Tutus & Cowboy Boots (Part 2) (19 page)

“Now all we need are a pair of designer
shoes and we’re ready to go!” I say to her.

“Yay! I love shopping!” she says. I quickly
change and we attack the shoe section as if we are on a mission. It
doesn’t take long for both of us to find the perfect pair of
designer heels that add just enough to our dresses. We then make
our way to the register, pay, and then celebrate with a huge piece
of cheesecake before going home.

Barrick

Why is it every time she’s out of my sight I
can’t get her out of my mind? I’ve spent all day trying my best to
not think about her in a perfect dress or rather sliding in and out
of a million different ones.

When I can’t stand it any more, I walk to
the barn and take the four-wheeler for a spin. I spend the next two
hours covering every inch of our property as well as adjacent ones.
Eventually, I make my way home and see that Jade has returned.

I hurry inside. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Did y’all get a dress and stuff?”

“Yes! Oh my gosh, let me
show you mine.” I don’t care what Jade’s looks like, I want to know
about Cadence. She comes back in and I am stunned that she actually
tried it on.
When did she grow
up?

“That’s nice, Jade,” I state, playing it
off.

“Nice?” she says, walking toward me and
slapping me on the shoulder. “See if I tell you about Cadence’s!”
she says and I know she’s not playing fair.

“Nevermind,” I say as I leave her there and
text Cadence.

Me: What color?

When my phone chirps I
realize she’s sent me a picture of a tiny section of color.
Blue with sparkles.
I can
go with that. Monday morning I’m going into town to get fitted for
my tux.

Me: You’re such a tease.

Cadence: Maybe ;)

Me: The Loft?

Cadence: Sure. I feel the need to dance.

Me: I’ll see you in a few.

I tell Jade we’re going to The Loft. She
quickly texts Aaron and I know they will show up there as well. I
pick up Cadence and we make our way to The Loft, where we dance
from the moment we walk in until the clock strikes eleven. I could
get used to this.

Chapter 29

Cadence

The past two weeks have been crazy with
school and dance. I’ve checked the mail each day but haven’t heard
from any schools yet. I decided to call Ms. James and thank her for
her offer and let her know that I will be going to a school closer
to home. I know I could have waited to hear from the other schools
first, but I know in my heart I’d never be happy there. I refuse to
give up hope that I’ll get into the other schools.

As the Saturday morning light creeps into my
window, I stir with excitement. Today is prom. I hurry to the barn
to get my chores out of the way and I find a bouquet of fresh
flowers on the shelf near the milking station. Barrick is already
hard at work milking and acts as if he doesn’t see me. I walk to
the bouquet and see a small handwritten note.

Hope today makes all of your wishes come
true.

I know I’m grinning from ear to ear as I
turn around and see that he’s still trying to ignore me. I walk
toward him and wrap my arms around him from behind.

“I have you, don’t I?” I question.

He finally looks over his shoulder and
grins. He kisses my cheek then finishes with the cow.

“I’m going to go clean the stalls,” I say to
him as I kiss him gently on the cheek.

Walking into the stall I take the pitchfork
and get busy. There is so much on the agenda today it’s ridiculous.
Thank goodness I have a mom that can do amazing hair and
makeup.

As I start to clear out the
stall, I yelp as I see that damn snake.
What in the world?
I haven’t seen him
in a long time.

“Cade, you okay?” Barrick asks.

“Rascal!” I say as he comes and props his
arm up on the wooden post. “You gonna get him or what?”

“Depends on if you’re going to go kicking
and screaming like the last time,” he says with a small laugh as he
comes to my rescue.

Thinking back to that moment, I was so
pissed at the world. “That’s when you did everything to make my
life a living hell.”

“You made it easy,” he says as he picks up
the snake, walks past me, and tosses him outside. As he comes back
into the barn, I stare. “What?”

I don’t say anything. I just walk up to him,
throw my arms around him and kiss the hell out of him. That is
exactly what I should have done the first time Rascal slithered
into my sight.

“Damn,” Barrick says. I let out a little
giggle. “Hey, you better stop now. We have a long day ahead of us,”
he says as he kisses my forehead and we finish our chores.

Barrick tells me he’ll see me later after he
walks me up from the barn. When I get in the house, I let Mom know
I’m taking a shower while she gathers all the items she needs to
help me get ready. Once I’m out of the shower, we talk and have a
wonderful time together.

Once my hair, nails, and makeup are
complete, I sit and relax with Mom and Gran. My phone rings and I
smile, seeing Dad’s name. I’m excited that he remembered and took
the time to check on me. I promise to send him a picture and as I
get off the phone, Gran is laughing and I suddenly remember the
homecoming photos.

Once I get off the phone, Mom lays down the
ground rules, and of course, Gran puts in her two cents. They make
me laugh until I almost cry and I tell them to stop before I ruin
my makeup. I quickly run to my room to check my makeup and get
dressed. I then add my earrings and necklace. When I try to clasp
my bracelet, I can’t seem to get it. Taking it in my hands I walk
to the living room to ask Mom for help.

As she secures the clasp, she takes a step
back. “Cade, you look… there aren’t words honey,” she says.

“Simply gawjus!” Gran
exclaims.
What was that word? Gawjus.
Gawjus. Oh! Gorgeous!

“Thanks, Gran,” I say, suddenly realizing
that Barrick will be here any minute. I hurry to my room to check
my makeup and take a deep breath. As I look in the mirror, I’m
proud of the person I’ve become. I’ve gotten used to my new life
and have forgiven Dad. I have a loving mom and grandmother, and
Barrick and Jade are the best friends I could have. I realize I’m a
pretty lucky girl. As I continue to observe myself in the mirror, I
notice that I have everything in place but something feels off. I
can’t put my finger on it so I take a deep breath and grab my
clutch from the closet.

As I reach for it, I drop
my phone.
Crap!
As
I stoop down to pick it up I realize it fell into one of the boots
Barrick gave me. A smile spreads across my face as I pull them from
the closet and take a look at them. They match the color of my
dress perfectly.
Maybe I should wear
them
.
Maybe that’s
what’s missing.

I stand in front of the
mirror again and look down at my designer shoes. I quickly remove
them and step into the boots as I laugh to myself.
I can’t believe I’m doing this
. Hearing Mom call for me, I look in the mirror one last time.
I look down at the boots and back up at my dress.
Perfect.
In that
moment
,
something
inside me changes. I’m no longer the girl I planned be. I’m now the
girl I was destined to be.

Barrick

As I slide from the driver’s seat, I take
Cadence’s corsage from my console and fasten the button on my
jacket. I hate wearing a tux. I let out a deep breath as my heart
picks up speed with each step I take toward the house.

When I knock on the door, Regina and Ms. Mae
welcome me in.

“You sure do look handsome,” Ms. Mae
states.

“Thank you,” I reply but can’t finish my
thought as the distinct sound of boots echo down the hallway. I
have no clue if anyone notices it but me. When I see Cadence, my
heart skips a beat as I take in her beauty and then I look down at
her feet. She’s wearing my boots. I know I must have a shit-eating
grin on my face, but I don’t care. No matter what else she’s
wearing, I’m officially head over boots for Cadence Lewis.

I look up from her boots and take in the sea
of blue shimmer from the reflection of the lights on her dress.
When I finally meet her eyes, I’m speechless. I swallow hard as she
speaks.

“What do you think?” she questions.

“You are stunning,” I manage to get out as I
take a step forward, refusing to break eye contact with her. I take
her hand in mine and slide the corsage over her wrist.

“Well, let’s get some pictures,” Ms. Mae
states, breaking the spell. Cadence lets a sweet smile escape her
lips and I place my hand on the small of her back as we make our
way to the front porch for pictures. When I see Paisley walking
across the field I get an idea.

“Can we take some pictures down at the
barn?” I ask. Cadence’s face lights up.

“Absolutely,” she says. I take her by the
hand and we walk to the calf.

“You’re not going in there in your tux are
you?”

“Why not?” She shakes her head and follows
right behind me.

I give her a look. “What? She’s my baby.
Plus, now I’ve got proper boots on,” she says with a smile.

“Hey girl! Mommy’s got a hot date with this
cowboy. Doesn’t he look handsome?” she says as she greets Paisley
and the calf moves her head in agreement.

Regina and Ms. Mae tell us to get closer to
Paisley and we take a few pictures with her. When Cadence gives
Paisley a big kiss on the top of her head, I fall harder. She’s
taken this life and embraced it, and damn, if she doesn’t look good
doing it.

“What are you grinning about, Bare?”

“You amaze me.”

“What do you mean? It’s just Paisley,” she
says like it’s no big deal.

“You wouldn’t even come out here in regular
clothes when you first got here, and now here you are in a dress
and makeup, kissing a cow. I almost feel like this is our little
family.” She pauses and I see the tears build in her eyes. “Don’t
cry.”

“Oh, I won’t because I refuse to mess up my
makeup,” she says as she blots the side of her eye. “But you are
exactly right. It does feel like a little family. Thank you for not
giving up on me, Barrick.”

“Never.”

We finish up with Paisley and then Regina
insists on a few more pictures before we leave to meet everyone for
supper.

As we walk toward my truck, I can’t take my
eyes off the beautiful girl in front of me. I help her into the
truck and as I walk around to my side, Regina stops me.

“Barrick, make sure she’s home by morning.
We know you’ll want to stay out late and we trust you,” Regina
states.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say as I climb in and stare
at the prettiest girl in the world.

Chapter 30

Cadence

Holy shit!
I don’t know if my heart can take this. Barrick is
not only hot as hell in his tux, but it’s the way he presents
himself in it. It’s like he has extra swagger. I know it’s not his
style but he’s totally rocking it.

I stare at him on the short drive to The
Loft. I can’t believe prom is here. It made me laugh when I first
heard the news that prom would be held there, but then I remember
how beautiful it was at New Year’s. Barrick helps me from the truck
and he can’t seem to stop smiling.

“See something you like?” I question.

“I can’t believe you wore them. Tonight of
all nights,” he says as I loop my arm through his.

“When I looked at myself, something was
missing and when I put these on, it just felt right,” I admit.

“Well, they look amazing with that dress,”
he says as we meet Jade and Aaron by the door.

“Cadence, y’all look amazing! And you’re
wearing the boots!” Jade squeals.

“Thanks, Jade. And, yeah, they just felt
right tonight. You look absolutely beautiful,” I say.

“Thanks, Cade. I can’t wait to see how
they’ve converted this place,” she says with a smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Hello, it’s a ‘Starry Night’ theme,” she
says.

I stop dead in my tracks
and look at Barrick.
How did I miss
this?

“Let’s go wish on some stars,” he says with
a wink.

I’m blown away as we step into a
masterpiece. The worn out dance hall has been transformed. White
transparent fabric drapes the ceiling and walls while the mason jar
lights are intertwined with stars. Looking at the tables, the
centerpieces are silver glittered mason jars with a tea light in
each. There are no other words to describe it than Southern chic.
Delight might be onto something with this décor. I can totally see
it trending soon.

As we are served a three-course meal, I
steal glances at Barrick. Never in my life have I met a guy that
makes me feel this way. I am truly blessed.

Once we finish eating, we sit and talk while
the DJ begins to play. Several girls take to the dance floor but we
continue to talk, until Jade’s “jam” starts to play.

“Come on, Cade! It’s
‘Move’
by Luke Bryan! Let’s go!” she says,
dragging me onto the dance floor. I don’t even know what to do, so
I just follow the beat and start to move.

“You got it girl!” Jade says and I shake my
head.

As everyone else begins a line dance, we
follow for an eight count and jump in. It’s amazing how much noise
my feet make with my boots, but boy do they make this line dancing
easy.

Barrick

“Dang Barrick, give her a pair of boots and
the country comes out,” Aaron says.

“I don’t know if you can call her country,
but I ain’t ever seen anyone move like that in a pair of
boots.”