The Last Cowboy

by Pat Dale

  After reading the fifteenth post from her would-be fiancé, she clicked on new and tapped out a sarcastic response. Where I am is none of your business, especially since you got into the middle of my business. I once told you I wouldn’t go to bed with you if you were the last cowboy in Texas. That still goes!

  Perhaps too caustic, but there it was. He could learn to like it or lump it. When she was good and ready, she’d let him know. If he was truly meant for her, he’d find a way to wait. If not, she needed to know that she couldn’t count on him.

  * * *

  Troy completed contracting the fifth of his new subdivision parcels. Brimming with good humour, he took a moment to check his inbox on his computer. He had mail. More to the point, he had a message from Samantha. As he opened and read the short terse post, his humour faded. And his temper flared.

  “Last cowboy, huh? Okay, prissy missy, we’ll see who has the last laugh this time!”

  Julie stuck her head in, having overheard his shout. “You okay, boss?”

  “Yeah, I’m just fine. Come here, Julie, and look at what Samantha just sent.”

  “You heard from her? That’s wonderful! Is she okay?”

  He pointed to the screen. “See for yourself.”

  Her eyes met his. “I can’t believe she actually said that. You sure this isn’t some kind of code, telling you she’s been abducted and to come rescue her?”

  “You kidding? That is pure Samantha, Julie, at her worst. She’s run away and that’s all there is to that story.”

  “I don’t think so. My female instinct tells me she’s going through a phase that will end when she’s found what she’s looking for.”

  “Does your female instinct also tell you if that will be in this lifetime?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm. She’d hit him below the belt and it hurt like hell.

  “Troy! Lighten up. She’s got issues, damn it. Give her some space.”

  “Space, yeah. Well, she’s got all the space she could want now. Up there on her high horse again, where she thinks she rules the world.”

  Julie gave him a horse laugh. “I’d say she does, for now.”

  “Yeah. I guess she does, at that.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’ll just have to wait it out, I guess. But I’m not giving up on her. I swore my commitment and that’s that.”

  “Good for you, Troy. I just wish Samantha was here to hear you say that. My guess is, that’s what she’s wanted more than anything else for all this time.”

  “Yeah. Well, I wish she was here so I could tell her to her face.” He sat back in his chair, watching Julie return to the reception area, still smarting from Samantha’s inflammatory words. Last cowboy, huh?

  * * *

  Sally read the text message, shaking her head. Samantha was okay and happy. But where was she? She had to know she’d hurt her parents by disappearing that way. Why couldn’t she tell them where she’d gone?

  She dialed the paper office. “Ozzie? I heard from Samantha. She’s okay.”

  “Thank God! Where is she?”

  “She didn’t say.”

  “How did she sound?”

  “I didn’t talk to her. She sent a text message.”

  “Well, damn. Doesn’t she know what she’s done to us?”

  “Ozzie, stop it. Don’t go off on a rant. Remember, this is payback for what we did to her. I’m just relieved that she’s okay and bothered to tell us that. She’ll come around when she’s ready.”

  “I suppose we’ll just have to wait for her to calm down. Hey, Troy just came in. Let me give him the good news and I’ll call you back.”

  “Hey, Troy. We just heard from Samantha.”

  “I did, too. I thought I’d let you know she’s okay.”

  “She texted her mother to tell us that. Did she call you?”

  “No. Sent me an email. Short. Terse. To the point.”

  “To what point? Did she break off your engagement?”

  “Not exactly. Just told me where to get off in her own quaint way.”

  “Not happy, huh?”

  “Not with me. Apparently she is happy with wherever she went. I guess we’ll just have to wait for her to get whatever it is out of her system.”

  “Sally and I came to the same conclusion.”

  Troy’s face wrinkled into a scowl. “Well, I’m not going to wait for her to come back. I have to find out where she is so I can tell her something she wants to hear from me.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Ozzie, it’s kind of hard to say this, but I’ve been a real blockhead where Samantha is concerned. I’ve seen the bond you and Sally share. My mom and dad had the same kind of thing going for them.

  “Samantha and I share that, whether she’s ready now to admit it or not. My problem is, I never gave her a chance to figure it out for herself. Well, that’s going to change when I find her. And I will find her.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  It wasn’t until the next morning that Samantha heard from BB Publishing. They hoped she was seriously considering their offer and were looking forward to working with her. The manuscript was expected to be transmitted electronically, and all editing would be digital as well.

  Because Sally had send the original submission in hard copy format, the publisher required a digital file of the manuscript when, and if, Samantha decided to accept their contract offer. A separate attachment outlined the formatting requirements.

  Now I’m ready to go. I’ll enter what I’ve got done already and finish my rough draft of book four on the computer. Then I’ll go back and transfer the others onto my laptop. This will work.

  As she tapped out her draft from the beginning, she realized it was a great opportunity do a bit of editing as she went. It would take the rest of today and most of tomorrow to get what she’d already written into the digital file, but it was well worth it. By dinner time, she felt like a professional writer for the first time.

  She joined the boisterous little group for dinner in buoyant spirits. Will’s barbecue was every bit as good as his chili and she said so, to the agreement of the others. Ah, life is good!

  * * *

  Troy had spent the hour since talking with the Turners thinking about where Samantha might be, and how he could find her. It was time for action. The real estate business was sailing along at a merry pace and he could afford a few days of vacation. Julie was more than capable of keeping the office going, and his dad could come in if needed. After all, it was Edgar’s business until he retired, and Troy kept him abreast of what he was doing with the new project.

  It was clear Samantha’s folks had no clue where she’d gone. What about Missy? He made a note to call her and enlist her help. Perhaps Samantha had said something more to her lifelong friend before going AWOL.

  He dialed and waited. “Hi, Missy. I’d like to talk to you when you have a few free minutes.”

  “Sure, Troy. Tom and I have been planning our wedding this afternoon, but we always have time for you. Where should we meet?” Missy sounded a bit breathless, but happy to hear from him.

  “If you have the time today, late this afternoon would be great. I’ll even buy dinner for the three of us if you want.”

  “Sounds like fun. Where should we go?”

  “How about the Inn? Their food is good and it’s nearby.”

  “Name the time and we’ll be there.”

  “How about five? We can beat the rush.”

  Missy laughed. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to get trampled. See you then. Bye.”

  Troy shut his phone off and smiled as he dropped it into his shirt pocket. Attendance at the Inn on week nights was usually pretty sparse. They might have the entire dining hall to themselves at that early time, which was good. He was on a mission and time was of the essence.

  * * *

  Dinner with Missy and Tom brightened Troy’s spirits. They were a fun couple and so full of enthusiasm for life, he couldn’t help feeling better about things. Besides, Missy had another clue about where
Samantha might be. She didn’t know for sure, of course, but she mentioned a brochure Sam showed her months ago, back in the spring. It was a writers retreat sort of place where authors could go to get help with their novels.

  Bingo! Just the kind of place Samantha would run off to. That was the good news. The bad news was that Missy had no idea where the place was located. Troy would have to do a little detective work. He’d start with Sally and Ozzie. Maybe Samantha shared the information from the brochure with her mom or dad. Maybe the actual item was still sitting on her desk.

  He called Sally early the next morning. “Hi. I had a thought about where Sam might be. Missy told me Samantha talked to her about a writing camp or retreat, or something. Like a writers helping writers kind of thing. Do you remember her saying anything about that to you?”

  “Well, let me see.” After a short hesitation. “You know, I do remember that. She was excited about it, but to my knowledge she didn’t do anything with the information. She said she was far too busy at the paper and, besides, her writing was nowhere ready for something like that.”

  “Oh. Did she trash the brochure?”

  “I don’t know. Honestly, Troy, I never paid that much attention to what she did.”

  “Other than her writing you thought she should publish?” He heard Sally’s sharp intake of breath.

  “That wasn’t a kind thing to say. But, yes, other than her writing. I’m sorry now that this old busybody couldn’t keep from meddling in her daughter’s affairs. Is that what you want to hear, Troy?”

  “Sorry, Sally. I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I’m as guilty as you for what happened and that’s why I’m calling now. I plan to take two weeks off, starting Saturday. I’ll find my girl and bring her home. Or, I’ll find her and stay with her wherever she is.”

  “What about your real estate business? Aren’t you in the middle of a big development project? Who will take care of it while you’re gone?”

  “Julie has what it takes to do the day by day stuff. And Dad can come in to close any legal deals that come up. Things have been going really well, in spite of the current economy, but it was his business before he decided to let me take over so he and Ozzie could spend their days fishing.”

  “Well, I hope you can find her. I’d like her to come home, but if she’s of a mind to explore some other part of the country, that’s okay, too.” Her mother sighed.

  “Yep. Well, if you’d look for that brochure, I’d been in your debt.”

  “I’ll do that. If she threw it away, what then?”

  “I’ll just do some digging to see where they have those writer retreats. I think that’s what Missy called it. It would help if we knew the name of the retreat, but Missy couldn’t remember it, though she did see the brochure.”

  “I’ll call as soon as I search the house.”

  Troy sat back, thinking about what the name of the camp could be. He’d figure it out somehow. Right? Or was it write? Writer? Just then, the phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Troy? This is Missy. I just remembered something about that thing Samantha got so excited about. It had three letters in large script on the top of the first page. WWR. What do you think that means?”

  “I don’t know, Missy. I talked to her mom and she’s as in the dark as we are. Let me think about this for a bit. And thanks. I had a great time with you guys last night. Tell Tom hi for me.”

  After hanging up, he sat back again. WWR? WR could be Writers Retreat. So what would the other W be? Maybe a name? Or a direction, like Western Writers Retreat? She wasn’t a western writer so that wouldn’t have attracted her. Wild? Definitely a no on that one. Samantha was not into wild writing. He stopped to chuckle. Well, maybe she was.

  It had to be a name. But what name? That’s when it hit him. He needed to find some kind of listing for writer retreats nationwide. He could eliminate them until he came to the ones that might use a W. At least that would narrow the field. He tried calling up a list on the internet, but nothing seemed to match.

  That’s when the next mental breakthrough hit. Tom owned a bookstore, maybe he had some sort of professional listing not available to the public. He called Missy back on the chance that she was with Tom.

  “Hey, Missy. Troy again. Are you with Tom by any chance?”

  “No. He just left for the bookstore. Why?”

  “I want to do some research and I figured he’s in the right business to help me. I’ll call him there.”

  “Tell him hi for me.”

  “Will do, Missy.”

  One glance at his rolodex where he’d stored personal numbers and he found the one for the bookstore. When the clerk answered, he asked for Tom and waited.

  “Hello. How may I help you?”

  “Tom? This is Troy. Hi. I’m looking for some information and I hope you can help me with it. What I’m looking for is a list of writer retreats. Do you know where I could find such a beast?”

  “Sure enough. We carry every writing magazine known to man. Let me run through those and I’m sure at least one of them will have something, usually printed in the back pages of the mag. I’ll call you back soon as I find anything. I don’t think there’s a complete listing anywhere on the internet that I’ve found.”

  “Thanks, Tom. Oh, I enjoyed our meal last night and I just got off the phone with Missy. She said to say hi for her.”

  Tom laughed. “I sure love that little gal.”

  “That’s clear enough to see. I just hope Samantha will be back for your wedding.”

  “We do, too.”

  Troy dropped the phone onto its cradle and leaned back. This development might be real progress or just another detour on a fruitless quest. Closing his eyes, he recalled Samantha’s message. The words seemed to leap out of his brain. Cowboy. Texas. Last cowboy in Texas? Could it be that simple?

  He grabbed the phone and got Tom back on the line. “I just had a brainstorm. Have you found any lists yet?”

  “One. I was just looking at it when you called.”

  “Concentrate on Texas. Any retreats in Texas that begin with a W?”

  After a wait that seemed hours, Tom said, “Yes. Here’s one. Werner Writer Retreat.”

  “WWR. Glory hallelujah! We’ve found it I hope! Where are the Werners located?”

  “Their mailing address is Tyler, Texas. Do you want to write to them?”

  Troy laughed. “Not on your life. If our wandering girl gets wind I’m on to where she’s hiding, she’ll pull up stakes and vanish again. Next time, no telling where. No, I think I’d better go down there and sneak up on her.”

  This time it was Tom that laughed. “Well, I hope you do find her. If you do, please tell her how much Missy and I miss her.”

  “When, Tom, not if. I will find Samantha. And, yes, I’ll tell her how much all of us miss her. Thanks so much, my friend. You’ve been a great help.”

  He jumped to his feet and clapped his hands. Julie shot through the door at his shout.

  “Troy? You okay?”

  “Yes! Well, no. But I think I know where my princess is playing sleeping beauty and I have to go kiss her awake.”

  Julie laughed. “That’s the most optimistic statement I’ve heard from you in a while.”

  “I guess. Hell, I know. Now I’ve got to share my good news with her folks. I just hope they don’t do anything stupid before I can get to Samantha.”

  “Stupid? What would that be?”

  “Oh, I’d say like trying to contact her. I’m not going to tell anybody where I think she is on the chance Samantha could somehow get wind that I’m on my way.”

  “Not even me?”

  “Not even you, Jules. You have no idea what pressure the Turners would put on you if they thought you knew anything. I’ll fill you in when I get back.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yep. Going to take a couple of weeks off. Dad will be available if you need him for anything at all. You okay with that?”

  “I guess.”r />
  “Julie, I have great confidence in your abilities.”

  “But not enough to tell me where you’re going?”

  “Nope. I’ll call as soon as I get there. As I said, if you need help, call Dad.”

  “Okay. Well, good luck with your search.”

  “Thanks!” He gave her a big bear hug. Then he was out the door with his cell in his hand. Samantha’s mom didn’t answer but he left a voice message.

  “Sally? I may have an idea where Samantha is, so I’m on my way to find her. I’ll try to let you guys know what’s going on.”

  * * *

  It was Friday afternoon and Samantha was pleased with the progress she’d made with transferring her manuscript to the laptop. She’d just finished the last of the handwritten text and was ready to get on with drafting the rest of the story. Images of the previous storyline flashed in her mind and her fingers flew across the keyboard as she created the next scene. The process of going through the entire book to this point provided her with fresh insight into her characters and she was pleased with the development of her plot.

  Over the following two hours, she added over three thousand words. She’d reached the point where the tension was at its height. What came next would determine the ultimate climax and conclusion of the story. She was amazed at how much easier it was to write on the laptop than writing things out in longhand. She would have to rethink her methods in the future. It was wonderful to realize the fourth manuscript was ready for her to edit.

  Sam rose and padded downstairs to answer the knock on her door. “Hi. Come on in.” She greeted Marybeth.

  “I didn’t wanta disturb you, Samantha, but we’re goin’ horseback riding this afternoon before supper. If you’d like to come along, we’d love your company.”

  “Thanks for the invitation. I’ve been pounding away at my manuscript, and I need a break. So, yes, I’d love to go with you. Just let me change into my jeans and I’ll be right out.”