Home to the Cowboy

“This is what it’s about, right here,” Cole said. “This was my father’s dream.”

Tess saw Cole swipe at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying hard to hide his emotions. In the lifetime she’d known Cole, she couldn’t remember him shedding a single tear. She wouldn’t have guessed this side of him existed. The same went for his father.

“What’s wrong with her?” Tess hoped her question wasn’t callous.

“Ever has cerebral palsy. Up until I last saw her a little over a week ago, she was still in a wheelchair. Today is the first I’ve seen her walk more than a few feet without anyone supporting her.”

“I didn’t realize hippotherapy was that powerful.” Tess had heard of the therapy but hadn’t paid too much attention to it. “How can a horse teach her to walk?”

“It allows her to walk.” Cole turned to face Tess with his arms out, palms facedown. “The horse’s gait very closely mimics a human’s walk.”

He moved his hands up and down. “If you walk with your hands on your hips, you will feel a steady rhythm. A horse’s movements are almost identical to ours. In Ever’s case, she needed to strengthen her core muscles and improve her balance. Hippotherapy builds up her core and allows her to have the ability to walk with the aid of crutches. The day may come when she won’t need them anymore.”

“Interesting saddle.” Tess noted its thinness and lack of leather.

“It allows the rider to feel the muscular movements of the horse better so they can engage the right muscles. The two separate handles are easier to grip and don’t interfere with her sense of balance.”

“Why does she call you CC?” Tess asked.

“It’s short for Cowboy Cole. She’s called me that from the moment my dad brought us here last year.”

Tess watched the girl ride closer to the fence rail. Her pink top matched the tint of her cheeks. An assistant led the horse, and her therapist and another staff member flanked both sides. Cole waved his hat in the air when she passed, cheering her on. Looking around, Tess tried to find the girl’s mother. A parent testimonial would be a great addition to the website.

“I don’t see her mom. Did she leave?”

“Ever’s in foster care,” Cole said. “Has been since the day she was born.”

“She’s an orphan?” Tess’s voice was louder than she had intended.

“Some people can’t cope with raising a special-needs child,” Cole said. “Ever was abandoned as part of the Texas Safe Haven Law. Since it’s anonymous, her parents’ identity will remain a mystery.”

“What?” Tess shook her head, unable to fathom the thought of deserting a child. How could anyone hand their child over to a stranger and not care what happened to it? “They gave her away because she has cerebral palsy?”

“Most likely, and it’s not as uncommon as you might think.”

If she was lucky enough to be blessed with a child, and that child was born with a disability, Tess was certain she wouldn’t be able to give it away. How could you live with yourself afterward?

“People are sick.” Tess spit out the words.

“Don’t be too judgmental,” Cole said. “We don’t know the circumstances. Maybe it was a selfish socialite that didn’t want the stigma of a special-needs child, but it also might have been an abused single mother, without any means to care for a child. She may have felt someone else would give her a better life. We’ll never know the truth and, unfortunately, it’s something Ever will always question.”

“So she’s a ward of the state?” Tess asked.

“Pretty much, although my family is her benefactor.”

“Her benefactor?” Tess tried to process the fact that this tiny girl in front of her was treated like an object instead of a human being.

“This past spring, Ever needed new leg braces. She had outgrown her old ones and I’m sure she’ll outgrow these soon. Without new braces she can’t walk, but since she’s in foster care, sometimes there’s red tape involved in getting what she needs.”

“I don’t understand. You said she can’t walk without them.”

“She can’t,” Cole explained. “They not only support her, they stretch her overflexed muscles, allowing her more mobility. Without them, she’s confined to a wheelchair.”

“How can anyone deny her something she needs?” Tess grew more flustered by the moment. “What kind of quality of life does she have without them?”

“Calm down, Tess.” Cole motioned for her to move farther away from the pen so Ever wouldn’t hear their conversation when she came around. “She’d have gotten them eventually, but there was no telling if it would take a week or a month. My father wanted to take control of the situation and speed the process up, so he stepped in and became her benefactor.”

“Why didn’t your parents adopt her?”

“Because they’re over the age limit. Honestly, I thought of it myself, but a single male can send up some warning flags. Ever is one of thousands of children with disabilities available for adoption. Those big blue eyes are the sole reason my father wanted to build the hippotherapy facility.”

“So children like her can be provided for.” Tess narrowed her gaze. “I’m going to bust your brothers right in the nose.”

“Whoa.” Cole laughed. “Easy there, slugger.”

“Have Chase and Shane been out here?” Tess waved when Ever rode by on her horse. “You’re doing great!”

“That’s my rodeo princess!” Cole strode back to the fence. “Yes, and they have no problem being her benefactor, but they feel there are enough hippotherapy centers in the state and don’t want to build another one.”

“But you said there isn’t one for a hundred miles.” The realization of the situation suddenly hit Tess. “It comes down to money, doesn’t it?”

“There isn’t another PATH International facility around for a hundred miles and yes, their decision’s money propelled. You earn more with a rodeo school than you do with a nonprofit. They only see the bottom line, not who it benefits.”

“We have to change their minds, Cole.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.”

Chapter Four

Tess didn’t hear her mother leave the house, but she’d bet Maggie was up and out shortly after Tess called it a night. The sun peeked over the horizon, gently waking the songbirds from their slumber. After a few hours of sleep, she enjoyed the brief walk into town, even in the briskness of the fall air, strolling past a few cemetery-filled front lawns all ready for Halloween. No matter the time of day, or spooky decorations, Ramblewood felt safe and secure. A foreign concept in her five-story New York City walk-up.

Light spilled onto Main Street through the luncheonette’s picture window, casting shadows of magpies on the sidewalk. Outside, Tess watched her mother and Bridgett bustle through their morning routines. The casual gestures her mother made toward Bridgett made Tess yearn for the same closeness. A stranger would assume Bridgett was Maggie’s daughter by their ease and camaraderie.

“Tess, this is a surprise.” Maggie hefted a tray of pies onto her shoulder, carrying them to the display case near the front window. “You got in so late, I figured you’d sleep through to afternoon. Did you and Cole have a good time yesterday?”

“Cole, huh?” Bridgett peered through the kitchen opening. “Do tell! Especially since you never showed at Slater’s.”

“I don’t want to hear any dirty details,” Bert said. “You leave those parts out, you hear?”

“Put your tongues back in your mouths.” Tess fixed herself a cup of coffee. “I was out at the ranch working with Kay on some marketing ideas and Cole wasn’t even around. One of the mares was foaling and he was in the barn. I hate to break it to you, but there was nothing salacious going on.”

Bridgett’s shoulders visibly slumped. “And here I thought I could live vicariously through you.”

“Not when it comes to Cole Langtry, you won’t,” Tess said. Unless you counted the impromptu kiss in the gas station parking lot.

Tess considered herself the good Girl Scout and was prepared for most things in life. But for some reason, Cole’s kisses managed to take her off guard. It was one thing when they were kids, but as an adult, he shouldn’t have this much of an effect on her. If she closed her eyes she could still feel the heat of his body inside the truck’s cab. “Oh, this is ridiculous!”

“You look like a snake bit you on the toe.” Bridgett whispered through the kitchen pass-through, “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Bert’s head popped out. “Stop gossiping and finish slicing those lemons or else we won’t be ready in time to open.”

Bridgett mouthed, Tell me later, to Tess before she returned to work.

“Mom, I met the most amazing—”

“One second, dear.” Maggie pushed through the swinging door of the kitchen, returning immediately with another tray. She motioned around the room with her free arm. “Can you straighten out those chairs, please? We’ll have a full house in a few.”

Tess aligned the vinyl-covered stainless steel chairs while her mother ducked behind the counter for a rag and made one more pass over the Formica surface for good measure.

“Bridgett, add tomato bisque to the Specials Board. I’m going to start a batch in a minute.” Maggie didn’t bother to look up. “I’m sorry, Tess, what was it you were saying?”

“It can wait.”

For some reason she felt a conversation that involved Ever deserved more of her mother’s attention. Tess had hoped to make the best of this trip, visit with family, catch up with a few friends, attend the wedding and head home to New York. Already her plans were shifting since Kay had asked her to help market Dance of Hope.

Despite what happened with Cole a few years ago, he didn’t seem to hold much of a grudge, although she wouldn’t blame him if he never spoke to her again after being a no-show at his father’s funeral.

Why did he have to kiss me and confuse the issue?

“I should have come home for the funeral,” Tess said, louder than she anticipated.

“Yes, you should have.” Maggie stopped long enough to lay a hand over her daughter’s. “But what’s done is done. You can’t go back.”

“No, I can’t.” The words had more than one meaning, but luckily her mother didn’t catch on. Tess wasn’t ready to admit she was contemplating a move back home for fear everyone, especially her parents, would think she’d failed in the big city.

Tess was tired of running through the million what-ifs that had plagued her since her tidy little world came crashing down. What if she’d taken on more accounts at work, even though her workload was almost unbearable? What if she’d been more of a team player, although she always worked well with Cheryl-Leigh? So why was her roommate still there and Tess out of a job?

Cheryl-Leigh knew Tess was vying for a promotion and even supported her bid by offering to help in any way she could. While Tess was grateful for her friend’s support, she couldn’t help but wonder if her help was Tess’s downfall. There was no question about Tess’s ability to get the job done, but from an outsider’s perspective, Cheryl-Leigh was the one always lending a helping hand, which made it look like Tess was unable to manage on her own. Was it intentional on Cheryl-Leigh’s part or was she reading too much into it?

“Mom, where are all the napkin dispensers?” Tess looked around the luncheonette.

“I completely forgot I polished them last night. They’re behind the counter at the end. Don’t get them all smudgy with your fingerprints, though.”

“Am I supposed to wear gloves?” Tess teased, causing Bridgett to snicker.

“Here.” Maggie thrust a pair of disposable latex gloves at Tess as she walked past.

“I guess so.” Pulling them on, Tess began to set out a dispenser on each table.

Seeing her reflection in the side of the shiny chrome, Tess considered herself reasonably attractive. Which left her once again questioning what went wrong with Tim? If she’d gone on that last business trip with him he wouldn’t have returned married, although the logical side of her brain reasoned that since he did, he must have been having an affair for a while.

Tess glanced around. She’d missed the unpretentious and homey surroundings of the luncheonette. Trophies and photographs from Maggie’s Silkie Chicken competition days sat on a shelf above the kitchen pass-through window. It was a quirky little eatery, and her mother took pride in every square foot of it.

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