Racked and Stacked

by Lorelei James

  By the casual, almost absentminded way he touched her, Riss knew his thoughts were elsewhere. Maybe she could get an honest answer out of him—the man was a master at deflection—because pieces of his story didn’t line up. “Seems odd a proclaimed ‘company man’ would simply walk away.”

  “Oh, trust me; there wasn’t anything simple about it.”

  She waited for him to explain that statement, but he just kept twining the same curl around his index finger over and over.

  So she tried a different tack. “What really happened between you and my brother Lloyd?”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “Just that you got him fired.”

  Those piercing blue eyes met hers. “So you hated me because Lloyd told you to?”

  “Sounds stupid when you say it that way. But I am loyal to my brother, which is why his anger and resentment toward you when he lost his job became my anger and resentment toward you.”

  “Even if Lloyd was in the wrong?”

  “I don’t know that he was wrong, which is why I’m asking you what happened.”

  “Riss, I’m not sure—”

  “I am.” Her fingers circled his wrist. “Lloyd wouldn’t be straight with me. When I pushed the issue, Lonnie made me back off.”

  “Too bad Lonnie ain’t around now,” Ike muttered.

  “Lonnie said Lloyd would tell me when he was ready. It’s been, what . . . three years? He should’ve gone into more detail than don’t trust Palmer; he has his own agenda when he knew I’d be seeing you on a regular basis.”

  “That’s all Lloyd said?”

  “Well . . . he forbade me from workin’ with you, and you know how well ultimatums go over with me.”

  Ike moved his arm, forcing Riss to let go of it. He scrubbed both hands over his face. “Yeah, I guess I can see where my motives would be suspect when Lloyd was workin’ for a lyin’ piece of shit like Zeke Toggles.”

  “Again, you’re talking in riddles and I have no idea what the hell that means. All I know is that Lloyd took a job with Toggles right after he outprocessed from the air force.”

  His gaze caught hers again. “Why Toggles?”

  “My brother wanted to work outside. Toggles needed a ranch hand so Lloyd hired on. None of us were happy he’d opted to live outside of Laramie instead of around Casper, but he was closer to the VA and veterans’ services in Cheyenne.”

  “So he took a job with a man he knew nothin’ about?”

  “I think I’ve established that, Ike, so just get to the meat of the story,” she said crossly.

  “Fine. About a dozen years ago, Toggles inherited his uncle’s ranch, but no cattle. So instead of getting a loan to buy stock, he decided to steal other ranchers’ calves. He sold them on the black market and built up enough capital to fund his own herd.”

  Riss gave him a skeptical look. “You’re saying Toggles was a cattle rustler?”

  “Yep.”

  “In this day and age cattle rustling is still a thing?”

  “With the acreage needed to sustain livestock out here, the herd gets isolated and it happens more often than it should. Lots of guys chalk up missing calves to animal predators—that’s usually the easiest explanation. But one of Toggles’s neighbors saw Toggles casing the herd a few days before four calves went missing. He called the sheriff but there wasn’t evidence so Toggles wasn’t ever charged, but everyone knew that Toggles was guilty. At Stocksellers, we were warned never to do business with him. All of our buying and selling had documentation and the company has an excellent reputation for quality and fair dealing. There were plenty of other cattle brokers around who didn’t have the same moral compass, so Toggles didn’t have a problem turning over his herd. But it stuck in his craw that Stocksellers refused his business. But he knew brokers are always lookin’ for new business, so he had Lloyd pretend to be a new potential client. Lloyd called as the seller and set up an appointment for us to come out and evaluate his stock for a rapid sale.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I don’t doubt that Lloyd didn’t know what Toggles was up to and Toggles lied to him. Stocksellers sent me to handle it and I knew as soon as I was within a mile of Toggles’s place that we’d been set up. Problem was, with a rapid sale, I’d already contacted some of my clients who were looking to buy and I hated that I’d have to go back to them and tell them it’d been a misunderstanding. So I was good and pissed off by the time I got out of my truck. Of course, Toggles hadn’t come; he’d sent Lloyd to meet me. I lost my shit, said a bunch of things, half of which I don’t remember. And instead of Lloyd listening, he got mad. He said if he didn’t close the deal with me then Toggles would fire him. I told him I didn’t care.”

  Riss’s anger bubbled up, but she slapped a lid on it.

  “And I didn’t. I walked away.”

  “That’s it?”

  Ike shook his head. “We both know Toggles fired him. Not my problem. So a couple weeks later I was at Summerfest and Lloyd waylaid me in the parking lot. I’d had enough to drink that I didn’t appreciate him talkin’ shit about me. So we got into it. After a few punches, we ended up rollin’ in the dirt.”

  “I’m glad I wasn’t there.”

  “You were the only member of the Thorpe family who wasn’t there that night.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Louie and Lonnie both jumped in? Three against one?”

  “No, just Louie at first. When I started to beat his ass, Lonnie showed up.”

  She stopped herself from asking how much time Ike had spent in the hospital after tangling with Lonnie, because Ike would think she was joking. Lonnie didn’t ever settle his differences the Wyoming way—aka with his fists—since he could go to jail for it. “I take it Lonnie broke up the fight?”

  “Yeah. He warned me the next time the three of them crossed paths with me, just another scumbag cattle broker, I wouldn’t be so lucky.”

  She snorted. That sounded like her big brother.

  “His threat didn’t make sense. Wasn’t my fault that Lloyd lost his job because he bought into Toggles’s lies. It was nearly two years before you and I met and that Thorpe family grudge remained in place. So what am I missing?”

  “Lloyd didn’t want—” Riss snapped her mouth shut.

  “Don’t you clam up on me now. Lloyd was hammered and said a bunch of random shit about low-life brokers destroying his family. What was that about?”

  “Our dad.”

  Ike frowned. “What about him?”

  “Dad supplemented the ranch income workin’ as a mechanic. He was a piss-poor money manager. He got behind on the mortgage and to stave off foreclosure, he decided to sell his cows. A slick-talkin’ cattle broker promised Dad he could get him top dollar. The broker loaded up the cows and no one ever saw him again.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. Then the bank foreclosed on the ranch. Instead of allowing us to become homeless, Bob, my dad’s stepbrother, funded the down payment and cosigned the loan for the house that my brothers still live in now. Apparently the ranch loan had been in my mom’s name and no one gave a shit what it did to her credit since Dad had always made payments and she wasn’t even around.”

  Ike flopped back into the cushions and groaned. “Jesus. What are the odds? Seriously, Riss. Your dad . . . and your brother havin’ bad luck at the hands of a cattle broker?”

  “I don’t know why those fuckwits didn’t tell me what’d gone on with you and Lloyd. Wasn’t like when I was a kid and I didn’t know why we were moving away from the ranch. I didn’t find out the truth until I was eighteen.” She clenched and unclenched her fist. “I hate that they keep stuff from me, like I’m a weepy little girl who can’t handle the truth.”

  “Hey.” He grabbed her hand and brushed his mouth across her knuckles until she loosened her fist. “You’re the toughe
st woman I know.”

  Ike’s sweetness caught her off guard again.

  “I hate that a simple conversation would’ve cleared this up,” he said. “It probably wouldn’t have ended the antagonism between us entirely, but it might’ve happened sooner.”

  “Maybe. Losing that stupid job was the best thing for Lloyd anyway. And for Lonnie. Lloyd moved to Casper and took the mechanic’s job at the garage. With reliable help, Lonnie could finally buy the shop from Ricky Freytag.”

  “Do all of your brothers work together and live together?”

  “They all live together, but just Lonnie and Lloyd work together. Lou is the shift manager at Crow’s Truck Stop. He rotates first through third shift every six weeks. He’s on nights now, so they had a babysitter for me during the day.” Riss tipped her head back and looked at him. “Why am I telling you all this?”

  “Because we’re roomies and roomies swap stories and other stuff.”

  “Well, roomie, I’ll take your word for it. But I draw the line at us painting each other’s nails and gossiping about boys.”

  Ike wore a cute smile as he studied her.

  “What?”

  “My sisters never gossiped about boys with me either. Maybe if they would have, Jen wouldn’t have gotten knocked up twice. By two different guys.”

  “Don’t tell me you feel guilty about that?”

  “No.” He sighed. “Maybe a little. I love my niece and nephew. I just don’t think Jen knew how hard it is to be a single parent.”

  “You do.”

  “Yeah.” He pushed her hair away from her forehead. “Even when at times it feels like you don’t get a minute to yourself, it’s lonely. None of my friends understood what I dealt with every day, except for Abe Lawson. But Hank and Celia were older when their parents died. Lea was eight, Kay was ten and Jen was twelve. My options were suck it up and be a single guardian or split them up into foster care.”

  “Which wasn’t an option. I get that. Lonnie faced the same choice when our dad died. At age nineteen he became guardian to a seventeen-year-old, a fifteen-year-old and a twelve-year-old.”

  “Riss, darlin’, where was your mom, if you don’t mind me askin’?”

  “She took off when I was five. Again, I don’t have all the particulars,” she said with a tinge of bitterness, “but once I overheard Dad and Lonnie talking about us kids bein’ registered with the tribe and the monthly stipend per kid. Evidently that was her stipulation for signing away all her parental rights to Dad. She got every penny every month until we turned eighteen. So as you can imagine, things were a little tight for us.”

  “Man. No offense, but that is cold.”

  “I’m glad she left. She didn’t even come back for Dad’s funeral.”

  Ike continued stroking her hair. “You haven’t seen her since you were five?”

  The ugly memory came roaring back. Her haggard-looking mother showed up teary eyed, acting remorseful, and zeroed in on Riss, who at age sixteen had daily battles with Lonnie about everything. So naturally, Riss glommed on to her mom, believing her promises, seeking her advice and offering to help her out by begging Lonnie to let her stay with them. Looking back, Lonnie had made the smart move by agreeing to let their mom crash with them, because Riss was forced to see her all the time, not just short, happy times of her mother’s choosing.

  The first week things were great. Her mom had even purchased a prom dress for Riss. A hideous dress, but Riss had been secretly thrilled her mom wanted to be part of that moment in Riss’s life. By week two, Mom went out partying every night and sometimes wasn’t back by the time Riss left for school. By week three, Mom was snappish and mean, making fun of Riss or tossing out backhanded compliments.

  But the kicker was the night Riss overheard Lonnie and Mom arguing about money. That had been the only reason she’d come back, to connive them out of cash or to steal it. Lonnie ordered her out of the house, and when she refused to go, he called the sheriff.

  So the last time she’d seen her mother, she’d been spewing obscenities at Louie, hurling insults and lies at Riss and threatening Lonnie with legal action as the deputy shoved her in the back seat of a cop car. She’d never discussed the visit with her brothers. Neither had they known the nights she’d cried herself to sleep, feeling ashamed for getting tangled up in her mother’s poisonous web.

  “Riss?” Ike murmured.

  “Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment.”

  “You okay?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Warm lips grazed her ear. “Liar.”

  Oh man. His breath in her ear sent tingles up her scalp, nearly setting her hair on end. She waited for him to say something else, but he appeared to be . . . sniffing her?

  Nah. Couldn’t be.

  But then Ike trailed his nose down her neck and back up.

  Her skin broke out in gooseflesh and she remained still to see what he’d do next.

  “Christ, woman. You always smell like coconuts.”

  “It’s my body spray. I can stop using it if it bothers you.”

  He chuckled against her neck. “It gets me bothered in a way I shouldn’t be. It makes me wanna take a big bite outta you, see if you taste as good as you smell.”

  Don’t arch your neck. Don’t offer to let him taste you wherever he wants.

  Wait a second. How had she gotten sprawled across the back cushions?

  Ike lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. He didn’t smile, but took his time studying every nuance of her face. “Not a look I ever expected to see you aiming at me, sweet cheeks.”

  “What look is that?” she said breathlessly.

  “Like you wanna take a big bite outta me too.”

  “If I had the chance, the first part I’d start nibbling on are those sexy-ass lips of yours.”

  “Larissa.” He half growled her name. “This can’t . . .”

  The doorbell rang.

  He froze.

  She froze.

  The doorbell pealed again.

  He muttered, “Saved by the goddamned bell.” He gently pushed away from her and perched on the edge of the couch. He finally looked at her as the doorbell dinged for the third time. “Sorry.”

  Then he stood and disappeared around the corner.

  Riss closed her eyes, not sure if she should feel relieved by the interruption or annoyed by it.

  From the entryway, she heard Ike say, “Bernice. I didn’t know you were coming by today.”

  “Bob has a thing at the Moose Lodge tonight so I’m checking on my niece. See if she needs anything.” Bernice bustled into the room and stopped in front of Riss. Her eyes narrowed. “You look flushed. You feeling okay?”

  “I accidentally used my arm today like I normally would and it reminded me why I’m not supposed to do that.”

  “Your caretaker didn’t stop you before it happened?”

  She shrugged. “My fault, not his. I took a pain pill and just woke up. Anyway, you’re here to torment me because you’re bored with Uncle Bob gone for the night?”

  She grinned. “Maybe I’m telling Bob I’m here when I’ve got plans with the Mud Lilies. That way he won’t worry about me when he’s with his buddies.”

  Riss shook her finger at her aunt. “If he calls lookin’ for you, Aunt B, I’m rolling on you.”

  Ike said, “And here you had me convinced you weren’t a snitch.”

  “A snitch is if I called my uncle and told him she was whoopin’ it up with her cronies. I don’t plan on doin’ that.”

  “Good. I’ve got time to kill before I meet up with the Lilies, so into the bathroom with you.”

  “But I didn’t text you.”

  “I wasn’t gonna wait around for that. Anyway, I got you on the schedule and I’m here. Now git movin’. Them bingo cards are calling my name.” She offered
her hand to Riss and gently pulled her to her feet.

  “A bingo night is in your big, wild plans with your pals?” Riss snickered. “I imagined you all would be at a private survivalist training meeting, learning to make bombs out of simple household chemicals.”

  Bernice patted her hand. “That’s next month. Tonight we gotta earn the cash to pay for the private training. It’s double payout at the senior center in Casper. Last time we played on a double payout night we cleaned ’em out.”

  Riss frowned at her. “Should you be bragging that you emptied the coffers at a senior citizens’ community center?”

  “Ain’t like we’re stealing it. We earned every penny of ka-ching by playing their game of chance. Besides, it’s not like they’re gonna complain, since each one of us buys eight bingo cards for each session.” She winked. “Plus, the bingo caller is sweet on Tilda. She sneaks him nips from her flask during breaks.”

  “Honestly, that sounds like fun.”

  “I’d love to take you sometime.” She shuffled down the hallway to the guest bathroom.

  Ike’s voice tickled her ear. “Poor Tilda. That bingo caller sees you? He’ll be as sweet on you as I am.”

  The sexy way Ike said sweet wasn’t sweet at all.

  That annoyed her. Hadn’t the man just apologized for getting cozy with her? And now he was flirting with her again? Talk about running hot and cold.

  She put distance between them before she turned and said, “Make a list or make supper, but do something useful.”

  He had no retort for that.

  Chapter Twelve

  Riss stormed into the kitchen and announced, “I have to leave the house today and that is not a goddamned request.”

  “It’s an order?”

  “Yes.”

  Ike glanced up from the newspaper. “If I refuse?”

  “I’ll start smashing my cast into the walls because I swear they’re closing in on me.”

  “You sure you oughta go out?”

  “Why? Is it below zero outside?”

  “No. But accidentally using your arm yesterday had you out cold on the couch by eight o’clock last night.”