Designs on the Cowboy

by Roxann Delaney

  “Physician Assistant.”

  “Paige O’Brien is an excellent doctor,” Louise continued with a nod, “but the people in this town seem to work her to death. Why, did you know that she goes to all the school sports events? I don’t believe Doc Priller ever did that. Not unless it was something special, anyway. I can’t imagine how she manages to do so much.”

  Glory was only half listening as she thought of the many small changes that had occurred while she’d been away. Friends and classmates had grown up and now had jobs and families. Some had moved away, but new people had moved to Desperation to take their places. The new doctor was just one of them. Glory had been so busy, she’d only had a chance to be introduced, and she wanted to get to know some of them better. Kate had invited her to a regular get-together with her sister Trish and some of their friends, wives of some of the boys she’d gone to school with, but there’d been so little time.

  “You look tired,” Louise said, pulling Glory from her thoughts. “Maybe we should—” She stopped and stared at the ringing phone.

  Glory reached for it and hit the button to silence it. “That takes care of that.”

  “Maybe it’s time to put a regular phone in here. A business phone. With an extra line and an answering machine.”

  Glory laughed. “We’ll get one with all the bells and whistles.”

  “I’ll call the phone company first thing Monday morning.”

  “Thanks, Gram,” she said with a smile. “I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t take such good care of me.”

  “We take care of each other.” Louise pulled the appointment book closer and peered at it. “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile all week.”

  Glory wasn’t sure how to answer, so she pressed her lips together and hoped her grandmother didn’t notice.

  “I would have thought that after seeing the saddle Dylan returned, the two of you would be riding every day.”

  Glory ducked her head. “He’s busy.”

  “Is he? You seemed pretty happy when you found it and then hightailed out of here to thank him.”

  Feeling her grandmother’s gaze on her, Glory settled for a shrug and avoided looking at her. She was afraid that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to keep it together.

  “What happened, Glory? Because something did.”

  “Nothing happened.”

  Louise grunted. “I may be an old woman, but I’m not blind. What’s going on?”

  Tempted to insist that everything was fine, Glory tried to think of a response. Instead, her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe, while the tears that were fighting to be free blocked her throat, threatening to choke her.

  “He’s—” she began, but couldn’t finish. Knowing she couldn’t tell anyone—not even Gram—what he’d revealed, she shook her head. “He’s so hard on himself.”

  “He’s shouldered a lot of responsibilities these past years.”

  “He’s a good man.” Glory raised her head and let the tears fall. “He doesn’t believe it, but he is.” Unable to dam her emotions, she cried, “I just don’t know what to do.”

  Louise stood and circled the desk, wrapping her arms around Glory. “Go ahead and cry. Sometimes it’s the one thing we can do. You’ll feel better for it.”

  Shaking her head, Glory said, “But it won’t change anything.” And the tears fell faster.

  “Let me get you a tissue,” Louise said and disappeared.

  Glory wished she hadn’t said anything. From the moment she’d left Dylan at the ranch the night she’d found him in his office and poured out her heart, she’d been trying to act as if nothing had happened. But even though she couldn’t keep her tears from falling, she knew she needed to take control of herself. Her business was the success she’d hoped for, so why wasn’t she celebrating?

  “Here you go,” Louise said, returning to hand her a box of tissues.

  When Glory finally had a solid grasp on her emotions, she took a deep breath, feeling a little better and able to at least stop crying. Pushing away from the desk, she stood. “Thanks, Gram. Maybe I should get up and do something.”

  She was almost out the door when her grandmother spoke. “You’ve fallen pretty hard.”

  Taken off guard, Glory wasn’t sure she’d heard her right. “Fallen?”

  “In love.”

  Staring at her, Glory tried to think of something to say that would put an end to any other questions. Instead, she answered with a nod. “How did you guess?”

  Louise smiled and shrugged. “I remember your wedding day. You were everyone’s idea of the blushing bride, but there was something missing. I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it’s something in your eyes that I’ve been seeing for the past month, or the glow you have now that you didn’t have back then.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Glory said, ready to step out of the room.

  “Of course it matters, and don’t you walk out on this conversation.”

  Glory hung her head. Gram would never let it rest. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “It won’t work.”

  “Why not?”

  There was nothing she could tell her grandmother that wouldn’t lead to more questions. But maybe Gram would understand one thing. “He can’t let go of his past. He’s never gotten over the loss of his parents.”

  Instead of answering, Louise nodded. “That won’t stop me from hoping.”

  Glory’s only answer was a smile she didn’t feel. Gram could hope all she wanted, but it wouldn’t change anything. “Why don’t I get us something to eat?”

  “Why don’t you do that and take it home?” Louise answered. “I’ll lock up and meet you there.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Glory was hoping, too. The café was the busiest place in town on a Friday evening, and it wouldn’t be unusual if Dylan stopped in for supper. After all, he was a bachelor, and she knew for a fact that he didn’t do a lot of cooking. She wasn’t ready to see him yet, but neither could she let that determine what she did and didn’t do.

  In her car, she started the engine and backed onto the street, thinking of how, over the past four days, she’d held her breath every time the phone rang, thinking it might be Dylan. She’d scribbled the note she’d left in the gazebo after leaving him in his office. At the time, she’d thought it might help him see things in a different way. Later, she realized how foolish that idea had been. Not that it mattered. There was no guarantee he’d even seen the gazebo, so it was all wishful thinking.

  Putting the car into Drive, she blew out a breath and continued down the street. She needed to take her own advice and get on with her life. It wasn’t as if she had time to feel sorry for herself. She had what she’d always wanted, didn’t she?

  * * *

  “ARE YOU FINDING everything?”

  Dylan turned to see Fred Mercer walking toward him. “Just browsing,” he said.

  “Let me know if you need some help.”

  “Will do,” Dylan answered, and then turned back to look out the big window of the hardware store. It was the perfect place for keeping an eye on the shop across the street. So perfect that he’d just seen Glory get in her car and drive down the street to park in front of the café. He didn’t expect she’d be watching for him, so it was time to walk over to the shop and have a talk with her grandmother.

  It wasn’t that he wanted to talk to Louise Gardner so much, but he’d gotten the feeling that giving Glory back her saddle had won him some points. Whether that gave him an edge or not, only time and getting some questions answered would tell.

  He knew now that he couldn’t just sit around and feel sorry for himself. Since finding the note Glory had left him, he’d tossed out everything that even hinted at alcohol. Then he’d returned all the photos to the places
where Glory had put them. Or he’d tried, anyway. He wasn’t sure exactly where they’d all been.

  And he’d thought about what she’d said. She was right that he hadn’t moved on. And she’d been on target about his fear of losing more people he loved. Sure, he could promise to change, but he knew it would take more than that. If only he knew what and how. And that was where Louise Gardner came in.

  After making sure Glory had gotten out of her car and was inside the café, he pulled his hat lower and walked out the door. Looking both ways and hoping nobody noticed him, he crossed the street. Before he stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of the antiques shop, he could see Glory’s grandmother locking up, and he reached the entrance at the same time she did.

  Smiling, she opened the door. “Can I help you with something, Dylan?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, pulling off his hat. “Or I hope so, anyway.”

  “Glory just stepped out to pick up something to eat.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I saw her head that way.”

  Her eyes widened, and she pursed her lips, as if she had a secret. “Aha. Well, knowing that is a good thing. Why don’t you come on in?”

  “That’s mighty nice of you. Thank you.”

  She held the door open, and then shut it behind him. “I’ll just lock it, in case somebody doesn’t see the Closed sign in the window.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” He wondered if she meant him. “I saw that, but I—”

  “It wasn’t meant to keep you away.”

  He nodded. When she waved a hand, indicating that he should follow her, he did. Realizing he hadn’t thought this through very well, he wasn’t sure what to say. But when they reached the back of the shop, where she pulled up a chair and pointed at one for him, all he could do was hope that he would do something right for a change.

  “We’ve been getting a lot of calls from prospective clients,” she said, smoothing the apron she wore with her hands. “Have you had anything to do with that?”

  Stunned by her blunt question, he could only shake his head. “No, ma’am,” he managed to say, wishing that he could have said he did. “But I’m glad to hear it.”

  “Glory’s a little overcome by how many people want her services.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “Yes, it is. But she doesn’t seem to be as happy as I thought she would be.”

  “Oh.” He hoped that was a positive sign for him. Not that he didn’t want her to be happy. “Well...”

  “Dylan, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

  “No, I suppose—”

  “Good. Now don’t be nervous. It’s really a simple question. Maybe not an easy one to answer, but a yes or no will suffice.”

  “Okay.” He had the distinct urge to squirm in his chair, but he remained still.

  She leaned forward, her blue eyes boring into him. “Do you love my granddaughter?”

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The question wasn’t at all what he’d expected.

  “Well, do you?”

  What was the right answer?

  The truth. Tell her the truth.

  “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

  She smiled and leaned back in the chair. “Good. Excellent, in fact.”

  He was pleased she was happy, but it didn’t solve his problem. “There’s a problem, though.”

  “Why did I think there wouldn’t be?” she said, looking heavenward. “Then let’s you and me get it solved, all right?”

  He nodded, even though he wasn’t sure it was going to be that easy. “I guess I need to tell her.”

  Nodding, she smiled and leaned forward. “Even better, you need to show her.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “There’s no thinking to it. You do it.”

  “But I don’t know how. You see, I’m one of those confirmed bachelors you hear about. You know, the ones who’ve sworn never to marry. I guess they haven’t met anyone like Glory.”

  She chuckled softly. “I suppose they haven’t.”

  “You make it sound easy.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “No, it isn’t. There are things I need to deal with first. Things that happened a long time ago.”

  “Maybe you should just let them go,” she said, watching him.

  “I wish I could.”

  Nodding, she sighed. “I understand. I’ve lost loved ones, myself. It isn’t easy to move on.”

  “Or not to worry it will happen again,” he said.

  Her smile said she understood. “But it has to be done.”

  It didn’t solve his problem. He hadn’t moved on; he wasn’t going forward yet. He was working on that fear thing, but he couldn’t say he was getting very far with it.

  “I guess I’d better be going,” he said.

  “If it were me...” She looked at him, her direct gaze stopping him from moving. “The first thing you need to do is prove to her that you’ve let go of the past and are moving on. There must be something you can do. Find that, and then you can let her know that you’re ready to open your heart to love.”

  Was that it? He wished he knew what it was he needed to do to prove he was putting the past behind.

  With a heavy heart, he walked with her back to the door and, after checking to make sure Glory had left the café and wasn’t anywhere around, he thanked her grandmother. He didn’t want to tell her that he might as well give up, so instead he said, “I’ll do what I can.”

  Once he was outside, he didn’t look back. It was all up to him. He could ride a kayak through the most dangerous rapids and rappel down a mountainside, but putting the past behind and loving someone seemed impossible.

  Chapter Twelve

  Glory walked to the door with the next-to-last appointment of the day. “Thanks again for stopping in, Carrie.”

  “It was so good to see you again, Glory,” the young woman said. “And you’ll call me when you have an opening?”

  “Of course.” Glory opened the door and smiled at her. “I can’t promise how soon that will be, so I hope you’ll be patient.”

  The woman stepped out the door, but turned back again. “Oh, I will be. I’m just so excited about this. Thank you.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be in touch,” Glory said, her face hurting from all the smiling she’d been doing throughout the long day.

  Once the prospective client was gone, Glory closed the door and turned away, her smile now a grimace. She felt bad that she’d shooed Carrie out the door so quickly after their appointment, but the woman had asked far too many personal questions while reminiscing about their high school days. All Glory wanted to do now was sit and think of nothing until Hettie Lambert arrived, but a look at her watch told her there wouldn’t be time to relax. It was nearly five, and Hettie was always punctual.

  In the small office, Glory pulled her brush from a desk drawer and ran it through her hair. Her mind whirled with all the work ahead of her, but when she caught a glimpse of herself in the antique mirror hanging on the far wall, she stopped.

  When had she become a grown-up? When did those lines at the corners of her eyes appear? She was still a young woman, but at that moment, she felt as old as Gram.

  Nothing seemed right. She should be giddy with happiness. Less than a week after she’d officially finished Dylan’s house, she’d had over a dozen calls from people in the area asking if she could do some work for them. But something was missing, and it was something she wouldn’t allow herself to think had anything to do with Dylan.

  She finished her hair and left the office. From her favorite chair at the front of the shop, she could see out the large window that overlooked Main Street. It brought back memories, and she realized that, in the past, people had admired her for things tha
t had been important to her father, not her. Now she was at the threshold of proving that there was more to her than cheerleading and wearing a crown.

  When a car pulled up and parked in front of the building, and then Hettie got out of it, Glory stood and made sure her smile was welcoming. Not only did Hettie deserve a warm welcome, but Glory knew how important it would be if Hettie hired her for work to be done at the Commune.

  Hettie reached the door and Glory opened it. “Right on time.”

  Hettie’s smile was apologetic but bright. “I try. And I’m really sorry it’s so late,” she added as Glory led her to the office. “I’m sure you’d like to be at home in a dark room with a cold cloth on your forehead.”

  Indicating with a nod that Hettie should go into the office ahead of her, Glory laughed. “Do I look that bad?”

  “A little tired is all.” She settled on the chair in front of the desk, while Glory walked around to take her own seat. “I’ll get right to the point,” Hettie said. “I’ve been hearing such good things about your work. Not that I’d have any doubt that you’d do anything that wasn’t superb. You’ve always had many talents.”

  Embarrassed, Glory looked down at her hands, which were clasped on the desk. “Thank you, Hettie. That means a lot. So what is it you’re thinking of doing at the Commune?”

  Hettie tipped her head to the side. “You know, that old building is well over a hundred years old. Both my daddy and his daddy were born there and lived in it until they died. At the time I handed it over to Ernie to serve as a retirement home for the community, it was completely furnished.”

  “It’s a beautiful place,” Glory said. “I’ve always enjoyed going there to visit. And that decor you’re talking about is classic. Pure antique.”

  Hettie nodded. “Oh, I know it is. But while there are a lot of memories in many of those things for me, that decor is beginning to show a lot of wear. I’d like to not only update the common rooms, but also give it a feel of openness.” She leaned forward. “I don’t know the correct terms. Never paid much attention. Am I explaining myself well?”