by Stuart, Amie
He cleared his throat. "So."
"So?" I echoed, my grip tightening on my cup.
"I've been instructed by the band to officially ask you to join us, but I don't want you to feel like you have to. Like I said last night, the pay's not much—we've never really done it for money."
My conversation with Jace was still a bit too fresh, and joining the band meant committing to staying. Something I wasn't quite ready to do, so I settled for, "Maybe we could consider this weekend a trial run, see how I like it, and go from there?"
"Works for me."
***
From there everything just sort of went downhill, or uphill, or maybe even sideways, depending on how you looked at it. Zack planned to spend most of the day doing ranch work, leaving me on my own. I'd just showered and was preparing to grab an early lunch when Susie Boudreaux showed up on my doorstep.
"I should be at the bar, getting ready for tonight, but I decided we should spend some time together." Her sweetly smiling, gently rounded face left no room for argument, so I grabbed my purse and dutifully followed her out of my hotel room.
"You weren't busy were you?" she asked as we stepped in the elevator.
"No." What else could I say? "About to go eat."
"Good. I'm starving."
Downstairs, we climbed in her big Tahoe and headed out
"Can I ask where we're going?"
"Miz Mae's. I'm guessing Zack didn't take the time to show you the actual town, did he?
"No," I said with a rueful smile. "But I've seen a lot of small towns in my life. They're pretty much all the same. No offense."
"None taken."
"So what's this about? Because I'm guessing there's more to this than lunch."
"You're direct… I like that."
Rather than answer me right away, she silently drove down the highway a few miles before exiting at the "Historic Downtown Bluebonnet" sign and passed Carmen's to the actual town proper. The brick streets, the clapboard post office, the tiny bookstore, and the patiently restored hundred-year-old storefronts were all quaint and sure to attract a lot of tourists.
"There's not much to it," Susie said, as if I'd find it off-putting.
"I'm from a town of seven thousand," I replied.
"And where's that at?" She pulled the Tahoe into a tiny diner located in at an awkward V in the road, it's parking lot over half full.
"Montana. Horseshoe Bend, Montana. Don't blink," I added with a grin. Then in hopes of forestalling more questions, I told her about the personal ad, the rodeo, all of it. At least, all the stuff that seemed pertinent. All the stuff I figured she was going to ask me anyway.
"And your intentions toward my nephew?"
"Honorable, I promise," I said, all kidding aside.
"You don't have to go back to Montana or Utah or wherever? You don't have people waiting on you to come home?"
"I'm a grown woman," I said, thinking again of my earlier talk with Jace. "There's nothing there, in Montana or Utah, for me. So no, no one's waiting on me to come home."
"That's a pretty big move. All the way across the country. What about your family?"
"They're ranchers, like your brother."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know." I paused and said again, "There's nothing there for me."
She sat, staring out the window for a moment, her brows furrowed. "Are you sure you two know what you're getting into? You have to understand, Zack is…different. Sensitive. Tender hearted—"
"Not a fool," I interjected. "He's an artist and a musician, but not a fool. Just different. I get that. I like that. And we're not getting married next week, but we've had four months to get to know one another. I think I've got a pretty good idea of what he's about."
"He's also not perfect. In case you were wondering." Her laughter filled the SUV.
"Neither am I." I unlatched my seatbelt and waited to see what came next. Susie Boudreaux was a formidable woman, but she obviously cared deeply about Zack.
She nodded and retrieved her purse from the back seat. "Now that that's settled, let's eat."
Inside, a woman who reminded me of an elderly, slightly overweight Loretta Lynn greeted us, "It'll be a few. Susie, is this her? Zack's girl?"
I stared, caught off guard, then glanced over at Susie, who performed the introductions. Miz Mae grabbed my hand and pressed it to her ample chest, her face wreathed in smiles. "Welcome to Bluebonnet, sweetheart. I heard you're quite the singer."
Sputtering a thank you, I ignored the stares from the other diners as she led us to a table. I'd come from a small town. I knew how it worked when strangers came around. Everyone rubbernecked like you were a walking five-car pileup. If I hadn't been so hungry, if Susie hadn't been with me, I would have left, but it smelled like heaven inside that tiny hole-in-the-wall cafe and I hadn't had a real home-cooked meal since before I'd left Utah.
Mae led us to a tiny table for two that was tucked against the wall and handed out menus. A waitress slid in behind her and deposited two glasses of water and some napkin-wrapped flatware.
"Be right back."
"That's Glo." Susie said from behind her menu. "I highly recommend the chicken fried steak. You okay, honey?"
"How did she…"
She arched one eyebrow. "You're from a small town."
"Yeah, but—" I glanced over at Mae then back at Susie. "First Carmen, now Mae?"
"Zack kind of has that affect on women, whether he realizes it or not."
I nodded and sipped my water, our view of each other temporarily cut off by Glo's return. She took our order, assured me the greens were fresh, and sped off again. Around us, babies cried and children hollered, parents scolded and coaxed, trying to get them to finish their dinner. Occasionally, silverware fell, and someone in the kitchen was yelling to beat all. I fiddled with the napkin in my lap and glanced at Susie again, my mind suddenly blank for conversation topics.
"You know, I've been thinking—"
Lord help me, I braced myself for whatever she was about to say, a part of me wishing she'd done this in the car, before I'd caught a whiff of Miz Mae's cooking.
"—as long as you're planning on staying in town a while, there's no sense in you running up a huge hotel bill when I have three empty bedrooms."
Caught off guard by her generous offer, I blinked in surprise, my fork falling slack in my fingers. I'm not sure what I'd expected her to say, but an invitation to move in wasn't it. "That's…very kind."
"And practical. You'll save money and be close to Zack, and I can get a chance to know you better. If you're going to be my niece-in-law one day, I really need to know you better," she said while dumping sugar into her iced tea.
Niece-in-law. The words stuck in my brain. The thought of having someone like Susie Boudreaux as an aunt was appealing. Never mind that I had two aunts in Louisiana I hadn't ever met. And of course, there was no turning down Susie Boudreaux's generous offer, but I protested anyway. "I don't want to impose."
"Oh no. You're not imposing at all." Obviously, for her, the matter was settled.
"Does Zack…" Did he know? Was he a part of this? Had he suggested it?
"No, dear."
"How do I know you don't have an ulterior motive?" I countered, thinking that if I were here, I'd probably be suspicious of me, too.
"Maybe I do, but my nephew is very important to me."
Halfway through our dinner, Miz Mae stopped by, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "How is it?"
My mouth full of real, honest to God, mashed potatoes, made with cream and butter, meant all I could do was nod and smile. It was heavenly. Quite possibly some of the most heavenly food I'd ever eaten.
"I'll bring you some pie in a few minutes."
Panicked, I stared at Susie and shook my head. My plate was only half empty and I was already nearly full. At this rate, I'd never make it through a night of singing at the dancehall.
"Maybe we could get that to go?" Susie asked.
After our lunch, she took me back to the hotel and waited while I packed my things and checked out. I didn't even have time to call Zack and warn him. My normally steady hands shook the entire time I was shoving my clothes back into my suitcase.
"Leaving so soon," the desk clerk asked when I went to check out.
"Just going to stay with a friend."
"I see." A knowing smirk curved her lips as she narrowed her eyes at me.
Ignoring her blatant curiosity, I signed the credit card slip and slid it back across the counter. I wasn't giving her any extra gossip to call her friends or her mother or the church's phone tree with later on.
Outside, I loaded up my gear in my rental car, then followed Susie down the highway, past the dancehall, and then down a narrow two-lane road that led to the Rockin' B Ranch. We turned in at the first house and I parked next to Susie's Tahoe.
"Come on, sweetie, let me give you the grand tour." Susie ushered me onto the porch, one arm draped around my shoulder as we spun around and took it all in. Across from Susie's house a few horses grazed in the pasture. "Those are Tim's. And that's his house down there." She motioned down the road toward a newer brick and frame affair. "Across from him is Ty and Rhea. Right down here—" she pointed to the larger house on the same side of the road as hers, "—my brother Jerrod and his wife Maggie."
"Zack says she... " I couldn't even find the right words.
Susie nodded in understanding. "She is. She definitely is, but if you can't handle Maggie Boudreaux, then you have no business being with my nephew."
I turned and scowled up at her. "That's why you brought me here? To piss her off?"
"Maybe." She shook her head with a smile. "But keep in mind, Maggie isn't the only woman in this town with clout."
She meant herself, of course. I nodded in understanding, a part of me still unhappy at how this all had played out, at the possibility of being used, but I let it go for now. "And Zack?" I finally asked. "Where does he live?"
She led me to the far end of the porch and pointed. "Way back there in the far corner. Can't really see it good from here with the trees and whatnot, but it's a nice healthy walk. Let's get you settled in."
It was thirty more minutes before I got a second to myself and could send Zack a text message, but I'd no sooner finished than Susie was calling me downstairs.
"I know you must be just dying to meet Zack's dad," she said, her hand firmly glued to my spine as she shoved me through a small but tidy living room and into her kitchen.
The man sitting at her kitchen table clutching a glass of iced tea was Zack and even Ty in thirty or so years. Oh the eyes were different and the hair was blond but the face was the same. I couldn't resist a smile as I stuck out my hand. "It's a pleasure, sir."
"My goodness. Not near as much of a pleasure as it is to have you here, young lady."
I stammered a thank you as he kept talking.
"How in the world—" he chuckled and shook his head. "I bet Zack doesn't even know who you are, does he?"
Then it hit me. No wonder he was so pleased to meet me. He knew. Just like Tim the night before, he knew who I was.
"Zack knows." For a brief moment I wondered if Zack had told him or even Tim. Did Susie know? She'd missed my conversation with Tim the previous night, but that didn't mean much. I glanced over at her, but judging from the slightly confused expression on her face, she, at least, was in the clear. I figured Zack probably was, too. "He knows," I assured the older man with a slight nod.
Sure, I'd received a few funny looks at the bar, people who obviously knew me but couldn't place me or were afraid to ask, but nothing like this. Not yet. Then again, I wasn't exactly an A-List movie star with her own reality show, so for the most part, flying under the radar wasn't that hard. Unless I ran into some diehard rodeo fans, which I hadn't, except for Tim and apparently, Mr. Boudreaux.
"Of course he does. Of course he does," he murmured, running a hand through his hair as he continued to beam at me.
"Well, I don't," Susie added, crossing her arms over her brown, plaid shirt.
"She's Jessalyn Stratton—" At Susie's blank look, he added, "—five-time World Saddle Bronc champ." He beamed at his sister. "She's rodeo royalty."
My cheeks warmed and I cringed inwardly, but Jerrod, as he insisted I call him, made up for it by being completely and utterly charming for the rest of his visit—and not gushing all over me. "Now I insist you let me take you out and show you the ranch tomorrow."
"She's singing tonight at the dancehall," Susie reminded him. "They won't be in until way late."
Though he nodded in understanding, his disappointment was obvious.
"We could go later in the morning. Say around ten?" I offered. Getting up early after a late night with Zack would be tough, but it was worth it to see the way Mr. Boudreauxe's face lit up when I agreed to meet him.
By the time Zack picked me up, Susie had already left. He'd quietly apologized for his aunt's pushiness.
"It's okay, but…"
"But?"
"I think she—" I struggled for the right word, "—cooked this up. You know, to make sure I don't hurt you or whatever." I didn't mention Susie's disclosure about his mother, not wanting to make things more complicated for either of us. His face darkened even though I assured him it was okay. "They care about you is all. You're very lucky."
"Sometimes lucky can be pretty annoying."
***
Despite my concerns about getting up early to ride with Mr. Boudreaux, old habits died hard. I was up and scrounging through Susie's sparsely supplied kitchen for coffee by eight while she slept in.
Sitting out on the back porch, I checked my suspiciously silent cell phone, wondering where Kane was and what he was doing, then watched the horses in the field bordering her backyard. They were beautiful in the early morning light. A touch of fog still hovered over the fields, giving it all a surreal feel. Wandering over, I stood on the bottom rung and just watched them and debated the wisdom of calling him, until I spotted a rider heading my way.
I waved and then waited for him to join me. It was Zack's dad with Travis sitting up in front of him. At least I assumed so, since he was the only grandson. "Morning."
"Good morning! Morning, Travis. You are Travis, aren't you?"
Travis just peered at me from under the brim of his ball cap and gave me a nod. He looked like such a little toughie perched up there with his grandfather, his lips pursed and face solemn as an old man's.
"They're beautiful," I said, indicating the horses.
"Thank you," he said with a nod of appreciation. "How'd it go last night? You sure you're still up for a ride?"
"Last night was fine and I'm more than ready!" I checked to see what Travis' reaction might be but he was busy watching the horses.
Mr. Boudreaux—Jerrod—nodded and said, "Meet us at the corral in ten?"
This would be the first time in over six months I'd ridden just for pleasure. Despite my trepidation at spending time alone with Zack's dad, I was excited. After grabbing a hoodie from my room and tying my hair in a knot, I headed out to meet him. It was a short, peaceful walk down the old dirt and gravel road, and I couldn't contain the bubble of excitement at a chance to ride just for fun. No competing, no working, no breaking.
I circled the main house as quietly as possible. Not a sound came from inside as I crossed through the side yard, not even running water or dishes rattling in the sink, and I wondered about Zack's mom. Maybe she was running errands.
In the corral, Jerrod introduced me to Sunshine, a sorrel mare, and pointed to a saddle and some tack. "She's real sweet, but not too tame."
I saddled her, quickly and efficiently, my movements not wasted. Leading her out of the corral to where Mr. Boudreaux's bay patiently waited, we mounted up.
"Bet you could do that in your sleep," he said with a laugh.
"Probably! Been saddling horses since I was old enough to heft a saddle." I patted the ma
re's neck. "She's sweet."
"We bought her for Rhea, but she never rode much," the older man said with a sigh. "How do you like it here?" he asked, changing subjects.
"Honestly, I love it. It's so different from Montana, but Texas has it's own charm."
"Besides my son?"
I liked a man who didn't mince words. Glancing at Travis, who appeared to be in his own little world, I said softly, "Yes, besides your son. Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." He gave me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and for a moment, reminded me of my father. The pang of homesickness that came with it surprised me.
"Did you and Susie plan this? Me staying with her?"
He shook his head. "No, sweetheart, this was all my sister. But to give her credit, it was a pretty good plan." He kicked his mount and, satisfied, I followed, our conversation over.
We rode, and Zack's dad, who again insisted I call him Jerrod, gave me the grand tour of the home pastures. Telling me about this horse and that one, he obviously knew his business, and I knew mine. We debated the merits of different breeding and training techniques, but he gave me hell when we got to cattle. There, I was a total dud, and didn't care who knew it. He teasingly rubbed it in.
Occasionally Travis would nod his head in agreement, as if he knew as much as his grandfather. His seriousness was as endearing as his grandfather's charm, and I had to bite back a smile more than once. Zack had no idea how lucky he was.
After a couple of hours, we headed back. He needed to get Travis home and head out to check on the hands, and I could feel myself stiffening up. My knee was going to make itself known for sure later on. We walked our mounts through a pecan grove, everything silent except for the squeak of saddle leather. I took a deep breath and let it out and for a minute, for the first time in a long time, I felt completely at peace. I didn't think about Kane or my father or my brothers and sister or even Zack, I just soaked it all in.
"I always wanted a daughter," Jerrod said out of the blue. We were only a few hundred yards from the house. "Your parents, they must be so proud of you."
"I suppose. We aren't really close." We exchanged wistful smiles and I wondered about whatever had caused his.