Page 3 of Revelry (Cowgirls Do It Better #2)

Gertie

PRESENT DAY

“Gertrude Phyllis Hartman get out of this car.”

My stumpy legs twitched as I willed myself to move. Looking out the windshield, I saw the tall, blonde, gazelle-like creature that was my best friend hurrying across the porch and excitement fizzled inside me at finally seeing her.

I’d been avoiding her. In a moment she’d see why, and my stomach revolted, threatening to evacuate the minimal food I had eaten on the drive.

“Nut up, Gertie,” I muttered and opened the door to my classic pink Volkswagen Beetle. I stepped out, my dark head barely reaching the roof of the car, but I could see her. Everyone saw Katarina Cartwright.

I closed the door as she stopped in front of me, staring at my face with such joy in her blue eyes.

Then as they took me in, her expression shifted.

Confused, concerned then heartbroken as she saw the nasty bruise that my nastier husband had given me, along with the split lip.

It’s just as well she couldn’t see the bruised ribs.

She shook her head. “Gertie…”

I’d held my head high this entire time. All while in hospital until I discharged myself, while I talked to the police who did nothing, while I watched my husband agree to let me leave in peace.

I always held my head high because dammit I was Gertrude Phyllis Hartman .

But the way Kat looked at me, the pity and sympathy and sheer heartbreak in her eyes, broke me.

I caved in on myself under her stare and my lip wobbled, just like it did when I was a kid, and God why hadn’t I learned anything ?

Kat saw it, the moment I doubted my entire life choices and crumbled in front of her. She sobbed, pulling me to her in an embrace so crushing, it forced the breath from my lungs and hurt like a sonofabitch.

“I’ll kill him,” she hissed. “I’ll cut his fucking dick off and feed it to him.”

The anger radiating from her, the vengefulness and the absolute joy of having someone on my side for the first time in days made me dizzy and giddy and everything in between.

I laughed, but it came out somewhere between a laugh and sob. My side screamed in pain and I broke off, clutching it. Clearly my pain meds had worn off.

Kat reached down to touch the spot next to my black eye, the concern in her gaze like a warm balm to my soul; finally someone cared about me.

I stared back at her, well, up at her, she was pretty tall and I was on the shorter side.

We were the complete physical opposite to each other; she was leggy, slim and blonde and I was short, round with a giant mop of untamable dark curls.

The only things we had in common were blue eyes and a penchant for getting into mischief.

She tutted. “Tell me he’s rotting in jail?”

I shrugged. “Not exactly, he’s got friends in high places.

But I’m free. I’m divorcing him.” Unfortunately, my husband, Gary, was well connected where we lived, but it had worked out for both of us, I guess.

I agreed not to press charges, Gary agreed to let me go and give me a quickie divorce. Win-win?

“Thank the Lord. I’m so glad you’re home,” Kat said, pulling me into another hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Guilt swamped me as I sank into her embrace.

I’d been a bad friend. And I hated bad friends. But I didn’t know how to tell Kat that I’d fallen into the same trap my mother had. I was embarrassed, scared and lonely which had made me avoid her. But I had time to tell her all that. I had time to make it up to her.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve missed you too, Kitty Kat.”

“Are you home for good, Flirty Gertie?”

I laughed, the sound rusty like I hadn’t done it in a while. “I sure am.”

“You staying with your mom?”

I pulled back, tossing my hair over my shoulder and it immediately bounced back like the defiant beast it was. I flinched as my various aches protested at the movement. “No room. I just need to buy some time until I can figure something out. Can I stay with you?”

My mom, Lucy, was living with her partner, Cathy.

I was so happy for them. Mom had been through hell with my abusive father so when she told me she was seeing someone new, my heart plummeted.

Here we go again, I’d stupidly thought. I was skeptical when she introduced me to Cathy, because I didn’t trust anyone to love my mom the way she deserved.

But over the last decade, seeing the way Cathy loved my mom, the care and devotion, I’d finally stopped worrying.

“Don’t even ask, Redemption is your home,” Kat replied.

“Thank you,” I sniffled. Redemption Ranch was my home.

I’d spent so many years exploring the place with Kat as my partner-in-crime, getting into all kinds of shit then having her dad, Charlie Cartwright, always come to our rescue.

Showing me what a father really looked like, what a good man looked like.

One thing I would never forgive myself for was not coming back for his funeral earlier this year and being there for Kat. After everything Charlie had done for me, I owed him that but I was a coward and it was like I couldn’t face his spirit knowing that I was letting Gary treat me the way he did.

Kat rubbed my arms. “Come on, let’s get you inside. You have any stuff?”

I shook my head, looking back towards Princess, my Beetle. “No, I just grabbed my purse and left.”

Kat grinned at me. “No problem. We’ve got five women in this house, if we ain’t got clothes, we ain’t got shit.”

I laughed, a full bellied laugh and almost felt like my old self for a moment.

Kat had a way of doing that, bringing me out of myself.

It was why I’d been drawn to her from the moment we met on that second day of school.

I was scared and alone, all the kids in the school yard had made friends the day before and seemed like they’d known each other for ages.

I’d had to skip the first day of school because of my dad, but Kat came right on up to me, hands on her hips and demanded that we be friends and I wasn’t going to say no to a kid that was twice my height.

She took me into the house, and it was like I was a teenager again: the familiar wooden stair post that had notches cut into it to record the girls’ heights, including mine.

I rubbed my fingers over the rough dips, chuckling as I saw where I stopped and Kat’s height just kept going.

I followed Kat upstairs where she gave me some towels and I went into the bathroom and shut the door, breathing a sigh of relief, my entire body relaxing when I realized I was home and everything would be okay.

I twisted the faucet, getting the right temperature before stripping off. I faced myself in the wide mirror that ran along one wall, taking in the map of red marks, scrapes and bruises.

“Flirty Gertie’s still got it,” I whispered, fighting off the misery.

Then I decided fuck it and gave into it.

I stood under the showerhead and let the water pummel me as I cried.

It actually felt kinda cathartic, like all my sins were washed away and I was reborn.

Reborn as someone who was starting life over.

Who would do things differently this time.

And who would never again be a victim of abuse.

When I was out of the shower, I piled my hair on top of my head in a messy knot, my scalp still sensitive from where Gary had pulled it.

I tugged on the clothes that Kat had lent me, rolling up the waist of the sweatpants to make them shorter, damn her giraffe legs.

I’d always been on the curvier side compared to Kat but luckily the pants rolled right over my round belly that had gotten bigger recently thanks to comfort eating, not that I was bothered.

I’d always loved my body, even if it was on the larger side than what society ridiculously deemed acceptable. I was fat and proud.

The sweatshirt was oversized enough to snuggle into which I was grateful for. No bra, bras were the work of the devil.

Feeling more like myself, I wandered down the staircase looking around the house.

The sitting room that looked so snug with its big sofas, low wooden-beamed ceilings and brickwork fireplace.

The farm-style kitchen was calm and quiet now but was usually bustling and noisy.

I half-expected Charlie to pop his head out from his office and say hey Gertie, what mischief did you get into today?

Then he’d give me a big hug like he used to.

When he didn’t appear, the lump in my throat grew so large I felt like I was choking.

I turned away, trying to force down my grief, and locate Kat.

I knew where my girl was; she was on the porch in one of the Adirondack twin chairs that she and Charlie used to sit in.

I went outside, my head lolling back in thanks when I saw her raise a full glass of wine.

“Hell yes,” I groaned, accepting it gratefully. This should go down well with all the pills I was on, I might finally get a good night’s sleep. I sat in the chair next to Kat, tucking my feet up under me and taking a big-ass gulp of wine.

“Start from the beginning,” Kat said.

This was inevitable. I knew she’d want to know and I’d have to rehash it all.

“He’s an asshole.”

Kat snorted into her wine. “Duh, explain.”

“He was always strung a little tight. You remember him from college, don’t you?

Always wanting to be the best and that boring shit.

” I paused to roll my eyes. “Well, he just gradually got worse. Then he started on the coke and that brought out this complete other side of him. He slapped me one day when I asked him too many questions about work. Then he cried and told me it wouldn’t happen again and…

” I shook my head, hating myself more. “I believed him. But I knew better, Kat, so why did I believe him?”

She shook her head, her blue eyes wide. “No, don’t blame yourself. It was different with your dad. You were just a child and—”