Tutus & Cowboy Boots (Part 2) (13 page)

“Go ahead Cade, order some. You know you
want to, and carbs are good for energy,” Gran says as she nudges my
shoulder.

“Maybe I should live a little, but I’ll take
the sugar-free syrup and turkey bacon,” I state.

“Heck if you’re gonna do
that, don’t bother. Get real syrup and bacon. Go big or go home,”
she cheers.
Where does she get this
stuff?

Looking at Mom, she starts to laugh. “Hey,
that’s your gran.”

“And your mother,” I remind her and we all
quietly laugh while Gran acts as if we’ve lost our minds. I love
it.

Taking a bite of those pancakes is like a
little piece of heaven. It’s almost like my favorite croissant, but
the syrup makes my mouth scream in delight.

Gran looks at me and I can already read her
mind. “Go on and say it.”

She smiles before letting the words leave
her mouth. “I told ya so,” she says as she stabs her fork in her
pancakes and takes a bite while making a sound that should be
illegal. I glance around and see a few eyes on us, but instead of
hiding I smile sweetly. I love my crazy gran.

Once we finish eating, Gran walks us around
the store. I’m amazed at all the old-timey toys, candy, clothes,
and décor that would make a country lady go coo-coo for Cocoa
Puffs. Gran picks out some candy and pays for it then we walk
outside and take a seat in the rocking chairs while we wait for
Mom.

It’s peaceful out here with Gran, except for
the sound of traffic coming off of the nearby interstate.

“Thanks, Gran,” I state.

“For what?”

“For being you.”

She pops a sucker in her mouth. “Well, who
the hell did you think I’d be?” I shake my head because what do you
say to that?

After an exhausting day of dancing, we
accept our awards and head home. I text Barrick to let him know
we’re on our way. I can’t wait to see him, and as exhausted as I
am, I would love to spend the night dancing with him at The Loft or
our spot. I don’t care which; I just want to be with him.

Barrick

That damn Daisy has yet to deliver. When
Cadence calls to let me know they are on their way home, I ask her
to hand the phone to Ms. Mae. I let her know that Daisy has yet to
deliver and ask if she’d like me to stay the night to keep an eye
on her. She tells me not to worry, that having a calf is a natural
thing and it will happen in due time.

After I check on Daisy one more time, I
hurry home, shower, and get ready. I pull out a pair of jeans and a
button up, slide on my boots, and grab my wallet and keys. Making
my way downstairs I hear the door open and see my parents and
sister walking in.

Jade lets out a whistle. “Where are you
headed off to?” she questions.

“The Loft,” I state.

“Without Cadence?” she asks.

“No, I was going to stop by and see if she
wanted to go too.”

Dad and Mom look at each other and I know
what’s about to happen. “Bare, you sure that’s a good idea? It’s
been a long weekend. I’m sure she’s exhausted,” Mom says.

“I’m going to go and see her, and check on
Daisy. No worries. I promise my eyes won’t get the size of a
house,” I say with a straight face.

Jade bursts out laughing,
Mom gives her the evil eye, and Dad pulls out a chair.
Damn.
I take a seat as
Mom and Jade leave us alone.

“Dad, don’t,” I say.

“Barrick, do you really
think I’m going to have that talk with you? Hell, you’re a grown
man. I wanted to talk to you about something else a minute. Son,
you’ve proven yourself this year at Ms. Mae’s, but you need to
decide if you want to continue going to community college. I want
you to get a good education first and foremost, whether it’s here
or elsewhere.”
So it’s the other dreaded
talk.
Now that I have Cadence, I want to
have bigger goals but I still don’t have everything figured out
yet.

“Thanks Dad. I’m not sure what I want to do
yet. I love working the farm and now that I’ve met Cadence, I’m
just not sure if I want to go far away.”

“Son, you know she has her own choices to
make. I heard about her acceptance to the Boston Conservatory.”

“Wait? What?”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“No.”

“Your mom told me while we were at the
competition. Cadence hasn’t decided yet but she hasn’t said no,
either. Do you think she’ll stay local for you? It’s only been a
few months that she hasn’t been causing trouble for Ms. Mae.”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know why she
didn’t tell me. Dad, I told her I loved her and she said she loves
me too. I’ve never met anyone like her. She used to drive me crazy
and now I just can’t stand to be away from her. Why wouldn’t she
tell me?”

“I don’t know, son, but part of being an
adult is making hard decisions. Just make sure you make the right
ones for you and you’ll have to support her when she makes the
right decisions for her.”

“Well, I guess I have a lot to think about,”
I say as I stand to leave.

“I’m always here for you when you’re ready
to work it out.”

“Thanks Dad,” I say as I hug him goodbye and
walk to my truck.

I call Cadence on my way over to hear about
the competition and we are still on the phone when I pull down the
drive. She is standing at the barn and when she sees me, she hangs
up and runs toward my truck. It’s almost as if she’s in slow motion
and can’t reach me fast enough.

I hurry out of the truck and jog toward her.
As she meets me, she jumps into my arms and I never want to let her
go.

“Miss me much?”

“More than you know,” she says as she starts
to kiss me, but then pauses. “Why are you so dressed up?”

“I thought I’d take my girl out. You up for
it?”

She glances down at herself. “Give me twenty
minutes,” she says as she kisses me briefly and sprints to the
house.

Shaking my head, I hop in my truck and put
it in drive as I pull up beside her.

“Wanna ride?” I question.

She stops and takes a deep breath. “Why
didn’t you stop me?” she asks, sliding in the front seat.

“You took off before I could say a word,” I
say as I park in front of the house.

“I’ll be right back,” she says, kissing me
quickly and hurrying inside.

Cutting off the ignition, I walk to the
front door and knock before entering. “Ms. Mae?” I holler.

“In here, Barrick,” she calls from the
laundry room. Walking in, she starts to talk but stops abruptly.
“What made you put on the dog?” she asks with her hands on her
hips. I look around confused. She gestures at me from head to toe.
“This. Why are you dressed up?”

“I thought I’d take Cadence to The Loft but
if she was too tired, I’d just visit. Besides, I wanted to check on
Daisy too.”

She shakes her head as she folds a t-shirt
from the dryer. “You’re not delivering a calf lookin’ like that.
Oh, and speaking of dancin’…” she starts to say.

“No need. I heard enough already from Jade
and my dad. I can’t believe you’d throw your favorite worker under
the bus like that,” I smirk.

“Wipe that smirk off your face, young man.
That’s my granddaughter’s ass you were checkin’ out. Don’t let me
catch you doin’ it again. Ya hear me?”

I say the only thing I’ve been trained to
say. “Yes, ma’am.”

At the sound of footsteps in the hallway, I
turn around to find Cadence in a pair of skintight jeans with a top
that gives me a slight view of her shoulders. She stands there and
smiles with her makeup done perfectly. When she turns around, I see
that her shirt leaves little to the imagination from the back, but
thank goodness her hair is trailing down her back, covering up her
perfect ivory skin.

“Goodnight Gran, I’ll be home by eleven,”
Cadence says as we walk to the front door.

“Ya’ll be good now,” she hollers back.

“Yes, ma’am,” we say in unison as I place my
hand on her lower back and guide her toward my truck. I take in
every inch of her beauty before I walk around and we make our way
to The Loft.

Cadence

Barrick is quiet as he pulls into The Loft
and I wonder if we’re both just tired from the long week. When he
comes around and lets me out, he takes my hand in his and leads me
inside.

We walk to the bar and he orders me an
unsweet tea and a soda for himself. He hands me the tea and we
stand around and talk about the competition and Daisy. He’s sure
she’s going to deliver this week, but says we’re on God’s time.
Something feels a little off but I decide not to push it. I just
want to enjoy our night out.

As a couple’s dance breaks out he smiles,
places my drink on the bar, and pulls me toward the dance floor. I
don’t know what he’s thinking because I’ve never done this
before.

He takes my hand in his,
holding it mid-air while placing his other hand on the small of my
back. Doing what’s natural, I place my other arm on his shoulder
and feel as if I’m caught in a bad week on
Dancing with the Stars
.

“Cade, just follow my lead,” he says, and I
give him a nod. Within moments we’re winding around the dance
floor. After I’ve got the hang of it, he looks at me and asks if
I’m ready. I have no clue what he’s talking about but tell him yes
anyway. Before I know what’s going on, he’s spinning me around,
pulling me back into position. I laugh like I haven’t in a long
time and when the song ends, he pulls me in close, looks into my
eyes and as his lips cover mine, I fall harder and harder for this
delightful country boy.

Pulling apart as the music changes, I
realize that the band’s on a break and it’s not classic country
music; instead it’s the kind with a good beat that could be played
on a pop station. I have to dance, and I think Gran might not be
happy. Taking Barrick by the hand, I take my place on the dance
floor and sway my hips to the beat of the music. He holds me
tightly and moves right along with me. Thank goodness Jade taught
him well.

When the song ends, he whispers in my ear.
“I’m so glad Ms. Mae isn’t here.” Giggling uncontrollably, I turn
to face him and place my hands on the side of his face and kiss him
sweetly.

“I love you, Barrick Carpenter.”

“I love you more,” he says
as he kisses me and everything feels right again. When the music
changes, the dancer inside me feels a new beat. It’s screaming at
me to make a move. I pause and Barrick notices.
What is that?
I hear clapping and a
guitar. This isn’t my style but something about this song is
calling to me.

“Maren Morris,” Barrick states.

“What?”

“This is ‘My Church’
by Maren Morris,” he explains and then begins to
sing. Hmm, watching a country boy sing a very girlish song is the
most adorable thing. I take a moment to feel the beat and let
myself go. Barrick takes me in his arms and we move as one. I can
promise as soon as I get home tonight, I’m downloading this one so
I’ll never forget this moment with him.

Barrick

Never in my life did I
expect Maren Morris to be the song to make Cadence find a love for
country music. If anything, I expected a Luke Bryan or Thomas Rhett
song because they kind of have a pop feel, but if this is what she
likes, then she’s my girl.
My
girl.

We needed this time together. After the
conversation with Dad, I’m afraid our time is limited. I was going
to ask her about Boston when we were at the bar but I decided I
just wanted to have fun instead. I didn’t want to ruin the
evening.

When the band comes back to the stage, I
check the time and realize she needs to get home. I lead her to the
truck and before I can close my door, I see her downloading the
song on her phone. It makes me smile and when she catches me
looking at her, she giggles.

I slide up the center console and motion for
her to slide over. Then I tell her to plug her phone into my
adapter so we can listen to “My Church” on the way home.

We listen to it on repeat and as we arrive
at the house, she waits for the final words to play before turning
off the radio.

“Who’s Hank?” she
questions. I try my best not to laugh because I know she’s serious,
and that’s when I hear Ms. Mae, my mama, and Jade, in my head
saying
Bless her heart.

“We’ll save that lesson for another day.
He’s kinda like one part of the holy trinity of country music.” She
looks confused. “You know Cash, Waylon, and Hank.” She shakes her
head and I laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you all about
them.”

“Can’t wait,” she says sarcastically as I
help her out of the truck.

I give her a kiss and walk her to the front
door. Then she gives me one more before going inside. As I stand on
the porch, my head and heart are spinning. My head is telling me
not to get too serious and my heart is saying too late; Cadence
Lewis is my church.

Chapter 21

Cadence

I’m exhausted when I reach my bedroom but
can’t fall asleep. All I can think of is Barrick and how he always
makes things better. What am I going to do if I go to Boston and
how am I going to tell him? I don’t want to say anything to him
until I know what I’m going to do, and I know I have to figure it
out soon. I don’t want to think about all that tonight, so I grab
my Kindle to read a bit before bed. Just as I pick it up, I notice
the gift from Dad that Mom left on my dresser. I guess I better
open it and see what he sent me.

My hands start to tremble as I work to open
it. When I can’t get it, I walk to the kitchen for a pair of
scissors. I’m shocked to find Gran at the table with a cup of
coffee.

“Gran, kinda late,” I say.