Heartbeat Braves

by Pamela Sanderson

  “Hilarious. You see me as a waterlogged rodent ruining trees and building dams?”

  “Hm. Maybe not if you put it like that.”

  “If I get to pick, I want to be skunk. No, buzzard. Turkey buzzard is my Indian sign.”

  “So you see yourself as a homely beak face with a nice wingspan. They do like to hang out in groups.”

  “A wake,” Rayanne said. “A group of buzzards is called a wake.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No and if they need to defend themselves they barf out partially digested meat. Never know when that might come in handy. Do you think buzzard and buck are compatible?”

  “Hard to say. You know how Indian astrology is. But I can’t wait to see you do your thing with partially digested meat.”

  He showed her how he did the potatoes. By then the bacon was done, and he threw the potatoes into the crackling grease. He had more steps with the vegetables, and then the eggs. In the office he acted like collating copies was rocket science. Now he was managing several hot pans without a crease in his brow. It didn’t take him long to get the breakfast assembled and ready to serve. Rayanne got out the warmed plates, and Henry filled them up. They carried them to the table to eat.

  “Have you ever had a serious boyfriend?” Henry asked.

  “My, this conversation turned serious quick. Don’t you want to know what I think of the eggs?”

  “Sure, how are the eggs?”

  She took a big bite and nodded. “The perfect balance of salty, crunchy, greasy, and...chompy.”

  “Good to hear. Chompy is my favorite too. So, serious boyfriend? Or would you rather not talk about it?”

  “Depends on how you define serious. Like, living together or expecting to get married? Not even close. I had a boyfriend my last year of high school but we broke up when I moved to college. I had a hard time meeting people in college. Maybe since I spent so many years living in a small town? I don’t know. I made friends in college but I never quite felt...relaxed? I’m not sure how to put it. How was college for you?”

  “Not the same as for you. I’m having a harder time with the post-collegiate bit, which you might have noticed.”

  “To get back to the original question, I haven’t been in a good space to meet people. I’ve been trying to settle other areas of my life before tackling that one. You?”

  “I had a girlfriend in college. She was way more serious than me. I thought I was being honest with her, but we had a difference of opinion on that. She gave me an ultimatum, propose or else. So we broke up. Then I was the bad guy. Since then, I have specialized in first dates that don’t go anywhere.”

  “Have you dated any Natives?”

  “Nope. I’ve barely met any native women who I wasn’t related to.”

  “I rarely meet Natives my age. Don’t you meet lots of girls, hanging out with a band?” She didn’t know why she brought it up because of course he did. They all did.

  He smiled. “No one like you.”

  During the rest of the meal she learned that Henry considered himself a terrible typist, a better than decent basketball player, and he was woefully undereducated on Indian history but said he would try a book that she recommended. In turn, she confessed that she liked dogs better than cats, that she had a special savings account for travel but hadn’t chosen a destination yet, and that she hated when people called her Ray.

  When they were finished eating, they cleared the table together. Henry rinsed the dishes while Rayanne put things away.

  Now that she was full she was sleepy, and the idea that was forming in her head involved calisthenics with Henry, followed by a leisurely nap.

  Great idea. Not the right time.

  Especially not while they were working together.

  Henry saved her by saying, “Much as I love spending a lazy Sunday with you, Jack and I are going out for another desperate and soul-crushing search for apartments. I’m going to take off. Thanks for breakfast.” He smoothed her hair away from her face and gave her another kiss before he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  25

  Nothing could destroy the pounding exhilaration in Henry’s heart when he left Rayanne’s. She could say whatever she wanted but there was no denying the sparks when they were in the room together. He already missed her and couldn’t wait to see her again.

  The front of his place was trashier than usual when he pulled up. There were clothes strewn about and a mattress leaning against the garage door. He couldn’t pull into the driveway because Sam’s car blocked the way. When he got out to investigate, Jack came across the yard with an armload of stuff that he dumped into the back seat of the car.

  “They threw us out,” Jack said. Anger blazed in his eyes. He waved at the mess on the lawn. “You’d better grab your stuff.”

  Henry couldn’t process what was happening. A bookshelf had been carried out their front door and tossed to the ground. The cabinet had splintered, and books were scattered in the wreckage. His bedspread and pillows were balled up on the grass. The joy of the morning vanished, and a mixture of rage and humiliation took its place.

  Jack picked up a winter coat and a pair of boots and carried them to the trunk.

  “This is BS,” Henry said.

  “It is. They screwed us. They decided they were done having tenants effective immediately, apparently. I was at Nicole’s. When I got home, I found it like this.” He gestured at the pitiful collection of things that represented what little they owned.

  Henry had been gone a couple of hours. That’s all it had taken.

  The clothes were wadded up in separate piles that appeared to have been kicked across the yard. He recognized some of his shirts covered with dirt and dried grass. Then he recognized the mattress leaning against the garage door. That also belonged to him.

  He pulled the van around so it was easier to load and joined Jack, running back and forth, tossing his things in without taking time to check what was ruined.

  A heavyset guy without a shirt came out of the house and watched them for a minute before disappearing back inside.

  “Don’t try to talk to them,” Jack said. “Don’t even make eye contact.”

  “What did they say?”

  “Nothing. They think it’s funny.”

  Henry stooped to gather up the bathroom towels that were spread along the driveway. Everything from the kitchen had been piled into two boxes that were too heavy to pick up. He grabbed one by its corner and dragged it toward the van.

  That’s when the whooping started. Like the Indian war cry heard in the terrible Western films from long ago. Two scrawnier guys had come out to join the first. They had cans of cheap beer and stood by the front door, taking turns shrieking and banging their hands over their mouths.

  “That’s not very original.” Henry didn’t understand why they needed to act so ridiculous. They could have asked them to move. Why all this theater?

  He intended to go back for another pile of stuff but found himself on a new course toward the jackasses.

  Jack grabbed his arm. “It’s not worth it. There are more of them than us. Let’s pack up and get out of here.”

  “But we’re such badass warriors,” Henry said.

  “That’ll remain our secret. Come on.” Jack didn’t let go until Henry changed direction again.

  Jack had a point, but ignoring their insults made it worse. Henry went back to work. They managed to get the mattresses and a couple of chairs in the van. The jerks had broken a leg off the kitchen table so they left it.

  Henry wanted to check inside the apartment one last time to make sure they got everything, but as soon as he was within six feet of the door, the guys screamed threats. He made do with one last lap around the yard and found a hiking boot under a shrub. Jack had his car running and he waited until Henry was ready to pull out too.

  The biggest guy came over and followed Henry to the van.

  “Don’t want to see you around here again, chief,” he said.


  “That won’t be a problem,” Henry said. Before he drove off, he rolled down the window. He had to know. “Why? We never did anything to you.”

  The guy shrugged. “Time to go back to the rez.”

  Henry put the window back up and took off.

  He followed Jack to Sam’s place and they spent the rest of the day rehashing the incident. They tried to cheer each other up, but Henry couldn’t successfully dismiss the shame he felt from the stupid spectacle. Sam offered to let him stick around but, as it was, his place was small and already too crowded with three guys. Adding Henry to the mix would take it from cramped to unbearable.

  When he left Sam’s, he intended to bite back whatever was left of his dignity and go to his mom’s. She’d have enough pity to feed him and at least he’d have a roof over his head while he figured out his next move. But when the van came to a stop he found himself back at Rayanne’s.

  It took some time to build the courage to go to the door.

  When she opened up, her hair was mussed and her eyes sleepy. “You missed an epic nap,” she said in a groggy voice. The distress must have been visible in his face because she woke right up. “Did something happen?”

  As soon as her eyes widened in concern, the overwhelming unfairness of it knocked him sideways. He collapsed against her, his face buried in her neck.

  “Was it something bad?” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. Her body pressed against his was the comfort he wanted.

  The words spilled out in a rush. He described finding his underwear and socks piled around a tree trunk, the pantry items that had rolled into the flower bed, and the ruined furniture and linens.

  “Why did they throw you out?”

  “Because they could.”

  Rayanne pulled away. “I have a referral for landlord-tenant issues. We can call them tomorrow.”

  “No, we can’t,” Henry said. He followed her inside. “The whole thing was informal, meaning not on the up-and-up. They didn’t have to give us a reason.”

  “They didn’t have to be dicks about it. So what happened?”

  “They threw our stuff out on the grass like we were deadbeats. They did those stupid war whoops that mean people think are so funny. They told us to go back to the rez. It was stupid and shitty. People are awful.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Rayanne said. “You want a beer or something?”

  “The hugging was nice.”

  Rayanne smiled and wrapped her arms around him again. He inhaled the scent of her hair. He was aware of every place where their bodies met, and tried not to think about how aroused he was becoming.

  “Now what are you going to do?” she asked.

  Henry shrugged. “I don’t know. I need to gird my loins and go deal with my mother. I know I shouldn’t have come, but I needed a friendly face.”

  “I’m glad someone thinks my face is friendly,” Rayanne said. After a moment she said, “Would you want to stay here?”

  His heart thumped faster. He could feel it everywhere at once. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you could sleep on the couch tonight. Tomorrow we can figure out a place for you to stay until you find an apartment.”

  “You’re inviting me to stay here,” Henry said. He couldn’t tell where she was coming from and was cautious not to assume too much. “You sure about that?”

  “It was...nice this morning, don’t you think? We’ve become friends, right? That’s what friends do for each other. Right?”

  Henry heard the words she was saying, but his body was responding in a different way. “Because when I’m close to you, I can barely keep my hands off of you.”

  “Oh,” Rayanne said.

  At first he misunderstood the look she was giving him.

  “I don’t mean...I would never do anything...I’m saying you’re so...”

  “Well, don’t,” Rayanne whispered.

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “Don’t keep your hands off me.”

  26

  “Don’t keep your hands off me,” Rayanne said again, louder this time, the words coming out in a rush.

  So much for staying out of trouble.

  He wasted no time. He crushed himself against her and brushed his lips down her neck. The blood rushed every place at once. All she could hear was his breath in her ear. The air around them was super-charged. She couldn’t think. His hands threaded through her hair and pulled her face to his.

  “I’ve been dying to touch your hair since the first day I met you,” he said in her ear.

  She fumbled with the hem of his T-shirt until she worked her hands underneath and caressed the broad muscles of his back.

  “I’ve been dying to do that since the first day I met you,” she said.

  He grabbed her face again and closed his mouth over hers. His hands stroked up and down her back before reaching down and cupping her ass and grinding his hips against hers. A shadow of doubt passed in some faraway corner of her mind but she sent it away. Doubt wasn’t going to play any part of this moment.

  “Do we need to get anything?” Henry asked, his voice unsteady. He swallowed.

  “Like what?”

  “Uh, you know, birth control?”

  “Wow,” Rayanne said, “your mama taught you well.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “I have condoms,” Rayanne said. “A vast selection, in fact. You’ll be impressed.”

  “You have a giant selection of condoms? I can’t figure out if I should be surprised or not.”

  “You’ll see.”

  They kissed again and she maneuvered him toward the bedroom. When they arrived, there was another unsteady moment. When was the last time she’d taken her clothes off for someone? Did they need more light or less? She pushed away insecurity over the shape of her body. She’d been denying her attraction for so long and now this was happening. She didn’t want to waste time. She moved his hands to her waist again, anxious to avoid any long pauses. Even as a teenager she hated to wait to see if the guy was going to make a move. She liked to keep things in motion.

  His hands were warm. He took his time working them over her skin.

  “I’m a little nervous,” he said.

  “Making excuses?”

  “Never,” Henry said. His lips were soft but aggressive, never letting her mouth get too far from his.

  “You taste good,” he whispered against her lips. He dipped his tongue into her mouth.

  Rayanne’s hands slid along his back. Her eyes closed when he worked his mouth along her neck.

  He leaned back so he could pull off her T-shirt. He tossed it to the floor and in a split second his hands moved around and her bra sprang loose. He slid the straps down her arms. She inhaled in surprise.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that, too,” he said.

  “I thought you were ambivalent.”

  “There was no ambivalence. I act like that because I’m nervous.”

  “So you’re nervous a lot?”

  “When I’m around you.” He brushed the tips of his fingers across her nipples, and a little croak sounded from the back of her throat.

  “You like that?” he said.

  “I like all of it,” she said, her mind ringing with sensation and happiness that he was here touching her and liked her back. She pressed her hands against his chest until he took a step back. She yanked off his shirt and threw it to the floor. She pressed her skin to his and wrapped her arms around him, stopping him with a hug.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, backing up and kissing him again. “I’m happy.”

  “That’s promising because I’m not finished yet.” He grabbed her hips and pulled her close, grinding against her until she was breathless.

  “I like your room,” Henry said. “It’s nice.”

  “What’s nice about it?” Rayanne turned down the covers and sat him on the edge of the bed. She straddled him and twined her fingers into his h
air, pulling his face to hers. She ran a line of light kisses down his jawline.

  “The furniture. The decorations. The condoms. Did you find those yet?”

  Rayanne pulled back and smiled. “I was busy. Take your pants off, I’ll be right back.” She went to the bathroom and found the box in the cupboard under the sink.

  When she returned, she found him as she had instructed.

  Wow, all that for me?

  “Should I have waited under the covers?” he said.

  “No way. You’re gorgeous.” She tossed the box on the bed. It was a cardboard box the size of a shoebox and decorated to resemble a wooden chest. Bright yellow letters proclaimed, Condom Treasure Chest.

  “Already this has been amazing, but I have to say, I’m speechless. Should I ask why you have pirate condoms?”

  “I won them at a bachelorette party. I guessed the correct number of penis lollipops in the pickle jar.”

  “That’s my girl,” Henry said, reaching for her.

  “No, come on. You need to pick one.” She tore the plastic off the box and worked the top off. She brought out a handful of foil packets. “Don’t worry, we don’t have to use them all today.” She gave him a sly smile.

  “Why would that worry me?” Henry replied. “I’m not moved by glow-in-the-dark right now. Why don’t we stick with the standard lubed and ribbed for her pleasure and see how we do?”

  Rayanne put the box on her dresser, and dropped a couple packets on the nightstand. He helped her shimmy out of her jeans and yanked off her panties. He held them up for her.

  “I love girl panties,” he said.

  “You love them? Would you like to try them on?”

  “No,” he said, but he twisted them around in his hands as if he were thinking about it. “They’re so small.”

  “I won’t think less of you if you want to wear girl’s underwear.”

  “I don’t. You’ve never seen clothes that you liked but didn’t want to wear?”

  “Like your sexy-guy jeans. Do you have a shelf in your closet with a little piece of masking tape that says, ‘my sexy jeans’?”