“No, thanks. But that’s awesome news.”
Zee put his hand on Tina’s shoulder. “We’re hoping to start a family before too long. And it only makes sense to move closer to Tina’s grandpa.”
Tina nodded. “But we’re going to miss you, hon.”
Crystal hugged each of them. “I’m going to miss y’all, too. But I think this is the right decision.”
“We’ll stay in touch,” Tina assured her.
“I know we will. Some friends are for a season, but others are for life.”
Zee groaned. “Did you get that off an e-mail forward?”
Crystal laughed. “Probably. So sue me. Sometimes those things have gems of wisdom hidden between those rows and rows of e-mail addresses.”
She hugged them again and left them alone with their ice cream.
In the guest room, she got her Bible out and read it for a while. When she went to put it back into her overnight bag, her hand closed around something she didn’t recognize. Her high school yearbook. She remembered now that she’d put it and her plays in the bottom of her duffel bag to look at later. She reached in and pulled out both the plays and the yearbook and carried them to her bed.
She stuffed the two pillows against the headboard and scooted herself up in the bed until she was sitting with the plays resting on the slanted table that her knees provided. After a few minutes of reading, she got a pen and started to edit. Two hours later, she relaxed her legs and stretched. She had to stop and go to bed. Not because she was sleepy but because a twelve-hour rehearsal demanded a good night’s sleep.
She set the plays on her nightstand, and her gaze fell on the yearbook. Curiosity welled up inside her. There was no use trying to ignore it now and go to sleep. She slid it toward her across the slick comforter and ran her hand over the embossed lettering on the front cover. Her heart pounded. Was she ready to take this walk down memory lane? She sent up a silent prayer and flipped the heavy cover open.
Just a few pages in, she stopped. Their senior pictures—hers and Cami’s—were side by side. She stared at the blond hair, blue eyes, and their grins, Cami’s a shade more confident. Even at the end of their Shady Grove High School careers, only a handful of their close friends could tell them apart.
She flipped another page and there were Cami and the rest of the court at the local beauty salon getting their nails and hair done for homecoming. And she and Cami and Phoebe in Farm Welding class, their helmets up, smiling for the camera. “What a waste,” Cami had complained that whole semester. “Like we’re going to ever weld on Broadway.”
Phoebe had pointed out that at a crucial moment on stage, one of the poles that held the lights could break. And wouldn’t it be handy if the star could bring in a portable welder and take care of that? Cami had wrinkled her nose, but she quit griping.
Crystal smiled at the memory. Phoebe had such a dry sense of humor. Crystal needed to find the card she’d given her at the bookstore and give her a call. She’d missed her.
Crystal flipped the page and froze. In the Shady Grove yearbook, tradition demanded that each senior had a page paid for by his or her family, featuring pictures of the graduate from birth to the moment of this great accomplishment. And including handwritten words of inspiration to the graduates. Crystal couldn’t believe it had been seven years and she’d never seen her or Cami’s senior pages. Until now.
Crystal studied the page the family had put together for Cami. Without fail, the brothers and sisters had mentioned Broadway. But at the bottom, Daddy had written, “Remember Whose you are.” Cami had loved The Lion King, and Daddy always added his own twist to Mufasa’s advice to Simba.
Crystal closed her eyes. How ironic that her dad had felt the need to encourage Cami to keep the faith. He’d probably never dreamed that Crystal would be the one who would turn her back on God when times got tough. She’d called him and Mama after she got home from church yesterday. They’d sounded so happy, and she was pretty sure she heard tears in her daddy’s voice.
She turned her attention back to the yearbook. She looked at Cami’s page one more time, and her eyes stung as she read what she’d written to her sister. “Whether on the barn stage or the Broadway stage, you’ll always be a star to me. I love you.”
She turned the page, and there was her name and date of birth with photos of her whole childhood parading across the page. Each of her brothers and sisters, as well as Mama and Daddy, had written her a note. They ranged from “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid”—Luke—to “You’ve got a big heart, so never let anyone tell you that you’re too little”—Aaron—to “You can do anything you set your mind to”—Daddy—to “God loves you, honey, and He has big plans for you”—Mama. Down at the bottom, she recognized Cami’s familiar scrawl. “Wherever life leads us, thank you for inspiring me to be better, to dream bigger, and to always follow my heart. I love you.”
She’d signed it, “Broadway Bound, Cami.” That’s how her sister had signed everything for the last two years of high school.
The last two years of her life. Unshed tears ripped Crystal’s throat raw.
Crystal had no doubt Cami would have accomplished her dream if things had been different.
Crystal stared again at the quote. “Wherever life leads us...” She ran her hand over Cami’s picture. She remembered the pain she’d felt when she’d stood in the field and watched Jeremy walk away. Who could have guessed where life would lead them? Or that Crystal would have so much trouble following her own heart?
***
It had been a long day. The cows had broken through the fence on the north side, and Jeremy and his dad had spent most of the afternoon getting them back in and repairing the break. He’d been grateful when his mom had volunteered to pick Beka up from school and take her home with her. But now that he was home and showered, the house was unbearably empty.
He grabbed his keys off the hook by the door and walked out onto the porch. He’d turned down his mom’s offer for supper, but that was before he knew it was going to be one of those nights where he couldn’t stop thinking about Crystal.
He stepped off the porch to get a better look at the sunset. The clouds billowed across the sky, a purple curtain lined in orange and yellow. Down at the bottom of the cloud bank, one star twinkled. His dad used to tease him that if he could see it before dark, it was probably a satellite. But if Crystal were here, she’d wish on it with him.
He sank down on the top porch step. Could Crystal see the sunset in the city? Or was she too busy to look? Did she still smile when something touched her heart? And laugh at anything silly? Or had she gone back to the tense, nervous girl she’d been at Aaron’s wedding and later by the river? He prayed for her all the time. That she’d be happy and healthy. And even though it tore his heart out to think about it, he prayed for her to find love. A true love that would be good for her.
Sitting there on the step, he felt old and tired. He looked up at the crunch of gravel and stared as a small black car slowed and turned into his driveway. He stood, talking sternly to his heart. Begging it to realize that this was probably a lost traveler needing directions. Or an encyclopedia salesman. But his heart refused to listen and thudded against his ribcage as the driver’s door opened.
He saw her blond hair first, blowing in the breeze, and then there she was staring at him. She gasped and took a step toward him.
A thousand questions swirled through his mind, but they fell to the ground as he ran to meet her. Only one thing mattered right now. She was here.
He swept her up in his arms and spun her around, holding her tight. For a few minutes, they hugged without speaking. Then finally he released her. “Is everything okay?”
Her smile was bright and clear. “Everything is wonderful now.”
“How did you get time off so quickly?”
Her smile grew even brighter. “Funny you should ask. Because I’m not taking time off. I’m here to stay.”
Jeremy opened his mouth, but no words
came out.
Crystal let out a tentative laugh. “Cat got your tongue?”
“What about Broadway?”
“It’s still there. But it’s going to have to get along without me.” “I’m lost. Can you please help me wrap my head around this?” Jeremy knew he sounded like an idiot. His heart raced a million beats per minute at the hope that maybe, just maybe, this woman he’d willingly given his heart to might actually have given up the stage and come home to him.
Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and she reached out to take his hand. “It’s really simple. I went in this morning and told the director that as much as I appreciated the opportunity, my heart was somewhere else. He agreed to release me from our agreement.”
Two weeks’ worth of tightness in his chest relaxed. “Really? Where is your heart?” His own smile felt a little misty.
She gave him a slap on the shoulder. “You’d better be taking good care of it, you big lug.”
“I’ll trade you.”
She looked puzzled for a second then he saw the realization dawn. “Or we could just leave them right where they are—yours with me and mine with you. Forever.”
He cupped her cheek and stared into those beautiful blue eyes. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
She nodded, her eyes twinkling. “About half as much as I love you.”
A laugh burst out of him. “Reverse that and you’ll have it right.” He dropped a playful kiss on her forehead, but when she stretched up on tiptoe to meet his lips, the laughter gave way to a kiss that left little room for doubt.
By the time they agreed they probably loved each other exactly the same, the night sky was scattered with stars. And he still held her in his arms.
Figure I
CHRISTINE LYNXWILER
Award-winning author and past president of American Christian Romance Writers, Christine, her husband, Kevin, and their two daughters live in the foothills of the beautiful Ozark Mountains in their home state of Arkansas. Christine’s greatest earthly joy is her family, and aside from God’s work, spending time with them is her top priority.
THE RELUCTANT COWGIRL—DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Crystal allowed herself to be separated from her family emotionally even though she loved them. Why do you think she did this?
• Why can’t Crystal sleep in the house? How does her progression of resting places parallel her healing process?
• Jeremy remembers how Lindsey would leave, then come home when things went wrong. What makes him decide Crystal really is different?
• Crystal believes in God but feels like He wouldn’t want her back after she deserted him. Several different things that happen in the story make her see otherwise. What are some of those things?
• Why was Crystal’s grief over Cami still so fresh after seven years?
• The McCord family is unique because most of the children were adopted at an older age, yet they’re obviously close to each other. What do you think is the reason for that?
• When Beka was first kidnapped by her non-custodial mother, Blair (the anchorwoman) had little sympathy for Jeremy. Do you think Blair (and others) would have felt the same way if the tables had been turned and the non-custodial father had stolen the child? Or if a stranger had? Why or why not?
• If Cami hadn’t died, do you think Crystal would have still gone to Broadway? What do you think might have happened in the twins’ lives?
• Have you ever seen someone living another person’s dream? What are the reasons people do this?
• The Reluctant Cowgirl is a story of homecoming. Why does that theme resonate so strongly with most of us? Do we have to actually go back to the place that we were born and raised in order to “come home”? Why or why not?
BACK COVER MATERIAL
COUNTRY ROADS TAKE ME HOME...
Growing up in the loving safety of her large, closely knit family, Crystal McCord’s natural talent for drama warred with her desire to forever be a cowgirl ... until tragedy struck. At eighteen, she left all she knew behind and chased dreams of stardom on the big stage all the way to New York’s theater district. Now, almost seven years later, she’s finally on the verge of the ultimate success—a starring role on Broadway.
When Crystal’s New York dream seems to crumble just as her siblings call an emergency meeting, she travels home to the family’s Arkansas ranch to regroup. And runs straight into a real-life Arkansas cowboy, complete with horse and hat.
Single father Jeremy Buchanan has his own demons to fight, but that doesn’t stop him from urging Crystal to break free from the past and embrace the future God has planned for her. But can she trust God—and Jeremy—enough to allow the real Crystal McCord to take center stage? Or will Jeremy’s own battle kill any hope of ever bringing the reluctant cowgirl home to stay?
***
Award-winning author and past president of American Christian Romance Writers, Christine Lynxwiler lives with her husband and two daughters in the foothills of the beautiful Ozark Mountains in their home state of Arkansas.
Table of Contents
OTHER BOOKS BY CHRISTINE LYNXWILER
AUTHOR’S NOTE
DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
THE RELUCTANT COWGIRL—DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
BACK COVER MATERIAL
The Reluctant Cowgirl Page 30