#ThrowbackThursday: High-waisted Wrangler Edition

Throwback Thursday: High-waisted Wrangler Edition

by Cindi Madsen

I grew up on a cattle ranch in small Colorado town. When it came time to write Second Chance Ranch, my reunited lovers story about a failed country singer and the cowboy high school sweetheart she’d left behind, having ranch experience came in handy. I’m a farm-girl at heart, and a pretty good cowgirl, if I do say so myself. I can herd cows with the best of them, I’ve seen a lot of calves be born, and I drove the hay truck when it came time to feed. But there are a few parts of being a cowgirl that I’ve never been good at. Country music (just not my thing, although I have found a few artists I like) and the cowgirl outfit. It’s just not me. But at one point in junior high I thought, Maybe I should try it out. Part of that was because pants never fit me very well and were almost always way too short, and I could actually by extra long in Wranglers. So I decided it was time to get me a pair of Wranglers!

My family went to a cattle auction in a city a few hours from home and we stopped by the giant Big R there, where they had TONS of western clothing! Since I still wanted to be true to my sense of style, I, of course, picked a pair of stonewashed purple and pink Wranglers. Two of my favorite colors all in one pair of pants? Oh yeah, I could rock those! On the way home, one of the doors to the compartment on the horse trailer came open. My new, rather expensive purple and pink Wranglers went flying out, onto the freeway. Cars, trucks, and semis ran over them. My dad pulled over and we sat for a few minutes as traffic continued to zoom past. He considered leaving them, but one look at my sad, not-my-cowboy-experiment-pants expression, he decided he’d wait until there was a slight break in traffic and then try to retrieve them. Black tire tread covered the purple and pink, but my mom assured me we’d put on some stain remover and they’d be okay.

Sadly, my mom and I couldn’t find a pic where I was wearing them. I might’ve burned them. But here they are. Hot, right?

Once they were stain-free, I pulled on the tight jeans and wore them to school with pink hand-me-down boots from my aunt. I wore the outfit to a country dance. About the third or fourth time I put the jeans on, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, Wow, these so aren’t me. I still wore them here and there because I didn’t have a lot of pants that fit, my dad had risked crazy highway traffic for them, and my mom had scrubbed out the stains. But the next time I needed a new pants, I stuck with a pair that was more me (although the high-waisted thing was pretty universal at that time. I can’t cry enough tears over the fact that it’s come back.) I learned an important lesson, though. I could be a cowgirl in clothes that fit in with my fashion style. Tragically, I never did quite learn how to be a cowgirl in stilettos, but you’ve got to have a pair of hot shoes to dress up when the work’s done, right? I’m still glad I tried out the cowgirl look, though. So here’s to fashion risks that end up in disaster, and even better, the ones that end up leading to a new look you love!

Here’s where I decided to go the more western, make-robbery type of being a cowgirl with my friend Myra (hehe):

Do they still have those mall kiosk things? Because those were awesome!

And when it comes to cowboy boots, if I found the right pair, kind of like the ones I found on Pinterest for Sadie to wear in Second Chance Ranch, I think I’d still give them a shot! Because pretty colors and flowers and SHOES!

 (Sadie’s kicks!)

Cindi Madsen is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.

Check out Cindi’s cowboylicious new release

Second Chance Ranch

Sometimes love is right where you left it.

Sadie Hart has a plan: return to her small town of Hope Springs so she can regain her confidence—and bank account—before giving one more shot to her country music dream. The dream that means more to her than anything. The dream she chose over her high school sweetheart, the brooding and sinfully handsome Royce Dixon.

Royce has moved on from his memories of the beautiful Sadie. Now he’s focused solely on running Second Chance Ranch, where he rehabilitates troubled teens through ranch work. But when he needs a new employee and Sadie’s the only one to volunteer, he has no choice but to offer his old flame a job.

Whether riding a horse with the wind in her hair or mucking out the stalls, Sadie can still get Royce’s heart beating like no one else. But Nashville is her dream, and Royce can’t settle for second best.

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