Cowboy Candy Read Free

there?” he asked.
“No honey, not a thing,” she smiled.
He turned to leave and she stopped him in his tracks.
“Honey, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” she said.
“I’ve noticed that you haven’t been getting off the ranch much these days.
When are you going to give yourself permission to be happy,” she quizzed.
“Mom, I get out enough. I am happy, really. I am not interested in
anyone in town, and I am not about to go driving clear to El Dorado simply
to find a woman. Besides, I am way too busy to do all that,” he replied.
“I see your point, honey. I hope someday you take some time off to
relax a bit. I know there has to be somebody out there that catches your
fancy,” she pointed out.
“Nope, not a one,” he affirmed.
“Well my son, it’s okay to take the blinders off now. Give yourself
permission to be happy. When you open your eyes, I’m sure you’ll be
amazed at what you might find.”
CHAPTER 4
    Maddy slowly opened her eyes. At first, it took a moment for her to
familiarize herself with her surroundings. Then it hit her all at once. She
was not lying in her own bed. She was not ever going to be lying in her
own bed in Tennessee, ever again. “Why did you do this to me, Jack?” she
sighed. In a way, she was grateful. In another way, she felt lonely and a bit
frightened. She was starting a completely new chapter in her life. One that
she thought she had already written.
    Maddy had never been known to be a quitter, she supposed that is
what bothered her the most. She had never run away from anything or
anyone in her entire life; yet, here she was. On the other hand, she could
honestly say that she had given four years of her life to a pathetic excuse of
a man. She realized she had done the right thing. Grand Valley was merely
a stepping-stone. “Enough of the damn pity party,” she announced to no
one in particular. “Good morning world, it’s great to be alive!,” she laughed,
kicking up her heels. “I’m finally free!.”
    She sat up and stretched her arms above her head.
The sun was
shining, and it was going to be a glorious day. Enough of the sad sack
attitude, it was time to start living again. It had been so long since she felt
sure of herself. Nobody was there telling her what to do, how to do it, or
that she had done it wrong. When you live with someone who is constantly
putting down your every move, eventually, you start believing it. She had
been under Jack’s control for so many years; it damn near suffocated her.
“Guess what Jack? Not you, not any man...is going to treat me that
way....ever.”
    She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash some water
on her face. She twisted her long chestnut hair into a ponytail and pulled
on her sweats. She was sure that she would be able to slip over to Mabel’s
coffee shop before anyone else was even awake. Grabbing her key, she
stepped into her fuzzy pink slippers and opened her door. The air smelled
crisp and clean. She hadn’t realized how breathtaking Grand Valley was last
night. It was too dark to notice anything. Now, she felt as if she were
standing in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting. She smiled, and
scuffled over to get a cup of coffee.
As she stepped inside, it was as if the whole world came to a standstill.
    Surprisingly, the place was packed. Maddy realized that she stuck out like a
sore thumb, pink slippers, and all. She steeled herself against the stares and
smiled.
    “Morning Miss Mabel!” she called out to the old woman.
Mabel turned and grinned from ear to ear.
“How do ya’ want your coffee hon, black or with cream and sugar?”
Maddy grinned, “Cream and sugar, please Miss Mabel.”
Despite the early morning hour, some lovesick cowboy had put a
    quarter into the jukebox and Charlie Rich’s haunting voice filled the diner.
“My baby makes me proud, Lord don’t she make me proud. She never
makes a scene by hangin all over me in a crowd . . . Cuz people like to