Page 19 of The Texas Cowboy's Rescue

He’d felt that once. Then he knew that trusting himself was the only way he would survive. But he could see that trust was elusive and tenuous. Yet he believed that there was a small part of that wall that wanted to let the light shine in. He knew what it was to face impossible situations where all the odds seemed stacked against him. But he had trusted in himself and his abilities. And he knew that was the bridge he needed to build. He could build it, but she would need to want to take the steps to cross it. It was asking him to gamble on another human besides himself. Did he know what he was considering?

Chapter Ten

“Okay, drum roll,please!”

“Is she serious?” Kenzie whispered as she leaned closer to Sammi Jo, who stood beside her on the sidewalk. She had joined Laurel and Sammi Jo for breakfast at what used to be known as Coffee and a Chat. But they had arrived to find a group of patrons gathered on the corner in front of the café slash bakery slash bookstore slash candle emporium. Hence the sign had been placed on the newly rechristened business... Coffee, Chat and Etc! Some of the more boisterous in the crowd gave Tallie, the owner, the drum roll she requested. Others did a more sedate clapping.

“Serious as a tax audit,” Laurel responded as Sammi Jo nodded.

“Don’t you mean serious as a heart attack?” Kenzie commented.

“I’m a business geek and you are a health professional, so whatever is most appropriate goes. Now let’s get inside and beat the others to the home-baked goodies,” Laurel responded. And everyone definitely enjoyed the free trays of pastries and coffee that filled the long bar inside after the unveiling.

“We sit back here.” Sammi Jo led the way once they had their plates in hand. “This is our reserved booth. Tallie won’t let anyone else occupy it.” They slid into the U-shaped seating. Tallie appeared behind them with a pot of coffee and brightly colored mugs for each.

“Laurel’s mug is gold... in honor of those little guys she collects.” Tallie grinned, setting the mugs around the table. “Sammi Jo is bright green, matching her favorite eye color and the fields her horses run in, mine is multicolored, depending on the day and mood I am in. And when they told me that we were initiating a new member of the table elite, their cousin from the big city, I think bright blue as the Texas sky you fly in.” She handed over the mug.

“Thank you! This is a surprise and a great honor... I can’t think of a better group to be part of.” They all shared laughter.

Tallie slid into the open space. Laurel poured coffee for all of them. “These two have been so happy to have you back in the fold here,” Tallie said to Kenzie. She blew on the hot coffee to cool it down some. “And you have a really special gig. Flying around with the hottest hunk in town.” Laurel’s throat-clearing interrupted her.

Tallie shook her head. “Excuse me... the mosteligiblehottest hunk in town. The others have been taken already.”

“True,” Sammi Jo high-fived her sister.

“So tell us.” Tallie grinned. “Are those skies really asfriendlyas we might hope?”

Kenzie swallowed the bit of pastry. And how would she answer that one? They might really be kidding with her, but the kiss from her dream flashed through her brain again. She did as always when a question was personal... she simply gave a “quiet” smile and sipped her coffee.

“I knew it.” Tallie sighed. “It’s as great as we think. That’s depressing.”

“Come on, you’ve got a ring on your finger. So you shouldn’t be worrying about anything else.”

Tallie gave Laurel a shake of her head. “A ring that is growing dusty with age.” She wiggled the finger with the solitaire on it.

“Well, we have our work cut out for us this year then,” Sammi Jo spoke up. “We give Tallie and her Dawson a major shove down that aisle, and for our dear Kenzie... we can share that friendship is the best of all beginnings. Don’t miss out on it.”

Something about her cousin’s words struck a chord inside her. But she kept her expression noncommittal. “We’ll see.” She was glad when the next topic came along.

“Founders’ Day is coming. The committees will be forming soon. And then there’s the Labor Day picnic, celebrating the end of summer.”

“Isn’t that all exciting? So much to do, so little time.” And there stood Melba Tweet, aka, the Twitt... the bane of their existence and the gossip queen of the newspaper. Showing up like a bad penny. Kenzie looked at her counterparts and their identical smiles almost made her want to bust a gut of laughter. She had to bite down on her bottom lip. And then she was in the headlights.

“Look who’s back among us! I was so surprised to hear you came back to our little town. But I was afraid the big city might be a bit too much for a widow and child. But never fear, my dear. I am sure one of your married friends can find a nice man that doesn’t mind having a wife with a child already in tow. Maybe I should think about starting a singles advertisement in my newspaper. I’ll let you know.”

“And you should go check into that idea right now,” Laurel spoke up, her sister nonchalantly laying a hand on her arm to remind her to breathe first. “You wouldn’t want someone else to hear about it and beat you to the punch. Bye now.” Laurel didn’t win Academy Awards for nothing. Her “bye now” meant so much more. Melba opened her mouth and then shut it... sort of like a guppy taking in air. At least, that’s the impression that came to Kenzie’s mind.

“See you later then, girls.”

“Not if we see you first,” Tallie muttered. “I’m sorry, Kenzie.”

“Don’t be. I remember the Twitt from when I grew up here. She is still as obnoxious as ever.”

“And just as much a waste of time as ever. Now where were we?” Laurel popped another bite of cinnamon roll into her mouth and the genuine smile came back.

*

“Mama, Mama... guess what?” Brooke was in full throttle before Kenzie cleared the car door. “Jackie invited me to go camping with them. A real camping trip, with tents and a campfire, with s’mores and everything. Please, can I go, please?”

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