Nice Shootin' Tex

by Cyndia Rios-Myers

  Once they were gone, he came up to me and grabbed both of my hands.

  "I am so, so, so sorry if my mother offended you. Her thoughts and words are not my own, nor are they the words of my siblings."

  I gave him a half smile. "I know."

  He shook his head. "No. No, you don't. I haven't taken the time to tell you what I think about you." he sighed before continuing. "You blew me away when I met you. You were smart, a good sport, an excellent shot. And you are beautiful, Lauren. You work hard - as hard as man does if not harder yet you never stop being a lady. I am so impressed by you. That is why I want to get to know you better."

  I had never heard praise like that before and it made my eyes well up. I apologized and dried my eyes with my knuckle.

  "I'm sorry. No one has ever said anything like that to me before. A few months ago...a few months ago, I was heartbroken. I was so low after that. But then not even a week after I realized that my heart was okay and that I was happy again, you showed up on our ranch. You are so smart, so hardworking, such a family man and you are so kind. And you are so handsome. You were...you are like a beam of light to me that just warms me up from the inside out. I can't wait to get to know you better, Daniel."

  I guess that I must have moved him too, because he pulled me into his arms and held me tight. It felt like everything else fell away. His house, our families, the hog on the spit and the reservation. All that mattered was him.

  He pulled back then and still holding me, looked down to my face.

  "No one is going to chase me away from you, Lauren," he calmly said. "I'm not saying that as a rebellious teenager or as a silly romantic; I'm saying it because it is the truth. You can trust that."

  At that moment, I was grateful over Maria and her awful words. All she had done was bring Daniel and I closer.

  "I trust you, Daniel."

  He then brought his mouth to mine. Light pecks turned into deeper kisses and all of my nerves, hurt feelings, and fears disappeared. I felt like something amazing was being brought into the world through us.

  After about a minute or so, he pulled back. He groaned as he leaned his forehead on mine.

  "Oh, Lauren. We need to slow down. Hard as it is."

  I think that I fell for him a little harder just then. I loved that he would be a gentleman for me.

  "Thank you," I whispered back to him.

  Just then, there was a knock at the screen door of the kitchen.

  "So the pork is done and is smelling awesome out here. Those potatoes done yet?" said Arnold.

  I sighed. "Fratricide."

  He laughed out loud at that.

  "Come on. Let's go out there."

  I sighed. "Let's."

  We exited the kitchen and headed outside where everyone was watching us. Daniel smiled at me and then reached his hand out to me. I stifled more happy tears and then outstretched my hand to meet his. We approached everyone with joined hands. His words to me earlier in the day echoed again in my ear. "Just so that there is no confusion." There was no confusion at all.

  Chapter 21

  The rest of the evening went splendidly. Apparently, Paul and his brothers along with Greta had gone to my dad and brother and then profusely apologized for their mother. But Betty had already beaten them to the punch when she said that her sister was a miserable old hag and that I was a beautiful sweet girl and that my father and brother should be proud of me. (I learned all of this from my brother who told me that when we got to our room.) The pork was great. The potatoes were wonderful. The cake that Betty made was great. It was a wonderful evening - probably one of the best ones I had ever had. It meant the world to me that my father and brother along with Daniel's family were a part of our courtship.

  I was on cloud nine when Daniel dropped me off at the hotel that evening. We were going to meet him at midnight for hunting, but it was still nice to have those few minutes alone with him.

  "I would walk you to your room, but that is a bad idea right now," he said with a grin.

  I laughed at that.

  "That's okay." I then sighed. "I had a great evening at your home today, Daniel. It was great meeting your family and being around them."

  He scoffed at that and shook his head. "My mother was awful to you. I'm still sorry about that."

  "I'm okay. So is my family, it seems - I was more worried about them than I was about myself."

  He reached over and kissed my mouth.

  "Good. I'm glad."

  We watched as Arnold and my dad waved at us before heading inside of the lobby and headed upstairs. Daniel sighed then.

  "Alright. You should probably head up now."

  I was so onboard with Daniel's traditional ways. I smiled at him.

  "Okay. We'll see you in a few hours."

  "Come here," he said.

  I did, and received one more wonderful kiss before leaving his truck. I felt his eyes on me as I entered the lobby.

  "Wow. I'm being courted," I whispered to myself.

  I curled up on the couch next to Arnold as we watched something on the Nat Geo channel. My dad was in the shower. Arnold had just told me how wonderful Daniel's family was and I agreed. Arnold then put the volume down on the TV and looked at me.

  "Hey."

  "Hey what?"

  "You be nice to dad from here on out. For everything."

  I furrowed my brow at that. "When am I not nice to him?"

  Arnold shook his head at that. "No. He is not showing it right now, but he is upset and very sensitive."

  "Upset about what?" I asked, sitting straighter.

  "Do you want to know what he said when he saw you and Daniel talking to each other yesterday afternoon? At the convenience store?"

  "What did he say?"

  Arnold sighed before speaking. "He said: 'Oh my God. That is him.' I was like, that is who? In a cracking voice he said, 'That is the man that is going to take my little girl away from me.'"

  I couldn't stop the tears from rushing into my eyes at those words.

  "He's not going to tell you that, Lauren, because he's proud; you know that. He would kill me if he knew that I was telling you this right now."

  I nodded as I dried the tears off of my face.

  "Don't give him any indication that I told you that. Just be nicer to him."

  "Okay, Arnold. Thank you for telling me that."

  He nodded at that and then put the volume up again on the TV. I couldn't focus on what was on, so I went to my own suite where I jumped in the shower.

  I was still so shell-shocked over my dad's words to Arnold. My dad didn't freak out when I moved out. He didn't even break when I went to American Sharpshooter. But his seeing me with Daniel broke him. It was so bittersweet. It was so sad that we would never be able to discuss that. With that in mind, I went back to my room and climbed into my bed.

  Eventually, my thoughts strayed from my father to Daniel. Smiling, I sent him a quick text message. I got one back only a few seconds after sending mine.

  "Leftover pork? Are you kidding? My brothers tore into that pig and took every inch they could home. Everyone raved about how well it was seasoned and cooked."

  I laughed at that and replied. "Well, it's a good thing our country is being overrun by delicious pigs and not skunks or warthogs."

  Seconds later, my phone rang. He picked up the phone conversation right where his last text had left off.

  "It is definitely good for business. Speaking of food, do you cook much?"

  I then smiled as we talked about my cooking, the fact that he could not, housekeeping, home maintenance, pets and so on. An hour later he told me to get some sleep. I didn't argue.

  That evening did not bring the collection of any hogs. It did however, bring Chris, Arnold and Greta. Greta really jumped into the information that Arnold gave her. She even listened attentively when I spoke to her about what to look for.

  "What about guns? How do I get better at that?"

  I smiled at her. "Daniel can defin
itely help you out with that."

  She scrunched at that. "I know, but you are a girl and a small one at that. I'd like your advice."

  "Well, I'm happy to give it even though it won't differ from what Daniel might tell you. You have to practice a lot. You can't fear guns but you must respect them."

  She nodded at that. "I can do that."

  Too soon, it was time for us to go back to the hotel. Thankfully, the others had ridden together, so it was just me and Daniel in his truck. Unfortunately, he would not be coming to see us off the following morning. He had to get an early start on Monday at his own company and needed as much sleep as he could get. He'd already given my dad and brother his goodbye and his thanks.

  "So do you think we stand a chance in beating the scourge that hogs are on our little reservation?" he asked with a smile.

  I laughed. "I do. I think that with more training, you and Chris will be able to train many others."

  He then unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled me closer to him on the bench seat. That warmed me to my core. I wanted to fuss about how long it would be until I saw him again, but I didn't. He had a business to run, I knew.

  He smiled down at my face before speaking.

  "So I won't be able to wait for a whole week to see you again. I'll be up there on Thursday to take you out to dinner and a movie. If you are available that is."

  I wanted to cheer and clap my hands. But all I did was smile.

  "I'm available. If I wasn't, I'd clear my schedule for that."

  He smiled at that and caressed my arm.

  "My sister likes you."

  I smiled again.

  "That's good because I like her. I like her brother too."

  He smiled at that and nodded.

  "Paul's a great guy. Married though."

  "Ah well," I sighed. "Maybe he has a brother he can introduce me to."

  He laughed at that and then looked at the clock on his radio. It read three a.m. We were due back on the road in five hours.

  "I hate leaving," I said, allowing myself a faint whine.

  "But you must," he moaned back.

  "I do. Tim's been buzzing us nonstop about all of the jobs he's got lined up for us. I've got vendors to contact, bills to collect on."

  He then covered my mouth with his finger and shook his head.

  "Enough of that. That sounds like what I have to do on Monday, and I don't want to think about that right now."

  "Okay."

  He then put his hand on my face.

  "You be safe driving home. Make sure your brother stays awake on the drive back. Don't get gored again. Don't get too high on your paint fumes. Don't kill your brothers."

  He was so funny.

  "Hey. You be safe too around all those guns."

  He then brought his head down to mine and gave me a nice long kiss. He then broke from it and put his forehead on mine.

  "You're my girl now, Lauren."

  Lord. How those words filled me up. I nodded at that.

  "I know."

  "Good. Go on up and get some sleep. Thursday will be here before you know it."

  I kissed him one more time before whispering goodbye once more. He did the same. I felt his eyes on my back as I made it inside the lobby again. They felt good there.

  I tried not to be mopey on the drive home - I really did. But I probably wasn't pulling it off; the sadness at putting more distance between Daniel and me was painful. As I watched the truck whizz by trees on the interstate, I wondered how Daniel and I would work the logistics part of our relationship. We lived seven hours away from each other. That was just too long for a day-to-day commute. It would be doable over weekends though, I knew. But what about after that? Which one of us would have to relocate if things got really serious? Suddenly, I knew the answer to that. It would be me. The realization made me sit straighter as I considered the implications. Sure, I had a job that I was good at, but I only had a twenty percent ownership in it. Dad, Tim and Arnold could run the business without me. Daniel probably had sole proprietorship of his company. Judging by how much travel he did to teach people how to use his weapons, he probably sold lots of guns, which probably meant that he employed a lot of people. If things got serious, I couldn't ask him to move. Sure, I wouldn't have a job but I would be moving to a part of the country that was the southwest; hogs were a problem there too. Maybe I could teach women how to shoot guns, I thought to myself as I remembered Greta. That would be something that Daniel could probably help me out with. And I still had my painting.

  Was I jumping the gun with all of my suppositions? Maybe I was, I thought to myself. Still, I smiled when I felt my gut telling me that I was not. Just then Arnold spoke up.

  "What are you grinning about over there? You've gone from pouting to smiling in about a few seconds."

  Ugh.

  "That sounds like an awful long time to stop looking at the road, Arnold."

  My dad sat up a bit straighter then.

  "Yes, Arnold. Why must I constantly remind you to keep your eyes on the road? Safety must be practiced..."

  And on went my dad. Arnold stiffened and his hands clenched on the steering wheel as he listened to my dad backseat drive him. I smiled at his reflection in the rear view mirror as Arnold sneered at me.

  I then remembered his words about being nice to my dad. Sighing, I sat up a bit straighter.

  "So which property are we going to tackle first, Pa?"

  My dad took a few seconds to consider that. "I'm thinking maybe the Noel ranch. It's smaller, but they are a bit anxious to get their problem handled and are willing to pay extra. Probably tomorrow night."

  I nodded at that.

  "What about the Sutherland property? Are we going to be able to handle that one?"

  My dad grunted.

  "I don't know. It's a bit big for us four. Now that we aren't using Mara and all."

  I could have sworn that I watched Arnold bristle at the sound of Mara's name. He still wasn't ready to hear about her engagement I thought. Still, I said it.

  "Mara's engaged to Ted, Arnold," I softly said.

  "What?" he asked in shock and surprise.

  "She told me that a few days ago. She didn't want me to tell, but..."

  "But what? You just thought you'd mention it while I was driving on the interstate?" he irately questioned.

  "I just thought that it was better if you knew sooner rather than later," I meekly added.

  He shook his head at that.

  "Well, thank you, Laura. Thank you for being so damned altruistic," he bit out.

  "Hey. You go easy on your sister. She hasn't been in the easiest of spots with this Mara stuff, Arnold."

  "What about me, dad?" he said in a less contentious tone.

  My dad sighed.

  "I know, Arnold. Trust me; I know. But wouldn't you rather hear it from Lauren than reading it in the paper?"

  Arnold swallowed and took a deep breath.

  "Yeah," he answered. "Still, it really stings."

  "No one argues that, son."

  I tried to bring the conversation back around to hogging jobs, but it just wouldn't take. Arnold's anger and hurt feelings overcame everything.

  Arnold was still mad at me when we got home.

  "Arnold, I'm sorry about Mara."

  He got out of his truck and slammed the door as he stared me down.

  "Whatever. You are being so smug about this."

  "Smug? What?"

  "Yeah. Now that you've got yourself a new boyfriend you are all happy now, aren't you?"

  "Uhhh... I don't understand what one has to do with the other, Arnold."

  "I don't need you placating me about how it's better to know than not to know. This sucks. This really fucking sucks. Your best friend dates me, makes me fall for her, dumps me for another guy and then gets engaged to that guy. All in the space of seven months."

  I said nothing, letting him get all his stuff out.

  "If she was anyone else, you would hate her.
You would hate her for me! I hated Trevor for you! But no - she is still your best friend, isn't she?"

  Finally I spoke up.

  "Actually, I've had some loss here too, Arnold. She won't come to the ranch anymore. She was very upset with me that I've told her that we won't be using her for hogging jobs anymore. When she cut you out of her life, she cut a part of me out too because you are my brother."

  Arnold wasn't ready to hear that, though.

  "But does this set you back, Lauren? No," he answered. "I was getting better and I just got a setback. So you'll have to excuse me while I go and have a pity party," with that he pivoted on his heel and headed inside of the ranch.

  I'd forgotten that my dad was still in the truck. I was reminded of his presence when he got of Arnold's truck and slammed the door. He stared at the front door of the house that Arnold had just entered before looking back at me.

  "Blonds," he said with a shake of his head. "So damned sensitive."

  I was kind of offended at the generalization, but figured that I could bite my tongue. He walked towards the house.

  "Dad, I'm heading home to my place," I said to his house.

  He turned back to face me. "Be back for dinner tonight. Timmy and Laura will be over."

  "Okay, love you."

  He waved his hand at that and entered his home. I was happy to get back to my truck and leave.

  As soon as I unlocked my front door, I heard my cell phone buzzing. I smiled as soon as I saw that it was from Daniel. Happily, I sat down on my couch and texted him for a minute before switching to an actual phone conversation. I asked him if he had time to talk and he said that he did. I told him about the whole convoluted mess with Arnold, Mara, me and our business.

  "Yikes. That sounds like a mess, but it's nothing I haven't heard before. My brother Paul once dated Jeffrey's wife before Jeffrey married her. It still comes up sometimes and it can get ugly."

  "I can understand Arnold's anger with Mara and I can even understand Mara's distance with me. But what I don't understand is why both of them have to take it out on me."