“I’m doing it.”
“Running the Honky Tonk? Don’t you ever want to get away from it?”
“After that fishing shack back there on the bayou, I’ll just stay at the Tonk, thank you very much,” she said.
They came down out of the mountains in a tiny settlement called Page at a place where Highway 259 went north or south. Cathy had the atlas in her lap and pointed to the south.
“We’ll be home in about six hours. Not in time to open the Tonk but long before bedtime,” she said.
“Or we could be in Fort Smith in one hour.” He pointed north.
“Why would we… no, it’s not even an option.” She shook her head emphatically.
“You wanted to go to Mena and the pickup went north instead of south. Seems only fair that it does it again, don’t you think?”
“But?”
“I haven’t seen my folks in weeks and I’m this close. What would you do if it was your folks?”
She winced. Maybe his mother would be the only one at home. His sisters and father would be at work in the middle of the afternoon. It wouldn’t be a big deal to run in for an hour. If her mother was alive and she was that close, wild Missouri mules couldn’t keep her from seeing her.
“Of course not,” she said.
“Good. You’ll love Momma. She’s the rancher in the family. Dad still goes to the construction office every day but she runs the ranch. I’m going to call her and tell her we’re on the way,” he said.
He spoke briefly, never mentioning that he’d been the knight in shining pickup who’d rushed to her rescue. He just said he was in the area and had a few hours to spare. And he hung up right after he told her he was bringing someone with him so put on a pot of coffee because Cathy didn’t drink tea.
It was the longest sixty-six miles she’d ever ridden. She fidgeted with her hair and wished for her purse so she could put on a bit of makeup. Her jeans were too tight and her belt had too much bling. She should have bought the plainer boots and not spent so much on the suede coat with the sequins. His mother would think she was a glorified hooker. She saw a sign that said Fort Smith was ten miles away. How could a trip that took so long be over so quickly? Travis tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel, keeping time with one song after another from an Alan Jackson CD. How could he be happy when she felt like she was sitting in a bed of red ants? He made a few turns and then slowed down to turn left into a lane with a white fence on both sides penning in horses of every size and color.
“Momma is partial to paints but she raises all kinds,” Travis said.
Cathy didn’t answer but clasped her hands tightly. Good Lord, woman, you are twenty-eight years old and you’ve met parents before. What are you so blasted nervous about? Loosen up. It’s one woman and it’s an hour at most. After that you can make him take you straight back to the Honky Tonk where you can hole up for the rest of your life.
He parked in front of a rambling white clapboard ranch house. Big roomy rocking chairs were scattered down the length of a wide porch. Dormant crape myrtles waited for spring in the flower beds in the circular driveway.
Momma met them at the door and Travis bent to hug her. She was a petite blonde with green eyes and she wore faded jeans and a red plaid flannel shirt.
Travis stepped to one side. “I’d like you to meet Cathy O’Dell. Cathy, this is my mother, Odessa Henry.”
Cathy extended a hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
“I… I’m in shock. You are so beautiful,” she said bluntly. “He’s talked so much about you on the phone but I never asked what you looked like. I just assumed you were short. I have no idea how I got that notion in my mind.”
Travis chuckled.
Cathy blushed.
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Come on in. Myrna has a ham in the oven. I called your sisters and your dad is on his way home. They’ll all be here in an hour and we’ll eat early. Y’all can stay the night, can’t you?”
Travis looked at Cathy. “We have to be in Mingus by tomorrow afternoon. We can have supper and a visit, but then we’d better get some miles in.”
Cathy was barely inside the house and the walls began to close in. She had an acute desire to turn around and run all the way to Mingus. She followed Odessa and Travis into the living room but every step was a chore. She was too antsy to sit so she walked over to a huge stone fireplace with glowing embers covering the north wall. Pictures of children on the mantle captured Cathy’s attention and gave her an excuse to keep from sitting down.
Odessa joined her. “Those are the children when they were little. Travis, Gwen, Rose, Emma, and Grace. Travis is the only one who got my blond hair. The girls were always jealous. Gwen and Rose keep theirs blond now, straight out of a bottle. Emma and Grace learned to live with plain old light brown hair like their father.”
“Hello! I heard the prodigal son is home.” Homer Henry’s body matched his big, booming deep voice. He met his son in the middle of the room in a bear hug. He was the same height as Travis but fifty pounds heavier. His light brown hair was cut very short and his blue eyes looked huge behind wire-rimmed glasses. Put blond curls on his head and he was Travis in thirty years.
“Dad, this is Cathy O’Dell. Cathy, this is my father, Homer.”
Cathy extended a hand and Homer shook it firmly.
“I see where Travis got his blue eyes,” she said.
“And his glasses. Neither of us can stand the idea of putting something in our eyes so we aren’t candidates for contact lenses. Dessa has to hold us both down to put eye drops in during allergy season,” Homer said.
“Don’t be givin’ away my secrets.” Travis laughed.
“It ain’t a secret. It’s a failing,” Homer said. “What brings you two to Fort Smith? Y’all out scoutin’ for new territory?”
A gray-haired lady in jeans, a red T-shirt, and an apron brought in a tray with coffee, tea, and cookies. “Come over here and give me a hug, boy. You been gone too long this time. And why didn’t you call me earlier so I coulda made you a peach cobbler? I could whip you all over the yard for sneakin’ up on me like this. How is Angel? Why didn’t you bring her along?”
Travis hugged Myrna and introduced her to Cathy. “This is our head cook and the person who keeps the house running. We couldn’t make it without Myrna.”
“Hello,” Cathy said.
“I expect you’d best make the sacrifice and hug me too, young lady. I know I’m short but you’re young and bendable,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Cathy bent low to hug the small lady.
“Now y’all don’t ruin your supper. We’ll have the last of that chocolate cake I made yesterday and ice cream for dessert, but next time you’d best be callin’ me the day before so I can make your lady think we’re somebody.”
“I will,” Travis said.
“Come sit with us. You haven’t seen him in a month either,” Odessa said.
“Maybe for a little bit. Bread is made up into rolls so I’ve got a few minutes before it goes in the oven. Miss Grace likes her hot rolls with ham and baked beans.” Myrna sat down and propped her feet on the coffee table.
Travis remembered that she’d asked about Angel so he gave them a quick rundown on her new romance with Garrett.
“So what are you doing in this area?” Homer asked.
“Let’s save that story for the supper table when everyone is here,” Travis said.
Cathy slipped out of her coat and laid it on the back of a rocking chair and joined Myrna on the sofa, but she didn’t have the nerve to prop her cowboy boots on the coffee table. And she was damn sure not telling these people that she’d just met the story of her life or the one about how their son had rescued her either. Did he want her to tell them that he was a damn fine lover and that just thinking about what he could do to her body made her break out in hives?
“Then tell me what’s goin’ on in Texas. Did you strike oil yet?” Homer asked.
Travis
put two sugars and a tablespoon of cream into a cup and filled it the rest of the way with green tea. His mother did the same. Myrna poured black coffee in two cups and handed one to Homer.
“You’re not a tea drinker, are you?” she asked Cathy.
“No, black coffee, but I’ll fix it.”
“You take this one and I’ll pour myself another.” Myrna handed her the filled mug. “Me and you, we’ll get along just fine.”
Travis shook his head. “We haven’t hit the pocket yet but it’s down there. We’ve got two more weeks to bring it in and then one way or the other Amos will probably send me somewhere else. He’s got some negotiations going on in Alaska.”
“I hope you aren’t going that far!” Odessa said.
Travis patted his mother on the shoulder. “There are planes that fly out of Anchorage every day just like they do in Dallas.”
“Yes, but it’s the idea of you being halfway around the world that’s scary. Texas is far enough. Tell Amos you want to drill in our backyard,” Odessa said.
“There is no oil in our backyard,” Travis said.
“Who cares? I’ll pay you big bucks to come home and take care of the horses. Do you ride, Cathy? You can help him exercise them every day.”
“Cathy is an accountant. She works for Amos in the afternoons. I doubt she’d want to leave Mingus to come ride horses all day.” Travis laughed.
“I’m also a bartender. I own and operate the Honky Tonk beer joint. Amos was friends with the original owner, Ruby Lee. That’s how I got to know him. The accountant job is just part-time until his other lady gets back on her feet after a wreck,” Cathy said.
Myrna patted her knee. “Well halle-blessed-luyah. I thought you was another one of them fancy women that couldn’t work because they might break a fingernail. That’s the kind he usually brings home.”
“You really own a beer joint?” Odessa asked.
“I really do and your son is helping me bartend two nights a week,” Cathy said.
She figured Travis would either kick her out the door or at least shoot her a drop-graveyard-dead look but he did neither. He just winked at her and blew her a kiss behind his parents’ backs.
The sound of car doors out in the yard sent Myrna to the kitchen and Odessa and Homer to the living room. Travis crooked his finger and motioned for her to stand beside him. She started to refuse but it was his party and she did owe him big-time for the rescue and the shopping trip.
When they all trooped into the living room he had her pulled up to his side with his hand around her waist. In five minutes she’d gone from one-night stand to girlfriend. She didn’t have time to think about what all that entailed but she’d play along.
Introductions between Cathy and Emma, Grace, Rose, and Gwen were made. Emma was taller than her sisters but she still didn’t reach Cathy’s shoulder. She’d come straight from school and wore a denim jumper with a plaid shirt under it. Cathy reached out and brushed a bit of Play-Doh from her hair after shaking her hand.
“I’ve got a friend in Mingus who teaches kindergarten. She’s all the time coming home with that stuff stuck to her,” Cathy said.
Grace was the spitting image of her mother. Short, cute, and green-eyed. She wore a black power suit and high-heeled shoes.
“I’m glad you called because I’ve been starving for Myrna’s ham,” Grace said. “The only time we get invited is when the fair-haired glory man-child comes home.”
“Oh, stop it. Cathy’s not going to feel a bit sorry for any of you,” Odessa said. “All you have to do is call Myrna any day of the week and she’ll have supper on the table for you and you know it.”
Gwen wore a baby blue sweater the same color as her eyes. She had her father’s hair and face shape and her mother’s eyes. She sat down on the sofa, poured a cup of coffee, and propped her feet up. “I’m exhausted. I thought I was going to have to beg off but at the last minute the little boy’s fever broke so we didn’t have to hospitalize him.”
“Well, wait until you hear about my day,” Emma said. “It was a nightmare. You know nowadays that every kid in school has at least four parents and enough grandparents to populate a small third world country. And if the kid doesn’t like the teacher they all come to bitch and moan.”
“Hey, girl, you should work at the courthouse and you’d see what happens when they all get mad because their sweet little darlin’s get put in jail for smoking pot on school grounds. Your little kindergarten devils turn into our delinquents,” Grace said.
The best place in the whole world to hide out is in the middle of a big family. All Cathy had to do was listen to the conversations between them as they talked about their varied experiences and finally got around to asking Travis about what was going on in his world. They set up a howl when he told them he might be going to Alaska.
“How do you feel about that?” Grace looked at Cathy.
“I haven’t decided,” she said.
“Supper is on the table,” Myrna yelled from the kitchen.
Everyone headed for the dining room and to their permanent chairs around the table. Travis pulled out a chair for Cathy and bent to brush a light kiss across her neck. The jolt made her pulse take off like a NASCAR race car jacked up on high test fuel.
When he sat down she reached under the tablecloth and squeezed his thigh. Two could play the flirting game. “Sweet tea, please,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.” He poured for both of them as well as Myrna.
“We’ve been pretty rude. It’s just that we don’t all get together nearly often enough and this is such a surprise. So tell us, Cathy, what do you do other than look like a model? God, I’d kill a senator for your height,” Rose said.
“I own a bar called the Honky Tonk.”
“That one in Mingus that’s getting all the hype on Facebook and Twitter?”
“That’s the one, but I didn’t know it was getting any free advertisement,” she said.
“It is. They’re saying it’s the in place for old music and two-stepping. I’d love to go there,” Emma said.
“You’re a teacher!” Travis said.
“So? I like to dance and I like a good cold beer every so often just like you do.”
“I bartend for her on Friday and Saturday nights,” Travis said.
Emma spewed tea across the white tablecloth. With just a little more force she would have hit him right between his pretty blue eyes, but it stopped just short of that and stained the white tablecloth.
“Thank God for bleach,” Myrna said.
“Are you shittin’ me?” Emma asked Cathy.
She shook her head.
“It’s the gospel truth,” Travis said.
“Is it?” Rose asked.
Cathy nodded.
“It’s payment so she’ll work for Amos and I don’t have to spend time in the office,” he said.
“That explains it,” Gwen said. “This boy hates to be cooped up.”
Homer clicked his tea glass with his spoon and looked around the table. Cathy expected him to give a toast of some kind and got ready to raise her glass. Was it someone’s birthday? Had they been saving an important family announcement until Travis was home?
“Okay, listen up. First of all, welcome to our home, Cathy O’Dell. We are glad to have you. And second, we have always enjoyed the time around the supper table. It’s when we talked about our day. Tonight you’ve promised to tell us what brings you and Travis to Fort Smith. So we are all ears and the microphone is yours.”
She could have slapped the grin off Travis’s face. “You tell them.”
“Oh, no, it’s your story. Don’t leave out a bit of it. Gwen is a doctor. She won’t mind hearing about rats while she eats. And Grace and Rose used to try to make me sick at the supper table, so if there’s something really gory you left out when you told me, be sure to include it this time,” he said.
“Okay, then, here goes. Is this a once-upon-a-time story or a mystery?”
“It’s
a true crime story,” Travis said.
She smiled and started at the beginning when she and Brad had the big fight and she decided to move to Mingus to get away from him. Then she went on to tell about the time when he came into the Tonk and Billy Bob claimed to be married to her. That brought on some discussion about Chigger and Jim Bob with Travis putting in a character description or two about Jezzy Belle and Tinker. Then she told about the kidnapping, up to and including driving to Fort Smith and being nervous about meeting Travis’s family. But she didn’t tell them about the bedroom scenes or the Jacuzzi.
“I’d like to get a hold of that sorry sucker,” Rose said. “I bet I could figure out a way to make charges stick to him.”
“Probably not,” Grace said. “Cathy was right. With those two kidnappers on the lam and her not being able to really pick them out of a lineup it would be her word against his. She did the right thing. Only she should have taken it to the next level and at least crippled him.”
Travis sat back with a big smile on his face. A couple more visits and she’d have them all eating out of her hand, but then why shouldn’t they? She was pretty, smart, intelligent, and she could tell a damn fine story.
“Okay, don’t jump and run. Grace, you come and help me with dessert. If your brother would have gave me more notice there’d be peach cobbler so if the cake is stale, blame him,” Myrna said.
Dessert was a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a square of chocolate cake drizzled with chocolate syrup and sprinkled with chopped pecans. Cathy moaned with the first bite.
“Sheet cake?” she asked.
“That’s right. Myrna makes them once a week,” Grace said. “How’d you know?”
“I make them for special occasions.”
“Don’t tell Travis. He’ll glue himself to your side and follow you around like a little puppy dog. He loves chocolate sheet cake,” Myrna said.
“What else does he love?” Cathy asked.
Odessa waved a hand. “Don’t get Myrna started. She thinks the reason the sun comes up in the morning is to shine on his blond curls. She’s spoiled him her whole life. If I’d have known my way around the kitchen when I married Homer we wouldn’t have hired Myrna and Travis wouldn’t be nearly so spoiled.”
Hell, Yeah Page 24