by Kelly, Amber
City girls are nuts.
Dallas
After our morning of shopping in Aurora, the three of us come back with gorgeous new dresses for the party. We head over to Momma’s bakery next. She isn’t open on Sunday, but she came in after church to bake several options for us to try, so we have the place to ourselves.
Sophie’s aunts and stepmom join us for the fun.
“Mmm, I think this one is my favorite. Dottie, you have outdone yourself,” Doreen gushes as she looks up at my mother and takes another bite of the carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.
“You’ve said that about the last three we tasted,” Ria tells her.
“They’re going to have several tiers,” Doreen says with a shrug.
“Great. So, we’ve decided on nine flavors,” Sophie says as she looks down at the chart in front of her. “That’s too many. We can’t have a nine-tier cake. We only have fifty people coming. That’s three tiers, tops.”
“Okay. Let’s narrow it down,” Doreen offers. “The carrot cake stays for sure. You loved the vanilla with the raspberry puree filling. Braxton is a chocolate fan, so let’s keep the German chocolate with the bourbon peanut butter ganache filling for him.”
She takes the paper from Sophie and starts scratching out other options.
“But that cinnamon marble with the maple-bacon buttercream was amazing,” she says as she erases the X mark over it. “Oh, and the strawberry with the lemon curd filling is to die for. Maybe we could do cupcakes in addition to the cake. You know, a dozen in each flavor. That way, we can get them all, and what isn’t eaten can be boxed up for guests to take home. What do you think?” She expectantly looks up at Sophie.
“Works for me. Mrs. Henderson, can we get the chocolate and peanut butter one for the engagement party next week as well?” she asks Momma.
“Sure thing. You still want the pecan tarts too, correct?” Momma asks.
“Is that the miniature pecan pies?” Sophie clarifies.
“It is.”
“Yes. Braxton loves those,” she confirms.
“If I lived here, I would be so fat,” Charlotte adds as she pops another cake bite into her mouth. “Between Doreen and Ria’s cooking and this bakery, my thighs wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“You outdid yourself, Momma. I can’t believe you did twenty flavors for us to taste,” I praise as I start gathering plates to help clean up.
“I bet she’s just practicing for the day she gets to bake your wedding cake,” Doreen adds with a wink.
I give an amused laugh. “Yeah, right. I don’t think I’ll be having another one of those,” I declare.
The mood of the room instantly changes, and all their eyes come to me.
“Oh, Dallas, don’t let your heart harden to the possibility of something more,” Momma says from behind the counter.
“It’s too late, Momma. My heart’s already turned to stone.”
“Good thing God has a history of turning stone into something better,” Doreen muses.
“Not sure I’m that high on God’s list of priorities. He has better things to worry about. You know, war, hunger, disease, that sort of thing,” I try to deflect.
“Oh, he cares very much about you, and he has a plan for your life. A good plan,” Momma says as she starts opening boxes for the remaining goods.
“Well then, maybe it’s just not in his plan for me to be a married woman, Momma. If it were, why would he have let my marriage to Travis fail so epically?” I try again.
She stops and looks up at me. “Oh, baby, because God doesn’t interfere with your choices. He gave you free will after all. Besides, I don’t recall you asking for his opinion—or anyone else’s for that matter—when you ran off and married that boy.”
She gives me a pointed look and then adds softly, “There comes a time when every parent has to let go and let their child make their own way. That doesn’t mean they stop caring. It doesn’t mean that they can’t see the storm coming. You just have to be patient and wait and watch and be there to help guide them and protect them through it. It’s the same with God. You have to stop blaming him for your own messes and start asking for his help to fix them and to make better ones going forward. You’ll see one day when Beau starts stumbling around, trying to become his own man.”
“It’s true. Braxton used to say the same thing after that Morgan ran off. He was never going to get married. Never put his heart out there again. He was done with women. Then, God brought Sophia right to his front doorstep,” Madeline adds with a smile.
Just as I open my mouth to respond, the bell above the door chimes, and in runs a little blond blur. He stops in front of me and pulls a handful of colorful weeds from behind his back. White clover and dandelions.
“Are those for me?” I ask as I brush the hair from Beau’s sweaty forehead.
“Yes, I picked them for you,” he says as he hands them to me.
I bring them to my nose. “Thank you, baby. They are so pretty.”
He beams his snaggletooth grin at me, and I bend down to kiss his cheek.
“Come on, Beau. Nana will help you get some water for them,” Momma offers as she takes his hand and one of the paper cups from the counter and leads him to the kitchen.
Payne comes in next, carrying Beau’s overnight bag and Fritz’s aquarium.
“You sure you don’t want to keep that thing at your house?” I ask as he sets it on one of the tables near the door.
“What, and rob Beau of all the joy of caring for his slimy little friend? No way,” he says as he tries to stifle a laugh.
“Well, who do we have here?” Charlotte asks from her spot next to Doreen.
“That pain in the ass is my brother, aptly named Payne,” I introduce. “Payne, this is Sophie’s friend Charlotte.”
“Nice to meet you,” he greets.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Charlotte purrs.
Payne gives her a half-grin before he brings his eyes back to mine. “Momma got any cake left, or did you hens eat it all?”
“There’s plenty left. Just grab what you want,” I say as I hand him one of the boxes.
“Awesome. I’m heading out to Braxton’s spot to help the guys finish adding the deck. Hopefully, we’ll have it done tonight. I’ll take extra for them.”
“In that case, raid the display and take whatever you like. I’ll bake fresh goodies in the morning,” Momma says as she comes back with my flowers in the tiny cup of water.
“Thanks, Momma,” he says as he kisses her cheek.
“You be good, little man, and make sure you feed Fritz when you get home,” he tells Beau and reaches his hand out for a fist bump. “Ladies,” he says as he tips his head and walks into the kitchen.
“Maybe I should move to Colorado too,” Charlotte says as she watches him go.
“Did you not hear the ‘pain in the ass’ part?” I ask her.
She just shrugs. “Aren’t they all?”
A collective, “Yes,” comes from the room at large.
Myer
“I got it,” I yell up to Braxton as I balance the heavy beam on my shoulder.
I hoist it up over the anchor and hold it in place as he uses the nail gun to secure it.
“You can let it go,” he says, and I release it. “We’re almost done. A couple more,” he says as Walker brings another.
We’ve been at it since noon.
As soon as the cattle were taken care of this morning, I headed straight here. The deck is pretty amazing. I should add one on the back of my cabin overlooking the mountains and apple trees.
Once we’re done, I climb back up the back side of the house and join them inside. Payne showed up a few minutes ago with coffee and a ton of baked goods from his momma.
“I stopped and got cold cuts, so we could make sandwiches,” he says as he unloads a cooler.
“Thank you, man. I’m starving,” Walker says as he forgoes the coffee and grabs a beer from his own cooler.
We all make a plate and head out to the new deck to eat. It still needs a railing and to be stained and coated, but it looks good.
“Sophie is going to love this,” I say as I sit down in one of the portable stadium chairs.
“I sure hope so,” Braxton says as he looks out over the gap.
“Speaking of, what were the girls up to?” he asks Payne as he, too, takes a seat.
“They were there, tasting cakes, but it looked like they were done and just gabbing to me.”
Braxton lets out a long, frustrated breath. “Sophie’s stressed out about all this wedding stuff. I’m just ready for it all to be over and for us to get moved in here. I swear, I never knew girls needed to throw so many parties to celebrate one marriage,” he huffs.
“How many are we talking?” Walker asks.
“Engagement party—whatever the hell that’s for—then the rehearsal, and dinner party.” He stops mid-sentence and looks up. “Why the hell do we need a rehearsal? We stand up with the reverend and repeat what he tells us to say. We don’t need to practice that shit. We don’t even have to memorize our lines; he feeds them to us.”
We all look at each other and shrug. Makes no sense to us either.
“Then, there’s the actual wedding and reception. Which is fine. Throw in our branding and yours”—he nods to me—“and trying to get this house finished by June, I barely get to see Sophie, and when I do, I’m dog-shit tired,” he grumbles.
“The things we do to keep our women happy,” Walker says as he turns up his bottle.
Silas throws a chip at him. “Like you’d know,” he says.
“I’ll have you know, I do what I must to keep several happy.” He wags his eyebrows at us. He turns to me and asks, “What about you?”
“What about me?” I ask as I open a sugar packet and add it to my cup.
“You left with Dallas last night. Anything happen there? Did you finally make your move, man?” he asks.
“Nah, she ain’t ready,” I answer as I take a swig from my cup.
Walker shakes his head. “Dude, you are in the friend zone. You’ve been friend-zoned for a long time. It’s hard to come back from that. You’re going to have to do something drastic to get her attention,” he informs me of something I already know.
“And just what would you suggest?” I ask.
“This ought to be good,” Braxton says on a laugh.
“I don’t think I want to hear this,” Payne grumbles under his breath.
“I’m just saying, Dallas needs a man to take charge and show her who’s boss, or she’ll run all over them,” Walker explains.
“Is that right?” I ask.
“Yep, she’s a pistol, and it will take a real man to tame her.”
“What makes you think I want to tame her?” I ask.
“Don’t you?”
“Hell no. She had a man who was high-handed with her. He tried to lock her away in an ivory tower and control her. I don’t want to put her fire out. I want to sit back and enjoy the burn. She doesn’t need to change a thing. She just needs someone to love her and love Beau with all he has, just the way they are.”
“You that man?” Payne asks, all the amusement gone from his voice.
“If she lets me be, I’ll be that man every single day for the rest of both their lives—or the rest of mine at the very least.”
He nods and then grasps my shoulder.
“Well, damn,” Walker adds.
“You’d better make that move soon, man. Or you’re risking some other guy sliding in there and making it,” Braxton says before he stands.
“I know.”
And I do. Every man who crosses her path wants to try.
“Come on. Let’s get back to it. Doreen and Ria are feeding us dinner again tonight, and I’m pretty sure I smelled pot roast simmering this morning.”
“My favorite,” Walker exclaims as he takes one last drink from his bottle and stands.
Dallas
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” I say gently as I smatter Beau’s face with kisses.
This is our morning routine. I open his blinds to let the sunshine in, and then I kiss him awake.
I get him dressed and ready for school. Then, I feed him a quick breakfast, and we pile into the truck.
“Nana is going to pick you up today and bring you to Miss Madeline after school for your first riding lesson,” I tell him.
“Yay!” he squeals from the backseat.
“You have to be good and obey her and listen closely to everything she says, okay?”
“I will, Mommy. I promise.”
“After your lesson, we’re gonna have dinner at her house. Aunt Doreen is making you chicken fingers and mac ’n’ cheese.”
His two favorite things.
His face lights up.
He is so easy to please.
“We have Doc scheduled for the branding weekend, right?” I ask Sophie as I update the office calendar.
“Yes, and he’s bringing the new guy, Dr. Haralson. We need to call and make sure the new branding cradle is delivered on time too,” she says from her side of the desk.
We work in a cramped room off the kitchen in her family’s farmhouse, but as soon as she and Braxton move into their new home, we’re relocating the office to the loft they live in now. I can’t wait. We’ll have our own kitchenette and bathroom and a lot more space.
“Okay, I can do that.” I add it to my calendar. “Who all is coming to help?” I ask.
“Myer and his dad are helping Walker and Braxton rope. Silas and Payne are going to do the cutting, and Pop, Emmett, and Daddy will be using the branding iron,” she says. “Aunt Doreen and Ria are in charge of the picnic. All the ladies from the church are coming and bringing a potluck dish.”
Branding season is a big deal in Poplar Falls. All the ranches coordinate the schedule so that everyone is free to help serve their neighbor. We take pride in our cattle and in our community, and this is our opportunity to show it. The ladies make a ton of food, and the kids play while we all watch the herds being roped and branded. It’s a celebration like no other.
“By the way, Mom gets in tonight,” she informs me.
I look up, and she’s chewing on the end of the pencil in her hand.
“I thought she wasn’t coming in until Saturday?”
“She decided she needed more time to prep for the party. Which means she will have more time to get under Braxton’s skin and drive me crazy,” she huffs. “She wants to have a luncheon with the bridesmaids on Friday.”
“A luncheon? For what?” I whine.
“Wedding talk, I guess,” she says.
Ugh. The last thing I want to do is spend the afternoon listening to Vivian railroad her into things she and Braxton don’t want, but I see the tension written all over Sophie, so I relent. This should be an exciting time for her, and I want her to enjoy every minute even if it means I have to suck it up and play nice with her overbearing mother.
“That sounds like fun,” I say as I finish up the calendar.
“Really?” she asks as she looks up at me.
“Really. We get to hang out, eat, drink, and talk all things wedding. What’s not to like?” I say, infusing my voice with as much honest excitement as I can.
She smiles huge. “Yeah, and she’ll have all our dresses, so we can try them on. I can’t wait for you girls to see my gown.”
There’s the radiant glow I wanted to see.
“I thought your gown was staying in New York?”
“I begged. I truly don’t have time in my schedule to fly back and forth, so I’ll have to be extra strict and not gain or lose a single ounce before the wedding. But it’s here!” She beams.
Ugh, watching your weight that closely. That sounds dreadful.
“Well, I can’t wait to see it. I bet you really will look like a princess.”
We work in silence until we hear the back door open and tiny feet scurry in rapid fire.
Beau appears in the door
way a second later with Hawkeye, Sophie’s pup, skidding to a stop at his feet.
“Hi, fellas,” I say as I take in Beau’s dirty face and jeans.
Madeline appears next, carrying his backpack.
“How was the lesson?” I ask as I stand to take it from her.
“Awesome!” Beau says as he jumps up and down.
Madeline smiles down at him. “He did really well. He’s a good listener, and he follows directions. We matched him with a gentle mare who has a lot of experience with children,” she informs me.
“Her name is Natasha,” Beau tells me.
“Natasha. That’s a great name.”
“I know. She’s brown, like Thumper.”
Hawkeye starts yapping and running around Beau’s feet, riled up by Beau’s excitement.
“Go grab a cookie off the table, and then you and Hawk go out in the backyard and play until Miss Sophie and I are finished in here. I’ll call you when it’s time to come wash up for supper,” I say.
He bolts for the kitchen.
“One cookie. And you stay in the backyard where I can see you out this window,” I call after him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies, and we hear the back door slam.
I look back to Madeline. She usually doesn’t take kids one-on-one. She hosts riding camps in the summer and runs a renowned nonprofit equestrian therapy center for children with disabilities.
“Thank you. He was so excited last night that he barely slept a wink. Riding is all he has talked about for weeks now.”
“You’re welcome. He was a delight and no trouble at all. I think he’s a natural too. He’ll be riding on his own in no time.”
I mentally add a horse to my growing list of expenses I need to save for because I know that is going to be added to his wish list for Santa one Christmas in the near future.
Dallas
“What is it?” Sophie asks.
“It’s a vision board the wedding planner and I put together. It turns out, the elegant farmhouse theme is quite the rage this year. Even in New York City. Who knew?” Vivian says in disbelief.