Cowboy Up

"Mind? Not at all. She's my bestest buddy ever," he said with a smile at the intentional misuse of the superlative. "She'll be very excited when I tell her you stopped by and even more so when she hears we're finally having dinner together."

"I'm really looking forward to it," she said.

"Tell me about yourself, Jaclyn. What have you done and where has life taken you since the big change with regard to work."

"Well, I spent the last few months in Europe just kind of unwinding and rediscovering who I am and what's really important to me."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "And...what did you learn?"

"That I made the right decision to leave medicine. That the things I most want in life aren't money or fame but love and a family."

Davis sighed and said, "Me, too. Truth is, I thought I had that. Sure, we married young—way too young as I look back with 20-20 hindsight—but I had no idea she was even unhappy, let alone..." He saw her looking at him in a way that seemed like pity and he said, "No, it's not like that. I'm not complaining or anything. It was actually a blessing in disguise, and the main thing I learned is very much like what you learned. Love and family are what really matter."

"Do you still want to buy this place someday?" she asked.

"Did I actually tell you that when we talked?" he replied having no such recollection.

"You did," she said with a smile.

"Well, after the divorce, that's on hold. Big-time on hold! But you know what? I don't care because Audrey and I were able to get closer than we ever have. I know she wants me to find someone, but as long as I have her, that—and owning my own restaurant—can wait. I'm finally in a good place and so is Odd."

Jaclyn laughed at the nickname and Davis couldn't help but chuckle, too. "Yeah, it's a rather um...odd...name for a girl, but it works for us."

"It's very sweet. You're a good dad, Chef Martin," she said. "Well, I suppose I should let you get back to work. Your customers look hungry and taking you out of the kitchen can't be good for business."

They both stood up and Davis said, "Some things are more important than business, Doctor," he said with a smile of his own. "I'm really glad you stopped by. Just say when on dinner, okay?"

"What day is best for you other than 'none'?" she asked knowing how busy he was every night of the week.

"Monday tends to be our least busy night. Does that sound okay?"

"It sounds perfect," she said.

He walked her to the door and helped her with her coat. "Jaclyn?" he said just before he showed her out.

"Yes?"

"Would it be okay if I called you? Before Monday?"

She looked at him in a way that spoke to his heart. He wasn't sure exactly how, but it was...different.

"I'd like that, Davis," she said. "Do you have your phone with you?"

Moments later he had her number. They stood looking at one another for an awkward moment before he put his hands on her shoulders. When she didn't move, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Stay warm, okay?" he said.

"I will," she promised. "And I do hope you'll call. I don't sleep a lot so pretty much anytime is fine by me. So even if you don't get off until one or two in the morning, I'll still be up, okay?"

"A fellow night owl?" he said rhetorically.

"I'm afraid so although I'm also up very early. Sleep is not my friend," she told him with a small laugh. "Well, goodnight, Davis. It was very nice seeing you again and I'm glad you're okay."

"You too, Jaclyn, and I have you to thank for that. You saved my life, you know."

She didn't reply. She just smiled one last time as he opened the door for her.

As a blast of cold, winter air hit him, he realized his body was anything but cold. "Damn!" he said as looked down at his pants. "Good thing I'm wearing black."

He didn't get out of the restaurant until nearly 4am that night, but the following day he left 'early' at 1:30am. On the way home, he let Blue Tooth do the dialing and moments later she was on the phone. "Hi there, Cowboy!" she said playfully. "Been riding any bulls lately?"

"No, but some people say I...shoot a lot of bull."

She laughed and said, "I'm so glad you called."

For the next hour hour they had one of the most pleasant conversations either of them had had in a very long time. Before he hung up, she let him know how much she'd enjoyed talking with him and encouraged him to call again. So he did. It became a nightly thing for the next five days. That last time she said, "So I'll be seeing you um...tonight, I guess."

"I hope so," he told her. "Audrey's talked about it every day since I told her so I guess it's fair to say both of us can't wait to see you again."

Jaclyn laughed politely and said, "Then that makes three of us who feel that way. See you around seven?"

"It's a date," he said. "Or maybe I should have said...deal."

He loved the way her voice sounded when she said, "No...date is fine. By me, anyway. See you both then."

"What should I wear, Dad?" Audrey asked when he picked her up from school taking a rare night off. Since the start of school she'd been calling him 'daddy' less often and 'dad' more often. It didn't really bother him because he knew she was growing up and she'd be turning ten in a few months. He just didn't want her growing up too fast.

"How about we stop at the mall on the way home and buy you a pretty new dress or whatever you want?" he suggested.

"Really?" she squealed. "You are the best dad ever, Daddy!"

Two hours later she was the owner of a beautiful black and white, sleeveless dress that made her look more like she was 12 than 9 but as long as she was with her father, it was okay for her to look a little glamorous. Besides, he knew she wanted to look as pretty as possible knowing how beautiful Jaclyn was and this dress was perfect for that.

Davis hadn't worn a suit in a very long time and he still couldn't bring himself to wear a tie. He came out thinking he was looking very dapper without one, but Audrey didn't agree. "Dad? You are not going to dinner without a tie."

"But I hate ties, honey. They make you feel like you're being strangled. Cut me some slack, okay?"

"I'm wearing pantyhose and pantyhose suck, too," she said matter-of-factly. "If I can put up with those, you can wear a tie this one time."

He couldn't believe how grown up she looked...and sounded, and he knew she was right. "Okay. Red or blue?" he asked.

"Blue. Definitely blue. That one with the black dot thingies. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember," he said feeling as though he was the one being told what to do. He smiled as he walked away as he couldn't help but be proud of his daughter.

They had the best table in the house reserved and Davis sat Audrey down so he could go personally check on dinner. "I'll be right back, okay?" he told her. "And I better not see any handsome teenage boys sitting with you when I come back!" he teased.

"Daaad!" she said loving that he would even tease her about something like that. She looked like a little lady sitting there all straight and tall in her beautiful dress, black cardigan sweater, and heels. Maybe he should ask Trudi to make sure no teenage boy did come sit down by her.

When he came back, Jaclyn was already there and she and Audrey were both laughing and talking up a storm.

"What am I missing?" he said as he walked up. Before they could answer he said, "Oh, my. You look—sensational."

She stood up to hug him and Davis was thrilled when this time she kissed him on the cheek. She wiped away the lipstick left behind then took her seat.

"We were just laughing about your run-in with...what was his name? Bushwhacker?"

"Um, no...that was Swash..."

"Hi there!" they all heard before he could finish his sentence. Trudi was standing there ready to take their drink orders. "Do I even need to ask, Chef?' she said with a smile.

"Is champagne okay?" he asked Jaclyn.

"I love champagne, Dad!" Audrey answered for her.

He shot her a look but couldn't help smile. "Bring us three glasses, would you, Trudi?"

"Eighth of a glass, kiddo. Okay?"

"Seriously? I get to drink champagne?"

"Two sips. It's a special occasion," he said looking at Jaclyn. "Wow. You really look amazing."

She did. She was wearing a beautiful, dark-gray, rib-knit sweater dress that had a square neckline revealing an ample-but-tasteful amount of cleavage. A silver pendant hung from her neck and stopped just short of her beautiful, full, C-cup breasts. A pair of matching earrings, along with a pair of four-inch gray heels and dark-red lipstick completed the look.

"I see your vision hasn't completely recovered yet," she teased being modest.

"Oh, it's fully recovered, all right. I thought you looked great in a lab coat but...wow!"

"That's very nice of you, Davis, but there's another woman at this table who's stealing the show."

Audrey loved the compliment and thanked her. "My dad's right, you know. You are beautiful."

Their drinks arrived and Davis made a big deal out of checking to see how much was in Audrey's glass. "Tiny sips, okay?" he made her promise.

"To what shall we toast?" Jaclyn asked.

"I'd say to beautiful women, but you're not supposed to toast to yourselves," he said smiling at both of them. "Audrey? Any suggestions?"

"Well, Jaclyn wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you deciding to ride bulls again. You might not be able to drink to it, Dad, but I think cowboys are brave so how 'bout we toast to them?"

"Perfect!" Jaclyn said. "Please allow me." She held up her glass and said, "To cowboys!" They all clinked glasses and the two ladies took a small sip. Jaclyn looked at Davis and said, "To my cowboy."

For the next two hours they ate, they talked, and they laughed as the Martins shared their lives with the former Doctor Vincent while she allowed them into hers.

"Unfortunately for us, tomorrow is a school day and this beautiful young lady over here needs to get home."

"Daaad!" she said again. "I can stay up late this one time! Why don't you ask Jaclyn to come over to our house and you guys can have a glass of wine of something."

He looked at her knowing she was gonna ask if she could have some, too. "Don't even think about it, young lady," he said pretending to be angry. "Besides, I'm sure Jaclyn is tired of us after spending this much time with us."

He looked over at her. "Not at all. I've thoroughly enjoyed this. I just don't want to interrupt the rest of your evening. After all, you almost never have an evening free. You should spend it with your lovely daughter."

"No! We want you to come home with us, Jaclyn. Please? Please don't go home yet. Please?"

She looked at Davis who said, "What can I say? She's a force to be reckoned with. We'd love to have you if you'd care to join us?"

"Well, if you're sure I'm not intruding."

"We're sure!" Audrey said smiling brightly. "Come on, Dad. Let's get out of here!"

Jaclyn followed them home and parked in the driveway after Davis pulled into the garage.

It was nearly ten o'clock before they all got inside and after getting their guest seated, Davis told Audrey, "Okay, here's the deal. You can stay up until eleven—two hours after your normal bedtime but that's it. Okay?"

"Deal!" she agreed happily as she took a seat across from Jaclyn.

"I want to hear all about fifth grade. Your teachers, your friends..." She whispered pretending Davis couldn't hear. "Your boyfriends!"

Audrey didn't want to giggle. That was for kids. But she couldn't help it. She'd had crushes on boys, but was nowhere near ready to date so talking about them was still an area where she felt uncomfortable and Davis was therefore more than a little surprised when his daughter spoke so openly about the boy she currently liked.

"He sounds very nice!" Jaclyn agreed. She did the whispering thing again as she asked Audrey, "Do you think he's going to ask you out?"

The fifth-grader giggled again. She looked at her dad then said, "He already did ask me out."

"What?" her father said pretending to be indignant. "Where does this boy live?" He huffed and puffed like he was ready to take on the world. "Why if I get my hands on this guy, I'll tear him from limb to limb with my bare hands!" he said doing the Cowardly Lion thing from The Wizard of Oz.

Audrey was laughing uncontrollably and Jaclyn couldn't help but laugh, too. Davis's antics were way over the top, but it showed her how much he loved his daughter and she her father. He got very serious and said, "So...has there been any of that there durned...kissin' goin' on?"

Audrey could hardly talk as she said, "Yes!"

"What? Okay, that's it. I'mma headin' over there tonight!"

"Daaad! Stop it. My sides are hurting."

"I'll stop it when you stop that infernal kissin'!" he said in a kind of Yosemite Sam voice.

"It was just one kiss, Dad!"

"Well, okay. If it was just one." He turned around then spun back around quickly and said, "There better never be another one or I'll..."

"That's not fair!" she said as she tried to stop laughing. "You like to kiss girls!"

He put his hands on his hips and looked at Jaclyn. "She's got me there. I do like to kiss them thar' girls."

"Your father is a very handsome man so I'm sure there are a lot of pretty women out there who'd enjoy that," Jaclyn said.

Audrey finally got control of herself before she said, "I love you so much, Daddy!"

He sat next to her and hugged her and said, "I love you too, Oddball."

"Daaad!" she said one more time. "No one's supposed to know about that."

"Ooops?" he said. "Um...my bad?"

"I guess it's okay if Jaclyn knows because...she's my new best friend."

"Ahh! That is so sweet. But what about Aidan? I thought he was your best friend."

"He's my boy friend. You're my best friend!"

Even though they were all just playing and kidding around, Jaclyn felt a lump in her throat when she realized this was what was missing from her life. This was what she wanted. This was what she was craving.

"Is there any chance I can get a friendly hug from my new best friend?" she asked holding her arms out.

Audrey almost jumped out of her seat and walked around to Jaclyn. "Right here," she said patting her lap. Audrey sat down and put her arms around the older woman who held her back. "You are a very special young woman, Audrey."

"Thank you," she said still clutching her neck. "So are you."

Jaclyn laughed softly and said, "I'm not exactly young anymore, but thank you just the same."

"Yes, you are," she said. "You look very young and...very pretty."

Davis sat beside them and said, "She's got you there, Jaclyn."

The lump in her throat was getting bigger and it was followed by her eyes filling with tears. She didn't want them seeing her cry so she shut them tight and just held Audrey a little longer. "You know what I want someday?" she said to Audrey as she quickly opened her eyes and blinked quickly several times.

"What?" the young girl asked sitting up and looking her.

"A beautiful girl just like you," she told her as she played with her long, straight hair. Audrey smiled and hugged her again before getting up.

"Okay, honey. Time to go get ready for bed." To his surprise she didn't argue. She let Jaclyn go, got up, and went to her room to change.

"She's amazing, Davis," Jaclyn said as she walked away knowing Audrey could still hear her.

"Yes, she is," he agreed. "She's been my rock. How crazy is that?"

"I'm sure you've been hers, too. Give yourself a little credit. You've been pretty great through all of this yourself, you know."

"I'd do anything for her," he said. "Anything at all."

"I know you would," she said. As she did, she put her hand on his upper arm and ran it up and down the back side a couple of times. "You're a good father, Davis. She's lucky to have you."

As she moved her hand back, he turned toward her and took it before she could rest it in her lap. "I don't remember her having this much fun in a very long time. She really likes you, you know?"

"I like her, too," Jaclyn said. "A lot." She put her other hand on top of Davis's and said, "Honestly? I can't remember having this much fun in...I don't know when. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had fun. Not silly fun, but a really pleasant, really enjoyable time. This was very special. Thank you for letting me share it with you."

"In case it isn't obvious by now, I like you too, Jaclyn. A lot." He smiled at her and this time she didn't get a lump in her throat, but she did feel her stomach do a flip.

"You do?" she asked quietly.

"I do," he told her. "How could I not? You're beyond smart, you're kind and caring, and in case I haven't said it for a few minutes, you're as beautiful as any woman I've ever known."

Her heart was beating fast and she found herself wanting and wishing he would lean in and kiss her. When he didn't, she leaned toward him and closed her eyes. She saw him do the same ,but before their lips met they both hear, "Ahem!"

Jaclyn pulled back quickly trying to pretend nothing had happened. "Oh, hi there! We didn't see you come in."

"I know," she said with a big smile. "You guys were just about to kiss so ha, ha, ha!"

"Oh, honey. No, we weren't kissing, we were just..."

"We were just talking about you and how much fun we had. That's all."

"I'm not a kid," she told them. "I'm going to be ten years old soon, you know."

"Ah! Okay. Well, you most definitely aren't a kid then," Jaclyn said hoping the moment would pass and yet wanting the night to never end.

"You don't have to tuck me in tonight," she said to her father.

"Oh, yes I do!" he told her.

"Can Jaclyn do it?" she asked tentatively.

Davis was momentarily stunned and maybe even a tiny bit hurt before realizing that was a perfectly reasonable request. "Oh, I don't know, honey. She may not feel like..."

"I'd love to tuck you in!" she said standing up and walking toward her. "Besides, I'd like to see your bedroom. Wanna show me?"

"Come on!" Audrey said excitedly. "I'll show you all of my stuff. I have a poster I want to show you, too!"

"Oooh! Is it a boy?" she asked as though they were sharing some big secret.

"Yes and he's sooo cute!"

"Oh, my. You gotta show me!" she said looking over her shoulder at Davis and winking as they disappeared.

Ten minutes later she reappeared and said, "I am so envious! What I wouldn't do to have a sweet little girl like Audrey."

"Yeah, I think I might just keep her."

Jaclyn stopped and ended up face to face with Davis. Her tummy flip-flopped again as he looked at her. "Um, you know, I should probably get going. This was really nice, but..."

"I'd like it if you'd stay," he told her. Even the sound of his voice did it to her.

"I can't, Davis," she said looking away from him.

"May I ask why? Was it something I said?"

She looked back up at him and told him, "No. Not at all. It's just that if I don't go now...I'm not sure I'll be able to go."

He took her hands in his and said, "Would that really be so bad?"

"No. In fact, I'm pretty sure it would even be very good."

"Then why not stay?" he asked her.

"Because I...I not only find you attractive, I'm finding myself drawn to you."

"Again, is that a bad thing?"

"Davis? Before I went to Europe, I would never have considered dating a man as young as you, but that trip opened my eyes to the possibility of finding love outside the places I always thought I should look."

"I don't understand. I know I'm not a surgeon or even a doctor, but I don't think that's the reason I'm not following you."

"I want to stay when it's the right thing to do; when we've gotten to know one another better." She squeezed his hands and said, "I don't want to mess this up and look back and wish I'd been more patient."

"So if you stay you won't want to come back?"