What an idiot. He’d quit drinking like a teenager when he was, well—no longer a teenager. He hadn’t even lapsed after Suzie had left. Losing Suzie hadn’t made much difference.
The brief oblivion the booze provided wasn’t worth the pain of the morning after.
His head tried to implode as his stomach roiled, and to top it off, all his problems were right where he’d left them. It was nearly impossible to cope with anything when he felt as if he’d swallowed elephant spit.
He groaned as he rolled out of bed, grabbing the nightstand until his whirling head settled down. Climbing into the shower, he let the hot water loosen his muscles and sooth his mind.
Once he’d managed to dress, he remained sitting on the bed, trying to put things into perspective. The first thing to do was get some food into his stomach. Then he rethought his priorities. Make eating the second thing on his list. The first thing was to have a talk with Nana Lucy.
Over the years, he’d come to terms with being alone. First Mavis had left then Suzie—God only knew where she was—and he’d realized he wasn’t cut out for marriage. His family and the Rafter D were the only sure things in his life.
Thanks to his grandmother’s over-reaction, he needed to find Mavis and tell her he didn’t blame her, that the engagement wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction to her leaving. He’d looked at Suzie and didn’t see what was right before his eyes. He’d thought she loved him. He’d wanted to make a life. She’d wanted a source of money.
Time to go see if he could fix things. He sucked in a deep breath, and his head pounded. The last twenty-four hours were filled with one bad choice after another. After his headache slowed, he carefully picked his way down the stairs.
Nana Lucy stood at the stove, stirring a pot.
When he entered the kitchen, she glanced his way then focused her attention on whatever she was cooking. “Oatmeal is almost ready.” Grabbing a bowl from the dish rack on the counter, she plopped in a blob of stuff and handed it to him.
“We need to talk.” Dex dropped the bowl into the sink full of water, poured a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. The liquid heat scorched his throat, but cleared his head. He lowered his voice to make sure he didn’t shout. “Now, Nana.”
Nana Lucy turned, wiping her hands on her apron. “You need to eat first. What’s gotten into you? Drinking like a common scoundrel? Rafe all but carried you in last night. It’s that Panzeri girl. She’s always been trouble.”
“Stop!” The word exploded from his mouth, louder than he intended, but he felt a little jolt of satisfaction when she jumped.
His grandmother stood, her hands clenched in the fabric of her apron, but not cowed in the least.
“I’m only going to say this once.” Glaring, he took a step toward her, folding his arms across his chest. “Keep out of my life.”
She’d regained her composure and shook her head. “If I don’t take care of you and your father, you’ll be in all kinds of trouble.” Hands on her hips, he could tell she thought she had control of this situation. She assumed he’d back off the way he’d always done. She believed she’d won.
“You have no say in what I do, where I go, or who I see. If I bring Mavis around, if she ever speaks to me again, you’ll be polite.”
A pink flush colored Nana’s cheeks, and she took a step toward him. “Or you’ll do what?” His grandmother was like a miniature bulldog without an ounce of back down to be seen.
Dex took another long swallow of the coffee then set the cup on the counter. He looked Nana straight in the eye. “Or I’ll find you a house in town and live on the ranch by myself.”
She dropped into the nearest chair and covered her face with the apron.
She’d practiced her theatrics for decades, but Dex wasn’t fooled. He waited her out.
When she looked up, her eyes were dry, and her voice was low and determined. “You can’t!”
She’d cajoled, pleaded, and bullied people for as long as Dex could remember, but she’d pushed him too far this time. “I can and I will, without a backward glance.” And without another word, he walked out the door and climbed into his truck. His heart pounded, and his head ached. Now was not the best time to talk to Mavis, to try to explain, but he knew it had to be done. If nothing else, the weight of Suzie would be off his shoulders once and for all.
He turned the key and shifted into gear before Nana got her second wind and came out the door after him.
As the truck began to roll, Rafe pulled the driver’s door open and grabbed Dex’s arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Dex’s head snapped to the left, and he was half way out of the truck before he stopped himself. He hadn’t been in a brawl since high school, and none of this was Rafe’s fault. Fighting down his desire to hit something or someone, he dropped back into the seat. “Now you’re going to tell me what to do?”
Rafe took a step back, his hands raised, palms out. “No, man. I was going to offer to drive you wherever you’re going. I need to go there, too.”
“You don’t know where I’m headed.” Dex’s eyes were bloodshot, but he could see Rafe wanted to laugh. Hell, on a better day, he’d laugh himself. “How do you know you need to go with me?”
Rafe’s chuckle did a little to calm Dex down. “There’s only two ways to go. If you’re going to Jordan Valley, I need to go to the bank, and if you’re going to the valley, I have some boots to pick up at the shoe repair. You’re in no condition to argue. Scoot over and let me drive.”
Dex lifted the console and slid across the seat as Rafe settled behind the steering wheel. When they got to the highway, Rafe stopped. “Decide yet?”
“I don’t care. Just get me out of here.” He grabbed an old cap he’d left on the dashboard and pulled it low over his forehead before tipping the seat back as far as it would go. Even with his eyes closed, he wasn’t doing a very good job of blocking out the world.
“Homedale it is then. I really need the boots.” Rafe pulled out onto the highway and kept blessedly silent.
Only time would diminish the after-effects of Dex’s stupid decision to make Jack Daniels his best friend the night before. He’d guzzled whiskey, and he’d known better. He should have stayed in bed. Maybe if he’d slept long enough, he could have woken to a better life. Maybe if he’d stood up for Mavis, he’d be living a better life right now.
Rafe pulled into Burger Town and ordered the biggest meals on the menu.
Dex didn’t speak, didn’t move, didn’t act like he was alive.
Parking behind the café, Rafe plopped Dex’s dinner on his lap. “Eat. It’ll help.”
Dex opened one eye, looked from Rafe to the burger then slowly unwrapped it. After taking a few tentative bites, he inhaled the rest. Only a few minutes ago, he’d have bet the ranch he’d never eat again.
By the time he’d finished the meal his hands had stopped shaking and his headache had dulled. He wadded up the paper wrapper and stuffed it into the bag. “Thanks.”
“I’m meeting Josh at the Wildhorse Casino this afternoon. Want to come along?” Rafe started the pickup. He pulled up to the stop sign at the corner then turned toward Dex. “On second thought, they began serving alcohol a couple of months ago. After last night, I’m not sure you can control yourself.”
Dex sat up and straightened the seat. “Ha, ha.”
“It’ll be better than staying at the ranch and sulking.” Rafe shifted into gear and drove down the street toward the shoe shop.
“I’m not sulking, and you’re driving my pickup.”
“I can take you to the ranch and get mine, or you can come along right now. Want to have another conversation with Miss Lucy?”
Cold fingers of dread crawled down his spine at the thought of talking to Nana Lucy right now. Dex settled back into the seat. The casino was the only viable option, and he could get a room and sleep off this hangover.
Pulling into the parking area in front of the Sock’s Shoe Repair, Rafe switched off the
ignition and turned to Dex. “Drinking yourself stupid isn’t a great way to solve your problems.”
“I know.” Dex sat up and resettled the cap on his head. “But I’ve tried everything else and nothing worked. It was worth a shot.”
Rafe climbed out of the truck then leaned in through the window. “I hate to remind you of this, buddy. You had way more than one shot.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
With Randi’s help, Mavis settled Tuneful and Paycheck into their stalls. The first day of the jackpot barrel race at Turner’s had gone according to plan. Tuneful won the race by a wide margin, and the money she’d won made Mavis’ checking account a lot fatter. Plus there was another race tomorrow.
“What did you think of the palomino I tried?” Randi filled the water buckets as she talked. “He’s green as a gourd, but I like the way he moves, and best of all, the price is right.”
“He’s nice looking.” Mavis hung a hay bag in Tuneful’s stall then stuck her head out the door. “And he has a lot of promise. It would be fun to travel together again.”
When she’d measured out the pans of grain and fed each horse, Mavis waited as Randi tied the water buckets in their stalls.
Tuneful ignored the world around her, concentrating on her hay. Poor Paycheck was nervous and paced between the hay bag and the stall door, hanging his head out and nickering.
“Do you think he’ll settle down at all tonight? He’s going to have himself worn out before morning at this rate.” Randi ran her hand down Paycheck’s nose then stepped away when he whirled into the stall.
“We’ll see. There’s only one way to get them seasoned, and that’s hauling until they’re solid. If I’m—” Mavis stopped and took a breath. “If someone is going to futurity him, he’s got to get comfortable away from home.”
They left the horses and walked to Mavis’ living quarters trailer. She pulled water bottles out of the fridge, handed one to Randi then settled into the booth that surrounded the table. The living compartment wasn’t very fancy or very big, but it worked for her. Since she didn’t cook much, she didn’t need a fancy kitchen, just a place to sleep and change her clothes. “What do we do now? It’s only five o’clock.”
At the bathroom sink, Randi wet a washrag and washed the dust off her face and arms. “Let’s get cleaned up and go to Wildhorse. After your win today, you’ve got money to burn.”
“Tuneful is hot, but I don’t know about that burning money part.” Mavis wiggled past Randi and hip-bumped her out of the miniscule bathroom. “If we’re going to town, I call dibs on the shower.”
As Mavis shut the door, Randi pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “I’m calling Tonya and Yo to see if they want to ride along.”
It took less than an hour for the women to get ready to go. They’d all perfected the art of fixing hat hair. Tonya climbed into the front seat with Mavis. Yo and Randi took the back.
Tonya pulled a check out of her purse, and her smile widened as she looked at the numbers. “I’m so proud of Robie. Third in the 1-D. I’d run barrels if they didn’t pay anything, but it sure makes it easier to get down the road with some money coming in.”
Yo turned to Randi, her sparkly cap glinting in the sunshine pouring through the window. “I watched you work the yellow horse this morning. He’s nice. Are you thinking of buying him?”
“I don’t know. Have you decided to sell me your roan mare yet?”
Yo shook her head. “You’d better stick to the palomino. Reba isn’t for sale.”
“One of these days, I’m going to talk you into selling her.” Randi opened a bag of chips and held it out to the others. “It’s a good thing the casino isn’t far. I’m starved.”
Tonya grinned at Mavis. “Speaking of starved, you’re going to starve us all out if Tuneful keeps running like she did today. I’ve never seen a horse turn as fast as your gray mare.”
“I’ve ridden a lot of good horses, and won money on many of them. But Tuneful—she’s special.” The arena was only a couple of miles from the Umatilla Reservation casino, and before they’d had time to discuss all the runs, Mavis was parking the truck.
The rings, buzzes and whirs of the slots greeted the women as they entered the huge doors. The sound of happy voices mingled with the canned music. A few of the twenty-one tables were open and close to half the slot machines were taken.
Randi waved them toward the food area. “Smorgasbord or bar food? I’m up for either one.”
“The line for the smorgasbord is getting long, and I’ve heard the bar has great food. What do you all think?” When everyone nodded in agreement, Tonya led the way to a table in the back.
Randi pulled out a chair and sat, never taking her eyes off the big screen near the ceiling. “Look, the Mariners are playing, and they’re ahead.”
Mavis looked from woman to woman glad she’d come back to Idaho. She had made plenty of new friends in Texas, but none were long-time, long-lasting friendships that started in childhood and were honed to perfection from years of rodeoing together.
As they ate, their conversation turned to barrel racing. They dissected their runs from the day. Advice flowed like water when it came to their plans for tomorrow’s race.
Mavis couldn’t wait to see if Paycheck could focus on his job instead of his surroundings.
“Everyone done?” Randi stood and turned to the others. “You all won something today at the race, but I’m going to have to make my money at the slots.”
Mavis grinned as she watched her friend, and knew she was lucky to have this woman in her life. Randi had insisted they come to the barrel race as a way to get out of town. It was a great idea. Mavis pulled cash from her pocket. By the time she’d counted out a tip, her friends were rounding the corner toward the casino floor. As she turned to catch them, she ran into muscles and heat.
“Oh, excuse me.” Looking up, she stared into familiar eyes—familiar bloodshot eyes. Her heart raced like a two-year-old thoroughbred, and she reached out a hand and laid it on his arm. “Are you all right?”
Dex stepped back, crossing his arms across his chest.
His T-shirt was wrinkled with a stain across one sleeve, and his Wranglers had lost their crease. His hair stuck out from beneath a dirty cap and stubble covered his chin. As disheveled as his appearance was, she suspected he’d slept in his clothes. What the hell had happened to him since she’d seen him last? “Is your dad okay? Your grandma?”
He stared at her for a moment as if memorizing her face then sank onto the chair Randi had vacated.
She saw Randi stick her head around the door, but Mavis shook her head and waved her friend away. She sat in the chair across from Dex. “Is your family okay?” He looked like someone dear to him had died, but she couldn’t imagine him being here if there’d been such a tragedy. “Dex?”
He raised his head until his gaze met hers. “They’re fine. Look, I owe you an apology.”
What had she missed? The last time they’d seen each other . . . Wait, was he talking about his grandmother’s explosion? “For what? Have you been spreading rumors about me?” Sarcasm hijacked her brain—a quirk that jumped to life when she was stressed—and she regretted the remark as the words left her lips.
Dex’s head snapped up. “What? No! Has someone . . . Oh god, don’t tell me Nana Lucy has done that, too.” He stood and started to walk away. Half way to the door he turned around and stomped back. “Tell me what she’s done.”
A waitress approached the table, oblivious to the tension surrounding them. “Can I get you something to drink? We’re having a special on draft beer. Two for one.”
The gray pallor on Dex’s face went a shade paler.
“We’ll have two large cokes, please.” Mavis took Dex’s arm and pulled him into a chair. She scooted hers closer and waited until he glanced up. “You look like shit. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Hangover.”
“No kidding? I’d have never noticed.” With kindness and understanding,
Dex seemed to sink deeper into self-pity. A little well-intentioned mockery might be what the doctor ordered. “Why are you here then? Going to try some hair of the dog?”
A shudder ran through his body, and he managed a small grin. “Ah, no.”
The waitress placed a tall, ice-filled Coke in front of each of them, and Dex drained most of his the first time he raised his glass.
“Please, bring him another one,” Mavis called out to the waitress before she’d taken three steps then turned her attention back to Dex. “Now, for the last time, what’s going on?”
“You ever have a day when things you’d planned and worked for go to shit?” When she nodded, he sighed. “I’m having that kind of life.”
She knew what he meant. For the most part, her life and his had been pretty good. They lived in a beautiful part of the country, had family that cared about them, and worked at jobs they loved. But, as she well knew, sometimes the bad overshadowed the nice parts, and it was hard to see the positive. “What can I do to help?”
“I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do. At least not about Dad—or Nana.” He drank the last bit at the bottom of the first the glass and took the second one from the waitress.
She looked at Mavis then at Dex. “Another one?”
Dex shook his head no.
“What’s wrong with your grandmother?” A deep dislike for the woman didn’t stop Mavis from a flash of remorse at the thought of her being sick or injured.
“She’s stubborn, opinionated and determined to get her own way no matter who it hurts.”
“And?” She must be missing something here. Lucy Dunbar had been obstinate most probably since the day she’d been born. Everyone took her with a grain of salt or stayed out of her way. Avoiding her was Mavis’ preferred way to deal with the woman. “She’s always been . . . difficult.”
“But not with me. She was the one who took care of us after mom died, when my dad was too busy with the ranch. She made sure I felt safe as a kid, that all us boys did.”
Lucy Dunbar had taken care of Dex and his brothers as if they were her own. And because of his grandmother’s love, Dex had always seemed confident and happy, if a little too eager to please. He’d seemed to take adversity with an air of tranquility, as if there was nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d been the strong one when her father had died suddenly, but losing his mom at such an early age had to have affected him in many ways. “No one ever said your grandmother didn’t love you and the other boys.”
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