Crooked Cowboy: Friendly Valley Romance

By Braylee B. Parkinson

Harley Leader just got out of prison and he's hoping Friendly Valley will be welcoming. Jayda comes to Friendly Valley after a crisis at work, looking for a place to hide out while things blow over. Neither knows what the future holds, but the sparks begin to fly the moment they meet. But...can Harley be trusted? Join them in Friendly Valley and find out!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Braylee Parkinson
• Release date: May 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393426660

Book preview

PROLOGUE

A ngelique, what happened here? Jayda Sims asked, holding up a copy of the latest edition of the newspaper.

It’s a story we’ve uncovered, Angelique answered, flipping her thin blonde hair, shrugging her shoulders, and turning away from Jayda’s gaze.

Uncovered? First, you know I wasn’t sitting on the story. I was trying to make sure everyone was safe before I went to the cops. Why did you write this?

The rest of the newsroom was silent. Everyone stared at Jayda as she moved toward Angelique.

It was a story—

I’m not playing around, Angelique. Tell me the truth. What is going on here? Why did you throw me under the bus?

Angelique stood and grabbed the paper out of Jayda’s hand.

You sat on a story you knew would get eyes on our paper. The paper is dying. Like, look around. Layoffs are coming. Do you not see that? It’s literally dying before our eyes and you had a chance to save it. But instead of doing that, you didn’t break the story. You went to the police and did it covertly. We needed that story!

I feared for the women involved. They’d been working at that factory for a long time and I needed to do my best to ensure their safety. The police understood the case and took over once I alerted them. It was the right thing to do. You’re not just talking about a story. These are lives you’re playing with. Jayda said, snatching the newspaper back from Angelique.

Well, none of their names appear in the article. Neither does the location of the factory, so everyone should be safe.

Except for me!

Jayda pulled out her cellphone and scrolled through text messages until she reached the one that said, Your days are numbered. Shoulda never got in our business at da factory.

Um… what is that? Angelique asked in a quiet voice.

I’m getting threats! What were you thinking? Why would you do this to me?

Angelique had been the editor of the paper for twenty years. It made little sense for her to have a vendetta against Jayda. 

What is it, Angelique? What did I do to you?

 It has nothing to do with you. It has to do with this paper that I’ve worked to keep alive for decades. I love this paper and I’m not going to let some reporter on a moral high horse neglect to save it when she has all the power to do so.

The dull hum of voices echoed in the hallway. Jayda rushed over to a window and looked outside. Crowds of reporters with cameras and microphones were milling around the back door of the building.

No way! Jayda thought as she rushed to the front of the office. Another crowd was waiting. They had both doors covered. A few reporters had showed up when the story about human trafficking at the meat packing factory broke, but Angelique had put her own name on the story. She made herself out to be a hero and after doing a few interviews; the reporters left and things were quiet again. But on this morning, the headline was different. Now every reporter in town thought that Jayda had hidden the story. Was Jayda Sims, our own reporter, involved in human trafficking? What did she know, and when did she know it? 

You might want to take a little time off, Angelique said. A slight smile curling around the edges of her lips.

Jayda’s boss, Colton Miller, slid out of his office, his rolling chair almost toppling over, and said, Yeah, you might should knock off for the day. We’ll call you, okay?

Jayda knew nothing she said would get through to Angelique or Colton. She headed back to her cubical, grabbed a Chicago Bulls cap out of her desk drawer, pulled her shoulder length hair into a ponytail and shoved the cap onto her head. She knew the hat wasn’t much of a disguise, but it gave her a hint of cover. Holding her purse tight to her chest, Jayda headed for the back door. 

The swarm of reporters with snapping cameras and loud voices thundered in her ears. Jayda kept her head down and made a bee-line for her car.

What did you know, and when did you know it? One reporter asked.

Another one shouted, Jayda, why didn’t you help those women?

Inquiries came at her from all sides. The crowd began forming a circle around Jayda. Her heart raced as she scanned the area for an escape. Fumbling with her keys, Jayda struggled to get through the mass of people.

Did you do it for fame? Were you just trying to increase newspaper subscriptions?

Jayda, do you think your actions were selfish?

Jayda turned and stared into the face of a major competitor. Her fear turned to anger. Ready to defend herself, she felt the words rise in her throat. 

Instead of speaking, Jayda rustled her key into the car door, opened the lock and slid inside. She quickly hit the automatic locks and started the car, and tapped the gas a few times to let them know she was preparing to take off. The demands of the reporters intensified with a few knocking on the car windows. As exhaust spewed, the crowd backed away. After waiting for the sea of people to part, Jayda drove away as quickly as she could. This was not fair. How could Colton allow this to happen to her? She’d worked so hard for the struggling newspaper, completing more than her share of work and bringing attention to issues that other reporters ignored. But now, she was the paper’s scapegoat. 

***

Harley Leader watched in awe as the prison doors opened. He’d been dreaming of this moment since first entering the dark, damp halls of the state prison. He stole one last glance at the prison before taking the first steps of freedom. As a nineteen-year-old kid, he’d spent the first few nights sobbing silently into his pillow. The years had dragged on for what seemed like forever, but now, at twenty-five, he was exiting the gate. 

His father, Rich, was parked outside in the same old white Chevy he’d been driving for over two decades, but the truck was one of the few things that hadn’t changed. His father pulled out a large cellphone the moment Harley climbed into the truck.

We need a picture to celebrate this moment, Rich said, snapping a photo of Harley before he climbed into the truck.

You have a fancy phone?

Yeah. I’ve given in to technology.

Do you have the Internet at home now, too?

You betcha. It helps me find work all around the valley. Got myself set up on one of those websites where people can hire contractors.

Harley was pleased, but shocked that his father, a man who had refused to have the Internet, a television, or anything other than an old antiquated flip phone five years before, seemed to now be well versed in the digital world.

That’s great. So business is good?

It’s okay. Not enough, but you know that’s always been the case. I’m hanging in there. My new gadgets have helped me get by. I’ve actually been able to get some long-term contracts. Speaking of long-term, I met a lady. I remodeled her kitchen last year and we’ve been kind of seeing one another.

Harley was shocked. His father had not dated anyone in the years since Harley’s mother had died. Now it felt like everything was different.

A lady? Seeing? Like going out with her?

His father’s cheeks turned red. Yeah. That’s what we’re up to. She’s wonderful. I want you to meet her.

Is she... Living at the house?

Oh no, son. If we get to that point, we’ll get married and merge our lives together. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman in my life. Taking my time with things, but we’re having fun. Can’t wait for you to meet her.

Harley’s heart was beating fast. Things had changed so much in his absence. He felt like he might not know his dad as well as he’d thought he did before going to prison. What about all the things his dad had talked about them doing together once he was out? Hunting, fishing, and working on projects around the house together? Would any of that happen if his father had a… Harley couldn’t even bring himself to think of his dad having a girlfriend, but it sounded like that was the case?

So, you’ve got a fancy phone, new girlfriend, and business is going well. Who are you? Harley said. Letting out a little chuckle.

I’ve got a new attitude, his father said in a singsong, mimicking an old Patti LaBelle song.

Nothing has ever been truer. What about Friendly? Anything new there?

Friendly is Friendly. Small, sleepy, and at this point, losing a lot of the old timers. We’re down to fifteen hundred people. I think it was at about three thousand when you left.

Fifteen hundred is nothing. I guess the place is dying.

Well, we’ve had a few young folks come back to town recently, and some politicians are trying to build new mini-mansions to attract people from the city. We’re hoping the returnees will stick around and fill up the place with kids. Friendly’s a good town. Can’t wait until you bring home some sweet girl, move a few miles away, and start filling up your place with my grandkids.

Harley couldn’t help but laugh. This wasn’t the quiet, sullen man who’d raised him.

How about jobs? You think I can get anything around town?

Sure. Why wouldn’t you be able to find something? Rich asked, steering the truck onto a dirt road.

Well, I just left prison.

Son, you’ve got a second chance. Don’t look back. Just move forward and the world will follow.

The pair stopped for lunch at Harley’s favorite roadside cafe and drove back to Friendly that afternoon. While he was happy to be home, Harley couldn’t help but feel like the world had passed him by. At twenty-five, he wasn’t sure what was next, or if he’d be able to assimilate back into a town that had never truly accepted him. But with no money, he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Harley hoped that Friendly would live up to its name.

1

Jayda decided that she was going to teach her boss a lesson. He’d no longer have her to kick around. Yes, she needed a job, but it was probably a foregone conclusion that she’d be fired for the story Angelique wrote. While she sat in traffic on the Interstate, Jayda thought about the conversation she’d had with an attorney—Steven Carter—she knew. Could she be charged with something? It was unlikely, wasn’t it? She hadn’t done anything but the lawyer, who she’d interviewed for stories in the past, had called her as soon as he’d read the article in the morning news and offered to represent her—if she needed legal assistance. He told her it was unlikely, but because there were all types of accusations that she’d broken the law, things could get hairy.

If you didn’t do the things they’re talking about in the article, no worries. If you did… well, make an appointment and we can talk more, the lawyer told her.

None of it is true. It’s just hype, she muttered to herself as she sat in traffic, her car standing still. 

The car behind her honked their horn. Jayda gripped the steering wheel and inched forward, trying to focus on driving. There was an accident on the opposite side of the highway, and gawkers had caused a traffic jam. Gridlock prevented her from getting over into the right-hand lane, forcing her to miss her exit. 

Can this day get any worse? she said, shaking her head as she crept along until the next exit came up. Once she was off the freeway, Jayda took the surface streets to her condo. Turning onto her block, she saw a crowd with microphones and cameras. Her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision. She couldn’t even go home and process what had happened. Jayda drove past her condo and headed back towards downtown. She pulled to the side of the road, used her phone to book a hotel room, and got back on the freeway. Forty-five minutes later, she pulled into the empty lot of a hotel near a cornfield. By this time she’d slipped on a pair of large, dark sunglasses and swapped the baseball cap for a sunhat she usually wore at the beach. Jayda headed into the front office, completed the paperwork and the check-in procedures in a hurry, and headed to her room. After locking the door, she plopped down