She Dreamed of a Cowboy
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JoAnna Sims
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Prologue
“Do you realize that I am on the verge of answering a very important question that has plagued womankind for centuries?” Customer-service representative Skyler Sinclair tugged on the golden blond wig she had donned. The hair was thick and straight and cascaded down to the middle of her back.
Skyler spun around to face her father, her heavy mane of blond hair swinging around her shoulders in the most satisfying way. “Do blondes really have more fun?”
Chester Sinclair was standing just inside the front door of her garage apartment, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his brooding dark eyes a match for the frown on his face.
“Why the wig?” her father asked. “You’ve never been ashamed of your hair or your scars.”
“I’m not ashamed.” Skyler turned back to her reflection to adjust the wig a bit more. “I’m just not about to show up in Bozeman, Montana, looking like Skyler the Cancer Patient.”
“You are a cancer patient,” her father reminded her.
“Correction. I was a cancer patient. Now I’m a cancer victor!” She punched the air like she was a boxer training for a fight. “I’m a cancer-crushing badass, that’s what I am!”
In the middle of her tiny living room, Skyler planted her feet on the ground, hands on her hips, and lifted her chin like she was a superhero. After a second of holding the pose, she suddenly felt weak and dizzy, like her legs were going to buckle right out from underneath her. With a self-effacing laugh, Skyler folded herself into a nearby chair with a deep sigh. “Well, maybe not back to superhero status just yet.”
As he had been from the second she was first diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer, Chester was at her side.
“You are a cancer-crushing badass.” Chester kneeled on one knee by the chair. “But you’ve got to be careful, Skyler. Don’t overdo it. You’re still so weak. Wait awhile, let all this virus stuff blow over and then go. It’s not the right time.”
“Time,” Skyler said in a wistful voice as she tugged off the blond wig to expose her own patchy strawberry blond locks. “Time is a funny thing, Dad. I used to think I had all the time in the world. Now I know that I don’t.” She met her father’s eyes. “None of us do. I always had an excuse why I didn’t have time to do this or to do that. I was forever putting things off because—” she shrugged “—let’s face it, I was too afraid to try.” She patted his hand to reassure him. “I’m not afraid anymore, Dad. Cancer taught me the most valuable life lesson. All we have is right now. The time is now. Not tomorrow, not next week or next year. Now. I can’t wait. I won’t wait. I can’t waste this second chance I’ve been given by beating this thing.”
“Montana is too damn far away.” Chester sat back on his heels with a grumble.
When the light-headedness subsided, Skyler pushed herself upright. “That was always one of my excuses for not going. Too far away, not enough money, not enough time. But you know that I’ve always dreamed of Montana.” Skyler heard an emotional catch in her own voice. “Always. I’ve dreamed of the horses and the mountains and the wide-open spaces. Fresh air. I’ve dreamed of what it must be like to camp out under the stars with a herd of cattle grazing nearby...” Her voice trailed off a bit. “The smell of a campfire. I’ve dreamed of that life ever since I was a little girl. Don’t you see? Montana isn’t going to be just being some unfulfilled wish on my bucket list. It’s going to be my dream come true.”
