Tutus & Cowboy Boots (Part 2) (2 page)

Barrick

Jade is pacing the living room floor when I
get home. “What the hell? Is Cadence okay?”

“She’s alright. She didn’t tell me much of
anything but I know if I ever see her dad I’m going to give him a
piece of my mind.”

“I’ve been going crazy here, tell me what
happened!”

“Keep it down!” I say to her as Mom comes in
the room.

“Bare, everything okay?”

“We’re good. I’m just going to head to bed.”
Mom gives me a look and I know she needs more information. “Cadence
is a mess and it’s a good thing her dad isn’t within driving
distance.”

“Barrick! That’s not how we solve things
around here,” Mom states with her hands on her hips.

“I know, but he hurt her and I can’t stand
to see her so sad.”

“I understand, but we don’t fix one hurt
with another. It’s so sad to hear it’s her dad who has upset her.
All you can do is be there for her and be the bigger person. Now,
I’m glad you’re both home safe so I can get some sleep,” she says
as she hugs me and leaves Jade and me alone.

“Spill it,” Jade says, following me into my
room and planting herself on my bed.

“Jade, truthfully I don’t know much. I just
took her to a spot to try to calm her down before she went home.
All I know is that she didn’t have as good a time as she hoped. And
something is up with her dad. I’ve seen her go absolutely crazy
after a call with him and she pretty much just cried on my shoulder
for an hour. When I asked about her friend Lauren she said that
wasn’t good either. It sounds like no one was there for her. I want
to do everything I can to let her know she can count on me. I’m
sure she could use your support as well.”

“Oh wow, Lauren was her dance partner and
best friend. I wonder what happened. Well, she’s my partner now and
she’s not getting rid of me.”

“I knew I could count on you, Jade. Now if
you don’t mind, I’m going to bed because milking time comes
early.”

“Okay, goodnight. Oh… Bare… just be careful.
I mean, I know she’s my friend but you’re my brother and as much as
I want to help her, I also don’t want to see you get hurt. As much
as I’d like to believe she’ll want to stay here now, I just worry
something will change her mind and she’ll run off after
graduation.”

“Right now, I just want her to know she can
trust me. Whatever happens after that, we’ll just take one step at
a time. But, thanks Jade.”

Jade gives me a hug and closes my door
behind her. I fall into bed and take a deep breath; tomorrow is a
new day.

Cadence

As the sun peeks through my curtains, I
realize I’ve slept longer than normal so I quickly get ready to go
help in the barn. I pause when I see Barrick’s truck outside and
wonder if he got my text because he never replied.

Gran stops me in the kitchen and hands me a
green smoothie.

“How are ya this mornin’?” she asks with
concern.

“Actually, I’m better than I thought.
Talking to you and Mom last night really helped and I feel like I
finally belong here. Thank you for the smoothie. I’m going to go
help Barrick.”

“Well, that is music to my ears. Now get out
there and don’t give Barrick such a hard time.”

“I won’t. He really came through for me
yesterday so I think I’ll lay off the pranks, at least for a little
while,” I say with a giggle.

Gran laughs and shoos me out the door with
her dishtowel. When I get to the barn, all I hear is the sound of
the milking machine. I walk toward the stall and notice that
Barrick is lost in thought, so I take the opportunity to watch him
work for a minute. When he feels my eyes on him, he glances up at
me.

“Mornin’,” I say, in my worst southern
accent, as a smile spreads across my face.

“Mornin’,” he says as he stands and walks
toward me. I walk toward him with my arms crossed. “How are you?”
he asks with concern in his voice.

“Better. Thank you again for picking me up.
Did you get my text?”

“Not until this morning and I thought I’d
talk to you in person instead of texting back. Cadence, I’m glad
you called me. We may have gotten off to a rough start but I want
you to know you can trust me and I will always do what I can to
help you.”

“Barrick, I —” Barrick places his index
finger over my lips and shakes his head no.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just know
that when you are ready to let me in, I’ll be ready to listen,” he
whispers as his hand caresses my cheek. He looks deep into my eyes
as his lips brush against mine.

“Thank you…” His lips find mine again but
this time with more intensity. Holy shit! I don’t want him to stop.
He’s making all the painful memories of the last week
disappear.

Barrick pulls away first but I lean in for
one more gentle kiss. “Come on. Let’s get done so we can enjoy the
day,” he says as we walk toward the cows.

“So how much longer until the calf is born?”
I question.

“Early spring,” he answers, as he hooks up
the next cow for milking.

When we are finished with our chores and
putting away the last feed bucket, Barrick stops and looks at
me.

“I’m happy to see you looking better
already.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing how being back here has
already made a difference. I mean, it hasn’t even been twenty-four
hours but I just feel like I finally belong somewhere.”

“I’m so glad you said that,” he says as we
both begin to walk toward the house.

“Y’all finished?” Gran questions.

“Yes, ma’am,” Barrick replies.

“Great! That means you’re both done for the
day.”

“I still have this afternoon,” he says as
she shakes her head no.

“Regina and I got it. You two go have fun.
Now shoo!”

He turns to me, “You ready for some
fun?”

“Hell yeah.” I can’t wait to put New York
behind me.

Chapter 2

Cadence

“Ms. Mae, I’ll have her back by four,”
Barrick says as he takes my hand and pulls me toward the truck.

“Bye, Gran,” I say with a wave.

“You kids have fun. We’ll see you at
four.”

Barrick helps me into his truck and once
he’s seated, he takes his phone out and sends a text.

“What are we doing?” I ask him when I see
the big smile on his face.

“It’s a secret,” he says with a wink.

Within a few minutes, I realize that we are
going toward his house and suddenly I can’t wait to see Jade. When
we pull in the driveway, she comes running out of the house.

“You scared me to death!” she says as she
gives me a hug that almost breaks my ribcage. “Everything
okay?”

“I’m fine. I promise I’ll fill you in later
but right now I just want to have fun,” I say as I turn to see
Aaron pull up with something in the back of his truck.

“Well, if you’re ready for some fun, Aaron
just brought it!” Jade squeals as Aaron gets out of his truck.

“Um, what are those?” I question as Barrick
helps Aaron unload the truck.

“How many months have you been here?” Jade
asks. “It’s a four-wheeler. Get ready to get some mud on those
boots.” She laughs and I look at Barrick with horror.

“Come on,” he says as he pulls me to the
barn, where his four-wheeler is parked. “I promise you’ll have
fun.”

“Okay, but before we get started you better
swear that you won’t accidently make my ass fall in the mud like
you did that pile of shit,” I say with a smile.

Holding three fingers up, he says, “Boy
scout’s honor. Now come on.”

Barrack climbs on first and
instructs me to climb on the seat right behind him.
Oh, good, because sitting on the metal rack on
the back could have caused some serious damage to my
future
.

He glances over his shoulder. “You ready?” I
nod with a smile and hold on tight.

For the next two hours, we ride through the
fields to the woods, and then across the creek to places I never
knew existed. I’ve laughed, smiled, and kept my arms wrapped around
this amazing guy who has made my ugly memories of New York fade
into the mud we’ve splashed through. As their house comes into
view, sadness consumes me because I fear the bad memories will
return the moment I let him go.

Barrick

Having Cadence’s arms around me filled me
with warmth and happiness, but when she would squeeze me tighter
over the bumps, it was beyond perfection. I knew I was the reason
for her happiness and I didn’t want the moment to end. As she
climbed off the four-wheeler, I felt the cold return but I knew we
could still look forward to being in each other’s arms again
tonight.

After we park the four-wheelers, Aaron and
Jade walk toward his truck and I pull Cadence in for a hug and a
kiss. “I can’t watch those two lock lips so I’d rather lock lips
with you.” She starts to laugh as I lead her to my truck so I can
get her home by four as promised.

“Hey, hold up a second,” she says as we
arrive at Ms. Mae’s. “I have something in the house for Jade.”
Cadence quickly runs in the house and hurries back to my truck with
bags in her hands.

“Give these to your sister,” she says and I
am shocked when I glance in the bag.

“Where’s mine?” I ask. When she sees my
pout, her face falls. “I’m just kidding. I didn’t expect you to get
me anything.”

“No really, I tried. I looked but there
wasn’t anything that screamed Barrick.”

“I tell you what, I can take you to a place
that screams Barrick and you might be surprised to even find
something for yourself,” I assure her.

“Doubtful on my part,” she says with a
grimace. “I’ll see you in a little bit.” She winks and sways her
hips as she walks into the house.

Chapter 3

Cadence

“Well, how was it?” Gran startles me as I
walk in the door.

“Did you know where we were going?”

“Heck yeah! Nothing like a little
four-wheeling,” she says, vrooming around the room like she’s
driving one.

“Gran! Seriously?” I laugh and roll my eyes
as I walk to my room. Closing the door, I take a few minutes to
just breathe and take in the wonderful day I’m having. I then take
the apricot, chiffon dress out of my suitcase and smile knowing
that when I picked it out, it would be perfect for tonight - simple
yet elegant.

I hang the dress in the bathroom to remove
the wrinkles while I shower. As I look at myself in the mirror, I’m
shocked to see the girl looking back at me. Her hair is wild, there
are flecks of mud on her cheeks, but there is a sparkle in her eye
that I’ve never seen before. I see a girl who is no longer falling
and is ready to fly.

I take my time to make sure that my makeup
and hair are perfect. I curl my long blonde locks before pinning my
hair in place. As I slide on my dress, I marvel at how close it
fits at the bust but then flows down my body and stops at the top
of my thigh, leaving my legs fully exposed. I slide on my nude,
high-heeled sandals as I stand in front of the mirror and realize I
need a touch of bling.

I rummage for the perfect piece of jewelry,
but there’s nothing that fits what I want for tonight. I call for
Mom and when she enters my room, she stops.

“You look stunning, Cadence. Everything
okay?”

“Yeah, but I need some sparkle and I don’t
have anything that works with this dress. Do you have earrings and
a bracelet that would work?” She smiles and after a quick trip to
her bedroom, she returns with the perfect set. Glancing at the
pearl and diamond droplets, I’m in love.

“Do you like this set?” she asks.

“I love it! It’s just enough bling,” I
state, as she helps me put it on.

At exactly seven o’clock,
Barrick knocks on the door. I take a deep breath as my stomach
begins to turn summersaults.
Why am I so
nervous?
I wait for Mom to acknowledge that
he’s here, then take one last glance in my full-length mirror and
walk toward the foyer. My breath hitches when I find him standing
there in a pair of dark denim jeans and a button up that fits him
perfectly. I notice he isn’t wearing a hat and his hair has been
perfectly styled.

“You look amazing, Cadence,” he says with a
smile as I meet him in the foyer.

“Thanks,” I say as he takes my hand in
his.

“Hold on, we need a picture,” Gran says
excitedly and I can’t help but laugh when I think of the last time
we took a picture and flipped off Dad.

“Only if you take it with us,” I say.

“Of course. Regina, you take it!” Gran says
as she stands between us. Barrick smiles at me as Gran grins from
ear to ear for the picture. When she’s done, Mom tells the two of
us to stay put for another picture. Barrick takes his arm and
places it on my lower back as I place my hand on his chest. Mom
counts to three, and we smile at the camera. Once we’re finished
with the pictures, Mom and Gran give me a hug before I leave.

Barrick helps me into the truck with a smile
and then we make our way to The Loft. When we arrive, he ushers me
inside with his hand on the small of my back. Jade and Aaron are
already seated at a table and Jade stands as she sees us
approaching.

“You didn’t have to buy those jeans, but I
do love them!” she squeals.

“I was shocked when I saw them, but I
couldn’t resist because I knew they had your name written all over
them. Merry Christmas.”

Once Barrick and I are seated, he gently
lays his hand on mine. I can’t believe how far we’ve come in such a
short time. It seems like we were just pulling pranks on each other
and now he’s here, holding my hand, making me feel like a totally
different person. I can’t even put into words what we are right now
but I think I’m going to enjoy figuring it out.

I can’t believe how I
wanted to push him and Jade away when all they wanted to do was
help me fit in. Jade is the sweetest girl and has been there for me
since I arrived at school. I’m so happy to have her as my dance
partner. I smile sweetly as I take everything in, but then I notice
the change in Jade’s mood as her focus moves from us to the front
door. I look to see that Maddie just walked in.
Great.