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Tyler Garrett drove away without looking
back. Truth is, he was afraid to even glance in the rear-view mirror for fear
he would turn his big Ford extended-cab truck around. Of course, he was hauling
a trailer with the finest quarter horse ever bred, so turning around on that
two lane road might have given him a little trouble…but then, trouble was what
he did best.
Ty was the middle son. The one who invented
the word ‘trouble,’ at least, according to his dad. No one could deny that “Big
Jim” Garrett thought the world of his three sons, but somehow it was always Ty
who inspired him to call out, “Here comes trouble.”
Well,
here goes trouble, Dad.
He reached the end of the farm-to-market
road and idled, looking both ways for traffic, but of course, there was none.
With a deep sigh, he hooked a wide right, allowing for the trailer to arc out
behind him as he pulled onto the Interstate. He straightened his shoulders and
thought about his destination.
Dallas.
Dallas, where Ty would take the first step
in making his own dreams come true. Where he could polish his talent and live
up to his mother’s aspirations for him as well.
He frowned, his grip on the steering wheel
tightening. Too bad Mom didn’t live to
see this day. She always believed in me.
A
lump formed in his throat as he pictured her sweet face. She was the one who
never failed to show up at the talent shows, looking pleased and applauding
like crazy. Making her proud had been one of his prime motivators.
Big Jim, on the other hand, just shook his
head and said, “That singin’ stuff is nice and all, but you need to concentrate
on your true callin’, boy. You were born to be a rancher. It’s in your
blood.”
Ty sucked in a deep breath and blew it out.
Well, he’d done what he could to make that happen. He graduated from Texas Tech
University with a degree in Agricultural Economics and Range Management. He
devoted years of his life to making his dad proud of him, but ranching just
wasn’t in his heart.
His mother’s last words to him were branded
into his memory. She had placed her hand on his cheek and gazed up with love in
her eyes. “Follow your heart, Ty. Not many people are blessed with the talent
the good Lord gave you, so you need to make the most of it.” She lapsed into a
coma and passed away the following day.
Ty owed it to her to make it big. And
Dallas was just the launching pad. His friend, Will, had a recording studio and
was going to cut a demo for him. Then, Ty was set to try out for the Texas
Country Star television show. If he made it through to the state finals, he
would go on to compete in the Nashville Idol contest. He was pretty sure he had
a good shot.
Ty’s departure was taking place a few days
earlier than planned. Will had studio time available the beginning of the next
week, but after the morning’s blow-up with Big Jim, Ty decided to head for
Dallas and just hang around at Will’s.
He drove east, oblivious to the flat, north
Texas countryside. His head was someplace else, but, without much effort, he
filled the truck with his strong voice, singing one of his mother’s favorite
gospel tunes. He could see himself on
stage, performing for the Nashville audience. For the world…
The town of Langston appeared on the
horizon. He thought he should stop and grab lunch before the long drive to Big
D. It was a fairly small town, so there weren’t many choices. He passed a Dairy
Queen and Tio’s, a Mexican restaurant, before pulling in at Tiny’s Diner. He
parked where he could keep an eye on his rig and climbed down out of his truck.
Funny to think he was really on his way.
With all of his dad’s wealth, he had only taken what was important to him. His
horse, his guitar and a few clothes. ‘Cause
I’m sure not going back.
A metal cowbell clanked against the glass
door when he entered the restaurant.
“Hello, Tyler,” Crystal called out. She was
a fixture here at Tiny’s. “Table or booth?” She grabbed a menu and waited for
his answer.
“Table near the front window would be
best.” Removing his Stetson, he raked his hand through his thick, dark hair.
She walked him over to the window and
placed the menu on a table for two. “Iced tea?”
“That’ll be good.” He set the Stetson on
the other side of the table and took a seat facing the door. When it opened, he
had to check out the new arrival.
Man!
His
breath caught as his gaze fell on one of the prettiest women he had ever seen.
She wasn’t exactly what one could call hot, but when she paused in the open
doorway, he felt like he’d been kicked in the gut.
Her large, wide-set brown eyes reminded him
of a fawn, or perhaps it was her blondish-brown curls, swept up in an untidy
gob at the crown of her head. Definitely had the air of a skittish animal, not
quite tame. Her threadbare jeans had a rip on one thigh and she wore a tank top
with an over-sized blue work shirt on top. She swept the room carefully, as
though alert for something, then turned back in the open doorway and motioned
someone through.
A young girl stepped forward, pausing when
the woman’s slender hand came to rest on her shoulder. The girl looked like a
replica of the woman, with lighter blonde hair and a big cast on her forearm.
The kid had that same half-wild expression on her face, like she
would turn and bolt from the restaurant if something spooked her.
