Winter Hearts

by A. E. Radley

  CHAPTER 6

  “Where to?” Cass asked as she reversed her pickup out of the parking space.

  Emmie sighed. “How familiar are you with the area?”

  “I grew up in Abilene, but my Mom’s family is all from the Merkel and the Trent area, so I’ve been in and around Sweetwater a whole lot.”

  “How about northwest of town, up 117?”

  Cass shook her head. “Around the gypsum mine? I know how to get to it.”

  “That’s a start, but we’ll be going a little way past that.” Emmie shook her head and looked at Cass. “I really feel bad about putting you out.”

  “You’re not. Don’t even give it another thought. It’s good for me to get out of the house for something other than work and class and, besides, Jimmy will be home beating himself up over his mistakes tonight. Maybe by the time I get back, he’ll be in bed, sleeping it off.”

  “Won’t he be up, wondering about Tyler?”

  “Ah, good point. Let me call the house real quick.” The brunette punched some buttons on the little screen set into her dashboard. Within seconds, Emmie could hear a phone ringing.

  The voice of an older woman came through the radio speakers. “Hello?”

  “Hi Grandma, it’s Cass.”

  “How’s that boy doing? Jim’s driving me out of my tree here, what with all his pacing around and all. Hang on.”

  “Jim!” the old lady called out without muffling the phone or waiting for an answer to her question. “It’s Cass!”

  Back to Cass, speaking only a half decibel or so lower than she’d just called to the teenager, she said, “He’s comin’.”

  “That’s fine Grandma. I just wanted to let you know that I’m dropping someone off at home a little outside of Sweetwater before I head back there. I don’t want you thinking you have to wait up for me. You need your rest.”

  “I’ll probably head on to bed then…once I know about that boy. You never said how he was.”

  “I’m here; I’m here too,” Jimmy Rogan interrupted. “How’s Ty? Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine, the both of you. He’s got a couple of cracked ribs and some bad bruising. He’s in some pain and he won’t be able to play for a week or two but he’s fine otherwise.”

  “Well, thank the good Lord for that!” the old lady said.

  “Yes ma’am. Now both of you get on to bed. Jimmy, we got a lot to do in the morning.”

  It was the boy’s turn to say, “Yes ma’am.”

  Emmie studied Cass as she punched the buttons to hang up the call and then made a couple of turns out of town.

  Feeling the other woman’s eyes on her, Cass asked, “What? What are you thinking about?”

  “You said you’re from Abilene tonight and, at the game, you told me Jimmy is too.”

  “Yeah?”

  “So, you’re living with your grandmother in Merkel, of all places?”

  “Gran, my mother’s mom, yeah. She had a bad fall about 18 months or so ago…couldn’t manage around the house let alone everything else while she recovered.”

  “She’s recovered now?”

  Cass nodded.

  “But you’ve stayed on?”

  “Other things came up.”

  “Jimmy?”

  “He’s one of them, yes. I didn’t want him running roughshod over her, for one.”

  Emmie grinned. “It sounds to me like your grandmother can handle him.”

  “Well, you got that right,” Cass chuckled. “Still, he lacks direction a lot of the time. That’s my main focus, to give him some. Never had any kids of my own, of course, but I always felt like my sister’s kids were just as much mine, especially him.”

  “Sounds like you’ve helped raise them…or, at least, him.”

  “Yeah. It’s tough out there, you know? Jobs are hard to find around here that pay half decent. My sister, Pam, she works her tail off and barely makes enough to get by but she’s too prideful to take much help other than from me…me and Gram.”

  “Is that why you’re in the wind energy program? So you can help out a little more?”

  Cass shrugged and glanced over at Emmie. “Kind of; not directly.”

  Emmie was intrigued.

  “This on the record?”

  “That depends on what you have to say. Your name wouldn’t be associated with it anyway.”

  “My mom’s family are all Lute’s.”

  “As in ‘Lute Longhorns’?”

  “Exactly.”

  Emmie turned her head toward the passenger side window, not sure how much to say.

  “Grandpa died a few years ago.”

  “I remember,” Emmie divulged. “My family all went to the funeral.”

  The other woman gave her a long look before turning back to concentrate on the road and continue with her story. Gran has kept most of the land, but she’s sold off a lot of the longhorn cows other than about a dozen or so and a couple of the bulls. She just couldn’t manage all of that, even with my help.”

  “Yours?”

  “I’ve been one of her primary hands these last few years, but after Gramps’ died, most of our other help drifted away. They didn’t want to work for two women.”

  “I know how that goes…”

  “Do you?”

  Emmie’s hackles rose. “Trust me; I do.”

  Cass shook her head and gestured with a hand. “Sorry. It’s just frustrating sometimes.”

  Emmie just nodded.

  “Grandma ‘s been talking to the State about turning most of the property into another wind farm. There’s plenty of wind to go around, of course, but she wants to keep it on the down low for now. That’s why I was so hesitant to work with you.”

  “So, you’re doing this program as training, so you can run it?”

  “More or less. I already have a degree in business that I worked more than seven years to get, nights and weekends.”

  “I wondered.”

  Cass gave her a quizzical look.

  “You ah, didn’t raise your hand when Lu…Professor Fox asked who had no previous college experience. Where’d you go?”

  “Did some of it at McMurray in Abilene then, after I moved in full time with Gran, online with Tech while we were dealing with her hip. I just finished with them about six months ago.” Cass turned her truck onto Highway 117. “How far past the mines?”

  “A few miles; we have about ten minutes or so…sorry.”

  “Quit saying that. It’s fine.”

  Emmie didn’t think it would be fine. She fell silent.

  Cass left her to her thoughts for a minute or two but then got curious. “Will you tell me about you?”

  She sighed. “There’s not a whole lot to tell.”

  “I’m betting that’s wrong.” She smiled then, a big beautiful smile that lit up the cab of the truck. When Emmie didn’t respond, she asked, “Where’d you go to school yourself?”

  Emmie chuckled. “UT…in Austin.”

  “That’s funny, why?”

  “Because my family was crazy over it. They’re…they’re very Christian…let me put it that way. Mom wanted me to stay close, to go to Abilene Christian. Daddy convinced her to let me go to Austin.” Her voice grew wistful.

  “Let me guess; you didn’t want to come home?”

  The strawberry blond shook her head. “It’s uh, it’s different there, you know what I mean.”

  “Perfectly.” Cass glanced at her passenger, then turned back to her driving and smiled a little to herself. “That where you figured it all out, then?” She waited. She didn’t glance over at Emmie, just gave her a little space and a moment to gather her thoughts.

  “I…I think so. I don’t know…”

  “You do know,” Cass said firmly.

  The response was several long seconds coming but it came. “Yes, I do know, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

  Cass shot her a look.

  “It’s too late to do anything…to…well it’s too late now. Li
fe got too complicated.”

  “How’s that…” Cass started to ask. She didn’t finish the question. A herd of longhorns was crossing the highway a couple of hundred yards ahead of them.

  After braking hard and coming to a stop, she checked on her passenger. Emmie seemed none the worse for wear, but she stared straight ahead.

  “Hey,” Cass said softly. “Penny for them?”

  Emmie shuddered. “I…I haven’t thought about those times in years. I blocked it all out.”

  Cass half turned and leaned across the center console. “I can’t make myself block out good times…better times.”

  Emmie turned toward her. “I didn’t have a choice.”

  “I think you did,” Cass said as she reached for the other woman. Looping one arm around her shoulders, she pulled her toward her in a warm embrace, their heads hugged together for a few moments. Cass placed her left hand on the side of Emmie’s right leg and turned her just a bit more in the seat. She pulled back slightly, looked into the blonde’s eyes and then dipped her head and touched her lips to Emmie’s.

  Her kiss was tender and sweet. Emmie felt herself drifting, wanting more. At first, she responded. It felt so good; a feeling she hadn’t felt in years. But then, abruptly, she pulled back.

  “We can’t do this. I…I can’t Cass. I’m so sorry…”

  “No,” Cass said, as she pulled away. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Cass couldn’t take the silence. She searched for something to say besides apologizing again.

  Emmie was the one who broke their impasse. Clearing her throat, she told her, “You’ll be turning right about a mile up ahead.”

  As she slowed, Cass knitted her brow, trying to recall what might be ahead besides long stretches of pasture land.

  “Are you familiar with the Oakes’ name?”

  “What? I thought your name was Warren?”

  “Mine is. I was married…it’s, it’s complicated.” She rushed on before Cass could respond, “My family name is Oakes. You’ll be turning onto our ranch.”

  “That explains a lot.”

  “It does?”

  Cass answered a question with another question. “Just what are you planning on doing with your master’s degree?”

  Emmie sighed. “The plan was to go back to Austin and teach there or maybe go to Dallas or San Antonio.”

  “And now? Stuck at the ranch?”

  “No. At least, not in the way you’re thinking. It’s…I’ve never really been very involved with that; not since chores when we were all growing up. I have brothers for that. I’ll be stuck in Abilene though, probably.”

  “Abilene’s not so bad.”

  Emmie half shrugged. “I guess. I was just looking for a little more…culture, let’s say. A little more diversity.”

  All the diversity you want is right here under your nose, Cass thought. She slowed a little more when her headlights caught the gate entrance for the ranch. She made the turn onto the long, smooth dirt stretch bordered by wide swaths of grass and split rail fence.

  “Ever been out here for anything?” Emmie asked.

  “Uh, no. I’m sure it’s something to see though in the daylight.”

  “Dad does take a lot of pride in it but it’s still a cattle ranch.”

  Feeling a little self-conscience, Cass mentally checked herself and then shuddered. Dummy, she thought to herself, you won’t even be getting out of the truck. You’re just dropping her off. She hoped Emmie didn’t see her distress.

  As they crested a little rise, Cass caught site of the homestead and some of the nearby horse barns up ahead. There were lights on and a lot of commotion for a ranch at nearly 11:00 at night, she thought.

  Thinking the same, Emmie spread her hands and shook her head as she asked out loud, “What now?”

  Cass stopped just short of the house and both women jumped out.

  Emmie rushed around to the front of the truck and scanned around. Cass stood quietly at her side taking in the scene in front of her.

  A mare, spooked by something, had broken through a corral fence near one of the horse barns. An older man holding a coiled lariat and two younger men had formed a loose ring around her, but they were helpless to do anything while she bucked and stomped. She hadn’t even noticed their arrival.

  The older man tried to talk to the horse, but the mare wasn’t having it. Whatever had spooked her she thought was still there and she was determined to stomp the life out of it.

  Emmie looked at Cass. “Probably a rattler,” she leaned close to her and whispered. “We had one in the barn over there last week, now this.” Emmie pointed toward a second barn, a little further away. “Anyway, I should help.” She moved away from the pickup, toward the horse, and took up a position about fifteen feet from her dad, between him and one of the other men.

  Cass went the other way and did the same.

  The horse either began to notice the presence of several humans around it or it just began to tire. Either way, the bucking and stomping slowed enough that the old man tried to approach her as he spoke to her in soothing tones. She danced away from him, closer to a man on the back side of their little ring.

  The second man tried to move carefully toward her too but, still skittish, she lapped around the ring stopping at a point that put her out in front of Emmie, about 30 yards.

  “We don’t want to tighten up on her too much,” the old man cautioned. “She’s still scared.” He weighed the bulk of the coil of rope in his left hand as he pulled the loop and a length of it into his right.

  “You’re sure you wanna try to rope her?” Cass asked him.

  He turned toward her. “Plan too. She’s mine. She might not spook if I move to throw. Might just let me do it.”

  The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the mare turned tail and lapped their circle twice, finally coming to rest about ten yards from Cass, facing across the ring at the third man. Cass knew it would be a bad throw angle for the old man but, if she had a rope, she thought she just might be able to collar the horse.

  She sidestepped carefully toward the older cowboy she now figured was Emmie’s father. She pointed at the rope and he handed it to her without a word.

  Drifting carefully back to her right, she got a proper grip on the lariat, reared back and threw. The lasso sailed through the air, widened out over the mare’s head and settled down around her neck.

  Cass gave it a tug to pull it tight. The old man and the younger one on the other side both rushed toward her, assuming the horse would give her a fight. The mare did buck once and then again but then she settled down and looked at Cass. Cass cooed at her and approached her slowly.

  The old man moved toward them both as Cass reached the horse and gave her a rub down her nose.

  “Some mighty fine roping skills you have there, under pressure,” he said, admiration in his voice and eyes as he patted his mare.

  “Thanks,” she said back. “I’ve had a lot of practice. Horses are a little easier than stray longhorns.”

  “That they are.” He stuck out his hand, “Dusty Oakes.”

  “I’m Cass Prater,” she told him as she shook his hand.

  “Well thank you Cass.” The old man took the rope from her and led the horse toward the second man who was still standing back a little in case the horse spooked again. He took the mare without a word and led it toward the barn. The third man followed.

  Emmie moved over to Cass. “Thanks for your help…again. You’ve about filled your quota of good deeds for the day, haven’t you?”

  “How’s Ty?” Dusty started to ask his daughter.

  He was interrupted by Seth Jr. running out of the house, yelling, “Mommy, mommy!”

  The boy ran headlong into Emmie and clung to her. “That horse went all crazy mommy. I was watching from the kitchen and…”

  Emmie lifted the boy. “You’re in your pajamas Seth. You shouldn’t even be out here. In fact, you should be in bed,”
she scolded him. She whirled around holding him and headed toward the porch, forgetting all about Cass who was standing, temporarily shocked, at the little scene that had just played out before her.

  “But mommy, she was making all that noise. She woke me up!” He didn’t let up. “How’d that lady do that?” He asked as he pointed over Emmie’s shoulder at Cass.

  Emmie grabbed his hand. “It’s not polite to point at people.”

  “Sorry,” she said as she half turned back toward Cass. “His manners still need a lot of work.”

  The brunette waved Emmie off and smiled at the boy. “I’ve had lots of practice. Maybe when you’re a little bigger, your grandpa could teach you.”

  The old man harrumphed. “I haven’t got nearly the patience for that!”

  “Well your Mommy here, then.”

  Dusty laughed and Emmie coughed. “That’d be the day,” Dusty said.

  “If you’re all done making fun of me,” Emmie told them, “I really do need to see that he gets back to bed.” She resumed her march toward the porch.

  Dusty looked at Cass. “I know it’s late but the least we can do is offer you a beverage. Sweet tea? Coffee? We have some decaf, I think.”

  “Decaf sounds great.”

  The two of them followed Emmie and the boy inside. Emmie disappeared immediately with Seth making Cass wonder if she was overstepping again. She shrugged it off. She’d have a cup to humor the old man then hit the road.

  CHAPTER 8

  Emmie came back downstairs as Cass was draining the last of her cup.

  “Sorry,” she said looking from the other woman to her parents.

  “It’s okay sweetie,” Trudy told her. “Cass filled us in on Ty while you handled Seth.” She smiled at Cass. “Sometimes he’s harder to corral than Tasha.”

  “Tasha?” Cass asked.

  They all laughed but Cass. “That’s the mare you roped,” Emmie told her.

  “Ah.”

  “Come on,” Emmie said, “I’ll walk you out.”

  Cass said her goodbyes to the Oakes’ and followed the shorter woman out the screen door.

  “Thanks for the ride and for your help,” Emmie began.