Page 21
Story: Sunset (Crossroads #1)
Walker Bluejacket’s big turquoise belt buckle was locked up somewhere with his personal possessions. The braids he’d worn all his life were gone, he was missing three teeth, his nose had been reset but it was sore and swollen and it still hurt to breathe. Today, he was being moved from the prison infirmary to a cell. He’d have a cellmate to cope with, and he couldn’t bear to look at himself anymore. His swagger was gone. He didn’t talk unless spoken to, and knew in his gut he wouldn’t live long inside this place. If a prisoner didn’t kill him, the loss of his freedom would.
And still, with everything he’d lost by what he’d done, he still wished his son to hell. His baby boy had grown up bigger than him. Better looking than him. Braver than him. He dared to ride the bulls. The behemoths of the rodeo world. He became a star in that world, and with every bit of Sonny’s success, Walker’s jealousy and envy grew.
He’d been so focused on taking what Sonny had, that he’d lost sight of reality. But the biggest mistake of all was messing with another man’s woman. He hadn’t expected that girl to fight. He hadn’t known about the visions. Not once had he ever been afraid of another man until his own son came close to killing him. But not with a gun. And not with a knife. With his fists. One blow after another, with a rage unlike anything Walker had ever seen.
Then he heard footsteps and looked toward the door at the end of the ward, watching as it opened, then seeing the three guards coming toward him.
They stopped at his bedside.
“Let’s go, Bluejacket. It’s moving day.”
They uncuffed him from the bed rail, put shackles on his ankles and cuffed his hands in front of him, then stood him on his feet and lay his pillow and bedroll, two changes of clothes, a towel and washcloth and a bar of soap across his outstretched arms.
He clutched the stack against his chest like a shield as they began walking him out of the prison ward, through the halls, up the stairs, and then down the walkway to a cacophony of jeers and shouts.
His heart was heavy. His steps were slow and shuffling. He could no longer hold his head up high. He’d been shorn of his manhood. Beaten into submission he didn’t know how to navigate. And had yet to see the face of the man he would share a cell with.
Then they stopped at a cell and one of the guards shouted. “Morris! Step back!”
Walker heard keys rattling, and then the cell door swung open. One guard removed his shackles and the other removed the cuffs.
“In you go,” the guard said, and the moment Walker cleared the threshold, the door slammed shut behind him.
He heard the key turn in the lock, and looked up.
The man before him was mid-forties, bald, white, and tatted on nearly every inch of skin Walker could see. Then he smiled, and Walker knew he had to make a stand now, or it would be too late to set the pace.
“You smile at me like that again you ink-faced monkey, and I will peel the skin off your face with my teeth.”
Morris blinked. Clearly, there was more to this man than the eye could see. He shrugged.
“Just being friendly. My bad.”
“I don’t want friends,” Walker muttered, and threw his bedroll onto the bottom bunk, which Morris was clearly occupying.
“Hell no. That’s my bunk,” Morris said.
Walker glared back. “Do I look like I can climb? It’s either that, or I pull the mattress off the top bunk and sleep on the floor…right next to you. Your choice.”
Morris’s hands fisted as he stood, eyeing the raggedy gray hair and the black eyes in the old man’s bruised and battered face, and decided the farther away from him, the better off he would be.
“Ah, what the hell,” he muttered. But instead of moving his bedding, he moved the whole mattress with the bedding on it, yanking it all on the floor, then he pulled the bare mattress from the top and threw it onto the bottom, then put his mattress, with his bedding on it, onto the top bunk.
The sheets were awry, the blankets in a wad, but he straightened them, then crawled up and laid down with his back to the wall, keeping an eye on the old Indian, until he heard him groan as he eased down onto the lower bunk.
At that point, Morris realized the man was in worse shape than he appeared, and let go of his anger. His new cellmate could have been a bulked up perv with anger issues. At least this one didn’t have much to say.
While down below, Walker was stretched out, eyeing his gear on the shelf. And Morris, whoever the hell he was, had already backed down.
Whatever will be, will be, and if I’m lucky, someone will stick a shiv in my back, and all of this will be over.
***
As soon as the Dillion crew left the ranch with the horses, Sonny cleaned the stalls before going back to the house. It was nearing noon, and the visitors from yesterday had gone through the pantry like a horde of hungry grasshoppers, which meant a trip to Belker’s for groceries. No way was he having Maggie do all that shopping after a long day at work at the Rose. He had some bookkeeping to update, but after he washed up and put on a clean shirt, he grabbed the truck keys and headed into town. The first stop would be to have lunch at the Rose, and get a sweet kiss from his girl.
***
Maggie was just coming back from the kitchen when she saw the tall, heavyset woman from Darla’s area get up from her seat and lay some money down on the table for her meal. But instead of walking straight to the exit, she walked to an empty table that had yet to be cleared, took the tip someone had left and slipped it in her purse, and then continued to do that at three other tables as she headed to the door.
“Pearl! Runner!” she shouted, and bolted for the door, skidding in front of the exit to block her. “I saw what you did, and you’re not going anywhere until you empty your purse.”
The woman gasped, and clutched her purse against her breasts. “Help! Somebody help me! This woman is trying to steal my purse!”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Everybody in this room knows that didn’t happen! I watched you take the tips off of four different tables. One of mine and three of Darla’s. Now do what I said, or I’m calling the law.”
“You don’t have any law in this town,” she snapped.
Then Pearl appeared in the dining room with her shotgun.
“We have law in the county, and then we have our version of the law,” Pearl said, and lifted the shotgun.
Maggie saw the diners watching and pointed. “This woman just stole the tips off of four tables, and I saw her do it. There will be four different bills in the outer pocket of her purse. Three five-dollar bills and one ten. I saw them when I brought out my last order,” Maggie said.
The woman was getting red in the face, and the sight of that shotgun was less than reassuring.
“I’ll sue you,” she shouted. “I’ll own this café before I’m through with you.”
“Oh, shut up,” Maggie said, and yanked the purse out of her arms. The woman lurched at Maggie just as Pearl jabbed the barrel of the shotgun in her back.
“You lay a hand on that girl, and they’ll be burying you in two pieces.”
Maggie calmly pulled the bills out of the outer pocket and held them up for everyone to see.
“Three fives and a ten, just like I said. Darla, call the sheriff.”
“I already did,” Darla said.
“No, no, there’s no need to do that,” the woman said. “I just had a weak moment. I’m sorry. You’ve got your money and I’ll be on my way.”
“Not before you get a mug shot and fingerprinted for petty theft and assault,” Pearl said.
The woman turned, knocked the gun out of Pearl’s hands and pushed her backward, then snatched the purse out of Maggie’s hands and pushed past her, rushing toward the exit.
All of a sudden, the door opened, and the silhouette of a man blocked out all the light. The woman froze, trying to decide whether to fight or run, when the growl in his voice ended all thought.
“Lady, I don’t know what the hell you’ve been doing, but I know it’s not good, because Pearl’s got her gun, and that angry woman you tried to bulldoze is mine. If you so much as lay a hand on her, I will tie you to the hood of my truck and drive you to the sheriff’s office myself.” Sonny walked inside and closed the door. “Do I need to call Reddick?”
“I already did,” Darla said.
Sonny pointed at the woman. “Sit yourself down.”
She started to back up to a chair.
“No, not there. On the floor, over in that corner,” Sonny said.
“But it’s hard for me to get up,” she whined.
“The officers will help you up when they cuff you,” he said.
She started to wail. “I don’t want to go to jail.”
Maggie glared. “You should have thought of that before you stole the money.”
The woman flopped herself down, and began glaring at everyone who was staring at her.
“What do you think you’re looking at?” she shouted.
“Floor show?” one diner said.
“More like dinner theater, and we all got to see ‘who done it,’” another diner added.
Maggie immediately turned to Pearl. “Did she hurt you, honey?”
“No, but getting a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound shove made me drop my gun. Next time I’ll put a little space between us, or just go ahead and shoot.”
Sonny shook his head. “How am I ever going to get stuff done, if I’m worrying about you two all the time?”
“We were fine,” Maggie said, “but I have to admit, I would have liked to see you take off to Silverton with that woman on the hood of your truck.”
“Bloodthirsty little thing, but I sure do love you,” Sonny said. “I’m going to sit right here between her and the door, and I’ll take whatever the special is today.”
“Coming up,” Maggie said, and went to turn in the order.
Sonny sat down, put the purse she dropped on the floor between his feet, and stared at her until she looked away.
Calm returned to the diners. The orders went in, the food came out, and time passed.
Sonny was finishing up his chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy when a car from the sheriff’s office pulled into the parking lot. Two officers got out and hurried into the Rose.
Sonny put down his fork as Maggie came to meet them.
“We’re pressing charges against that woman,” Maggie said. “She stole tip money off four tables, and assaulted the owner, Pearl Fallon. I was the one who witnessed the thefts and stopped her before she could get out the door.”
They took the purse Sonny gave them, checked her ID, and then walked over to the corner where the woman was sitting.
“Your name is Babe Elwood?”
She glared. “Yes.”
“Get up, ma’am. You’re coming with us.”
“I can’t get up on my own,” she muttered. “I told him that when he made me sit in the corner,” and then pointed at Sonny.
They gave Sonny a look and then both of them grinned at him. “Sonny Bluejacket. Did you just put Baby in the corner? Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”
“I did suggest she take a seat there,” Sonny drawled.
Reference to the Dirty Dancing movie turned the drama of the theft and takedown into a witty joke that eased the tension in the room, for which Pearl was grateful.
Each of the officers grabbed an arm and pulled Babe Elwood to her feet and cuffed her.
“What happens to our tip money?” Darla asked.
“We’ll log it into evidence and eventually you’ll get it back.”
As they were walking Babe out of the Rose, Sonny heard her asking what was going to happen to her car. He knew the answer. They’d tow it to the impound yard and when they released her, it would cost her way more than the money she’d stolen to get it back.
He looked down at the food still on his plate and then took out his wallet.
“Are you leaving? Do you want a to-go box?” Maggie asked.
He turned. “No, I’m good, darlin’. Just have a couple of things to do here before I go home. Our guests yesterday pretty much cleaned out the pantry. I’m headed to Belker’s. Is there anything in particular you want me to pick up for you?”
“We need eggs and milk. I was going to get them on my way home.”
“I’ll add them to the list. Have a good rest of the day.” He kissed her on the cheek. “You are going to make one hell of a mother for our boys.”
And then he was gone, leaving Maggie with a kiss and a prophecy that gave her goose bumps. Our boys? Why does he say that with such certainty?
She smiled to herself for even questioning that. What he knows, he knows. So, she moved into her field of expertise and began eyeing the diners who’d stayed the course with them during the takedown and the arrest, checking to see if someone was in need, when she heard Pearl call out, “Order up,” and headed for the kitchen.
***
That evening, as they were closing up the Rose, Pearl locked the front door and called a meeting of the staff.
“I want to commend all of you for your behavior and your assistance during today’s chaos. Also, it was a lesson for all of you. Don’t leave your tips on the table. I don’t care how busy you are, you can’t start one thing when you’ve left another undone. Carson, don’t leave bussing the tables up to waitresses, especially if we have a full house. There are twenty tables and booths all along the walls, and only two waitresses to serve them. I’m getting a commercial-grade dishwasher installed next week that will make your job a little easier. Davey, you are doing a great job, but watch your drips. The floor in front of the grill is slick by the end of the day. Somebody’s going to slip and fall, and I don’t want it to be me.”
They were all listening and nodding and agreeing with everything Pearl was pointing out, and took it to heart.
“Also,” Pearl said. “Don’t forget, Maggie will be off tomorrow and Sunday, so both Cheryl and Darla will be on full shifts.”
“Gonna sleep in, are you, girl?” Darla said.
“No. Sonny and I are going to Amarillo to get my wedding dress and pick out rings,” Maggie said.
At that point, everybody began congratulating her.
“When’s the wedding?” Pearl asked.
“We’ll figure that out tomorrow,” Maggie said. “Hopefully within the next two weeks.”
Darla shrieked. “Two weeks. It took me longer than that to decide what colors I was choosing for my wedding.”
Maggie shook her head. “I don’t want a big wedding. I don’t want to spend money on stuff I won’t wear but once. I don’t have relatives. But I have Pearl, and she’s the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had. Sonny’s brother and family will come, but we both lean toward an intimate family gathering. Besides, nothing I could buy would ever mean more to me than the man who loves me.”
“Where are you going to have it, at the church?” Darla asked.
Maggie frowned. “No. At the ranch. I want to get married at sunset, with heaven painting the backdrop. I’m not walking down some aisle to meet a man I already sleep with. He’s already in my heart. Saying the words together is just making it official.”
“Okay, that’s enough prying into Maggie’s business. I think we all understand where we are with the jobs we do. Go home. Get some sleep. See you tomorrow.”
As the others were leaving, Pearl caught Maggie’s hand and held her back. “You just about made me cry,” Pearl said. “I can’t have children, but then God went and gave me one, anyway. Magnolia, you are the dearest thing on earth to me, and I could not be happier for you. You and Sonny have the best day ever and safe travels tomorrow, okay?”
Maggie kissed Pearl on the cheek. “I meant what I said. I love you, Pearl. So much. Sonny thinks the world of you, too, which is good, because one day our children will be calling you Grandma. You will be the only grandparent in their lives. Stuff is happening for Sonny and me. Stuff I never dreamed of, part of which will change my world, but it won’t change what you’ve become to me. And don’t get that look on your face again. We’re not leaving Crossroads.”
Pearl’s eyes welled. “Anything that will make your lives better will make me proud, girl. Now go home and hug that pretty man of yours.”
Maggie smiled. “I will.”
Pearl stood at the back door to the Rose, watching until Maggie was in her car and driving out of the parking lot before going back inside and locking up.
She wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and headed for the phone. She had to make a new order for the wholesaler and pay some bills before her day ended.
***
Maggie’s heart was so full of joy it felt like it could just pop at any moment. Expectations were something other people had, and she was a novice at accepting them. But this wasn’t just a dream. This was really happening. It was real.
She drove until she reached the entrance to the ranch, and drove beneath the sign. SUNSET RANCH. Their home.
She could see the herd, smaller now by four horses, but that would change. As she drove closer, she saw Sonny sitting on the top rail of the corral. Her heart skipped at the sight. He was minus a shirt, his hair was loose, and he looked deep in thought. Was he seeing visions, or just imagining the ranch’s future—their future? She knew when he heard her car, because he jumped down and came to meet her with that ever-present devilish grin, and haste in every step.
He was at the door by the time she parked.
“Hey, darlin’, I was sitting out in the sun to let my hair dry and missing you, and I look up and see your face.”
She put her hand over the butterfly tattoo.
“You make it beat faster,” he said, then slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “You ready for that trip to Amarillo tomorrow?”
“More than ready.”
“You still want to get married here on the ranch?” he asked.
She nodded. “At sunset. I can’t think of a better blessing to start our lives together. Anytime within the next two weeks?”
“Can’t be too soon for me,” Sonny said. “We can check the calendar, pick a day and time, and I’ll give Charlie a call so he can make plans for the trip out.”
“I already told Pearl she’s invited, since she’s the only mother figure I’ve ever had. So, we have the guests. We have the location. All we need is a preacher.”
“I know a cowboy preacher. Maybe I’ll give him a call,” Sonny said.
“Oh Sonny, that would be perfect. The only place around here to get a marriage license is at Silverton, which is the county seat of Briscoe County.”
“We’ll do that one day next week, but not Monday. That’s when Max Andros is coming to get your paintings,” Sonny said. “I’ll whisk you away from work for a couple of hours on Tuesday and we’ll get it done. There’s a seventy-two-hour wait between getting the license and getting married, so we don’t want to delay anything. Let’s go inside. After all the excitement you had at the Rose, you must be exhausted.”
He took her hand, listening to her chatter as they entered the house, and thinking how her eyes flashed when she was excited, and how she could turn him on with nothing more than a smile.
“Supper is warming in the oven,” Sonny said. “A frozen version of a mac and cheese casserole and some brisket from Belker’s Deli.”
“That sounds so good,” Maggie said. “Give me a few to get out of these clothes.”
“How about I help you with that…just to speed things along?”
She smiled.
He didn’t wait for an answer.
***
Long after the sun was gone and the dishes were done and the stars were out, they lay sleeping, wrapped in each other’s arms, and the next morning, Sonny woke to the sound of running water. Maggie was already in the shower. He got up, put on a pair of jeans, and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, then went out to the back porch to look for the horses. They were all eating from the round bale in the hay ring. Satisfied that they would be fine while he was gone, he went back inside to finish dressing.
Maggie was out of the shower and standing in front of the closet in her underwear.
“Good morning, Magnolia. You are a beautiful sight to wake up to,” Sonny said, and kissed the back of her neck.
She turned to face him. “I saw you first. You were talking in your sleep.”
He frowned. “What did I say?”
She shrugged. “You weren’t speaking English, so I couldn’t begin to tell you.”
He grinned. “Sorry. I didn’t know I did that.”
“And I don’t know what to wear. Do I dress up, or dress like me?”
“Dress how you want. We’re going to Westgate Mall because I know where it is and the stores they have, including several jewelry stores. Then we’re going to a place called David’s Bridal, and after that, I’m taking you to the Red River Steakhouse at noon. It’s where the locals eat, and I’ve been there plenty of times in my rodeo days.”
Maggie was so excited she almost clapped her hands. “I rarely go to Amarillo, and when I do, it’s just a quick trip to the art supply store and home. I can’t wait to see it with you.”
“Go cowgirl if you want. You sure won’t be alone.”
“I can wear jeans and my old pink Ropers?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Now get some clothes on, or I’m going to want to take off what you already have on.”
She began grabbing clothes, while Sonny picked out a shirt and his best boots, then the belt with one of his Bull Riding Championship buckles.
When he went into the bathroom to brush his hair, Maggie followed, took the brush from his hands, and did it for him.
“Braid or loose?” she asked.
“Loose.”
“Then you, my handsome man, are good to go, and so am I.”
“Coffee is ready. Make us some toast, okay? I just need to brush the dust off my hat.”
“Coming up,” she said, and grabbed her purse as she went.
He brushed the black Stetson and then took it with him to the kitchen.
They ate toast and downed a cup of coffee apiece, and then they were gone.
***
They turned west on Highway 86 that ran through Crossroads and drove to Tulia to get the I-27 north into Amarillo. As they drove, Sonny reached for her hand.
“That cowboy preacher I was telling you about…he lives somewhere around Amarillo. I’m going to give him a call later today, so while we’re still on the road, it would be good if you could check the calendar and pick a date. I’ll need to know all that before I call.”
Maggie dug her phone out of her purse, pulled up the calendar for the month of May.
“Today is the 4th. Two weeks from today would be the 18th. Both Saturdays. Sunset is around 8:00 p.m., so if we began at 7:30, the sky will be gorgeous.”
“Then 7:30 p.m. on the 18th of May. Just our immediate families—my brother and family, and Pearl. If you want a little flower girl, Julia Bluejacket would be over the moon to do it for us.”
Maggie’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes! That would be perfect. And tell her to wear the pretty dress she wore at the daddy-daughter dance. She looked like a little princess.”
“She needs to feel special,” Sonny said. “She’s still traumatized by what happened at the creek.”
“How could she not be? I still have dreams of Walker stuffing napkins down my mouth and choking me unconscious. I thought I would never see you again. I came to as we were driving away, but I kept my eyes closed. I didn’t want him to know. I just laid there without moving, knowing that you would find me. Julia has her mommy and daddy for backup. I have you.”
“And I have you.”
“How far away are we from Amarillo?” Maggie asked.
“Fifteen, maybe twenty more minutes. Why?”
“Because getting there is opening another door into the business of becoming your wife, and I can’t wait for the day I get to be that woman.”
“You already are in my heart. We’re just tying up the loose ends with a license and a ceremony. White-man stuff,” he said, and then winked.
She laughed.
He grinned and kept talking. “In the old days, I would have had to give horses to your father to ask for you.”
“Well, I just saved you a butt load of horseflesh. I’ve been on a clearance rack since birth. I come free to the man who loves me.”
He frowned. “In my eyes, you were the wild horse used to making your own decisions and your own rules. That, I honor. That, I admire. You see you on a clearance rack. I see you standing on a mountain, unwilling to come down. You are a strong woman, Magnolia. I am honored that you chose me.”
“I chose you the same way Dancer chose you. It was already meant to happen. All we had to do was find each other first. Why else would I be marrying a man I have known less than three months?”
“And here I thought it was because I was irresistible,” he drawled.
Maggie laughed. “Just shut it, cowboy. You already knew that.”
They relaxed into an easy silence until Sonny pointed. “Amarillo. Dead ahead.”