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Okay, so not only did I have to work at controlling my emotions that wanted to pour out of me, but I could tell that Luke and big, strong Rascal were doing the same. Still, as soon as I heard Mrs. N slide in those first few notes, I immediately joined in with my fiddle and in the next moment, Connie’s fabulous voice once again filled the room with:
There’s a cowboy named Rascal
Who grew up a rebel
And turned my sweet life into hell
I took on his dreams
And fell for his schemes
Til’ he left me abandoned
On a stage in New Orleans
But I’m here to tell you
I’m back on the stage tonight
This girl’s no quitter
I’ve got guts and glitter
Ready for battle
I’m back in the saddle
Tearing up this stage tonight…
As I played my fiddle and watched the audience fall in love with Connie and her song, and she worked the room by teasing each of us when she mentioned our names, I knew she’d made it. She’d finally made the leap to performer, and no matter how nervous or how much resistance part of her psyche would put her through, she would never run from a performance or anything challenging every again.
None of us would.
Thanks to a cowboy who came to love her, like everyone else who met Connie, he was able to look below the surface and see her soul, and in doing that, he not only helped Connie see her true north, but he helped us see ours as well.
This time, there would be no stopping us…
We’ve got guts and glitter
Ready to battle
We’re back in the saddle
Tearing up this stage tonight
Connie – Epilogue
Several months later…
It was our first Christmas on DL Ranch. Just labeling itour firstmeant that we intended to have many, many Christmases on this ranch. It was our home now, and whenever we had to leave it, we couldn’t wait to return.
“I want this night to be fun and relaxing for everyone,” I said to Mrs. N, who not only still managed our house but was also our close friend. None of us knew what we’d do without her.
She’d had the house decorated to look like a down-home Country Christmas fairytale, with several decorated trees, all real except for my seven-foot-high pink tree in my bedroom. Yes, I had my own private bedroom… we all did. That was one of my rules I wouldn’t budge on. I loved my guys, more like adored them, but I also loved my own space, and there were plenty of nights when I needed just that… my own space.
“And it will be,” she assured me. “Now go and get ready.” I was still in jeans and a sweater. “You know I have everything under control.”
And she did. The house smelled so good from whatever she and Tina were cooking that I knew our Christmas dinner would be spectacular. Dusty’s wife’s tablecloth adorned the main table, and I’d made a few similar tablecloths for the smaller tables as well. The main table sat twelve, but I’d set up enough seating for thirty. The food would be served buffet style, then everyone could sit wherever they wanted. The large dining room looked a little like a restaurant with four-top tables scattered around.
