How to Marry a Cowboy (Cowboys & Brides) (8 page)

Annie Rose padded down the stairs, went to her tiny little apartment, but she was too wound up to sleep. She folded the throw from the back of the sofa and put it over the recliner, picked up a leaf she’d tracked in from the porch, and put it in the trash. Then she saw the
How
to
Remember
book on the coffee table.

Frowning, she picked it up. She hadn’t moved it from her bedside table, so how did it get from there to the sitting room?

“Oh!” She smiled.

It wasn’t her
How
to
Remember
booklet but a brand-new one with stickers of horses, cows, and even goats and cats scattered among the words on the front:
How
to
Be
a
Rancher
.

She opened it up to find the steps outlined in Gabby’s handwriting.

Number
1:
You got to love animals but you got to never let your kids bring goats into the house. Not even if they fight with you and use cuss words. Goats stink.

Number
2:
You got to wear jeans and boots. Lily says that since you already do that you are doing good.

Number
3:
You got to like living in the country. Ranchers don’t live in big towns with taxis and hotels like those places on television.

Number
4:
You got to know that dirt sticks to boots and sometimes it comes in the house.

Lily says there’s other rules but we are tired and that’s all for tonight. We love you, Mama-Nanny.

She held the booklet to her heart. It started as a soft giggle but pretty soon it turned to sobs as the dam let go and she truly mourned her past. Now if only she could find closure and let it go.

Annie Rose couldn’t believe that it had been six days since she’d been awakened by little girls squealing on the front porch, or that tonight those same little girls were playing and singing for their daddy in the living room. The girls were giddy with the preparations and had changed clothes a dozen times, traipsing up and down the stairs for her opinion on what they should wear for their first concert.

She had planned on a one-song show after only a week of fiddle playing and singing. But that had stretched to two numbers, and now it was up to three songs, one with fiddle accompaniment, and two with the karaoke machine providing background music.

Supper involved more wiggling, whispering, and squirming than it did eating. The show was to start at seven o’clock, and it was already after six, so the excitement was mounting fast.

“Do I need to get out my tux or will my Sunday suit do for this show?” Mason teased.

“Oh, Daddy, it’s a country music concert. You can wear your jeans and shirt, and Mama-Nanny can wear jeans too. But y’all have to clap even if we miss a note, and at the end of the summer we might even get matching T-shirts for us all, like at the Miranda concerts,” Gabby said.

“I’m very good at applause. I took that class in college,” Annie Rose teased.

Mason caught her eye above the girls’ heads and smiled. “Did you pass it?”

“Made a hundred on every test,” she said. “Did you take it too?”

“No, I’m self-taught. Trained in how to clap my hands by two little girls when I taught them to play patty-cake,” he answered.

“Daddy!” Lily exclaimed. “Don’t laugh at us. We’re going to knock your socks off.”

“I’m sure you are, but right now could we finish supper? I’m really hungry, and you don’t want my growling stomach to be louder than your music. Have you forgotten that tomorrow is the Angus Association picnic and the next Saturday is the trip to The Pink Pistol? And speaking of rodeos, the Saturday after that, let’s take the girls to the Resistol Rodeo down in Mesquite.” Mason made plans as he ate the rest of his supper.

Lily threw a hand over her forehead. “One thing at a time, Daddy. We have to concentrate on our concert right now, then all three of us girls will plan out what we’ll wear to the picnic.”

“Picnic? Tomorrow?” Annie Rose asked. Surely the nanny didn’t attend every one of those affairs, and if she did, what was she going to wear?

“It’s the one family affair that we have each year. We alternate ranches where we have it. This year it’s Lucas Allen’s turn. His ranch is up near Savoy, not far from here. He supplies the brisket. We all bring a covered dish. There’s a cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory in the freezer. That’s what I always take,” Mason said.

“We’re done. May we be excused, Mama-Nanny?” Gabby asked.

“Of course, and we’ll use the dishwasher because you two are concert stars not ranchin’ women tonight.” Annie Rose’s head was in a spin. A picnic and she only had two outfits and a dirty wedding gown. If only the dates had been reversed, she might have found something decent at The Pink Pistol store.

“We’ll be ready in fifteen minutes, Daddy. You best get in line at the door, or you’ll miss the first number.” Lily tossed back her hair on the way out of the kitchen.

“I dread it when they’re sixteen,” he said.

“You have every right to dread their teenage years. Am I really supposed to go to all those places you mentioned? I’m the nanny. I can stay home.”

“Yes, ma’am, you are going. A nanny could take the day off, but since you are the mama, you have to go.”

“How far is it into Whitewright?” she asked.

“Five minutes, tops. Why?”

“Because I have two pair of jeans and a torn, dirty wedding dress. If I’m going somewhere with you and the girls, I’d like to look decent,” she answered.

“The keys to my truck are hanging on the rack beside the back door. They’re the set on the keychain that says World’s Best Dad. Don’t have to tell you what I got for Father’s Day last year, do I? I’m not so sure what you can find in Whitewright. Seems like there is a new women’s store across from the library, so you might have to do a quick run up to Sherman.”

“Thank you. And now you’d better get on out of here and let me clear off the table so I can set up the refreshments,” she said.

“Refreshments?” He cocked his head to the side in a gesture that made him even more attractive. Green eyes twinkled and a smile tickled the corners of that absolutely delicious-looking mouth.

“Since this is their first concert, they are giving open backstage passes. We will be serving coffee, sweet tea, and cupcakes immediately after the concert. Just a reminder, you should ask for autographs on the paper napkins,” she leaned in to say softly and wished that she could taste, just one time, his lips after he’d sipped sweet tea. Even thinking about it was more intoxicating than a shot of whiskey.

Mason pushed back his chair. “I keep saying the same words, but I don’t know any other way to say it: you are amazing, Annie Rose.”

“You might want to wait to say that until after the concert. I don’t even know what they are doing after the fiddle song. The other two are with Lily’s karaoke machine,” she whispered.

Mason leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “This week has been incredible.”

She didn’t get the pleasure of a real kiss, but she felt like a teenager who’d been kissed by Blake Shelton at a country music concert. She had to hold her hands tightly in her lap to keep from touching her cheek to hold the kiss there forever.

“It’s been the most fun I’ve had since I was a kid,” she said.

“Daddy!” Lily yelled through the closed door. “Do you have your camera to film us?”

“Yes, princess, your filming crew is ready,” he said.

“Is the refreshment table ready?” she asked.

“It will be in five minutes,” Annie Rose yelled back. “And in exactly nine minutes we will be in our seats and ready.”

“Beers after they are in bed tonight?” Mason asked.

“I’ll be the one on the swing in my bare feet,” she said.

“I’ll be on the lookout for you.” He smiled.

***

Mason and Annie Rose waited until the clock struck seven to open the doors. Jar candles were on the coffee table, the end tables, and defined an area around the part of the living room designated as the stage. They’d gone to a lot of trouble setting up a metal stand with music and a fiddle, a karaoke machine, and two bales of hay. How they’d gotten that hay into the living room was a mystery. Annie Rose thought she’d kept a better watch on them than that.

She and Mason took their seats and managed to keep a straight face when they saw gray duct tape holding a sign on the chair beside the music stand. Written in bright pink crooked letters, it read
Welcome
to
the
first
concert
of
the
Famous
Harper
Sisters
.

The door swung open and they made their appearance, walking slowly into the living room and waving at Annie Rose and Mason. Gabby was dressed in a pale blue gingham-checked sundress that matched her eyes. Lily wore a hot-pink skirt with a petticoat making it stand straight out, and a cute little tank top. The bling on her hot-pink cowgirl belt glittered in the candlelight.

“Welcome,” Gabby said in a big voice. “Thank you for coming. We’ve got a show that y’all are goin’ to love. We’ll get started with the fabulous Lily Harper playing on the fiddle and accompanying me while I sing “I’ll Fly Away.”

Lily picked up a microphone from the music stand and said, “Afterwards you are invited to a backstage party held in the dining room. Refreshments will be served, and we will be giving out autographs. Now sit back and enjoy the first-ever Famous Harper Sisters concert.”

Mason leaned over and whispered into Annie Rose’s ear, giving her a warm tingle all the way down her spine. “No way can she play that already.”

“Be prepared for a surprise,” she whispered back, her lips close to his ear.

Lily laid the microphone down, picked up the fiddle, tapped the bow on the strings twice, and then drew it down in a whine before she started. She did a perfect chord progression of DGDDAD as a prelude, nodded at Gabby, and then started over again.

“Some glad morning when this life is o’er,” Gabby sang into the microphone held at the right distance from her mouth like Annie Rose had shown her.

She made the last note last long enough to let Lily change chords and then went on. They only had one small glitch, and that came on the last stanza when Lily was supposed to put the fiddle down and harmonize with her sister. She started the next chord procession with the D chord instead of dropping the fiddle. She realized immediately what she’d done, and Gabby covered for her by flipping her hand backwards and saying, “Play it, Sister.”

Lily repeated the prelude and then joined Gabby in the last chorus, harmonizing beautifully for two little nine-year-old girls. When they got to, “When I die, Hallelujah by and by… I’ll fly away,” they were right on key and in sync.

Annie Rose didn’t know if she was prouder of them for covering the mistake like pros or for their fantastic job. She jumped to her feet and applauded.

“Wow! I don’t believe it. I didn’t even hear her practicing,” Mason said.

“Practice time is for an hour or two after you go back to work in the afternoon. But I have a confession that I’m not supposed to tell you. She’s been sneaking that fiddle out and practicing for weeks. She gets chords from the Internet and even read some how-to articles on beginning fiddle playing. She’s a quick study, Mason.”

“And now if everyone will take their seats again, we have two numbers picked out to sing to you,” Lily said.

The first chords of Jason Aldean’s “She’s Country” came through the karaoke machine, and they both picked up a microphone.

“Dear God,” Mason gasped.

Gabby strutted across the stage as she sang about being a hot little number in her pickup truck. Lily came in when the lyrics said she was a Georgia peach with a big Southern drawl. They had the choreography down to a T, winking and pointing at each other as they sang about being born that way.

When the song ended, they held hands and bowed and then popped right up in time for Lily to take the lead on “If I Die Young,” by The Band Perry. She sang that if she died young then the Lord should make her a rainbow. Gabby took first place on the second verse and winked at her daddy.

Annie Rose could feel his tears without even glancing his way. The girls had no idea that any song of dying young would open up raw emotions that were still buried inside his heart. She reached over and covered his hand with hers, hoping that it brought him a measure of comfort and that he didn’t let the dam inside his soul break in front of the girls.

“And this one is because we get to go to The Pink Pistol next week and we love you, Miranda, wherever you are tonight.” Gabby held the microphone up in a salute.

Background music for “Hell on Heels,” by the Pistol Annies came through the karaoke louder than the other songs. At the end of the prelude, both girls came in to sing about being hell on heels. Then Lily said that she was made pretty and Gabby said she was made smart and they both did Miranda’s part about having a pink guitar.

Mason laughed and drew his hand out from under Annie Rose’s to clap. His whistles rocked the room, and the girls beefed up the performance more with every bit of his applause.

Annie Rose swore she could hear Miranda’s grit in Lily’s voice. Mercy sakes, that child might have a tour bus someday if she could learn to play that fiddle like Alison Krauss and sing like Miranda. Gabby brought her voice to the mix and the two of them didn’t miss a beat when they clapped along with the background singers on the karaoke tape.

“And that ends our show. Your backstage passes are on the table, and there will be refreshments and autographs,” Lily announced.

Mason and Annie Rose applauded until the girls were out of sight.

“The little imps. Look at this. We’ve got passes with our names on them, and they’re good for drinks. Thank you, Annie Rose. I’ve never seen them so happy.” Mason hugged her tightly. She spontaneously looped her arms around his neck and hugged him back.

“Daddy!” Lily’s voice floated into the living room.

“Your adoring audience is on the way,” Annie Rose yelled.

“Is this our first date?” Mason asked.

“I don’t know. Did we go as friends or as a couple?” she asked.

He flashed a brilliant smile. “I’m not sure. What’s the difference?”

“Would you kiss a friend?”

He threw an arm around her shoulders. “That’s putting it pretty straight.”

She smiled and led the way into the dining room, where the backstage passes had to be shown before they could get through the doors. The party lasted half an hour and then the girls had to give up their celebrity status, but they didn’t fight with Annie Rose when she said it was time to clean up the mess in the living room and get ready for bed. Mason volunteered to haul the equipment up so they wouldn’t miss out on their reading time. Annie Rose said that she’d take care of the cleanup in the kitchen.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever calm down,” Lily sighed. “That was so much fun.”

“Will you come tuck us in, Mama-Nanny?” Gabby asked.

Annie Rose glanced at Mason, who had a dollop of chocolate cupcake icing in the corner of his mouth. That was his time with the girls, so she didn’t know what to say. She cocked her head to one side in a question.

He nodded his approval and licked the icing from his lip. She would have gladly taken care of that for him. All he had to do was give her a sign. He didn’t even need to ask.

Good
God! What am I thinking? It’s the excitement of the evening that’s gotten to me. That and the kiss on the cheek, but I’m not a teenage hussy. I’m a full-grown woman who’s been hurt too many times to be thinking like this.

“I can do that,” she finally answered. “I’ll get your pillow all fluffed up and then your dad can come in and do the final tucking.”