Long, Hot Texas Summer

by Brown, Carolyn

  Ezra patted the empty chair beside his. “Sit with me a few minutes. This is one hell of a party you’ve put together.”

  “Can I get you something? Another beer? Some sweet tea?”

  “Hell, no! I’m hungry, not thirsty. When’s the dinner bell going to ring?” Ezra asked.

  Loretta checked her watch. “Twenty-seven minutes. Wait right here and don’t let anyone have my chair.” She hurried over to the dessert table and picked up two brownies. She put them in his hand. “This might hold you until they ring the dinner bell.”

  “Maybe, but I’m not here for the brisket. I’m here for the pork loin. Doctor told me my ’lesterol was too high and to stay away from pork and bacon. I don’t give a shit what that little young feller says. I’ve got six months and I’m going to eat and drink what I want and die when I’m supposed to. Hmm, these are Ellen Baker’s brownies. She gives them a little extra kick by using whiskey instead of vanilla.” He polished off one but held the other in his hand.

  “You cool enough?” Loretta asked.

  One thick gray eyebrow wiggled. “Fans are doin’ a fine job. And these brownies hit the spot. I heard tell that you like fine Irish whiskey.”

  Loretta blushed. “I can’t deny that.”

  “Well, thing is, I make a little moonshine and I figure it’s ever’ bit as good as Jameson. I was thinking that if you married Jackson again before I died, I might give you a jar for a weddin’ gift,” he said.

  “Ezra, you old coot. Why would you want me to remarry a man I couldn’t live with the first time around?”

  “Because you two belong together. You make him happy. If he was my son, I’d want to see him happy. Now go on and get out of here. When Jackson rings the bell to start dinnertime, you need to be right beside him.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “So all these other hussies, includin’ them two who is your friends, won’t be leadin’ him off to the barn for some hanky-panky. These old eyes might be dyin’, but by damn, they can see what’s goin’ on right now,” he chuckled.

  “I’m not too worried,” Loretta said.

  “You should be. That would be Dina Mullins sidling up to him right now.”

  Loretta’s head whipped around and, sure enough, there was Dina, pressed up against Jackson’s side with one arm around his waist and the other on his chest.

  “Shit fire!” Loretta mumbled.

  “Protect it or lose it,” Ezra said.

  Heather grabbed Loretta by the arm before she’d taken two steps. “You better go take care of that right now. She’s probably drunk.” She gave her a gentle shove in that direction.

  It took several long strides before Loretta was standing in front of Jackson and Dina. Dina wasn’t just drunk; she was sloppy and could hardly stand up.

  Loretta draped an arm around Dina’s shoulders. “It’s time for you to leave. You are making a fool out of yourself.”

  Dina shrugged off Loretta’s arm and fell against Jackson’s chest. “We were meant to be together, Jackson. I knew it from the time I saw you on the football field when we were seniors in high school. This bitch can’t keep us apart forever. I’m pregnant and you are the father.”

  Loretta peeled her away from Jackson and ushered her into the house. “What you are is drunk as hell. You better hope you’re not pregnant.”

  The clock on the stove said that it was five minutes until time to ring the dinner bell when she got Dina into the kitchen and into a chair. Then the tears started and Dina began to blubber. “All I ever wanted was what you had. I hate being short. I hate blonde hair. I hate my eyes. I want to be a tall redhead that all the boys like and I want Jackson Bailey.”

  Rosie set a cup of coffee in front of Dina. “Right now, you are going to get this coffee. Loretta, you get out of here and go ring the dinner bell with Jackson. I’ve got this under control.”

  “But . . .” Loretta started.

  “I called her father and he’s on the way from Silverton to get her. Go or I’ll retire right now this minute,” Rosie threatened.

  It only took a few long strides and she was at the back door. Her father opened it for her and Jackson motioned her to his side.

  “Everything all right in there?” he asked.

  “Rosie is taking care of it,” she answered. “I don’t even like Dina, but I feel sorry for her. She needs help.”

  Jackson nodded, reached up, and clanged the old dinner bell several times. The noise settled immediately. He picked up a microphone from the porch railing, turned it on, and said, “Welcome to our annual Fourth of July picnic, fireworks, and dance here on Lonesome Canyon Ranch. We’re glad that you could all attend and want you to make yourselves at home. Bobby Lee will say grace for us and then the feasting will begin. Oh, and one more thing. Thank you to all the ladies who’ve filled up the dessert tent and to Loretta’s sisters, who spent the afternoon making chocolate sheet cakes.”

  He handed the microphone off to the preacher beside him.

  Bobby Lee made a thankfully short grace and then said, “If you leave hungry, it’s your own fault. See you all in church Sunday morning!” He turned around and slipped something into Loretta’s back pocket. He whispered in her ear, “I’m not playing with your butt. There is something in your pocket for you.”

  Clark took his place beside her as Bobby Lee moved away. They were an equal height and he smelled like Stetson aftershave, a scent that would always bring up memories of him breezing into the office first thing in the morning, always with a smile and never fussing at her like her mother did.

  “This is nice, honey. It’s like a family reunion with benefits. Plenty of room for the kids to stay out of each other’s hair and lots for them to do that don’t involve cell phones.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “Is that Dina’s father?” Jackson nodded toward a big black truck pulling up in front of the house.

  “Yes, it is. She’s too drunk to drive,” Loretta said.

  Jackson chuckled.

  Loretta cut her eyes around at him. “That was only one time and there were circumstances. It doesn’t happen on a regular basis.”

  “Yes, it was.” Heather appeared out of the crowd. “Hello, Mr. Sullivan. It’s sure good to see you again. I’m Heather, in case you don’t remember.”

  “Of course I remember you. And this is Maria, right?” Clark said.

  “Yes, sir,” Maria said. “It’s been fun to have Loretta back in the canyon.”

  “Is nice to see y’all again, but Katy is motioning for me to join her in the food line. Maybe we’ll run into each other again this afternoon, girls,” Clark said.

  Loretta caught the look her mother shot her, but she didn’t flinch or move away. Jackson’s arm felt right and natural around her waist, and she was forty by damn years old, not twenty-one. She could make her own decisions about whom she chose to have sex with, whom to drink with or ring the dinner bell with.

  “Do you believe that sometimes what a drunk person says is really the underlying truth of all their problems?” Loretta asked.

  “Are we talkin’ about Dina or are you thinkin’ about spikin’ your mother’s drink?” Jackson asked.

  “Both.”

  “What did Dina say in there?” he asked.

  “That she wanted to be like me and have what I had and have,” Loretta answered.

  “I’m sure she does, but in order to do that she has to be selfless, not selfish. I don’t see it happening, not even with lots of therapy.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  LORETTA THOUGHT MAYBE GOD had granted her a big favor since she’d exercised patience and not murdered Dina right there in front of a cloud of witnesses the day before. Her sisters had all three danced until after midnight and not a one of them had brought up the fact she was living in the same house with Jackson or mentioned anything abou
t Nona, college, or the intervention idea.

  It wasn’t until she woke on Saturday morning that she sat straight up in bed and realized that she was due a walk across the coals of hell. That no one had mentioned anything meant the whole bunch of them were busy hoarding ammunition for the war. She crawled out of bed and dressed in her oldest pair of jeans, a hot-pink tank top, and boots. Her plans were to sneak down to the kitchen and take a cup of coffee to the front porch. She’d need that much fortification before they all arrived in the house that morning.

  But the light was on in the kitchen and the look on Emmy Lou’s face told Loretta that the battle lines had been drawn. Emmy Lou set two cups of coffee on the table and pulled out a chair. No one would ever believe the dark-haired, brown-eyed smaller woman was Loretta’s sister. Emmy Lou was the bossiest one of the four sisters. She expected her to cut right to the chase.

  “What are you doing up this early?” Loretta asked.

  “I’m always up at five o’clock. Not all of us can eat like a pregnant horse and never gain an ounce or sleep until the sun comes up like you do, Loretta. I run on the treadmill until five thirty, cook breakfast, and pack the girls’ lunches when school is going on or plan my day when it’s not. Isaac and I leave for the hospital at seven for rounds,” she said. “Have you talked any sense into Nona?”

  “We’re working on that.”

  “So she’s going back to Oklahoma with you?” Emmy Lou asked.

  “Probably not.”

  “Then you’ve failed,” Emmy Lou said bluntly.

  “No, I regrouped and reorganized. I’ve realized it’s not her going back to Oklahoma that I’m adamant about. It’s her finishing college.”

  Dolly came through the kitchen door. She carried a cup to the table and sat down at the far end. The bright-colored cotton caftan looked like she’d dragged it right out of the laundry basket that morning. She ran a hand through her tangled hair and shielded the light from her bloodshot eyes with the back of her hand. “My head hurts. I shouldn’t have drunk so damn much and that bed in the trailer is hard as hell. Thank God Terrance was too drunk to want sex, or I’d have bruises on my butt.”

  Emmy Lou waved her hand. “Too much information, Dolly.”

  “You mean drinking doesn’t make you all hot like it did when you and Terrance were dating?” Loretta asked.

  “Not after three kids. Speaking of kids, is yours going back to Oklahoma to finish college or not? It looks to me like Nona’s in love with that cowboy,” Dolly asked.

  The door opened again, letting in a rush of hot air even though the sun was barely up. “Don’t start without me. Ah, coffee!” Tammy said.

  Always the perfect sister, Tammy didn’t have a single blonde hair out of place. Her cute little cotton sweater even bore the proof, by the lines in the sleeves, that it had had a close encounter with an iron. Her clear blue eyes settled on each sister and for a minute Loretta thought she’d start praying for all of them.

  “Now”—she sat down across the table from Emmy Lou—“I’m here. Shall we pray before we begin?”

  “Hell, no!” Loretta said. “Why do we need to pray? We were discussing Nona going to school, not saving souls.”

  “Is she coming home?” Tammy asked.

  “She is home whether I like it or not,” Loretta said. “But she could also finish college here. I want her to get her degree. That’s been my main worry and we’re going to talk about where and how she’s going to do that sometime next week.”

  “Compromise is good,” Dolly said.

  “One more year away from the ranch would be good for her and Travis,” Tammy said. “If it’s real, it’ll make it stronger. If it’s not, then it’s better to find out before she winds up like you, Loretta—divorced and regretting it.”

  Katy poked her head inside the house and carried in a bottle of diet root beer. “Good morning, all my daughters. It’s good to see you gathered around the table together and not hear anyone screaming. I’m sure I’ve missed something, but first, Loretta, what about Nona? College or not?”

  “College, most likely, but not OU. Probably in Amarillo. I don’t think I’m going to get her off the ranch,” Loretta said. “Now that we’ve got that settled, I understand y’all are here for intervention, not on Nona’s behalf, but on mine. Before you get started—”

  Emmy Lou held up a hand and butted in, “Before you say another word, we did intend to have an intervention. We had the full intention of pulling out all the plugs and making you go home to Oklahoma, but Daddy set us all down before we left on Saturday morning and . . .”

  Dolly jumped in when Emmy Lou hesitated. “He said that you are a grown woman who can make your own decisions and we are to keep our mouths shut.”

  Before Tammy could add her two cents into the mix, Nona breezed across the floor and headed for the coffeepot. “Good morning, aunts, Granny, and Mama. I thought we were all sleeping until noon,” she said. “Aunt Emmy Lou, did you know that Faith snores and talks in her sleep at the same time?”

  “We’re having a private conversation here with your mother. Just get a cup of coffee and go back to your room,” Emmy Lou said.

  “Well, I would, but this is my house and this is my mama, so I don’t think I will. Faith told me about the intervention shit. I’m twenty-one, the age all three of you were when you got married”—she waved to include her aunts—“and the way I see it is this. You made your decisions. I’m going to make mine. Mama is older than any of you, and I reckon if she wants to screw my daddy, that’s her business. If they want to live together in sin, that’s her business. If they want to get remarried, that’s her business. So my suggestion is that you all take that coffee and root beer back to your trailers and come back about nine. Me and Mama will have a hell of a breakfast ready for you and the intervention? I love you all, but it ain’t happenin’.” She shook her head. “Not on my watch. Come on, Mama. Let’s go grab a couple of more hours of rest in your room. I can’t hear Faith snore-talking that far away.”

  “You are sleeping with Jackson—again!” Katy gasped.

  “Right here in the house with Nona here and you not married?” Tammy asked.

  “Holy shit,” Dolly exclaimed.

  “What did I tell the whole bunch of you before we left Mustang?” Clark appeared from the living room and leaned on the doorjamb.

  “How long have you been in there, Grandpa?” Nona asked.

  “Awhile. Looks like the bunch of you still need a referee.” He grinned. “Nona, it’s time you tell your mother your plans and stop this tug-of-war. It’s only fair.”

  “Yes, sir,” Nona said. “Mama, I’m going to finish my last year with online courses from Oklahoma University. My first-semester tuition is due by the end of July. I’m already enrolled for both semesters and I’ll be graduating with my class next May.”

  “Daddy?” Loretta looked up at him.

  “I talked to her last night. She’s not being fair with you any more than your sisters are. But then you haven’t been fair, either. Nona is twenty-one and you need to cut the apron strings. That doesn’t mean you stop loving her,” he answered.

  “I could never do that,” Loretta whispered.

  “You sisters were here to apologize for the way they’ve talked to you, but I understand that you raked them over the coals pretty bad the day you had way too much whiskey, so I reckon you all need to kiss and make up. What you do or don’t do is your business as far as Jackson is concerned. Now, I’m going out to the backyard so I can see one of these Texas sunrises, which is the only thing I ever missed about this whole place,” Clark said.

  Emmy Lou blew a kiss toward her sister. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Me too,” Dolly said.

  “I’ll ask Jesus to forgive me, Loretta,” Tammy said.

  “You weren’t mean to Jesus,” Nona said.

  T
ammy frowned at her for a moment. “Okay, I’m sorry, Loretta.”

  “I guess we might as well start breakfast,” Nona said. “Mama?”

  “I apologize for calling each of you and especially for the language I used when I was drunk,” she said.

  “Drunk?” Nona asked.

  “Sometimes daughters can drive a mother to drinking,” Katy said. “I’m glad you are going to finish your education, Nona. It will make your mama happy and you will have finished something that you started. Speaking of which, we’ll talk about your job later, Loretta.”

  Jackson sat down beside Loretta and draped an arm across the back of the sofa, letting only his fingertips touch her bare arm. “You and your sisters seemed to be getting along really well by suppertime. We still got a hayloft date in about thirty minutes?”

  “I don’t think we should go to the hayloft. Nona and Travis are most likely hiding out there this evening. They snuck out across the yard about thirty minutes ago,” she said.

  “And?”

  “Nona is going to finish college with online courses from the University and graduate with her class next May. It looks like we both win. She stays here and yet she finishes school. I’m going to miss her, Jackson.”

  “But she lived in the dorm, Loretta. She only came home on weekends.”

  “But I knew she was only an hour away,” Loretta sighed. “Let’s go to the old huntin’ cabin.”

  “And what happens in an old cabin?” he asked.

  “Just like Vegas,” she said, “it stays in the cabin. You worried that it’ll get around the canyon that you’re a loose-legged cowboy?”

  “Might be. You want to take a ride instead?”

  “Let’s go to the creek.”

  “It’s pretty low with this heat. Got enough water in it to keep the cattle happy, but not enough to skinny-dip,” he said.

  She leaned on his shoulder. “I wasn’t thinking of skinny-dippin’. Is the quilt still behind the seat in our old truck?”

  “You’re the only person I’ve ever taken that quilt out for.” He grinned.