Midnight Wrangler

by Cat Johnson

  “I will. Thank you.” He turned on a boot heel and was about to sprint for his truck when Mr. Martin called his name. Heart pounding, Rohn stopped and turned back. “Yeah?”

  “If you need to come in an hour late tomorrow, that’d be fine.”

  “Um, probably won’t need to but thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” Jeez, he hated this deception.

  Rohn wasn’t sure why Bonnie felt they needed to keep their dates secret. She was eighteen. So was he. Surely her father would allow her to date at this age.

  All they’d done was go to the movies and the ice-cream parlor together a handful of times. Yeah, they’d kissed, and a tiny bit more, but that was it.

  Maybe he’d talk to Bonnie tonight about finally telling her parents about them. But even as he thought that, he realized they were in too deep already. What would they do? Lie and tell her parents they were just starting to date now? They certainly couldn’t admit they’d been lying for weeks, sneaking around to see each other behind her parents’ backs.

  They’d created an impossible situation. It was probably best to just continue as they were and hope her father didn’t figure it out before she left for college. He wouldn’t be able to monitor what she did then.

  The thought of Bonnie leaving for Arizona twisted Rohn’s gut. He hated the idea of her going away. Not just because he was going to miss her, but because he didn’t want her so far from him or surrounded by all those college guys. Guys who would surely appreciate a pretty little thing like her. But there was nothing he could do about that.

  He couldn’t help but glance at the front windows of the house as he started his truck, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bonnie Blue’s sweet face.

  Disappointed when he didn’t spot her, he turned in the seat and backed the truck out of the drive. He’d be meeting her in town tonight and he could barely stand to wait the few hours.

  He made himself drive the speed limit through town, so he got home safely and without getting pulled over. Once home, he showered and then ate dinner with his parents. All the while, he watched the clock, waiting for the moment when he could leave to go meet Bonnie in town.

  Finally, the agonizingly long minutes clicked by and it was time he could leave without arriving ridiculously early. “Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad.”

  “You’re leaving?” his mom called from the kitchen.

  “Yeah.” Ready to bolt, Rohn forced himself to stay put and wait to see what his mother had to say.

  “Meeting the guys?” his mother asked.

  He moved to the doorway so he could see her. “Yeah. Probably. I’m not sure who will be there.”

  Lying to Bonnie’s parents meant he also had to lie to his, just in case they ever met in town. Luckily, his parents weren’t all that concerned. They trusted him and as long as he didn’t abuse their trust, they couldn’t care less if he met Brian and Pete in town, or Bonnie.

  “Okay. Have fun. Be careful.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She didn’t question where he was going or when he’d be back. She treated him like an adult, which he was. Why couldn’t Bonnie’s parents be as understanding?

  Actually, her mom probably would be. He knew it was her father Bonnie worried about. Rohn drew in a breath as he climbed into the truck, hoping one day, he could come right out and tell the man he was dating his daughter.

  Hell, Rohn was more than dating her. He was falling for Bonnie pretty hard.

  Enough that his heart beat faster just thinking about her. Of course, he’d never tell another living soul that little detail. Not his guy friends, anyway. They’d laugh at him for sure. But Rohn was hoping to finally get to show Bonnie off to his friends tonight at the party. If she still wanted to go to it. He supposed he’d find out soon enough.

  Bonnie was chaining up her bike to the usual rack near the theater. Shaking his head at her insistence on riding that thing instead of letting him pick her up at her house, he pulled the nose of the truck up to the curb right behind her. He saw the moment she realized it was him in the truck idling just feet from her.

  She turned and smiled, then bounced down off the curb and over to the passenger side of the truck.

  He’d learned she’d have the door open and would be inside long before he had time to get out of the truck, run around the hood, and open the door for her. Not that he hadn’t tried it. He had. She’d just giggle at him from her seat and tell him she could open the door herself. At which point he’d box her in with his arms on either side of her and treat her to a big kiss in exchange for her sass.

  Come to think of it, just for that kiss it was well worth the effort of running to open the door for her, even if he did fail every time.

  “Hey.” He smiled and turned to her as she hopped into the truck.

  “Hey.” She buckled her safety belt and then angled herself to return his smile.

  A mouth that pretty deserved a kiss. Cupping her face, he leaned in and took one. He pulled back just enough to say, “Anytime you want me to start picking you up at the house so you don’t have to ride—”

  “I know, but I don’t mind riding.” She gave him her usual answer, just as he’d expected.

  “A’ight.” He pulled back and gripped the steering wheel. “Ready for the party?”

  “Yup.” She didn’t look all that excited.

  That wasn’t so surprising. She wasn’t the party type. She liked quiet dates for the two of them. Watching a movie. Sharing the strawberry cheesecake ice cream she’d become obsessed with. So much so he’d begun to order that flavor for himself, because invariably she’d finish the small cone she insisted on, and he’d let her finish his.

  “Do you not want to go?” he asked her.

  “It’s fine. We can go.”

  He turned off the engine and spun in the seat to face her. “That’s not what I asked. I want to know what you want to do.”

  “You want to go so—”

  “Bonnie . . .” He imbued the one word with enough warning that she clamped her mouth shut midprotest. “Tell me what you want to do.”

  She hesitated a second before lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “I kind of would rather just be alone with you. But I know you want to go, so we can go.”

  He did want to go. Not because he wanted to drink the beer Brian’s older brother had bought for the party since their parents were out of town, or to hang out with his friends, but because he wanted to show off Bonnie as his girlfriend. He couldn’t wait to walk in there with her on his arm and let everyone know she was his girl. But more than that, he wanted her to be happy, and if she didn’t want to go, then he didn’t need to be there, either.

  Rohn debated making a deal with her. They could stop by the party for half an hour, say hello to everyone, and then leave. But he knew how things would go. Once his friends and the rest of the guys on the football team grabbed him, he would be hard-pressed to get out of there before midnight, or before the cops showed up, whichever came first.

  That was another consideration—there was a very real chance this party could get busted by the police. That was the last thing Bonnie needed, considering they were already lying to her parents.

  The final point, which clinched the decision for Rohn, was that Lena and her friends would be there. His prom date likely wouldn’t take kindly to his dodging her all summer. Nor would she welcome Bonnie into her fold of girlfriends. There would definitely be hard feelings because Bonnie was dating him.

  Girls could be vicious, and Lena and her clique were among the worst.

  Nope. His Bonnie Blue didn’t need any of this shit just because he was proud to have her on his arm.

  “Okay.” He spun back to face the steering wheel and reached for the key in the ignition.

  “Wait, okay what?”

  “Okay, we don’t have to go to the party.” He started the engine and put the truck in reverse.

  “But then where are we going?”

  “You said you’d rather be alone, and I agree. I just happen
to know someplace where we can be alone.” He glanced and saw the expression of surprise on her face, but he didn’t explain further. She’d see where he was taking her soon enough, and if he knew her at all, she’d love it.

  Chapter Eleven

  The surprise early-morning phone call from Rohn was enough to get Bonnie moving for the day, no matter how groggy she felt from the pharmacy sleeping pills that hadn’t helped her sleep all that great.

  As her mind spun she headed to the bathroom. She needed to dress for the day. Rohn’s hired hands would be coming over to help soon and Rohn was apparently delivering breakfast.

  Her face burned as she remembered his comment on the phone when he’d told her to put some clothes on.

  Bonnie hadn’t felt attractive, or like a real woman, in a long while. She’d kind of sidelined that portion of her life and concentrated on safer things. Work. Her mom. Their home.

  Rohn made it seem as if it would be easy to fall back into things with him. Was he just being friendly, or was he looking to pick up where they’d left off? He wouldn’t be if he knew the complete truth.

  When—if—she ever told him, he’d hate her. No doubt about it.

  Keeping that in mind she pulled her hair back and splashed cold water on her face. She needed the icy dose of reality. Because of the past, she could have no future with him. The sooner she accepted that, the better.

  Face washed and teeth brushed, Bonnie flipped open the lid of the small carry-on-sized suitcase she had with her in the bathroom—one of the only two clean rooms in the house. Since she’d be cleaning again today, she should put on a T-shirt and shorts. Even so, she had the urge to put on one of her better tank tops.

  She wanted to look good and she knew why. Rohn.

  Forcing herself to stop trying to be pretty for him, she grabbed the T-shirt instead of the tank. Bonnie had just pulled it over her head when she heard the distant sound of her cell phone ring.

  Now what?

  Drawing in a breath, she ran for the kitchen, where last night she had plugged the phone into an outlet to charge.

  The readout said Mom. Bonnie had texted just to say she’d arrived in town safely, but she hadn’t had a chance to call her mother yesterday. She’d intended to, but she’d become so involved with cleaning, she’d never gotten around to it.

  She grabbed the phone and yanked the cord out, hitting the button to answer the call before it went to voice mail. “Mom. Hi. Sorry, I was at the other end of the house and had to run for the phone.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. So how’s it going there?”

  “It’s . . . going.” Bonnie glanced around the kitchen. She couldn’t bring herself to say it was going well. At least she could say she’d made some progress in the short time she’d been in Oklahoma.

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  Her mother knew her too well. She would know if Bonnie outright lied and said everything was fine. “There’s just a lot to be done, that’s all. Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “I knew I should have gone with you. I’m going to call my boss and take off work—”

  As a teacher, Bonnie had the summer off. Her mother didn’t, nor did she have paid vacation time at her job as a receptionist. Their finances were fine, but still things were tight enough that she and her mother needed both of their incomes to live comfortably.

  “No, Mom. Really, I’m fine. Actually, cleaning out is kind of cathartic. You won’t believe what I found last night in the kitchen drawer.”

  “What?”

  “The tassel from my graduation cap. It was stuck in the program along with my prom picture. I guess you stashed it there twenty-five years ago. Crazy it’s still there, huh?”

  “Uh, Bonnie. I never put those things in the kitchen drawer.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I never saw your cap or the tassel for that matter after you graduated. I assumed you had it put away somewhere.”

  Now that she thought about it, she had. Both the tassel and a copy of the graduation program had been stashed on the top shelf of her closet. She’d been meaning to make a scrapbook and had never gotten around to it before leaving for Arizona. So how did it get in the kitchen and into the program?

  “Are you sure you didn’t move the tassel into the drawer? Maybe you forgot?”

  “Baby girl, I might be old but I’m not forgetful. I never saw that tassel except on your head when you walked up to get your diploma.” The conviction was clear in her mother’s tone.

  “Okay. I believe you.”

  Could it have been her father who’d gone through her closet and stuck it in the kitchen with the prom picture? That was something she’d need to wrap her head around when it wasn’t spinning with shock.

  “You sound overwhelmed. Are you sure you don’t need my help there? I can look at flights—”

  “Really, Mom. Don’t waste the time or the money coming here. I, uh, actually have help.”

  “Colleen and Andrew? They always were so sweet.”

  It wasn’t the neighbors Bonnie had been thinking of, but she didn’t correct her mother. “Yeah, they are sweet. They came over to see me right after I arrived yesterday.”

  “Good. I’m glad you’re not alone there.”

  “Nope. Not alone.”

  What would her mother say if she knew Bonnie had seen their old farmhand, Rohn? Had shared ice cream with him. Had been invited to stay at his house. That she was about to have breakfast with him.

  Knowing her mother, she’d think it was great, because even to this day Bonnie had never revealed that she and Rohn had been secretly dating that summer.

  She didn’t have time to get into anything with her mother now. Rohn’s guys would be over soon. She should probably wrap this up before they arrived.

  “So I was about to get started on all I need to do today. Can I call you later?”

  “Of course, baby. Don’t work too hard. Okay? And accept help when it’s offered. Don’t be stubborn.”

  “I’m not stubborn.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  Bonnie drew in a breath. “All right. I’ll try.”

  “That’s all any of us can do. Bye, baby.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  She disconnected the call and laid the cell on the counter. That one conversation had raised more questions than it answered. Bonnie yanked open the drawer in the kitchen, curious now as to what else it contained.

  Pawing through the menus, pens, rubber bands, and assorted crap, Bonnie finally excavated to a level that revealed more personal things. She pulled out the items she’d found last night and laid them on the counter.

  Beneath that she found even older pictures. Photos that could only be from the time period when her father and mother were dating. Before they’d gotten married. Had her father put those there too? Did he miss her mother so much, he kept the pictures in the kitchen so he could look at them?

  He had never remarried and Bonnie had always assumed it was because he was such a miserable bastard that no woman would put up with him. But in light of this evidence, she had to wonder, had her father not remarried because he’d never stopped loving her mother?

  She pawed deeper. One picture stopped her dead. It was her, as a baby, held in her father’s arms, and he was smiling. This baby picture. The one from her prom night. The graduation stuff. Had he actually missed her, too, after she’d left?

  A knock on the front door startled Bonnie. She swept all of her finds back into the drawer to deal with later and turned toward the living room.

  Unlike last night, she had the front door closed and locked. The only thing she could see was a cowboy hat through the small window, but she knew who was there anyway.

  That was Rohn’s hat.

  Flipping the top lock with one hand, she turned the knob with the other and pulled the door open.

  “Good morning.” His smile made her heart skip a beat and she knew she was in trouble.

  “Good morning.” She couldn’t
help the smile that bowed her lips. “Come on in.”

  He stepped forward into the room, glancing around as he did so.

  “I haven’t started working yet today.” Bonnie felt the need to explain, to make excuses why the living room was still as cluttered as it had been last night when he’d left.

  “We’ll get it straightened out today. But breakfast first.” He held up the white paper bag in his hand.

  She lifted her brows at the size of the bag. “That looks like a lot of food.”

  He grinned. “I bought enough for the guys. They’ll be here right behind me and they can really put away the food. Believe me.”

  Bonnie followed him into the kitchen. “I’ll have to run out and get something for them for later—”

  “Stop. I’ll grab them lunch later, and if they need anything before then, they can go and get it themselves.”

  “I don’t even have any bottled water for them to drink.”

  “Bonnie.” Rohn grinned wider. “I know you’ve been away from farm life for a while, and maybe things are a bit more refined where you live now, but I can tell you that these guys are used to drinking straight out of the hose at the ranch. They’ll be fine with tap water. Hell, using a glass will be a step up.”

  She had been away for a long time. It was easy to forget things like swimming in the pond to cool off in summer, and, as Rohn had said, drinking straight out of the hose.

  There had been life before bottled water. Sometimes it was hard to remember that. She missed those good old days. Some parts of them, anyway.

  “All right. I’m still buying you all lunch though since you’re helping me.”

  “How about we debate that when the time comes?”

  “Okay.” She had a feeling he’d fight her tooth and nail about buying lunch. She’d have to sneak in a call to the pizza place later and order a delivery before Rohn had a chance to buy something else. But lunch wasn’t nearly enough for all he was about to do for her. “I don’t know how to pay you back for all your help.”

  “That’s easy. You don’t have to.”

  “No, Rohn, I want to.”

  “A’ight. If you insist, I have an idea of how you can return the favor.” He pulled out an envelope from the back pocket of his jeans and held it up.