The Blue Ribbon Brides Collection

by AlLee, Jennifer L. ; Breidenbach, Angela; Franklin, Darlene

  With the shaky fingers of both hands lightly touching the microphone stand and the round top with its center receiver surrounded by coils partially blocking a full view of her face, Paige could’ve been any one of the performers scheduled to appear that week. Despite her initial protests, her voice resonated loud and clear. Her eyes never left his, as if she drew strength from him in some way. A soft smile slowly drew the corners of her mouth upward as she and the orchestra together eased into the closing of Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

  The words of the ballad washed over him. From that first day when Andy had overheard the bits and pieces of Paige bearing her soul to her friend, she’d snagged a small portion of him. Now, the plaintive confession offered straight from her heart conveyed an honest truth.

  “Quite impressive, that little gal is,” Miss Bessie said from beside him.

  Andy straightened. He’d actually forgotten the blues singer sat next to him. “Yes,” he replied. “Yes, she is.” And he’d had no idea just how much. Imagine that. Of all the ladies he’d met and all the ones who’d been temporary dalliances, a petite farm girl from Wyoming had turned his head.

  Miss Bessie shifted and nudged Andy with her shoulder. “She’s saying something to you, son.” Miss Bessie indicated Paige with a nod. “Don’t you let that one get away.”

  Andy mustered some semblance of a reassuring smile in a quick glance at Miss Bessie. What else could he do? He wasn’t ready to answer her just yet. She seemed to understand. With a quick pat of his hand, the singer hoisted herself from her seat and made her way back behind the stage. When he looked again at Paige, she was already making her way down the side steps and heading his way. The pure delight on her face made her eyes shine bright and her smile as big as the moon.

  “Oh! That was wonderful!” Paige made a fist with one hand and covered it with the other as she pressed her clasped hands to her chest and raised her gaze to the heavens. “Absolutely marvelous,” she breathed, her entire upper body trembling.

  Andy reached out, hoping to help her relax, when all of a sudden she leaped toward him and threw her arms around his neck. Reflexes kicked in as he caught her about the waist and held tight. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?

  “Thank you!” she said from over his shoulder as she hugged him.

  A moment later, she loosened her hold, allowing her feet to touch the ground again. Such joy shined forth from her soul, showcasing itself in her hypnotic gaze. When she attempted to let go, he didn’t, and her hands came to rest on his shoulders. Paige furrowed her brows just slightly, and her mouth parted. He could feel the intensity in his stare increase. As he shifted his focus to her lips, he pulled her closer. His head told him this was neither the time nor the place, but his body refused to listen.

  “Paigie!” Someone hollered from somewhere behind them. “Paigie, we did it!”

  With intentionality, Paige forced him to release her, and they both turned to face the sound of the one who’d interrupted them.

  A young man who resembled Paige put one hand on the gate that sectioned off the stage and swung his legs over the top. “We did it!” he yelled again. His shout traveled the distance between them and arrived a few seconds before its owner.

  Paige took two significant steps away from Andy and greeted the young man with a broad smile. “Matthew, what did we do?”

  Instead of answering, the man grabbed Paige and swung her around in two large circles. Andy backed away to avoid being kicked. Laughter erupted from Paige as Matthew returned her to the ground.

  “Old Gordon,” he said, his excitement and the exertion of swinging Paige making him breathe a little heavy. “He won! Gordon won the contest. He’s going to be a real rodeo bull now!”

  “What?” Paige’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  Matthew nodded. “As sure as I am that Pa’s about to pop the buttons on his shirt, he’s so proud.”

  Ahh. Pa. This must be the older brother she’d mentioned.

  Paige raised a hand to her mouth and covered her soft and delicate giggle. “Is Mama there, too, making sure he doesn’t?”

  “Yeah.” Matthew jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the cattle pavilion. “I tried to find you before the judging took place, but I guess you were busy.” As if he’d just remembered his sister wasn’t alone, he nodded toward Andy. “Going to introduce me to your friend?”

  “Oh!” Clearly Paige had forgotten about him, too. “Yes,” she replied, stepping back to make room for Andy to approach. “Matthew, this is Andrew Lawrence, a reporter from the Denver Post. He’s here covering the noteworthy news of the fair.” She then turned to face him but avoided eye contact. “Andy, this is my older brother, Matthew.”

  Andy stuck out his hand and initiated the firm handshake. In one glance, Matthew sized him up and sent him a silent warning as well. He might have appeared to be oblivious to the little tête-à-tête he’d interrupted, but his look said otherwise.

  “Nice to meet you,” Matthew said.

  “Likewise,” Andy replied.

  “Well, look. I’d love to stay and chat,” Matthew stated, “but I have to get back over to the pavilion and help transport Old Gordon to the arena.” He zeroed in on Paige. “You going to come to and see our bull’s first ride?”

  Paige smiled. “Of course, I’ll be there.”

  “Great.” Matthew backed away, moving up the center aisle toward the gate. “They’re cutting him loose at one. Going to do some trial runs before then to see how he does.”

  “We’ll see you there,” she promised and waved as her brother again cleared the gate.

  We? Was she going to invite him to join her? Knowing full well her parents and brother would be right there watching? That would be rather bold, all things considered, wouldn’t it?

  “Do you know what this means?” Paige suddenly said and spun to face him.

  “Do I know what what means?”

  “Old Gordon,” she said simply.

  Andy spread out his arms, elbows bent and shoulders raised. He shook his head. “What about him?”

  Paige sighed and gave him an impatient look. “He’s going to be a rodeo bull.” She craned her neck slightly forward, eyes wide and head bobbing with each word, as if speaking to a child about something he should already know.

  What was he missing? What difference did it make if some old bull was going to join the dozens of other bulls in the rodeo?

  She continued in her attempts to get him to understand. “He’s never ridden in a rodeo before. It’ll be his first time.” Again, with the leaning forward and head bobs.

  Andy shook his head. “Clearly, I am not understanding.” No, his head was still stuck back on that embrace they’d shared a few moments ago. How in the world could she seem so unaffected so quickly and have already moved on to another subject? “I’m afraid you’re going to have to spell it out for me.” Maybe by then his brain would catch up to the conversation.

  Paige grinned. “Don’t you remember what you told me on Tuesday about one of your dreams?”

  He thought back for a moment. Tuesday. What had they been doing that day? Oh right. She’d given him a tour of the fairgrounds. She’d shared about wanting to sing onstage, and then he’d told her about his various promotions at work and how he’d always dreamed of—

  Andy snapped his fingers as realization dawned. “The bull! I remember now.”

  Laughter escaped her lips, and she shook her head. “Yes. You’ve always wanted to ride a bull.” She made a grand sweep of her arm in the general direction of the pavilion. “And now you have a chance.”

  He looked over his shoulder then back at Paige and again toward the pavilion. “Wait. You mean your father’s bull?” She had to be joking. “You want me to ride Old Gordon?”

  Paige clasped her hands in front of her. “Of course. It’s the perfect solution. Neither one of you has ever ridden in a rodeo event, so neither one of you will know wh
at to expect.”

  Andy grimaced. “That’s what concerns me. This bull of yours might be volatile and untrustworthy.”

  She dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand. “Nonsense. Old Gordon would never behave in that manner.”

  “But you just said he’s never done this before, so how do you know?”

  One side of her mouth quirked, and a teasing gleam appeared in her eyes. “There’s only one way to find out.” The gleam turned into a challenge. “You helped me achieve one of my dreams. Now it’s my turn to help you. Will you do it?”

  How could he refuse now? When she put it like that?

  Andy shrugged. “Let’s go meet this bull of yours.”

  Oh, how he hoped he wouldn’t regret this.

  A few hours later, Andy jumped up from where Old Gordon had just bucked him off and ran straight for the break in the wall where some of the cowboys had swung open the gate. They beckoned to him with urgency and didn’t have to ask him twice. He had no desire to spend any more time with that bull in the ring than absolutely necessary. As soon as he was on the other side of the wall, he cast his gaze around, searching for Paige. She’d moved from her place at the edge of the arena just to the rear of the grandstands as he’d asked.

  He rushed toward her, his heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through him. This must have been how she’d felt when she came off the stage earlier that morning. Wow. No wonder she’d been so exuberant in her gratitude.

  “Wasn’t that the best experience you’ve ever had?” she asked when he stood just ten feet from her.

  Instead of answering, he snatched her around the waist, bent his knees, and swung her around. Not once. Not twice. But three times, before setting her down.

  “Yes,” he answered her with a big grin. Although, he wasn’t quite ready to let the experience end. He wanted to add to it.

  Just like before, her hands were on his shoulders, her gaze, her mouth inches from his. Only this time, there would be no older brother and no one else to intrude on their moment. They were quite secluded.

  Paige licked her lips as she looked up at Andy. An inner battle waged in those stormy depths. If he waited any longer, he’d overthink it. Before he or she could do or say something to talk him out of it, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. At first, she startled, but when he applied pressure to her back and drew her closer, she relaxed. A minute later, he pulled back and gazed down into her upturned face. That had been all he’d imagined and more.

  When she opened her eyes, he smiled. “I’ve wanted to do that since our little encounter Tuesday morning.” Hard to believe it had only been three days.

  It took her a moment, but as soon as she realized what he meant, she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and ducked her head. Andy withdrew one hand from around her waist and gently touched her chin, encouraging her to raise her gaze once more.

  “You know, I came up here from Denver with a big promotion on my mind, expecting to find a few nuggets of good stories to give my editor. I intended to show him I have what it takes to be the senior journalist he needs.” He chuckled. “I had a plan. But that plan didn’t include meeting someone like you.”

  Paige breathed in and out several times as she regarded him, taking her time, seeming to weigh her words before speaking. “Aren’t you still going to go back to your editor with these stories you’ve collected? I’m sure he’ll be impressed.”

  “Definitely.” Andy looked around. “But I’m not sure where that leaves us.” There had to be somewhere better suited to this conversation. An idea came to mind. “Walk with me,” he said, keeping one arm around her waist as he turned to lead them under the grandstands and back toward one of the main paths.

  “You see,” he continued, “as you can well imagine, the life I lead isn’t a predictable one. I’m sent out, sometimes all over the country, chasing a story and the next best headline.”

  “Oh, but that’s what’s exciting about it,” Paige interjected.

  Andy glanced down as they walked. He’d expected her to agree to the difficulty of his work, not be enthusiastic about it. “You mean, that doesn’t concern you?”

  She followed him as he guided her through the clusters of carnival seekers and various attendees milling about the fairgrounds. “Not at all. Before we met, I had resigned myself to a predictable life, very much the opposite of what you describe for yours.” She sighed. “But secretly, I was hoping something would happen to change that.”

  He gave her waist an affectionate squeeze. “So, you learned I was a reporter and decided I was as far from predictable as you could get.” He grinned. “And that’s why you arranged that encounter by the greenhouse.”

  Paige halted, but he kept on going, his arm slipping from her waist as he rounded the corner of the event tent. When she didn’t join him again, he paused and turned. There she stood, hands on hips and righteous indignation oozing from every part of her.

  “That is not the way it happened, and you know it,” she said, each word spoken with distinct enunciation.

  She looked so adorable, Andy almost laughed. Instead, he took two strides to close the gap between them and reached up to tap her pert little nose. “Gotcha!” he said with a wink.

  A giggle escaped her lips as she instantly relaxed. Andy extended his arm again and placed a hand at the small of her back, steering them once again toward his plan. When they came to the white picket fence surrounding the center stage, he looked down to see Paige smiling.

  “I figured we could sit and listen to the music for a little while.” He pulled away slightly. “That is, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not.”

  Andy reached over the fence and undid the latch to the side gate. Swinging it wide, he gestured for Paige to precede him. Once inside, they walked down to the front and settled in seats beside the orchestra pit. Movement to his right made him glance up to the curtains onstage. Miss Bessie peeked out and sought his gaze. Andy nodded and she smiled, clasping her hands together just beneath her chin.

  When she let the curtain fall again, Andy slid his arm across the back of Paige’s chair and rested his hand on her shoulder. She leaned into him a little and placed her hands in her lap.

  “So, what’s next for us?”

  “I don’t know,” she said softly. “But I do know when the fair comes to an end, I’ll be returning to the farm to tell Charlie I’m not the girl for him.”

  Andy took a deep breath and grinned. “If that’s the same man you and Millie were discussing the day we met, I have a feeling he’ll find another gal to fill that line item on his to-do list.”

  Paige giggled, her shoulders shaking. He tightened his hold and gave her a little squeeze.

  “I think I have an idea.”

  Paige regarded him out of the corner of her eye, her eyebrows raised, waiting for what he’d say next.

  “Since I don’t know how well you’ll take to the big city, why don’t we plan a few visits for now between Denver and Douglas and take it from there?” Andy caressed her shoulder and grinned when she shivered. “It’ll give us time to get to know each other better and figure out what we’re going to do next.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good.”

  As the orchestra started to play the opening notes of Gershwin’s ballad, Andy stood and extended a hand to Paige. “Dance with me?”

  A slow smile spread across her face as she rose and joined him next to the stage. Miss Bessie blended with the wind and string accompaniment and eased into the first words of the song. Andy pulled Paige close and led them in a simple waltz. She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder as the harmonic undertones and lyrical melody dictated their rhythm. They might not have a plan for where they were headed, but he’d make certain they would enjoy the journey on the way there.

  Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with
talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning author and speaker who works in the anti-aging and personal development industries, helping others become their best from the inside out. She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, and a Retriever mix named Roxie. Her writing career began as a columnist for her high school and college newspapers. She has sold twenty (21) books so far, is an active member of ACFW, and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. Three of her novels have won annual reader’s choice awards, and in 2009, she was voted #1 favorite new author for the Heartsong Presents book club. Visit her web site for more information: www.amberstockton.com.

  “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

  MATTHEW 6:27 NIV

  Chapter 1

  Arkansas, 1930

  Turn the lights off!” Pa bellowed from his rolltop desk in the living room. “Our electric bill was a dollar and thirty-seven cents this month. We’re in a depression, you know.”

  Annie Mae Thompkins exchanged an amused glance with her mother. “We’ll manage, Papa. I’m entering my quilt in the county fair. I’m sure to win first place, and it’s a twenty-five dollar prize. Plus, Mama’s canned peaches always win.”

  “Pipe dreams. What we need is cash in hand today.” He entered the kitchen where Annie Mae and her mother prepared soup for lunch. “I’m heading to town to try and get some mill work. I’ll be back in an hour or so. Keep lunch hot for me.” He kissed Mama’s cheek and gave Annie Mae a hug. “Where’s the young’uns?”

  “Mama told them to tend the garden.” Her younger brother and sister were most likely playing in the mud, but at least they were out of her hair. It usually fell on Annie Mae to watch them since Mama took in sewing and did other odd jobs to help make ends meet.