Molli 's Story: Chapter 2

“Continue north on U.S. Interstate 27,” the robotic voice of the GPS blurted out. Lex had just turned off of the interstate and onto a westbound highway. She looked at me and laughed. “Did you set it for Deadwood, or for Cheyenne?” she asked.

“I forgot,” I admitted. I didn’t really forget that we were going to the Cheyenne rodeo on our way to our new home; I was just so caught up in thinking about Deadwood that I programmed the GPS to go there. I reset it to point us toward Wyoming, and realized that in less than an hour, I would be out of Texas for good. Of course, we would come back to visit, but our lives were changing in serious ways. I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I glanced out at the South Plains scenery that was flying by. No more cotton fields. No more pump jacks. And no more being able to see for miles and miles. I noticed Claire’s headlights flashing behind me, and at the same time I felt Lil’ Dudes breath on my cheek. I looked at him as he poked his head into the front seat and I laughed. “Pull over Lex. Time for a potty break.”

We pulled onto the shoulder and unloaded all of the children. While they were busy greeting each other and doing their business, Claire came over to talk to me and Lexi. I knew she what she was going to say before she got to us, and sure enough: “Are ya’ll sure we shouldn’t just head straight to Deadwood? I mean, I’m all for going to the rodeo, but we have a lot of work to do…”

“Shut up Williams,” I cut her off with a grin. “This is the last vacation any of us is going to have in a long time. I’ve already talked to Britt, he is going to put us up in his guest house, and there’s plenty of room for the dogs. We’re going to cut loose and have a good time this week, and then we’ll get to work as soon as we get to the saloon.”

She smiled. “Okay. I just hope we meet some nice people,” she said with a wink. Right…nice people as in nice guys! Ha…she had no idea. Britt was a friend of mine that I met one year at the rodeo in my hometown. A team roper, he ran a ranch just outside of Cheyenne and raised roping horses. What Brooke and Claire didn’t know was that Britt had three guest houses, and we were only staying in one of them. The other two were reserved for his friends that were in town for the week—fellow ropers who were competing in the Cheyenne rodeo. I grinned as I loaded Spook back in our truck. They were in for a pleasant surprise, that was for sure!

We continued on our drive and once again, my thoughts drifted back to home. I was fortunate enough to be able to call two places home. My hometown where I grew up would always be where my heart was. My parents and family still lived there, along with many friends from high school who either never left, or went to college and came back after four years. Most of them had started families and stayed on successful career paths. Lexi and I were pretty in line with the career thing…it was the family part that we were behind on.

Not that I didn’t have the chance—I was engaged to my high school sweetheart until I called the wedding off four weeks before it was supposed to happen. Marriage wasn’t in the cards then, and I guess it really wasn’t now either. My boyfriend of the past three years was settling into his new life in the Australian town of Sydney. After working for a year and a half for the United States Department of Agriculture as a soil scientist, he had been offered a position he could not turn down. Sloan was going to be one of the leaders of a project to record and describe the soil content covering the entire continent of Australia. He would be working with the top researchers in his field, and the position would put him in the running to become one of the top agronomists in the United States.

The position was offered to him at the end of April, around the same time the girls and I had seriously begun discussing the saloon. It seemed to us that fate had knocked on our door again, and Sloan and I both agreed that these were outstanding opportunities for us. We mutually decided to put our relationship on hold for the year while he was in Australia, and we’d decide where we stood after that. It was hard when he left two weeks ago, but I knew that this was my chance to finally figure out if I was ready for marriage and a family.

I did love Sloan, but I also loved the life that I lived when I wasn’t with him. I suppose, like Brooke, I was at a crossroads too. Time for me to figure out where I stand, I guess. I smiled as I thought of the email that Sloan had sent yesterday. He loved where he was living and was fortunate to be working with three other scientists from Texas that he knew. I was glad he was happy, but part of me missed him terribly.

My daydream was interrupted by Lexi reaching into the cooler that was in the backseat. She came up with two cold beers, the mountains still blue. I smiled as I took mine from her and reached for the koozie that I always kept in her console. She laughed as we popped the tops and toasted silently. Each of us knew what the other was thinking. Here’s to a new start, new friends, and the adventure of a lifetime.

I noticed Claire speeding up to pull beside us, and she grinned as she rolled the back window down and Mira stuck her head out. I raised my beer as did Lexi, and we did an imaginary toast to Claire. Just as I knew she would, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. This was sure to be the main difference between Claire and Brooke and Lexi and I. They aren’t really the drinking kind. And Lexi and I…well, we are.

Lexi was pretty much raised in the downtown pub of our hometown…the owners threw us a joint birthday party when we turned twenty-one. We enjoy drinking and we have had a lot of good times, especially “that summer” that we always talk about. The summer we turned twenty-one was by far the best summer of my life, and I know Lexi would agree.

Claire and Brooke may be just the opposite. Brooke rarely drinks and I have seen Claire drunk exactly once. It was a hilarious night that she would like to forget, I’m sure. But these differences were what made us a great group. Lexi and I could run the saloon and give the customers a great time, while Claire and Brooke would be the ones in charge of the stables, trail rides, and everything else outdoors. It was a perfect fit, and I was excited to see what the next few months would bring. I was also determined to show Claire and Brooke a good time in Cheyenne. There would be many people to meet and rodeos to watch, and I was sure that we could sneak a few drinks in for them at some point.

Suddenly, Lexi slammed on the brakes and I saw her furiously flashing her lights at Claire, who had maneuvered her truck and trailer in front of us.

“What are you doing?” I asked, confused.

She pointed at the sign in front of us and I couldn’t believe that I didn’t realize it sooner. The huge green sign stood out against the rolling plains like a giant elm tree in the desert. LEAVING TEXAS, THE LONE STAR STATE. COME BACK, Y’ALL. I felt a lump start to form in my throat as I got out of the truck and went to stand beside the landmark.

“If you cry, I will hit you,” Lex said as Brooke got out of her car to stand beside us. We waited for Claire to turn around about a half mile up the road, and I tried my hardest to stop the tears from overflowing.

“Molli, don’t act like this is a bad thing. This is a great thing! And we’ll be back soon,” Lexi said as she came to stand beside me. I didn’t say anything as I walked toward her truck and set the self-timer on my camera. I put it down on her hood and got it into position as Claire stepped out of her pickup and stood beside Lexi and Brooke.

I saw Claire smirk as she said to Lexi, “Let me guess. She insisted on taking a picture by the state line sign.”

“No, actually Lex was the one who pulled off the road,” I said defensively. “Do not be mean to me because I’m having a moment! We’re leaving the place that we have called home all of our lives.”

I told them to get ready and glared at Claire as she said something about my “bossy tendencies”. They got into position as I pushed the shutter button and sprinted to my spot between Lexi and Brooke. We smiled as the camera flashed, and Brooke put her arm around me as we walked back to our vehicles.

“I’m glad we stopped. I know how you feel. I’m gonna miss this place too,” she said with a smile. I grinned back and realized that we were going to get along just fine. Claire came up behind me and grabbed my arm.

She flashed her perfectly straight teeth in a bright smile and said “I was kidding. You know that, right?”

I laughed as I shoved her with my shoulder. Yes, I knew it. We both enjoyed giving each other hell, which was why we got along so well. I got back into Lexi’s truck and checked the picture that we had just taken. A perfect pose with the sign centered just behind us. Our smiles showed pure happiness, and I realized there wasn’t anywhere else that I would rather be than right here.