Page 11
Story: Sunset (Crossroads #1)
They showered together, then dressed in silence. Without words, he sat down on the bed and pulled her into his lap. Both of her hands were crossed over her breasts, and she was shaking.
“Talk to me,” he said softly.
Her eyes were wide with shock as she put a hand over her heart. “The hollow place. It’s been there all my life. I don’t feel it anymore.”
He was already crazy mad in love, and she was breaking his heart. “What did it feel like before?”
Her eyebrows knitted. “It had no feeling. It always felt empty. I thought this was how everyone felt.”
He hugged her closer as she tucked her head beneath his chin. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to be as alone in the world as that, but that part of your life has ended as abruptly as mine once did. I’m not asking you for promises you’re not ready to make, but can we please do the rest of our lives together…at your pace?”
“Yes, but I am asking you for promises, or I won’t be back. I just got mad when Jerry Lee dumped me. Losing you will destroy me.”
He cupped the back of her head and kissed her slowly, softly. It was her moan that made him stop.
“Magnolia, look at me. I understand why you don’t trust. But I promise to love you forever. I promise to protect you, and honor you, and cherish the ground you walk on. And when enough time has passed for you to feel ready, I will marry you with great joy. It will be an honor to call you wife. I will give you babies to love, and share my family and my people, and we will grow old together.”
“Is Sonny your given name?” she asked.
“No, it’s John Wesley Bluejacket, but I only ever heard that from my mom when I was in trouble.”
“It suits you. I don’t have a second name. Just Magnolia.”
He stared at her a few seconds, thinking, then slid her off his lap and onto the bed. “Give me a sec. Be right back,” and strode out of the room. Moments later he was back carrying a little bowl half full of water. He took her by the hand and led her outside.
“What are you doing?” Maggie asked.
“When you were born, you were not presented to the world. Nobody heard an elder speak your name. Nobody blessed you, so I’m going to. Is that okay with you?”
She was so moved by what he was saying that she could only nod.
He ran his fingers through the water, then touched her forehead and said aloud. “See this woman. Her first breath gave her residence here, but no one came to claim her. She has not been named aloud, and so as she grew up, she has wandered, looking for her place to belong. Today she has found her place. Today, I speak aloud her name for all to hear. You will know her now as Magnolia Rae Brennen. See her. She is a woman of substance, and she is mine.”
Then he poured the water out at her feet and put his arms around her.
Blind with her own tears, it was all Maggie could do to hold on.
“Say your name,” he said.
She took a breath. “Magnolia Rae Brennen.”
He wiped the tears from her face.
“Who loves you?” he asked.
She swallowed past a sob. “Sonny Bluejacket loves me!”
“Who does Magnolia love?” Sonny asked.
“She loves Sonny.”
He smiled. “And who does Sonny love?”
“He loves me.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, then brushed a kiss across her lips. “You have been seen. You are no longer lost in the world. And since this is your naming day, I think we should celebrate. How about a picnic?”
She nodded. “I’ll help.”
He brushed a last kiss across her lips. “I was hoping you’d say that. And don’t let me forget to grab a bunch of apple treats for the horses or they will be begging for bread.”
She frowned. “Apple treats? Like real apples?”
“No, they look a little bit like big crunchy biscuits. The horses love them. You’ll see.”
They went inside, and about a half an hour later exited again, this time with two small ice chests. One with the food, and one with cans of soft drinks covered in ice to keep them cold. They climbed into the truck, drove down to the barn long enough for Sonny to get the apple treats, then drove into the pasture and headed north, holding hands as he drove.
“As long as I knew Emmit, I’ve never been farther than his house. I’ve never been on this land before,” she said.
“It’s all pretty new to me, too, but I have driven most of the boundary. Some of it isn’t made for wheels. It’s good to know what belongs to you and what does not,” he said. “The trouble with picnics around here is lack of shade, but if the horses haven’t taken up residence, I know where we can find some, and with a beautiful view back to the south.”
“Oh look! There’s the herd,” she said, pointing. “And there’s Dancer, eyeing the truck.”
“He’ll be the first to follow. You’ll see.”
“Why?”
“He loves apple treats. They all do,” Sonny said.
“I think he’s laid claim to you,” Maggie said.
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Emmit always said the horse was standoffish. Magnificent, but a horse who dealt with humans on his own terms, was how he put it.”
Sonny was surprised. He thought from the way the horse was with him, that Emmit was responsible for his easy-going nature. Now he was wondering if the Old Ones had whispered in Dancer’s ear before he came, and that the horse was expecting his arrival. This whole conversation was a revelation.
Then Maggie looked back, delighted by what she saw. “You were right, Dancer is coming at a lope, and the others are following.”
Sonny laughed and kept on driving.
As they passed the first windmill and water tank, he pointed in the distance.
“There’s our picnic pavilion! It’s one of the weather sheds Emmit built,” then glanced in the rearview mirror and accelerated. He wanted to get to the shed before the horses swarmed him for treats. The moment he drove inside and parked, he jumped out on the run.
Maggie was getting out when he grabbed her and swung her over the side of the truck bed.
She laughed at the unexpected journey.
“Gotta keep my girl safe,” he said, then moved the ice chests into the truck bed beside her. He was lowering the tailgate when the horses arrived and swarmed him, and Maggie was soon on her knees, petting the horses gathered around the truck. Seeing her so comfortable among them made him happy. They were a huge part of his life, and knowing she was at ease with them was a relief.
“They just want attention, but they’re getting a bit pushy. I’ll get them out of the shed,” he said, and walked out with the treats, knowing they would follow, and they did.
Maggie scooted onto the tailgate, letting her legs dangle as she watched him moving among them, giving each one attention, stroking them as he called each of them by name, then finally giving each one a treat as they stood quietly, waiting to be next.
Dancer was the last to come to him, and when Sonny put his arms around the big horse’s neck, the Appaloosa laid his head on Sonny’s shoulder, almost as if he was trying to hug him back.
Maggie couldn’t take her eyes off them, and seeing him like this among the horses made her wonder what he was going to do with Sunset. Whatever it was, it had to be good.
When he finally came back to the truck, he got some hand-wipes from the cab and they both cleaned their hands before getting to the food.
“Now that the babies have been sent out to play, how about those sandwiches?” he said, and pulled the ice chests up between where they were sitting, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Happy name day, darlin’.”
Maggie was full of new delight. “Maggie Rae! I can’t wait to tell Pearl. That way she can call me by both names now when she’s having herself a fit.”
Sonny laughed. “She always was a pistol, but she has a big heart.”
“That I know,” Maggie said.
They unwrapped the ham and cheese sandwiches, opened a can of pop apiece, then started eating. “The true meaning of tailgating, right, honey?” he said.
“As long as it’s with you, I’ll tailgate anywhere,” Maggie said.
A few minutes later, they were finishing up the sandwiches and digging into the cookies he’d packed, when she noticed the number of buzzards in the sky south of the ranch house. “Looks like something might be dead out there,” she said.
Sonny was licking mustard off his thumb. “That’s because something is dead out there. Eight coyotes to be exact, and big ones, at that.”
Maggie handed him a napkin. “Exactly how did they get themselves dead?”
“They messed with what’s mine. Pretty sure they were dog/coyote hybrids. We had a full moon last night and they got after the herd.”
She immediately began looking at the horses. “Oh no! Are they all okay?”
“Yes, but only because I woke up. It was around 3:00 a.m. when I heard the horses raising heck and running, and then the coyotes yipping. I fired into the pack, and they scattered.”
“Did you get one of them?” she asked.
“Yes, I found the carcass of the one I’d hit in the early morning hours after daylight, when I went looking. It had crawled off and died. It was at the edge of the grazing area, near some scrub brush. I grabbed my rifle and left the truck on foot, looking for tracks in hopes of finding the rest of the pack. I didn’t want them holed up somewhere on the ranch, and having to deal with them when the mares begin to foal.”
“Did you find more tracks?”
“I found more than I bargained for. One moment I’m looking down at a set of huge pawprints, and the next thing I hear growling and look up to see seven of them spaced out in front of me. It wasn’t the best situation, and I was guessing I could get at least two, maybe three before they scattered and came at me again, when I heard a horse coming up behind me in full gallop. All of a sudden, Dancer comes racing past me squealing in rage, and ran straight into the midst of coyotes, kicking and stomping, and now I couldn’t get off a shot.”
The image of that scene sent a chill up Maggie’s spine. “Oh my God. What did you do?”
He finished the story while eating his second sandwich.
Her eyes were wide with shock. “Excuse my language, but how the hell did you stay on a running horse with no way to guide it?”
“The same way I did when you drove up on Dancer and me in the pasture.”
But Maggie wasn’t buying the blasé delivery of the story. She was horrified and it showed. He could have died.
“You made kill shots riding at breakneck speed and did it bareback without falling off. That sounds impossible.”
He kissed the back of her hand and then grinned. “Except that’s how my ancestors hunted buffalo. Riding bareback beside a stampeding herd of buffalo, hunting with bows and arrows, then riding them down until they fell over and died. Then later when they had rifles, shooting from the back of their horses at a dead run.”
“So, does that mean the herd is safe now?” she asked.
“For a while, at least.”
She dug into the ice chest and pulled out a bag of cookies and handed one to him.
“You should celebrate the fact that you’re still here in one piece,” she muttered.
He took the cookie and laughed. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, but I am learning things about you I did not know before, and I’m trying to get adjusted to the fact that the man I am falling in love with doesn’t have the good sense to be scared,” she muttered.
He scooted the ice chests back into the truck bed and scooted up beside her, then took her hand.
“Sweetheart, you should have known when Pearl told you I used to ride bulls, that once upon a time, I didn’t have a lick of good sense. However, dying changes perspective. I celebrate every day I am alive. I do not take unnecessary risks, but sometimes life hands us tasks we must complete, and I don’t live life in fear. Understand?”
She nodded. “I know that in my head, but my heart is just coming to terms with being loved. Selfishly, I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He gave her shoulders a quick squeeze. “When I was riding bulls, I lived like every day could be my last. I didn’t like how that turned out. After that I felt like I was just biding my time, waiting to be shown what came next. I didn’t know it would be you, but you are the gold at the end of my rainbow, and I want to be everything to you that you need me to be.” He slid off the tailgate and then stepped between her legs and hugged her, as he did, the wind caught in his hair. “Dang wind. I’m gonna have to start putting my hair in a braid again, like I did when I was still riding bulls.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “If you want, I can braid it for you now.”
“I usually have to do it for myself, but that would be great. You sure you don’t mind?” he asked.
“Not a bit, but I need an elastic hair tie.”
“I think I have a couple in the console,” he said. “Let me look.” He headed for the cab, and came back smiling. “The console in a truck is the man version of a woman’s purse. A little bit of everything in there,” he said, and gave it to her.
She was all business as she slipped it on her wrist. “Okay dude, turn to face the wind,” she said.
Sonny grinned as he turned his back to her. Dude. She was going to be the saving of him. When she began combing her fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes.
As soon as she got the tangles out, she paused. “One braid, right?”
He nodded.
His hair was silk between her fingers as she separated it into three parts and began the braid at the nape of his neck, alternating sections until she got all the way to the end, slipped the elastic band onto the end of the thick rope of hair and wrapped it firmly in place.
“Done!” she said.
Sonny turned around, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. “In our culture, it is a loving, bonding thing to brush and braid each other’s hair. Thank you.”
She beamed. “If I get to choose a bonding moment…other than making mad crazy love with you, I’ll take a good foot rub.”
Sonny laughed. “You got yourself a deal.”
He made her heart skip. Slowly but surely, this man was putting all the broken pieces of her together.
“Are you ready to go back to the house?” he asked.
“I don’t have an agenda other than you. I’ll help, or if you’re busy, I can take myself home.”
He frowned. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“Then we go where you need to go next. If it’s to Crossroads, we can make waves by showing up together. If it’s something on the property, I know how to stay out of the way and watch. And if I can help, I’m your second pair of hands.”
Sonny shook his head. “You’re second to no one. You’re my one and done, darlin’. Get your cute little butt in the truck.”
Maggie took her cute little butt to the truck and climbed in, but the grin on her face was there for anyone to see. Being someone’s one and done said it all.
After a stop-off at the house to wash up and get the rifle, they started out again, only this time driving south. The turkey buzzards were still circling the sky, which meant there were likely more of them on the ground. He’d done what he had to do, and would do it again. Only this time, he was following the road Emmit’s trips had worn into the area, and not chasing off into the sage and yucca for an escaping coyote. After noticing the intent expression on Maggie’s face as they went, he wanted to know what she was thinking.
“What do you think about all this?” Sonny asked.
“It’s beautiful in its own way, but different from the land around the ranch itself. How does that happen?” she asked.
“Emmit made that happen. It would have all looked like this. He cleared land and sowed some grass varieties that would be hardy in places that don’t get a lot of rain and endure in winter, as well.”
She nodded, absorbing the explanation. “So, what are you going to do with this land? The same thing, or leave it in its natural state?”
“Not sure, honey, but I’ve been considering a couple of different options here. I’m thinking I might rather buy good-blooded three- or four-year-olds already broken to ride, and train them here to sell, instead of breeding and raising them here first.”
“And keep the herd on the north end of the property?” she asked.
He grinned. “You’re thinking like a rancher already. If I do that, then I’ll be fencing off the south end so I can keep them closer. Anyway, it’s a start.”
As he was driving, his phone rang. He glanced down. “It’s my brother,” he said, and braked to a stop.
“Hey Charlie, how’s it going?” he asked.
“Good enough.”
Sonny frowned. “How is Julia since the attempted abduction?”
“Nightmares. Afraid to play outside. We’re going to have a big family dinner soon in hopes that playing outside with her cousins will help.”
“Is Frannie okay?”
Charlie sighed. “She isn’t sleeping well. Wakes up off and on all night and has to go see that Julia is safe in her bed before she can go back to sleep.”
“I’m sorry, brother. I wish I had an answer for you.”
“You did your part. You saved her life. On another note, is that pretty lady still in your life?”
“She’s sitting right beside me,” Sonny said, and winked at Maggie. “We’ll send some pictures later, okay?”
“Thank goodness. Frannie thinks she needs to see her face.”
“Works both ways,” Sonny said. “I want a picture of all of you to show her. And you tell my little sweetheart that Uncle Sonny wants a picture of her with a big smile on her face, and she has nothing to fear. She fought her enemy and won.”
“Yes, I will, and thank you, Sonny. She idolizes you. Maybe that will help. Oh…hell, almost forgot the reason I called. I heard through the family grapevine that Walker packed up his clothes and gave up his apartment when he got out of jail. Nubby Zane is missing, too.”
“Shit,” Sonny muttered. “Do you think he’s—”
“Going to try and find you?” Charlie said, finishing the question Sonny was about to ask. “Probably, and taking Nubby for backup. You know that man is mean. Don’t trust him anymore than you do Walker. Just be prepared.”
Sonny sighed. “Thanks for the heads up, but don’t worry. If he finds me, I’ll see him coming. There’s no place for him to hide out here.”
“Just the same, be careful, and send me those pictures,” Charlie said, and disconnected.
Sonny put the phone in a cupholder in the console.
“Is everything okay?” Maggie asked. “Did something happen to your niece?”
“A couple of days ago I had a vision. I saw a stranger stalking her while she was playing in the creek below the house. Long story short, I called Charlie…he called his wife, Frances, as he was driving home, and she took off running to look for her. It was an escaped inmate from a nearby prison, and by the time Frannie got to the creek, Julia had twisted out of his grasp, and he was chasing her in the water. Frannie ran him down and knocked him out with a hatchet. Charlie got there for the clean-up.”
Maggie’s voice was trembling. “You saw all that?”
He nodded. “I saw the danger. I didn’t know what was happening after I called. Worst feeling in the world to be so far away and not be able to help.”
She reached across the console and clasped his hand. “You were given a second chance at life for a reason, weren’t you?”
He shrugged. “It would seem so.”
“What did you mean by, there’s no place here for him to hide? Are you in danger?”
“He thinks my father and one of his drinking buddies are looking for me. Walker wants a piece of all this, but if he doesn’t get it, he’ll do his best to destroy it. He’s evil walking. Him and that giant turquoise belt buckle and scraggly gray braids. He hasn’t told the truth twice in his life and he broke our mother’s heart when he abandoned her, leaving her to raise us on her own.”
Her eyes narrowed angrily. “Everybody who comes to Crossroads, comes to the Rose. If he walks in the door, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, but don’t even pretend you know who I am. I wouldn’t put it past him to use you to get to me.”
She nodded. “I promise, but never worry about me. Pearl has the shotgun and Carson has his baseball bat.”
“When you are out of my sight, I will always worry about you.” He kissed her. Softly. Lingering on the shape and taste of her lips until he was aching to be inside her. But that was for another time and place.
Her eyes were still closed as he pulled back, but not for long. She blinked, and the first thing he thought of was “pieces of sky,” like the little blue rock Julia gave him when he left. Maggie was his piece of sky, his good-luck charm, the woman who held his heart.
“Love you, Magnolia.”
“Love you more,” she said. “Did you promise Charlie pictures?”
“Oh, yeah, I did. They want to see you, and they want to see me on the Appaloosa.”
“I have video of you riding up on Dancer. When we get back to the house, we can take one of us in front of your house, so they can see that, too.”
“They will love that, and I’m taking you back now. Bringing you out without knowing if there’s more of the pack is dangerous. I’ll come back by myself later.”
Maggie didn’t argue, and as soon as they got back to the ranch, they went to the front yard. Sonny put one arm around her, and then held up her phone and took a selfie of them with his house in the background.
“There you go. Send the stuff to my phone, and I’ll send it to them later,” he said. “I need to find the coyote den and make sure they’re all gone. I don’t want you to leave, but I hate to leave you in the house alone.”
“You go do what you need to do. I’ll be here when you get back, okay?”
“Perfect,” he said, then gave her a quick kiss, then unlocked the door. “Lock yourself in, okay?”
“You’re worried about your dad. Don’t be. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I will do that, just the same.”
“Thank you, baby. Call me if you need me,” he said, as he closed the door between them. As soon as he heard the lock turn, he headed to the truck.
Maggie turned to face the empty house. She couldn’t just sit here doing nothing, and it felt like it did when Emmit was still alive—her in the house, and him off being a cowboy. So, she rolled up her sleeves and went to get a dust mop.
***
Pearl was in a mood. Inactivity was the worst. Damn those skunked-up thieves for cutting the power. If the lights hadn’t gone out when they did, none of this would have happened.
It hurt to blink, and every time she looked in the mirror, she moaned at the sight. Her eye and cheek were one solid mass of black and purple. And the more time passed, the more bruises appeared. There was a little one under her chin, and she’d jammed a couple of fingers on her right hand when she fell, and now the middle knuckles on both of them were swollen and bruised.
Once upon a time she’d been a pretty little thing, with her curly hair and turned up nose. Now she was all saggy, and her blond hair was white.
The cars passing by the Rose made her miss the hustle and bustle of a workday, but she knew she wouldn’t last an hour standing at the grill. The fall was a kind of wake-up call. If she had extra help, she wouldn’t have had to close, which prompted her to follow through on advertising for more workers.
She dug through a closet, looking for that piece of poster board she’d kept and then got out an oversized marker and made a sign to put in the window that read:
JOB OPENINGS:
GRILL COOK
WAITRESS
Then she grabbed a roll of tape, took it downstairs and hung it at eye-level on the big window by the entrance.
Satisfied that she was taking control of her business again, she made herself a Mountain Dew from the fountain and went back upstairs, taking care to hold on to the handrail as she went.
***
Maggie was at peace in the house, dusting and mopping like before, and when she finished, she crawled up onto the sofa, tucked a throw pillow under her head and covered up with the blanket from the back of the sofa.
The blanket smelled like sage and Sonny. The room smelled like lemon. She could hear the wind whipping around the corner of the house and a horse whinny somewhere beyond, but inside it was calm and quiet. She sighed, then pulled the blanket up under her chin and closed her eyes.
***
Sonny felt bad asking Maggie to come to the ranch, and then leaving her behind, but he didn’t want to put her in danger, and he needed to find the coyotes’ lair. He began his search at the place where he’d first been attacked. If they had been denned up nearby, he would find it.
As soon as he reached the area, he took the rifle and got out to begin his search, looking for crevices, or a rise in the earth that had been dug out for shelter. He didn’t find anything obvious and widened his search, and then smelled it before he saw it. It was the musky scent of dog and urine that gave it away, and then the bleached-from-the-sun bones scattered around the opening beneath a pile of rocks and dirt. The entrance was all but hidden by the yucca plants around it. He paused and made a three-sixty turn of the area to make sure he was still alone, and then squatted down near the entrance and aimed a flashlight into the darkness.
It was empty, and no fresh tracks going in or out.
Relieved, he began kicking at the base of the mound of rocks until he disrupted the balance, then watched in satisfaction as the den collapsed. It was a small victory, but it was enough, and maybe the scattered bones of the dead pack would deter other coyotes from making this place their home.
At that point, he shouldered his rifle and began retracing his steps to get back to the truck. He checked his phone as he went, saw the text from Maggie, and then remembered she was going to send him their picture and the video she’d taken of him riding Dancer. As soon as he got into the truck, he started it up, turned on the air conditioner, then sat and watched the video of himself riding up on Dancer, then studied the picture he’d taken of them in front of the house. Charlie will like these. He will see where I live, and he will know by the look on my face that she’s the one. He sent Charlie a text message and the attachments with it, and hit Send, then put the truck in gear and headed home.
As he was driving, he got a call about the dried wood shavings and straw bales he’d ordered. They were being delivered tomorrow afternoon. Another step to getting the place up and running. Now all he wanted was to get back to Maggie. A few minutes later, he pulled up to the back door and parked, dropped his phone in his pocket and went inside.
***
Charlie walked into the house with Julia bouncing behind him. He’d just picked her up from school and couldn’t wait to show Julia and Frannie the picture and video Sonny sent him.
Frannie was breaking fresh green beans to cook for supper when Charlie walked into the kitchen. “Sonny sent pictures,” he said.
Julia squealed. Frannie set the beans aside and sat down at the table with Charlie.
“The first one is a video of Sonny on the Appaloosa. He’s riding the horse bareback, without a bridle of even a rope. Mom always said Sonny was a throwback to the ancestors, and I guess she was right. Just look at this.”
He’d watched the video a dozen times already, but now he was seeing it anew. Sonny was minus a shirt. His hair was loose and flying, and the horse was running like the wind. He had the biggest smile on his face and when he rode up to the corral, he swung his leg over and slid off.
“Charlie, just look at him,” Frannie said.
“Uncle Sonny has a really pretty horse,” Julia said.
“There’s one more picture,” Charlie said. “This is Sonny and his girl. Her name is Magnolia Brennan, but he calls her Maggie.”
Frannie took the phone out of his hands and studied it, then nodded.
“She loves him. I can see it on her face.”
“Yeah, and he loves her. Anybody can see that,” Charlie added.
Julia frowned. “I thought I was his best girl.”
“You’ll always be his best girl, and one day Maggie will be his wife. Those are two different things.”
Julia thought about it, then nodded. “She’s pretty.”
“Yes, she is, and we’re really happy for Uncle Sonny, aren’t we?” Frannie said.
Julia grinned. “Yes, we’re happy. What’s for supper?”
“So much for the burst of jealousy,” Charlie said. “I promised Sonny I’d send pictures of us.”
“I’ll send pictures of you and Julia all dressed up for the father-daughter dance, and I’ll pick out a good one of us, too,” Francine said. “Sonny’s woman should know who her family is going to be.”