When the Heart Falls (6 page)

“
I thought he went yesterday after I got back,” Misty said confused.

“
He started to but by the time he was able to get a hold of all the men it was starting to get dark. So he arranged it for them to go first thing this morning,” Maggie informed her.

“
Who all went with him?” Misty asked curiously.

“
I believe he took Tom, Jim, Chester and the two young men he hired yesterday,” Maggie stated as she continued to sew.

“
So,” Misty said, dragging the word out. “What time do you think they’ll be back?” She leaned against the porch railing and stared out towards the land.

“
My, you are full of questions today,” Maggie jokingly responded and smiled. She could tell where Misty was going with all the questions. It amused her to see her daughter infatuated with a man she just met. But it also concerned her seeing as she had only had her heart broken just a few weeks ago. 

Misty gave her a pleading look. “Come on, Mom.”

“
I’m not sure, Mis. They’ve been gone for a few hours now. I really wouldn’t expect them to get back till after lunch time.”

Misty sighed and sat down on the steps. She had hoped that she would run into Vance sometime this morning while she was doing her chores. That way it would seem unexpected but now with everything done she really had no excuse to run into him. She rested her head in her hands and sat there in silence.

Maggie noticed the look of defeat on her daughter’s face. She hated to see her take a step back when she had been doing so well lately. Misty had actually been very happy considering the emotional toll Brad had put her through.

“
Hey,” Maggie said animatedly. “I need to run into town and pick up a few things. Feel like going with me?”

Misty turned to look at Maggie and forced a smile. “Sure,” she replied trying to sound eager. She took one more look at the field and followed her mother to the truck.

***

“
Mrs. McCoy, how nice to see you!” the store owner said as she shook Maggie’s hand.

“
Good to see you too, Bonnie,” Maggie responded and smiled at the woman. “You remember my daughter, Misty,” she said as she placed her hand on Misty’s shoulder.

“
Oh my, yes I do. You’re all grown up and very beautiful if I may say so,” Bonnie stated as she shook Misty’s hand.

Misty smiled back and mumbled, “Thank you, ma’am.” She felt a little embarrassed at the woman’s comment.

“
So what can I do for you today?” Bonnie asked as she turned her attention back to Maggie.

“
I’ve just come for a few supplies and,” her voice trailed off as Misty wondered around the small store.

It was your run of the mill Mom and Pop shop; a total mish-mash of items thrown into one tiny little building. They had everything from basic grocery items, to horse tack, to car parts. She walked down the tiny aisles looking at all the items on the shelf. When she was done browsing about the store she returned to the checkout counter. She glanced over at the bulletin board that hung on the wall next to the register. There was the usual missing dog flyer, business cards and help wanted postings. One flyer stood out from the others. It read:

Bucking Bronco’s Wild West
 Fair
, Friday May 20
^th
 
through Sunday May 22
^nd
. Come enjoy
 
carnival rides
,
games and delicious food! It’s fun for the whole family! Fair grounds open at 2pm. Don’t forget to sign up for the Bucking Bronco contest. Winner will walk away with $500. Contestants must be 18 years or older.

She thought about the last time she had actually been to a carnival. It had to have been at least twelve years ago. 

“
Ready?” Maggie asked pulling Misty’s attention away from the flyer.

“
Huh? Oh yea, ready,” Misty replied and followed her mother out to their truck. She thought about how much fun it would be to go to the carnival. However, she didn’t want to go all by herself. She hadn’t been in touch with any of her old friends in years, and to top it off she didn’t even know how to contact any of them. Maybe she could talk her parents into going. It wouldn’t be so bad attending a carnival with them, after all they were pretty fun people. And who knows, maybe she would run into some people she knew. Having friends again would be helpful in trying to have a social life. She longed for the friends she had in high school. They had always had so much fun and always stuck up for one another. She decided that she would make mention of it over dinner tonight.

*** 

They were just pulling up to the house as the men were riding into the yard. Misty’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Vance. He wore his whip curled up around his shoulder and his hat was sitting low on his forehead. He looked like he had just stepped out of a western movie; her real life cowboy. She quickly collected herself and stepped out of the truck and helped her mother with the bags. As she walked toward the house she caught site of Vance again. He looked over to see her staring at him and he smiled and waved. It was a very subtle action and only she noticed. She smiled and attempted to dip her head behind the paper bag she was carrying. Her cheeks were growing warm and she was determined not to let this man see her blush.

She helped her mother unload their purchases. Every once in a while she would glance out the window to see if she could catch a glimpse of Vance. She noticed her father talking to the men and then he headed toward the house. He walked in the door, removed his cowboy hat, and hung it on a peg on the wall. 

“
Hi honey,” he said as he placed a kiss on Maggie’s cheek. Maggie leaned into the kiss and then watched him as he walked over to the sink. “What’s for dinner?” he asked as he washed his hands.

“
I was planning on fried chicken,” Maggie responded while placing items in the pantry.

“
I hope you have enough for everyone. I’ve invited the boys to stay for dinner,” Jack informed her.

“
Thanks for the heads up,” Maggie said in a teasing tone as she smiled at Jack. “Yes I believe I have enough for everyone. Where are the men now?”

“
They’re taking care of the horses. One of the mares threw a shoe while we were out so Jim is going to replace it. They should be done with everything by the time you have dinner ready,” Jack stated as he wiped his hands on the dish towel.

It felt like Misty’s heart had jumped up into her throat. Vance was going to be joining them for dinner. Her parents had continued on with their conversation, but Misty couldn’t make out the words for all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears.

“
Um, I think I’m going to go take a shower and get ready for dinner,” she quickly blurted out and bounded up the stairs.

“
What was all that about?” Jack questioned as he watched Misty run out of the room.

Maggie stifled a giggled and simply replied, “Nothing.”

***

Misty ransacked her closet looking for something nice to wear to dinner. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, but she also wanted it to look like she had put some effort into it. Finally she decided on a cotton spaghetti strap dress. It was simple yet flirty and she had to admit, it complimented her figure nicely. She finished the outfit with a pair of wedge sandals and took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs.

Dinner was an unusually quiet affair. No words were spoken till the end of the meal and even then it was just a simple,
“Thank you for dinner ma’am, it was delicious.”
Maggie smiled at the compliment and told everyone she was happy they enjoyed the meal and thanked them for all their hard work. The men excused themselves from the table and retired to the porch. Maggie cleared the table and Misty filled the sink with warm soapy water to wash the dishes.

“
Looks like everyone’s leaving,” Maggie noted as she looked out the window of the back door.

Misty sighed and dipped a dish into the water. She swirled the dish rag around on the plate till it was clean and then rinsed it off. She continued the process in an almost zombie like state.

Maggie noticed her daughter’s demeanor and came to stand beside her. “Penny for your thoughts,” she said as she nudged Misty.

“
I’m fine, Mom,” Misty said in a bland tone.

“
Baby girl, I can tell when something’s bothering you. I’m assuming this has something to do with that boy,” Maggie replied compassionately.

Misty stopped washing the dish in her hand and turned to look at Maggie. “I just don’t understand, Mom. I mean, I thought he’d at least say hello or something. Maybe I’ve been reading him wrong this whole time. Maybe he’s not interested in me at all,” Misty said in an almost broken hearted tone.

“
Mis, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s definitely interested. And I wouldn’t expect him to strike up a conversation in the middle of dinner with all these other men around,” Maggie said, trying to reassure her.

Misty smiled and replied, “You really think he’s interested?”

“
Yes baby, I really think so,” Maggie said reassuringly. 

Misty continued to wash the dishes and Maggie dried. By the time they were done Jack had come back into the house. Misty could always tell when her father had entered a room because he smelled of tobacco and peppermints.

“
Well ladies, dinner certainly hit the spot,” Jack said as he patted his stomach. He pulled up a chair at the table and sat there drumming his fingers on the wood. 

“
So Jack, are you going to tell us what happened with the missing cow situation?” Maggie asked impatiently. She had been waiting all afternoon to hear if they had been able to find out how it escaped.

“
You mean missing cows,” he said, accentuating the s on the end of the word.

“
More than one has gone missing?” Maggie replied, befuddled.

“
Yep. By our count we have about twenty missing,” Jack stated frankly.

Both Misty and Maggie stared at him with a disbelieving look. “Twenty?” Maggie said as her jaw dropped.

“
Don’t ask me how either because we can’t figure it out. We rode all over that pasture and checked all the fencing and everything was perfect. I can’t even figure out where the one was able to get out,” Jack said, the irritation clear in his voice. “We’re going to have to keep a close eye on the situation to make sure no more go missing.”

Misty felt just dreadful that this had happened to her folks. She knew how much they relied on the money from selling the cattle. But she couldn’t help feeling a little sad about missing the carnival as well. She had gotten her hopes up that she would run into some old friends and maybe be able to start her life over. But she knew she couldn’t ask her parents about it now. They needed to keep close to home to keep an eye on things. She could go by herself she thought, but quickly changed her mind. 

“
I’m sorry, Daddy. If there’s anything I can do to help just let me know, ok?” Misty told her father as she hugged him.

“
Thanks sweetie, but there’s not much we can do right now except for keep a close eye on the herd,” Jack replied as he hugged her back.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then turned to go upstairs. “I guess I’ll call it a night. I’ll see you both in the morning,” she said as she started to walk out of the kitchen.

“
Hey Mis,” Maggie said, trying to catch her before she got too far. “Can you do me a favor first and take these scraps out to Buck and Dolly?”

“
Sure Mom,” Misty said and she took the plate of leftover food morsels from her mother. She put on a denim jacket from the peg on the wall and headed outside. The night was still and the air had a slight chill to it. Spring was still very much in the present but she could tell that summer would be coming very soon. She rounded the corner of the barn and was greeted by Buck and Dolly. Misty bent down to pat each one of them and then gave them the table scraps. On her way back to the house she was startled to see a dark figure standing by the porch steps. She gripped the ceramic plate tightly in her hands and proceeded slowly towards the figure. As she got closer she loosened her grip on the plate.

“
Hi Misty, I’m sorry if I scared you,” Vance apologized and dipped his head. There was a boyish charm to him that she just absolutely loved. He removed his cowboy hat and ran his hand through his silky black hair. 

Misty was stunned. She could feel her heart beating against her chest like it was trying to escape. It was so loud she was scared he would actually hear it. She breathed in a deep breath to calm herself. Why was he here? What was she going to say to him? She was trying to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. Different phrases passed through her head but she didn’t speak any of them. She wondered how she should act. Should she be charming and witty? Or should she act like he didn’t exist? Being off the market for ten years had surely done some damage to her flirting skills. But never mind flirting for the moment. All she needed to do was say something to this man; anything would do.