Gunderson glances at his watch. “I’ve got time if you do.”
I rise and slip on my jacket. “I’ll check with my ride. See if he can hang out a little longer.”
Actually, I need to get out of the cabin and away from Jake Gunderson for a few minutes. The intensity of his steely blue gaze confuses me and makes me acutely uncomfortable. I’m not sure what I’m seeing. Is it lust? As Kimber suggested, is he looking for a wife to care for his motherless children? Suspicion? After all, I am a female. Maybe he harbors deep mistrust toward the fair sex. Or, does he have another agenda?
Even though I see no signs of evil, wispy shadows flicker across his predominately dark red soul. That particular shake of red is an indicator of strong masculinity. The shadows tell a different story. I’m quite certain Gunderson has deeply guarded secrets.
As I head for the door, Kimber says, “Can I go with her, Papa?”
I turn and lock gazes with Gunderson. Does the man ever smile? Without looking away from me, he nods.
“Go on ahead. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Kimber skips across the floor, rips a page out of her coloring book and prints her name. She hands it to me. “For you.”
“Gunner,” I call, “Do you want to go?”
He glances over at his dad and then down at his coloring book. “Nah, I’ll stay here and finish my picture.”
Kimber, beside herself with excitement, drags me to a path that winds through the cabins and behind the community hall. From this new perspective, I see things I hadn’t noticed in my previous visit. The hill rising up behind the encampment bristles with several satellite dishes. A long, windowless building nestles at the bottom of the hill.
I ask Kimber. “Is that where they make the blinds?”
She shakes her head, swivels around and points out a two story industrial-sized building with a metal roof and a loading dock. We watched as a truck backs in and a couple of guys jump out.
I remind myself of one of my mother’s favorite sayings, curiosity killed the cat, but ask anyway, “What’s the other building for? The one without windows.”
Kimber’s face grows solemn. “It’s where the females work.”
I should bite my tongue, but it’s not my style. “By females, you mean women and girls. Right?”
Her jaw juts out. “Papa says, s’posed to be called females.”
I know when I’m fighting a losing battle. “What do the females do there?”
Kimber looks around to make sure nobody is listening. “Talk on the phone.”
So, I gather this is some sort of a call center. Interesting. Are they calling to sell their blinds?
I feel a little guilty about pumping Kimber for information, so decide to change the subject. I hold up the picture she gave me. “It’s awesome you know how to write your name. Do you think your daddy would mind if I brought you some ABC books?”
Kimber is not good at hiding her emotions. At first, her eyes light up with excitement. Then, the gleam in her eyes dims and the corners of her mouth turn down.
She says, “I would like that so much, Mel. But, Papa doesn’t like people to give us stuff. And Gunner, well, I’m trying to teach him the letters, but he’d rather play outside.”
“Who taught you how to write your name?”
She points at a wooden structure a bit larger than the cabins. “School. Miss Anna taught me.”
“But not Gunner?”
“Gunner doesn’t like school. He’d rather shoot guns and go with Papa when he delivers blinds.”
This new bit of information throws me off kilter. With Hitchcock’s attitude toward females, I’d assumed education would be a low priority for them. Obviously, I’m wrong since Kimber is sucking up knowledge like a little sponge while Gunner prefers doing man stuff.
Kimber trots ahead of me. “The range is this way.”
Actually, I could have found it myself by following the sound of gunfire, but Kimber is taking her job as guide seriously, frequently glancing over her shoulder to make sure I’m following. The path turns sharply to the left and Riley appears. Kimber slams to a stop, ducks behind me and pops her thumb in her mouth.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. “It’s okay, sweetie. He’s a friend of mine.”
Riley drops down to her eye level and smiles. “Hi, I’m guessing you’re Kimber. I’m Riley.”
She clings to my leg. I wonder why she’s so afraid of strangers.
Riley says, “Gotta go, Mel. Dad called. He needs me to help with something. Sorry.”
Kimber looks up at me, tears welling in her eyes. “Don’t go, Mel.”
I pull her into my embrace. “I’ll be back.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Chapter Fourteen
Riley is quieter than usual on the drive home. I tell him about my first gun-handling lesson. “And I didn’t even get to shoot the damn thing.”
He doesn’t respond.
“How did it go at the range?”
He glances over at me. “The shooting part was fine.”
“And, the non-shooting part?”
“Hitchcock is seriously weird. He showed up at the range and stood behind me the entire time. When we were here before, he asked if I would be coming back and if Dad had any thoughts about joining New Dawn.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I wanted to say hell no, but I know you need me to drive you. I said Dad’s thinking about it.”
I place a hand on his arm. “Look, Riley, you’re under no obligation to bring me here. I can always borrow Nick’s pickup.”
He grins at me. “And miss out on the bitching and moaning?” He loses the grin quickly. “Here’s the weird part. He asked about Yasmin. He knew she was my girlfriend and that her body was found close to our ranch. He asked if anyone had been arrested for her murder.”
Okay, now I know what’s troubling Riley. Yasmin, the Muslim girl he loved was killed and dumped in Red Ridge. A small group of people, myself included, knows the real story and have arrived at a place of peace and forgiveness. There’s no way Hitchcock could discover the truth. The fact he mentioned it to Riley makes me furious. Riley and his family are trying their best to move past the tragic events of last fall. They don’t need Hitchcock stirring the pot. “I hope you told him it was none of his damn business.”
Riley turns away from me. He swipes at his eyes and takes a shaky breath. “I didn’t know what to say. He kept looking at me with those creepy eyes, like he was trying to read my mind. And, how did he know she was my girlfriend? My mom and dad didn’t even know until after she was killed.”
Truthfully, this is bothering me too. “He was probably fishing for information. I think Hitchcock is a guy who’s skilled at ferreting out secrets and files them away to use as leverage. Don’t tell the nosey old bastard anything.”
Riley pulls to the side of the road and stops. I offer him a tissue. He blows his nose and tries to give it back to me.
I tuck my hands under my butt. “It’s all yours, buddy.”
The light comes back into his eyes.
With a ghost of a smile, he says, “I didn’t tell him anything. I just shrugged and he walked away.”
“Good.”
He pulls into my driveway. “How’s the kid doing, the girl with the black and pink hair?”
I roll my eyes. “She’s a piece of work.” I go on to explain the whole chasing down Benny and Ziggy scenario.
“Bring her out to the ranch. We’ll put her to work shoveling shit out of the stables. Maybe throw in some riding lessons. Worked for you. Right?”
I burst into laughter. My lack of equestrian skills is a huge source of amusement for the entire Rathjen family. And, Ziggy is basically a city kid. Then, I remember she was checking Riley out. Benny? Riley? No contest. “Great idea. I’ll talk to her dad.” I give him a sisterly smooch on the cheek and tell him I’ll stay in touch.
I’m barely
through the door when my phone rings. Kendra.
She doesn’t bother with a greeting. “Hey, what’s happening at the cuckoo compound?”
I fill her in on my first gun handling lessons. When I start to recite the twelve golden rules of safe gun handling, she rudely shuts me down. “Yeah, yeah, I don’t need to know all that. Get to the juicy stuff. Any cute guys there who want to jump your bones?’
“Kendra,” I say sternly. “I’m not there looking for cute guys. I told you about the twins. Their dad, Jake, is my instructor.”
“Single?”
“Very. But not my type.”
“Hmmm,” she says. “Mick still gone?”
I know what she’s implying. “Yes, but I’m not looking for a new boyfriend.”
We chat for a while. I tell her about the call center and the building where they manufacture blinds. Probably a mistake.
“Hey,” she says. “How about I order blinds so I can check out Jake Gunderson. You obviously need a second opinion.”
“Do you actually need blinds? Trust me, these are cheap-looking vinyl blinds, not fashion blinds. I don’t think you’ll want them in your house.”
“Basement,” she says.
“What about Craig? He doesn’t mind you spending the money?”
She chuckles. “Craig likes to keep me happy. Happy wife. Happy life.”
Once Kendra is on a mission, there’s no deterring her. I promise to put her in touch with Gunderson, as long as I can be present when he comes to her house to measure the windows.
“Yay,” she says and clicks off.
My plan to go for a run is put on hold when I receive an urgent text from Nick.
—Cowboy Jim is here. Wants to give you a dance lesson.—
Aw, shit. No rest for the wicked.
I jump in Buttercup and head for Nick’s. When I arrive, I find Cowboy Jim bellied up to the bar, hunched over a Budweiser pounder.
His eyes are bloodshot and sad, but he brightens when he sees me. “Hey, girly! Thanks for showing up on your day off. Ready to learn the two step?”
“I was born ready,” I say with a grin.
It’s between lunch and dinner so the place is pretty empty. The crowd mainly consists of early drinkers and late lunchers. Nick takes care of the music and plays Cowboy Jim’s favorite song.
He slides off the bar stool and holds out his arms. “Alrighty then, let’s do it.”
After my embarrassing fiasco learning basic gun handling rules, I’m worried I’ll screw this up too.
No problem.
“First, we assume the position,” Jim says, placing my left hand on his shoulder, his right hand on my upper back and clasping my right hand in his left. “Now,” he says. “Relax and feel the music. The steps are easy. Slow. Slow. Quick. Quick. All you have to do is follow my lead. I’ll do the hard part.”
Following Jim’s firm but steady lead, I shut down the part of my brain that tells me I’m doing it wrong. I feel the music, move to the rhythm. Soon, the music carries me away and I’m flying across the floor, first in closed position and then, side-by-side. By the end of the lesson, I’m twirling under Jim’s outstretched arm, giddy with dizziness and unfettered joy. We even receive a smattering of applause from Nick and two hardcore whiskey drinkers peering in from the Corral. High praise, indeed.
After teaching me a simple line dance, Cowboy Jim hydrates himself with a brewski. “Next week? Same time?”
“I’ll be here.”
Out of habit, I exit through the kitchen where I spot Ziggy. She’s sitting at a table reading a book.
She glances up at me. “Lame.”
“What’s lame?”
“That kind of dancing. It’s dorky.”
“Actually, it’s fun. You should try it sometimes.”
“As if,” she says, returning to her book.
I think about my last conversation with Riley. “Hey, Ziggy, remember Riley? The cute kid from the Rockin’ R ranch?”
She closes her book and gives me her full attention. “What about him?”
“If you’re interested in taking on another job, he’s got one for you at the ranch.”
“Doing what?”
I take care not to mention the term shoveling shit. “Oh, just this and that. He said they could use another ranch hand. Have you ever been around horses?”
Her eyes widen. “They have horses?”
“Well, duh, it is a ranch. So, what do you think?”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, duh, of course I’ll do it. Like, Riley is hot.”
I quickly add, “You still have to do your job here. Got it?”
She heaves a put upon sigh. “Yes, Mel. I’ve got it.”
“Talk later,” I say and sidle out the door, wondering when I made the transition from sullen teenager to semi-adult. It feels like ages.
Chapter Fifteen
It’s three days later and I’m at Kendra’s house. It’s nine o’clock. Early times for me since I worked until Nick’s closed last night at two a.m. I guzzle coffee while Kendra sorts out various and sundry kids. Destiny and Andrew are in side-by-side highchairs with Toasty O’s and sippy cups of milk on their trays. Occasionally, Andrew snags one of Destiny’s Toasty O’s. She slaps his hand and screeches, “No! Mine!” Three-year-old Aaron makes car noises as he pushes a toy dump truck across the floor. Kendra hands him a piece of peanut butter toast, which he stows in the truck bed.
She pours herself a cup of coffee and joins me at the table. “Aida will be here soon to watch the kids so I can focus on the blinds guy. You know, in case this turns into a big deal and you need help.”
“Define help.”
She thinks for a minute. “Like when we pretended to work for the catering company and you snagged the zip drive with all the incriminating stuff on it. Like that.”
“I don’t think disguises will work at New Dawn. I just want to stay in contact with the kids.”
Her eyes brighten. “You need to seduce Jake Gunderson. Then, he’ll trust you and let you be around his kids.”
I roll my eyes. “I bet he likes mommies, so maybe you should seduce him.”
She, stands, places a hand on her hip and cops an attitude. “Hey, girl, I could do it if I wanted to.”
“No doubt in my mind.”
Aida arrives with baby Larissa. After we hug, I look her over. Her face is pale and she has dark circles under her eyes. So much for the glow of pregnancy.
“Not feeling so good?”
Her mouth draws down into a frown. She thrusts Larissa into my arms and points toward her tummy. “Never sick with girl baby. Damn Paco! He put boy baby in belly.”
“You sure about that?”
She glares at me. “Of course I’m sure.”
I stare at her, speechless. Sweet Aida, always so happy and good-natured, has turned into a snarling beast, like her head spun around and an entirely different person now occupies her body.
I recover quickly. “Paco seems happy.”
“Yes, big, um, whippersnapper is happy. He’s not having sickness in the morning. Just me.” She sighs. “My own fault. I tell Paco I want another baby.”
Kendra fakes a coughing fit to disguise her laughter evoked by the term whippersnapper. I try to keep from snickering, because I can tell Aida is proud to demonstrate her knowledge of American slang. It’s not my job to tell her she sounds like a crotchety old man describing a smart-ass kid.
Kendra takes Larissa from me, puts her arm around Aida and leads her to the table, stepping over Aaron and the peanut butter toast deposited from his toy dump truck. “Sit. I’ll fix you a cup of peppermint tea. You’ll feel better soon.”
Therefore, Kendra is helping her mother’s helper when the box truck from New Dawn rumbles into the driveway. Jake Gunderson steps out, carrying a clipboard. Just Jake. No twins. I wonder who’s looking after them.
Over the din of crying babies, Kendra hollers, “Take him to the basement. I’ll join you in a sec.”
; “Which windows?”
She throws up her hands. “I don’t care. Pick whatever you want.”
When I open the front door, Jake’s eyes widen in surprise. He glances at the clipboard and then at me. “You live here?”
I launch into a convoluted explanation, closing with, “And since my friend Kendra mentioned she wanted new blinds for the basement, I told her about New Dawn.”
He stares at me while he thinks it over. “Okay, let’s take a look.”
I lead him down the stairs, unfamiliar territory since I’ve never been in Kendra’s basement. It runs the full length of the house with a couple of bedrooms, a full bath and a rec room. Along with a sliding glass door to the back yard, there are six windows, none of which are covered. I’m totally out of my depth, not knowing the extent of Kendra’s budget.
Jake follows me from room to room. “Does she want all the windows done?”
Damn Kendra! Like I’m supposed to know? I say, “Maybe you should start with the windows in the rec room. Once she gets things under control,” I point upward, “I’m sure she’ll join us.”
Jake whips out a metal tape measure and strides toward the glass slider. I offer to help but he turns me down. He presses a button and the tape measure shoots out to the top of the slider. He measures the height and width, making notations on the clipboard.
The noise from above subsides. Kendra clomps down the stairs. With a dimpled smile, she walks to Jake and offers her hand to shake. “So happy to meet you, Jake. Mel told me all about you, and your darling twins. I’m Kendra.”
When Kendra is at her charming best, she’s hard to resist.
Jake sets his clipboard down, wipes his right hand on his jeans and gives hers a squeeze. He ducks his head and says, “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
With a trill of laugher, she says, “Ma’am? Isn’t that term for older ladies? I’m not quite over the hill yet, so please call me Kendra.”
Jake’s cheeks flush, but a rare smile appears. “Sure thing, Kendra.”
Whoa. I should have gone to charm school.
As the talk turns to windows, my cell phone rings. I glance at the display. It’s Mick, my absentee boyfriend. Note to self: Don’t act like a needy girlfriend. Dial down the resentment.
Hope and Honor Page 8