No More Lies

by Sandy Appleyard

  “Yeah, but you’re forgetting one minor detail here, Lisa.” I point out. “You moved on, but you skipped over the part where you digested it and dealt with it. Hell, you were jumping from bed to bed a week after Harlan hit the bricks.”

  “That’s how long I needed.” She says stubbornly.

  “And that’s exactly how you remained until now. Before Harlan, you were never like that. In fact, I think Harlan was your first, wasn’t he?”

  Her lack of a response is telling. “Makes no difference, Laura. It is what it is."

  "No, it’s not, Lisa.” My voice is raised an octave. “Now, I let it slide when you wrecked whatever future you could have had with Clint, but I won’t let you do it again. What happened with Harlan and what happened with Clint was a long time ago. It’s time to grow up, Lisa. Kurt is great, and you know it. At least give it a decent chance to see where things go with him.”

  She’s frustrated and I’m hitting a nerve. “Why are you so hell bent on me getting together with Kurt, anyway? Is it just because you want us to keep being sister-in-laws? That’s a pretty sick way of going about it.”

  “Honestly, I hadn’t even considered that until now.” I admit levelly. “That’s not the issue here. Now, I’ve been your best friend for nearly thirty years, and I’m telling you that if you screw up another good thing, you’re going to regret it.”

  She’s had enough. Lisa rises like an errant child. “Fine. I’ll go out with him again. Hell, I’ll even ask him out myself, if that pleases you. But don’t go on your high horse, thinking that I never moved on. I did. I just dealt with it in my own way is all. You’re still living in the past, Laura. Leave it be.”

  “I’ll point out that you’re the one who brought up Harlan.”

  “Oh…blow it out your ass, Laura.” She spits before leaving, slamming the door in her wake.

  Chapter 8

  Kurt

  So, my brother is getting married again. This is fantastic. I’m so proud of him I could burst. He’s come a long way, and he couldn’t have met a better woman than Laura. The smile on my face is telling as I start the morning routine, bringing the horses out for exercise, and as I’m leading Weasel out of the stable, I see Lisa storming out of the house.

  “Hey!” I shout, concern registering in my voice.

  She looks my way, and I think that she’s going to stop, but she turns away, continuing her walk to her car out front. “Hang on to Weasel for me a minute, would ya?” I ask Simon, not waiting for an answer. I break off into a run, chasing after her, when I realize that she’s crying.

  “Hey,” I say, when I catch up to her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She lies. Her voice cracks as she says it, and she’s drying her eyes.

  “Don’t lie to me.” I tell her in an even tone. “What happened…you and Laura have a fight?”

  “Yes, we did.” She sighs, sniffling, trying to shake the tears off.

  “You want to tell me what it was about?” My hands are on her shoulders.

  “No…I don’t.” she says flatly, wiping under her eyes again. “We fight just like we’re sisters. It happens. Not as often as it did when we were younger, but it does happen.”

  “It wasn’t anything serious, was it?”

  She puffs out air, trying like hell to shake off her emotions. “Kurt, it really doesn’t need to be discussed. There is nothing that you can do about it, so it’s best to just let it go.”

  “I don’t like you leaving upset is all.”

  “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

  We’re silent. I’m rubbing her upper arms up and down, waiting for her to settle.

  Finally, she sniffles one last time. “I’m fine, really.”

  I search her eyes. “Want me to go beat her up?”

  That gets a tiny smile. “No.” she scoffs, but the ghost of a laugh comes out of her.

  “I could take her.” I joke.

  Now she giggles. “I could take her, too. And if that were the answer, I’d have beat on her a little myself.”

  My hands move to her waist. “Come here.” I pull her close, giving her a bear hug. She accepts it, wrapping her arms around my neck. We stand there in a tight embrace for about thirty seconds, when I release her. “Sure you don’t want me to take her out back for a round?”

  Now she smiles. “No, thanks.”

  My hands are still on her waist. “Hey, are you busy tonight?”

  She chuckles shortly. “That was going to be my next line.”

  “You up for dinner and a moonlight walk in town? We can go to that old restaurant up by the marina and walk along the water at sunset.”

  “I never took you for a romantic, Kurt.”

  “Well, see, I feel bad now, since I’ve seen you cry. The ante is up a little more now.”

  “Sure, I could do that. Sounds great.”

  “Okay. This time let’s skip the leaving from the ranch bit. I’ll pick you up at your place tonight.”

  “Okay.” She nods once.

  “I’d kiss you, but I can feel Lloyd’s eyes on my back.” I admit, only half-joking. The man is like a beacon, and I’ll never hear the end of it.

  “You can kiss me tonight.” She says, and for a change, I detect no hint of lust in her words. It’s a welcome change.

  “Just for that…” I say, and peck her quickly on the mouth. “I’ll see you later.”

  “See ya.” She says and waves goodbye to me as she walks to her car.

  As I walk back towards the stable, Laura stops me. “Hey,”

  I smile at her tightly. “Hey.”

  “You two seem to be getting along rather well, I see.” Her face softens into a smile.

  “Let’s hope.”

  “She’s been hurt before, Kurt. Really bad.” Laura says.

  “I had a feeling.”

  “I know it isn’t my place to say, but, she’s never recovered from it.”

  “I think she’s coming along.”

  She grins. “Yeah. I think so, too.”

  “Maybe that tough love that you give her is finally paying off.” I state.

  “No, I think it’s you, Kurt.” Her voice is even. “I think she finally met a man who won’t let her use him, like she feels she deserves.”

  “You think so, huh.” I rest my thumbs in my beltloops. “She ever tell you what happened?”

  “Not really.” Laura admits. “All I ever got was that they went on separate paths. Surprisingly, on certain matters, Lisa is pretty closed up tight. If she doesn’t want someone to know something, she’ll take it to her grave. That woman has kept more secrets than she’s probably willing to admit.”

  “It’s probably for the best.” I agree. “Some things should be kept personal.”

  Laura hesitates. “I should…get back to work.”

  “Yeah, me, too.”

  I manage to keep my mind occupied all day, which isn’t hard when you’re running the show on a horse ranch. Things are run much different here than back in El Paso. Laura puts all her trust in the Lead Hand to keep the place flowing, making sure that the horses are looked after above and beyond regular standards. The ranch itself has to be kept in top shape, too, and that takes a lot of work. We also need to train and exercise the horses for upcoming competitions, and Trixie is used for breeding, but she didn’t have a litter this year.

  Dressing for my date with Lisa, I hear my door knock. “Yeah,” I say.

  “You decent?” It’s Grayson.

  “Sure am.”

  He opens the door and comes in, giving me a once-over. I’m wearing a pair of navy dress pants and a white button-up shirt with leather boots. I’ve just showered and my hair is combed back, but the curls are starting to pop out. “You got a hot date?”

  I nod once, fastening the last button on my shirt. “Lisa and I are going out for dinner.”

  “Oh yeah? Again?”

  I’m not used to any
sort of interrogation, so I change the subject. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Laura and I are heading to El Paso this weekend. I suppose I should introduce my fiancé to my family before sending a wedding invitation.” He says with a slight chuckle. “Didn’t know if you wanted to tag along. We should probably all gather for a dinner or something. I’m sure Lloyd and Simon can handle the place fine alone. They’ve done it many times before according to Laura.”

  I shrug. “Sure.”

  “Maybe Lisa might want to come, too.” He suggests, but he’s searching my eyes, gauging how serious things are between us. Which is ridiculous, considering this is only our second date. But coming from a man who proposed to a woman that he’s only known for a couple of months, I guess it isn’t so ridiculous in his eyes.

  “I can ask. Might be kind of fun if all four of us go. Least the girls can divide and conquer with mom. You know how crazy she gets sometimes.”

  “Oh, I know.” Grayson agrees.

  “I’ll mention it to her tonight and see what she says.”

  Grayson raises a hand. “No pressure, man. It was just a thought.”

  “Thanks, man. I’ll see you later.”

  “Sure. Have fun tonight.”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Lisa’s house is not what I expected. It slipped my mind that she’s a decorator. It certainly shows. Her house is very fancy. Almost like it doesn’t belong in her simple little neighborhood. It’s a two-storey brick home, with a winding concrete driveway and a mailbox painted red at the mouth of it. The house itself is a robin’s egg blue color, at least the wood shutters are, and she has double-pained glass on all the windows. A flowerbox sits outside what I assume is the kitchen window. The box is painted red to match the mailbox. It’s striking.

  The house looks like a cross between the Keebler Elves’ cottage and a rich grandmother’s mansion. An odd combination, but it suits the dwelling well. Her garden is outfitted with a small water feature under the planter box, and about a million little flowers are strategically placed in some kind of mosaic pattern. It looks like she spends forever keeping this place up. When I get inside, it’s even more impressive.

  “Hi,” she says, opening the door. I give her a tiny peck on the cheek as I enter.

  “You’re missing something in the front of this house.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “A red carpet.”

  She smiles. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Inside, Lisa has a marble-tiled floor done in another mosaic pattern. There is a lone tile with a flower pattern in the center of the circular outlay. The outer corners of the circle are done in the same red as is outside. And she has red peppered throughout the house in pillows, drapery, and a small area rug in front of the couch. The flooring is all dark hardwood, quite new in appearance. The couch is white leather, matching the armchair. The walls are painted a cream with a pearl finish.

  I can see the kitchen from the front foyer, and it looks like something that a chef would be jealous of. Dark black mahogany cupboards, polished silver fixtures and pulls, a butcher’s block counter floating in the center of it all, with double sinks and a gooseneck faucet. The eat-in kitchen has a circular glossy white melamine table, with polished metal chairs that have lipstick red leather seats and backs. The whole house looks like it should be on the cover of House & Home magazine. My guess is it probably has, seeing as she’s in the industry.

  “Your house is amazing. I thought the shoebox that I live in was nice. This place puts it to shame.”

  “I’m an interior designer. My house is my best showpiece.”

  “Well, it looks like it’s won awards.” I say, looking around. “I’m afraid to sneeze in here.”

  She giggles as I look at the photography lining the walls. “Other showpieces I have to display for my career.” She says, gesturing to the photographs.

  There is a black & white photograph of Laura on her horse. She’s a lot younger, but she’s riding the horse over a small body of water. It’s kind of an action shot. The horse’s ears are pulled back, and Laura’s hair is flowing in the breeze, as is the horse’s tail. It’s probably the best picture I’ve seen in my life. The background is a meadow off in the distance, but it looks like Lisa’s added some kind of treatment to the sepia photograph, because the flowers come alive in the background. It’s gorgeous.

  “Wow.” Is all I can think of to say.

  “I keep that one front and center.” She explains. “It’s won me several awards and has afforded me many photography shoots.”

  “You mean business.” I comment kindly. “How do you…balance it all?”

  “I do both part-time. Photography doesn’t keep me busy full-time, and neither does the design. It’s handy when I have out-of-state jobs to do, because I can practice both hats then.”

  “I bet you can.” I give her a once-over. She’s wearing a red linen pencil skirt with a white blouse and a red camisole underneath, just peeking out a little, covering her where she needs to be covered. A tiny droplet necklace hangs from her neck on a fishnet chain, with a capital letter ‘L’ hanging from it in yellow gold. “You look really nice.

  “So do you.” She says, touching my arm, so I turn around, giving her the opportunity to observe my entire outfit. “Wow, you clean up really nice, Kurt.”

  “Well, it isn’t often, but I do try sometimes.” I want to kiss her suddenly, but she has a smattering of red lip gloss on, and I don’t want to mess it up. Her hair is very curly, as usual, but tonight she has it up at the sides, with red studded earrings to match her necklace. “That’s a nice necklace.”

  She looks down. “Oh, Laura bought this for me, years ago. It’s my favorite.”

  “I can see why.”

  I’m wearing a gold watch, and she notices it glinting under the mini-chandelier lights illuminating the hallway. Pulling my hand up so she can take a closer look, she checks it out. “Very tasteful.”

  “My brother Mitch bought this for me when I graduated college.”

  She’s impressed. “I didn’t know you went to college.”

  I nod. “Yes. We all did. Mama always said that everyone should have a plan B. That ranch living isn’t for everyone. Case and point: Grayson.”

  “What did you take?”

  “Equine studies, actually. I was going to go through all the way and become a veterinarian, but after I got my certificate, I was happy to just work on the ranch.”

  “Well, that’s pretty good. You’re in the right field, at least.”

  “True.”

  “Do you want to see the rest of the house before we go?”

  “Sure.”

  Surprising me, she takes my hand, leading me to the kitchen. It’s cute. A girl has never taken my hand before; I’m always the one to initiate, and then, usually, it’s only out of necessity or manners. “You like to cook?”

  I blush. “Can’t say that I do. My meals have always been cooked for me on the ranch. Even here. I don’t think I could even make myself a cup of coffee if I tried.”

  “Did you ever want to learn?”

  “Never had the inclination to, no.”

  “Well, if you ever change your mind, it’s another one of my hobbies.” Lisa explains. “That’s why my kitchen is so fancy. I made a point of making this kitchen as modern as possible.”

  “I can see that.” I comment, noticing that it looks a lot like Laura’s kitchen, only on a slightly smaller scale. “Did you design Laura’s kitchen, too?”

  Her grin is infectious. “As a matter of fact, yes. I did this one first, and then she fell in love with it, and she wanted a similar version for hers. Only, I made hers larger, since she has many more mouths to feed.”

  “Do you entertain much?”

  She nods. “Mostly for business, but yes. I enjoy having people over, and it tends to mix well for me. Often, it’s an instant upsell for me; when I have business prospects
over for design, they see my photography and book me for an event, and vice versa. I have a long list of clients and it suits me well to have gatherings here.”

  “It’s smart.” I comment, frowning. She leads us upstairs. The wall lining the stairwell is lined with various photographs of an array of different things from classic, old black & whites to colorful, modern graphics. Some are artsy, some are personal and family-oriented. “Have you got a large family?”

  “No, just me. In the beginning, of course, it was my brother Quentin and I. But after he died it was just me. That’s how come I mix well with Laura and her family. They’re like my family.”

  “Your parents still alive?”

  “They are.”

  “In town?”

  “Yes. But since they retired, they’re always on the go. They’re never home long enough to say that they’re home. My mama had the travel bug years ago being a travel agent and all. Heck, they’ve been all over the world and back again…twice.”

  I can’t make a connection, a ‘v’ forms between my eyebrows. “So, how did Quentin get involved with the horse ranch?”

  “He and Laura met in grade nine. They were fourteen years old. He practically lived over there. He’d taken riding lessons starting when he was eight, and he was just in love with horses. Kind of ironic how he died.”

  I rub her back. “Yeah, sorry about that.” We’re at the top of the stairs. The floor is carpeted with plush, white pile underfoot. The upstairs is a large, open area with a conversational cluster of furniture, a gas fireplace, a guest bedroom, and a master bedroom on the opposite end of the space. “This is really different.”

  She smiles. “Yes. Originally, there were three spare bedrooms, so I had the wall connecting the two rooms knocked out to create this upstairs family room. The guest bedroom has its own two-piece bathroom, and I have an ensuite in my room.”

  “Nice.” I’m very impressed. There is a skylight in the sitting area, giving a lot of natural light to the space. “Really. This is very livable. I like it a lot.”

  “I’m glad. Come and see the master bedroom.”

  The room is fit for royalty. There is a red leather chaise lounge chair flanked by another gas fireplace at one end of the room, with a mirrored walk-in closet behind it. On the other end of the room is a queen-sized bed with a tufted red leather head and footboard, and two lipstick red nightstands on either side of it. Above the bed is another mini chandelier. The walls are painted the same pearl cream as the living room. On the bed is a chunky white down-filled duvet, and there are two giant, fluffy white pillows with a small red accent pillow in the center, monogrammed with a capital letter ‘L’.