Proud Mary

by Bette McNicholas

She shook everybody’s hand, not remembering any of their names in the blur of introductions, except for the dark-haired woman, who took the opportunity to excuse herself. After saying how happy she was to meet them, Stede backed up, taking her with him.

  The moment they were on the dance floor, he smiled and whispered in her ear before whirling her under his arm. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  “I didn’t realize I was rescuing you, I wanted to dance with you because I missed you.”

  Dinner was wonderful and by the end of the evening, Carolina had danced with Stede’s single male friends and also with his dad. She had a fabulous time but was exhausted after spending all afternoon in the sun.

  When they sat back down for coffee and dessert, his mother asked, “What did Arianna have to say, Stede? Were you surprised to see her again?”

  Carolina felt Chance stiffen at the mention of the one name she recalled, and she looked around the table at everyone’s uncomfortable expressions and then turned toward Stede, who had put down his coffee cup with a bang. He leaned forward to address his mother and said, “Nothing. She’s too shallow to ever have anything substantial to say.”

  “Stede,” his mother said sharply. “That’s no way to talk about her.”

  “And I guess, I have you to thank for telling her I was here, Mother. You never quit.”

  With those words, Carolina now suspected she knew exactly who Arianna was, but before she could ask Stede, he stood abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair.

  “Come on, Carolina, let’s leave. Can I take your car Chance? You can ride home with Jenny and Manny.”

  Chance nodded, reached in his pocket and tossed the keys to his brother. Carolina could barely get the words out to say goodnight to everyone and thank Stede’s father for dinner, before hurrying to follow Stede out to the car.

  Doors slammed shut and they rode in silence for the first few minutes, before he finally spoke. “How fast do you think you can pack and be ready to leave for Arizona?”

  Carolina looked at him with the dim lights from the dashboard shining on his tight-lipped, grim expression, his entire demeanor radiating a barely reined-in anger she hadn’t seen before tonight, not even over the calf at the rodeo.

  Fear threaded through her veins, the intensity of his anger triggering memories of volatile Carl and the way he’d strike her unpredictably, like a rattlesnake, in a fit of misdirected anger.

  The cab of the truck suddenly closed in on her. There would be no way to elude a strike. Her heart raced as she scooted up against the door, even though reason told her he’d never threatened or hurt her. And, the anger he felt was justified, not irrational like Carl’s. Yet, she didn’t know what to expect from him.

  He glanced at her, his look hard and demanding. She feared she had taken too long to answer.

  “I can be ready in about fifteen minutes,” she replied evenly, “but I’m not going anywhere with you if you expect me to take the brunt of your wrath,” she warned flatly, pulling him up short as she had Carl.

  His eyes narrowed and raked over her, then returned to study the way she hugged the door. He muttered under his breath and combed his fingers through his hair. What have I done? Surely she wouldn’t think of jumping from the truck?

  He turned his attention back to the road. “Carolina, I apologize for frightening you. I’m not upset with you and I would never hurt you. I’m sure your mother heard those words from your father a million times, but I’m not Carl. I should’ve been more sensitive to your feelings.”

  He pulled into his parents’ driveway and said, “You have time to change and pack. I’m going to throw my things together, load the horses and King in the trailer and I’ll meet you out front whenever you’re ready. I’ll leave a note for Chance to tell Manny and Jenny we’ll see them in Arizona.”

  Carolina didn’t say another word, but hurried in the house, changed into a pair of slacks and a T-shirt, threw her things in the suitcase, brushed her teeth and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. After taking a quick look around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she grabbed her computer and briefcase and wheeled her small suitcase out of the room.

  When she got out front of the house, Stede put a note in Chance’s car, grabbed her luggage and they drove down the side driveway that led to Chance’s ranch, left his car in the driveway and threw the keys on the front seat. He loaded up the trailer and hopped in the truck.

  Carolina petted King and was happy to have him along—she still had problems concerning trust and knew the dog had a way of protectively insinuating himself between her and Stede when things between them seemed tense.

  Once they were out of the neighborhood and headed in the direction toward the highway, without a chance of running into his parents on their way home, she asked, “Do you want to tell me exactly what went on back there? I assume that one of those women was your ex-fiancée, and my guess is she was the tall black-haired beauty in the tight dress with the low neckline.”

  He cleared his voice and blew out his breath. “Arianna Price in the flesh.’

  “You spent a lot of time at the bar talking to her and her date.”

  “That was her brother, not her date.”

  Carolina turned her head and looked the other way, blinking away her tears. “Tell me something, Stede; did you kiss me in the middle of the dance floor before dinner, because you knew she was there and you wanted to make a point?”

  “Is that all you think of me? I did not see her sitting at the bar until I went to order the round of drinks.”

  “Stede, what did you expect me to think? You couldn’t have told her you were here with a friend and excused yourself? You were gone for a long time. So long, in fact, that I began to feel embarrassed when most of your friends at the table got up to dance and left me alone with a few of your male friends. The situation was awkward. I didn’t want them to think they were obliged to ask me to dance in order to keep me entertained until you returned.

  “But now it’s obvious they all knew Arianna was there, even if I didn’t, isn’t that right, Stede? They’ll be laughing at me for weeks. Arianna and her friends were all dressed in very expensive, sophisticated dresses and there I was in my little lemon shorts ensemble.”

  “With the best-looking legs in the place, I might add.”

  But she was having none of his flattery. “And later, Stede, did your father ask me to dance to give you the opportunity to maybe ask Arianna?”

  “Carolina, I’m sorry. I don’t know what the hell my parents were thinking. But once I realized that my mother set me up, that was the end for me. They’ve pushed Arianna on me for the last time. Now you know why I live in Arizona. I can tell you this; my mother is getting an earful from Chance and Tracey right now. Chance never liked Arianna and I’ll bet Jenny and Manny will chime in as well.”

  “Your mother must not think much of me to call Arianna and have her show up at the restaurant, knowing full well you had invited me as your guest to visit for the week. Is she too blind not to notice that we’re in love?”

  “After tonight, nobody could make that mistake. The question is what are we going to do about all this love?”

  “That trick your mother played doesn’t build any confidence I might have enjoyed blending in with your family.”

  “You blended with Chance and Tracey, Jenny and Manny, and all my friends in that room and anywhere else I’ve taken you, so don’t hand me that. You’re going to have to hide your fear of commitment behind something else.”

  His accusation stunned her into silence. Is that what she did? People fell in love all the time without parental approval and made their marriages work. His mother’s actions in and of themselves couldn’t stop her from acting on her love for him.

  “What can I say or do to make you feel better, Carolina. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

  “You don’t need to say any more, Stede. You’re not to blame. When we drove here from Arizona, and you said you wanted t
o take me to a local hangout, well, the Saddle and Hearth wasn’t what I had in mind.”

  “You’re right. There’s a great bar or saloon to be exact, where a lot of my friends hang out, everyone wears jeans and plaid shirts, we drink and laugh, tell jokes and dance, and some of us ride the mechanical bull. I had planned to take you there, but my wealthy oil side of the family, namely my parents, decided to take advantage of the fact that I was home for a few days.”

  “Living with your parents’ disdain would be one thing. I had plenty of practice with Carl. But the bigger issue is the rodeo. I could never stand watching you get hurt, or worse, the thought of something happening to you.”

  “My feelings are hurt, Carolina, to think you’d rather not love me, than to love and lose. You know, there are no guarantees in life. You could marry a teacher or an artist, both with safe enough jobs, but one night on the way home from work he could be killed in a car accident.”

  “That’s true. But, unfortunately, what happened tonight bolstered my decision to return to Washington.”

  Stede fell silent after that. After about an hour, he pulled into a truck stop along the interstate and parked the trailer.

  “Wait here for me. I need to get some supplies and I’ll be right back. Lock the doors.”

  After about fifteen minutes, he returned and tapped on the window. “Come with me,” he said, helping her out and walking to the door of the motor home section. He helped her up the step, and put the packages on the counter.

  “I had to buy some dog food for King and I’m going to take him for a walk in the grass area for pets. When I come back, I’d like to talk and take a rest before we get back on the road.” He locked the door and she watched him take King for a pit stop. She put the water in the refrigerator and put the snacks in a cabinet.

  When Stede and King returned, Carolina was seated on the leather sofa with a blanket thrown over her legs. King crawled in his bed and Stede sat next to her. They wrapped their arms around each other and stretched out on the sofa. She kissed him and stared in his eyes.

  Stede ran his fingers across her lips and then held her tight. “I didn’t mean for your visit, especially our last night together, to end up being a disaster. And, you’re right. I should have told Arianna that I was there with you and walked away. I took the easy way out and tried to avert a scene.”

  “What kind of a scene?”

  “I was hoodwinked. Arianna was on the verge of tears. She was quite aware of your presence and my feelings for you were apparent to everyone. She and her brother and a couple of other old friends were there to plead her case.

  “Her brother told me that I was forgiven for breaking off the engagement; maybe I hadn’t been ready for marriage then and said she deserved another chance. Her last words to me were that she’d even be willing to go to Arizona and we could live together for a trial period and she’d even go with me to the rodeos.”

  Carolina let out a long sigh. She wasn’t sure she could ever forgive his parents for what they did to Stede, not to mention to her and Arianna.

  “The situation is over now. Unless Arianna simply shows up on your doorstep, you don’t have to deal with her. Your mother owes you a huge apology and should have to beg for forgiveness. I still had a lovely time despite what happened. The greatest thing that ever happened to me, Stede, was you.”

  Carolina kissed him and he knew where the passions they shared would lead. He felt her barriers collapsing and knew she was ready to surrender, offering herself to him. But he didn’t want to make love to her to appease the frustrations that coursed through his blood. He wanted their lovemaking to be impassioned and not hot-tempered and bittersweet, full of his anger at Arianna and his mother, and seeking revenge from the one person he loved more than anything in the world.

  He resettled himself with her still in his arms, reminding himself consistency was important, no matter how many tests she put him through, if he planned to prevail in the end.

  “I’m going to find very little comfort, Carolina, if you leave with no plans to return.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Carolina felt a nudge on her shoulder. She put her hand out and discovered Stede was no longer sleeping beside her. She stretched and moaned. Rolling over, she looked up and found him standing over her.

  “What time is it?” she asked squinting.

  “Half past three in the morning. I’m wide awake and raring to go. The horses have been attended to, King has been exercised and fed, we’re gassed up, and I brought coffee and breakfast burritos.”

  “Okay,” she yawned. “Give me a couple of minutes to use the bathroom and freshen up,” she said, reaching for her bag of toiletries out of her suitcase.

  When she was ready, they sat and ate breakfast together, but Carolina still struggled to keep her eyes open. “We have a long ride because we didn’t put enough miles between Texas and Arizona last night. I wish I had taken the time to learn how to drive this rig. We could cover more miles that way.”

  “That’s all right. As long as I have you to keep me company, we’ll do fine and should make a lot of progress today.”

  As soon as she finished eating, he said, “Ready? Bring your coffee with you,” offering her his hand.

  Carolina slept, unaware of the noise from the traffic, until around six-thirty in the morning, when Stede’s cell phone rang and startled her awake.

  “If that’s my mother, I’m not going to answer.” He looked at the screen on his phone and with a note of alarm in his voice answered, “Granny? You all right?”

  He looked over at Carolina. “What kind of news?”

  After listening intently for a couple of minutes, he said, “Okay, I’ll take care of this and then call you back. Love you, too. No, we’re on the road traveling the southern route across Texas. Okay.”

  “What’s wrong? Is she all right?” Carolina asked when he turned off his phone.

  “Yes, she’s fine. There’s a rest stop up ahead, I’m going to pull in there for a few minutes; do you mind?”

  “No, that’s all right.”

  After Stede parked the rig, he turned sideways and took Carolina’s hand. “My grandmother called to tell you that your father passed away during the night.”

  “I can’t say I’m surprised or sorry. I was expecting that to happen at any time; maybe he’s better off. I’ll wait a little bit and then call Lizzie before she heads to work.”

  Stede put the truck in gear and said, “Let’s drive straight through. If I get tired, we’ll pull over and I can take a nap for an hour or so and then we can start out again.”

  “Thanks.”

  Carolina remained quiet with her private thoughts for a while, and they listened to country music on the radio. Around eight o’clock, she dialed Lizzie’s number and passed the information regarding Carl’s death to her.

  “Great! If mom meets someone, she’ll be free to marry again.”

  Carolina laughed. “Lizzie!”

  “Well, that’s true. What are the plans for his burial?”

  “I’ve no idea. Stede and I will be out of Texas soon, and when I get to Arizona, I’ll call the nursing home and find out if he has made any arrangements with them. Call me on my cell later. Love you, hugs for the kids. Bye.”

  The next phone call came from Chance. Stede mostly listened and told his brother that her father had died and that they were driving straight through to Sage Canyon. Chance relayed a message from Manny that he and Jenny would be on the road within an hour and would see them soon.

  When he hung up, she asked him what else Chance had to say because she only heard Stede’s part of the conversation.

  “Just what I thought. They were on my mother like Sherman took Georgia, according to Chance. Mother feels ashamed, he said, but I know she’ll get over that by lunchtime. I’m certain she thought she was doing the right thing. She’ll say that poor Arianna is still heartbroken.”

  “I can believe that.”

  “You’re too ki
nd.” He reached over and touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “If Arianna had shown up at the restaurant and truly did not know I was in town, I could have handled the situation. Soon to be thirty-six, I think I’m mature enough to have been able to greet her, asked her how she was, and even loved to have introduced you to her. But my mother had other plans.”

  “What she did wasn’t nice, not only for you, but Arianna. I have a feeling she probably thought your mother knew something and may have presumed you wanted to see her.”

  “I never thought of that, but you may be right. She made a mess out of our evening together.”

  “Nobody could do that.”

  He smiled. “We’ll stop for a big lunch before we leave Texas. Once we get into the areas without a lot of population, finding a decent place to eat isn’t easy. We’ll stop, maybe at a trailer park and I can let the horses graze a bit and King can get some fresh air and exercise. I’ll fill up with gas and fill the water and gas containers and we’ll get some of the snacks from the trailer and put them in the cooler.”

  Carolina nodded and stretched. She was already stiff from sitting too long. She opened her laptop, read her messages and worked on some research until she began to feel sleepy again. She wrote her boss and informed him that her father had died and that she would be home within the week.

  The trailer park they entered outside of El Paso, was quite nice. Carolina and Stede took the opportunity to use the shower and dressing room facilities while the horses grazed and King was allowed to run around in a fenced area for dogs.

  There was an Olive Garden within walking distance and feeling renewed and freshened, they headed over for a late lunch. “We can take the extra salad and breadsticks with us, and have that later this evening when we get hungry.”

  “Sounds good, but maybe a Whopper with cheese to go with the salad.”

  “I keep forgetting, you’re a growing boy,” Carolina teased.

  “We only have a little over four hundred more miles to go. If you keep me talking and turn up the music, we should be able to pull in the driveway around one or two in the morning. You game?”