DEAR BLUE JEAN COWBOY: A Curvy Girl Romance (SINCERELY YOURS Book 11)
Page 3
I grab the shoebox off the chair and lift the lid. Inside, there are keepsakes of my and Rhett's relationship. I smile, and the anger I felt starts to fade as I look over each item. The leather notebook I thought I lost years ago is in here.
I pick it up and flip through the pages. Something falls out of the book onto the table. I pick it up and see that it’s the letter I wrote to him all those years ago.
I flip it over and see that it has been opened. Rhett did see it. The anger floods back into me as I open it up and pull out the note.
Dear Rhett,
I’m writing to you because it’s the only way I can think to reach you. My parents have shut down all forms of communication so that I can’t call or text you. I can’t use the computer or take out the car. They were very clear that they didn’t want me to see you anymore, but I don’t care. I love you. And even though you haven’t tried to contact me, I know you love me too. We can still be together. We can still have the life we dreamed and planned. My parents want to send me to Tennessee to live with my aunt. I’m not going to go. We don’t have much time, but we need to go if we hope to have a chance of being together. I love you. I love you. I love you. Please don’t give up on us.
Sincerely Yours,
Diana
“What are you doing?” Rhett’s sleepy voice asks behind me.
I turn and hold up the letter for him to see. “You got this?”
It takes him a moment to register what is in my hands. I can tell the moment he realizes what I'm holding when his brow furrows.
“Where did you find that?”
I point to the box. “In there.”
“Why are you going through my stuff?” he snaps at me.
“And why are you avoiding my question?” I snap back. “Why didn’t you ever say anything if you got this letter? Why didn’t you come after me?”
I’m so angry that the paper starts to crumple in my grip.
“I did,” he finally says.
“What?”
"You were gone by the time I read it. My parents had me on lockdown too. Beau was the one that found it. I got in my truck, and I drove across the country to see you. But when I got to your aunt's house, you weren't home. A neighbor told me that you were playing at a coffee shop in town."
The memory of those first few days of arriving in Tennessee flash in my mind. I was so numb at the loss of losing Rhett that I did something so out of the ordinary for myself. I started playing in coffee shops around town. The rush of adrenaline on stage was the only thing that could break past the heartache that was consuming me.
“I went to find you at the coffee shop, but when I walked in, you were already on stage.” He runs his hands over his face. “I’d heard you play before, but I never heard you sing. You always you used to say—”
“I’ll leave that for the professionals,” I finish for him.
He nods. "But your voice was something else. Everyone in the audience that day could tell that you weren't meant for open mic gigs. You were meant for something so much more. I knew your talents as a songwriter were going to take you far, but you had a whole new future ahead of you. I didn't want to hold you back."
“Why didn’t you let me decide?”
He shakes his head. "I loved you so much that I couldn't take the chance that you'd hesitate for even a moment. You needed a clear path to turn into the woman and star you've become. I was only going to complicate things."
“It’s not fair that you took that choice from me.”
“You’re right. But I’ve lived with that decision every day since.”
"So, is that what tonight was to you? Some last hurrah with the one you let getaway."
"No," he says, closes the distance between us and pulling me against him. "Tonight was a chance to right the wrongs of the past. Mistakes were made. Time was lost. But we've been given a second chance."
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I loved you then. And I love you even more now. I don’t ever want to let you go.”
The constant knot of heartache in my chest that I've held on to for so many years unravels, and I finally feel some relief.
“I want that too,” I say with a sob.
Rhett holds me tight against him as I let go of the tears I’ve been holding onto for so long.
7
RHETT
True to her word, Diana goes through with her performance at the Centennial Springs Summer Festival. She's the cherry topping, and what was a fantastic opening night.
“You did an amazing job, Dani.” I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side.
“I think that a lot of the turnout is due to your girl up there singing, but it’s not bad for a small-town event.” She beams up at me.
“Don’t cut yourself short. I’m really proud of you.”
“First Mom and Dad. Then Beau. And now you can’t get over the fact that I pulled this off.” She quirks an eyebrow up at me. “I’m starting to think that maybe you all didn’t think I could do this.”
"I'm not entirely sure how to answer that without getting punched in the side by you," I say, only half-joking.
“I’ll have you know that—”
“Um, Dani?” Teddy O’Brien asks as he walks up to us.
Dani turns around. “What?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to dance?” Teddy points over his shoulder at the area where people are slow dancing to the song from Nashville Nights that put Diana on the Country music map.
When Dani doesn’t answer, I peek around to see if she’s okay. The wide-eyed look of surprise on her face says it all. I give her a gentle push towards Teddy.
“She’d like that.”
Dani shoots me a look that says I can answer for myself, and I know that I’m in for it later from her.
I watch Diana singing on stage from the edge of the dance floor. There is a light in her that tells me she was meant to be a star. I was a stupid kid who may have pushed her in that direction, but I don't regret it. I've only ever wanted what's best for her, even if it means hurting me. But hopefully, our time apart is done.
Diana wraps up her last song.
"Thank you so much, Centennial Springs, for this opportunity to come back here and play for my family and friends in this community,” she says. “But I think that we all need to take a moment to thank Dani Montgomery for making this night the best Centennial Springs Summer Festival ever."
Everyone starts clapping and cheering for Dani. She tries to hold back the smile spreading on her face, but I know she loves the attention, and she deserves it.
I walk over to the side of the sound stage and meet Diana.
“You were fantastic.” I pull her into my arms and swing her around.
We both laugh until we hear the sound of someone clearing their throat behind us.
DIANA
Rhett stops spinning and puts me down. My parents are standing there, neither one of them look happy.
"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad." I say as I run my hands down the front of my dress to push away any wrinkles. "You remember Rhett Montgomery."
“How could we forget?” Mom says.
Rhett holds his hand out to my dad, and for a moment, I think he isn't going to take it, but then he does.
“I think we made it clear how we felt about the idea of you two when you were kids,” Dad says. “But you are grown adults, and you don’t need our permission anymore.”
Mom turns to him with a look on her face that says that isn't at all what they had planned to say. The corner of Dad's mouth ticks up, and I know that's the best he can give as a way of apologizing. Before Mom can find her words, he takes her hand and leads her away back into the crowd.
"Well, that was an awkward non-apology apology," Rhett says.
I shake my head. “I really don’t get where Nora and I came from. It’s like they are aliens that just haven’t mastered the nuances of human behavior.”
Rhett laughs. “That sounds like some
thing Nora would say.”
“It is.” I laugh too. “I totally stole that from her.”
I loop my arm around Rhett’s waist and pull him close. This moment is so perfect, and I don’t want to ruin it with what I have to say next.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“How do you know something is wrong?”
“I could feel your whole body tense next to me.”
"I have to get back to the studio in a few days, and then I'm heading out on a yearlong tour."
“I know.”
I turn to look at him, expecting to see some expression on his face that doesn’t look like contentment.
"We only just got back together, and now we have to spend more time apart, and you don't even look upset."
“Ask me why I’m not upset.”
I stare at him in confusion. “Why?”
“Because I’m waiting for you to ask me to come with you.”
“What? You can’t leave. Who is going to run the ranch?”
"I talked to my Dad, and he agreed that they are going to hire someone on to run the ranch with the help of my brothers."
"And you're okay with that?" I ask as hope fills my chest.
“I am if you ask me.”
"Yes!" I jump up and down. "Do you want to come on tour with me?"
Rhett answers me with a kiss I feel all the way to my toes.
“I’m not making the same mistake twice,” he says. “I’m going to follow you anywhere.”
Epilogue
DIANA
There is nothing like the adrenaline from a live performance in front of an arena stadium to get your heart racing.
It’s the final concert of our forty-city tour, and I’m about to sing the last song of the night. My newest hit that has been blowing up the charts.
“I want to thank you all for coming out here tonight,” I say into the microphone. “I have one more song to play for you before we go. This song is nearest and dearest to my heart. I wrote it after finding a love I thought was long over.”
One of the stage workers walks out with my acoustic guitar, with rose gold sparkles lacquered all over. It was a gift Rhett surprised me with it for my birthday a few months ago.
I woke up to the smell of coffee brewing and the guitar propped up on the chair near the bed with a big gold bow. There was a note attached to it.
Use this guitar to write us a lifetime of love songs.
—Your Blue Jean Cowboy
“I think you all know which song I’m talking about.” I lift the strap over my head. “Do you all want to meet the inspiration for this song?”
The crowd goes wild at a deafening level. I laugh and glance over to the side of the stage, expecting to see Rhett needing to be manhandled by my tour manager to come out, but he’s smiling like he knew that I was going to call him out here.
The crowd somehow gets louder when he walks out onto the stage. He smiles shyly and lifts his hand to wave at the audience.
I turn, and he gives me a kiss that still lights me up all over. I’ll never get tired of those.
“Can I say something?” he asks, pointing to the microphone.
I'm surprised by this. Usually, Rhett shies away from the spotlight of my career. He told me once that he's content with standing back and letting me shine as long as he's the one that I come home to every night. That was a promise I had no problem agreeing with.
“Go ahead,” I step back from the microphone stand.
Rhett reaches out and takes the microphone.
“How ya’ll doing tonight?” he asks. The crowd responds with cheers. “I know Diana has one more song to sing, so I won’t take up much of your time to see her perform. But I told myself that if the opportunity presented itself, I was going to do something that I should have done properly a long time ago.”
Rhett turns back to me and reaches into his pocket.
I realize at the same time most of the audience does with what is about to happen. Rhett gets down on one knee and pops open the velvet box to show a stunning emerald-cut diamond on a platinum band. He lowers the microphone so only I can hear what he has to say next.
"Diana, I've loved you since we were kids, and I will love you for the rest of my life. I let you go once, and it haunted me every day until the moment you walked back into my life. I don't want to make that mistake again. We've been given the gift of a second chance that doesn't come along often. So I'm asking you to spend the rest of your life with me. Will you marry me?"
The crowd is getting restless. They want to know what he's saying, but I'm glad that he saves this part for just the two of us.
There is no question of what my answer will be. I’m so overwhelmed by this moment in the best way possible.
"Yes, of course!" I tell him as I shift the strap, so the guitar is hanging behind me.
Rhett stands up and pulls me into his arms, kissing me deeply. The crowd erupts with thunderous cheers. He slips the ring on my finger and kisses me again.
“I love you,” he says, but I can’t hear him over all the noise in the arena.
I nod and tell him I love him too, but even I can't hear myself when I say it. Rhett points over his shoulder to let me know that he will go back to the side of the stage. I don't want to let him go, but I have our whole lives to hold on to him.
I turn back to the audience. It takes almost a minute for them to quiet down, but I take a second to look around remember everything I can about this moment—from the flashing lights to the smiling faces of the people near the stage. The energy here is off the charts, and my senses are heightened to new levels I've never felt before.
When it’s quiet enough to hear me, I begin to strum the opening notes to Dear Blue Jean Cowboy.
If you enjoyed DEAR BLUE JEAN COWBOY and the small town of Centennial Springs, Colorado, check out more stories set there.
MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
A Curvy Woman & Cowboy Romance
SINGLE DAD AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
SECOND CHANCE AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
BOY NEXT DOOR AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
ALL GROWN UP AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
BAD BOY AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
SECRET BABY AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
And don’t miss the rest of the Sincerely Yours series for more letters to fall in love with!
SINCERELY YOURS
A Sweet & Steamy Curvy Girl Contemporary Romance
DEAR BILLIONAIRE BOSS
DEAR BRITISH PROFESSOR
DEAR BAD BOY NEXT DOOR
DEAR BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND
DEAR BROODING BODYGUARD
DEAR HANDY SILVER FOX
DEAR ONE NIGHT STAND
DEAR KILTED SCOTSMAN
DEAR MOUNTAIN MAN
DEAR ALASKAN BUSH PILOT
DEAR BLUE JEAN COWBOY
DEAR FIREFIGHTER HERO
Also By Lana Dash
EVERY LITTLE THING
Steamy Blue Collar Alpha Single Mom Instalove
WILD KNIGHT’S RIDGE MOUNTAIN MEN
A Curvy Woman & Mountain Man Small Town Romance
BRIDGER
BEAUDEN
BRYANT
BRODIE
LINCOLN
WILD KNIGHT’S RIDGE MOUNTAIN MEN:
The Complete Five-Book Collection
A KNIGHT’S RIDGE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS
ALASKAN MOUNTAIN BUSH PILOTS
A Curvy Woman & Mountain Man Small Town Romance
THAYER
MERCER
LENNOX
EMMETT
SPENCE
MOUNTAIN MEN MATCHMAKER
A Curvy Woman & Mountain Man Romance
HOLDEN
XANDER
CALDER
BOOKER
GIDEON
MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
A Curvy Woman & Cowboy Romance
SINGLE DAD AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
SECOND CHANCE AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
BOY NEXT D
OOR AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
ALL GROWN UP AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
SECRET BABY AT MOUNTAIN CREEK RANCH
KNIGHT’S RIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT
A Curvy Woman & Firefighter Mountain Man Romance
MERRICK
RHODES
TANNER
SINCERELY YOURS
A Sweet & Steamy Curvy Girl Contemporary Romance
DEAR BILLIONAIRE BOSS
DEAR BRITISH PROFESSOR
DEAR BAD BOY NEXT DOOR
DEAR BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND
DEAR BROODING BODYGUARD
DEAR HANDY SILVER FOX
DEAR ONE NIGHT STAND
DEAR KILTED SCOTSMAN
DEAR MOUNTAIN MAN
DEAR ALASKAN BUSH PILOT
DEAR BLUE JEAN COWBOY
DEAR FIREFIGHTER HERO
THE NICE GIRLS’ NAUGHTY BOOK CLUB
A Sweet & Steamy Curvy Girl Romantic Comedy
QUINN
FIONA
JESS
COURTNEY
MICHELLE
About the Author
LANA DASH is the author of short, sexy, and funny romances. When she isn’t dreaming up her latest sexy couple’s adventure, you can find her watching true crime documentaries, drinking Bloody Marys, and eating movie theater popcorn. Not necessarily at the same time. She loves to hear from readers!