Page 1 of Dependable Cowboy

CHAPTER ONE

Joy Randall’ssleeveless shirt and shorts clung to her like a second skin despite their hundred percent cotton construction as she drove through her old familiar haunts. Rocky Ridge, Montana might not be a stranger to her, but it felt a bit like some distant relative she only saw during family reunions.

It was almost surreal being back here after a decade of being away. Since this was her hometown, she knew others would expect her to appreciate her return to the fresh air, sprawling green pastureland, and small-town country charm.

But those expectations better prepare to be subverted because coming back home had only happened as a last resort.

“Mommy, it’s so hot,” Kara, her eight-year-old daughter complained from the backseat, and though technically, she couldn’t blame her, piling on any additional stress right now wasn’t a good idea.

“I know,” Joy snapped, then taking a deep breath, softened her tone. “I know, sweetie. Why don’t you switch seats over to the middle.”

Her ancient Toyota Corolla had long been a rattletrap of a car, but it was all she had. The fact that it had no working air conditioner or windows that rolled down in the back was something she and Kara just had to deal with. It didn’t help that they were currently experiencing record-breaking highs for July as well as several rain showers in a row. It made the normally delightfully dry and comfortable summer atmosphere sticky and sweltering.

Especially when there was little to no air movement.

At least when her child sat in the middle of the back seat, Joy could aim the single working vent in Kara’s direction.

The area was still undeniably beautiful. Mountainous terrain served as the background no matter what way she glanced. And even though Los Angeles was situated on a coastal plain made up of pavement, rocks, and grass so dry and crispy it resembled breakfast cereal more than plant life, she already missed it. She had built a life there or tried to.

But sometimes no matter what you did, life would go flying off the tracks.

She passed a bank with one of those digital signs that specified temperature. It was one hundred and nine degrees right now, so it was no wonder her normally placid daughter kept griping about it. Joy felt like she was melting, too, and if she’d had the time, she might’ve stopped and purchased them some drinks or something else cold. But she didn’t have that time. She needed to make about a million pitstops today, and she was on the way to just one of them.

The sign flashed from the temp to the fact that it was eleven o’clock in the morning, later than Joy wanted it to be. Then, it switched to a message.

Congratulations to native son Jack Taylor on his latest first prize win!

Jack Taylor, famous on the rodeo circuit for his ability to stay on the backs of bucking broncos, had made a name for himself. She probably would’ve eventually heard about this win even if he hadn’t been her second cousin. Taylor had, after all, been her maiden name. But then everyone seemed to be related by blood or marriage in tiny communities like this one.

She hadn’t seen Jack or his sister Lilliana in ages, but she believed he might be engaged to some girl named Felicity. Or maybe he’d married her by now? Joy wasn’t sure. She knew Lilliana had snagged a husband from one of the four Duncan brothers who ran the appropriately named Duncan Ranch outside of town and that she still taught at the high school. But only because of the family newsletter her mom always forwarded to her at Christmas.

She didn’t want to think about her parents right now despite having just moved in with them. It’d been so embarrassing to have to call them up with her tail between her legs asking for refuge. Not only because they’d been mostly estranged for years, but also because Joy had felt like she had to eat crow. They’d been right about the man she’d married while she’d been wrong. So very wrong.

But Joy hadn’t known that when she’d walked down the aisle to marry him.

The most notable thing about Wayne Randall was his charisma. The man could charm a rattlesnake right out of its skin. He’d won her over with his big personality, good looks, and leading man smile. It hadn’t hurt that he’d been a man with big dreams to match that personality.

Wayne had wanted to be a star. He talked about his future in the movies all the time. Had told her his name would someday be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to so many other people everyone recognized. And his excitement about this had been contagious. More importantly, she’d witnessed his talent in acting and believed he could actually pull it off.

That’s why she’d not only married him against her mom and dad’s wishes, she’d moved with him to LA. California had been like this whole other world. At first, it’d been so exhilarating. She’d felt wild and free as well as rebellious for defying her folks. They’d had to live in a closet-sized apartment that cost an arm and a leg, but right off the bat, Wayne attended a bunch of auditions. Joy had been so sure his moment was right around the corner.

It hadn’t been.

Turned out that Wayne Randall was a small fish in an enormous pond of hopefuls exactly like him. And while he was out there giving his all and doing his best, so were so many others. Thousands of them. On the rare occasions when he’d receive a call back, either the gig wouldn’t be above board—typically a total scam—or he never made the final cut.

After a year and a half of this, the light of hope she used to admire inside her husband faded.

But Joy kept supporting him, encouraging him. She invested in a short stint in beauty school so she could begin working in the hairstyling industry. Through one of the few contacts Wayne had, she even managed to secure a full-time job as a stylist on a soap opera. The steady work saved them even though the pay wasn’t great. And that was when Wayne broke down and did what so many others before him did, he waited tables.

Joy passed a restaurant named Three Sisters Barbecue Excellence, somewhere she’d never heard of, and caught a strong whiff of something tangy and probably wonderful. But Wayne wouldn’t have been remotely interested in working in a place like that. The only reason he got onboard with serving at all was due to the bistro being frequented by the Hollywood elite. He’d been certain that he’d be “discovered” by a casting agent, producer, or director.

So, for a while, everything seemed fine.

That’s when she discovered she was pregnant.

Joy had known she wanted to be a mother someday, but having it happen right then was less than perfect timing. Her and Wayne’s finances weren’t where they needed to be for a child, and at first, she’d been terrified to tell him. When she did, though, he seemed happy. Nervous but happy. They prepared for Kara’s arrival and right before she was born, he had another audition that boded well. He even got hired to do a pilot. They’d both been on cloud nine.

Then the network dropped the show prior to it even airing.

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