When the Glitter Fades (Cowboys of Whispering Winds) (9 page)

He wasn’t going to fall into another pity party. There was a child out in the living room that meant more to him than everyone on the circuit, combined, ever could.  If only he could shake the loneliness that plagued him every night. He’d no one to blame except himself.  Perhaps it was time to start dating again, find a real woman, not a boost-his-ego-until-he-was-bored type.  It was a thought to consider. 

On impulse, he opened his text messaging app and sent a quick text to Lanie.

Cody’s out cold. Had a blast.

He waited and waited, but no response came. Picking up the latest issue of
Rodeo Weekly,
he read through the latest news. Current standings were as he expected them, no big surprises. He flipped to the last page then put the magazine aside, without reading all the articles. No use torturing himself over things he couldn’t change. When he thought of Cody, the edge wilted away. Being away from the rodeo wasn’t all that bad, at least not when he got to see his son every day. Turning off the bedside lamp, he slunk down under the covers. Tomorrow was a new day and he’d be spending it with Cody. That’s what really mattered.

From the nightstand, his phone vibrated and lit up.  He tilted it up to see whom it was from.

-Good
, Lanie had texted back.

-How was your night?
He lost his fight in resisting the urge to start a conversation.

-Not good, thanks to you.

-Huh?
What did the hell did she mean by that?

-Never mind

-
Wth? If I did something to piss you off, just tell me

-Why wasn’t I good enough for you?

He bit his lip, the breath knocked out of him. What was going on? -
That’s a conversation to have face to face

-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

-Are you okay?

-I’m fine. What time will are you bringing Cody home?

-Noon

-I’m heading to bed. Bring him to the big house. I’ll be there until one.

He placed his phone back on the nightstand then sprawled out, trying to find a comfortable position. No matter how he laid, nothing felt right. Tossing and turning, Lanie’s question haunted him. How did he explain there was nothing wrong with her? There was no justification for his behavior. He’d been blinded by fame, became arrogant and thoughtless, taking what he wanted for the moment without a thought to whom his actions affected. If he could turn back time, he’d go back and do things differently. He’d treat Lanie with the love and dignity she deserved, stay faithful and never give her reason to leave. Too bad he couldn’t travel back in time.

A regretful sigh escaped. He rolled over and grabbed his phone again, sending a final message. –
I know it’s several years late, but I’m sorry.

No response came. He hadn’t expected one.

Finally, he found a sweet spot. Closing his eyes he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the night he first met Lanie.

“Hey cowboy, nice ride tonight.”

“Thanks,” he acknowledged absently, bored with the typical bunnies who hung around.

“Is it true you picked up Royston Oil as a sponsor?”

“Yeah. The announcement was made last week.” He took another swig of the whiskey in front of him, relishing the burn as it slid down his throat.

“Did you know they slaughtered over one hundred innocent horses last year?”

That caught his attention. His head turned, seeing a gorgeous blonde. Not sultry sexy, but beautiful and wholesome, could-spend-the-rest-of-his-life-with gorgeous. “What do you mean? Something like that would have made the news.”

“They bought out a failing horse rescue last year to use the property for a new plant. As part of the purchase agreement, they agreed to rehome the aged and injured horses, but an undercover investigation proved otherwise. They’ve spent a lot of money and energy covering up
their misdeeds.” 
The blond spoke passionately, wearing her hurting heart for the horses on her sleeve.

“Then how do you know all this?” he asked. He’d heard rumors that Royston Oil had some questionable ethics, but gaining their sponsorship was huge. However, something that big of nature would be a game-changer.

“Anything can be found if you dig deep enough.”

“Why don’t you sit down and tell me what else you know,” he told her.

She sat down and he ordered her a light beer of her choice. The night flew by and soon the bell rang for last call. He wasn’t ready to leave her yet, but didn’t want to take her to bed. That was a lie. He’d very much like to take her to bed, but this one was different. He wanted to get to know her first.

“Can I have your number,” he asked.

“Only if you promise to look up what I told you about Royston Oil,” she bargained.

“I promise.  If what you said is true, I’ll find a way to
separate myself from them. I need the sponsorship, but not at the risk of sacrificing my integrity.”

She scribbled some numbers on a napkin before handing it to him.
He clutched it for dear life as he watched her leave the bar. 

He turned to the bartender, handing him a credit card to pay his tab. “I’m going to marry that woman.”

The bartender chuckled, then his laughter turned to a scared cry.

He awoke with a start, his hand clutching the sheet like he had been with the napkin from his dream. His mind still hazy, he wondered why the bartender began to cry. What meaning did it hold? The crying continued, calling out for
mommy
.  Reality snapped into place. Cody was spending the night and was crying out from the living room. Jeremy pulled on his jeans and ran out to the living room. Cody was sitting straight up, tears streaming down his face.

“Mommeeeee.”

“Daddy’s here, Cody.  What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“The monsters are going to get me,” Cody cried out.

Jeremy sat on the thin mattress, the springs creaking underneath him. Pulling Cody to him, he wrapped his arms around him in a paternal gesture. “Shh, it was just a dream,” he whispered in a low, soothing tone.

“It was scary. They were big and furry and chasing after me with hammers,” Cody sniffled.

“Monsters aren’t real. They’re just a figment of our imagination,” Jeremy assured him.

Cody’s breathing was returning to a normal pace, the tears subsiding. When he thought his son had fallen back asleep, Jeremy tried to pry Cody’s arms from around his neck. “Will you stay with me, daddy?” a small voice asked.

“Of course. Try to get some sleep now.” With Cody in his lap, he maneuvered himself to the head of the bed, leaning against the sofa’s back and arm, settling in for the night.

The next morning he woke feeling more rested than he had in months.

The annual Fall Fest was the social event of the year in Bumblton, bringing everyone within a hundred mile radius out to participate. It was a fundraising event that brought together vendors and businesses to collaborate for a common goal. This year, all proceeds would benefit the Bumblton Education Fund, an organization created to enhance the learning capabilities of Bumblton’s children. They offered free tutoring, horse therapy, scholarships and so much more. 

Whispering Winds’ contribution was a roping booth. Two of their most docile mares were brought to town for the day and they offered small children the chance to climb into the saddle and use a real lasso to rope a bovine. The cattle were wooden figures cut out and painted to look like bulls and cows.  Any kid successful in the endeavor left with a prize.

Lanie had volunteered to work the first shift on Saturday, handing out prizes, not realizing that Jeremy had also volunteered to be the “cowboy.” She’d purposefully been avoiding him since she’d sent him that text last weekend. Emotionally broken texting was almost as bad as drunk texting. When he’d dropped Cody off the next day, he, thankfully, hadn’t mentioned a single word about what she’d asked. In return, she remained silent about his text apologizing. Even several years late, it meant a lot to her, though she was still fighting against the reason why it meant something.

Several of the men had come out the night before to set up their booth. They did a nice job on it, she noted; she was sure they’d draw a decent crowd.  Jase’s truck pulled up towing the horse trailer behind. Jase and Trevor, one of Whispering Winds’ top ranch hands, exited the truck and unloaded the mares into the fenced off area. Jeremy pulled up a few minutes behind them.  He stepped out of the truck, dressed in full cowboy regalia, for the benefit of the booth. For several moments, she stood there, staring, transported back to another time when they were happily married.

When he reached for something in the bed of the truck, she looked with approval at how the faded denim fit snuggly against his rear backside, accentuated by the gap in caramel colored fringed chaps. He turned and she saw he sported his championship buckle; she couldn’t help but smile.  As far as she knew, he’d refused to acknowledge anything rodeo related since the accident. Wearing the buckle was a step in the right direction of healing.  Her gaze traveled up, resting on his chest. Overtop a blue checked shirt, he wore a vest matching the chaps.  Berating herself didn’t work to stop her from imagining what it would be like to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt and glide her hand over the defined lines of his chest, tracing his pecs.  He walked toward her, his spurs clinking.  Before he reached her, Trevor came between them, leading Jeremy off to show him something in the trailer. 

“What the hell are you thinking?” Jase growled behind her.

She turned to see her brother shooting daggers with his eyes; she was surprised steam wasn’t rising from his ears. “This is getting really old,” she managed to say calmly.

“You could have fried an egg with the heat between the two of you. Don’t forget you have a boyfriend, one who treats you well. Don’t stoop to Jeremy’s level.”

Losing control, Lanie swung her arm back and slapped Jase across the cheek, leaving a bright red outline of her hand. Immediately feeling regret and knowing she’d apologize if she stayed, but not ready to make the gesture, she stomped off, away Whispering Winds’ booth.  Her brother had stepped completely over the line this time, and while she felt bad for striking him, there was no excuse for what he’d said.  She wandered around the fairgrounds, taking everything in, letting her mind forget, for the moment, the scene with Jase, the confusion surrounding Jeremy, and how complicated life had become.

The scent of kettle corn permeated the air, one of her favorite treats. First Church of Bumblton always sold the snack, along with fresh roasted nuts, as their contributions to the festival.  Judging by the appetizing smells in the air, the yummy goodness would soon be ready for purchase. Next to the kettle corn booth, the bank had set up a pumpkin painting booth. Hundreds of pie pumpkins sat in large piles, waiting for a child to come and lay claim, giving each a personal touch. Next was an apple bobbing station, hosted by the police department.  That had always been one of her favorites, but Cody wasn’t crazy about it.  He was freaked out that other people’s mouths may have touched an apple. She’d never thought about that as a kid, but now that Cody pointed it out, she had to admit it freaked her out also.

There were a few more booths with games and a little further down was Clay’s stand where supplies to make scarecrows were being spread out on hay bales. Since last week, they hadn’t seen each other or talked about that night. He’d been so sweet when she abruptly brought their prelude to sex to an end, but this week he’d acted distant, or reserved at the least. She didn’t think he’d be mad, but now wasn’t so certain. Hesitantly, she walked over to greet him.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” 

Conversation had never been this difficult for them. “Are you going to be here all day?”

“Just for the morning. Hank and Aaron will take over this afternoon.”

“Allie’s coming by at two to take over at our roping booth. Jeremy and I are manning it this morning.” Clay rose an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing. What are you doing when you’re done?”

“That’s what I was going to ask you. Want to do something? Cody’s staying at my parents’ tonight again. He caught on to the fact they spoil him when he spends the night, so he’s always asking now.”

“Sure. Just stop over and I’ll take off whenever you’re ready.”

She left Clay feeling disheartened. There was a strained politeness between them and it worried her. Emitting a growl of complete frustration, she realized she had to return to the booth. The continuing fight between her and Jase couldn’t affect her duties. With any luck, Jase wouldn’t be hanging around. Halfway back, she ran into a worried looking Jeremy.