The Dancing Pony pickup line of the week is…
‘Tis the season here in Divine and lots of people are busy shopping at the stores and doing their visiting around town. We tend to see people in the nightclub we don’t normally see any other time of year.
There’s a gentleman I’m friends with who lives way outside of town. Sam is in his fifties, lives alone, and his farm is mostly self-sustaining. His wife died when he was in his twenties, before they had any kids.
Given his persistent lack of a social life, I don’t think he’s ever gotten over her loss.
Anyway, I saw Sam in town looking at the Christmas lights. While we were chatting, he told me that Christmas was about the only time he could ever get his wife, Chrissy, to come to town to do more than just the usual grocery shopping because she liked the lights so much.
I invited him to come by the Pony early one evening, before it got too crowded, for a little holiday cheer. It wasn’t a sure thing that he’d actually show up but I needed to at least invite him.
He surprised me and came in early on Saturday, sat at the bar, and we chatted for a while. Over the course of the conversation, he told me he was in need of a good working dog, since his last one died recently. The dog’s name was Com’ere, short for “Come Here.” Sam obviously appreciates simplicity.
While we were talking, a couple of women came in after a day of Christmas shopping and sat down the bar from Sam.
I noticed one of the ladies eyeing Sam as though she recognized him.
She got the bartender’s attention and he told her who Sam was. Recognition dawned and it was obvious she was trying to catch Sam’s eye.
Happy to help a lady out, the bartender mentioned that they were trying to keep Sam at the bar while I got in touch a friend who owned a cow dog that’d recently had a litter of puppies. He suggested she could help by striking up a conversation with him. The pretty woman walked over to Sam and said, “You’re Sam Haines, right?”
Sam nodded shyly. “Uh, yes ma’am.”
“I’m Brenda Miller. Do you remember me from high school?”
Sam blinked and then he smiled. “Yes ma’am. You were the nice cheerleader.”
A pink blush filled her cheeks and she replied, “That’s sweet of you to say. I hope I deserved that title.”
Sam said, “Yes ma’am. You were the only pretty girl who ever said ‘hi’ to me in school.
I was too redneck for everyone else.”
A little frown crossed her brow at the way he referred to himself but then she smiled and eased into the seat beside him. “It’s nice to be recalled kindly like that but I remember you as the strong silent handsome type. Actually, I’d always hoped you would ask me out but…then we graduated and I moved away for college.”
He seemed at a loss as to what to say to that but Brenda filled the gaps until he gradually slipped into a warm conversation with her. It was gratifying, watching the way she set him at ease.
While they were talking, I was got in touch with my friend and he was more than happy to bring the newly weaned puppies up to the nightclub parking lot for Sam to see. When they arrived, Brenda went outside with Sam to see them.
Sam zeroed in quickly on the one he liked and Brenda fell in love with one of them as well. She was pulling out her wallet to pay for it when Sam told her to put her money away. “I’m paying for your puppy, if you’re sure you want her. It’s the least I can do, Brenda. I haven’t had such a nice conversation with a member of the opposite sex in years.
I feel like I’ve come out of hibernation, thanks to you.”
Brenda’s cheeks turned an adorable shade of red. “Well, I guess it’d be all right, if you’re willing. I’ll need to take her for obedience training, I guess.”
Seeming suddenly a little bolder in the dim parking lot lighting, Sam said, “I can handle training her for you, free of charge, and it’ll give me an excuse to visit you if that’s okay.”
It was Brenda’s turn to stutter a little. “Th-That would—I would like that. You’d do that for free?”
Sam looked a little stumped for a second but then grinned big. “Well, I do have one condition.”
Brenda said, “Sure, what is it?”
“I’ll train your puppy if you’ll dance with me.”
Brenda giggled as her puppy licked her chin and said, “Wow, that deal seems kind of one-sided in my favor.”
Sam said, “Pretty lady, you say the sweetest things.” He escorted her back into the club with a brand new spring in his step, and he was walking tall as she allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor.
I found a cardboard box and we put the puppies in the DJ booth with Dave. He loved it because it drew all the single ladies up to the booth like crazy.
After debate and numerous suggestions from the bartenders and waitresses, the puppies were named Jack, as in Jack Daniels, and Margarita, as in Brenda’s favorite drink, my Divine Margarita.
Sam and Brenda danced and talked for a while that night and then left together with their puppies.
One of my bartenders said, “A new girlfriend and a brand new puppy. Santa must have thought Sam was REALLY good this year.” From all of us at the Ranch, Have a very Merry Christmas!
©Heather Rainier 2018
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Want more Christmas Cheer, check out my Christmas short stories…
Have a friend you’d like to introduce to Divine, Texas? Need a stocking stuffer? Give them one of my boxed sets for Christmas!
