by Mary Leo
Gage had heard the story many times before, never knowing that Old Spice had been the catalyst.
“And she said, ‘Hello, cowboy.’ Am I right?”
“Yep, and I got right back on that there train. I didn’t care where it was going, as long as I was going along with her.”
Guilt and remorse overpowered Gage. “Gramps, I’m so sorry I didn’t come back to the ranch after I learned she was so sick. There’s no excuse for my behavior. I only hope you can forgive me.”
Buck rested a hand on Gage’s shoulder. “Keep doing what you’re doing, and we might mend our fences after all. But that requires you staying out of my business, and not trying to get me to like folks who I ain’t got no time for and you shouldn’t either, if you know what’s good for you. And so far, from what I see, you don’t know squat about what’s good for you, except for maybe them boots. Good quality working boots if I ever saw a pair. Maybe there’s hope for you after all.” He opened the room door to leave. “That is, if you can keep your bedroom thoughts away from Doctor Parker. If she’s anything like her grandmother, they’ll be hell to pay for in your future, that’s for dang sure.”
And he walked out of the room, leaving Gage only more confused about the grandparents’ feud. A feud that had to end, or Gage would one day soon have to choose between his grandfather and Doctor Cori Parker. A choice he truly did not want to ever make.
* * *
“DON’T BE SCARED, MOM,” Hailey said as she and Cori descended the stairs to the hotel lobby. “Gage is really nice.”
Hailey wore her new cowgirl boots and a floral full-skirt dress. She liked dresses and skirts better than pants, and for the most part her wardrobe reflected an eclectic mix of styles. Cori wondered if her daughter would actually become a fashion designer.
“Who said I was scared?”
Hailey took her mother’s hand as they rounded the last step that brought them into the lobby. “You don’t have to say it out loud. I can tell.”
Cori wanted to correct Hailey’s analysis of the situation, but before she could say a word she spotted Gage standing in the center of the bustling lobby. As soon as he saw them, his face beamed with anticipation, reminding Cori once again to keep her emotions in check. This was merely payback for his quick thinking on the horse. Nothing she couldn’t have done if she’d had her wits about her when she saw Hailey gallop away.
“You both look lovely,” Gage offered as they approached.
“And you look like a cowboy out of one of Grammy’s Zane Grey books,” Hailey announced, all full of smiles and cheer.
“Is that a good thing, or do I look corny?” Gage asked.
“It’s a great thing! Who doesn’t like a cowboy?” Hailey explained as she skipped toward the front door.
Gage looked at Cori, obviously seeking her approval. He wore his black Western hat, a black T-shirt that hugged his chest—accentuating every muscle—black jeans that hugged everything else and black boots. Hailey had been right. Cori absolutely liked this cowboy. His fast reaction had saved her daughter from what could have been a terrible fall.
“She has a point,” Cori told him. “Not many people dislike cowboys.”
“How about you?”
“After what happened this morning, I’d say cowboys are way up there on my approval list.”
“Even when they live in New York City?”
“Urban cowboys are the absolute best. Especially when they can ride like you do.”
A slow grin spread across his face, creasing his lips and causing his whiskey-colored eyes to reflect his joy. “Then, Ma’am, let me escort you to our destination?”
She worked hard at not letting her feelings for him get the better of her, knowing perfectly well she could never fall for a man who struggled with alcohol. Despite the flutter in her stomach, she felt certain this date was merely platonic.
Nothing more...until he took her hand and guided her out the front doors and the scent of Old Spice wafted in the air, a scent that reminded her of long summer days on her grandparents’ ranch. A scent that made her feel warm and safe, a scent she hadn’t thought about in years. Her grandfather had worn Old Spice and she had worshiped him. He had been an inspiration to her for her entire childhood and when he passed, all those memories he liked to share with her had passed with him. Her grandfather was a true cowboy and had worked on ranches all over the West from the time he was fifteen years old. He met her gram on a ranch in Texas, when he was in his late twenties and she was barely nineteen. She’d come from Chicago and worked as a cook in the main house. They courted for a few months, then were married and moved out to Colorado, where they settled.
They never owned a ranch of their own, but her grandpa always managed to get work to support his family. He encouraged self-confidence and self-reliance. He was a kind and gentle man, who taught Cori she could be and do whatever she set her mind to. It was a belief that had guided her through most of the major decisions of her life, a belief that had guided her to quit her job and move out west, confident that she could make a better life for herself and her daughter. Confident that she didn’t need anyone’s help. Now, as Gage held her hand and the familiar scent surrounded her and she felt the strength and comfort of his touch, she wasn’t sure about anything.
BEFORE DINNER, HAILEY wanted to visit the Train Museum near The Palace Restaurant just off Main Street. Cori had told him she’d made a reservation at the restaurant for five o’clock—a crazy hour to eat dinner. Gage never ate before eight, but this was Durango. He had to go with the flow.
“So you like trains? Does that go for subways, as well? Because you strike me more as a cab kind of guy,” Cori said as she and Gage followed Hailey up the sidewalk.
They headed toward the museum, which seemed to be located next to the railroad tracks, past the gift shop—at least that was the direction Hailey was headed in.
“And what does a cab person look like, exactly?”
“Rushed. Scheduled. Not one who deviates from their plans.”
Once again, Doctor Cori Parker instinctively knew how he operated. He didn’t know how she knew more about what made him tick than anyone else, but he liked it, liked how she got him. Now all he had to do was figure out what she was all about. How difficult could that be?
She made him smile and he felt all warm on the inside. “And here I thought I was well on my way to becoming more spontaneous.”
“The train museum is a good start.”
He took her hand in his. “Well, then, what are we waiting for?” And they ran to catch up with Hailey, who was already inside.
Gage paid their entrance fee, and soon they were surrounded by everything train. From detailed model trains running through miniature towns, past drive-ins and along hillsides, to full-size locomotives and private cars decked out with Victorian opulence, ready to be occupied by the wealthy owners of their day. From the second Gage stepped into the museum, the tension of the day and perhaps the entire year slipped away from him. Thanks to a kid’s curiosity, he’d been forced to slow down, to enjoy the moment, to be in the present without thinking about the future. He found himself meandering through each room, losing all sense of time, reading each description and story, fascinated by everything he saw, touched and read. He felt like a sponge absorbing all that surrounded him, as if the wonder of his youth had taken over and successfully pushed out the obsessive addict he had become.
When he spotted the model depicting the 1950s operation of the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad complete with the train passing a miniature drive-in theater, it brought back vivid memories.
“There was a Spud Drive-In in Briggs, Idaho, that my grandparents would take me to at least a couple times during each visit,” Gage told Hailey as they stood side-by-side in front of the large reproduction. A night at Spud Drive-In was one of the highlights of his tr
ips. There was nothing like watching a movie from the back of a pickup truck.
“What’s a drive-in?” Hailey asked.
“You don’t know?”
Hailey shook her head.
“All the drive-ins have closed in my grandmother’s town. I never got the chance to take her,” Cori explained.
Gage leaned in closer to the reproduction, pointing to the tiny drive-in and all the cars lined up in front of the screen. Hailey leaned in closer as well, their heads almost touching. Gage pointed out the tiny concession stand behind all the cars, complete with tiny families walking in and out of the open doors.
“Let me see if I can explain it. A drive-in was more than just a place where you could watch a movie outdoors, it was a place where you could watch that movie while you glanced up at all the stars in the sky. Where you could wear your PJs and snuggle up with a pillow in the back of a pickup truck. You could bring a bucket of popcorn that you’d made at home, and soda in a cooler and whatever else you wanted to bring. You could talk if you wanted to, and no one would complain because they were way over there in their own car or truck.” He pointed to the miniature cars in front of the screen.
“That sounds like fun,” Hailey said. “You aren’t allowed to talk in a movie theater.”
“I know, and sometimes you just have to comment on what you’re seeing up on the screen. Right?”
She nodded.
“Well, at a drive-in, you can.”
“I think I’d like that. My daddy and me watched a movie outside once on his laptop. We were waiting for my mom to get off work so we could all go ice-skating in the park. We watched Finding Nemo while we sat on a bench and waited. We didn’t have any popcorn or anything to drink, but I got to cuddle with my daddy while we waited and he didn’t mind if I talked during the movie ’cause there wasn’t anybody around to hear us. I think I’d really like a drive-in, and I bet my daddy would’ve liked one, too.”
Gage couldn’t help but give her a little hug.
“I’m sure he would have, very much,” Gage said in a low voice as emotion swept over him.
“You know what?” Cori asked, her voice cracking before she cleared her throat.
“What?” Hailey asked as she walked over to her mom and took her hand.
“We’ve been in here for more than two hours. Are either of you getting hungry yet?”
“I think I’ve been hungry for the past decade,” Gage said, feeling emotionally drained.
“I wasn’t trying to be philosophical. I’m merely asking about dinner.”
He smiled at her sense of humor.
“Y’know, I’ve lived in New York City for almost ten years and not once have I stepped into any of the museums or art galleries. How about you? I bet you know them all.”
“I’ve been inside most of them, but only because I thought Hailey needed the experience. If you asked me what I saw, I know more about this museum than anything I’ve been to in New York. It’s nice to have the time to meander through this place. Thanks for agreeing to postpone dinner so we could do this.”
“No problem, but we should be thanking Hailey.”
“You’re welcome. I knew you guys would like it here,” Hailey said as she reached for Gage’s hand and walked between them toward the exit sign.
They made their way out of the museum and headed toward the restaurant still holding hands, acting like a tight little family. Gage remembered walking between his parents and, on occasion, between his grandparents, holding hands, tugging on them to walk faster or to skip with him. He thought about how safe he’d felt and how much he loved each of them.
He wasn’t quite sure he understood his emotions now. He’d been drowning out his feelings with booze for so long he didn’t quite know what to make of the wave of affection he felt for both Cori and her daughter.
He’d started drinking in college, to celebrate a good grade on a test, or just because it was fun to get drunk with friends. After graduation he’d find excuses to have a few drinks during happy hour with his contemporaries. Once he was married, and the pressure to make more and more money started, he’d linger with his friends at a bar after work so he wouldn’t have to go home and listen to another lecture on how he wasn’t trying hard enough to succeed and get ahead.
After a while, he crossed some sort of threshold where he’d have a drink before he went in to work, during lunch, during a break or simply whenever he could sneak one in.
He learned how to control his intake most of the time. His binges were rare, but when he had one, he couldn’t remember much, and had to rely on whoever was with him to relay the details of what had happened. And even then he rarely believed what they had to say.
Then, about six months ago, for no other reason than he wanted to see what it would feel like to go through an entire day without a buzz, he stopped drinking and hadn’t had one since.
What he was experiencing for Cori was something else entirely, and he had a problem pinpointing the exact emotion. He didn’t know where this budding relationship would lead, but for now, with everything else he had going on in his life, it was enough that he was enjoying her company.
* * *
ON THE WAY back to the hotel, after a delicious meal of local prime rib with all the trimmings and conversations about what they’d seen at the train museum and museums in New York City, Cori was in no hurry to get back to her room. The weather was balmy, the moon was full, and Cori wanted to spend a little more time getting to know Gage Remington.
Hailey had spotted her Grammy up ahead, walking along the sidewalk with two other women from the conference, and had dashed off to be with her. That left Cori and Gage alone, a situation Cori had hoped to avoid but now welcomed. The entire evening had been surprisingly delightful, and despite Cori’s earlier apprehensions, she found herself drawn to Gage more than she’d like to admit.
“She’s a great kid,” Gage said as Hailey ran up ahead. The hotel was only a couple blocks away, but it seemed to take forever for them to reach it.
“Thanks, I think so, too.”
“Nice night,” Gage finally said after a couple of awkward minutes.
“Beautiful,” Cori agreed.
“Well, now that we’ve established the good weather, what else do you want to talk about?”
Cori chuckled.
“Was that the real name of your drive-in? Spud?”
“It’s Idaho. What can I say? Home of the russet potato. There’s even a Miss Russet pageant, just in case Hailey is ever interested in competing. Of course, I’m fairly sure she has to be a resident of Idaho and at least sixteen years old. So there’s plenty of time. You might consider putting down roots in Idaho so she doesn’t miss out.”
He really was very charming. “And where will you be putting down roots?”
“I live in New York City, remember?”
Her forehead furrowed. She knew there would be little chance he could stay off booze if he went back to his job and that city. “Oh, that’s right. You’re a recovering alcoholic with the high-stress profession that affords you high-end entertainment. How long do you think you’ll last back there?”
He stopped walking. “You like coming to the point of the matter, don’t you?”
“I’m an ER doctor. I’ve learned that getting to the truth saves lives.”
He hesitated as a horse-drawn wagon went by. When it passed, he said, “Truthfully? I don’t know where else to go where I’d fit in.”
“Gosh, I don’t know. You seemed to fit right in up on that horse today.”
“I didn’t do anything that any of those other cowboys couldn’t have done.”
“You just referred to yourself as a cowboy.”
“No, I didn’t. What I said was... I did, didn’t I?”
“It’s rubbing off.”
“What is?”
“Durango. Zane Grey. The cowboy mystique. Before you know it, you’ll be giving rides to tourists just like that cowboy.” She nodded in the direction of the cowboy standing in front of the horse-drawn covered wagon that had just passed them.
“Well, then, let’s try it on for size.” He held out his hand to her as if to assist her into the wagon.
“Oh, no thanks,” Cori immediately told him. She wanted to get back up to her room. Spending time alone with Gage was proving to be much too easy, and she wasn’t sure it was a smart move for either of them.
“Why not? It looks like fun, and I’m working on my inner cowboy, remember? This is exactly what the doctor ordered, correct?”
“I, um, Hailey would love this.” Cori absolutely did not want to get into that wagon without her daughter. She looked up the street for Hailey, and just as she did, her phone beeped, signaling a text message. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her phone and read:
I have Hailey. We’re off to find ice cream. Enjoy your evening!
“I don’t see her up ahead,” Gage said. “I think she and your gram already went back to their room.”
“Actually, they went in search of ice cream.”
“Then it’s just you and me, kid.”
He reached for Cori’s hand and waited as she hesitated for a few seconds, nodding his head in the direction of the wagon.
The cowboy climbed up front on his seat, as if she’d already made up her mind, which she most certainly had not.
“C’mon. It’ll be fun. We have the whole wagon to ourselves.”
That was the problem, she thought, but she couldn’t say it out loud.
“Come on. Consider this the Western version of a ride through Central Park.”
“I’ve never been.”
“Me neither. So isn’t it about time we did?”
“Durango is hardly Central Park.”
“And we’d like to keep it that way,” the cowboy offered.
Gage beckoned her with one hand, and with the other grabbed hold of the back of the wagon, getting ready to pull himself up onto the small step.