Page 5

The moment Maggie arrived for work the next morning, Pearl started filling her in on the day.

“Morning, honey. We’re likely to be busy today. This is delivery day for the bread truck and the wholesale house, so there’ll be a lot of in and out in the kitchen for a while. The Dillon Ranch is having an open roping competition. All kinds of trucks pulling horse trailers have been going past the Rose since before daylight. I’m beginning to think I need to see about hiring a second waitress again, what with that Amber girl just up and leaving without a word to either of us. You don’t have a single day to yourself anymore.”

“I wouldn’t mind having my day off again, but we’re managing just fine for the moment. If all that’s going on today, do we have enough pie on hand?”

“I think so, and I just put a big batch of fudge brownies in the oven. Even if we do run out, a scoop of ice cream on top of one of those and they won’t even miss the pie. Did you get Sonny to Emmit’s house okay last night?” Pearl asked.

“Yes,” Maggie said, and turned away to hang up her coat and store her things in her little locker.

Pearl eyed her as she was putting on her apron and making sure she had her order pad and pen in the pocket. “Well? I need details, girl.”

Maggie looked up. “Oh, right. There isn’t much to tell. I got him to the house and went in with him to make sure Wade Sutton hadn’t been inside taking things there, too, but everything inside was okay. Sonny sent me home. He was waiting on the sheriff when I left. I don’t know what happened after that, but I did worry about it.”

Pearl sighed. “Now I’m going to worry until I know the outcome.”

Maggie shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough. I have a feeling we’ll see him sometime today. There wasn’t any food in the house, and what was in the refrigerator was spoiled or seriously out of date.”

“Well then,” Pearl said, and glanced at the clock. It was just past 6:00 a.m. “Better open up. The grill is hot and ready, and the first batch of biscuits is in the warmer. Check and see if there’s toilet paper and paper towels in both bathrooms for me, will you?”

Maggie nodded and left the kitchen to flip the Closed sign to Open, turned on all the lights, while Pearl began frying up more bacon for the warmer. At that point, customers began trickling in, and by 7:00 a.m., the Rose was packed, and the parking lot was full of pickups pulling horse trailers, and people from the area stopping for breakfast before continuing to the Dillon Ranch.

Maggie was darting about the room delivering orders, taking new ones, and refilling drinks.

Carson Wright, a thirty-year-old high school dropout, and Pearl’s dishwasher for years, was washing dishes as fast as he could get them off the tables, and Pearl was filling orders as fast as she could get them off the grill.

It was two straight hours of chaos and then the lull. Everybody took off for the roping contest, and Pearl, Maggie, and Carson finally had a moment to catch their breath and prepare for the locals who wandered in and out for food at noon.

Carson swept the dining room floor clear of breakfast crumbs. Maggie refilled the complimentary condiments on the tables, and Pearl took a box of hamburger patties from the freezer and began slicing tomatoes, onions, and shredding lettuce, and got the bin of dill pickles from the cooler. Buns were on the shelf, and Pearl began frying chicken in both of her deep fryers just before 11:00 a.m.

Maggie was looking out the window when she saw a white, older-model Mercury Cougar turning off the highway into the parking lot. It was rusted out and mud-splattered, and backfired after the driver parked.

Pearl shouted from the kitchen. “What was that?”

“Car backfire!” Maggie said, and patted her apron pocket to make sure she had her order pad and pen, and then pretended to be busy at the drink station when the driver walked in.

She heard the bell when the door opened, then turned. For a few seconds, she couldn’t move, and then shock turned to cold-blooded rage.

Jerry Lee! The man who had abandoned her in the parking lot of the Yellow Rose all those years ago. That he’d had the audacity to return to the scene of his crime, was like a slap in the face. When he picked up the menu and started reading it, Maggie grabbed a pitcher of water, strode over to the table like she was going to war, snatched the menu out of his hands, and emptied the pitcher over his head.

“What the hell?” Jerry yelled, then looked up and gasped. “Uh…oh hell… Maggie, is that you? I didn’t…uh…you’re still…”

Her voice was somewhere between a whisper and a hiss.

“Get. Out.”

“I just wanted to—”

“NOW!” she screamed.

Pearl came flying out of the kitchen with the shotgun, and Carson was right behind her with a baseball bat.

“What’s happening out here?” Pearl shouted, and then she saw the man’s face. “Holy shit, Magnolia! Is that—?”

“Yes,” Maggie muttered, and snatched the bat out of Carson’s hand.

Jerry Lee stood up to run, slipped in the water, and hit the floor face down, cutting his lower lip with his own teeth. Blood was spurting, and he was on his hands and knees crawling toward the door when Sonny Bluejacket walked in.

Sonny saw a bloody man crawling like a whipped dog, Pearl holding the shotgun, and Maggie coming toward the man with a baseball bat, screaming something about “sorry, good-for nothing, lying…”

And that was all it took. He reached down, grabbed the man by the collar of his jacket, and dragged him the rest of the way out the door and dumped him in the dirt.

“Are you the sorry son of a bitch who abandoned Magnolia here?”

Jerry was spitting blood and dirt as he rolled over to get up. “That ain’t none of your—”

Sonny yanked him to his feet with one hand. “If I ever see your face in Crossroads again, I will strip you naked and stake you on an ant hill. Do we understand each other?”

Jerry Lee’s defiance ended. Pee was running down his leg and his heart was pounding. This big man was as scary as Maggie, and he wouldn’t put it past either one of them to do him in.

He bolted for his car and leaped inside with tears rolling, locked the doors, then jammed the key in the ignition, desperate to make a quick getaway, but when he turned the key, the starter just clicked.

“Oh shit, oh shit…not now, not now,” he cried.

He tried the starter again, afraid to look up for fear he’d see the whole bunch of them coming for him. Then to his undying relief, the engine ground and started. Still bawling like a baby, Jerry revved it loud and long, put it in Drive, and took off out of the parking lot, slinging gravel as he went.

Sonny watched until the taillights disappeared, and then went back inside.

Carson was mopping up water.

Maggie was cleaning up the table and drying off the menu.

Pearl was sitting in a chair at one of the tables, laughing so hard she couldn’t get up.

Sonny started grinning. Maggie’s face was still flushed, and she was muttering beneath her breath as she worked.

“Was I too late, or too early?” he asked.

Maggie flinched. She didn’t know Sonny had come back inside. “Are you asking about the fight or some food?”

“I haven’t eaten since Pearl’s burger and fries last night, so I suppose a little of both.”

Pearl was wiping tears off her face as she dragged herself up from the table. “How about fried chicken, mashed potatoes with white gravy, and some creamed corn?”

“Add a side salad and you have a deal,” Sonny said.

Pearl winked. “Done, and it’s on the house for your part in exterminating a rat if you’ll tell us what happened at the Suttons’ last night.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sonny said.

Pearl headed for the kitchen as Sonny walked over to Maggie. “Just for the record, Magnolia, I don’t intend to ever make you mad, but I want you to know that you were nothing shy of magnificent.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” she mumbled.

“It was entirely my pleasure,” he said, and found himself wanting to wrap his arms around her until she quit shaking from the rage, but since he was also of the male sex, and she was still looking real put out, he didn’t have the guts to touch her.

“You yanked that dude up out of the dirt like a boss, but what did you say to him that made him run?” Carson asked.

“I told him that if I ever saw him in Crossroads again, or found out that he bothered Magnolia in any way, that I would strip him naked and stake him to an ant hill,” Sonny said.

Maggie looked up. “Did you really say that?”

Sonny shrugged. “I said it, and from the look on his face, he obviously believed people did that. I always thought it was something Hollywood thought up for the old westerns,” Sonny said.

The corner of her mouth twitched. “Thank you for saving me from myself.”

He winked. “You are most welcome. I’ll just go wash up.”

As he walked away, Maggie glanced at her reflection on the shiny surface of a nearby window. Last night he’d also walked away from her when he’d gone to wash up. Maybe one of these days he wouldn’t walk away. A few minutes later he was back, seated at the table, and waiting to eat.

Pearl brought out Sonny’s plate of food herself, then sat down at the table with him, as Maggie brought his drink.

“I don’t have much time for listening, so give me the highlights,” Pearl said.

Sonny nodded as he chewed and swallowed the first bite he’d just taken.

“Reddick took me to the trailer. Sutton’s wife answered the door with a bloody lip and big red mark on her face.”

Pearl frowned. “I’ve seen her with a black eye, and she always has bruises. I said something once, but she just shrugged and said something about it was nothing to what he’d do to her if she left him, so I minded my business, after that.”

“Figures,” Sonny said. “At first Sutton denied stealing, and said he was only taking care of the stuff so nobody could steal it, and then Sutton’s little boy came out, asking his daddy if they were going to sell some more horses. After that, he was caught. Four horses are gone, all to the same man. Mrs. Sutton gave us the man’s name. Reddick is in the process of running him down, too. He’ll likely be charged with receiving stolen property. I may or may not get those horses back.”

Maggie frowned. “Oh no! I’m so sorry, Sonny.”

“Yes, so am I, but after Wade was cuffed and in the sheriff’s cruiser, the sheriff also confiscated a handgun and illegal drugs, which will add to the charges.”

Pearl frowned. “I hope Vonnie is not in trouble.”

“No, ma’am, she’s not. Reddick knew she wasn’t complicit in any way. She and the boy left last night. Said she was going home to Louisiana. I didn’t know until she mentioned it, that Emmit had been their landlord, and that trailer is on his property.”

“Your property now,” Maggie said. “What about the horses? Please tell me the Appaloosa wasn’t one that was sold. He is so pretty.”

So, she has an affinity for the Appaloosa, too. “No, he’s still there with the other seven horses. They’re back on the property by the house,” Sonny said.

At that moment, a car pulled up in the parking lot.

Maggie pointed. “Customers, Pearl.”

Pearl nodded. “Thank you, Sonny. What you told us stays with us. If there’s anything said about it in Crossroads, it will come from you.”

“None of it is a secret,” Sonny said. “If anybody asks, the thief is in jail and his wife and son left the state. That’s all they need to know.”

The bell over the door jingled as customers entered, with more beginning to arrive. Pearl disappeared into the kitchen, and Maggie went into waitress mode and began taking drink orders.

Sonny dug into his food with a careful eye on Maggie as people came and went. He was getting ready to leave when she came back to his table with a to-go box.

“Apple pie to go,” she said. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“Thank you, Magnolia. I appreciate you and Pearl more than you know. See you soon.”

It wasn’t until she began to bus the table that she saw he’d left her a ten-dollar tip. But he’d also left her with more inspiration for the picture she was painting. His eyes weren’t actually as dark as she’d first imagined. That must have happened because he was angry. In the bright light of day, they were the color of Hershey’s kisses. She wondered if his kisses would be as sweet.

***

Sonny got his first good look at the town of Crossroads. A small school campus with a rattlesnake for a mascot. One pool hall. One really big gas station with eight lanes and sixteen pumps in the service areas, and one bay at the far end of the station to accommodate the big haulers and semis that wound up passing through Crossroads. There was one supermarket, and one bank, the post office, and the usual assortment of small-town businesses.

He made a quick sweep through Belker’s Grocery to stock up on food and supplies, then headed home with the image of Magnolia Brennen wielding a baseball bat like a war club.

***

Two days later, Sonny had developed a routine with the horses, and on this morning, as soon as he was finished with morning chores, he gathered up all of the paperwork he’d been given by Emmit’s lawyer, and headed into town.

Before cancer claimed him, Emmit Cooper had his lawyer go through all the legal steps needed to eliminate the need for probate, and upon his death, everything had immediately transferred to Sonny Bluejacket.

It was almost as if Emmit knew delay might jeopardize the safety of his home and animals, and he’d been right. In the short time between Sonny being notified and traveling to Crossroads, Wade Sutton did what he did.

But now that Sonny was in residence, he had things to finalize, and as soon as he got to Crossroads, he went to the bank. He needed to transfer his bank account in Oklahoma to a new account in this bank, and get the balance of the money in Emmit’s account transferred there, as well. He knew the bank had been notified, and all he had to do was present the proper identification and a death certificate, and it would be done. He suspected Emmit had a safety deposit box, because there was a key on Emmit’s keyring that looked like the key to a lockbox, and he needed to check that out. He still hadn’t found the registration papers on the horses, and he needed them.

His appearance at the bank caused a great deal of curiosity, first because he was a stranger; second, because of his striking appearance; and lastly, when they realized he was Emmit Cooper’s heir. After going through the legalities, Sonny asked about the deposit box, and showed the bank manager the key.

“Oh, yes, I believe he did,” he said. “I’ll get one of our people to let you into the vault. Just know that we can print you a few counter checks until your official checks and bank card arrive if you wish,” the bank officer said.

Sonny nodded. “Yes, please, to the checks,” and then followed a clerk who escorted him to the vault.

He signed his name on Emmit’s card, and then followed the man into the vault and handed him his key. A couple of minutes later, Sonny was alone in the room with the box before him.

The moment he opened the lid, he breathed a sigh of relief. There were the missing registration papers. Reddick was waiting for tattoo numbers on the horses Wade sold. He took the papers out, then went through the contents. There was a personal letter to Sonny, a ledger with all of the breeding info, and a picture of Sonny on a bull. All four of the bull’s feet were in the air and its back was twisted sideways, trying to buck him off.

Sonny had one arm up in the air, and he was “booting the bull” when the shot was taken, digging his spurs into the bull’s hide. The bigger they bucked, the longer he stayed on, the better points he got, and such was a bull rider’s life. The photo was obviously taken by a professional. Likely one of the media who covered the national finals. He hadn’t expected this, and was unnerved by seeing an actual photo taken only seconds before the bull nearly killed him.

He sighed. “Damn it, Emmit. I wish you were here to hear me say, it’s okay.”

He took the 8x10 black-and-white glossy and put it with the rest of the stuff, then finished emptying the box, putting everything in the manilla envelope with the papers. Once he got the info he needed from the paperwork, he could come back and rent a lock box for himself.

He left the empty box and Emmit’s key in the lock, and exited the vault. As he was passing by the clerk’s desk, he paused.

“The box is empty. I left the key, so I’m turning it back. Also, is there an insurance agent in Crossroads?”

The clerk nodded. “Yes. The office is in a small metal building in the lot beside the post office. You can’t miss it. Weston Insurance.”

“Thanks,” Sonny said, and as soon as he was through at the bank, he made a U-turn at the corner and drove to the post office to let them know he was in residence at Emmit’s old house. Once he finished there, he went next door to the insurance agent.

Because Emmit had prepared for every contingency, and had signed the title over to his heir, all Sonny had to do was present a copy of the will proving his inheritance, and handed over a certified copy of Emmit’s death certificate to finish the process. He left the office, relieved the truck was officially insured and registered to him.

After that, he gassed up the truck and went to Belker’s. By the time he’d checked out, the cashier knew his name, knew that he’d inherited Emmit’s place, and officially welcomed him to Crossroads.

He loaded the groceries in the back seat and was about to get in when he caught a glimpse of something beneath the front wheel. He squatted down to look, then smiled as he picked up a little turtle.

“Hey…little lòca…you picked a bad place to get out of the sun,” he said, and carried it beyond the parking lot into the grass.

A teenage boy was sitting nearby on the tailgate of a shiny black-and-silver Dodge dually, and glanced at Sonny as he came back.

“Hey, mister, why did you say that turtle was loco?”

“Not loco. Lòca. It means turtle in the Muscogee language.”

“My daddy is over there getting a haircut. He saw you go into the store. He said you are a famous bull rider.”

Sonny shook his head. “Was… I don’t rodeo anymore,” Sonny said. “Who’s your daddy?”

“Garrett Dillon. I’m Travis.”

“Nice to meet you, Travis,” Sonny said. He knew the name and the family. They raised mean-ass bulls for the rodeo. He’d ridden some in his day.

“Gotta get home and get my groceries put up. Say hello to your daddy for me.”

“Yes sir, I will,” Travis said. “Lòca, right?”

Sonny grinned. “Right,” then got in and drove away.

He smiled to himself as he passed by Maggie’s house with the Christmas lights, remembering her cursing a blue streak and coming at Jerry Lee with that ball bat. So much fire in her. The thought of seeing her again was enticing, but he needed to tend to business before pleasure.

He was a couple of miles from home when he drove up on a big truck pulled over at the side of the road. The driver was out checking a tire.

The trash truck!

Sonny braked and got out. It didn’t take long to tell the driver about taking up residence at Emmit’s place. He gave the man his name and phone number for billing, before hurrying home to get his trash up to the road for pickup and did it before taking his food inside.

He was inside and unloading groceries when he saw the trash truck pull up, then watched the man dump his trash and drive away and made a mental note to go get the bin.

After he finished putting up groceries, he went back up the road, pulled the bin back to the house, then headed inside.

The first thing on the agenda was to go through the registration papers. Emmit had a photograph of each horse attached to its registration certificate, so all he had to do was find the photos of the four missing horses. It was easy to figure out which ones were gone. He was missing a black with white socks and a solid black, both of which were mares, and two bays. He took photos of all four of the photographs, and sent the tattoo numbers along with them to Matt Reddick at the sheriff’s office. At least now Matt would know what to look for. Then he picked up the letter Emmit had left for him, and took it to the sofa to read.

Sonny,

I knew when I got the cancer diagnosis that my time was limited. I thought about contacting you then to tell you how much I hated what happened to you, but I thought it was about five years too late for that. I will go to my grave blaming myself. But along with my diagnosis came another reality. I had no living relatives. I have worked long and hard building up this place, and the thought of my property and horses being sold at auction with all the proceeds going to the state, was a gut-wrench.

I worried about it for weeks, and then one night you were in my dream. I saw you standing on the banks of a shady creek, and you turned and looked straight at me. I woke abruptly, and knew I had my answer. You would love this place for me. And love the horses for me. And have the skills and knowledge to train them. And since my one stumble in the arena ended your career, I felt the need to give something back to you to set you on a new path. Everything you need to know about them is on these papers, or in my vault.

I have lived a good life, as far as cowboy life can go. I had a good woman once and didn’t know what I had lost until she was gone.

Don’t do life alone, Sonny Bluejacket.

Love what you’re doing, but find yourself a life partner, too.

The Appaloosa is registered with the Appaloosa Horse Club, but don’t sell him. He’s yours for life. His name is Fancy Dancer, but I just called him Dancer. I bought him as a yearling. He was broke to ride on this property, but I didn’t train him to sell. He’s got magic in him.

Watch the sunsets for me.

Sunset was always the best part of my day.

Emmit

Sonny read the letter with a lump in his throat, and then folded it up and slipped it back in the envelope. This he would keep, but he was puzzled about the phrase “my vault.” What did Emmit mean that this wasn’t all of the info?

***

Nearly a week had passed since Sonny’s arrival.

Waking up every morning and having the joy of walking out of the house and knowing all that he could see was his was like winning the lottery without buying a ticket. The regret was not being able to personally thank Emmit for the generosity, but he hoped to keep Sunset Ranch everything Emmit had built and keep it successful.

Sonny knew his rodeo roots would give him a level of authenticity with the horses he trained and sold, and the bloodlines in the horses he bred or bought would do the rest. He had the registration papers now, and the notes Emmit left on breeding and foaling, but there was a lot of information missing.

He’d walked through the covered roping arena where the old man worked the horses, but he was wondering if Emmit broke the horses born on the ranch, or if he hired a bronc buster. Sonny had ridden his last bucking animal for a reason, and inheriting this place presented him with a problem. He needed to know more about Emmit’s trusted contacts for winter feed and the vets that he used, but didn’t know who to ask. And then he thought of Maggie. She’d been to the house twice a month for years. Maybe she had answers.

Before he talked himself out of it, he sent her a text.

Miss Magnolia, I have questions about the ranch and Emmit. I hope you have answers. Would you please call me at your convenience?—Sonny

He dropped the phone in his jacket pocket, and then went back outside, tossed a sack of apple treats into the back seat of the truck, and drove into the pasture. He knew what Emmit owned was all fenced, but he wanted to see property boundaries, and began driving the fence line just to see how far his land really went. He knew it was a thousand acres, and that a narrow piece of it had been fenced off years ago to provide a small pasture for whoever was renting from him. As soon as the old Sutton trailer was removed, he was going to remove the separating fence and rework the fencing along the road, and get the power company to pull the meter. After that, there would be no more renters here.

***

Maggie was bussing a table when her phone signaled a text. Since Emmit’s death, nobody but Pearl ever called her. Curious, she hurried to finish the table and as soon as she got the dirty dishes back to the kitchen, she checked the text. To her delight, it was from Sonny, and the moment she read the message, her heart skipped. He needed her!

She sent him a quick text back.

We’re swamped right now but I am happy to help if I can. How about I bring dinner out to your house after I get off work and you can bend my ear all you need? Meatloaf is on the menu today.

Sonny stopped the truck when he heard his phone ding. By the time he’d read her answer, he was smiling.

It’s a deal. See you around sundown, and thank you.

Maggie smiled, then paused beside the grill where Pearl was cooking.

“Save me two meatloaf dinners for tonight. Sonny asked me for help. I’m going over after we close.”

Pearl arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

“Don’t start,” Maggie said. “I already offered my help if he needed answers that had to do with Emmit’s business. He said he has questions, that’s all.”

Pearl nodded. “Oh…right. Two meatloaf dinners it is.”

“Thank you,” Maggie said, then heard the bell ring over the door and bolted toward the dining room.

***

It was noon by the time Sonny got back to the house. The south half was still in its natural state. Shallow canyons and mesas, not a lot of grassland, but a lot of sage and yucca, and small arroyos lined with scrub brush, and not all of it fit to drive on.

The north half had better grassland, and three sturdy, three-sided shelters which provided shade out in the pastures and shelter in the winter, along with three other windmills and tanks, and a small creek that cut through the northwest corner. There were a few trees scattered along the creek, which reminded him of the heavily wooded area back home. He missed the trees, but this land had its own kind of beauty, even if some of it was a little ragged looking. At this altitude, and on the high plains, any kind of tree was a plus, and yucca grew at will.

He’d noticed early on that when he drove out into the pasture, the horses recognized the truck and stopped grazing long enough to see if he was going to stop. When he didn’t, they ignored him. Now, as he was driving back to the house, they paused again, but this time he stopped and got out, then filled his jacket pockets with apple treats and whistled. Their heads came up, and then they began walking toward him. Moments later, he was encircled.

“You smell the good stuff, don’t you?”

The distraction of feeding them treats gave him the opportunity to handle them. Becoming used to his voice and touch was imperative. The Appaloosa caught his eye again, as it waited behind the others before coming forward for a treat.

“Are you judging me, boy?” Sonny asked, and opened his fist.

The horse smelled the treat and took it, chewed, then nosed Sonny’s pockets for more. He grinned. “You knew where they were, didn’t you?” he said as he took out one more, loving the feel of the horse’s velvety nose and lips against his palm as it gently picked up the treat.

He gave them all a second round before driving back to the house. He still had a lot of clean-ups to do around the trailer before he could redo the fencing. The last thing he wanted was for a horse to get cut from discarded wire or scrap metal from the old trailer skirting, most of which was in a pile behind the trailer, so that was next on the agenda.

He paused at the house long enough to make and eat a sandwich, then grabbed a pair of leather work gloves and a cold bottle of Coke as he headed back to the old trailer site.