(3 Book Box Set) "Cowgirl Desires" & "Last Chance Cowboy" & "Embracing Love Again"

by Celina Whitley, Kelly Warren, & Stephanie Hunter

  Livy was shocked because the horse looked nothing like the picture. Wow what a surprise the craigslist picture looks nothing like the actually animal Livy thought sarcastically. However, in this case that was not a bad thing. Because the mare was a striking beauty, her mane was black as night with stripes that looked like snow. And her coat was a marble of black and white. Livy was awestruck, for such a young horse she was very strong. The muscles in her legs bulged when she trotted. The ground trembled as she ran towards the fence to face Livy. The mares hoof beats matched that of Livy’s pounding heartbeat. For a brief moment they were one person. My God, you are an amazing animal.

  Looking out across the field, she saw an old farmhouse, a man appeared and she waited for him to reach her. At first the aging woman refused to sell Marcy.

  “Someone has been playing a nasty prank on me, they put my address on that online thing. People have been coming by here for weeks trying to buy my precious Marcy,” said the aging women.

  “What!” replied Livy, so the black and white horse is not for sale?”

  “Is that not what I just said?”

  I will pay whatever you wa… she was cut short by the aging woman’s chuckle.

  “Do you think you could offer me anything more valuable than those that came before you?”

  “I’m sure there is something you want.”

  The old women thought for a long time…. she smiled “can you give me more time.”

  Livy shook her head, “of course not.”

  “Then you have nothing that I need nor want, good day to you.”

  “Wait, Livy cried what about the horse?”

  “What of her?”

  “Can you not see that she is lonely?” She needs companionship; someone needs to take her for a ride. Marcy needs to be around others … Livy stopped short. Oh my god mom was right... I need friends.

  The old lady gave in. She included Marcy’s favorite saddle and bridle. The old lady charged Livy a mere two hundred dollars. She was so thrilled that she left and headed home. Oh no, I forgot to tell the old lady that I was coming back tomorrow. I’ll just walk back when I get home, it’s only a mile.

  ***

  She hurried and walked the mile back to the old lady’s house, refusing a ride with her mother. "It'll give me time to think, Mom."

  "Alright, but you could just think on the way home, riding the horse."

  "I'll be alright." She was out the door and down the road. All the way there, she thought about her old friends and she realized that she had to see some of them. She had to get in touch with Amber Dawson at least. By the time she made it to Ms. Fletcher's, she had made up her mind. She was picking up that list and moving on. She walked up to the woman's door, and she could see her sitting alone by the front window. Livy's heart broke because she knew how much the horse meant to Mrs. Fletcher. Livy made a vow to visit Mrs. Fletcher. She knocked on the door.

  "Where did you go, replied the old lady?”

  “Oh I was so excited I forgot to tell you that I was going to come back tomorrow.” “Well your here now, go grab the bridle and saddle out the barn. I suppose you remember how to put them on?"

  "Yea, I think I can figure it out." She really wasn't sure, but would rather try it alone.

  "She's easy to catch. She'll walk right up to you. She loves women, especially pretty ones like you." Ms. Fletcher grinned and closed the door.

  On the first try, Livy bridled her, and saddled her. Marcy stood still as if she herself couldn’t wait to be ridden. She had life again, and sadly, Livy could relate. She rode Marcy home, taking a long way through a field. Together they became acquainted and by the time she rode into the barnyard, she knew Marcy was the one. There was a pasture on the left side of the house, but she wasn't sure about the fence structure. She guessed it needed some repair, so she put her in the barn, promising to return with handfuls of feed. When she ran into the house, her mother had the phone in her hand.

  "Ms. Fletcher said she has some bags of feed for Marcy. There's plenty and will get you through a few months."

  "Well, that's really nice of her. I wonder who has been feeding Marcy all this time? I'm sure she wasn't able."

  "Probably some young boy that wanted to make a few cents a day."

  "I guess so. I'll be back. Can I take dad's old truck?"

  "Sure."

  "Thanks." She was out the door. Livy was on cloud nine. She now had some chickens, a goat a family of cows, an old loyal dog, and a beautiful horse. Home was starting to feel like home and she couldn’t wait to get back. There was a sign on the fence that read “Olivia the feed is in the barn help yourself… ps there is a wheel barrel on the side by the flowers.

  By the time Livy got home it was nearly evening. Ugh I have to call Amber Dawson before it gets too late. I have to fed Marcy and the other animals first.

  "Mom!" She yelled through the door. Her mood had shifted, she was finally happy.

  "In here!" Calling from the laundry room, her mother was bent over, throwing a few items in an old clunky washer.

  "Hey, congratulations!"

  "On what?" Looking up from the small pile, her mother stared into her eyes.

  "For winning, as usual."

  "Did I win the lottery?"

  "You won with the list. I think I'm going to give Amber a call. Do they still have the same number?"

  "They sure do."

  "Imagine that? The same number all these years."

  "Darling, some things never change. Our number is the same."

  Giggling, Livy had to agree.

  She ran to the phone and plopped down in a recliner in the front room. Picking up the receiver, she grew nervous. Would she want to hear from me, she wondered. It's been so long, she dialed the number.

  "Amber, is that you?"

  "This is Amber, who is this?"

  "This is Livy!"

  "Livy Lane? Omg, are you back? How long have you been back?"

  Livy didn't know what to say. She just realized that she had been home for almost two years, hiding in the shadows. But she chose to be honest.

  "Don't kill me, but I've been here for two years."

  The phone went silent. She knew that Amber had been hurt, and she quickly apologized.

  "Amber it had nothing to do with not wanting to see you. I've been through a lot and I couldn’t get the energy to get out."

  "You've been here for two years? How could you not call me?"

  "Hey, I want to see you. What are you doing tonight?"

  "Nothing. I planned to just sit around and get fat off ice cream. I broke up with my boyfriend. Caught him cheating on me, and you'd never guess who with."

  "Who?"

  "Gloria freaking Jackson!"

  "Omg! You are kidding? I figured she had hit the road with her thumb in the air, wearing slutty clothes."

  Laughing, "She did, but she came back within the year. She ended up living off the homeless in the streets in Chicago. Stupid! She came back long enough to screw my guy."

  "God, I'm so sorry. Were you two serious? And who is he?"

  "You don’t know him. Not from here. He moved here from Minnesota. Hot, but a womanizer. I can't stand him, but I love him."

  "Curtis died, Amber."

  "What? Why didn’t we hear it?"

  "I don't know. I suppose because they aren't positive if he is dead. They said he is missing."

  “How?"

  "Well it’s a long story. The condensed version is he lost his job and we were going through a rough patch. So he accepted a contractor job oversees, in Iraq."

  "Iraq?"

  "Yeah."

  "That has to be horrible, not knowing and all. I can see why you've been staying to yourself."

  "So do you want to get together," Livy asked shyly?

  "Why don't we start with the ice cream, just like old times?"

  "Yea, we'll sit on your bed and eat with two spoons."

  "Great! See you when?"

  "I don't kno
w. Whenever you're ready," said Amber.

  "How about starting now?"

  "Be there in a jiffy," Giggled amber as she hung the phone up.

  Chapter Four

  Meeting Amber for an ice cream fiesta was just what Livy needed. It was as if they had never been apart. Laughing about the good old days, they talked about everything that came to mind. During the conversation, Livy asked Amber about her abusive relationship with Jack Cordez.

  Amber signed, “I had hoped you would not hear about that.” After a long pause Amber started to talk. “He beat me so bad that I almost died. I recovered in the hospital for a month. I did not want to be pitied by the community so we all kept it a secret."

  "Did you know that he was like that? Did anyone warn you?"

  "Are you kidding? He was a charmer, smiled like a sneaky cat. I was with him for over a year."

  "Did he beat you the whole time?"

  "He didn't start until the last three months, but I thought he'd stop each time. The last time he beat me, I thought he was going to kill me. He would have, but a neighbor drove by and heard me screaming."

  Girl, I'm so sorry I wasn't here."

  “Ahh.. Amber there was nothing you could have done to protect me from him.”

  "You're going to spend the night, right? You have to I’ve had such an awesome time.

  “Tell you what I'll stay and I’ll even help with chores."

  "Well lucky for you there really aren't many chores. Mom got rid of most of the animals. But, I picked up a stray dog at the shelter and you won't believe what I got for two-hundred dollars?"

  "What, a herd of pigs?"

  "They aren't called a herd. No, I bought a beautiful Mare named, Marcy. A little old lady had her in a field, just doing nothing. She threw in a bridle and a saddle."

  "That's great. I still have a horse and now we can ride off into the sunsets."

  They spent the rest of the night in the room eating about a gallon of cookie dough ice cream, and talking about any and everything. It was the next night when they would hit the town. After helping with minimal chores, Amber talked Livy into riding around like they were in high school.

  Chapter Five

  Venturing out, Livy ran into town to pick up some groceries for her mom. While she was out, she stopped at a local gas station to fill up the truck. As she stood pumping gas, she thought she saw someone who looked very familiar. Taking her time at the pump, she waited until he got back to his truck. He glanced over her way just before he opened the door. Watching his reaction, she knew that she had spotted someone from her past. With two cars between them, she couldn’t see that well, but when he closed his door and began walking toward her; she froze. It was Brad Sands, her high school sweetheart. She recalled his name on the list her mother had made, but she figured her mother was wrong. She never dreamed that he stayed in Dayton. In school, he had such big plans. He was born a mechanic, playing with tools alongside his father who owned a successful mechanic shop when they grew up. He always dreamed of moving away and working on race cars or motorcycles. But there he was, and he was getting closer with each step.

  Her immediate reaction was to worry about her appearance. Grabbing a pair of short sweats, she had thrown on a white tank and a pair of old tennis shoes that she had been wearing, while she worked in the garden. Her long, blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a fluffy, loose twist. Wiping her face, she also realized that she didn't have a stitch of make-up on either. Now he was standing face to face with her, on the other side of the pump.

  "Livy, is that you? It is you!"

  "Hi Brad. I thought you'd be long gone from here, working on those race cars by now."

  "Nope. Never made it to that dream. I ended up taking over dad's shop, so here I still am."

  "Well, that can't be half bad. Your dad was always the best mechanic around."

  The gas was pumping at a fast pace as she pressed the nozzle tighter. Forgetting to keep an eye on the amount, she failed to notice that she had run the bill up to over thirty dollars. Her mother had only given her thirty, and she was supposed to get milk and cheese for homemade pizza. Brad glanced up when he noticed how fast she was pumping away. By the time he said something, she was sitting over fifty dollars.

  "Geez Livy, I don't know anyone that can afford to put that much gas in this town." He looked at the tank and then back at the price.

  "What?" She turned to look and screamed. Then she accidently engaged the pump lock as she let go of the pump. By the time Brad helped her get ahold of the line; they had covered her truck with gas and racked up a bill of $69.95. She was speechless. She looked down, seeing her tennis shoes covered with gas, and his boots were drenched as well. But when she looked up with eyes as wide as saucers, all they both could do was laugh. He put the hose back, and led her by the hand over to a water hose and began hosing her and him down.

  "That's an interesting way to meet up after all these years, don't you think?" He looked down at his boots and then at her shoes.

  "I can't believe I was that stupid! I feel like an idiot."

  Trying to make a comeback and to relive her, he bragged, "That's what I do to girls."

  He was right. He always had a way with girls and he hadn’t changed a bit. The next thing she worried about was paying for the gas. She could feel someone staring at her, and when she turned around to look, it was a clerk looking back. With his hands on his hips, he asked her, "I suppose you have the money to pay for all that wasted gas?"

  She did not. She stared at Brad and he knew the look. He had seen that look many times before, and a grin spread across his face.

  "Hey, it's your lucky day. I just got paid."

  "Omg, I can't let you do that." Turning to the impatient clerk, she said, "I have to call my mom and you'll have to wait until she gets here."

  "No he won't. Let's just pay the man. That way you'll owe me."

  That sounded good, she thought, at least for now.

  Brad handed the clerk a hundred, telling him that he'd come in for the change.

  "Before you do, I suggest that you hose down the lot with the water hose. You might want to hose down her truck too." He walked away, mumbling about stupid kids.

  "He's right. Come on." He grabbed the water hose and ran over and sprayed down the lot, and hit her truck too. She watched him as he handled the hose, and noticed how much he had changed. He was much thinner in high school. Now he had filled out, everywhere. Not an ounce of fat on him! She tried to peel her eyes off him, but she kept looking back. His hair had darkened, but those eyes were still the same. She used to sing Crystal Blue Persuasion when they dated in high school because he could persuade her to do anything with his crystal blue eyes. They were still mesmerizing, after all this time.

  It wasn't just Livy that noticed changes. He couldn’t take his eyes off her either. He'd spray for a few seconds and then he'd steal a glance. A couple of times, their eyes met before she quickly turned her head. With each look, he found himself getting a little more excited about running into her. It had been years and he could still see her in his arms when they were dating. He had fallen hard for her, and never really got over her. Something else was wearing on him. He knew about Curtis and the reports of his death, and he knew he couldn't part with her, without mentioning how sorry he was. After spraying everything down, they went back into the station and he collected his change. Then they went back out and talked some more. In the conversation, he found a way to bring it up.

  "Livy, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'll be here for you anytime you need to talk to someone. He was a great guy."

  Her pulse slowed way down and she was faced with talking about Curtis again. She had managed to avoid it for some time.

  "Yea, it's been horrible. I was devastated. Still am really. I moved back here because I just couldn’t stay there in that house or the town."

  "How long have you been back here in Sparta?"

  She knew that wouldn't go over well either. "Two years."
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  "What? Where have you been, in hiding?"

  "Yea. Yea I have. I didn’t feel like getting out. I just came home to Mom and stayed inside."

  "Wow. Two years. I can't believe I haven’t seen you around."

  "I didn’t go anywhere. Mom was starting to really worry about me."

  "I bet."

  Looking at her watch, she mentioned to him that she needed to get going.

  "How can I pay you back? I don’t know how soon I can. I haven't found a job yet, but I will be out looking next week."

  "Don't worry about it. Let's just say that you owe me."

  "I don't know if I like that idea at all."

  "I do. Seriously, don't worry about it. I might need your help sometime."

  "Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done without you to cover me."

  He was walking away, and turned and said, "I don't think it would have happened if it wasn't for me."

  He was right again.

  By the time she got home, she had to call Amber. Telling her mom about what happened wasn't her idea of confessions. She knew her mom wouldn’t be satisfied until she paid Brad back herself. When she ran inside, she found her mom napping on the couch, and calling Amber was the perfect idea.

  "Amber, you'll never believe what happened?"

  "What?"

  "I ran into Brad at the station."

  "Brad Sands? Yea, he's still around. Runs his dad's shop. He's just as good as his dad was."

  "He had to pay for my gas."

  "Why?"

  "Long story and I'll tell you later. But I couldn't believe how it felt to see him."

  "Oh yea, you dated him didn’t you?"

  "That was before you moved here. We dated before Curtis and I did. He went to school right alongside of Brad and they were good friends until that happened?"

  "What happened?"

  "It was like a cock-fight. I broke up with Brad and started dating Curtis. All they did was fight after that. That's about when you moved here."

  "Wow, and you moved away with Curtis, and I bet Brian has never gotten over you. I heard that there was someone he was still in love with. I didn’t know it was you."

  "It was me." She lowered her head, not sure if she really wanted to talk about it, and she twirled the phone cord around her fingers.

  "Well?" Amber waited. "Well, is that it?"

  "Nothing. That's it. I just ran into him at the gas station. Had a problem with the gas and now I owe him seventy bucks."