Hello FFFs!
It happened again. Last night I was feeling good about getting some things done. And then it hit me. Tomorrow was Friday and I hadn't a clue what to post! What was I going to do? I decided that I would find something and get it ready as soon as I had gotten ready for bed. Ha! By the time I sat down at my computer, I had forgotten. Again. :P So . . . This morning I've been trying to decide. And it's really hard! I needed something that was 5 parts long. But I had either just posted those stories, or they were published already in one of my books. Okay. Now what? I decided to give you a one-part story and then next week I just might start the next chapter of "Hymns in the Hills." Would you like that? I will TRY to get the first two chapters linked to the post so you can go read them if you haven't already.
You'd think I'd be able to get a lot done this week since I didn't have a party to wrap up, no books to publish right now now, and not a lot of extra things going on. Well, I did get some done.
My big astonishing thing though, was that I had listed TCR-1 as FREE (yes, it's free forever now, so go download it, tell your family and friends and your next door neighbor) and submitted it to Money Saving Mom to be listed. Well, I wasn't sure if it would be listed. It was. Thursday I had 240 downloads! Yesterday I had 172 downloads. But Wednesday topped it all! Submit your guess as to how many downloads I ended up with on Wednesday. ;)
And now, here's today's story. It was posted back in 2011, so maybe it'll be new to some of you. Enjoy! Oh, and this was a writing assignment I had given my students and decided to do it too. And yes, I drew the pictures. :P
One of Those Days
Striding away from his horse, the tall, brown-haired cowboy sighed. It
was a cool morning in Santa Fe, lovely in all aspects as far as weather
goes, but Big Tom didn’t notice. To him it should have been dark and
stormy for then it would have suited his mood better. “I can’t wait
until this morning is over,” he grumbled. “It started out bad, and has
only gotten worse.” Bitterly, he recalled his problems. First his boss
had accused him of stealing and dismissed him! The very thought still
rankled deep in his heart. Then his horse, Dixie, who was usually a well
mannered animal, had been balky and stubborn all morning and even now,
as he glanced back at her, was tossing her head and pulling at ties
holding her to the hitching post. Everything and everyone was against
him! Depressed, his kicked at a clump of dirt in the road. Dolefully he
looked up and a feeling of relief and excitement swept over him. There
before him was Pixie, his fiancee! Then he remembered. He had no money,
for he had purchased only the day before, a new saddle for Dixie, and
now he was out of a job! How could he buy Pixie the engagement ring he
had promised? Dashing forward, Big Tom hoped she would understand.
Pixie, tossing her head in annoyance, spied the dark horse tied to the
hitching post and was struck with an idea. Her meeting with her fiancé,
Big Tom had ended in an argument about the missing ring. Sadly, with
tears in her eyes she thought, “What a selfish man he is.” She sniffed,
completely upset. Stomping away, Pixie hadn’t noticed the unhappy droop
of Big Tom’s shoulders; all she could think about was revenge. Now,
seeing the horse standing there, she began to plot. Quickly untying the
horse, she led him over to a wagon which had just driven in. “Will you
buy this saddle?” she questioned the driver. It just so happened that
the driver had come into Santa Fe for the purpose of purchasing a
saddle. Soon the deal was made and Pixie hurried to catch the stagecoach
to the city. There she planned to buy her own engagement ring, for her
love for Big Tom was still there in spite of her annoyance. Having
completed her plan, Pixie was driven off and the feeling of anger
dwindled.
“Something must have happened!” Sheriff Chris exclaimed to Big Tom as
the two of them conferred in the street. “I always tie Belle up to this
hitching post, and now I can’t find her anywhere!”
Big Tom frowned. He was also upset, for not only was the sheriff’s Belle gone, but Dixie was missing too. Worriedly, both men looked at each other. If someone was stealing horses in the day time, this could get serious! At that moment, a dark horse came wandering down the street with no rider. “Dixie!” Big Tom exclaimed catching hold of her bridle. “I’m glad you weren’t stolen.” But what could have happened to Sheriff Chris’s horse? Big Tom began to think. “Pixie! I wonder if she sold your horse, Sheriff!”
“Why would she?” the Sheriff demanded.
“Because I didn’t have the money to buy her a ring. I must find her!” Big Tom was growing frantic. Where had Pixie gone?
“Hey, Sheriff! Here’s your horse!” someone hollered, leading forward a horse without its saddle. “Some girl brought it to the livery before catching the stage,” he explained.
Big Tom wasted not a moment, but springing onto Dixie’s back, galloped away at a breakneck pace. The chase was long and hard, but at last he caught the stage, sprang off his horse and flung open the door. “Pixie! You sold the sheriff’s saddle! I love you and will sell Dixie to buy you a ring if you want it now,” he exclaimed all in one breath. Instantly, Pixie burst into tears of remorse. She could wait for a ring, she told him.
Back in Santa Fe, Big Tom and Sheriff Chris agreed that this had just been one of those days.
Big Tom frowned. He was also upset, for not only was the sheriff’s Belle gone, but Dixie was missing too. Worriedly, both men looked at each other. If someone was stealing horses in the day time, this could get serious! At that moment, a dark horse came wandering down the street with no rider. “Dixie!” Big Tom exclaimed catching hold of her bridle. “I’m glad you weren’t stolen.” But what could have happened to Sheriff Chris’s horse? Big Tom began to think. “Pixie! I wonder if she sold your horse, Sheriff!”
“Why would she?” the Sheriff demanded.
“Because I didn’t have the money to buy her a ring. I must find her!” Big Tom was growing frantic. Where had Pixie gone?
“Hey, Sheriff! Here’s your horse!” someone hollered, leading forward a horse without its saddle. “Some girl brought it to the livery before catching the stage,” he explained.
Big Tom wasted not a moment, but springing onto Dixie’s back, galloped away at a breakneck pace. The chase was long and hard, but at last he caught the stage, sprang off his horse and flung open the door. “Pixie! You sold the sheriff’s saddle! I love you and will sell Dixie to buy you a ring if you want it now,” he exclaimed all in one breath. Instantly, Pixie burst into tears of remorse. She could wait for a ring, she told him.
Back in Santa Fe, Big Tom and Sheriff Chris agreed that this had just been one of those days.
Epilogue
Big Tom did manage to get Pixie a ring. It was only a bit of metal from
Dixie’s bridle, but Pixie was happy. The sheriff bought himself a new
saddle with the money Pixie had given him from the one she sold,
declaring that the old one wasn’t ever one he had really liked. Becoming
the Deputy for Sheriff Chris was the best move Big Tom had ever done.
As for Pixie, she never again let her annoyance get the better of her.
It was only a matter of a few months before Pixie became Mrs. Big Tom
and all lived in relative peace (as much as is possible in a town like
Santa Fe) and happiness for the remainder of their lives.
Have you ever had a really bad day like Big Tom?
What is your guess for Wednesday's downloads?
Do you want "Hymns in the Hills" next week?
I'm guessing 329 downloads. I'll be back next week regardless of what you post. :)
ReplyDeleteWhoaaa…TCR-1 is free?! You can be sure I’ll be telling my friends!! :D And wow! That’s awesome! So many downloads! And that’s a lot of people! :D Hmm…I’m guessing over 300?
ReplyDeleteHymns in the Hills sounds awesome! Can’t wait :)
And hehe, really enjoyed today’s story! It was quite interesting ;)
Yes, TCR-1 is FREE. It should be free on Amazon no matter what country you check. If it's not, let me know.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Blessing, I had over 300 downloads.
And yes, Christian, I had 329 downloads. And counting.
Glad you enjoyed this story, Blessing. And I'll be back next week with "Hymns in the Hills."
Thanks for commenting, both of you!!
Hmmm, I'm guessing around 500 downloads.
ReplyDeleteThis story was quite interesting. It made me smile. ;) And yes, I'd love "Hymns in the Hills" next week!
Oh, and I was wondering . . . how is Dylan's Story coming??? I'm so, so excited about that one!!
Thanks for commenting, Jesseca!
ReplyDeleteYes, I did reach 500 downloads. And more.
Then looks forward to next week, because "Hymns in the Hills" will be here. :)
Oh, yes, "Dylan's Story." :) I actually wrote about 1 1/2 parts of that story this week. I need to go back and see how much I have given you because I think I could give you more. I want to find some more pins for "Dylan's Story" pinterest board. I just haven't had much time to look.