by Gloria Doty
He shrugged his shoulders, indicating her and Barbara’s relationship was none of his business and he planned on keeping his nose out of it.
“Tell me, Camille, when we go somewhere together, does our age difference bother you?”
“Since I’m the older one…the cougar as they call it…I think I should be asking that question of you.”
“We’re only ten years apart and I’m very comfortable with that so I don’t think it will ever be a problem for me.”
“That’s good to know, Collier because I’d like to continue to see you.”
***
“Where we goin’ Jace?” Luke asked when they got in the truck after loading Jesse in the trailer.
“We’re on our way to a friend’s house who has a few calves in a pasture. Jesse hasn’t done any calf-roping work for a few years but you’re an experienced rider so you shouldn’t have any trouble. I don’t want you to throw the calves or tie their legs. I want to see how well you do at riding full speed and throwing a rope over their neck. By the time you go home, we should have covered most of the rodeo events, even though you’re obviously not going to choose to become proficient at more than one.”
Jace delivered Luke home in the late afternoon. Dani laughed when she saw him. “Wow. That must have been some workout today. You look like you’ve been ‘rode hard and put away wet’ as the saying goes.”
Luke nodded. “It was great but I’m gonna take a shower and maybe go to bed before supper. I’m whipped. Oh yeah, Jace said hello. He probably would’ve come in but I think he has a date. He said he was going home to take a shower and get dressed.”
Dani pushed the door shut just a little too hard. “Something botherin’ you, Danielle?” her father asked with a slight grin.
“Nope, not a thing, Dad,” was her terse response.
CHAPTER 28
THEY HAD FINISHED their dinner and were contemplating dessert when Emily handed Jace an envelope. He opened it and found a blank check inside.
“I had no idea how much the band charges for two nights so I signed it and left it blank. You can fill it in when you find out. I assume it will be for their lodging and meals also.”
“You’re awfully trusting for someone who hasn’t known me long, Emily. I could put an exorbitant amount in here and fly to Paris or somewhere.”
Emily laughed at the reference to Paris. “Go ahead. While you’re there would you say hello to my mother?”
When she saw the confused look, she simply said, “That’s where she lives, Jace.”
‘Okay, Camille, now you’re getting your men mixed up. You’ll have to take notes about what you’ve shared with whom or you’re going to be in lots of trouble.’
She called the waiter over and ordered champagne. “We need a glass of bubbly to make this deal official, don’t you agree?”
He nodded, although champagne wouldn’t have been his first choice.
They enjoyed the rest of the evening which ended with attending an outdoor concert for a short time. He took her home and walked her to the door. As much as he hated to say good night, he was as tired as Luke had been.
She persuaded him to come inside for a few minutes. “I would love to stay and play,” he told her “but I have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and I’m pretty sure you’d wear me out if I stayed the night, Emily.”
She placed her hands on his face and murmured, “I would absolutely wear you out, Jace. At least, I’d give it my best shot. You look pretty strong to me; I think you could handle it, Cowboy.”
He’d almost decided to stay, regardless of what time he needed to be up in the morning. She was very convincing in all the right ways but before things became too heated, she backed off and told him he probably should leave if he needed to.
Jace walked to his truck totally confused by her mixed signals. Did she want to continue this or not? He was tired and his brain was running on empty. He went home and fell asleep.
***
Camille sat at her computer and wrote the latest about her dating life. She liked Jace a lot but not enough to actually have a relationship. She gave him the blank check to explain to her readers how easily they could get sucked in when a man they met and liked needed help…usually monetary help. She wrote about Collier, too but so far, he’d not asked for anything from her. She had to admit that Jace didn’t ask…she offered…but for the sake of readership, the article stated he asked for the money. She was only interested in saving her magazine and if she had to write some fiction, that was okay, too. ‘Is fiction the new term for outright lying, Camille?’ She shushed her inner thoughts by telling herself, the end justified the means.
***
She spent the next morning contacting and emailing a few men who were new to the dating site. As she flipped through their pictures and profiles, she was surprised to see a man she knew from Missouri. The profile said he now lived in Montana. That was something the team had not anticipated. It was believed the stipulation that all contacts be within a one-hundred mile radius would eliminate the chance anyone she knew would see her picture. Granted, the name was Emily Hasbro but if he recognized her photo…that could be disastrous. ‘Oh man, nothing is ever easy. And it was all going so smoothly.’ Maybe he wouldn’t contact her.
***
Cal and Lucy arrived on Saturday. Luke could hardly wait to show them what he’d learned. They accompanied him and Dani to Jace’s place, although Dani had been hesitant, saying she’d already heard what they did every day when Luke got home. Lucy convinced her to come along.
When Luke covered all the skills he’d learned in a few weeks, Cal and Lucy were duly impressed. Cal shook Jace’s hand. “You’ve done a good thing for our grandson, Jace. He’s a young cowboy, for sure. I’ve always believed if you’re going to try to be the best at something, you should learn from the best and from what Luke tells me, you have enough trophies to prove you were the best.”
Jace was humbled by the praise. “It was my pleasure. Luke is an attentive student and an all-around good kid. You can tell your son and daughter-in-law I would hope I had a son like him…if I ever had one. He’s taught me a few things too. It was a two-way street.”
Lucy hugged Jace. “We’re all going to church in the morning, Jace. Won’t you please join us?”
Before he could decline their offer, Luke chimed in, “Yeah, and then Dani’s fixing dinner. She’s a really good cook. Please come along.” As an afterthought, he added, “If that’s okay with you, Dani.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “One more is never a problem, Luke.” She looked directly at Jace but was not smiling.
“Please, Jace?” Luke coaxed.
“Okay, you talked me into it. Tell me where I need to be and at what time.”
***
After Jace went home, Luke was talking seriously with his grandparents. He told them something they hadn’t expected to hear. “Y’know, I still want to be associated with the rodeo but not for my entire life. Jace told me how lonesome it is and how selfish it would be to marry and have a family but never get to see them. I don’t want to do that. I want to have a family like my family back home.”
Lucy squeezed Cal’s arm until he thought the blood was going to stop flowing. “I think Jace is a very wise man, Luke and I’m glad he shared all aspects of his life and was honest with you.”
“Yeah he was honest. I think he’s lonesome, too, Grammy. He didn’t say that but I could just tell. He’s sad he never got to have a family.”
“We’ll have to pray about that, Luke. He’s certainly not too old to start a family now if he finds the right girl…” She wanted to look at Dani but was afraid to. She’d observed the ‘not so good’ vibes between her and Jace when they were all together earlier.
***
They discussed the events of the day as they prepared for bed. Cal told Lucy, “We owe Jace a debt of gratitude. No one else has been able to talk Luke into considering something other than full-time rodeo.”
> “Do you remember when we met for breakfast in Colorado he mentioned in an off-hand way that his bar was in financial trouble? He didn’t say it in so many words, but that’s what I gathered. How is he going to afford to pay the band and their expenses?” In her typical way, she pronounced, “I think we need to take care of that, Cal…don’t you?”
***
Sunday morning dawned sunny and bright. Luke rolled out amid a chorus of moans and groans. “Oh, man, I am sore,” he complained as he stumbled to the kitchen.
“Tell me where it hurts and I’ll apply some ointment,” Dani’s dad told him.
“You’d need a tub full because I hurt everywhere,” he proclaimed.
They scurried around, trying to get ready for church. Dani paid special attention to what she chose to wear and her hair. Then she chided herself, ‘What do you care, Danielle? It doesn’t matter what you wear, you can’t compete with the woman he’s been seeing. And what difference does it make, anyway?’ She threw her hairbrush in the drawer and went to the truck.
***
Jace was regretting agreeing to go to church with them but it was too late now to back out. A commitment was a commitment. As he sat in the small church, he felt like he was a kid again. The music, the familiar hymns…they all made him feel as though he’d come home. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. One thing he knew…he’d be more comfortable if Danielle wasn’t giving him looks that said she’d rather push him off a cliff than sit by him in church. Oh, well, he told himself it was only an hour. He could live through anything that only lasted an hour.
He tried to beg off of dinner at Dani’s but Luke wouldn’t allow him to leave after the service. He had trouble saying no to this young man so he found himself sitting at Dani’s dining room table with Cal, Lucy, Luke, Dani and her father, Dean. Luke had been correct. Dani was an excellent cook. He offered to help clear the table and do the dishes while the others visited with Dean, even though Dani protested. They did manage to talk and laugh a little as they struggled to get past each other in her small kitchen. At one point, he reached across her which put her between his arms. For a fleeting moment, as they looked at each other, he had the biggest urge to kiss her but the moment passed.
‘Okay, Jace, what the heck are you thinking? Practically sleeping with Emily and wanting desperately to kiss Dani? Are you trying to cram the last years of abstinence into one month or what?’
CHAPTER 29
MAGGIE CHECKED EVERYTHING at the bar. Her niece and two nephews had done a thorough job of making sure every crack and corner was polished and spit-shined, as her daddy used to say. It was as ready as it was going to be. Now she could hardly wait to meet the members of this band that was hopefully going to turn the finances of The Branding Iron around. At least, she hoped so…for Jace’s sake and for the future of the actual building.
She pulled a drawer open to check the quantity of bar towels and other necessities. This was obviously a space that hadn’t been organized yet. She had a few free minutes and decided there was no time like the present. Something stuck in the jumble caught her eye. It was a magazine. Before she pitched it, she recalled the customer who left it one evening. At the time, she read the titles of a few of the articles contained inside and decided she’d take it home and read some of them. She wasn’t middle-aged, by any means, but a few of them looked interesting so she might as well. Besides, it was free and the customer wasn’t coming back to pick it up.
Jace was coming in after he went to the bank. He showed her the blank check the day after Emily gave it to him. He didn’t know the amount to fill in until he spoke with Hubie, but he said he wanted to put it in a safe deposit box until that time. They both laughed about how they couldn’t even imagine losing it and asking for a replacement.
***
Camille was taking a day off from stalking men on dating sites. It was getting wearisome. There were few men, young or old, who were truthful and it was a chore to try and sort through all the bullshit they put in their profiles. Even when a woman put in the effort to check addresses and social media sites, it was still a crap-shoot. No one governed their information so they could be Al Capone, but say they were a lonely widower or anything they wanted. She was sure it was the same on the women’s sites. Granted, there were a few men she might have been interested in if she was really looking for a husband. In the last piece she sent Allie for the next issue, she told her readers the best way was still the old-fashioned way, in her opinion…meet someone in your locality and pursue a dating relationship. That was where she included the experiences with Collier and Jace. She gave no clues as to their identity so even a long lost cousin wouldn’t recognize who she was referring to. She also sent an image of the blank check she wrote to Jace with her name, bank and signature blocked out.
As she was packing a sandwich and water for her little outing, Collier called. He asked if she would like to do some sight-seeing in the mountains one day.
“You must have ESP, my friend. I’m packing some lunch, as we speak. Are you free to go on this adventure today?”
“I can be if you give me thirty minutes or so. I have to finish a small project first.”
When he arrived, he suggested they use his truck instead of her car. “In case, we go ‘off-road’ or find a canyon we want to explore,” he explained. “I hope you’re wearing your hiking boots.”
“I am, but they’re pretty new and not broken in so I think I’ll take my running shoes along in case blisters begin to form.”
He nodded, indicating that was a good idea. The sun was shining but the air was still chilly. He gave a running documentary as he drove, describing every bend in the road.
He wheeled his truck off the main road and onto one that seemed to be seldom used.
“Are we trespassing?”
“No,” he assured her. “This is a friend’s land. I come out here quite often when I need to think or regain some peace in my life. I look at the indescribable views, breathe the clean air and talk to my Maker.”
After a winding drive, he found a place to park the truck. They got out of the vehicle and chose a narrow trail to begin their hike. As they climbed higher, the air became thinner and breathing was more difficult. “I think those blisters I was worried about have made an appearance,” Camille said as they chose a flat rock to sit and rest for a while. She started to untie her boots when Collier knelt down in front of her.
“Let me help. As thin as the air is up here if you bend over too far you might topple over.” He grinned at her and added, “I wouldn’t want to have to climb down the mountain to rescue you.”
From their vantage point, the view was indescribable. The mountains in the distance, the rushing stream…it all made it seem as if they were in another world.
“I never tire of these views,” Collier said. “They make me fully aware of my Creator.”
His statement surprised her a bit. “Do you consider yourself a religious man?”
“I guess that depends on your definition of religious. Do I believe there’s a God who created me, you and all of this?” he swept his arm in an arc to indicate everything in their sight. “Yes, the answer is yes. Do I believe in organized religion? I see the necessity of it but don’t necessarily want to be a part of it. Do I believe the words of the Bible? Yes.” He looked at her questioningly. “How about you?”
“I don’t know the answer to that question. I think I am, for the most part, a good person. I try to be unselfish, I donate to causes I like, I help old ladies across the street,” she said as she smiled at him. “But, I’ve never had a personal relationship with God or Jesus, if that’s what you mean. I’ve been associated with people who claim to have that but their lives don’t reflect it in any visible way.”
“Yeah, well that’s the rebellious sinful part in all of us, I guess. You know, telling God, ‘I’ll believe in you but don’t make me follow any of your rules’ kind of thinking.”
They were quiet for a while, each lost in their
own thoughts.
“I know you love it here, Collier. Have you ever thought of living somewhere else?”
“Never!” was his instant answer. “I can’t even imagine doing that.”
Never at a loss for questions, Camille asked if he ever thought about having a family, which was one of the concerns she told her readers to delve into if they were going to pursue a relationship with a much younger man.
He shrugged. “I never thought I wanted children of my own. I’ve got a passel of nieces and nephews that seem like my kids without me having to support them,” he added. “When I think about the shape our world is in, Camille, I don’t want to bring children into it. I love kids but I’ll be happy without fathering any. How about you?”
“In the beginning, I was too career-oriented. Will nor I wanted to have children, which is a good thing, as it turned out. I guess I had such a horrible relationship with my mother and I never had a father figure, so I didn’t…and still don’t… know what a family is supposed to look like. I don’t believe I would have been good ‘mother material’ and obviously, at my age, it is now a moot point.”
Her phone rang and she muttered, “Speaking of Mommy Dearest, it’s a call from Paris. She must have changed her number; I don’t recognize this one, but who else do I know in Paris, right?”
She answered with a curt, “Hello? Yes, this is Camille Desmond. Who am I speaking with?”
Her face lost all color and Collier heard her say, “When? Okay, yes, I’ll make arrangements and let you know the details.”
He waited for her to say something but she didn’t.
“Camille? What’s going on?”
“It’s Barbara. She died last night.”
He didn’t know exactly what to do or say. He would’ve been more comfortable if she was crying or something, but she wasn’t. He held out his arms and she went to him. He enveloped her in his embrace but didn’t say anything.
“Am I supposed to be crying and carrying on now like a normal daughter?” she asked.