by Ali Spooner
“You must be fairly new. You weren’t here the last time I visited.”
“I’ve only arrived last week,” she said.
“I hope you are enjoying it here,” she said.
Coal smiled. “I feel very at home here.”
“I thought I heard voices,” Melissa said from the inside of the screened door as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. “You two realize it’s only six, yes?”
“It’s all my fault, I couldn’t sleep last night so I decided to get an early jump, and then when I came in to start the coffeepot Callie went and woke Coal,” Mary Leah said.
Melissa looked at Coal and smiled, then said to Mary Leah, “I’m glad you made it, sis.”
“Come have a seat and I’ll get you some coffee, boss,” Coal said.
Melissa pushed the screen door open and stepped out to hug her sister. “It’s so good to see you,” she heard her say as she stepped inside the house.
“It’s great to finally be here,” Mary Leah said. Then when Coal was out of sight, she whispered to Melissa. “You failed to tell me how cute she is.”
Melissa smiled at her baby sister. “I’m glad you approve.”
“A lot has happened since I talked to you earlier this week. I’ll have to bring you up to speed later,” Melissa said with a wink as they heard Coal’s footsteps approaching.
“Here you go, boss,” Coal said as she stepped through the door with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Looks like we might get more rain today,” Melissa said.
“I don’t think a lazy Sunday will hurt anyone,” she said.
“I need to make a run into town this morning,” Mary Leah said.
Melissa looked at her. “You just got here, what could you need already?”
Mary Leah smiled at her sister. “I was so excited to leave I forgot to pick up my medicine from the pharmacy. I can call and get them to transfer it here after seven then drive in to get it.”
“I’ll drive you to town,” Coal offered.
“Thanks, I would appreciate that.”
Melissa smiled over at Coal. “Why don’t you stay and have breakfast with us, and you two can go to town later?”
“Okay, boss. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I want to check on my buddy,” she said as she stood and walked from the porch.
“His name is Shadow, by the way,” Melissa said.
She smiled. “Shadow. That suits him.”
“Yes, it does,” she said. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Anyway you want to cook them,” she answered.
Callie jumped off the porch and trotted alongside Coal.
“You have company,” Melissa hollered after her.
She turned and smiled at Callie, as Melissa and Mary Leah walked into the house.
†
Shadow saw her approaching and ran to the fence. “Hey there, pretty boy,” she said as he lifted his head to her hand and then shied away when he saw Callie. “It’s okay,” she said, bending down to where Callie was sitting and reached her hand through the fence. Callie stepped forward and she and Shadow stood nose to nose as they inspected one another. “Callie meet Shadow,” she said to introduce the two animals.
“Tomorrow’s going to be our big day,” she told the horse as she stood and patted his neck. “You’re going to be my horse and I’m going to be your warrior,” she said as her hand smoothed down his back.
Melissa was cooking bacon when she returned to the house. “That smells delicious,” Coal said. She reached for a slice and received a prompt slap on her hand.
“You have to wait just like the rest of us,” she scolded Coal, who suddenly grinned and motioned for Melissa to turn around.
Mary Leah was chewing on a piece of stolen bacon. “Oh geesh, you’re no better than Coal,” she said.
“Maybe not, but it is good bacon, and it’s all your fault for making it smell so good.”
Callie let out a short bark as she sat beside Mary Leah, her nub of a tail wagging as she licked her lips.
“Not you too,” Melissa said as she looked at the dog.
“Go, all of you, so I can finish breakfast,” she told them.
“We will be on the porch if you need some help,” Coal said.
Melissa smiled at her. “It won’t be much longer if you will stop all these interruptions.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said and led Mary Leah back to the porch. “Has she always been this grumpy in the kitchen?”
“I heard that, Coal,” Melissa yelled from the kitchen.
Mary Leah smiled at her. “She’s just letting us know she’s still the boss, even when she’s in the kitchen.”
“Ah, I see. It must have been brutal growing up with her then,” she teased.
Mary Leah settled down on a rocker and looked at her. “She’s the best big sister I could ask for.”
“She is a special lady,” Coal said.
“That she is. So tell me about you.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything you feel like sharing.”
“Well, I’m twenty-eight. Originally from the Lubbock area, and aside from a six-year stint with Uncle Sam, I have been a ranch hand at various spots across Texas.”
“What branch of the military did you serve in?”
“I was an Army Ranger,” Coal said proudly.
“Ah, the best of the best, at least according to Mitch,” Mary Leah said. “Did you know him?”
Mary Leah saw the look of pain cross Coal’s face and knew instantly that she had touched upon a sensitive subject. “I’m sorry if I’m asking too many questions.”
“No, not at all. Yes, I had the honor of serving with Mitch. We spent a rotation in Afghanistan together.”
Melissa was standing at the screen door listening as Coal and her sister talked. She too saw the pained look on Coal’s face, realized how difficult the conversation was for her, and sympathized. Coal too had lost the person she loved on that tragic day.
“Breakfast is ready,” she said and saw Coal jump in her seat.
They shared a sumptuous breakfast, and then Coal walked out to the bunkhouse to check on the crew as Mary Leah called the pharmacy.
†
“Morning, boys,” she said as Callie trailed in behind her. The crew was sitting down to breakfast.
“Hey there, Callie,” Harley said as the dog trotted over to him and took the slice of bacon he offered. “I take it Mary Leah has arrived.”
“Yes, she came in very early this morning.”
“Are you ready for some breakfast?” Harley asked.
“No, thanks, I ate with Melissa and Mary Leah already.”
Gene smiled up at her from a plate filled with scrambled eggs. “What are you going to do today?”
“I am going to take Mary Leah to town to the pharmacy then I thought I would do some laundry. What about you guys?”
“We have to finish up our cleaning, and then some of us were thinking about going fishing. Would you care to join us?”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” she said. “Let me go put a load of clothes in the washer to get a head start. What time do you think you will go?”
Harley looked at the group. “Let’s pack some sandwiches and we can have lunch by the lake, and then drown some worms.”
“Sounds good to me,” Lucas said. Coal smiled at him. His left eye had turned a dark purple. When he smiled back at her, she saw him wince in pain. “By the way, thanks for saving my ass the other night.”
“No problem. I can’t stand by when it’s not a fair fight,” she said.
“Where did you learn how to fight like that?” he asked.
“Uncle Sam taught me. I was an Army Ranger for six years.”
“Correction, you’re still an Army Ranger,” Harley said.
“Once a Ranger always a Ranger, yes, I know, but no more service for me,” she said. “I will see you guys later then.” She walked out of the bunkhouse with Callie at her heels.
†
She walked back into the house to find Melissa and Mary Leah washing up the dishes. “I need to start a load of laundry and I’ll be ready to go to town,” she told Mary Leah.
“Take your time,” she answered.
“The boys are planning a picnic lunch and some fishing at the lake. Would you care to join us?”
Mary Leah looked at Melissa who nodded. “That would be fun. I’ll get with Harley while you two are in town and see what I need to make.”
“I’ll be right back then,” she said and left the room.
Coal stopped by her room for a basket of dirty clothes, tossed the new jeans she had bought in as well, and went to the laundry room. She started a load and then walked back to the kitchen. “All set.”
“We’ll be back soon,” Mary Leah told her sister.
“I’ll be here.”
†
“We can take my truck,” Coal said. Callie sat at her feet whimpering. “Yes, you can ride too,” she said as she bent down to scratch the dog behind her ears.
“Oh great, someone else to spoil my dog,” Mary Leah teased.
“Like she could get any more spoiled,” Melissa said.
“Come on then,” she said to Callie. Coal followed them out the door.
The sun had burned through the rest of the fog as they walked to her truck. “She’s not new, but she’s reliable,” she said, opening the door for Callie and Mary Leah.
“That’s what counts,” Mary Leah said as she climbed into the truck.
As they drove into town, they listened to country music on the radio. Coal noticed that Mary Leah had been suspiciously silent and turned to look at her to find her ashen white. “Are you okay?”
“Can you pull over?”
She quickly pulled the truck to the side of the road and put it in park as Mary Leah bailed out the door and walked to the end of the truck. She could hear the sound of retching, so she gave Mary Leah her privacy for a few minutes. Coal fished around in the backseat until she found an unopened bottle of water and then climbed from the truck. She walked around the end of the truck to find Mary Leah leaned against it. “Here, this may help some,” she said as she offered her the bottle of water. “Sorry it’s not cold, but at least it’s wet.”
Mary Leah accepted the bottle, took a drink to rinse out her mouth, and spit the water into the grass. “Not a way to make a good first impression, I know.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, thank you, Coal. The nausea still hits me sometimes even though I’ve been done with chemo for a while.”
“I can understand that,” Coal said as she shuffled her feet. “Your body has been through a lot.”
“Yeah, it has,” Mary Leah said and took a drink from the bottle. “Thanks for the water.”
“You’re most welcome. Are you ready to continue?”
“Yes, I am,” she said, replacing the lid on the bottle.
Coal walked around, opened the door for her, and got her safely inside the truck. She was relieved to see the color in Mary Leah’s face had returned.
When Coal pulled into the lot at the pharmacy she groaned.
“What’s wrong?”
“That belongs to a real asshole,” Coal said, pointing at Billy Ray’s truck.
“Do you want to wait until he leaves?”
“Hell no,” Coal said with a grin. She lowered the windows for Callie and walked around to open the door for Mary Leah.
Billy Ray emerged from the pharmacy just as they started across the parking lot. He stopped to glare at her and then turned his attention to Mary Leah. “Another of your freak friends?” he snarled.
“Keep moving, Billy Ray,” Coal warned.
“Or what?” he challenged.
“Or, I will have to humiliate you again,” she said.
“You got lucky the first time, dyke.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it.”
Coal took Mary Leah’s arm and started for the door. “That’s right, run away, bitch.”
“Go on inside, and I will be there in a few minutes,” she said to Mary Leah.
“Just ignore his ignorant ass,” Mary Leah said.
“Ha, isn’t that funny coming from a hairless freak,” Billy Ray said.
“Okay, Billy Ray, let’s do this. I have things to do today,” Coal said nonchalantly as she walked toward him. “Right here on the sidewalk or do you prefer to get your ass kicked in the parking lot for anyone passing by to see?”
“We’ll see whose ass gets kicked.” He charged at her and she easily dodged his approach, using her booted foot to propel him out toward the parking lot.
“Be careful, Coal,” Mary Leah said.
“I always am,” Coal said as she shot her a smile.
Billy Ray picked himself up from the ground, brushing off the gravel bits covering his front. “One last chance to get in your truck and go,” she told him as the pharmacist and several others gathered around.
He took a swing at her. She blocked the blow as she released a kick to his rib cage and he flew into the grille of her truck and doubled over in pain. Pure rage filled his eyes as he straightened up and rushed her. She took him into her midsection, dropped backward flipping him over her body onto the asphalt, and then bounced up quickly to her feet. He regained his feet and approached her more slowly this time. A blow greeted him to his left jaw that dropped him to his knees. She landed a fast kick to the side of his head, which knocked him the rest of the way to the ground.
A sheriff’s department cruiser slid to a halt as she started to walk away from Billy Ray. When her back was turned, Billy Ray climbed to his feet and started running toward her. Mary Leah cried out, “Behind you, Coal.”
She swung around with a roundhouse kick and dropped him to his knees once more. A huge deputy rushed onto the scene and stood between them. “You need to calm down and go home, Billy Ray, before this lady decides to press charges,” he said.
“That ain’t no lady,” Billy Ray said as he wiped blood from his mouth.
“Lady or no, she’s got the best of you, so just go home or I will haul your ass in and throw you in jail.”
“All right, Bobby,” he said and then moved to see past the deputy to glare at Coal. “This ain’t done,” he snarled at her.
“Go, now,” Bobby said and pointed to Billy Ray’s truck.
Billy Ray grabbed up his bag and stumbled over to his truck as the small crowd watched him go. Bobby turned toward her. “He sure doesn’t like you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” she said.
“He’s a dangerous enemy to have,” Bobby warned. “You can get a restraining order against him.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need one.”
“I see that you can handle yourself pretty well, but try to stay clear of Billy Ray if you can.”
“I try to, Deputy,” she said.
The small crowd was beginning to disperse as Bobby turned to Mary Leah. “Miss Mary Leah, it’s good to see you again.”
“Thanks, Bobby; it’s good to see you as well. I see some things in this town never change,” she said as Billy Ray floored his truck and spun out of the parking lot.
“Boys will be boys,” he said with a shrug. “Too bad that one refuses to grow up. Have a good day, ladies,” he said and tipped his hat before walking toward his cruiser.
“Sorry about that,” Coal said as she rejoined Mary Leah.
“Are you okay?”
“Just some bruised knuckles. I’ll be fine,” she said as they followed the pharmacist into the store.
“It is good to see you back,” the pharmacist said to Mary Leah. “I still have a spot open if you want to join our staff.”
“Thanks, Tom, I will keep that in mind,” she said as she paid for the purchase.
“Just let me know,” he said as they started to walk from the store.
“So you’re a drug dealer?” she teased.
Mary Leah laughed heartily. �
��Yes, I’m a pharmacist.”
“Cute and smart,” Coal said as she opened the door. “I like that.”
“Well, thanks ma’am.” Mary Leah smiled as they walked out the door.
The ride back to the ranch turned out to be uneventful. “Thanks for taking me to town.”
“My pleasure, ma’am,” she said.
“I would like to make an ice pack for your knuckles, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
They walked up to the porch where Melissa was waiting. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks, I’ll be right back with that ice pack,” Mary Leah said.
“Ice pack?” she asked.
“Billy Ray just can’t keep his big mouth shut,” she said.
“And, I suppose you helped him out there.”
“He said some ugly things to Mary Leah,” Coal said when she was sure Mary Leah was out of earshot. “Someone has to teach him how to respect women, especially those he doesn’t know.”
“And, you are just the person to do that, right?”
“I don’t go looking for trouble if that’s what you’re implying, boss, but I won’t tolerate disrespect.”
“That’s not what I meant at all. Don’t forget I witnessed an interaction between you and Billy Ray.”
“I’m sorry, boss.”
Melissa chuckled. “No need to be. By the way, I put your clothes in the dryer while you were gone.”
“Thanks,” she said and then smiled as Mary Leah walked back onto the porch.
The brightness of her smile did not escape Melissa’s notice. She grinned to herself. Right now, both women needed a close friend. She felt like Coal and Mary Leah would be good for each other.
“Now, let me have that hand,” Mary Leah said as she took Coal’s hand in hers and pressed an ice pack against bruised knuckles.
“See they aren’t bad,” she said, but she did enjoy having Mary Leah fuss over her.
“No, but I bet they will still be sore, even after we get the swelling down.”
“I’ve had much worse.”
“I’m sure you have, but not from defending my honor,” Mary Leah said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Coal said as Mary Leah’s hand rested on her thigh.
Harley walked up to the porch, and saw Mary Leah tending to Coal’s hand. “What happened?”