Finding Her Cowboy

by Sarah Gay

  Jack led her to a private, glassed dining room, filled with people clapping and cheering. “Are you sure because—”

  Hearty applause cut his question short.

  “Baptism by fire,” she told herself as all the eyes in the room transferred from Jack to her with questioning expressions.

  “Hey, everyone,” Rob said, raising a hand in the air and silencing the group. “Thanks for coming out tonight to celebrate the grand opening of Jack’s new store. I’d also like you to meet Becca, Jack’s girlfriend.”

  Becca sucked in a quick breath and smiled.

  “Now, everyone, mingle,” Rob added. A second round of applause followed as several waitstaff, dressed in black slacks and white button up shirts, carried in silver trays filled with finger appetizers or sparkling drinks.

  “How are you feeling?” asked Jack, picking something off a tray that looked like a tiny piece of toast topped with black fish eggs and popped it into his mouth.

  “This place is amazing,” Becca said, loving the elegant feel of the restaurant.

  He ran a hand up her arm, causing her heat to rise. “I think we’ve been seen. Don’t you?” he asked as a smile tugged at his lips. “Everyone here is more interested in the food anyway. Except maybe Harlan. It looks like he’s hooked back up with his ex-girlfriend.”

  “Ex-girlfriend?” asked Becca. “The cute little blonde?”

  “Yeah. Lily. He was ready to propose, then her high school sweetheart asked her to go on a humanitarian mission with him to Ghana for six months.”

  “Ouch,” said Becca.

  “Ouch is right. Lily told Harlan it had nothing to do with her ex, but it nearly killed him when she left.”

  Harlan and Lily snuggled into each other as they sipped on their drinks.

  Jack sighed. “I sure hope she’s made her decision, because I don’t think he could handle a second break.” There was something in Jack’s voice that made Becca think he wasn’t only talking about Harlan.

  “Have you ever been that serious with someone?” she asked.

  He took her arm and led her to the corner of the room, out of earshot. “I thought I’d found that someone special, but that was before I met you.”

  “What was her name?”

  He hesitated, then said, “Shelly, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.” He ran a finger down Becca’s cheek. “Follow me,” he said as they slowly made their way back out into the main restaurant. “Rob’s restaurants are spectacular, but to tell you the truth, this isn’t my thing. I don’t enjoy schmoozing with the rich. That’s why I opened a gardening center.”

  “Two gardening centers,” she corrected him.

  “Two,” he repeated with a smile. “Look at the guy with Rob,” he said, pointing to Rob as his brother shook hands with a middle aged, balding man next to the hostess’s station. “That guy’s got tens of millions and likes to flaunt it. He brings in a new lady friend every few weeks, spoils them rotten, then sends them packing. I’m not saying it’s like that with all the patrons here, just that it’s Rob’s job to wine and dine, literally, some unsavory people. Personally, I prefer to spend my days with honest, blue collar workers.”

  “I agree completely,” she said, but couldn’t deny that being in Rob’s restaurant made her feel stylish and grand.

  Jack motioned around the gaudy room, decorated with gold trim and crystal chandeliers. “We could leave or stay and eat. The food here really is amazing. There’s normally a two month wait to get in.”

  “How could I say no to that?” she asked, trying hard not to lick her lips as the delectable scent of fresh bread reached her nose.

  “I’m glad you said that because I’m starving. Wait here. I’ll go talk to the hostess. Jack let them know ahead of time that we’d need a table, so it should be ready.”

  Becca touched his arm. “I need to use the restroom. Go ahead and have them seat us and I’ll come find you.”

  “Alright.” he said, pointing to the hall with a restroom sign hanging from the ceiling.

  Becca hurried in and out of the bathroom, not wanting to make Jack wait, but also not wanting to wait herself to taste what the restaurant had to offer, which, by the reviews she’d studied the few minutes she was in the bathroom, was nothing short of spectacular.

  She had to pause and look around the room to get her bearings. She hadn’t realized how many turns and alcoves the restaurant had until she had to find her way through the labyrinth. As she searched for Jack, she savored the moment. She couldn’t imagine a better way to end the perfect day. Today, she’d begun on a journey of making peace with her mom, and now it ended with an amazing, beautiful man who chose to be alone with her tonight. The excitement of spending time with Jack sped her heart until she was pulled back to her reality by her mother’s laugh.

  Becca slowly stepped toward the front lobby, following the laugh. Her heart dropped when the balding multi-millionaire Rob had been talking to, draped his arms around none other than her mom. He laid a kiss on her and grabbed her back side, causing her mother to giggle uncontrollably. The hostess led the amorous couple toward the back of the restaurant. Becca’s tears came hot and fast. She desperately needed air. She hurried out the front double doors, welcoming the cold air as it cooled her hot cheeks and calmed her racing heart.

  “Becca?” called Rob as he stepped out of his restaurant and sped to her. “I was told you came outside, crying. Are you okay?”

  Without hesitation, she buried her head in his chest. “No.”

  “What can I do?” he asked, lightly embracing her. “Did someone hurt you?”

  She nodded; her spirits lifted by his brotherly love.

  “Jack?” he asked as if accusing his brother, causing Becca to panic.

  Before she could respond, heavy footsteps pounded the pavement. “That’s right, I’m Jack!” Jack’s angry voice shouted.

  Becca stepped back. “No,” she said, shaking head.

  “No to what, Becca? No to getting caught with my brother? No to cooing over Mark that day you painted the table? I saw you on our Facetime call.”

  “You what?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “So, this is how you congratulate me, Rob,” Jack continued, his hands balling into fists at his sides as he advanced toward them.

  Rob stepped in front of Becca. “What did you do?” he asked Jack.

  Jack threw his hands in the air and paced in a circle. “What do you mean what did I do? What are you doing with my girlfriend?”

  Becca squeezed Rob’s arm to get his attention. When he glanced down at her, she said, “It’s okay. Let me talk to him.” She stepped out from behind Rob, wiped her face dry from her tears and placed her hands on her hips. “This jealous insanity has got to stop, Jack. Nothing happened with Mark. We were just talking. You spying on me was wrong. And Rob was simply comforting me,” she said, pointing at the restaurant. “Because my mom walked in, kissing on that multi-millionaire loser.”

  “Oh,” said Jack, his face draining of color as he stood completely still, like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m so sorry.”

  Becca was spent, emotionally and physically. “I can’t do this, Jack. I have to go,” she said, her eyes welling back up with tears.

  Jack held out a hand to her. “Alright, let me get you home.”

  “I can’t be with someone who’s so possessive, so jealous. I told you already that you didn’t need to worry about Rob.” She lowered her head as she stepped to a waiting cab. “I need some time.” She raised her eyes to his, but the hurt in his face caused her to look away.

  Instinct took over, getting her to her car parked at Jack’s garden center and then home. Her front door creaked open, waking her from the shock of her new reality. She made it to her kitchen before she crumpled to the floor, weeping.

  Chapter Ten

  Becca leaned her elbow into her kitchen table and stabbed her fried egg, causing the golden yolk to ooze onto the white plate. Who said playing with your food was
n’t therapeutic?

  Her father plopped down, clutching his coffee mug in his hands. “Have you heard me cough or wheeze this past week?”

  She pulled at her earlobe in thought. Considering she’d been fighting jetlag from her African trip last week, while working long hours to restock her shop’s shelves and add inventory to her website, she hadn’t had time to pay much attention to anything else. She’d poured every ounce of her energy into work to avoid the pain of her separation from Jack.

  “No, I haven’t,” she said, looking into her father’s kind eyes and deciding it was time to let the hurt in.

  “That’s because I’ve been nicotine free for two months now,” he said with a smile—the first real smile she’d seen in a long time, from herself, or from him.

  “Two months!” she exclaimed. “Has it really been that long since I lost Navi and met…?” Her voice dropped as she looked out her kitchen window at Jack’s house, what had been Jack’s house, then to her barren back yard.

  Other than the water feature having been installed and two trees planted, little work had been done on her garden since she left Jack standing outside Rob’s restaurant last month. Jack had called her later that night to make sure she’d made it home safe. He apologized profusely, begging her to forgive him, but that was the last time they’d spoken. He’d promised to meet with a therapist to work toward becoming less possessive and jealous, leaving it up to her to reach out to him.

  “I thought you’d said that Navi lost you?” her daddy asked, following her gaze to her back yard. He sighed. “I told myself I wouldn’t ask, but what happened between you and Jack?”

  “I want to say it was all him, but in the end, I got scared and pushed him away.”

  “Join the club,” he said, reaching over and touching her hand. “I wish your mama could see how I’ve quit smoking.”

  Anger lit her chest on fire, along with guilt that she hadn’t been emotionally available for her father. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Okay,” he said, sitting up. “Do you want to go to the movies? Today’s my first day off. I’m taking two weeks PTO for Christmas vacation.”

  “Perfect. Remember the cabin in the woods you took me to the Christmas mom was gone? Just the two of us?”

  “Yeah. Outside Big Thicket National Preserve.” He scratched his chin and stared at the ceiling. “We fished and kayaked. You squealed when you caught that big—"

  “That was my favorite Christmas. I’m getting you out of here,” she said, lifting her phone from the table to search for an available cabin to rent.

  “What about your shop?” he asked.

  “I just hired another employee.” She tapped her chin. “I’ll need to call in every day, and I’d need to be back by New Year’s Eve to give them a break, but my shop should be fine without me.”

  “And what about Jack?”

  “I think it’s too late. It’s been almost a month since I basically told him that he wasn’t what I wanted and to get lost. He could be with someone new already,” she said, sinking into her chair. “I’m scared of him leaving me and I’m scared of me…”

  Her father’s leathery forehead creased. “What are you talking about?”

  She bit her lower lip, not wanting to admit it, but couldn’t keep it in any longer. “What if he leaves me like mom left us?” she asked. “It would break me. Even worse, what if I left him, left our little girl.”

  “Never gonna happen.” Her daddy stood, kissed the top of her head, then paced the room. “It’s true your mama always wanted more than I could give her. She’s selfish and can’t commit to anything but her art, but, Becca, there are a lot of wonderful things about your mama too,” he said, sitting down in the wicker chair across the room and burying his face in his hands.

  Becca walked over to him, sat, and rubbed his arm.

  He looked up at her and smiled. “You only inherited your mama’s good qualities. Let me ask you something. Once committed, have you ever not finished something, even when it was so difficult you couldn’t breathe?”

  She thought for a minute before answering. “No,” she said as tears filled her eyes, seeing herself through her daddy’s eyes.

  “That’s right, darling. It’s okay to love your mama even though she does things she shouldn’t, but you ain’t your mama, and never will be.”

  “I love you, Daddy,” Becca said, slipping over to him and cuddling into his lap like she used to as a kid. “And someday, an amazing woman is gonna love you back the way Mama should’ve.” She patted his cheek and she nestled her head under his chin.

  He held her tight. “I’m not gonna lie, you melt this old man’s heart, but someday, I ain’t gonna be the only hero in your life.” He sighed. “And I think that time’s already come.” His arms released her. “And it’s about time you told him.”

  “After we get back,” she said, terrified to reach out.

  “I’ll go with you to the cabin, but on one condition,” he said, holding up a finger. “You let Jack know that you want to see him the minute we get back.”

  “That’s naughty,” she said, jumping up. “You’re blackmailing me.”

  He slapped his leg and laughed. “And you got your stubbornness from me.”

  “Fine,” she said with a huff, pulling out her phone. She wasn’t even sure if Jack still wanted to see her after she’d walked away from him. That was the second time she’d told him that they should take time apart, and he hadn’t attempted to contact her since that night.

  Her daddy moved something around in his mouth as if he were chewing on a piece of leather. “I’ll just wait here until you’ve called him.”

  “Text?” she asked.

  “If you send it now and show me,” he said, crossing his arms.

  She opened her texting app. “And when I find you someone to date, are you going to be okay with me doing this to you?”

  His face fell, causing her spirits to plummet from seeing the pain in his eyes, but he needed to get over her mom.

  “I’m sending the text, but I need to know that if I put myself out there, so will you.”

  He nodded, giving her the strength to type. Hey, Jack. I’m taking my dad to a cabin for the next two weeks to celebrate the holiday, just the two of us. Can we get together when I get back and talk? We’ll be home the first of the year. Can we connect then? I’ve missed you.

  “That’s a long text,” her daddy said with a smile. “Did you send it?”

  With an exhale, she pressed the send button. “Yep. Now, let’s go.”

  He threw a fist in the air. “Yes! Can we listen to the Rocky soundtrack on the way?”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

  “Yes!” Jack yelled as he read the text from Becca. He jumped out of his office chair and pounded his fist into his desk. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  Harlan ran into Jack’s office. “What? Did we get another contract?”

  “In a manner of speaking.”

  Harlan wrinkled his brow. “That was a yes or no question.”

  “How about this for a yes or no question.” Jack pointed at Harlan. “Am I, or am I not, a changed man?”

  With a suspicious sideways glance, Harlan asked, “What do you mean?”

  “You bet me that I couldn’t do it. That I couldn’t rein in my jealousy and go through all those steps of forgiveness with my therapist and that I wouldn’t have the patience to wait until Becca contacted me, remember?” he said, handing his phone to Harlan. “But I did, and now she wants to see me.”

  Harlan sat down and read the text, then raised his eyes to Jack but didn’t speak.

  “See,” said Jack, patting his chest. “I’m a changed man.”

  “Changed?” Harlan removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Wouldn’t that mean you’re humble? And would a humble man really hit his chest and say he was a changed man?”

  “Never said I was humble,” Jack said with a shake of his head. “I said that I was a changed man beca
use I’m less jealous now because of Becca.”

  “How can you say that if you haven’t been tested yet?”

  Jack stared him down.

  With a sigh, Harlan stood, reached into his back pocket, retrieved his wallet, and handed Jack a fifty-dollar bill.

  “Thank you,” said Jack, pulling the edges of the bill to make a snapping noise, then handed it back to Harlan. “Take this and buy us some hot wings to celebrate. My treat.”

  “So generous of you,” said Harlan with a grunt.

  “Talking about generous. I offered to cater your engagement party. When is it again?”

  “New Year’s Eve,” Harlan said, throwing his hands in the air. “At your house! We’re still having it there, right?”

  “Of course. I was just hoping that Becca could come and congratulate you two, but it looks like she won’t be back until the first of the year.”

  “That’s too bad she’ll miss the party. Everyone will be there.”

  “I’ve got two weeks until your party and two weeks until I have Becca in my arms again.” Jack rubbed his palms together. “Time to make some magic.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Everything is so beautiful!” Lily said, spinning in a circle in the center of Jack’s Dallas living room, staring up at the crystal chandelier above their heads. Her loose blonde curls bounced as she giggled and spun.

  Jack glanced around the room, wondering what she was talking about. The only real decorations for her and Harlan’s engagement party tonight had been left over from Christmas—the evergreen garlands covering the banisters of the double stairwell that wound up to the second floor.

  “The mistletoe was a nice touch.” She wrinkled her nose and looked to the side as if in deep thought. “I don’t remember mistletoe being here during Christmas brunch.”

  That’s because he hadn’t hung them above every doorway until yesterday, in preparation for Becca’s visit. “You don’t? I bet your guests will like the mistletoe tonight for their New Year’s Eve celebrations.”