by Mary Leo
It was times like these when Chase appreciated Joyce and her family. Without Joyce, Chase might not have caught up to RuthieAnn. Now all he had to do was make this encounter worthwhile.
No simple task, knowing what he knew about RuthieAnn’s determination to keep her distance.
MACHALA LIVINGSTON, SWEET Sally’s fifty-something, expert bridge bungee jumping daughter, could be found tending bar most days and some nights at Around The Bend, the only real watering hole in town. Ever since the fracking boom had come to these parts, another trendier bar, Blue Virgin, had opened on the far end of Main Street. However, so far it seemed that only the newcomers went in for those fancy blue martinis with the high prices. Everyone else stuck to Around The Bend, a true locals tavern where the ranchers and shopkeepers could relax and talk crap without offending anyone.
Chase ordered a longneck beer, and a sparkling water with two lemons from Machala, grabbed the drinks, then went and joined RuthieAnn inside the booth at the front of the long dark room.
“I really shouldn’t have agreed to come in here. It’s way too upsetting,” RuthieAnn said as Chase put down the drinks on white bar napkins.
“It’s the only place we can sit and talk in privacy.”
“Isn’t there a coffee shop? Or what about the bakery?”
“No coffee shop yet, but there’s talk that a Starbucks might be opening next to Blue Virgin next year, and the bakery closes around two. The business section of Wild Creek is essentially the same as when you left, but the population is growing by leaps and bounds. I don’t think any of us will recognize it in the next couple of years. Apparently, someone wants to open a Cracker Barrel restaurant. If that happens, small town Wild Creek might just be a thing of the past.”
“You might be surprised at how much you’ll like Wild Creek once it modernized. Might do everyone some good. New blood and all.”
Chase shook his head. “I might like it, then again, I might not. Have to see what that kind of change feels like first.”
“Well, I won’t be sticking around to find out. Once my dad’s house is cleaned out and his ranch is sold, I don’t have any reason to return.”
Her words came out like a slap across Chase’s face. “I guess you don’t.”
She leaned forward, and her demeanor softened. “Chase, I’m sorry, but you know I can’t stay here. There’s way too many dark memories for me and for my brother—who’s coming in on Friday night.” She glanced at her white, large-faced watch. “I want to pick up Jayden and take him over to Grover’s department store to buy him a suit or some nice dress pants and shoes for the memorial, so I can’t stay long.”
Chase knew she was trying her best to brush him off, but he wasn’t quite done with her yet. “This won’t take long. I just thought we’d catch up. Haven’t seen you since Avery read Clark’s will.”
“If this is about what happened between us, I thought I made myself perfectly clear . . .”
“You did. It’s not about that, although you should know, it was one of the best nights of my life.”
She blushed as a warm smile creased her lovely lips. “Chase, I’m sorry, but my life is in Vegas and yours is here. It can never work out between us. Nothing can come of us continuing on that path. It’s destructive for us both.”
“I didn’t say I wanted anything to change between us, although if it did, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it. I’m just telling you what it meant to me. You’re a very special woman, RuthieAnn Dolan, and I thought you should know.”
“Thanks, but, well . . .” She sipped on her sparkling water, then she gazed back over at him.
“I’m okay with your decision. Really. That’s not what I want to talk to you about, at least not now.”
“If it’s about my dad’s memorial, Chase, you have to stop paying for everything and upgrading the things I have in place. I don’t need you to do that.”
“I know you don’t, but I want to.” He drank some of his beer. It went down easy, satisfying his thirst and giving him time to think about the situation. Now that she was sitting across from him, and he had her attention, he didn’t quite know where to begin, how to approach the subject of the accident. Part of him wanted to know the truth, but a bigger part of him, the part that was falling hard and fast for this amazing woman, wanted to run from the truth. For the past five years, the details of that morning plagued him like a bad disease. His doctors, friends, family cautioned him to let it go, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t. He always thought if he knew the truth, knew what really happened, and how it happened, it would somehow free him to go on with his life.
Now, staring at RuthieAnn’s lovely face, watching how her eyes caught the light, how her full soft lips perfectly formed each word, how a simple smile made his entire day better, he was changing his mind about the truth, especially if somehow she was involved.
That truth would just about kill him.
Still, he wanted to know more about that Lucky guy, and the dark blue sedan that he could now remember. He couldn’t seem to get what his mom had said when she referred to Jayden’s father: he just might be the man who hit you and left you to die on the side of the road.
“About that guy, Jayden’s dad, Lucky Mathis. Strange how he’s connected to Clark, and then to you. What’s his real story? Do you know? Did he ever mention anything about his father losing all that land gambling?”
RuthieAnn seemed to recoil into herself by the mere mention of Lucky’s name.
“I don’t want to talk about him. He’s in jail, and that’s all anybody has to know about him.”
Chase sat back, not wanting to push her, not wanting to offend her, but still wanting an answer to his memory . . . to his question.
“If you can just bear with me for one more question: what kind of car did Lucky drive? And what was the color? It wasn’t a dark blue early eighties Chevy, by any chance, was it?”
“I don’t remember,” she said a little too quickly.
“Sure you do. Close your eyes and think back. It’s important to me.”
“I don’t remember what kind of car Lucky drove. Besides, he had a lot of cars. He was a mechanic. That’s how he made his money, fixing old cars.”
“But did he own a dark blue car?”
She let out a frustrated sigh, and he knew she was getting ready to either bolt or close up. Something about his question really upset her. Why?
He decided to change the subject. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t press you. I can only imagine what your life with him must have been like if you helped put him in jail. Maybe one day, you’ll feel comfortable enough to tell me the truth. In the meantime,” he leaned in closer, across the table. “Did you know that in this light, your eyes look incredible?”
Chase could tell she didn’t want to smile, but she couldn’t help herself. She sat back. “Flattery isn’t going to change anything. There are some things, some facts . . .”
He pushed on. She still wasn’t relaxed enough. “And your hair has a brilliant sheen to it, like spun silk,” he said. “And that mouth of yours, well, it cries out for kissing.”
A smirk pulled at her lips. “Chase Cooper, are you trying to charm me back into your bed? Because if you are, it’s not going to work.”
Her smirk grew wider, and he knew damn straight that the door had cracked open. Now if he could just build on that crack and get her to open up to the idea.
“Maybe not tonight, but you’re in Wild Creek for at least a few more weeks. Anything can happen.”
She shook her head. “This can’t go anywhere, Chase.”
“Then let’s just keep it right here.” When he reached across the table for her hand, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she allowed him to run his fingers over hers, then he gently turned her hand over and ran his fingers over the soft part of her palm. He caught the soft sigh that escaped her lips and he felt the heat of their touch race through his body.
Oh yeah, that crack in her closed door was getting wider.
&nb
sp; He was just about to ask her to come home with him when a familiar female voice echoed behind them.
Ten
“Well I’ll be,” Sweet Sally said walking up to the booth, her cheerful face heavily lined with penciled-in eyebrows higher than her own. She wore flowered jeans and a bright blue sweater over a round body. Her bright blue, horn-rimmed glasses sat high on the bridge of her narrow nose, and her salt and pepper curly hair was kept short in a more stylish do than other women her age. Sweet Sally’s pleasant disposition lit up any room she walked into, including the dark tavern. Her face beamed with a big welcoming smile, which caused both Chase and RuthieAnn to stop short of exiting the booth. “I heard you was in town, but I didn’t think I’d catch up to you until the funeral. This is a real treat, honey. A real treat.” Then she shooed Chase over in his seat and made herself comfortable right next to him.
RuthieAnn looked as though she wanted to drop through the floor to get away from her, but Chase knew there was no way either one of them would be able to leave until she said her piece . . . whatever it might be.
“RuthieAnn, I’m sure you remember Sweet Sally,” he said trying his best to sound welcoming despite his desperately wanting to get RuthieAnn back to his place.
Of all the times for Sweet Sally to walk into the tavern, now was not it.
Sweet Sally slid her hands across the table, reaching out for RuthieAnn, her many bracelets clinking on the wooden table. RuthieAnn reluctantly reached out and grabbed hold, having little choice in the matter. She threw Chase an apologetic look, but Chase knew there was nothing either one of them could’ve done to avoid this.
“I’m so happy to see you, sweetheart, you look so much like your mamma, it’s uncanny. I think your mamma would’ve wanted you to come back home. I’m sure she’s looking down on you right now and she’s happy. She loved you and your brother so much,” Sweet Sally said.
“Thanks, but she had a strange way of showing it.”
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Chase asked Sweet Sally, trying to change the subject and ease the tension that he saw building on RuthieAnn’s face.
“Thanks, but I’m good,” she told him. “I’ve got some stuff I need to tell Clark’s daughter, and now’s as good as time as any.”
“As a matter of fact, we were just leaving,” RuthieAnn told her.
“I’m gonna say my piece first, honey. I’m an old woman. No telling how much longer I’ve got. Could drop dead in the next five minutes. What I got to say won’t take long, then you and Chase can go do whatever you were gonna do. Okay?”
RuthieAnn hesitated for a moment, then relented.
“Your mamma had it tough. Things didn’t always go right for her no matter how she tried. Had a hard upbringing once her dad left and her mom died when she was only eight. Left her with crazy Mary. That’s what we all called her. Can’t call nobody crazy now, but back then, we all knew Mary was crazy. She was all your mamma had. She had a good heart, your mamma, but them drugs got a hold of her and the poor thing didn’t have the strength to let them go in time to save her life. Happens to a lot of folks these days . . . back then, too.”
RuthieAnn’s forehead furrowed. “Drugs? What drugs? You know as well as I do that my mom was an alcoholic. I don’t remember any drugs.”
“Oh honey, I thought you knew? Thought Clark told you. All those years she struggled. Can’t imagine why he never told you.”
RuthieAnn slid out of Sweet Sally’s grasp and sat back, eyeing Sweet Sally skeptically. Chase had heard rumors about Mrs. Dolan and opioids, but hadn’t given much credence to the gossip. Some folks in Wild Creek liked to spread rumors, and until Chase could validate the rumors himself, that was exactly what they remained . . . rumors.
“My dad rarely spoke to either of us except to yell, berate or give us an order. We didn’t have a good relationship, as I’m sure you know.”
She nodded and let out a little ah-huh. “I suspected as much, hon. He was always proud of his kids, though, but from what you’re saying, he never told you. Probably the alcohol. He couldn’t stop, not that he ever tried very hard. He didn’t used to drink like that, you know. Neither did your mom. It all started a few months after Kevin was born. Did you know that?”
“I don’t know anything about my mom or my dad, for that matter. I didn’t even know about that crazy Mary woman you mentioned.”
“Well, it’s time you knew the truth, sweetheart. Your poor mom tripped over some pots of plants she was getting ready to change out for the fall. She loved plants of all kinds, especially ones with bright colors. Liked to decorate her house with as many flowers as she could afford to grow. That’s what she was doing that day, planting fall flowers in two big pots that she kept on the bottom of the stairs leading up to her front porch. Snapped her collarbone in several places. I remember when it happened. The sweet woman was in a world of hurt. Could barely move. Your daddy couldn’t handle seeing her like that. I think that’s around the time that he started coming in here more frequent like. Changed both of them. I remember that none of the drugs them doctors gave her was working until she found a doctor over in Flagstaff who gave her a prescription for something much stronger, an opioid. After that, there was no going back.”
“So it was true,” Chase said. “I’d heard about her addiction, but never thought there was any merit to it.”
“You should know better Chase,” Sweet Sally scolded. “There’s always some truth to the rumors around here.”
Chase didn’t know how to respond. He’d suffered his own addiction that he didn’t like to talk about. For the most part, he’d kept his addiction to himself, but his family knew something was up. His addiction had triggered all the arguing between him and his older brother, Reese. Even now that he was completely clean, the two of them still hadn’t come to terms. Listening to everything that Sweet Sally was saying about RuthieAnn’s mom, Chase thought that maybe it was time for he and his brother to make peace. He loved Reese. Nothing could change that, especially not those damn drugs.
Under some pretty intense circumstances, Reese had done what he thought was right for their family. Deep down inside, Chase always knew that, but he was too angry at himself to think straight.
Well, he had a clear head now and Reese and their family had been through enough. It was time to mend some fences . . . some mighty stubborn fences.
“My mom was addicted to opioids? But why didn’t I know this? Why didn’t anyone tell me? And why didn’t she get some help?”
“Because when you’re in the middle of an addiction, you don’t think you need help, and most times, you don’t want help. You can’t bear to think that someone will take your drugs away and you’ll feel the pain again. That’s the rub in all of this. You’ll do anything to keep that pain away. I know. Been through some of that myself when I cracked three ribs a while back. Took all I had to get off of them evil things. Besides, the high you get is like nothing else. I know first hand.”
“Amen to that,” Chase said. “I never admitted it before, but that’s exactly what I went through. Ashamed to say it caused a rift in my family. Took some doing, but I’m over all that now.”
Sweet Sally chuckled. “I shouldn’t laugh, but WOWZA, that was some kind’a high.” Then she grabbed hold of Chase’s hand and squeezed. “You’re a brave man, Chase Cooper. You’ve been through the wringer, that’s for damn sure. Glad you finally came out of that deep dark tunnel and you’re clean now?”
“One hundred percent.”
“You too?” RuthieAnn asked. “I would never have believed it about you, Chase. You seem so put together. So calm. So steadfast in your beliefs.”
“It’s not something I’m proud of,” Chase told her. “But pain and despair plays with your brain. Makes you crazy. Makes you do things you know aren’t good, but you justify it because of the pain. Took everything I had to pull myself up out of it, but I knew my dad wouldn’t want one of his sons to live that way, and my anger was too hurtful for my mom.
She and I are better now, but this rift with my older brother needs to stop.”
“You’re a blessing for your mom and your family, I’m sure,” Sweet Sally said.
“They never knew,” Chase said. “At least I don’t think they did, because they never mentioned it.” Then he turned his focus to RuthieAnn. “Just like you didn’t know about your mom’s addiction. It’s easy to hide if you don’t overdo it. Your mom did both, so she covered up her numbing reaction to the opioids with booze. It’s an easy cover-up. I’m surprised she didn’t overdose.”
“Your sweet mamma went from being a good-natured woman who loved her family and her little house, to a bitter and resentful woman who didn’t care about nothing but her next high. Such a shame. I remember that last night she was in here.”
RuthieAnn leaned forward, and tension and apprehension seemed to surround her. Chase wished he could reach out and comfort her, tell her everything was going to be all right. He knew exactly what she was feeling. He’d gone through it with the revelations about his mom, his dad, and Chuck Starr. It was rough to learn the truth about your parents, and even rougher to learn that your preconceived notions about them were somehow twisted, for whatever reason.
“I’m not sure I want to hear any of this,” RuthieAnn said. “My brother already told me some stuff . . . well . . . I don’t know if now’s the time for revelations about a woman I grew up resenting.”
“Your choice, hon, but you should know despite what you heard, your mom barely drank that night, if at all.”
RuthieAnn sat up straight, her back pushing against the wall of the private booth, ready to challenge Sweet Sally at every turn. “That can’t be true. Everyone said she was knocking them down as usual. Even my dad said she was shit-faced that night. He said he saw her there earlier that evening and she was already drunk.”