Page 74 of A Cowboy to Call Her Own

It was official. Kelley could fly now.

She ended the phone call where she had just been offered the head chef position at an award-winning fine dining restaurant in a luxury resort in Las Vegas.

Kelley now had everything she needed—a job. Exactly what she wanted—a place to make her culinary mark. And no further reason to stay in Gold Finch.

She pressed her palms flat on the metal desk in the Galloping Fork Diner office and searched for that joy. Any minute it was going to sweep through her and she would be beyond thrilled. Kelley watched the second hand tick around the wall clock hanging above the door and waited.

Nothing.

She was flattered, of course.

Honored to be selected.

Pleased with such a solid offer.

But ecstatic or elated or even delighted—she was not feeling that.

Pushing out of the creaky chair, Kelley gave up the wait and went in search of Frannie and her mom to give them the good news. She was frowning when she pushed through the swinging door into the dining area and stepped into a full-scale summer garden party.

Dozens of floral horse collars were propped on chairs around the room. More flowers in a burst of rainbow colors waited in vases and buckets. There were yards of shimmery ribbon spools. So many sequins. Hot glue guns. Needles and thread. Bright costumes. Cowboy hats. Cowboy boots. Laughter. Too many folks to count. And such beautiful chaos that Kelley’s smile bloomed from cheek to cheek.

The dance team shouted her name and waved from the other side of the room. Kelley found a path over to the group of spirited teenage girls, stopping to chat with locals on the way. Finally, she reached the girls, and their excitement at volunteering washed over her as they presented her with one of their floral garlands now adorned with beautifully intricate bows in coordinating colors. Encouraging them to keep going, Kelley spun around when her name was shouted again.

Frannie and Amy Peterson, the head coach of the dance and cheer teams, motioned to her from a window booth. But Kelley was stopped by the florist, Nora, who recommended that Kelley sell her miniature strawberry cake towers and signed up on the spot for a standing weekly order.

Finally, she reached her sister’s booth. Frannie promptly climbed out and dropped a gold circlet onto Kelley’s head. Amy lifted up Kelley’s costume for her to see, a perfect outfit representingStrengthfor their Heart of a Champion parade float—a crimson suede split skirt with a fitted top.

The dance coach looked happy with the team’s efforts. “We added antique gold trim to your skirt and your top to match what we added to Maple’s red saddle blanket.”

“We are going for bold, deep red and antique gold for courage and heart to represent strength,” Frannie explained. “We want you to feel fierce and elegant.”

Kelley drew her finger over the subtle shimmer in the metallic thread and appreciated every stitch. “I approve.”

Frannie fist-bumped Amy, then Frannie wrapped her arms around Kelley and said, “Glad you like it. If this is our last parade together, I want to make sure we go out in style.”

Last parade with her sisters… Kelley startled and swallowed around the sudden knot in her throat. She hugged Frannie a little bit tighter. They debated the trim for the three sashes—one for strength, stamina and speed—that each sister would wear. Picked the flowing chiffon ribbons for Frannie’s speed theme. And designed a flower crown for Laura-Beth’s stamina costume.

The cheer team captains came to find out if Kelley had more caramel apple bites. A quick trip to the kitchen and the captains took the platters to hand out the sweet treats. More than one local recommended adding the caramel apple bites to the secret special menu Kelley was supposedly building.

Kelley chuckled and eyed Beatrice and Lynette. “I thought a secret special menu was supposed to be, well, secret.”

Beatrice chuckled loudly. “It’s not a secret for friends and family, Kelley.”

Lynette grinned and spread her arms wide. “And we are your community, Kelley. You’re stuck with us.”

Stuck with them. No, Kelley was lucky to have them. She turned around to refill water glasses and pulled up to avoid bumping into Rosalind Sterling.

Rosalind wrapped her in a warm embrace. “What wonderful fun this evening has been.”

Kelley nodded and said, “I’m glad you are enjoying yourself.”

“I’m even more excited for the parade tomorrow.” Rosalind trailed behind the lunch counter. Rosalind continued, “Now, I was talking to a few of the teachers from the high school earlier.”

Kelley scooped ice into a pitcher and filled it with water, only half-listening. A burst of laughter from the widows’ corner caught her attention. Smiling, she glanced at Rosalind.

The former high school principal resumed speaking. “And there are a handful of students interested in culinary arts, so we thought it would be quite beneficial if you spoke to them.”

Kelley blinked and sputtered, “Me?”