Second Chance Cowboy

Chapter 14

           Lanie was miserable.  She grabbed another Kleenex and blew.  Thank goodness for those people who figured out how to put lotion in tissues! This one ended up in the overflowing trash can next to the desk.  Lanie looked at the mess.   “I really should empty that.” She mumbled, and then rolled her eyes.  “That” came out sounding like “dat”.  She waved an angry hand at the mess and then got up from the desk and went into the kitchen.

She didn’t even bother to log out of her email.  She grabbed two cold-symptom pills from the cabinet over the stove.  She crossed to the sink and took a glass from the cabinet by the fridge and filled it half full of tap water.  She had bottled water in a cooler and there was filtered water in the fridge, but she had a headache and cold water never helped.  She swallowed the pills and downed the water like it was a shot of whiskey.  She sat the glass soundly on the counter with a clank. 

“Horse pills” she said with a sleepy smile.  “Yuck!”  She shuffled back to the bedroom and snuggled down into the comfort of her bed.  She lay awake thinking about Mr. P.T. Jerome.  It would be New Year’s in a few days.  For the 100th time today she reached for the phone and stopped herself.  She felt too miserable to deal with all of that right now, she yawned—and grabbed another Kleenex.  This one ended up in the overflowing basket next to the bed. 

“I really should empty that.”  She smiled and sunk unit to the pillow.  It sounded like she should “M-D-Dat”.  

“Lay-Der” she mumbled and went to sleep.

********

“PT!”

“What now Jake?”

“I don’t know who put the burr under your saddle, but it weren’t me—so stop biting my head off!”

“Sorry Jake.”

“Yeah.  Well it wouldn’t be so bad if you’d just call her.”

“Jake—for the 100th time, I’ve tried.  She won’t take my calls.  Or answer my emails.  Or answer my texts.”

“PT, at the risk of losing my head here, I’m gonna point out that you haven’t tried in over a week.”

“Well, I have been trying.  I’m done.  She’s done with me Jake. She’s made that obvious, don’t you think?”  Pete was miserable, exasperated and at the moment, ornery.

“Well now, thinking’s never been my strong-suit PT”

“Cut it out Jake.  I’m serious.  I’m done. I’m done with women.”

“Sure PT.  You haven’t got the sense that the good Lord gave a mule, you know that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How should I know?  I told you, thinking’s not my strong suit.”

Pete waived his hand and walked away from the table.  Jake set his cards down and picked up the money on the table.

“Too bad you’re so distracted, because I had a good hand this time.”

Pete grumbled something and Jake headed for the door.  He shrugged into his boots and parka and mumbled a so long as he let himself out.

“I’m done Bud.”

The dog cocked his head.

“No more women.  Lanie was something special.  And she was worth the heartache, but …I can’t do this anymore Bud.  I got no time to be sulking this way.”  Pete was feeling the pain of heartbreak.  Lanie left a big empty place in his heart and all the pain and loneliness was rushing in to fill that void.  It was making him crazy and he hated it.  “I’ve been sulking around here like my best horse just died.  I’m done, Bud.  I mean it this time.  No more women!”