The Cowboy Takes a Bride

Applegate grunted. “I’m bored stiff sittin’ here lookin’ at Stanley every day, but you couldn’t pay me enough ta git up on a performin’ stage.”

Ross took a drink of his coffee, remembering all the years he’d spent on stage. “I couldn’t agree more. I just thought I’d offer. A good comedic act can always find an audience.”

Stanley spat a sunflower husk into the spittoon. “I’d pay good money fer App ta stay off the stage.”

That got a laugh from everyone.

Sam topped off Ross’s and Clint’s coffee. “Do you ever miss it, Ross?”

“Nope.” He took a drink, feeling the burn. “Twenty years in the spotlight was more than enough for me. But I could still put in a good word for you two if you want me to,” he said, laying money on the counter and standing. It was time to go to work.

“We might be bored,” Applegate said, “but wild horses couldn’t get us ta leave Mule Hollow.”

Ross grabbed his hat and snugged it down on his head. “You’ve got that right. This is the place to be.”

And it was. He was happy with his life.

He’d started performing on stage at age four, singing with his grandpop. It hadn’t taken long for him to be listed on the marquee as a box-office draw. Even for a little kid, seeing his name up on that sign had been a thrill. He’d been twenty-four when he’d realized he couldn’t do it anymore.

Didn’t want to do it anymore.

His grandpop had been dead for a couple of years, and living his life around two shows a day, six days a week, had started to give Ross ulcers. Living someone else’s dream would do that to a body.

After stepping out on the sidewalk, he strode toward his truck and climbed in. This was his dream. Overseeing the land, the legacy he’d inherited from his dad’s family. Running cattle, building up his ranch, even with broken tractors and irritating beavers included. God had blessed him with great family on both sides of the tree. He’d had a choice of two separate ways of life, but this was the one he wanted to cultivate. This was the one he wanted to raise his kids in.

Backing the truck out, he glanced up toward the apartment where Sugar Rae Lenox now resided. He was living his dream, but he was ready for the good Lord to send him a soul mate. Truth was, he’d had his name up in lights, but the only place he wanted to see it these days was on a wedding certificate.

He just had to find the right woman to sign on with him.

Sugar couldn’t wait to see the barn.

She knew she should ask beforehand, but she couldn’t help herself. The ladies had said it was on the outskirts of town, and she had to view it. Had to know if this would be a place where she might be able to set up her show.

The very idea of putting on a strawhat production of some sort in a real barn excited her more than even the thought of having it in the community center. An honest-to-goodness barn theater added an entirely new element to the project, making her excitement level jump to unforeseen heights.

“Thank you, Lord,” she gasped when she saw the big old barn come into view. The thing was huge. And ancient. And lovely. Simply lovely. For a gal who’d been doubting herself, her dream, her faith, this felt like a sign that God was still on her side. So far everything about coming to Mule Hollow was proving to her that the voice of doubt she’d begun to hear was unfounded. God wasn’t the one whispering in her ear, telling her to abandon her dreams.

Smiling, she studied the building. The rambling place drew her as she yanked the car to the side of the road and switched off the ignition. Feeling as giddy as a child, she scrambled out and hurried across the cattle guard. She was so engrossed in getting a closer look that the fact she was trespassing didn’t cross her mind as she walked down the rutted dirt road. Okay, so it did flit through her head for a second, but she didn’t give it any serious consideration. Ross didn’t look to be the kind of guy who would mind, and besides, she was on a mission.

It was a looming two-story structure with a pitched metal roof. The boards were weathered, the red paint faded to a charming patina that gave it character, like wrinkles on a face. The double doors at the front were at least twelve feet high, if not fifteen. They were also slightly ajar. Sugar hadn’t come this far to stop now. Couldn’t even if she’d felt like it. She slipped inside. And stopped.

As a kid with a weak heart, relegated to a life of sitting on a couch, or in bed between hospital visits and surgeries, she’d become a dreamer out of necessity. She’d lived because of her dreams, because of her optimistic outlook. God had given her life, but he’d sustained her with her dreams. Standing inside the door of Ross Denton’s old barn, she knew this was where those dreams were at long last going to flourish.

If there was such a thing as love at first sight, Sugar had found it. There was a huge space inside. Stalls off to one side stood below a loft that ran across the first third of the building, leaving the rest of the barn open all the way to the rafters. Morning sunlight filtered through windows, letting in a soft glow and making Sugar feel as if she was actually walking into her dream.

Heart pounding, she moved to the center of the barn floor, turning an old five-gallon bucket upside down to sit on. Totally in awe, she placed her elbow on her knee and her chin on her fist as her mind flew free, filling with ideas. This was it. This was the place. No longer was this just a dream.

Oh no, this was a full-fledged done deal. She could picture it all. People laughing, kids clapping.

Reviewers raving…Oh yeah, this was perfect. And Ross Denton was the key to it all. He was the guy that was going to help her make her dream come true.

The last thing Ross expected to see as he drove out from the back pasture was Sugar Rae disappearing inside his barn. For a minute he thought he’d imagined her, but the sight of her unmistakable vehicle by the road proved that his imagination wasn’t playing tricks on him.

Shutting off his truck, he crossed the pasture, more than a little curious to find out what Mule Hollow’s newest resident was up to. Maybe her car had broken down? But why would she be driving around out here at nine o’clock, when her apartment was right above her office, and she’d come to Mule Hollow to work?

At the doors, he peeked inside. She was sitting on a bucket in the center of the barn, obviously lost in thought.

Today, she was dressed in a gauzy yellow dress that draped over her like a tent, with a pink shirt underneath that matched her pink canvas shoes. The outfit was a far cry from the heels and zebra pants of the day before, but still just as interesting. She wasn’t boring, that was for sure.

Wondering what she was thinking, he stepped inside. “Please tell me you missed me already and you came out here looking for me,” he teased.

She shot to her feet with a shriek. “Where did you come from?”

Not the reaction he’d hoped for. “Whoa there, take it easy. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was coming out of the pasture through the woods and saw you entering the barn.”

She blew out a gusty breath. “You wouldn’t have surprised me if I hadn’t been so lost in my thoughts. I love your barn. Do you have any idea how wonderful it is? I mean, can you imagine all the history that happened in here? The square dances and maybe church socials…”

“I like it. There is a lot of history to this place,” he agreed. She was a bundle of surprises. “I didn’t take you as a history buff, though.”

“Actually, I’m not. I just felt this overwhelming connection when I walked in. It makes what I have to propose to you all the more important.”

He smiled at her dramatics and was all ears. “Propose away. You have my full attention.”

Her eyes widened more, if that were possible. “You see, I haven’t come to Mule Hollow just to help Haley. What I really want to do is start up a summer theater. I’m an actress, and I’m looking to find a way to stand out. I need some good reviews to help me land some better parts. And…” she twirled around, arms out “…this is where I think I can do it. Right here in your barn, Ross Denton. And to make it even more perfect, I hear you have some experience in that department. I just couldn’t believe my good fortune when the ladies told me your family has a show out in Branson.”

He groaned inwardly as his heart sank. An actress. Of all the rotten luck. “I don’t entertain anymore.” He sang to his cows sometimes but he wasn’t going to tell her that.

She frowned at him, but didn’t let it stop her. Her forehead crinkled. “Okay, but I need a theater. And, well, I have a limited budget, so I was hoping, since your barn would absolutely be the perfect place, that I could talk you into letting me work out a deal with you. I want to do something on Friday nights and maybe twice on Saturday, and the ladies said that would take too much time from the community center for me to run the show there. It would knock out too many other things, since I would practically be taking over the place. I completely understand. And it’s just fine, since I love your barn. This is the place I’m supposed to be. I can feel it. Have you ever just…” she paused, with the most hopeful expression on her face “…you know, just known when something was right?”

She blinked her big eyes expectantly, and his heart sank lower still. Feeling his frown all the way to his toes, he scooped his hat off his head and tried to gather his thoughts. This was not good.

When he didn’t say anything, she plunged back in. “I was already thinking of trying something similar to the way they run shows in Branson, so just imagine my excitement when I learned you had experience. But don’t worry, I’m thinking smaller.” As she rattled on, her voice filled with renewed excitement.

His heart hit rock bottom. “I’m sorry, Sugar, but the answer is no,” he said, and before he did something stupid and said yes, he spun on his heel and stalked out of the building.

Chapter Four

“Wait!” Sugar called after Ross, but he just kept on walking. She couldn’t believe this. What had happened to the nice Mr. Flirtatious from yesterday? She hurried out of the barn.

“Stop,” she demanded as she chased after him. “I don’t understand your attitude.”

“Look, Sugar,” he said, stopping so quickly she almost ran into him. “I never participate in any of the shows they put on here in Mule Hollow because I don’t do that anymore. And I don’t want it happening on my property. I’m sorry, but the answer is no. And it won’t change.”

Sugar waved a hand toward the barn. “But it’s just sitting there. It doesn’t even look like you use it.”

“That doesn’t matter. You’ll have to find another barn. The answer is no.”

Watching him walk away, Sugar was almost at a loss for words. Almost. “C’mon, Ross. Give me a break here. I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m sure we can work it out. I’m starting auditions pretty soon. I need a place. Work with me here.”