“Damn! I’m so sorry, Dalian. She was one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met. I hadn’t seen her in decades, but I’ll never forget her smile.”
Dalian looked at his long-time friend as if seeing him for the first time, “Well, now that we know that she can’t tell me – I’m listening, Harvey,” Dalian said softly.
“Yeah, okay. I guess since your mom can’t tell you, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t.” Harvey propped his elbows on his knees and quietly began recounting what he remembered.
“What I don’t get is why you couldn’t when I first met you.”
“It wasn’t my place and, well . . . let me see if I can’t rectify that now. When I met your mom, she was barely fourteen, and married to a man in his fifties.”
“Wait, so you knew my mom for years before I was even born? And what business does a fourteen year old have marrying a man in his fifties?”
“That’s the reaction I had, except I think my exact thought was, damn, that’s weird. I thought he was her granddaddy, you know? I do know that back then, some states didn’t have a legal age limit for marriage, like we do now, and as long as the girl had parental consent...”
“But fourteen?”
“I don’t know all about how it happened, man. I just know that when they bought the place next door to us, they did so as man and wife.”
“Why’d she marry him? Why didn’t she ever mention him to me?”
“You are asking a lot of questions that I never got the answers to myself, and I can’t tell you why she never mentioned him to you. Maybe because he was a part of her life she wanted to forget. As for why she married him – her father made her.” Harvey raised his hand to ward off the barrage of questions he saw that Dalian was ready to hurl in his direction, “That’s all she ever told me. Now are you going to let me tell this, or are you going to keep interrupting me?”
“Sorry.”
“That you are. So anyway...”
“How did she know you, though?”
“So much for letting me talk.”
“Sorry.”
“Yep, you said that already. Mind if I continue?
“Yeah, sorry.”
“You keep saying that, and I’ll slug you. Now zip it.”
Dalian struggled to keep his mouth closed as Harvey continued relating those things he never knew.
“Anyway, you could tell she was miserable being married to a man older than her father, but she made the best of it. As for me, I was only ten, but we soon became fast friends. Probably because I was the only person within a fifty mile radius that was close to her in age and fun to be around.”
“But how’d she end up with the Blackfoot?”
Harvey sighed again.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ll answer that one. You don’t have to stretch your imagination too far actually. Our ranches bordered the reservation. She met a young Blackfoot man when she was in town and started seeing him on the sly. Fell in love with him.”
“So she divorced her first husband?”
“Dadblasted, Dalian! I’ll probably get to your questions eventually, so would you just let me talk? All of this happened so long ago that I need to get my thoughts organized, or it’ll all come tumbling out of my mouth in a jumbled, incoherent mess.”
“Then talk faster!”
“Lord!” Harvey huffed. “Okay. No. She didn’t divorce her husband. He died, and don’t ask how, because I don’t know. I only know it was fortuitous timing, since she discovered she was pregnant with you, and her husband wasn’t the father.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, well. As soon as possible, she married Jake Twin Rivers and he moved them to the reservation. Unfortunately, the magic didn’t last. Of course, we both know what living on a reservation is like, especially since the government stopped permitting the building and operation of casinos on Indian land back in 2027. A lot of Natives depended on those casinos for employment. Your dad was one of ‘em. Your mom became severely depressed as Jake bounced from job to job and started drinking more and more. Growing up, you became a source of contention for him. According to your mom, he blamed you for all his woes; and he made you pay for his misery, too. Damned coward!”
“What do you mean?”
“Only a coward beats up on women and children.”
“He abused us?”
“You really don’t remember, do you?”
“No, nothing.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to tell you then.”
“I’m not twelve anymore, Harvey. I’m thirty-six. I think I can handle the truth.”
Harvey nodded, “I know. I guess I’ve just kept it to myself for so long – okay, here it goes. The truth of the matter is . . . well . . . if you must know...”
“Blasted, Harvey. What could possibly be so bad?”
“You killed your old man, that’s what.”
“What?”
“Yeah, that’s right. You heard me. You were 10 years old at the time. According to your mother, anyway.”
“I don’t get it. I wouldn’t hurt a fly...”
“You would if that fly was five-foot-ten, drunk, and beating your mother half to death.”
“Damn. Why can’t I remember? I mean, that’s not exactly something you forget.”
“Actually, I read somewhere that traumatic situations can cause amnesia, especially in children.”
“Thank you, Dr. Harvey Psychiatric-know-it-all.”
“Well, you asked, smart-ass.”
“I didn’t go to jail,” Dalian said to himself. “I’m certain I’d have remembered going to jail.”
“Well, you sure shootin’ could have, since they passed that law back in 2033 stating that anyone can be convicted for murder, age notwithstanding. But, in your case, the judge declared it self-defense and dropped the charges. Anyway, after your mother recovered from the beating, she tracked us down and asked if you could come live with us. By then, we owned a nice little parcel of land here in Wyoming, and agreed, but she never showed. We just figured she settled whatever problems she had and moved forward.”
“But eventually she decided to get rid of me? Why? Because she couldn’t live with me knowing that I killed her husband?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way – exactly.”
“How would you put it – exactly?”
“Peter.”
“Who in hell is Peter?”
“Your stepfather.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Harvey knew that the tale was a convoluted one, but did his best to unravel the past without raising too many more questions or confusion, “I said that you had a stepfather, but I didn’t find out about him until I was twenty-two, and not until your mom showed up on our doorstep – two years after your dad was killed. I was a student at the University of Wyoming at the time, but home for a visit the day your mom showed up with you in tow. You were a scrawny thing. Looked like a strong wind could pick you up and carry you away. Anyway, your mother wasn’t alone. Peter – her fiancé then – accompanied her. She wanted you to have a life, but she wanted to be happy as well, and Peter was a good man.”
“I don’t recall meeting anyone named Peter at the reservation.”
“He probably died before she did then, because there isn’t a reason why she wouldn’t want you to meet him. Fact is, she loved that man, and he loved her. It was good to see her happy for once in her life.”
“Damn, I not only killed my abusive father, but I was deserted by my mom so that she could find happiness with another man. Nice to know I was wanted.”
“You were wanted, but you were also pretty screwed up and your mother felt it was best that you get away from home. Too many bad memories for you there. She was also worried because you were getting older, were already depressed, and the suicide rate for young men confined to reservations is damned high. She didn’t want to see you become a statistic. And since Peter is also Blackfoot, and wanted to remain on the
reservation...”
“So, my welfare was her primary concern. Is that it? And why can’t I remember any of this?”
“Well, the fact that you can’t remember probably happened after your mom left you. Whew, were you a handful. A big enough handful that I dropped out of university to help Mom and Dad raise you. One day, you had one of your many major fits, snagged one of the horses, and bolted. The horse threw your bony ass, and you banged your head real good on the fence post on the way to meet the ground. That’s how we figured you lost your memory.”
“Good Lord! I didn’t know. God, Harvey, I’m so sorry. Why would your folks ever consent to taking me in? Why did they keep me? Why didn’t you kick my ass for making you give up your education? Did I suddenly become my now charming self after nearly cracking my skull open? I thought you said that I lost my memory because of trauma?”
“Smacking your head against a fence post is traumatic,” Harvey laughed, and then raised his hand to stop the barrage of questions that Dalian was hurling in his direction. “After your fall, you did change. Maybe losing your memory was a good thing, because you were a lot easier to handle afterward. Downright friendly. Also, I fairly begged Mom and Dad not to dump you at the closest orphanage. You see, I remembered your mom from when we were kids, back when we first met. Remember I told you that she was married to the fifty-year-old grandfather figure? She sure had changed a lot from when she was a kid,” Harvey whispered longingly, and then shook his head to get his thoughts back on track. “Anyway, I owed your momma one from back then. A big one. That’s why I couldn’t kick your butt for being a pain and why I begged my folks to let you stay.”
“How could this possibly get any more complicated?” Dalian shook his head, bemused.
Harvey snorted. “Oh, believe-you-me, it can. You see, I wouldn’t even have been around to help raise you if it wasn’t for your mom. I did something stupid, fell into the river, and would have drowned had a gangly fifteen-year-old girl not jumped in after me.”
“My mom.”
“Yeah, your mom.”
“What stupid thing did you do?”
“I stole into my dad’s liquor cabinet. Decided that, at eleven years old, I was man enough to take a swig or two – or ten. Then decided that I could swim – which I couldn’t. So, when that same gangly fifteen-year old girl returned over a decade later, son in tow, and asked for their help, I wouldn’t let my mom and dad say no. Not that they would have. They felt obligated also – for my life. “A life for a life”, they said.”
“I guess I owe you one then as well.”
“You’ve already repaid me – a thousand times over.”
“I don’t see how you figure that? What you did for me and mom...”
“Don’t you remember our reunion thirteen years ago?”
“Oh, yeah, that.”
“Yeah, that.”
“You thought you were man enough to handle a swig or two – or ten – of whiskey, and big enough to take on ten equally drunk cowhands.”
“Yeah, losing your wife and kid will make you crazy.”
“I know.”
“I know you do, but if you hadn’t magically showed up that day and kicked ass for me, I probably would have been buried next to my wife. I never did figure out how you knew where I was.”
“Your parents told me.”
“Ah. Well, you know the rest. You started this spread and asked me to come work for you. Helping you build this place and keep it running, kept me going all these years. You may not have realized it at the time, kid, but if you hadn’t brought me here to work with you, I probably would have gotten into another bar room brawl eventually and ended up with my head bashed in.”
“What gets me is that I’ve known you nearly my entire life and you never mentioned any of this.”
“I promised your mom that I wouldn’t, and that I’d keep you safe.”
“And ignorant?”
“And ignorant. She figured the two went hand-in-hand. Of course I never expected...”
“That I’d go back?” Dalian interrupted. “That’s why you seemed so surprised when I told you I was leaving for the reservation. Not because you were concerned that I was abandoning the ranch, but because...”
“I wasn’t sure how understanding and forgiving you’d be, once you found out that I’d kept your past from you. Your mom must have had concerns too, because she certainly didn’t say anything. So, now that you know, are we okay?”
“The past is past. I only wish you and mom would’ve trusted me to hold onto my own memories. I may have been a boy, but I was never weak.”
“Well, you proved that enough times. I guess if I hadn’t promised your mom, I would’ve 'fessed up long ago.”
“You loved her, didn’t you?” Dalian asked suddenly, reading more into his friend’s body language than his words revealed.
“Yeah, I did. That bother you?”
Dalian shook his head, “Not really, no. None of it bothers me as much as I figured it would. I guess water under the bridge washes away most everything, including revelations that can otherwise make a man bitter.”
“Wow, a poet and he didn’t even know it.”
“You’re twisted, old man.”
Harvey laughed. “Wouldn’t be happy straight.”
“Better watch what you say, or someone might misconstrue that statement.”
“Now, who’s being twisted?”
Dalian laughed.
“So, are we cool?” Harvey asked, suddenly serious again.
“We’re cool.”
Harvey sighed, relief flooding through him. He’d carried the burden of Dalian’s past for so long, the release made him feel downright giddy. “So what now?”
“We get ready for our guests that are due to arrive next month.”
“Yeah, and don’t forget that two of those guests...”
“Have breasts. Yes, I know. You really are twisted, old man.”
“Nah. I just have a good appreciation for breasts.”
CHAPTER NINE
“Welcome to Heart of the Mountain Dude Ranch. My name is Harvey Bennett and I’m the foreman here. I’m usually the one to show you folks a good time during your stay.”
“Usually?”
Kat glanced toward the young man that had spoken, and then her gaze slowly moved from person to person, wondering whether they felt as she did. Tired, yet eagerly alert; simultaneously feeling out-of-place, yet oddly at home.
“Yes, well, unfortunately, I’ve got a family emergency and am leaving this afternoon, but not to worry none, folks. I’ll be leaving you in the capable hands of the owner of this fine establishment. In fact, he should be along shortly so that I can make the intros.”
“Doesn’t he usually help you anyway?” Another guest asked.
“No, he sees to the day-to-day running of the ranch itself. Something I help him with the rest of the year. But come spring, when we open the touristy part of the ranch, he maintains the actual ranch, and I get to spend my time with you fine people.”
The sound of an approaching horse reached her ears and she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly and she sucked in a deep breath. She heard a sharper intake next to her and glanced to her right. The bombshell blonde, in skin-tight jeans that had arrived at the ranch at the same time as she had caught sight of the approaching rider as well and was eyeing him with possessiveness. Looking at the man seated in the saddle, Kat understood all too well. He had a confident bearing that bordered on arrogant, but Kat figured that any man that looked that good had a right to carry himself that way.
“Here he is now, folks,” Harvey said, as the rider reined in his horse in front of the line of vacationers. “I’d like to introduce you to Dalian Rivers, owner of the Heart of the Mountain Ranch.”
“Welcome folks,” Dalian said, tipping his hat. “Everyone, please call me Dalian.”
Kat heard a sigh and for a moment thought that it escaped from herself, and then realized that it c
ame from the blonde. She did sigh then, softly and with relief. She’d never make an idiot of herself over a man, even a man as sexy as this one. Obviously, the blonde had no such compunctions, for she was smiling very idiotically, a dreamy expression on her flawless features. “That’s a mighty fine specimen,” she breathed.
“Which – the horse or the man?” Kat asked humorously.
“What horse?”
Kat rolled her eyes, but had to laugh at the woman’s blatant show of lust. Her laugh faded quickly when she looked back to the rider. He was looking at her. Surely, he didn’t think she was the one drooling over him adolescently. Keep dreaming, cutie. She smiled thinly and he grinned. He tipped his hat and turned his attention away.
“Before we let you go and get settled into your rooms, we have something here we like to do; help folks get acquainted better so you don’t spend so much time feeling like you’re in the company of strangers.”
“Oh, but I don’t feel that way at all,” the blonde said airily, which made Kat wince. “In fact, I’m feeling right at home.”
Oh, brother! Kat thought when she caught a glimpse of the batting eyelashes aimed at the ranch’s owner. Laying it on a bit thick aren’t you, blondie?
“Well, that’s how we want you to feel, little lady. We hope that you all feel that way before the end of the day. And since you seem to have fewer inhibitions than most folks,” Harvey said to the blond, “we’ll start with you.” Harvey cast a glance at the boss man. He kind of hoped the boss noticed her, but he didn’t. Of course, he’d have been surprised if he had. The boss didn’t tend to mix business with pleasure. Still, the signals this girl was sending could be picked up three states away. Too bad, he thought, she’d definitely make a good distraction. “Why don’t you tell us your name, what you do, and what made you decide to visit a dude ranch?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” the blonde cooed, “I came to meet a real-life cowboy; and for anyone who’s interested,” she said, eyeing Dalian, “my name’s Chloe Harper and I model lingerie. Or, I used to. I’m sort of retired now.”
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