Every Good Cowboy Deserves A Second Chance

by Maggie Miller

  “I don’t like these shoes,” she says, trying to tear away from him as he calmly tries to slide her foot into them.

  “You’re the one who picked them out,” he argues. “Stop squirming or you’ll be late for preschool.”

  The bacon’s ready. I turn it out onto a plate, then hover around Matthew, ready to help, but not sure how.

  Lily has her shoes on now and is running back into the living room to search for a book she forgot to pack up into her backpack. She can’t find it. “I’ll get in trouble with the teacher,” she says, almost in tears.

  “Hang on,” Matthew tells her. “I’ll help you find it. Don’t worry.”

  Matthew gives me a frazzled look over his shoulder. “Any chance you can put that bacon inside a couple of biscuits for us? We’re running late as usual. Lily will need to eat breakfast in the car.”

  “I’m on it,” I say, relieved to be able to help in a small way. I cut open the homemade biscuits that Matthew must’ve gotten up in the middle of the night to cook. My appreciation for my brother is growing by the day. I butter both sides and load three pieces of bacon into each one.

  Matthew grabs the first biscuit and wraps it up in a paper towel to give to Lily in the car. Then, he grabs another one for Dad. He places it in front of him on the kitchen table and urges him to eat. “Here’s your breakfast, Dad.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Dad replies.

  Matthew’s shoulders slump. “Come on. You need to eat something. You missed dinner last night too. You’ve already lost too much weight. You’re dropping away to nothing. Do you want something else? How about scrambled eggs?”

  “I want you to stop hovering around me,” he says. “And to help me find the car keys so I can go to the store.”

  I sit down beside Dad at the table. “I made a special biscuit for you, Dad. It’s a bacon biscuit with butter. Your favorite.”

  Dad calmly takes the plate from me, and I smile triumphantly, thinking I’ve gotten through to him. I glance over at Matthew. He knows what I’m thinking.

  See how easy it is.

  All it takes is a calm voice and a little sweet talking to work wonders with Dad.

  Suddenly, Dad swipes the plate off the table, biscuit and all, onto the floor. I stand there in complete shock at his actions.

  “Where’s my keys?” he mutters. “I’m trapped in this place. It’s a prison. What have you boys done with my truck? Did someone steal it? I know there’s people sneaking around the barn at night. No-good kids probably trying to steal an old man’s truck.”

  Matthew rolls his eyes and reaches for the broom and dustpan in the corner. “Thanks for that, Luke. You’re a big help this morning.”

  “I’m sorry,” I mutter, shaking my head. I take the broom from him and start sweeping up the crumbs and broken plate on the floor.

  “You think I haven’t tried every tone of voice? Every technique?” Matthew whispers to me under his breath. “Sometimes you need to pick your battles with him. Just go with the flow.” He reaches over and tries to take the broom back from me. I shoulder him out of the way. “It’s quicker if I do it,” he says.

  “No, I’ll clean it up,” I say in a louder voice, ready to wrestle with him over the broom if I need to. “Stop it, Matthew! I need to help out.”

  What has happened to my calm and cool big brother? Are we seriously going to have a fistfight over cleaning up a broken plate? Meanwhile Lily is standing there watching the whole scene with big eyes.

  Matthew lets out a long breath. “Okay, how about you go to the pharmacy for me and pick up Dad’s prescription while we take Lily to school? That’ll save me an errand later.”

  “Sure, I’ll take Dad’s truck. Do you want me to take him with me?”

  We both glance over at Dad, who is now picking through the arrangement of keys hanging on the wall where he always put them.

  “No, I’d better keep him with me,” Matthew says. “I can already tell it’s going to be one of those days.”

  I feel a little like a kid who’s being given a token chore by their parents to keep them busy, but I’m desperate to show I’m willing to do whatever. I want to help even if it turns out I’m useless at it. I go upstairs, get dressed, and leave Matthew handling the chaos, all the while wondering how much longer he can keep this up. I shouldn’t have left him to deal with this all alone. I feel absolutely terrible about how I’ve let him down.

  No wonder he thinks I’m a lousy brother and son.

  I walk down Sweet Rose Canyon’s Main Street after parking Dad’s pick-up truck in front of the hardware store. The old-fashioned buildings with their pastel storefronts and striped awnings are still the same as they were back when I was in high school. Nothing has changed.

  The local businesses in Sweet Rose Canyon always seem to withstand the modernization of the world around them. Mostly due to the fact that the closest Walmart is over fifty miles away.

  The butcher shop is located on the same corner, offering a half-side of beef to stock up your freezer and fresh ground pork sausage. The florist where I bought Ginny’s corsage for our high school prom is still open and owned by the same family. I remember spending over an hour in there carefully going through all the corsage choices before picking the perfect one to match her light blue prom dress.

  She was so pretty that night. When we walked into the prom together hand in hand, I knew I was the luckiest guy in the world. Our high school didn’t have enough money to rent out fancy hotels for the event, so we held our prom in the high school gymnasium. The senior class spent an entire week decorating it with balloons and streamers. The class even hired a local rock band for two hundred dollars who was tickled pink to be playing in front of a crowd.

  Everyone was happy that night. That night was one of the best in my life. Holding Ginny close in my arms for the slow dances and having her gaze up at me with her big blue eyes the way only she could.

  At the time, I never would’ve dreamed that a little more than three months later we would be going our separate ways. She went off to college on a four-year paid scholastic scholarship and I loaded up my truck for Nashville.

  At first we managed to get together and meet back up in Sweet Rose Canyon for a holiday here and there. Then the holidays were spaced further and further apart. One weekend we had a little spat about something minor and unimportant. We broke up, with both of us thinking it was only temporary. Then things started heating up fast with my music career and she had final exams at college. Weeks apart turned into months, then years. Many times, I picked up the phone to call her, not knowing if she had a boyfriend or if she would want to hear from me. Every time I put the phone back down without making the call.

  Now that I’m back in Sweet Rose Canyon, it’s hard to push her out of my mind. The memories of her are everywhere.

  I reach the pharmacy at the end of the block and step inside. It smells of antiseptic and floral air freshener. I wander down the central aisle towards the counter, running my eyes over the hair dyes and band-aids. It’s only when I reach the counter and lift my eyes that I notice Ginny standing there in her white coat, her blonde hair pulled back into a sophisticated ponytail.

  “Ginny,” I call out in surprise. It’s a pleasant shock to see her.

  “Hi, Luke. What are you doing here?” Her voice is also surprised and a tinge hopeful. Or is that my imagination?

  I take a moment to admire her once again. She looks different dressed for work, older and more professional. A few tendrils of hair have escaped from her ponytail and gently frame her face, resting against her high cheekbones. She’s wearing a soft pastel pink lipstick, but no other makeup. Her light freckles are visible across her cheeks giving her a sun-kissed and healthy glow. I momentarily forget how to speak.

  “Are you here for Charles’s prescription?” she asks helpfully. “I noticed another one is ready for him.”

  “Yes. Please. Matthew asked me to pick it up.”

  “Let me get it,” she offers
sweetly and reaches for a paper bag on the shelf behind her. “That should be everything he needs for the week. If you run short, you can order a refill online or call me.”

  “Thanks, Ginny.”

  I poke through the contents of the bag, not knowing what I should be checking for. I don’t know anything about Dad’s medicines. I turn back to her. “It’s a little strange to see you here behind the counter, being all stern and businesslike.”

  “Is it?” she says with a shy smile. “Why?”

  “Last time we were together, you were a huge fan of denim cut-off shorts and crop tops. Now you’re in a professional white lab coat with your hair pulled back. I barely recognize you.”

  She grins at me. “I could say the same about you. When I last saw you, you had unruly hair and only wore t-shirts. Now you’re on the cover of women’s magazines and being called one of the country’s most eligible bachelors.

  I make a face at her. “You read that article, huh? Don’t believe anything you read about me. None of it’s true. I swear. The media makes up stuff to keep people entertained.”

  “Everyone in Sweet Rose Canyon read it,” she says with a shy laugh. “Not just me. Here at the pharmacy, the manager ordered ten times the number of copies we stock of the magazine. They sold out the first hour once it hit the stands.” She studies me carefully without speaking, then says, “You look good now, Luke. Different, but good. Older and more mature.”

  “So do you. As beautiful as ever. I always said you were the prettiest girl in Sweet Rose Canyon. Nothing has changed in that department.”

  She blushes in a sweet way at the compliment and tucks one of those tendrils of loose hair behind her ears.

  “Thanks.” She clears her throat then lifts her eyes to meet mine. “Are you in town for long?” she asks. “Or is this only a weekend trip?”

  “I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “At least a few weeks. My record label will have the final decision on how long I’ll be in town. We’re working out the details now.”

  “That long? Wow, that’s great. Your family will love having you around the house this summer. Especially Lily. She clearly adores you. You were all she could talk about.”

  “It wasn’t easy to get the time off. I’m on very thin ice with my manager. He’s not a happy man. Family comes first though, right? In this life, you only get one.”

  “Right,” she says. “I know Matthew has been trying to get in touch with you for a long time. Things have been tough lately for him.”

  I frown, not liking the idea of Matthew venting to Ginny about me and my failings. What must she think of me? “I feel guilty about that,” I tell her. “I should’ve returned his phone calls sooner. Things have just been crazy on tour. Not that business is much of an excuse to neglect my family. Or any excuse.” I shake my head. “I didn’t know things had progressed so rapidly with Dad. It’s the kind of thing you need to see in person to believe. Matthew tried to tell me, but unless you experience it firsthand, it’s impossible to comprehend.”

  “I told Matthew you were probably super busy,” she says. “Things must be going well for you. I keep hearing your songs playing constantly on the radio. Sometimes I pinch myself when I hear your voice to make sure it’s real. You’ve come a long way from Sweet Rose Canyon.”

  “I’m not the only one. You’ve done well too.”

  She waves a hand at me and rolls her eyes. “I’m just a pharmacist. Nothing fancy. It’s a regular job. I would say a nine-to-five job, but the hours are quite a bit longer than that.”

  “What do you mean ‘just a pharmacist?’ You’ve done exactly what you set out to do. That’s huge. You’re exactly where you wanted to be. You had a goal and you went for it. I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks, Luke,” she says. “I’m sincerely happy for you too.” She fiddles nervously with some paperwork on her counter and rearranges the hand sanitizers sitting in a box nearby. “I don’t know what to say,” she confesses with a nervous laugh after a moment. “I keep telling myself you’re Luke, the same great guy I’ve known most of my life. But I keep seeing your face on magazines and talk shows. I hear you on the radio and see you on television specials. It makes me feel a bit tongue-tied and awkward to have a conversation with a celebrity. Even if you were once someone I used to know.”

  The thought that she’s uncomfortable around me makes me sad. “Believe me, sometimes I can’t believe it either,” I say. “Inside my soul, I’m still a wannabe singer struggling to be legit. Then I see my face up on a screen on a huge stage, and it hits me that it’s all real. I certainly don’t consider myself to be a big shot any more now than I did back then. I’m someone who’s still working hard to not mess everything up and lose it all.” I smile reassuringly at her. “Nothing’s changed much. I’m still that same old Luke.”

  Her face tells me she’s not so sure. When I see the indecision, I realize I want her to see me as I am, not the Luke Collins the fans see. I need someone in my life to know me. The real man inside. Only someone from my past would be able to do that. Only someone who knows where I came from and the struggles it took to get there. All the people in my life now are more concerned with what I can do for them or their career to truly care about me. I’m smart enough to know that. And if I’m being honest with myself, to most of the fans, I’m nothing more than a hashtag.

  “It’s been good to see you.” Ginny folds her arms across her chest and examines me closely. “If you’re in town for long, maybe I’ll get a chance to run into you again before you leave. I’m always here at the pharmacy if you want to drop by to chat.”

  “Oh, I’m not leaving seeing you again to chance,” I say, leaning forward on the counter between us. “We’ve got too much to catch up on. Let’s go for a milkshake like old times and make it happen. Can I pick you up after work tonight or meet you somewhere convenient for you? What time do you get off? Let’s do this thing.”

  “Tonight?” Ginny’s eyes widen in surprise. “Are you serious?”

  “You bet I’m serious. I can’t wait to catch up with you. Being a pharmacist, you must know all the local gossip that I’m years behind on hearing. I miss Sweet Rose Canyon and the people.”

  “Then I’m free tonight,” she says. “I’ll meet you somewhere.”

  “It’s a date then,” I reply, grinning back at her. “Where do you want to meet? Is the Red Barn Grill still open? We could never get into the place as kids because we weren’t old enough to drink and they carded us at the door. All we wanted to do was grab a table and listen to the band, but they didn’t believe us.”

  She laughs at the memory. “Do you remember the time when we tried to get in using fake IDs? The guy checking them at the front door knew your dad and ratted us out.”

  “I remember that! He called him right away. Dad was waiting for me in the living room when I got home that night. Mad as a mean old hornet. He threatened to whip my backside if I tried to use a fake driver’s license again. Even worse, he told me he’d tell Mama the next time. That was the worst thing he could threaten. Nothing was worse than disappointing Mama, and he knew that.”

  “The threat worked,” she says. “We didn’t try it again. Do you want to go check it out? We’ll see if it would’ve been worth the effort back then. I’ve heard they make a mean hamburger. How about eight o’clock? I get off work at six-thirty, and that will give me time to go home and change.”

  “You bet I do. I’ll see you then, Ginny.”

  I slap my hand down on the counter and grab the bag with Dad’s medicine. When I leave the store, I glance back over my shoulder to catch Ginny smiling to herself as she goes about filling the next customer’s order. Jogging back towards the pick-up truck, I can’t keep the smile off my face either. In the past few months, I’ve played countless shows in huge arenas to tens of thousands of fans. Which should’ve been the biggest thrill in the world. At the time, I believed it was.

  Truth is, all of that doesn’t begin to compare to what I’m feelin
g right this minute.

  Nothing can beat Ginny’s smile.

  I can’t believe I might get a second chance with her. Something I’ve never let myself consider more than a fleeting moment in all these years. Deep down inside, I’ve always believed that giving her up was the sacrifice, the cost, of reaching my dreams. That I didn’t deserve to have both in my life.

  To think there might be a chance to have it all makes my heart soar. And terrifies me that I’ll screw it up again. I climb into the pick-up truck and blow out a long breath.

  I can do this.

  All I need is time with Ginny to make things right again.

  All I need is one more chance...

  10

  Ginny

  Misty volunteered to come over to my house to help me get ready for my date with Luke. Now, I’m beginning to regret telling her anything about it. I’m nervous enough about seeing him tonight, and her constant chatter is making me even more anxious. She’s sitting cross-legged on my bed, bouncing up and down in excitement as she watches me try on twenty different outfits.

  “Luke Collins! I can’t believe it,” she says. “He’s one of the biggest country music superstars in the country and you’re going out on a date with him. You must’ve worked some magic on him when you were kids.”

  I bite down on my lip and give a casual shrug. “He doesn’t know anyone else in town to hang out with,” I explain. “Most of our classmates have moved away or are married with ten kids by now. Maybe he wants to get away from the ranch. Or to talk about the situation there. I suspect Matthew is being rough on him about not coming home sooner. Luke might even be wanting to get my professional advice about his dad’s dementia.”

  “You’re not a doctor,” she points out. “There’s not a whole lot you can tell him as far as professional advice goes. I doubt that’s the reason he wants to see you.”

  “True,” I say. “Okay, I’ll strike that thought off then. Either way, I think you’re making way too much of this. We’re just getting a bite to eat together to catch up on old times.”