Chapter 27 - Chase Me, Cowboy

The world is different, but somehow the same.

The ranch moves into the hottest months. The fields turn golden brown. The wranglers bring in the harvest, and we rotate the pastures and take the cattle to auction. Nothing ever changes. In my impatient state, it’s killing me.

At least once a week, when the house is quiet, I record another cover. My fingers move over the keyboard, and I force myself to sing some of my favorite songs. Cowboy music is what I called it. In late August, I wake up with the strongest sense of loneliness in my chest. The harvest moon is out, and I can’t sleep for thinking about him.

I get up, put my headphones on, and write my own melody.

The next day, I start putting words to it.

The day after, I record a snippet of the chorus and post it. Of course, I make sure to block everyone in my family who has social media first.

I need privacy to fail.

That’s my first semi-viral video. It reaches almost half a million views and makes me sick to my stomach with excitement and nerves. It also makes me realize that I don’t have a very thick skin for people commenting mean things. Apparently, the way I have my hair isn’t very nice. I go to the store, get some dye and a hair mask, and make it a shade darker. Someone says it’s old-money blonde—I don’t know what that means, but it stops the discussion about my hair for the most part.

After that, the videos start averaging about fifty thousand likes a post.

It scares me. It excites me…

Because Jamie was right.

I might have something.