When the Heart Falls

by Kimberly Lewis

  A rustle in the bushes from across the creek caught her attention. She tried to calm the gelding but the constant movement was causing him to spook. And then, she heard the bush stop moving. Fear ran through her body and made her limbs go numb. She was sure that this was it; this is how she would die. She held her breath and turned to look at the bush just in time to see a cow emerge from behind it.

  Misty couldn’t help but laugh at herself. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God that no wild animal was going to bound across the creek and maul her. When Misty was able to get Bandit calmed down she tied him back to the tree branch and walked closer to the creek. She tried to get a good look at the brand on the cow so she could inform the owner that it was missing. It was kind of hard to tell from this distance but she could make out the letters JD. How on earth did her father’s cow get out of the pasture? And if one got out, how many more followed? She quickly got on Bandit and headed for home.

  The wind whipped through her hair as she urged her horse into a gallop. There was something about the combination of speed and wind that made her feel like she was almost flying. She laughed as she pulled on the reins to slow down the gelding.

  “Good boy, Bandit” she praised as she patted his neck. She trotted the horse into the yard and noticed an old green pick-up truck sitting in the driveway. Misty dismounted and started to walk Bandit over to the barn to unsaddle him.

  As she walked, she noticed her father talking to two men. One was a tall, heavy set man with a scruffy looking face. The dark hair peeking out from under his cowboy hat looked dirty and greasy. The other man was a few inches shorter than his friend. He was leaner and clean shaven. And unlike his friend he looked like he showered regularly. She walked past the men and all three turned to look at her. Jack smiled and waved her over. She toyed with the ends of Bandit’s reins as she walked towards them.

  “Misty, this is Hank Murphy,” Jack said, gesturing towards the heavy set man.

  The man tipped his hat and let his eyes look Misty over from head to toe. Something about the way he looked at her made her feel very uncomfortable.

  “And this is Vance Kinney,” Jack said as he gestured towards the other man.

  He tipped his hat as well but did not let his eyes linger over her body as the other man did. He stared at her and she noticed his eyes were an interesting steel gray color. She had to admit that he had one of the most handsome faces she had ever seen.

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he told her as he smiled. His teeth were so dazzling white that it almost hurt her eyes.

  “Nice to meet you too,” she said, feeling the butterflies dance around in her stomach. Why on earth was she feeling like this? Almost like a schoolgirl with a crush. Yes he was handsome; she had to give him that. But she quickly remembered what happened the last time she had fallen for handsome. Look where that had gotten her.

  She quickly collected herself in time to hear her father say, “I’ve hired them on as ranch hands so you’ll be seeing them a lot.”

  Misty smiled at both men and turned to Jack. “I’m sorry to interrupt but I need to let you know that I saw one of the cows out by the creek. I only saw the one but I figured if one got out another one might have too.”

  “Thanks for the heads up, Mis,” Jack replied. “Guess I better get a few men together and go check it out.”

  “No problem, Dad. I’m sorry gentlemen I don’t mean to be rude but if you’ll excuse me I have to tend to my horse now,” Misty stated as she headed toward the barn.

  As she walked away she could feel a pair of eyes on her. She shuddered as she thought of the heavy set man and his wandering eyes. What his name again? Oh right, Hank. She hoped she would never encounter Hank while she was alone. Something told her that there was something unsafe about this man. Unwilling, she turned to look over her shoulder. But it was not Hank who was staring at her. Vance’s lips curved up on one side and he nodded towards her. She couldn’t help but smile back. And as she walked Bandit to the barn, a warm sensation trickled through her body. Unlike Hank, she hoped she’d be seeing more of Vance Kinney.

  ***

  Misty walked into the kitchen and Maggie caught site of her out of the corner of her eye. She stopped cutting the vegetables she was going to use for tonight’s stew and took a good look at Misty.

  “What’s going on with you?” Maggie asked curiously.

  “Hmm?” Misty responded dreamily.

  “You’re glowing. Was your ride that good?” Maggie asked.

  “Oh my ride was just fine. Bandit’s a great horse,” Misty told her mother.

  “There’s something else going on you’re not telling me,” Maggie insisted.

  Her mother always had a way of reading her and could always tell when Misty was keeping something from her. Maybe it was mother’s intuition or maybe it was because they were such close friends. Either way, Misty knew she wouldn’t get past the kitchen without telling her mother what was going on.

  “Nothing, Mom. Dad just introduced me to the new ranch hands he hired,” Misty explained as she tried not to smile.

  Maggie caught on and replied, “I see.” She looked out the kitchen window and asked, “So which one is it that you have the hots for?”

  “Mom! I do not have the hots for anyone,” Misty replied embarrassed. She could feel her cheeks growing warm as her mother looked back at her.

  “Oh really?” Maggie giggled. “Then why are your cheeks the color of these tomatoes?”

  “My cheeks are not the color of tomatoes!” Misty insisted as she tried to shield her face. She quickly walked out of the room and headed upstairs. Her mother’s laughter followed her all the way. Once in her room she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes. She couldn’t believe how she was acting. She had only exchanged hellos with this man and here she was turning red and getting embarrassed at the mention of him.

  But then she thought, Why shouldn’t I feel this way? I am more than allowed to do whatever I want now. My husband didn’t want to be with me anymore, so here I am. I’m still young, and if this man decides to show an interest in me, well, who am I to say no to that? And who knows, maybe this man will be different from Brad. Maybe he’ll be the one to prove that not all men are pigs. The thought of being in love again made her feel happy and excited.

  She pushed her thoughts aside for the time being and headed off to the bathroom to get cleaned up. The warm water felt good and relaxed her. When she was done, she wrapped the towel around her and stepped over to the sink. She wiped the fog from the mirror and stared at her reflection. Her mother was right. She was glowing. How good it felt to be attractive again to someone. God knows Brad hadn’t looked at her the way Vance did this afternoon in longer than she’d care to think of. She found herself thinking more about Vance and wondering what he was like. She decided that given the right opportunity, she would attempt to find out.

  CHAPTER 6

  “What’s your count?” Jack asked as he turned his horse towards the approaching riders.

  “We counted about three hundred four,” one of the men confirmed. “How many did you get?”

  “We only got a hundred seventy six. I just don’t understand how twenty head of cattle go missing,” Jack replied in frustration.

  “Don’t know, boss. Maybe we should ride the fence again to see if there was something we missed,” another man suggested.

  “Don’t suppose it will hurt to look again,” Jack agreed with an exasperated sigh. “You three go that way and look for anything you can find. The others will come with me and we’ll check out things on this side. We’ll meet back at the house.”

  ***

  “Where’s Dad?” Misty asked as she walked out onto the porch.

  Maggie lifted her head from her sewing to look at her. “He took some of the men out on horses to check the fence since you found that cow missing,” she responded as she turned her attention back to the shirt she was mending.

  “I thought h
e went yesterday after I got back,” Misty said confused.

  “He started to but by the time he was able to get a hold of all the men it was starting to get dark. So he arranged it for them to go first thing this morning,” Maggie informed her.

  “Who all went with him?” Misty asked curiously.

  “I believe he took Tom, Jim, Chester and the two young men he hired yesterday,” Maggie stated as she continued to sew.

  “So,” Misty said, dragging the word out. “What time do you think they’ll be back?” She leaned against the porch railing and stared out towards the land.

  “My, you are full of questions today,” Maggie jokingly responded and smiled. She could tell where Misty was going with all the questions. It amused her to see her daughter infatuated with a man she just met. But it also concerned her seeing as she had only had her heart broken just a few weeks ago.

  Misty gave her a pleading look. “Come on, Mom.”

  “I’m not sure, Mis. They’ve been gone for a few hours now. I really wouldn’t expect them to get back till after lunch time.”

  Misty sighed and sat down on the steps. She had hoped that she would run into Vance sometime this morning while she was doing her chores. That way it would seem unexpected but now with everything done she really had no excuse to run into him. She rested her head in her hands and sat there in silence.

  Maggie noticed the look of defeat on her daughter’s face. She hated to see her take a step back when she had been doing so well lately. Misty had actually been very happy considering the emotional toll Brad had put her through.

  “Hey,” Maggie said animatedly. “I need to run into town and pick up a few things. Feel like going with me?”

  Misty turned to look at Maggie and forced a smile. “Sure,” she replied trying to sound eager. She took one more look at the field and followed her mother to the truck.

  ***

  “Mrs. McCoy, how nice to see you!” the store owner said as she shook Maggie’s hand.

  “Good to see you too, Bonnie,” Maggie responded and smiled at the woman. “You remember my daughter, Misty,” she said as she placed her hand on Misty’s shoulder.

  “Oh my, yes I do. You’re all grown up and very beautiful if I may say so,” Bonnie stated as she shook Misty’s hand.

  Misty smiled back and mumbled, “Thank you, ma’am.” She felt a little embarrassed at the woman’s comment.

  “So what can I do for you today?” Bonnie asked as she turned her attention back to Maggie.

  “I’ve just come for a few supplies and,” her voice trailed off as Misty wondered around the small store.

  It was your run of the mill Mom and Pop shop; a total mish-mash of items thrown into one tiny little building. They had everything from basic grocery items, to horse tack, to car parts. She walked down the tiny aisles looking at all the items on the shelf. When she was done browsing about the store she returned to the checkout counter. She glanced over at the bulletin board that hung on the wall next to the register. There was the usual missing dog flyer, business cards and help wanted postings. One flyer stood out from the others. It read:

  Bucking Bronco’s Wild West Fair, Friday May 20th through Sunday May 22nd. Come enjoy carnival rides, games and delicious food! It’s fun for the whole family! Fair grounds open at 2pm. Don’t forget to sign up for the Bucking Bronco contest. Winner will walk away with $500. Contestants must be 18 years or older.

  She thought about the last time she had actually been to a carnival. It had to have been at least twelve years ago.

  “Ready?” Maggie asked pulling Misty’s attention away from the flyer.

  “Huh? Oh yea, ready,” Misty replied and followed her mother out to their truck. She thought about how much fun it would be to go to the carnival. However, she didn’t want to go all by herself. She hadn’t been in touch with any of her old friends in years, and to top it off she didn’t even know how to contact any of them. Maybe she could talk her parents into going. It wouldn’t be so bad attending a carnival with them, after all they were pretty fun people. And who knows, maybe she would run into some people she knew. Having friends again would be helpful in trying to have a social life. She longed for the friends she had in high school. They had always had so much fun and always stuck up for one another. She decided that she would make mention of it over dinner tonight.

  ***

  They were just pulling up to the house as the men were riding into the yard. Misty’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Vance. He wore his whip curled up around his shoulder and his hat was sitting low on his forehead. He looked like he had just stepped out of a western movie; her real life cowboy. She quickly collected herself and stepped out of the truck and helped her mother with the bags. As she walked toward the house she caught site of Vance again. He looked over to see her staring at him and he smiled and waved. It was a very subtle action and only she noticed. She smiled and attempted to dip her head behind the paper bag she was carrying. Her cheeks were growing warm and she was determined not to let this man see her blush.

  She helped her mother unload their purchases. Every once in a while she would glance out the window to see if she could catch a glimpse of Vance. She noticed her father talking to the men and then he headed toward the house. He walked in the door, removed his cowboy hat, and hung it on a peg on the wall.

  “Hi honey,” he said as he placed a kiss on Maggie’s cheek. Maggie leaned into the kiss and then watched him as he walked over to the sink. “What’s for dinner?” he asked as he washed his hands.

  “I was planning on fried chicken,” Maggie responded while placing items in the pantry.

  “I hope you have enough for everyone. I’ve invited the boys to stay for dinner,” Jack informed her.

  “Thanks for the heads up,” Maggie said in a teasing tone as she smiled at Jack. “Yes I believe I have enough for everyone. Where are the men now?”

  “They’re taking care of the horses. One of the mares threw a shoe while we were out so Jim is going to replace it. They should be done with everything by the time you have dinner ready,” Jack stated as he wiped his hands on the dish towel.

  It felt like Misty’s heart had jumped up into her throat. Vance was going to be joining them for dinner. Her parents had continued on with their conversation, but Misty couldn’t make out the words for all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears.

  “Um, I think I’m going to go take a shower and get ready for dinner,” she quickly blurted out and bounded up the stairs.

  “What was all that about?” Jack questioned as he watched Misty run out of the room.

  Maggie stifled a giggled and simply replied, “Nothing.”

  ***

  Misty ransacked her closet looking for something nice to wear to dinner. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, but she also wanted it to look like she had put some effort into it. Finally she decided on a cotton spaghetti strap dress. It was simple yet flirty and she had to admit, it complimented her figure nicely. She finished the outfit with a pair of wedge sandals and took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs.

  Dinner was an unusually quiet affair. No words were spoken till the end of the meal and even then it was just a simple, “Thank you for dinner ma’am, it was delicious.” Maggie smiled at the compliment and told everyone she was happy they enjoyed the meal and thanked them for all their hard work. The men excused themselves from the table and retired to the porch. Maggie cleared the table and Misty filled the sink with warm soapy water to wash the dishes.

  “Looks like everyone’s leaving,” Maggie noted as she looked out the window of the back door.

  Misty sighed and dipped a dish into the water. She swirled the dish rag around on the plate till it was clean and then rinsed it off. She continued the process in an almost zombie like state.

  Maggie noticed her daughter’s demeanor and came to stand beside her. “Penny for your thoughts,” she said as she nudged Misty.

  “I’m fine, Mom
,” Misty said in a bland tone.

  “Baby girl, I can tell when something’s bothering you. I’m assuming this has something to do with that boy,” Maggie replied compassionately.

  Misty stopped washing the dish in her hand and turned to look at Maggie. “I just don’t understand, Mom. I mean, I thought he’d at least say hello or something. Maybe I’ve been reading him wrong this whole time. Maybe he’s not interested in me at all,” Misty said in an almost broken hearted tone.

  “Mis, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s definitely interested. And I wouldn’t expect him to strike up a conversation in the middle of dinner with all these other men around,” Maggie said, trying to reassure her.

  Misty smiled and replied, “You really think he’s interested?”

  “Yes baby, I really think so,” Maggie said reassuringly.

  Misty continued to wash the dishes and Maggie dried. By the time they were done Jack had come back into the house. Misty could always tell when her father had entered a room because he smelled of tobacco and peppermints.

  “Well ladies, dinner certainly hit the spot,” Jack said as he patted his stomach. He pulled up a chair at the table and sat there drumming his fingers on the wood.

  “So Jack, are you going to tell us what happened with the missing cow situation?” Maggie asked impatiently. She had been waiting all afternoon to hear if they had been able to find out how it escaped.

  “You mean missing cows,” he said, accentuating the s on the end of the word.

  “More than one has gone missing?” Maggie replied, befuddled.

  “Yep. By our count we have about twenty missing,” Jack stated frankly.

  Both Misty and Maggie stared at him with a disbelieving look. “Twenty?” Maggie said as her jaw dropped.

  “Don’t ask me how either because we can’t figure it out. We rode all over that pasture and checked all the fencing and everything was perfect. I can’t even figure out where the one was able to get out,” Jack said, the irritation clear in his voice. “We’re going to have to keep a close eye on the situation to make sure no more go missing.”