Lucky Cowboy

by Heatherly Bell

  “Hey,” Eve said, coming around from the desk to give Sadie a hug. “I heard.”

  By now, everyone would have. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

  “How did it go, otherwise?”

  “You know what it’s like when you see a dress you love online? And then you see that it’s on sale! The last one in your size. When you place the order, it turns out you get an additional discount at check out. You can’t believe your good luck. The dress arrives, free shipping of course, and when you take it out of the package and try it on, it fits just like it was made for you?”

  Eve nodded, smiling in anticipation.

  “Well, today was nothing like that.” Sadie collapsed on one of the empty waiting chairs. “It was a disaster. I don’t think I taught them a single thing, except that I’m a pushover.”

  Eve sat beside Sadie. “Oh, hon. Well, it will get better.”

  “I thought it would be different. I was so excited about my lesson plan, but I couldn’t keep their attention. Until I went through the floor, of course. Then no one would take their eyes off me.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing something that’s never been done before here.”

  “And maybe there was a reason for that.”

  “Yes. We didn’t have Sadie Stephens, teacher extraordinaire.”

  Sadie allowed the thought to cheer her a little bit. “The point is, I was excited about teaching them. They’re not quite as excited to learn. And now I don’t know how they will until the termite damage is repaired.”

  “Don’t you worry. I’m sure Beulah is on this like a bean in caffeine.”

  “Even Beulah can’t materialize a building out of thin air.” She sighed.

  “I’m sure the guys will get the work done soon.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  She’d seen the expression on her brother’s face. He worked in construction with their father, and he didn’t look happy as he studied the eaves and beams. He shook his head far too often and once he’d said to Lincoln, “Would you take a look at this. Who would let this building pass inspection?”

  “Who’s your favorite student?” Eve said.

  “Well, a teacher shouldn’t have favorites, but if I did, it would be Ellie Monroe.”

  “Aw, yeah, she’s a cutie. She and her mom come around every now and then to check on our rescues. They’ve adopted nearly every cat we’ve rescued. Ellie names them after the months of the year.” Eve chuckled. “She’s up to May.”

  Sadie sighed. “Yeah, and because of me, now every kid in class knows she can’t read.”

  “She’s only five, isn’t she?” Eve cocked her head.

  “That’s not the point. She cried when another kid took a higher-level book away from her because she can’t read.”

  Eve frowned. Only she would know the significance of that for Sadie. She couldn’t help having such a tender heart. Eve had a huge heart for animals of all types. Sadie, a heart for books, followed closely by children. All of them on Earth. But she would have to toughen up to be a teacher. Otherwise, her students would smell her weakness the way sharks smelled blood.

  “Maybe I should have become a paramedic. Or just stayed as an EMT,” Sadie said.

  Her position after getting her degree was as both a public-school teacher and an emergency medical technician in San Antonio. With the pay so poor, she’d needed two jobs to make ends meet in a bigger city. But teaching remained her first love. She’d been an adequate EMT. Mostly, she’d been a glorified taxi from hospital to convalescent home and back. Giving comfort and aide to people at the end of their lives made Sadie realize she had a lot more living to do.

  She’d been about to enroll in courses to become a paramedic and increase her pay, when on a visit to her parents, Beulah again brought up the subject of a school. Sadie wanted to move back to Stone Ridge, like her best friend Eve. And Sadie missed her quirky town.

  Eve stood. “Wait right here. I’ve got something for you.”

  When Eve returned from the back rooms, she carried a furry little creature in her arms. A rabbit.

  “This little guy is so soft. Someone brought him in after finding him injured a couple of weeks ago. He’s fully recovered and I’m ready to set him free again. There’s no way you can hold him and not feel better about your day.”

  “Eve, I’m sorry. This must all seem so silly to you.”

  “Of course not. I didn’t have the best first day, either.”

  Sadie winced. “I remember. You put a horse down.”

  And Eve had been through the ringer in the past few years, beginning with her last-minute decision not to show up on her wedding day to Jackson, Lincoln’s younger brother. That awful day caused a feud between the two families, and of course, Sadie, also a loyal sort, took Eve’s side.

  Eve’s problems were real, but Sadie just had a bad day.

  Okay, a horrible day.

  “I love you, little one.” Sadie cuddled the rabbit, gray and white and soft as silk. “You’re right. I feel better already.”

  No one ever said teaching would be easy, after all, but simply that it could be rewarding. Just because she’d lost control of her classroom today didn’t mean it would happen again. She’d just have to kindly exert her authority. Kill them with kindness. Or give them a motivation that didn’t involve a sugary snack for a reward.

  “Maybe when we get back, I could make this little guy our class pet. Rabbits are always good for that aren’t they? The kids could learn responsibility and it could be a positive behavior modifier.”

  “Sure,” Eve said. “Although, rabbits are sensitive to loud noises. I’m close if you change your mind. I’ll just come get him.”

  Sadie sat up straighter, inspired. “I’ve tried to think outside the box but some of the old tried and true methods might work also.”

  “Why not?” Eve said. “And don’t forget show and tell. Or career day. I could come and talk to the kids about being a vet.”

  “Would you? That would be amazing! The girls would love that.”

  “And you should get Lincoln to come and show the boys how to rope. There’s nothing boys love more than a rodeo champ.”

  Even the sound of his name sometimes landed her with a sucker punch. But despite the fact Jackson had been engaged to Eve, it always seemed that Lincoln didn’t remember Sadie. But of course, he did. The few women in this town hardly faded into the background. And Sadie was Beau’s sister, who happened to be one of Lincoln’s close friends. He did know her. He just didn’t much seem to care.

  “That’s…that’s a wonderful idea, too.” She continued to pet the puffy piece of silk. “I should think about asking him. Maybe.”

  Eve laughed. “Don’t be shy about it. If you want, I can put a bug in Mima’s ear. I’ve been spending some time up at the ranch lately, helping out with the grooming for some extra cash.”

  “Lincoln hasn’t really talked to me since…well, you know.”

  “He doesn’t talk much to me, either, but this might be a good opportunity. I mean, the rest of us have moved on. It’s his turn.”

  “He’s really loyal to his brother.” Seeing the pained look on Eve’s face, Sadie changed the subject. “And anyway, isn’t Lincoln really busy?”

  To hear Beau tell it, Lincoln practically ran that cattle ranch. He and his father Hank, on their own, since Jackson took off for Nashville a few years ago. During the rodeo season Lincoln tended to be gone for weeks at a time. He’d turned pro a couple of years ago and every once in a while, she’d see him at the Shady Grind, having a beer with the boys, showing off that shiny belt buckle to eager women.

  He was tall with long legs, built like a running back, but despite his size carried himself with ease and grace. Hair always on the wrong side of a cut, a shiny copper brown, and his eyes…they were the deepest shade of blue she’d ever seen. And they crinkled when he smiled.

  “He’s not too busy to help out a friend.”

  “F
ine,” Sadie said, ready to end this topic. “I’ll ask him.”

  “Are you going straight home? If not, I could use a little company while I straighten out the surgery suite before it gets returned.”

  “All I have waitin’ at home is Ben & Jerry’s.”

  Eve took the bunny back from Sadie and put it in his little cage in the back.

  Sadie followed Eve through the back of the clinic, to where the trailer she and Annabeth occasionally rented sat parked. Eve called it a hospital on wheels. It looked like a fifth wheel from the outside. Some surgeries were performed in the trailer, as well as x-rays of large animals. Eve often towed it to horse and cattle ranches in the area. As Sadie stepped inside behind Eve, she noted all the space inside the trailer. The amount of room caught her by surprise.

  Eve gloved up and began tidying the counters. “So, did Lincoln come out to help today?”

  “You know he did,” Sadie said. “All the men showed up to help poor Sadie who went straight through the wood floor on her first day of class.”

  “You make it sound like somehow that’s your fault.”

  “No, it’s just my lousy luck.” She hated being rescued. This time, it couldn’t be helped.

  “Or Beulah, trying to save a penny and rush things. She’s been wantin’ this school to open since forever.”

  “I wish I didn’t get my hopes up.”

  “How is Lincoln, anyway? Haven’t seen him for a while.”

  “Still just as handsome a cuss as ever.”

  “Still just as single as ever.” Eve smiled, wiping the counter.

  “Stop. I gave up on him a long time ago.”

  “Yeah? If I recall, you gave up after my weddin’ day fail. And I’ve told you before, because Jackson and I didn’t work doesn’t mean you can’t wind up with Lincoln someday.”

  But Sadie’s mind was suddenly elsewhere. Her father owned portables bigger than this trailer that he hauled from one job to another. Once a job was complete, the portable moved to the next location. And in some large cities, portables were a way of increasing student enrollment without having to budget for the costs of building, which could be astronomical.

  “Oh my Lord!” Sadie jumped up, clapping her hands, as the idea became fully formed.

  “What? What is it?”

  “I love you! Thanks to you, I think I just figured out a way to save our school year!”

  Chapter 2

  Lincoln began his day being kicked in the ass by a pissed off bull and ended it by tearing down termite-infested beams from the rafters of the old church. All in all, a pretty violent Tuesday for him.

  “Hey, y’all!” Beau called out. “Let’s head on over to the Shady Grind. We’ll pick this back up tomorrow.”

  Knowing Beau, he’d assign some of the men who worked for his father’s construction company to help, too. Lincoln would fit the work in whenever he could, but he would do his part. Thankfully there were enough men to get the job done. Manpower was never a problem in Stone Ridge. The materials were another issue entirely, but he assumed Beulah was at this moment planning yet another bake sale or knit-a-thon. He still remembered the day he’d been informed that money could be raised by knitting, of all things. Who knew?

  Lincoln parked his truck and went inside just as a group of ranch hands were walking into the bar. Usually not much but cowboys in this bar and grill, one owned and operated by Priscilla, a real throwback to the seventies. She wore her big platinum blond hair teased out to the sides. That hair of hers had its own zip code.

  The bar itself was old-school with a jukebox in the back that played ancient tunes and the original polished wood bar. Stools were lined up at the bar, but some tables and chairs were available for the grill in the back that served a decent “Shady burger.”

  “Hey, boys,” Priscilla said as the men filled in all the empty seats at the bar. “What’s doin’?”

  “Just got back from the latest town project,” Riggs said.

  Lincoln ordered a beer and Priscilla slid it over to him. “How’s our boy doin’?”

  “Writin’ songs for Keith Urban and Luke Bryan.”

  “Whowee, you name dropper!”

  Lincoln smiled. Priscilla always needed to know the latest on Jackson’s quest for superstardom.

  “Heard you won yourself another buckle. Ropin’ again?”

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  The circuit could be a fun life, and he’d been at it on and off for years now, going from one event to the other, accumulating buckles. A few buckle bunnies along the way, too, though those never lasted. Between championships and qualifying events, he stayed close to home and the ranch. Lately, he’d been feeling out of sorts wondering how much longer he could keep up the punishing pace of ranch life where shit tended to go south more often than not. Sooner or later, he’d have to give one of them up.

  Laying eyes on Sadie Stephens today was that bright light in one otherwise dull week. She looked like every single one of his teacher fantasies rolled into one. Lincoln and Beau were friends for a long time, and he could still recall passing through their house, overhearing ten-year-old Sadie as she presided above her classroom of teddy bears and dolls.

  She’d looked beautiful and sweet sitting on the porch steps with her class, keeping them close and calm, her boots a little dirty and scuffed from going through the floor. Her cheeks a little pink. Even now the thought of her made him smile. Her reputation as a klutz went right along with falling through a floor. She’d never been the most graceful girl, once actually tripping over her own two feet right in front of him. He’d caught her before she hit the ground. Jackson suggested that Sadie was so in love with Lincoln she couldn’t manage to see straight, much less walk straight around him. Yeah, right. Funny.

  The crush obviously faded to gray in the years after Jackson and Eve’s wedding fiasco. For a while, the Iglesias and Carver families hadn’t spoken to each other except when necessary. Runaway brides usually meant cutting ties with a family forever. Considering both he and Sadie were loyal to their opposite sides, it meant that they didn’t speak for years.

  Maybe it wasn’t fair, but Lincoln told himself that Sadie could have stopped Eve from running. Could have, should have, talked some sense into her. Instead, she’d covered for Eve and actually driven her home from the church, leaving his poor brother heartbroken. To this day, he didn’t understand.

  Eve went off to college, and Jackson to Nashville. Sadie also left for college and returned for the occasional visit. He hadn’t seen much of her since she’d been back, but Sadie wasn’t exactly the type to hang out at the Shady Grind. Neither was Eve. Because Sadie was a sweet woman. Wholesome. No rodeo queen, but everyone’s friend, and the girl next door. And now the town’s first teacher, in case she had to further cement her candidacy for sainthood.

  One of the many reasons he stayed away, in case her being friends with the enemy wasn’t reason enough.

  “All right, so how are we goin’ to do this?” Riggs Henderson unfolded a paper napkin and started drawing up lines. “We need a plan of attack. Don’t know about y’all but I sure have my share of work at the ranch. We need a schedule.”

  About ten years older than most of the men here tonight, Riggs occasionally served as their conscience and older brother. As the oldest Henderson brother, he alone mostly took care of his family’s ranch. He’d been a widow for ten years and seemed in no hurry to rectify that situation.

  “I can do Thursdays,” Wade volunteered.

  “Put me in for Wednesdays,” Lincoln said.

  “Beau?” Riggs asked.

  “Aw, shit fire, Tuesdays, I guess. Might as well make it a thing.”

  Before long, a schedule was created. Riggs said he would talk to the older married men that weren’t here about filling in where they could around their other obligations.

  Beau glanced at his buzzing phone. “Ah, geez. There are advantages to lousy reception.”

  Downtown, phone reception was much better, th
ough one didn’t want to bet the farm on it. Heh.

  “You goin’ to pick that up?” Lincoln asked.

  “It’s Sadie,” he said, finally putting the phone to his ear. “Hey. Just havin’ a beer with the guys. What? Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. Sure, great idea but…uh-huh. Well…sure, guess it could work. Temporary, right?”

  He hung up and turned to the men. “Y’all, I’m goin’ to need some help moving a portable tomorrow.”

  They all groaned and Riggs whipped out his napkin schedule.

  By the time Lincoln rolled home to his own cabin on the hill he could have been juiced, but he wasn’t. He’d seen first-hand what too much drinking did to a man, and he wasn’t okay with that complete loss of self-control. He couldn’t accept the weakness buried deep down inside a man who drank too much.

  Speaking of drinking, and speaking of weakness, he should check on his father before he called it a night.

  Hank was having a bad day with his back pain, so he’d stayed behind when Lincoln went to the old church. Mostly, middle-age ranchers were excused from the heavy lifting if they had sons. And Hank certainly worked that angle every chance he got. Not long ago he too was one of the many men of Stone Ridge who pitched in where needed. Now, the ranch remained his excuse for missing everything. For letting life pass him by.

  No woman should have that much power over a man.

  Most thought he still mourned over his ex-wife, but Lincoln knew better. There was a reason he’d taken Jackson and Eve’s breakup so hard. Hank had a long-time thing for Brenda, Eve’s mother. And that relationship would never happen.

  Lincoln wondered what would get Hank to pull out of this funk and accept life, even if it hadn’t worked out necessarily how he wanted it. A new woman in his life? Or maybe a significant emotional event, like coming close to losing the ranch. Then again, Hank was that most dangerous of men: a functioning drunk. He hid his weakness well, a part of the problem. Even Mima did not know how her only child struggled.

  And Lincoln was far too loyal to rat him out.

  Surprisingly, he found Hank on the wraparound porch of the main house on the hill where he lived alone. He leaned against the rail when he noticed Lincoln. Not surprisingly, he held a shot glass in his hand and a somewhat glassy-eyed look, all too familiar.