didn’t want to care for him any more than he wanted to care for her.

  They were standing in the beam of his headlights, and her eyes seemed huge as she looked up at him. His throat went dry.

  “Why did you come after me?” she asked, her words barely a whisper.

  Why? That’s what a man who loves a woman does—Ross had been in denial about it almost as long as he’d known her, but as he slid down that slick roof he’d known he couldn’t deny it anymore. At least, not to himself. “I’m your hero, remember?”

  She smiled. “Cute. But really?”

  There was no way he could tell her he loved her. He was still trying to get his mind around it himself! Besides, he knew she would be unhappy if he told her. “Why wouldn’t I come after you?”

  Her eyes kind of melted in the truck light, as if maybe she liked the way that sounded. But, no, she was probably just tired. “Y-you and me,” he said, fumbling for the right cover-up. “W-we’re friends. You don’t want me falling off roofs, and I don’t want roofs falling on your head.” Well, that was lame.

  “Oh. Right,” she said, nodding. “Thanks for that. G-good night, then.”

  He snapped his arms across his chest, locking his hands between his biceps and his ribs. It was the only way to keep from reaching for her.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she said, swinging around suddenly, her eyes flashing. “I’ve enjoyed working with you.” She looked and sounded as if she were fighting to keep her balance on a tightrope. Or maybe it just seemed that way to him, since that was how he was feeling.

  “I’ve enjoyed working with you, too,” he stated. “I need to admit something—I didn’t have any desire to do this production. As you know, I didn’t want anything to do with it. But I’ve enjoyed myself more than I could ever have imagined.”

  She smiled. “I thought so. I mean, well, I thought you were enjoying the production part of it. You know, getting things started. I know you haven’t enjoyed the acting part.”

  He relaxed. “I’ve even enjoyed that.”

  “Oh.”

  That made him grin. “You’re speechless. Wow.”

  She chuckled.

  “We have created something special, Sugar. Because you pushed me to do this, I feel closer to Grandpop than I ever have. I know where he got his love and drive from now. It came from the pride of taking something from the ground up and building it into a legacy.”

  “So, does that mean you’re going to keep the theater open for certain?”

  He’d led her to believe he wasn’t in it for the long haul—made as little commitment as possible, but that had all changed. “I am,” he said. “I know you’re not going to stay here, but I was hoping you might want to remain a partner in it.” He hadn’t realized he was going to say this, but now that it was out, he knew it was right. The financials he and Sugar had worked out had only been for the immediate future, but he wanted some way to stay connected to her, some way that would keep the door open for her to come back.

  She looked thoughtful. “Out there tonight at the shelter, I realized you were right. You know, about me not having a life of any kind outside of achieving my dream.”

  “I was rough on you. I didn’t tell you that your passion for what you do impresses me. Your dedication, your commitment to it…inspires me. Yes, I said your commitment to it. I know that will steal you away from our theater here, but I understand it.”

  She blinked rapidly, her eyes glistened in the headlights. “Coming from you that means a lot to me.”

  He wished it meant enough to keep her here. Wished he could tell her how he really felt. But he couldn’t. “You’re one of the most talented people I’ve ever known. In God’s timing, you’re going to make it. I know I’ve been hard on you, but that’s the way I see it.”

  She took a deep breath and then threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. “I needed to hear that. Thank you.” She let go abruptly, then jogged up the stairs. He watched her as she switched on the emergency light he’d given her and then unlocked her door. She gave him a small smile before disappearing inside.

  He stood there, still looking at her screen door as he gathered his wits about him.

  He’d worked and acted with Sugar for the last few weeks, and he’d never been around anyone he thought had more reason to believe in her God-given talent than she did. There was no doubt in his mind that Sugar was destined to be a star.

  It was only a matter of time. All she needed was the right moment, the right opportunity, and she was going to soar….

  Right out of his life.

  The damage to the county wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Several people had trees down and some damage to shingles, but no one had anything worse than the shelter’s ripped-up roof. Overall, Mule Hollow residents felt relieved and blessed that all they’d received from the storm was a few small twisters and not an actual tornado.

  Sugar joined in the next day as many of the townspeople pitched in to clean the shelter’s yard of debris. The insurance adjuster came out and gave his estimate, and no sooner had he left than Ross, jokester Dan Daws
on and several other men, including a quiet cowboy named Emmett, joined Brady on the roof to start replacing shingles.

  There was plenty of work still to be done on the show. Sugar could have easily left and gone out to the barn. There were so many people working at the shelter that she wouldn’t have been missed, but she realized she wanted to help. She wanted to participate. This was a community that cared about each other. These were her friends, they needed her help and she gladly gave it.

  At the moment, lending a helping hand was more important than her production.

  She went to the side of the house to pick up shingles from the playground area, and saw Stacy was working there also. Sugar noticed the woman’s gaze flicker up, keeping track of Emmett on that steep roofline. Sugar found herself doing the same thing with Ross. She was terrified he might lose his footing again, though she realized it was a senseless fear. The man was very capable.

  His words from the night before had sent her into a tailspin. He believed in her! That admission alone had almost made her burst into tears. But knowing that she’d been right about his loving the work on the production pleased her even more. And the show would go on even after she left Mule Hollow. That meant more to her than she’d thought possible. She was so proud of what they were creating.

  “I think it’s wonderful how you can get up on that stage in front of all those people.”

  Sugar had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard Stacy move closer to her. Startled that the shy woman had actually spoken an entire sentence, Sugar went blank for a minute. “I love it,” she said, a heartbeat later.

  “It would terrify me.”

  “Have you ever tried it?” Of course she hadn’t tried it. The woman didn’t talk!

  “No. I never could. I wouldn’t be good at it, anyway.”

  Sugar tossed a broken shingle into the nearby wheelbarrow and, then, instead of reaching for another one, gave Stacy her full attention. “You know, sometimes getting out there on that stage, or in front of a camera, is a freeing experience. You might be surprised by what you could do while playing a role, that you couldn’t do as yourself.”

  It was true. Sugar knew firsthand; she’d been living for the hours she and Ross could be on stage and she could let herself be the woman who was falling in love with him. Suddenly, she was inspired with an idea. “Would you like to come out to the theater one night and help me go over lines? Maybe try it out?”

  Stacy went white. “Oh, no. I couldn’t. I—”

  “You’d be surprised at how many actors and actresses are really shy people.” Sugar had this sudden determination to get Stacy to at least come out to the barn.

  “Really?” She didn’t look as if she believed it, but seemed to be thinking it over. “How can that be?”

  “Well, it’s certainly not true of me—I’ve been a camera hog all my life—but for some it’s a way of expressing themselves.”

  Stacy gave Sugar a small smile. “I’m a long way from a camera hog. But I might come out and maybe let you read your lines to me, if you need someone to do that.”

  Sugar got the most unbelievable sensation in the pit of her stomach, as if something very significant had just happened, something larger than herself. Oddly, she found it hard to speak. She nodded instead, swallowed and then met Stacy’s gaze with a smile. A smile she felt from her heart. She found her voice then. “Tomorrow. Right after work. No one else gets there until seven. I really could use your help.”

  “Maybe I’ll come, if no one else is going to be there.”

  Sugar decided right then and there that she would make sure no one else was around. Applegate and Stanley showed up early every once in a while to fiddle with things, but she knew that for Stacy, they’d stay away. “It’ll just be you and me. And I know we’re going to have fun. You’ll see.”

  They worked a few minutes more, finishing the cleanup around the playground before Stacy went inside to check on her toddler. Sugar looked up at the men hammering away on the roof, and waved when she saw Ross watching her. Her heart was full to bursting suddenly, and at the same time she felt immensely lighthearted.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Okay, I’m Hoss, and you’re me. Sweet little ole Daisy Calhoun,” Sugar said, smiling. She and Stacy had been at the barn for an hour, and Sugar could tell the reserved woman was enjoying herself even if it wasn’t especially visible. But Sugar had this burning desire to pull the energy she sensed inside of Stacy out into the open.

  She’d asked Haley about Stacy, and found out she’d had an extremely sad life. Abuse was something Sugar had never known, and after her conversation with Haley, she’d taken off from work thirty minutes early to come to the barn where she could be alone. She had had the intense impression that she should pray before Stacy arrived. She had asked God to please be in the barn with them.

  Looking into the deer-in-the-headlights eyes that Stacy had just leveled on her, Sugar prayed she wasn’t doing the wrong thing by pushing her out onto the stage. But it felt right. She wanted Stacy to know how the stage made her feel.

  “Don’t look so scared,” she said, then added encouragement. “You can do this. Remember, it’s just you and me. And most of all, this is fun. When you step onto this stage…” Sugar walked out into the middle of the space and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. “It is all about what’s happening here. Nothing out there matters.” She opened her eyes and looked at Stacy. “Right here, you don’t have to think about who you are. What your problems are. What your shortcomings are—not that we have any,” she added with a teasing grin. “Right here, it’s all about the character. It’s about breathing life into your role so that the audience is transported away from their troubles.”

  Stacy’s hands trembled as she gripped the script. She didn’t say anything, but her gaze fell to the pages in her hands. Sugar was holding her breath and praying God would somehow use her to help this wounded soul out of her shell.

  “Okay, I’ll try.”

  Sugar wanted to grab Stacy up in a big hug, but was afraid she’d scare the poor girl, so she held back and smiled instead. “That’s all any of us can do. Now, from the top, Daisy girl. ‘Hoss is so in love with you he needs you to put him out of his misery and tell him that ya luv him!’”

  “Oh, Ross, it was unbelievable. I have never, and I mean never, felt as excited and fulfilled as when Stacy read my lines like she was Daisy!”

  Ross was speechless, looking at the exhilaration radiating from Sugar. It didn’t help his situation at all. He’d been in complete knots since the night of the storm; knowing that he loved her enough to want her to fulfill her dream even if it meant watching her fly away from him was stretching him thin. But looking at her now, something was different. He could feel it. He smiled as she grabbed him and hugged him, before swinging away like a twirling top.

  She’d cornered him the moment he’d arrived, and pulled him to the side of the barn, away from the other cast members.

  “I always had this dream that I was supposed to be up on the big screen so that I could make a difference in some kid’s life. You know, like what happened with me. But I never thought about using my love of acting in a one-on-one situation. I really think I can help Stacy come out of her shell.”

  “Sugar, if there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that you can bring out the actor in anyone.”

  She was standing three feet away from him, her eyes alive with hope. He knew he’d never seen anything more beautiful in all of his life.

  “It’ll take time. Stacy won’t be up there acting anytime soon—who knows, she may never want to act in front of people. Even if she doesn’t, it is still a great thing. She walked out of here today with what I truly think was a lilt in her step.”

  “You did good, Sugar.”

  She looped her arm through his and turned her smiling face up to him. “Not me. God did it. I could feel Him. He was right there beside me.”

  Ross couldn’t help it, he placed his free h
and on the side of her face, cherishing the texture of her skin. He’d fallen in love with this woman’s passion and her spirit. “God’s going to use you in a great way, Sugar. With your talent and your beautiful heart, there is no telling what He has in store for you. I see greatness in you.”

  She went totally still, her eyes growing troubled. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve always felt,” she said, but there was no note of bragging in her tone. “You know me, I’m sure as shootin’ supposed to be America’s next sweetheart.”

  For the first time since he’d known her, she didn’t say the words with conviction. He didn’t know how to feel about that.

  “Yup, ya got that right,” he teased, trying to lift the suddenly solemn mood hanging over them. He started walking her toward the front of the barn, needing to join the crowd before he broke down and kissed her. “It’s time for practice. You know how I need it.”

  She chuckled at that and squeezed his arm. “You’re so much better than you think.”

  “Only because I have you up there beside me.”

  And that was the truth. He was supposed to be Hoss the singing cowboy when he was acting out his part, but that was him, Ross Denton, up on that stage—the man who loved Sugar Rae Lenox, heart and soul. Once she headed off to her destiny, he was going to go back behind the scenes and let the others do the performing. Without her, he didn’t want to be on stage.

  Who was he kidding? Without her, he didn’t want to be anywhere.

  There was a church social on Sunday morning after service. In the words of Applegate, Mule Hollow knew how to “put on the dog.” Sugar hoped dog wasn’t on the menu, but there was so much barbecued meat on the table, one could never know for sure.

  After she filled her plate, Sugar sat at a table with several couples. Before long, Ross came and settled beside her. Everyone at the table was joking and talking and having a good time. Her shoulder was pressed to Ross’s for most of the meal, and she was so very aware of him. So much that she was relieved when he went to change for volleyball.