“I'm planning on it, Coop. I still grieve over the loss of the cabin. I feel like a jinx or something.”
“You gals being safe is the only thing that matters. These cabins aren't worth insuring. I'll tear this one down if I build a log home back at the springs.”
“Oh, leave it up if you can. It will remind me of my two best summers.”
“Remind you? You aim on coming back, don't you?”
“Cooper Tallon, you contracted me at no pay to be the interior decorator of your log home. Have you forgotten so soon? Of course I am coming back.”
“You mean, if I build the house, it's a guarantee that you will come back?”
“That's what I mean.”
A wide grin broke across his leather-tough, tan face. “That's the best news I've heard since they put cabs on backhoes.”
Develyn stared at him.
“That's a compliment. An old construction joke.”
“I must admit I don't know many construction job jokes.”
“It's a good thing, Dev. Most should never be repeated.”
“Can we ride up to the springs on Monday?”
“Sounds good. I'll pack us a picnic.”
“No, you won't.”
“I won't?” he replied.
“I'll furnish the picnic. It's my treat.”
“You can't do that. It's my invite and…”
“Coop, let me do something for you. Last week you fixed me a wonderful supper, so it's my turn.”
“I reckon you won't bend on that.”
“Remember, you said stubbornness is a part of my charm.”
He pointed to the road. “Here comes your girl, Mama.”
Develyn and Cooper watched Hunt and Delaney amble up the dirt driveway. When they got within thirty feet, Delaney sprinted to the cabin.
“I've got to write down my cell phone number for Hunt,” she called out.
The lanky cowboy leaned against the door of his white pickup and folded his arms. “It's been a long time since a gal's mother and father waited for me in the yard.”
Tallon cleared his throat. “I'm not…”
Develyn slipped her arm in Cooper's and interrupted him. “You know, Hunter, we are concerned for Delaney. She has some things in the past to deal with before she thinks about the future.”
“I know. She told me everything.”
Develyn felt her neck stiffen. “Everything?”
“Yep.”
“Then you understand why she will need some space for awhile.”
“Don't know anything about space. But I do know she wants me to have her phone number.”
Delaney bounded out of the cabin.
“Here!” She shoved the white note in his hand. “You promise to call me tomorrow?”
“Sweet Dee, I'll phone, that's a fact.”
He leaned closer until his face was only a few inches from Delaney's.
“Drive careful, Hunter,” Cooper boomed.
Burke jerked his head back.
Develyn marched over to them. “And we'll tell Jackson you're looking for him.”
Hunter climbed into the truck and closed the door. “I'll talk to you tomorrow.” He spun the pickup toward the corral and raced out to the road.
“How old is he?” Cooper asked.
“He must be Jackson's age,” Delaney reported. “They went to school together.”
“That's at least ten years older than you.”
Delaney waltzed over and slipped her arm into her mother's. “Isn't he dreamy, Mom? No wonder you like it out here. I think coming to Wyoming is the best thing I've ever done.”
The first thing Develyn spotted when she stepped outside the next morning was Uncle Henry in the pasture alongside Aunt Jenny.
“How did you get in there?” She marched over to the fence. “All summer long you hated that pasture like a prison, and now you sneak in? You come here right now. I will not have a disobedient watch-burro.”
The second thing she viewed was Renny Slater's red Dodge truck bouncing up the driveway.
Renny parked in front of the burned-out cabin.
“Looks like you brought the house down, Devy-girl.”
She strolled over to the mustang breaker. “I still shudder when I look at it. Coop's going to bring one of his rigs in here and haul it all off. How did you hear about it?”
“Well, I was sittin' around by the phone, pinin' for my Indiana schoolteacher, and…”
She slugged him in the arm. “You were not.”
“OK, I was in Bridger helpin' a pal shoot coyotes.”
“Why?”
“They were eatin' his sheep. Livestock men are funny that way. They just don't cotton to feedin'coyotes.”
“You didn't answer my question.”
“Well, I did get a phone call.”
“From who?”
“I thought it was ‘from whom.’”
“Are you correcting the teacher?”
He grinned like the first-place winner at a spelling bee. “No, ma'am.”
“From whom did you get a phone call?”
“Burdett asked me to make a delivery. He told me about the cabin and said you were in need of a few things.”
“What kind of delivery?”
Renny pointed to two huge cardboard boxes in the back of his truck. “I reckon about half the clothes Miss Emily ever owned.”
“He sent me her clothes?”
“That's what Lindsay told me.”
“But I can't take them, Renny. They belong to Miss Emily. Doesn't matter how long she's been gone; they will always be called Miss Emily's.”
“I sort of reckoned that's what you'd say. But I didn't want to interfere.”
“You'll just have to take them back.”
“That's where it gets complicated. I've got an appointment tomorrow morning bright and early. I need to keep heading west to be there on time.”
“Where?” she asked.
“Twin Falls, Idaho.”
“Are you going to check out that rodeo coach position at the college?”
“I figured it wouldn't hurt to know what I'm turnin' down.”
“I'll pray that the Lord will lead you.”
“I sort of figured you would. I'm not in a hurry. I took to heart what you told me. I know there are a lot of people to help around here. I need to know how much time off they'd let me have.”
“Ask to see a sample contract and study the details. Make sure everything they promise is down in writing.”
“Yes, ma'am. I'd have you go with me and check it out, you know, if circumstances were different.”
“You mean, if I weren't too old for you?”
Renny laughed and gave her a hug. “I don't reckon I will ever live that one down, will I?”
“I would go with you anyway, but Delaney is here. We have some things to work out.”
He pointed to the burned cabin. “That's quite a welcome you gave her.”
“It was so bizarre. It seems like a dream.”
“It don't look like a dream.” Renny turned toward the truck. “What do you want me to do with these clothes?”
“Will they fit in my Jeep?”
“Does the back seat fold down?”
“Yes. I'll take them back to Quint myself.”
“There's another problem. The reason he didn't bring them down himself is that he and Lindsay are flying to Austin this afternoon. He needed to do some maintenance on her plane.”
“She's going to take that job at the University of Texas!”
“Is she coachin' rodeo too?” Renny grinned.
“Not hardly. Director of communications, or something like that. When are they leaving?”
“He said around 2:00 p.m.”
Dev rubbed her nose and looked at her watch. “If I headed up there now, I could get
to the ranch by ten and be home by noon or so. That might work.”
“You got some cowboy waitin' for you at 1:00?”
“Delaney has a doctor appointment at 3:00 in Casper.”
“Is she sick?”
“Eh…it's a…”
“A female thing?”
“Yes.”
“Well, don't tell me. I might get squeamish.”
“Renny Slater, squeamish?”
“Did I ever tell you about the only time I fainted?”
“I can't believe that.”
“I was visitin' some friends in the hospital, Barry and Barb Greenfield. They got that nice place east of Kaycee. It was their first baby, and I was in town. So I bought the little guy a pair of cowboy boots. I sauntered over to St. Joseph's to give my congrats. I had been workin' outside all day. It was July hot outside and air-conditioned cool inside. Anyway, I joked with Barry in the hall and stepped in to tip my hat at Barb.
“She said, ‘Come here, Renny, and look at the first pictures of little Cody.’ Well, I figured it would be an insult not to look at the photos, so I stepped over and she shoved a stack of pictures at me. They were the first ones of the baby, alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was naked from the waist down and strapped into some harness thingy, and the baby is halfway out of the womb, so to speak.”
“Oh, my.”
“I said somethin' a little stronger, right before I blacked out. When I came to, I was on the cold linoleum floor with a uniformed nurse lookin' down at me.”
“What did she do?”
“Nothing. She just looked at me and said, ‘The same thing happens to me all the time,’ then walked off.”
“You did recover?”
“Yeah, but I promised myself to steer clear of delivery room pictures and female problems.”
The cabin door opened, and shorts and T-shirt clad Casey Cree-Ryder waltzed out to the yard. “Hi, Renny!”
“I like your hair down, Miss Casey. Are you ready to dump that Hill kid and ride off into the sunset with a real bronc buster?”
Casey turned to Develyn. “It's pathetic when they beg like that.”
“Oh, darlin', you are turnin' down the chance of a lifetime.”
Casey laughed. “Jackson Hill is my chance of a lifetime, and I'm not letting go.”
Renny hugged Casey's shoulder. “Jackson is a lucky cowboy.”
Casey studied his eyes. “Thanks, Renny. I know you mean that.” She turned toward his truck. “What are you hauling?”
“Sequined blouses and designer jeans, I reckon.”
“You just peddling them out of the back of your truck, or are you headed to the thrift store?”
“They are all for you and Devy-girl, I reckon. A present from Quint Burdett. They are for all three of you,” Renny said.
“I can't fit into anything Miss Emily ever wore. I was bigger than that when I was eight.”
“It doesn't matter. I'm hauling them back. I want to choose my own clothing,” Develyn said.
“You just going to dump them in his yard, or what?”
“Of course not. I'll just say…I'll…I'll think of something.”
The cabin door banged open, and Delaney emerged with cutoff jeans and a gray sweatshirt turned inside out and her hair pulled behind her in a short ponytail. She padded across the dirt yard barefoot.
“You must be Delaney. I recognize the toes.”
Delaney curled her toes in the dirt. “Don't look at them. Do they look like Mom's?”
“I wouldn't know. Your mother always curls them just like that and forbids anyone a glance. I recognized you from the picture in your mom's wallet. One time, in a fit of generosity, she let me look at your picture.”
“You must be the mustang breaker.”
He tipped his hat. “Yes, ma'am. Renny Slater. How did you guess that?”
“You look exactly the way my mother described you.”
“Delaney,” Develyn cautioned.
Renny grinned. “And just how is that?”
“I think her words were…”
“Delaney!”
“Renny's a short, thin, blond-haired, weak-eyed young Robert Redford with dimples that will melt your socks.”
Casey burst out laughing.
Develyn's face flushed as if she had been drinking Tabasco with a straw.
Renny shook his head and sidled up to Delaney. “But now that you've seen me in person, you figure I'm much better lookin' than your mama described?”
“I think she overrated things.”
“Listen,” Renny said, “I'll unload these boxes in the Jeep if that is what you want. I've got to get on down the road.”
“Are you going to a rodeo?” Delaney asked.
“No, I'm looking into a college teaching job in Idaho. You want to come with me? We can swing down to Wendover, Nevada, and get married on the way.”
“Wha…what?” Delaney stammered.
“Am I rushin' things a bit?”
“Slater!” Develyn cautioned.
“But I just got here.” Delaney recovered her smile.
“Your point is?”
“She needs time to look around, Renny,” Casey chuckled. “She could probably do a whole lot better than you.”
“No, that's not it,” Delaney stammered. “I just have never…”
“That's alright, Dee-Darlin'. Concernin' runnin' off and teachin' college, I was just teasin' about that one.”
“Which one, about me running off with you, or teaching college?” Delaney probed.
“You are a lot like your mama,” Renny laughed.
“No one has ever told me that.”
“Toes and nose and tease–you are practically twins.”
Develyn looked her daughter over. “Twins?”
“Devy-girl, do you look like your brother?”
“Not at all.”
“And you are twins, right?”
“I get your point,” Develyn grinned. “Dee and I are like nonidentical twins that are twenty-five years apart.”
“Yeah, that's it.”
Develyn raised an eyebrow. “Only I'm too old for you, and Delaney is too young,”
“Hey, don't look at me,” Casey protested. “I already turned him down once this morning.”
“I'm not all that young,” Delaney demured.
“Are you changin' your mind?” Renny said.
“She is busy today, cowboy,” Develyn added. “We are going up to the Burdett Ranch this morning.”
“We are?” Delaney asked.
“Yes, and we had better hurry, because we need to get you to Casper by 3:00.”
Delaney shrugged at Renny. “Yeah, I need them to check…”
Slater held up his hands. “I don't want to know. Whatever it is, I wish you a speedy recovery. But I don't want to know.”
The gravel road north had just enough moisture to hold down the dust. But the brief rain hadn't melted the washboards. Develyn had to keep it under forty miles per hour.
Delaney clutched the handhold above the door. “This is the only way to some big, fancy ranch?”
“It is rather remote.”
“No, Argenta is remote. This is fifty miles past remote. Now, you are not going to marry this rancher guy back here?”
“No, I'm not.”
“Mom, how do you know the one not to marry? All my life I've been trying to learn how to tell which one to marry. But I don't know squat about which one not to marry. I mean, I know not to marry a self-centered, woman-beating jerk. But beyond that, how do you tell?”
“Honey, that's something I've been trying to learn this summer. I think it has more to do with knowing yourself than knowing the man.”
“What do you mean?”
“We need to discover what life the Lord has planned f
or us. Then we know who fits in.”
“But you are old. You know what your life should be. I mean, you're not that old, but you know what I mean.”
“If you don't know where the Lord is leading you, you'll have a tough time finding the right guy.”
“What have you learned this summer, Mom? Who are you? What does the Lord have in store for you?”
“I'm an Indiana schoolteacher. That's who I am. That's who I will always be. If the Lord ever brings a man into my life on a permanent basis, it will fit well with that calling.”
“Are you saying I need to choose a career first?”
“No, Dee, it's more than a career, it's…”
“Was Daddy the right one for you when you married him?”
“I was convinced of it at the time.”
“Do you regret marrying him?”
“Never, babe. You are the wonderful reason I married your father. I regret the way it all turned out, that's all.”
“Whoa, is that an antelope?”
“Yes.”
“It's beautiful out here, Mom.”
“Wild, empty, and breathtaking.”
“Like some men.”
Develyn laughed. “I love the way you blurt things out. We haven't spent nearly enough time together during the last two years.”
“Can I drive? I just realized that I've never driven down dirt roads like this.”
“Sure, but you have to take it easy. With the loose dirt and gravel, the rig will slide on the corners.”
Delaney took the wheel and eased back onto the dirt road heading north through scattered scrub cedars. “This is the third time I've gotten to drive your Jeep.”
“You've driven it more than that.”
“No, the first time was when I hit the planter. The second time I locked the keys inside, and you had to phone AAA.”
“You always had the car your father bought you.”
“I like this Cherokee.”
“It's worked well out here.”
“Have you had to use the four-wheel drive?”
“On several occasions.”
“How much farther?”
“We are about halfway there, I think.”
“Wow, I can't believe anyone in America lives this remote.”
“Slow down a little on the curves. If it's muddy in the shade, we can slide.”
“This is fun, Mom, like explorers. We can have pretend adventures. Like we did in the summers when I was little and you and I would spend the afternoon in the hallway under the cooler. Remember all those stories we made up?”
Stephen Bly's Horse Dreams Trilogy: Memories of a Dirt Road, the Mustang Breaker, Wish I'd Known You Tears Ago Page 51