“Now that sounds good to my ears. Here’s the deal. Tomorrow afternoon, as a finale to the saddle bronc clinic, we run a little rodeo over here. The boys get to show off and ride some buckin’ horses. (Like a Saturday soccer game in Indiana but with all the parents watching from the railing.) But I was reminded that they are having a barbecue afterward. I’m expected to be there and say a few words about the boys.”
“I’m sure it’s important.”
“So is being with Miss Dev.”
“I’ll be crushed, cowboy, but I’ll try to hang on.”
“I don’t aim to miss a evenin’ with Devy-girl.”
“What’s the plan?”
“How about you coming over to Douglas and watch the boys buck out? I think you would enjoy it. They are thrilled when someone besides parents come to watch them. Then you could stay for supper, and we’d find some private time somehow, even if I have to tow your rig home and we visit in the truck.”
“I don’t think Casey, nor Uncle Henry, would let us do that again.”
“That’s not what I meant. How about it, Dev? How about a little junior rodeo? I’ll take you to that Italian restaurant next time there’s an opening on your dance card.”
“OK, Renny, but you’ll have to phone me at home tonight and give me directions on how to get there.”
“Thanks, you made my day. Shoot, you’ve already made my summer.”
“Stood up by a junior rodeo. That’s a first for me too.”
“Oh … no …”
“What’s the matter?”
“He was holdin’ his bronc rein too short.”
“Go take care of your boys, Mr. Slater.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
The wind died down at sunset. Develyn perched out on the front porch next to a short but stout burro.
“Uncle Henry, I shouldn’t let you come up on the porch. You have to promise not to poop. Honey, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you at the end of summer. I’ll give My Maria to Casey … and I know she’d take you just to be nice, but why does she need a burro? What does anyone need with a burro?”
When her cell phone rang, Develyn sat down on the wooden box and leaned against the outside wall of the log cabin. “Hi, Lily.”
“Hi, sweetie. Did you get the airline ticket for Dee?”
“Yes, she is to fly out of Indy next Wednesday. I couldn’t get anything quicker that I could afford. You’ll need to get her to the airport by seven in the morning. I know that’s horrible. I didn’t have a lot of choices.”
“Did you tell Delaney?”
“Yes, she has the details.”
“What did she say when you told her you were flying her to Wyoming?”
“She just murmured, ‘Yes, Mom.’ We both know that we need to be together, and right now Indiana has too many memories and too many old patterns.”
“Where will she stay?”
Develyn stared at the shadows of Argenta. “I bought one of those inflatable mattresses like you see on TV. We’ll pump it up and toss it right in the cabin between me and Casey.”
“How long will she be there?”
“The ticket is for a week, but she can stay out here and ride home with me if she wants to. A one-way ticket costs more than a round trip.”
“Will that dampen your style? What about the cowboys tripping over themselves to be with Dev darlin’?”
“Lily, Delaney is my number one priority this summer. I don’t know why it took coming out here to understand that.”
“You mean you’re going to dump the cowboys?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Good, because I don’t have any intention of dropping a certain attorney.”
“You promised you wouldn’t get married until I get home.”
“Don’t worry, honey. He told me I had to pass his mother’s inspection. I told him he had to pass the inspection of Ms. Worrell.”
“How old is his mother?”
“Eighty-six.”
“And he still has to have her approval?”
“You never outgrow the need for your mother’s approval. You know that. But he was teasing about her approval. He just respects his mother that much. There’s nothing wrong with that in a man.”
“He sounds like a jewel.”
“Would you like to talk to him?”
“Is he right there?” Develyn gasped.
“No, but I can give you his cell phone number.”
“E-mail it to me.”
“You never check your e-mail.”
“I’ll go down to Mrs. Tagley’s tomorrow and retrieve it.”
“Honey, if I can do anything for your Dee from here, you let me know.”
“Thanks, Lil. Have you seen my cats lately? Delaney said Josephine, the monster, tore up the curtains in the back bedroom.”
“In your bedroom.”
“Mine? I thought Dee said the back bedroom.”
“There too. I believe if Delaney goes to stay with you the rest of the summer, you won’t have anything left standing but the exterior brick walls.”
“And Smoky?”
“He sleeps in the basket on top of the hutch all day and runs for his life at night.”
“I’ve thought about tossing her out the back door some night and seeing if the coyotes would drag her off. But I might get reported to the SPCA.”
“For cruelty to cats?”
“For cruelty to coyotes. Is it dark there yet?”
“Yes. There’s no wind and a very nice moon,” Develyn reported.
“Do you have plans for the evening?”
“Just me and Uncle Henry waiting on the porch for my other daughter.”
“Where did Casey and this new boyfriend go?”
“That’s a good question, Lil’. They were to go riding all day, and when I got home there was a note on the table that read, ‘Jackson wants to show me something. I’ll be right back.’”
“When did you get home?”
“Around four.”
“What time is it now?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“Wow, that was really something he had to show her.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Casey is almost thirty. She knows what’s she doing.”
“In some areas of her life, she’s about fifteen.”
“Oh, dear. It’s too bad she’s not mature and wise like we were at thirty.”
“Honey, I’m not mature and wise at forty-five!”
“I suppose she’s too old to ‘ground’ her for being late.”
“She already ‘grounded’ me this week.”
“For what?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Tell me she didn’t catch you parked out in the driveway in a pickup truck making out with some cowboy.”
“Lily, I think I’m losing my signal.”
“I think you are losing your mind. Call me tomorrow night.”
“If I can … sorry, Lily … the signal is going.”
“Answer me one thing … who were you necking with … the rancher man?”
“No,” Develyn sighed, “it was the mustang breaker.”
* * *
Develyn strolled out the dirt driveway to the gravel road that led back to Mrs. Tagley’s store, Uncle Henry beside her. She studied the landscape.
Lord, this is peaceful. It’s eight o’clock, and not one car is on the road. People are settling down for the night. Even the dogs have called it a day. I’m grateful you allowed me the privilege of spending the summer here. I think I need a break every summer. Of course, my life will be different if I have a grandbaby.
I’ve tried not to think about it. Lord, I want to love and support Dee no matter what … but how will I tell Mother? She will blame it on me. Maybe she’s right. Maybe Del
aney is my fault. Spencer was my fault. Quint is my fault. Do I just leave a trail of ruined lives behind me? Now I’m sounding like one of Mrs. Tagley’s soap operas.
Develyn drug her heel across the dusty drive to mark a shadowy line. “Do you see that line, Uncle Henry? When I step over that line, that’s the start of a new me. I am going to be helpful and encouraging to all people and not leave any more messy relationships. I’ll be the Florence Nightingale of relationships.”
She stepped over the line.
“There, what do you think of that? Do you like the new me?”
She surveyed the silent lights of Argenta’s dozen buildings. I think my work is done for the night. Everything’s quiet in my part of the world.
“Leon, you get back in here right now!” A piercing scream broke the silence, followed by a thunderous explosion.
Develyn turned to Uncle Henry and sighed. “I see Mrs. Morton got some more shotgun shells.”
She was halfway back to the cabin when her cell phone rang. “Casey, you’d better have a good explanation …”
“Dev, it’s Cooper Tallon.”
“Oh, Coop. Sorry.”
“Did Cree-Ryder come back from her ride?”
“Yes, but she went off and didn’t …” Develyn stopped. “But I’m not worried. Knowing her, she’s having a great time.”
“Listen, Dev, I’ve got a big favor to ask. Quint’s not flying back until tomorrow. I ran across some pals of mine driving up to Butte, so I just hitched a ride with them. We just crossed the Powder River on Highway 20, and I realized they are on a tight time schedule. I can’t expect them to drive me back into Argenta. They have to deliver a …”
“I’ll come pick you up at the Waltman turnoff.”
“Thanks, Dev, I’m real embarrassed having to ask you for a lift.”
“Cooper, I don’t know how many nights you went out looking for me. This is the least a neighbor can do. How soon will you be there?”
“About fifteen minutes, Dev. Thanks.”
After jamming the phone back into her pocket, she picked up her pace back to the cabin. “There you have it, Uncle Henry. I’m making one relationship better. For the first two weeks of the summer, we hated each other. Now Mr. Tallon is calling me for a ride. That’s what friends do. I’ll go in and grab my purse, wallet, a bottle of water, and put on some makeup!”
Dev laughed out loud and barged into the dimly lit cabin.
You are going to meet a man who has seen you without any makeup, and it’s dark. He won’t know, and he won’t care. Why do you have this thing about makeup? All he wants is a ride down ten miles of a dirt road. I could be a non-English-speaking immigrant from a Third World country driving a yellow cab for all he cares. He just needs a ride … not a babe.
Develyn glanced in the tiny mirror.
“But I am going to change my blouse. This is way too frumpy.”
* * *
The Wyoming Department of Transportation had constructed a turnaround for snow plows about a hundred feet east of the Waltman/Argenta turnoff. Develyn parked in the dark at the western end so that any vehicle would be able to spot her, even at night.
She locked the doors and waited for headlights.
For over six weeks this tiny community has treated me like the visitor I am. I think this might be the first time I’ve felt like one of the community. Called on to give a neighbor a lift home. I like that. What would it be like to live here year round? The winters must be horrific. Wind, snow, blizzards, but if you had a big old house like the Burdetts … and a huge fireplace with logs blazing … and a strong, gentle man who smelled like spice aftershave wrapping his arms around you … a girl could survive … provided the gigantic picture of Miss Emily over the mantle didn’t dishearten her.
In the dark of a Wyoming night, Develyn closed her eyes.
You know, Lord. I could survive with Quint. I could survive quite nicely. I could ride all the time. I could be the queen bee with the ranch hands. I certainly wouldn’t worry about money … and Quint is a sincere Christian man. But I don’t want to just survive. There has to be more than that. Doesn’t there?
At the top of the rise, two miles east, Develyn spotted flashing lights. Then a second vehicle with orange flashing lights. Then a third.
Ambulances? Oh, my … must be a horrible wreck. Not Cooper Tallon, I trust. No, he’s coming in from Casper so he would be behind them.
Her hand went to her mouth. Her neck stiffened. She had to grab her arms to keep them from shaking.
Oh, Lord, no! No … no … no … not Casey. Not Casey and Jackson. Please, Lord, I didn’t come all the way to Wyoming to have my heart broken again. I’m not that strong … I’m just healing from Spencer’s death and …
As the flashing lights drew closer, she recognized the running lights of a big truck.
A truck? A wide load! Those are a lead car, a trail car, and a wide-loaded semi. Thank you, Jesus.
She reached for a Kleenex and blew her nose.
I do love Casey so. You brought her into my life, Lord. I know I’m going to need her as a friend for a long time. I know she’s with Jackson, but keep her safe. Eh … keep Jackson safe too.
The rigs with flashing lights slowed down as they approached.
I think, Lord, that was the first time I admitted to myself that I grieved Spencer’s death. I know there was a lot in him that was good. I know he had such wonderful potential as a young man. I don’t know where or how it got sidetracked. Forgive me, Lord, for failing him.
She splashed some water on her hands and wiped her eyes.
One good thing about no makeup or mascara … I can wash my face without smearing the warpaint.
She watched as the rigs signaled to pull over in the gravel turnout.
Oh, great … they are going to pull in here and block it so that Coop’s friend can’t park here. Why does everything get so complicated?
The lead car pulled up twenty feet away, headlights pointed at Develyn. She had to shade her eyes to watch a man get of the car. He sported a long, stringy ponytail, wore a tank-top and thick tattoos.
She relocked her doors.
I’ll just pull up to the turnoff and wait for him there. I have no intention of entertaining truckers.
Two men got out of the big truck, but they were in the shadows. She did spot the driver of the trail car.
A woman? A very wide woman.
The two men from the truck popped into view.
Develyn continued to shade her eyes from the glare of the headlights as she rolled down her window a couple of inches. “Cooper?”
“Thanks for coming out to get me, Dev. I got some folks here for you to meet.”
She grabbed the door handle, but it was locked. She hit the unlock button, opened the door, and swung her legs out, but the seat belt yanked her back. Free from the belt, she stepped out of the car, cracked her knee on the door, and staggered forward into the headlights.
Well, Ms. Worrell, that was quite an entrance.
“You were right, Coop; she looks a lot like Barb,” the lady said.
“Dev … this is Andy Rasmussen, his wife, Carol … and their youngest son, Little Coop.”
The man with tank top and tattoos reached out his hand. “The name’s Cooper, ma’am. Only Big Coop gets to call me Little Coop.”
“You were named after Mr. Tallon?”
“Yes, ma’am, but you shouldn’t hold that against me.”
Carol Rasmussen strolled over and hugged her shoulder. It felt like being caught in malfunctioning elevator doors. “Good to meet you, Dev. Big Coop said you were a sweetheart.”
“You looked a little surprised when we pulled up,” Little Coop said.
“I didn’t hear the part about a big rig. I thought I was waiting for a pickup.”
“I’m hauling a bridge to Butte,” Andy said.
Develyn stared
at the shadowy load. “A whole, assembled bridge?”
“I told Coop we could deliver him back to Argenta in the lead car, but he wouldn’t hear of it,” Andy added. “He’s right. I do need to make deadline. The permit for something this wide is time limited.”
“We specialize in wide loads,” Carol stated.
Develyn bit her lip and glanced at the large lady. “I’m very happy to meet you all. Coop’s been a good landlord and neighbor to me this summer. I’m delighted to help him out.”
“Well, treat him good, Miss Dev. He’s one of a kind,” Andy said. “Let’s get back on the road. We’ve got lots of highway to swallow.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Develyn called out.
The three trudged back to their rigs. The young man with the ponytail turned back before he slid into the lead car. “You were right about her, Big Coop … you were right.”
Develyn stood beside Cooper Tallon and waved as the three rigs pulled onto the highway. “Mr. Tallon, your taxi is waiting.”
He held the driver’s door open for her, then ambled to the passenger side. His hat in his hand, he slid in and closed the door. “Dev, I can’t thank you enough. Andy and Carol would do anything for me. They would drive me to the edge of the earth and back. But they had some trouble bypassing a low bridge back near Chugwater and got about an hour and a half behind schedule.”
Develyn turned off the highway onto the gravel road back to Argenta.
“No problem, Coop. But you do have to answer one question.”
He cleared his throat. “What did they mean by, ‘I was right’?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got to give you the whole story about Andy and Carol. Andy and I worked our way through college driving backhoes for a contractor in Laramie. After graduation, he went to Viet Nam, and I went to Colorado. In the mid-seventies we found ourselves living near each other along the Colorado/Wyoming border. With a few other folks, we started a little church just off the highway near Virginia Dale, Colorado.”
“A church?”
“That’s one of the nicest Christian families you’re ever goin’ to meet. Carol plays the organ, and Little Coop sings tenor as good as anyone in a southern gospel quartet.”
“He’s in a church quartet?” she gasped.
“The long hair and tattoos threw you off, huh?”
Stephen Bly's Horse Dreams Trilogy: Memories of a Dirt Road, the Mustang Breaker, Wish I'd Known You Tears Ago Page 38