Every Good Cowboy Deserves A Second Chance

by Maggie Miller

  “I know the feeling,” I say. “Sometimes I’ll catch a hint of a fragrance. Maybe wild honeysuckle blossoms growing alongside the road or freshly cut hay. The smell will trigger a memory of a moment with you as strong as if it happened yesterday.”

  Ginny laughs softly and snuggles closer under my arm. “I’m afraid to ask why the smell of hay reminds you of me. Was a barn loft involved in that memory by any chance?”

  “Probably. Our first kiss was in the barn loft,” I reply. “How old were we? Twelve? Thirteen? I’m not sure who was the most shocked when it happened.”

  “And then you didn’t kiss me again for almost two years,” she reminds me. “And it was only a quick kiss on the cheek.”

  “I know. I didn’t want to take the chance of losing my best friend by trying to turn what we had into something else. Besides, we were just kids back then. There was plenty of time later for the kissing stuff.”

  Ginny bursts out laughing. “Was kissing me that bad? Jeez! You make it sound like another chore.”

  I smile and squeeze her hand. “You know what I mean. We were innocent kids. Twelve-year-old children shouldn’t be kissing in barn lofts. That’s how kids get into trouble.”

  “You were always very much a gentleman,” she says. “No wonder Mom and Dad loved you.”

  “That was a long time ago. I can’t believe we’re sitting here in the high school parking lot again. How many mornings of our life did we spend sitting in this exact spot waiting for the first bell to ring?” I ask. “That was the worst part of every day for me. Knowing we’d be separated in different classes until three o’clock.”

  “You could’ve signed up for Chemistry and Trigonometry too,” she points out.

  “Or you could’ve joined the shop class with me and the boys. It never hurt anyone to learn how to do a little bit of mechanical work. You might need to know how to repair a car one day if you break down on the side of the road.”

  “I belong to the AAA Auto Club now,” she says. “If I need to do car repairs, I’m in deep trouble.”

  “Are you ready to continue on with the Sweet Rose Canyon memory tour?” I ask, turning the key in the ignition.

  “Sure! Where else do you want to go?”

  “There’s one last place I want to see.”

  “Luke, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Ginny asks with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “Maybe so,” I say. “I’ve got supplies for a picnic in the bed of the truck in case we get hungry.”

  I pull the truck back onto the highway and point it towards Brasstown Point. Thirty minutes of fast driving along country roads later, I slow to a stop, shocked by what I see before us. “What in the world is this all about?” I say, pointing up ahead. The road to Brasstown Point, our secret and special spot, now has a big red “POSTED: NO TRESPASSING” sign attached to a sturdy metal gate. I slam a frustrated hand down on the steering wheel. “I can’t believe someone has blocked the road with a gate. Who does that? We came here for years without any problems.”

  Ginny frowns. “Maybe that’s why they put up the gate? Other teenagers might’ve found this place too.”

  “It’s out in the middle of nowhere,” I say. “There’s not a thing on this land. We’ve walked it a million times together. There’s nothing but big old trees. Why would they put up a sign? It’s not as if we’d be hurting anything or tearing up someone’s property to drive onto it. This ticks me off.”

  “I’ve heard talk of wealthy investors buying up big tracts of land in the county to turn them into hunting reserves,” she says. “The locals are selling off the land they’ve owned for generations for cash.”

  “A hunting reserve for what?” I ask. “Deer?”

  “I guess.”

  I swing open the door of the truck and step out. Walking over to the gate, I check to see if it’s locked or if the sign alone is meant to scare people off. Finding the gate unlocked, I unhook the latch and swing the gate open wide enough for us to drive through.

  “Luke!” Ginny calls out the window. “What are you doing?”

  “Trespassing,” I say simply.

  19

  Ginny

  Luke swings the metal gate open wide and motions for me to slide behind the wheel and drive the truck through. Once I’m past the gate, he shuts it securely behind us then hops back into the truck.

  “They’ll never know we were here,” he says. “I don’t see any recent tire tracks. I bet it’s been months since anyone has come onto this property. If it’s a hunting reserve, it might’ve been during hunting season last fall. Or maybe the posted signs are to keep hunters off the land. Who knows?”

  “Are sure this is okay?” I ask because I’m beginning to have doubts. “The signs are there for a reason.”

  “Yeah,” he says, giving my leg a reassuring pat. “I’m sure. It’s no big deal.”

  We drive along the bumpy, rough road, swerving around deep ruts and rocks. Soon the road begins a steep incline and the rugged path is barely visible under a deep layer of leaves.

  “Time to put this baby in four-wheel drive,” he says, reaching down to shift gears. “The road would be almost impassable without it. See why I rented a truck?” Luke grins as he expertly maneuvers the truck around a big boulder and through a dried-up creek bed.

  “Are you having fun?” I ask while we bump along the rough road.

  “A blast,” he replies with a chuckle. “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed being out in the woods, messing around and doing nothing. All I do now is ride around in buses.”

  We reach the crest of the hill where the road comes to a dead end. Down below us an open green field with tall grass and wild yellow daisies stretching wide.

  “We made it,” he says, cutting off the ignition. “Can you believe it? Our spot is exactly the same too. Nothing has changed.”

  “I’m glad,” I say. “What a disappointment it would’ve been if we’d driven all the way up here to find someone else’s pre-fabricated cabin built in our special spot.”

  “That would’ve sucked and ruined my plans for the evening. Did you ever come back up here?”

  “Without you?” I ask in surprise. “Of course not. How depressing that would’ve been. Why would I do that? I would never come up here without you, Luke. This was our spot.”

  “I guess that was a dumb question,” he says. He steps out and reaches over into the bed of the truck. He picks up the Styrofoam cooler and motions for me to grab the grocery bags filled with food.

  “What’s happening here?” I ask. “What’s the plan? If that’s food in those bags, you have enough for ten people.”

  “The plan is to have a quiet picnic in peace away from crazy fans,” he replies. “There’s a little blanket in one of those bags too. Sorry I’m not better prepared. It was a last-minute thing. I probably forgot something important.”

  “I’m sure we’ll survive if you did,” I say. “Where are we heading to?”

  “Let’s find a good spot to spread the blanket out, and we’ll have ourselves a picnic.”

  I follow behind him until he locates a level spot in the tall grass. He places the cooler onto the ground and reaches for the bags I’m holding. After searching through them, he tosses me the picnic blanket.

  “Spread this out and I’ll start unloading the food,” he says.

  I grab the blue-and-white checked blanket and spread it out carefully while Luke opens the picnic basket and starts taking out the food. After a moment, I notice he is staring intently at me.

  “What?” I ask, glancing up from my task. “Is something wrong? Are there sticks in my hair?”

  He shakes his head slowly. “Nothing’s wrong. In fact, everything is about as right as it could be.” Reaching over, he takes my hand and tugs me down gently to sit on the blanket beside him. “Unless you’re about to die from starvation, the food can wait a minute,” he says. “All I want to do is take a good long look at you.”

  He reaches up and moves m
y long, blonde hair back behind my shoulders. “You’re still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life with eyes as blue as this big, old Texas sky.”

  He waves a hand at the cloudless sky above us. When I gaze up at the blue sky and the daisies waving in the soft breeze, a strong feeling of déjà vu washes over me. We’ve been in this exact spot, doing the exact same thing before. Even the white puffy clouds floating above us feel familiar.

  Are we meant to keep repeating scenes from our life over and over until we finally get it right?

  He reaches over to pick a daisy then sticks it behind my ear. Without tearing his eyes from mine, he says, “Right now, I’d give up everything in this world to be your boyfriend again. But I don’t want to push you into anything if you’re not ready. I don’t want there to be any doubts on your part. If we’re together again, you need to want it as much as I do. It’s the only way.”

  I shiver at the familiar intense heat in his green eyes. For a moment, I feel self-conscious and shy. So many years have gone by. I’m a giddy teenager again with just one smoldering look from him.

  Luke sees the conflicting emotions on my face and misunderstands. “It’s okay, Ginny, if you’re not comfortable,” he says, gently pushing a strand of hair back from my forehead. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get you back. I’m willing to wait until you’re ready to give us another chance. As long as it takes, I swear. I’ve waited all these years, so I can hang on a little longer.” He smiles down at me.

  “It’s not that,” I say, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. “It’s just that this is all moving so fast for me. I haven’t heard from you in years and yet here we are again. It’s almost as if you never left town.” I don’t tell him that I’ve been dreaming of him since the first day he arrived back in Sweet Rose Canyon.

  “I was never able to forget you,” he says, leaning down closer to whisper in my ear. “Not even for one single day. All those years when we were apart, I thought I was going insane. I could never stop thinking about you.” He touches my cheek softly with his finger. “Tell me nothing has changed, Ginny. Not deep inside our hearts where it counts. I know my feelings never changed for you.”

  I can’t deny what’s happening. We’ve been hurtling full speed toward this moment since the day we laid eyes on each other again.

  “Nothing has changed for me either,” I reply.

  “Thank the good Lord!” he says, letting out the breath he’d been holding. “That’s the best news I’ve ever heard. I don’t know what I ever did in my life to deserve a second chance with you. All I know is that I’m grateful.”

  I smile up at him. “Every good cowboy deserves a second chance,” I say with a trembling smile.

  “Even a sorry, good-for-nothing cowboy like me who left his ranch, family and love of his life to sing songs in smoky bars?” he asks.

  “Yes, even you, Luke.”

  20

  Luke

  “If I died right now, my life would be complete,” I say to Ginny a few minutes later. “This is about as close to heaven as life here on earth can possibly be.” I’m lying on my back, with Ginny’s head on my chest. Her long blonde hair drifts down my arm. The warm, bright sunlight is blinding. I shut my eyes against it, enjoying the heat on my face.

  Ginny lets out a happy sigh. “I love it here.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Is it better than your fancy mansion back in Nashville?” She lifts her upper body up on one elbow and gazes down at me with a teasing grin.

  “Big houses, manicured lawns, and housekeepers aren’t all they’re made out to be. I’d rather be here under the Texas sky any day.”

  “You sound a little disheartened with the music business.”

  “It’s not exactly how I pictured it to be,” I confess. “It’s more stressful than you might imagine. And lonelier too. Everything isn’t unicorns and rainbows on the road.”

  “Don’t you have your band to hang around with after the shows?”

  “Sure, and they’re a great group of guys. The only bad thing about band members is that they come and go. I’m the main act, so they’re replaceable. Or so the tour manager believes. He switches out my backup musicians and singers more than I’d like. Every time I get comfortable singing with one of my band members, they fire him and hand me another one to break in.”

  “I didn’t realize it worked that way,” she says. “It sounds a tad chaotic.”

  “And stressful. For the band members, the concert tours are exciting because they’re new. They want to live it up and party until sunrise every night. With me though, the novelty of the fast life has already worn off. After a show is over and I’ve spent the required time backstage with the fans, I’m ready to climb back on the tour bus and crash with a movie and a pizza.”

  “I’m a little surprised. I always believed the fast life was one of the main reasons you wanted to go to Nashville.”

  “No, I was always chasing the music, not the life.” I thread my fingers through her hair, enjoying the feel of the soft tendrils. “Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. Being up on the stage with the band and the sound of the crowd singing my songs back to me makes me feel alive. But there’s more to a musician’s life than people know. It’s mostly long, exhausting days with little time off. I’ve been away from home for months at a stretch. I’m owned by my job.”

  “You’re right, it sounds lonely,” she says. “I’m too much of a homebody to live a life on the road. I need family and friends in my life. I love going home after work to my house and my flowers.”

  “It is lonely,” I say. “Except for two of my band members, most of the people I’m around would stab me in the back in a heartbeat to get their own five minutes of fame. Country music is a downright dirty business. Sometimes I get discouraged by it all until I step back on stage. Then in a split-second I forget everything bad. For those few minutes when I’m looking out over an arena filled with thousands of people, I know it’s all worth it just to be living my dream.”

  Ginny traces up and down the length of my arm with her fingertips without speaking.

  “I’m not complaining,” I continue. “Not by a long shot. I make fantastic money and am writing my own songs. I love sharing my music with the fans. Writing music and singing it. That’s what it’s all about.”

  “With your talent, it would be a shame to waste it.”

  “Unfortunately, it seems that sharing my music means that I’m missing out on other things. Important things like time with Dad and seeing Lily grow up.”

  “You’re doing the best you can.”

  “Matthew doesn’t think I am.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” she says. “Matthew is overwhelmed and desperate for help. I bet he understands more than you realize.”

  “Matthew and my parents never wanted me to go to Nashville. They thought I was a crazy delusional kid with stars in my eyes. You were the only one who was always supportive of my music. You encouraged me to reach for those stars.”

  Ginny closes her eyes and puts her head back down on my chest. “I always wanted the best for you, but I never wanted you to go,” she says. “All I wanted was for you to be happy.”

  “I wanted you to be happy, too. Are you?”

  She nods against my chest. “I’m happy. I love my job and was recently promoted. I’m close to my parents and I have my friends and a house. The life I’ve made for myself is a good one. A little predictable, but solid.”

  “I’m glad,” I say. “I wish Matthew could say the same. He’s falling apart. He told me the ranch is in financial trouble too on top of the other issues he’s dealing with. I feel like a jerk for not dropping everything and moving back home.”

  “You can’t blame yourself. Don’t forget Matthew made some bad choices too. Marrying Sheila for one. That was a whopper. You can’t fix everything for him. I know there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for your family. You’re a good son and brother.”

  “Except giv
e up my music career and come home.” I blow out a long breath. “Dad isn’t well. I’m not sure how much longer he has.” My voice grows hoarse with emotion. “He’s not the man he used to be. He’s confused most of the time. You’ve seen him. I’m afraid that if I go back to Nashville, he’ll disappear completely. We’re on borrowed time.”

  “Or you might not be,” she says. “There’s no way to know for sure. This stage of Alzheimer’s could go on for years without him getting worse, or things could go downhill tomorrow. There’s no rhyme or reason to the disease.”

  “Only that it always progresses.”

  “Yes it does, and I’m sorry.”

  “I won’t be able to forgive myself if I miss out on the little time I have left with him. I’m being torn into pieces. When I think about how hard it was to get where I am in my career, I know that I’d be devastated to lose that as well. There’s not an easy choice here.”

  Lifting her face, Ginny gazes into my eyes. “There never is. I know you’ll figure it out.”

  “What would you do if you were in my position?” I ask.

  “It’s not for me to say. It’s your life. I don’t know how it feels to have music burning me up inside. If I couldn’t be a pharmacist any longer, I would be disappointed, but I wouldn’t wither away and die. It’s not the same thing for you. You’re the only one who can make this decision.”

  “If I come home, it’s back to a rancher’s life for me. No matter how much money I might have in the bank. I wouldn’t be able to stand by twiddling my thumbs and watch Matthew kill himself trying to work the family ranch by himself. I’d have to jump in to help. And I’m not cut out to be a rancher. Or I should say only a rancher. I need to sing my music too.”

  “I know,” Ginny says with a giggle. “I remember how you used to come up with every excuse in the world to get out of doing your ranch chores.”