Cowgirl Down (Redneck Debutante)

by Jenny Hammerle

  Just when she thought she had everything under control, the instructor spoke again. “You’re doing fantastic, Rachael. Now when you see the on-ramp ahead of you, I want you to get onto I-75 northbound and merge into the middle lane once you are safely on the interstate.”

  “The interstate!” Rachael exclaimed.

  “Yes, dear. The interstate.”

  “Is that wise? You can’t be serious. I almost hit an old lady on the sidewalk yesterday, and now you’re asking me to get onto the interstate?”

  “I always start my new drivers on the interstate. You can do this.”

  “If you say so.” Rachael was so nervous she was shaking. She got to the ramp. There was a yield sign for drivers coming from the other direction using the same ramp to enter onto the interstate, and there were cars coming!

  “Just slow down a bit and let them go. They have the right of way because you have a yield sign.”

  “I’m going to die!” Rachael half muttered.

  “We are all going to die!” Michael yelled.

  “No one is going to die. No comments from the backseat, Michael,” Mrs. McDaniels scolded.

  When the cars passed by, Rachael continued her crawl onto the interstate. Literally—she was driving about 25 mph.

  “You need to build up some speed so you can merge. Give it some gas,” Mrs. McDaniels advised.

  What speed? This is a classic and probably can’t go any faster. Rachael pushed the gas pedal down as far as she could. The car lurched ahead. This car gave “pushing the pedal to the metal” all new meaning. Rachael was now racing out-of-control at a top speed of 55 mph. In the middle lane I’ll get creamed!

  Rachael hit her left blinker and carefully merged onto the interstate. Two huge semis in the right lane both hit their blinkers and changed lanes at the sight of her. Yeah, look out, boys, here I come with my boat. Thank goodness they have sense enough to get out of my way.

  “Now hit your blinker again, dear, and pull into the center lane.”

  Rachael merged into the center lane, cutting off a BMW in the process. “Sorry!” she yelled as if the other driver could hear her and waved out the window.

  Still calm, Mrs. McDaniels simply advised, “And that, Rachael, is why you need to look over your shoulder when changing lanes. The mirrors can sometimes fool you.”

  Now you tell me.

  Rachael continued driving past a few exits. She was just getting the hang of it when Mrs. McDaniels told her to get off of the interstate onto highway 70 and head east. East? Which way is east? As Rachael came down the off-ramp there were two signs. One said highway 70 east and had an arrow pointing to the right. Well, that was easy.

  Rachael continued on highway 70 until she was back home safely again. Whew. Thank goodness that’s over.

  Rachael parked in her driveway and turned to thank Mrs. McDaniels.

  “Great job out there today, Rachael. I’ll see you again tomorrow. Same time and place.”

  “Tomorrow? I have to do this again?” Rachael asked.

  “Yes. Only seven more lessons to go. By the time we finish those lessons, you’ll be ready to take your test.”

  Seven lessons! Am I that bad of a driver?

  “Okay,” Rachael said glumly. She and Michael walked inside. “I don’t know if I can survive seven more lessons,” she mumbled on their way in.

  “Me either,” Michael teased.

  *

  Rachael survived seven more days of torturous driving lessons. During that time she learned to back up, parallel park, make three-point turns, etc. By the end of the lessons she was feeling very confident in her driving ability. Mrs. McDaniels even took her to the DMV for her test on the day of the last lesson. Rachael surprised herself when she sailed through the driving portion of the exam without any difficulties. Her mom had promised they’d work out a solution, and they had!

  Rachael scribbled a short thank you note to her mother and placed it in her bedroom on her nightstand, where she’d find it later.

  *

  After that, Rachael’s summer flew by. She exercised horses at the Baxters’ ranch a couple of times each week. She and Mrs. Baxter had become quite close and would sit and visit for hours.

  One afternoon, after working some of the horses in the small round pen, Rachael and Mrs. Baxter sat in the kitchen sipping sweet iced tea and eating pound cake. Rachael decided now was as good a time as any to ask about the Baxter family house—a beautiful pale blue mansion with wrap-around porches on three sides. Wide stone steps led from the walkway up to the porch. The windows all had white shutters. The handrails on the porch and steps were all painted white. It was magnificent! Rachael had fallen in love with the house the first time she’d seen it.

  “Mrs. Baxter, I’ve always wanted to know about this house. When was it built?”

  “In 1926, by Travis Sr.’s grandfather, Robert Baxter. He had moved to Florida from Georgia at that time to build a cattle and citrus operation. His wife, Estelle, had drawn a picture of the house you see standing here today. She had detailed everything on the outside as well as the inside. Robert Baxter hired a custom builder and his only advice was that he build it exactly as Estelle specified. And here it is today, still standing nearly ninety years later. It has withstood tropical storms and hurricanes.”

  “That’s amazing. I would bet back in 1926 there wasn’t much out here.”

  “Not much. Other large ranches, farms, and orange groves. That was about it.”

  “It’s so romantic he had this house built for her. He must have loved her very much.”

  “I would guess so. They were married for over fifty years before he passed away, and then she passed away a few years later.”

  “Wow.”

  Rachael and Mrs. Baxter visited awhile longer before she headed home. On her walk she started thinking about marriage.

  So many of my friends’ parents are divorced. How do you go about choosing a spouse so you make it together fifty years or more? Is it just luck? I’m not sure, but I hope when I choose, I’ll make the right choice. Colten definitely wasn’t the right choice. Maybe I’ll get better at choosing the right guy. Maybe it takes practice.

  *

  Over the last couple of weeks of summer Rachael had so much time on her hands she even found herself doing the really unexpected—helping her brother bait his feeder on the Baxters’ ranch. Feeding what? Rachael had no idea. It just gave her and Michael something to do together. He seemed to be pulling himself out of his depression over their father’s possible incarceration. The first step in that process had been the skiing trip with Ty. She needed to thank Ty for that. It meant the world to Rachael to see her brother smiling again.

  They went to visit their father one more time before the school year was scheduled to begin, and the visit was a wonderful one.

  After they returned, only one week remained of their summer vacation. Soon Maysie, Travis, and Shannah would all be home. Things would be as they were before, but hopefully with one major difference. Rachael hoped Travis liked her as much as she liked him. She hoped whatever his relationship with the other girl had been that he was available now. Rachael was old-fashioned in that way. She would never blindly pursue him. He was the guy, and she wanted him to make the first move. It had been a long summer, but she felt ready to start dating again. She hoped their time had finally come.

  *

  One afternoon Rachael received a text from Maysie: Hey. We r home early. Stop by?

  Rachael couldn’t believe it. The moment she’d been anticipating all summer was finally here. Maysie was home, and that meant Travis was home too. She wanted to go over there immediately, but unfortunately her mother was at work with their only car—her aunt’s car, actually. Her mother’s car had been repossessed last year as one of the many court-ordered frozen assets. Rachael would have to walk over like so many times before. The exercise would do her good—maybe calm her nerves a bit. She was so excited about seeing both Maysie and Travis. It had been a l
ong summer, and they had a lot to catch up on.

  She texted back: Sure. Be over n a bit.

  Rachael crossed through the first fence line, then the second. She had traveled this way so often since she had first moved to the Manasota County line last year. Walking this way now reminded her of the first day she had seen Travis. He was gorgeous seated on the back of his black American Quarter Horse gelding, Coal. He had worn a black Stetson. The image of him with his chiseled jaw line, straight nose, and green eyes had been forever branded on Rachael’s heart.

  When Rachael got to their barn, she stopped at the sight of Travis and Misty standing in the driveway near his house. Misty looked gorgeous and had obviously gone all out on her appearance. She was standing very close to Travis, and he wasn’t exactly pushing her away. Travis looked incredibly handsome. He’d obviously gone all out on his appearance too. Was this a date they were on?

  Rachael turned and stomped away.

  Operation: Hook Travis Baxter terminated. He’s back with Misty.

  7

  HAD RACHAEL SPENT HER ENTIRE SUMMER waiting for some guy to come home, only to find he already had someone else? What’s wrong with me? The guys who want to date me I’m not interested in. The guy I want to date is apparently not interested in me. Is something wrong with my “picker”? My ability to pick the right guy? Am I a loser chooser?

  She’d heard it said that some girls were “loser magnets,” meaning they attracted losers. Maybe I’m a “loser chooser,” meaning I choose losers.

  Rachael managed to stomp all the way home to her Aunt Margaret’s barn, where she feverishly cleaned for several hours until late that night. The chirping of crickets and buzzing of mosquitoes told her it was time to head in, but still she continued on. She dragged a bale of hay into Taffy’s stall and sat with her until her aunt’s soft voice stirred her. Then she went into the house and climbed straight into bed—dirt, dust and all.

  *

  Rachael’s cell phone rang the following evening. School was scheduled to start tomorrow. It was Maysie. Rachael answered on the second ring. She knew Maysie was probably wondering why she’d never showed the day before. Rachael wasn’t quite sure what to say, but knew avoiding Maysie altogether wasn’t an option. Maysie was one of her closest friends. She’d have to talk to her sooner or later.

  “Hey, Maysie, how was your trip?”

  “It was great. So, what happened to you yesterday? One minute you were on your way over, but you never showed up. We were worried. We thought something might have happened to you, but when we called the house, your aunt said you were out in the barn hangin’ with Taffy.”

  “I’m sorry. Something came up, and I wasn’t able to make it after all. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I should have texted you.” Rachael felt guilty over the lie she’d just told. She couldn’t tell Maysie she had walked all the way over, seen Travis with Misty, and then fled in a mixture of jealousy, rage, and tears. That would sound so lame.

  “Yeah. Well, I wasn’t the only one worried. My mother said the two of you have gotten really close this summer. She was worried. Then of course there’s Travis. He was worried too.”

  Hmmm. He didn’t look all that concerned from where I was standing. No, as a matter of fact, he looked quite content.

  “I’m sorry to have worried your mom too. I’ll apologize when I see her next. So, tell me about your trip to the Dominican Republic. What did you do there?”

  “Construction work mostly,” Maysie stated.

  “Construction work!”

  “Yes. Anything from painting to sanding floors. We even got to attend a Vacation Bible School, and I learned to dance the merengue! It was fantastic. I have pictures to show you if you’d like to see them.”

  “I’d love to see them.”

  “So, how was your birthday?”

  “Great. I got my license and a few neat gifts.”

  “I heard about the hat from Ty. Are you two dating?” Maysie sounded concerned.

  “Ty and me—dating? No. We’re just friends. But it is a nice hat.”

  “I’m sure glad to hear you say that. Melinda told us at the feed store yesterday you two have been spending a lot of time together, as in the whole summer.” There was a question in Maysie’s voice.

  “He isn’t as bad as you think. He’s really sweet, and he helped me get Michael out of his funk after all of our issues with our father. He’s nice.”

  “Don’t be fooled. If you are ever out with him and he pretends to get stuck, let’s just put it this way—run!”

  “Pretends to get stuck?” Rachael asked.

  “Forget I said that. Anyhow, do you still need a ride to school this year?”

  “Yes. I have the license but seem to be without the car,” Rachael joked.

  “Okay. Shannah and I will see you in the morning.”

  Rachael disconnected the call. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about the first day of school. Since seeing Travis with both Misty and the other girl from the beginning of the summer, she’d spent hours debating what Travis’s feelings for her really were. Misty was easy enough to figure out. She wasn’t original in her tactics and highly predictable. Sure, they’d had a long-term relationship, but Travis had made it clear to Rachael earlier that he wasn’t interested in traveling down the same road twice…although from the looks of him yesterday, he seemed to be contemplating doing exactly that. Misty didn’t seem willing to let him go, and Rachael had to admit she was very attractive and convincing.

  Then there was the other girl, who was a different story altogether. Could she have been someone from school? Rachael had only lived here for a year. There were over two thousand students at the high school. She very easily could have missed one girl—even one that pretty. Could she be from the church group? Had Travis spent the entire summer with her? In the Dominican Republic?

  Rachael’s imagination got the better of her. She had visions of Travis at Vacation Bible School reading with the girl. Then the worst part of all—Travis dancing the merengue with her!

  Okay. Maybe not the merengue. I could be wrong here, but dancing wouldn’t strike me as Travis’s thing, especially not the merengue.

  She frowned. This was getting ridiculous. Seriously, was Travis the only available guy? One thing is crystal clear: Travis isn’t interested in me, and there’s a constant stream of girls flooding his door waiting to date him. Worse yet, he probably sees me as a little sister!

  Rachael thought back to the “babysitting” comment he’d made when she had been bucked off of Creamsicle.

  Yes. He thinks I’m a baby. Too young for him. He’s never made any move to ask me out, and I’m beginning to think he never will.

  There was a light tap at her door. “Come in!” she barked.

  Her mother walked in with some shopping bags. “I stopped on the way home from work today and picked you up a few new things for school. It’s not much, but I hope you like them.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I wasn’t expecting anything at all.”

  “Well, open the bags and take a look.” Either her mother was oblivious to her crankiness, or she knew better than to ask about it.

  Rachael opened the bags and found a pair of jeans, a skirt, three blouses, and two pairs of shorts. At the bottom of the last bag was a pair of Converse high-top sneakers. “They’re perfect, Mom.”

  Rachael got up and embraced her. Her mother smiled sweetly and walked out of her room, closing the door behind her.

  Back in Palm Beach Rachael had never paid any attention to the things her mother bought her. Not the price, nor the thought that went into picking the clothes out. Now, more than ever, she realized the sacrifice her mother had made to purchase these new clothes for school. Her mother had been working in housekeeping at a beach resort in Sarasota for the summer. In Palm Beach they had always been able to afford a housekeeper, but now her mother was working as one. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem to bother her mother. Virginia Harte was one tough woman.

  Rachae
l’s Aunt Margaret had also taken a job several months ago. She was working the front desk at the same resort as Rachael’s mother. They shared the one car and worked the same schedule. Therefore, when they were at work, they were both at work. When they were home, they were both at home. It had been that way all summer long. Rachael knew that with the school year getting ready to start, the schedule wouldn’t change. The commute was quite a ways, and most days it was up to Rachael to cook dinner for Michael and herself. She’d gone from being able to prepare only macaroni and cheese to now preparing frozen pizza, frozen Chinese food, or any other frozen entrée.

  Okay, so I’m no chef, but at least it’s edible.

  *

  The next morning came bright and early. Rachael didn’t find herself startled awake by the incessant crow of the rooster. He still crowed, but now she was conditioned to sleep through the crowing. Rachael fed Taffy and ole’ lonesome George their feed and hay. Then she ran back inside, grabbed a quick breakfast, and showered before school.

  When she got out of the shower, she heard a familiar voice in the family room. Travis? What is he doing here?

  Rachael finished getting ready and hurried down the hall.

  “Good mornin’, Rachael.” Travis smiled that devastating smile of his, but this time Rachael refused to give in to the pull of its charm.

  “Morning. Have a good summer, Travis?”

  “Sure did. And I heard you did too.” He winked at her.

  What is that supposed to mean?

  “Where’s Maysie and Shannah?” Rachael asked.

  “Maysie’s sick and has a doctor’s appointment, so I’m chauffeuring you and Shannah to school.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Not a problem. Besides, I wanted to talk to you. Do you have everything?” He glanced at her book bag sitting in the chair beside the sofa.