The Cowboy Takes a Bride. Debra Clopton

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СКАЧАТЬ don’t really see anything special between them. If, however, they see lasting possibilities they will watch carefully and tweak as necessary.”

      “Did you just say ‘tweak’?”

      Clint grimaced. “’Fraid so. Obviously, up to this point, my friend, you haven’t had ‘tweak potential.’ But Lacy saw something yesterday, and all that may be about to change.”

      “Hey,” Stanley called, looking up from his checkers. “Maybe she saw him reach fer his socks! App here thinks that’d be the way to knowin’ who’s smitten and who ain’t.”

      Applegate scowled. “I’m tellin’ ya that woman last night on Leno made sense. She had more degrees tagged onto the end of her name than Liz Taylor’s got ex-husbands, so she should know.”

      Stanley jumped two of his checkers and grinned impishly, making Ross wonder if he was picking on App to distract him from the game.

      “Don’t ask,” Ross said, shaking his head when Clint looked at him. “App watched something on TV about body language, and he figures he’s got it all figured out.”

      “So did you reach for your socks?” Clint asked with a chuckle.

      “Might as well have, from what we heard,” App said.

      “You two need to take your act on the road,” Ross teased.

      “You think yor family would take us on?” Stanley asked.

      “Are you kidding? They’d snap you two up in a minute. Y’all could give ole Homer Lee a run for his money.”

      Applegate grunted. “I’m bored stiff sittin’ here lookin’ at Stanley every day, but you couldn’t pay me enough ta git up on a performin’ stage.”

      Ross took a drink of his coffee, remembering all the years he’d spent on stage. “I couldn’t agree more. I just thought I’d offer. A good comedic act can always find an audience.”

      Stanley spat a sunflower husk into the spittoon. “I’d pay good money fer App ta stay off the stage.”

      That got a laugh from everyone.

      Sam topped off Ross’s and Clint’s coffee. “Do you ever miss it, Ross?”

      “Nope.” He took a drink, feeling the burn. “Twenty years in the spotlight was more than enough for me. But I could still put in a good word for you two if you want me to,” he said, laying money on the counter and standing. It was time to go to work.

      “We might be bored,” Applegate said, “but wild horses couldn’t get us ta leave Mule Hollow.”

      Ross grabbed his hat and snugged it down on his head. “You’ve got that right. This is the place to be.”

      And it was. He was happy with his life.

      He’d started performing on stage at age four, singing with his grandpop. It hadn’t taken long for him to be listed on the marquee as a box-office draw. Even for a little kid, seeing his name up on that sign had been a thrill. He’d been twenty-four when he’d realized he couldn’t do it anymore.

      Didn’t want to do it anymore.

      His grandpop had been dead for a couple of years, and living his life around two shows a day, six days a week, had started to give Ross ulcers. Living someone else’s dream would do that to a body.

      After stepping out on the sidewalk, he strode toward his truck and climbed in. This was his dream. Overseeing the land, the legacy he’d inherited from his dad’s family. Running cattle, building up his ranch, even with broken tractors and irritating beavers included. God had blessed him with great family on both sides of the tree. He’d had a choice of two separate ways of life, but this was the one he wanted to cultivate. This was the one he wanted to raise his kids in.

      Backing the truck out, he glanced up toward the apartment where Sugar Rae Lenox now resided. He was living his dream, but he was ready for the good Lord to send him a soul mate. Truth was, he’d had his name up in lights, but the only place he wanted to see it these days was on a wedding certificate.

      He just had to find the right woman to sign on with him.

      

      Sugar couldn’t wait to see the barn.

      She knew she should ask beforehand, but she couldn’t help herself. The ladies had said it was on the outskirts of town, and she had to view it. Had to know if this would be a place where she might be able to set up her show.

      The very idea of putting on a strawhat production of some sort in a real barn excited her more than even the thought of having it in the community center. An honest-to-goodness barn theater added an entirely new element to the project, making her excitement level jump to unforeseen heights.

      “Thank you, Lord,” she gasped when she saw the big old barn come into view. The thing was huge. And ancient. And lovely. Simply lovely. For a gal who’d been doubting herself, her dream, her faith, this felt like a sign that God was still on her side. So far everything about coming to Mule Hollow was proving to her that the voice of doubt she’d begun to hear was unfounded. God wasn’t the one whispering in her ear, telling her to abandon her dreams.

      Smiling, she studied the building. The rambling place drew her as she yanked the car to the side of the road and switched off the ignition. Feeling as giddy as a child, she scrambled out and hurried across the cattle guard. She was so engrossed in getting a closer look that the fact she was trespassing didn’t cross her mind as she walked down the rutted dirt road. Okay, so it did flit through her head for a second, but she didn’t give it any serious consideration. Ross didn’t look to be the kind of guy who would mind, and besides, she was on a mission.

      It was a looming two-story structure with a pitched metal roof. The boards were weathered, the red paint faded to a charming patina that gave it character, like wrinkles on a face. The double doors at the front were at least twelve feet high, if not fifteen. They were also slightly ajar. Sugar hadn’t come this far to stop now. Couldn’t even if she’d felt like it. She slipped inside. And stopped.

      As a kid with a weak heart, relegated to a life of sitting on a couch, or in bed between hospital visits and surgeries, she’d become a dreamer out of necessity. She’d lived because of her dreams, because of her optimistic outlook. God had given her life, but he’d sustained her with her dreams. Standing inside the door of Ross Denton’s old barn, she knew this was where those dreams were at long last going to flourish.

      If there was such a thing as love at first sight, Sugar had found it. There was a huge space inside. Stalls off to one side stood below a loft that ran across the first third of the building, leaving the rest of the barn open all the way to the rafters. Morning sunlight filtered through windows, letting in a soft glow and making Sugar feel as if she was actually walking into her dream.

      Heart pounding, she moved to the center of the barn floor, turning an old five-gallon bucket upside down to sit on. Totally in awe, she placed her elbow on her knee and her chin on her fist as her mind flew free, filling with ideas. This was it. This was the place. No longer was this just a dream.

      Oh no, this was a full-fledged done deal. She could picture it all. People laughing, kids clapping.

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