by Ciana Stone
They didn't need to know that the night she killed herself he could have been there. Nothing prevented him from leaving that auction in Cuero after the second day. Nothing except being a fool and hooking up with that young hottie Jo. Damn if that gal hadn't thrown him completely off his stride – and out of his mind. He couldn't think of anything but the next time he could get his hands on her.
Shame flooded him at the memories that surfaced. The sex was mind-blowing. He couldn't lie and say that the sex wasn't the primary reason he'd stayed. It had been. But there was also something else. It was like sometimes she would look into his eyes and he'd feel like she understood. That she could see he wasn't trying to be a heartless man, or a man who would use a woman.
He was just a man with no hope for happiness. It ate at him every day. JD accepted his share of the blame for that. He hadn't been a good enough husband, hadn't loved his wife enough or paid enough attention to her needs. He'd failed, and she turned from him to alcohol and he didn’t know how to make things right or stop her from hating him and blaming him with her unhappiness.
Failure, fear for the future and anger had him tied in such a knot, he didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground most of the time. But that girl, Jo, she'd looked right into his soul. It scared the holy hell out of him, so much that he left her bed while she slept. If he stayed one hour longer, he'd not be able to leave because he feared she might be the one to save him and he couldn't allow that.
He'd pay for his sins.
Now all of that might come out. A reporter would not simply ask questions but dig around. If the one that Pop talked to had dug up information from forty years ago, then what happened in the last five would be a walk in the park.
JD wanted to hit something. He had to find a way to talk Pop out of this. He knew it in his gut. If they let those people on the ranch, it would ruin them.
Chapter Four
Jolene slowed to make the turn off the highway, checking to make sure the rig following her also made the turn. When Jason Weathers said that Cotton Creek was off the beaten path, he wasn't kidding. She pulled out her phone and called the driver of the oversized RV that followed.
The town was pretty much what she had expected. Small, quaint, clean and old. A lot of it was under construction, which made her wonder what had happened. She followed the directions on her GPS and spotted the address of the house the network had rented. It was two blocks off the main street, three houses down from a church.
It was a large house, two stories, with enough space to park the RV beside it. She parked the Mustang, got out, went to the front door and knocked. A minute passed before the door opened.
The lady framed in the doorway was about four feet tall with hair that reminded Jolene of the country-western singing stars of the past. In other words, big. On such a short and round elderly woman, it was almost comical. Dressed in pink Capri pants splashed with big white daisies, a pink long-sleeved top with a huge applique daisy in the center of the chest with sequins for the center, she presented quite the picture.
Her lips were as pink as her shirt and dangling daisy earrings decorated her ears. Completing her ensemble was a pair of pink bedroom slippers with big floppy daisies on the top.
"Hello there, can I help you?"
Jolene couldn't stop the grin from claiming a stake on her face. The lady's voice was the equivalent of a cartoon character, high pitched almost like a small child's.
"Mrs. Baker?"
"Yes."
"Hi. My name is Jolene Windwalker. I believe my assistant contacted you about renting your home?"
"Oh my yes. She said you wanted the entire bottom floor?"
"Yes, ma'am. She should have sent a deposit."
"Oh yes, she did. But why do you need the whole floor? There's five bedrooms and two baths."
Jolene gestured to the people standing beside the RV. "There are six of us."
"Oh, well come in, come in. I was just about to put on a pot of tea. Do you like tea?"
"No, but thank you." Jolene turned to call out to her crew. "Grab your stuff and come in."
"More a coffee drinker?" Mrs. Baker asked.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well I make a hell of a cup of coffee. Come on back to the kitchen. Oh!" She stopped dead in her tracks and Jolene almost ran into her.
"Where are my manners? I'm Nellie Mae Baker."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Baker."
"Pleasure is mine." Nellie Mae resumed her trek to the kitchen. "And call me Nellie Mae."
The house was as neat as a pin with old but well cared for furniture in the front room, and the dining room that they crossed through. There was also another large sitting area, a parlor, along with what looked like a study, all equally maintained. The kitchen was immaculate as well. Nellie Mae gestured to the small table by the window. "Have a seat."
Jolene took a seat, glancing out at the back yard. Roses grew along the fence, full and in many hues. Beneath an old tree sat lawn furniture with cushions that matched the palette of the roses. It was a pretty and peaceful setting and she wondered how much time Mrs. Nellie Mae must spend keeping it that way. "If it's not a problem, we'd like to rent the place for a month, just in case it takes longer than expected."
"An entire month? That's a long vacation and why in the world do you want to be here? Now don't get me wrong, honey. Cotton Creek is a fine place. Been here my whole life. Raised my family and buried two husbands here, but it's not exactly the vacation capital of the world."
"Oh, it's not a vacation. We're here from Country Western Life Network to film for an upcoming show."
"CWL?" Nellie Mae stopped scooping coffee into the old-fashioned peculator pot and hurried to the table to sit across from Jolene. "You work for a CWL?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Just then, one of her crew, a camera operator, Mickey, stopped at the kitchen door. "You have a preference in rooms, Jo?"
"No. I'll take whatever is the smallest. There are five, so two of you will have to bunk together."
"No problem."
"Which show are you doing the film for?” Nellie Mae scooted forward in her seat a little, her expression eager
"Country Western Real Life."
"Oh, oh, my god, it's you – that girl. I've seen you on the television."
Jolene almost laughed at the expression on Nellie Mae's face. "Yes, ma'am. I'm the on-screen host so to speak and the producer."
"Oh, oh my. And you're here in Cotton Creek to do a story?"
"Yes ma'am."
Just then, her audio man, Malachi, stuck his head in the door. "Which room you want, Jo?”
"Like I told Mickey, just put me in the smallest. There are supposed to be two doubles, so have the guys decide who's doing to bunk with who and make sure you get a room to yourself."
"Ok."
Jolene turned her attention to Mrs. Baker, to find her watching wide-eyed. "I'm sorry, where were we?"
"On who?"
"Pardon?"
"Who are you here to do a story about?"
"Well, I'm not at liberty—"
"Oh you can tell me. People tell me their secrets all day long. I'm like the secret vault around these parts."
Jolene smiled. It wasn't a secret. She just didn't like discussing her business. Still, Nellie Mae seemed like a sweet old lady, so what could it hurt?
"The Weathers family."
"Jason Weathers?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Well, it's a good thing you stopped here first. The things I can tell you about those people."
"Oh?"
"Oh my yes. You know I was friends with the wife, Alice since we were girls. She was a bit younger, but we were quite close."
"Are you still?" The research listed Jason as divorced and his ex-wife remarried and living in New York.
"Well, no, not since she high-tailed it to New York City with that slicker she took up with. Could have brushed me over with a feather, I tell you. She gave up the whole place to that man. H
er family's place, mind you. I bet her daddy is still rolling over in his grave."
"I thought Mr. Weathers bought his own place when he moved here?"
"With what?" Nellie Mae snorted and got up to return to her task. "Boy was poor as a church mouse when he showed up."
"Oh, I guess my research was wrong. I was sure he bought land here."
"Well, yes, he did, he did. I forgot. But he bought it from Alice's father. Six hundred acres of land on the edge of the property too poor to grow cotton or support cattle."
"I stand corrected. So, what happened that he ended up with the whole thing, Mrs. Nellie Mae?"
Nellie Mae poured her tea and brought it to the table. Jo noticed with amusement that making coffee had been forgotten.
"Well," Nellie Mae took a sip from her tea. "Alice's mama died with a heart attack around the time their first boy was born, and two years later, her daddy feel ill. Got the cancer, I think. Poor thing just wasted away. Since Alice was an only child she got everything."
"So the ranch belongs to her?"
"Oh no. That was part of the divorce. She wanted to be gone – as far from Cotton Creek as she could get. So, she cut a deal with Jason. He got it all, but he also got the kids. She gets royalties off the oil and I think a share of the profits from the other businesses each year."
"Other businesses?"
"Well yes. The Weathers have a construction business. Bryson and Jayce run that. They're the third and fifth children I think. Bronson and Jasper, the second and fourth son run the oil business and the windmill farm. They leased that six hundred acres Jason bought from Alice's father to the windmill people.
"The oldest boy, Justice, or JD as most people call him runs the ranch with Jason."
"I didn't realize it was such a big family."
"Oh they've got a passel over there. Between Jason's boys and grandsons there's a good nine or ten of them. So, what interest does the CWL have in the Weathers?"
"It's just a human interest piece, I guess you could say. We did a few segments on Jason's family back in the Carolinas and wanted to follow up with a segment about him. He's the last in his generation left alive."
"I didn't know he had kin in the Carolinas. I thought he was from Florida."
"Oh, no, that's just where he met Alice."
"So he was ranching in Florida? Do they even have ranches there?"
"Yes, there are quite a few, but no I think he just worked for an operation running cattle."
"Well, you learn something every day and here I thought that’s where he came from. What part of the Carolinas?"
"The Charlotte area. The family still has a nice spread there."
"Well my my, and oh my goodness look at the time. I need to get my face on and get changed. We're having a meeting in under an hour and here I am looking a fright."
"I think you look very nice, Mrs. Nellie Mae. What kind of meeting are you attending?"
"Why the Red Hat Society, honey. I'm secretary of our chapter and I need to meet with our Treasurer, Netta Bloom before the meeting - and yes I know, Netta and Nellie Mae, N & N, kind of like the chocolate M & M, but sweet with a little sass we like to say. Anyway, I daren’t be late. Now, let me get you a key. Where did I put that? Oh yes."
Nellie Mae got up and crossed the kitchen to a big freestanding cupboard. She pulled out four keys, all on rings with big plastic pink stars dangling from each. "These are keys to the front door. I only have the four so you'll have to share. There aren't any locks on the bedroom doors, but you won't need those anyway. You just come and go as you please, but keep the noise down after eleven."
"Thank you and I will."
"Now, is there anything else I can get you before I go get ready?"
"Yes ma'am. Could you recommend a restaurant?"
"Well for breakfast Sweet's Sweets is to die for. Stella Sweet's bakery. She has the most divine baked goods ever. For lunch, there's the Willow Tree Cafe. It's just a block from the bakery. They're open for breakfast and lunch. Oh and there's Green's Steakhouse. Good beef for sure. There was a barbecue place but it got torn down by the tornado and they haven't finished rebuilding.
"If you're looking for one of those chain restaurants, your best bet is Midland or San Angelo, but that's quite a drive."
"I'm sure I can find something at the places you’ve recommended. Thank you."
"Sure sugar. Now you get all settled in and fill that little belly. I'll see you later."
"Don't you want me to pay you?"
"Oh no, we can settle that up later. Have to scoot now."
Jolene watched Nellie Mae hurry from the room and smiled. It had been a long time since she'd been in a place where people gave strangers a key to their house. Cotton Creek was starting to seem like a throwback to a bygone era. The quintessential small town where everyone knew everyone's name.
With a smile, she got up and went out to her car to get her things. She was eager to explore the town and pay a visit to the cafe, get a feel for the town. Then tomorrow she'd drive out to the Weathered Rail Ranch and meet the family who should have been named Nash.
Chapter Five
"I'm going to finish talking with Stan and get him to email me the new research." Jolene got up from her seat on the couch in the sitting room where her crew was gathered. "I'll see you guys in the morning."
To a chorus of good-nights, she slid her phone into her pocket and headed for her room at the back of the house, talking with a one of her researchers in Memphis via her Blue-tooth ear set. They'd been discussing the Weathers family and how Jason had run away from North Carolina and changed his name.
She'd no more turned the corner when she ran right into Nellie Mae. The collision sent Nellie Mae stumbling backwards. Her feet, encased in pink bunny rabbit slippers, lost traction and she went skidding backwards.
"Hold on!" Jolene caught her before she fell. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were there. Did we wake you?"
"Oh no, no. I was – I was just coming down for a glass of milk. Helps me sleep you know."
"Oh, okay. Hold on, Stan." She kept a grip on Nellie Mae's arm. "You sure you're okay?"
"Oh fine, fine. Don't let me interrupt. I'll just get my milk and be out in two shakes."
"Okay. Good night, Mrs. Nellie Mae."
"Good night sugar."
She waited until she was in her room with the door closed before she resumed her conversation. "So, you're saying she was right? Weathers wife gave him the whole thing and just left?"
"Well, she didn't just give it to him. According to the divorce papers, she gets fifty percent of everything they make – oil, windmills, construction and ranch. They apparently only have a small oil operation and it doesn’t produce that much. Bottom line is it might look like they're sitting fat, but remember, there's the old man, his sons and their families all being supported on fifty percent of what they all bring in."
"Fifty percent of what? How much are we talking here?"
"Well, from what Dana dug up, the wife cleared close to four hundred thousand last year."
Jolene did the math. "Okay, so if that was half, then the rest of them, six men with families, living off about the same amount. That's…"
"Around sixty-six thousand a year, give or take. But remember, they're footing all the bills and expenses, so it could be lower than that."
"So, these aren't rich people."
"No. They might appear well off from the outside but with the ex-wife taking such a big chunk I doubt they're taking lavish vacations."
"Okay, thanks Stan. You will email me all that, right?"
"Already done."
"Thanks again. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
She put her phone down on the nightstand and picked up her travel bag. She'd grab a shower and call it a day. When she pulled the door open, she got a surprise. Nellie Mae literally fell into the room.
"Oh shit!" Jolene tried to catch her but didn't let go of the travel bag quick enough. With Nellie Mae falling, her arms flaili
ng about as she slid on the hardwood floor with those damn pink bunny slippers, Jolene ended up getting tangled up with her and they both went down.
Lucky for Nellie Mae, Jolene ended up on the bottom. For a few minutes, it was a struggle. Nellie Mae floundered around on top of Jolene like a roly-poly, digging at the floor with the toes of her bedroom slippers seeking purchase. Her arms waved about and got tangled with Jolene's as Jolene tried to push her up.
By the time they were both on their feet, Nellie Mae's hair was a mess, sticking out like she'd been through a catfight. She was red faced and puffing.
"Are you okay?" Jolene asked.
"Yes, I just slipped."
"Well what were you doing in the hall?"
"I – I was just bringing down fresh towels."
"Oh. That was nice of you. I'm so sorry you fell."
"I – I think – I think my dang foot just slipped as I was going down the hall and I fell into the door as you were opening it."
"But you're okay, right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Now you have a good night hon."
"I will. Thanks Mrs. Nellie Mae."
Jolene watched her waddle off and shook her head. She would have to be careful about opening doors and turning corners in Mrs. Nellie Mae's house, otherwise the poor old woman was going to end up in the hospital.
With thoughts of visiting the Weathered Rail Ranch entering her mind again, she headed for the shower. She needed to have a clear idea of the direction she wanted going to go with the piece for the show. Working in the information on why he’d left North Carolina could be delicate.
Everyone had their secrets and everyone deserved their privacy. The only problem was explaining his connection without revealing the reason he’d left home and changed his name. The accidental death of Donny Miller was the hook and she had no doubt that the network would want it included.
Jolene understood the desire for privacy and respected that. There were things about her life she didn't share and probably never would. She'd be livid if someone else told the world what she didn't want known. If Jason Weathers decided he didn’t want that information made public then she’d just have to figure a way to make the segment work.