Blue Bloods of Bois D’Arc

by Brown,Dick

  “I do, but one of my husband’s properties burned down a few weeks ago and it just got too crazy around that big house with him gone all the time trying to get things settled. So I came home for some peace and quiet.”

  “Well, look here. If it isn’t our own POW.” Rod’s old nemesis approached. “How’s freedom treating you these days?”

  “Shut up, Eddie, can’t you show a little respect? At least he served his country instead of hiding behind law school to avoid the draft,” Cass said.

  “It’s good to see you too, Eddie,” Rod responded. “I see some things never change. If you all will excuse me, Jack is waiting on me. We’ve had a very long and successful week and just want a little quiet celebration.”

  “It’s Edward now, by the way, and yeah I saw you wagging those camel drivers around town. What could they possibly want from your little airplane fix-it factory? They have more oil and money than anybody else in the world.”

  Rod smiled and looked him in the eye. “Yes, they do. They wanted a place to spend some of it and we were more than happy to accommodate them. Now, if you all will excuse me.” Rod nodded and went to his table.

  “Eddie, aren’t you ever going to grow up? You can be such an asshole sometimes,” Cass chastised him before returning to her table of friends.

  Edward followed her. “We should get together some time, Cass, I’ve missed you.”

  “In your dreams. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m married. Good night, Eddie, it’s been real fun seeing you again.”

  “What was that all about?” Jack asked.

  Rod sat down and unfolded his napkin. “I’m not sure. She said we should get together some time. She wants to talk. That would only lead to a lot of gossip in town. I don’t see that we have anything to talk about. She can’t really be serious about wanting to hear about my capture and stuff. I just think it would be a bad idea, don’t you?” Rod, said but was intrigued by the thought. That little ember still burning in the back of his mind glowed a little brighter.

  “Don’t get me involved, I’m the last person to ask. What’s she doing here anyway?” Jack asked.

  “Says one of her husband’s properties burned and there seems to be a big hassle about settling the insurance claim. Said she came home for some peace and quiet. Sounds a little fishy to me, but I think I’ll keep my distance,” Rod said, not completely sure he believed it himself.

  They finished their beers, headed to the car, and left for some well-deserved rest. They had been on an important business treadmill for the last five days and were exhausted.

  “Man, I’m glad tomorrow’s Saturday so I can sleep in, I’m really beat,” Rod said as he clicked the locked car doors open, even though the top was down.

  “Lucky you. I gotta get up and feed cattle in the morning. I really don’t mind, though. I’ll go straight to bed and be up by six, raring to go.” Jack yawned and slouched down in his seat.

  “Why don’t I just take you home? You can pick your car up sometime tomorrow.”

  Chapter 37

  New family home

  The crunching sound of the gravel in Jack’s driveway roused him from his short snooze.

  “See you Monday, Jack, so we can get to work on this monster contract estimate. Lots to be done, locating vendors we’ve never used before for openers. Big change from bullets to bathroom fixtures, especially gold ones. I can’t wait to get started.”

  “Well, at least wait until Monday. I want to decompress this weekend. Good night, son, tell your mom hello for me. Don’t be afraid to tell her about how good you did this week, she’s proud of you. And so am I.” Jack swung his size-fourteen cowboy boots through the open car door, closed it behind him, waved, and shuffled toward his unusually plain bungalow for someone with his wealth.

  Rod had bought several acres next to Jack’s ranch, built a house for his family, and moved them out of the flats. It was a sprawling ranch-style house with enough space for each family member to have an oversized bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. A kitchen fit for a gourmet chef was equipped with the latest appliances. A separate dining room with a table that would seat at least a dozen adjoined the kitchen. But they ate in the breakfast nook most of the time and seldom had company to use the dining room.

  Rod turned left on the farm-to-market road coming out of Jack’s driveway that led to his house just a short distance away. When he approached his driveway, he saw an unfamiliar car parked opposite it on the side of the road. Thinking someone might be having car trouble, Rod pulled up behind it. He left his headlights on as a precaution and tapped on the window. The window lowered slowly, letting the air-conditioned air rush out and wash over his face. Then he saw her.

  “Cass, what are you doing out here? It could be dangerous on a Friday night.”

  “I said I wanted to talk to you and this seemed like as good a time as any,” she replied.

  “Well . . . okay, but I don’t think this is the right place.”

  “I have an idea. Park your car and get in.”

  Rod pulled his car off the road into his driveway and walked back to Cass’s car.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? You’re married now.”

  “Shut up, just humor me.”

  Rod sat quietly without saying a word while Cass drove. He looked out the window. Without warning, she turned onto a narrow gravel road. “Why are you taking this back road to the club? It’s closed. And I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to be seen together there if it weren’t.”

  As they approached the rear of the clubhouse kitchen entrance, she turned down a familiar path meant only for golf carts. With her lights off, Cass carefully guided the car toward the back nine of the golf course. She pulled up close to the big shade tree by the ninth green just as they had years ago as high school sweethearts. Cass lowered the convertible top on her BMW. It was a warm night just as it was back then.

  “What are you doing?” Rod asked.

  “I said I wanted to talk to you. We can sit here on the hot leather seats or sit on the cool green grass. Your choice, I just want to talk.”

  Rod wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, he just sat there for a moment trying to process what was happening. When he failed to say anything or move, Cass reached into the back seat and grabbed a blanket.

  “It’s too damn hot in this car, even with the top down. Come on, let’s sit on the blanket.”

  Still moving cautiously, Rod helped Cass spread the blanket on the ground with flashbacks of that night years ago racing through his mind. She kicked off her sandals and sat down. She pulled her short skirt up above her thighs.

  “Don’t get any ideas. I’m just trying to cool off, okay?”

  “Fine,” Rod pulled off his shoes and necktie and sat down facing Cass. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them.

  “It’s okay if you want to take your shirt off, I won’t mind.”

  “Thanks, but I’m fine.” A brief pause, then Rod said, “Okay, we’re here, so what do you want to talk about?”

  “I want to know why you broke up with me and ran off to the Air Force without even talking to me about it. That was pretty cruel after the year we had.”

  “Like I said that night, I didn’t fit in your crowd or family. Your folks didn’t like me and didn’t like you dating me. I couldn’t play football anymore so your granddad didn’t have any use for me. I had to help support my family and the military was the only way I could do that immediately. I didn’t know how to do anything but play football. What did you expect me to do?”

  “I expected you to go to SMU with me like we planned and make a life together.”

  “That was your plan. I knew it wasn’t realistic. Your grandfather would have never gone along with it and you know it.”

  “I don’t know anything o
f the kind,” she snapped. “He would have done anything I wanted him to do. You could have gotten an engineering degree or whatever you needed and come back here to work for Mr. Workman just like you are now. We could have had a good life. But you had to go running off, crash in your stupid airplane, and get captured. For years I didn’t know if you were dead or alive.” Tears welled in Cass’s eyes.

  “I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just didn’t have any other options. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I thought you needed to be free to live your life the way your parents expected you to. And the best thing for me to do was take myself out of the equation.” Rod shrugged and couldn’t look Cass in the eyes. He couldn’t stand to see her cry. “You’re married now and have a life in Dallas the way everyone expected you to.”

  “Damn it, will you stop saying that? Why does everyone think they know what is best for me? Who put you in charge of my future and who I could love and marry. Don’t I get a say in the kind of life I want? Yes, I’m married and have a life that I can’t stand. It was a big mistake and I did it to get back at you for breaking my heart. He was the big campus stud, had all the girls after him. I got my hooks into him just to prove I could get him to want me and I did. He wanted me for the wrong reasons, just like I wanted him for all the wrong reasons.” Cass paused, sniffed, and wiped her eyes. “I didn’t love him . . . at least not the way I love . . . loved you. He drinks too much and screws around with his waitresses and barmaids in his club making my life miserable and makes me feel like a whore.” Cass sighed. “I’m not that sweet little high school girl you fell in love with who thought she could have everything she wanted.”

  “Why are you telling me this? What do you expect from me?”

  “I . . . I just feel so trapped and want you back if you will have me. This may be our only chance and I don’t want to lose you again. The fire will ruin Roger financially and I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, especially now.” Cass paused. “I think I might be pregnant.”

  Rod took a deep breath, not knowing whether to congratulate her or feel sorry for her. Finally, he gathered up the courage to ask, “If you are pregnant, do you want the baby?”

  “I don’t know. I’m so mixed up right now I don’t know what I want. I don’t feel like I have control of my life and I’m afraid of Roger. He has a terrible temper when he drinks, which is all the time lately. Roger isn’t a fit person to raise a child with. He’s nothing like you.” Another long pause. Cass dropped her eyes from Rod’s intense stare. “And I think he burned down one of the clubs to collect the insurance to save his company. If that’s true, and the arson detective has said he believes as much, he’ll go to prison and that’s automatic grounds for divorce, making me a free woman.”

  “That’s a major leap and while we’re having true confessions, there’s a lot you don’t know about me since we were together. I don’t know what kind of father I will ever be. I’m not the person that left here over five years ago. Those two years in captivity with the Russians stripped my soul bare to the point I didn’t want to live. . . I prayed to die every night and thought that was what was going to happen when the rescue team pulled me out of bed that night. I’m still trying to rebuild my life and don’t know when I’ll be ready for that kind of commitment. I’m married to my job and that’s the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now.”

  “What can I do, Rod? You’re the only good thing that ever happened to me.” Cass collapsed into his arms sobbing uncontrollably.

  Rod couldn’t stop himself from taking Cass into his arms to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he laid her down on the blanket. He just held her and let her cry it out for several minutes. They were like two lost souls who found themselves wandering in the dark, shedding broken lives and clinging to each other hoping for a new and brighter day.

  Cass pulled his face down to her mouth and held him tightly while her tongue caressed the inside of his mouth.

  Rod caved in. He couldn’t resist her passion, having flashbacks to the night they were in that same spot. He felt his belt and zipper being undone. He was fully erect and in the blink of an eye he was between her legs.

  Passion took over. Cass rolled over on top of Rod, never uncoupling their lips or their bodies, and she pounded hard against him. Without missing a stroke, she sat up, ripped off her blouse, and stuffed first one breast and then the other into his eager mouth. She cried, “Don’t stop, don’t ever stop loving me, Rod.” A cataclysmic orgasm seized her body with rapid final thrusts. She collapsed against his limp body in silence.

  Rod wrapped his arms around her silently, feeling her heart pounding against his chest. He felt her fingernails in his back. She held on so tightly he couldn’t move, even if he had wanted to, which he didn’t.

  Moments passed. Rod spoke softly into her ear as Cass pressed her cheek against his, “Cass, what are we doing? This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  She rolled off him and onto her back, completely naked in the moonlight. “This is what I wanted for us for the rest of our lives. After I divorce Roger, we can have the life we dreamed about. Your Air Force years and imprisonment were just an untimely detour. You’re a successful businessman, probably worth more than Gramps. He can’t have any objections now. I’ll get an abortion. It’s unthinkable to bring a child into the world sired by Roger Helms. The family will never have to know and we can start our own family.”

  “Wait a minute. It’s my turn, do I get a say in this?”

  “Isn’t it what you want, too? We can finally have the life we planned, don’t you want that?”

  “Those were just pipe dreams of two starry eyed young kids in high school experiencing their first love with no responsibilities. We’re two different people now with a lot of baggage. Do you really think we can make it work this time?”

  “Your actions spoke louder than words a few minutes ago. Admit it—you still love me. And I have never stopped loving you. I’ve just been going through the motions for these last years since you broke up with me, like a puppet on strings being pulled by everyone else. I’m tired of pretending and being manipulated. We’re made for each other and should be together.”

  “I . . . do still love you,” Rod managed to say it out loud for the first time. “I tried to put you out of my mind with other women, but it didn’t work. But this is more complicated than a high school romance, we need to go slowly and do it the right way.”

  “If Roger goes to prison, which is pretty certain, I’m going to be free to do whatever I want. It may take some time. I’ll probably be staying here while he deals with the arson charge and trial. You and I can be together whenever we want. And when he is found guilty of a felony, that clinches it, automatic freedom.”

  “I won’t feel comfortable sneaking around to see you while you’re still married. What if Roger found out? He could be vindictive and block the divorce. And if this town found out, the gossip would be vicious. You know how the blue bloods love a good scandal.”

  “Think about it, Rod,” she pleaded. “We’re getting a second chance. Enough talk about that. I could just lie here with you forever. When we get married we’ll never have to wear clothes around the house. It will be like our own Garden of Eden.”

  Chapter 38

  Confrontation in Dallas

  Cass’s midnight liaison with Rod swirled in her head, raising her body temperature as she drove back to Dallas on Monday. She was refreshed and dressed in a sporty black tank top and white slacks. The BMW convertible top was down and the wind in her hair was tugging at her elastic headband. Her plan was to let the arson issue play out and let the law take care of Roger. All she had to do was keep her rendezvous with Rod a secret and stay as far away from Roger’s legal problems as possible, an easy task for the manipulative legacy. She was anxious to find out if the fire marshal’s investigation ha
d made its case against him while she was in Bois D’Arc.

  A little before noon, she came to an abrupt stop in the driveway behind Roger’s Mercedes, which was sitting at the top of the half-circle driveway in front of the main entrance steps, not in the garage. He never left his precious cars out overnight, especially with the hard top removed. Concern overtook her as she quickened her pace up the steps and noticed the front door was ajar. She entered and quickly checked the downstairs rooms, ending her search in the kitchen. The house was a wreck. Liquor and beer bottles were strewn everywhere.

  “Roger,” she called out. No answer. She called again, louder this time. “Roger, are you here?” Still no response. She climbed the stairs two at a time and bolted into their bedroom suite. No Roger. The bed linens were rumpled and filthy. “Roger, where the hell are you? Answer me!”

  A groan came from the bathroom. Cass ran toward the sound and almost slipped on the vomit-covered floor. “Oh my God!” She carefully stepped over to the commode where Roger was lying with his arms still wrapped around the base of the toilet bowl.

  “Roger, are you all right? Roger, wake up, talk to me.” She began slapping his cheeks to revive him.

  “Jesus, why do you always have to slap me like that?” He rose up enough to hang his head over the commode. His abdominal muscles convulsed with a hard, dry heave that felt like his stomach was ripping open. Nothing came out except a small splatter of blood in the water. He grabbed his stomach with his left hand, reached over with his right hand, and pulled her next to him.

  “When’s the last time you had anything to eat?

  “I don’t know. What day is it?”

  “Monday. How long have you been wallowing in this shit? You’re a mess and you look awful.” She helped him to his feet and turned on the shower. “Wash the puke off your clothes before you take them off; I’m not touching them until you do. I’ve already got it all over my shoes and new slacks. Damn, Roger, what happened? You’ve wrecked the whole house. It must have been some party. Couldn’t have been much fun though—I didn’t find any bras or panties lying around.”