I looked at Daniel who nodded, signaling that I continue.
"I'm going back to Mescalero with Daniel, Daddy. Tonight. I'll be back on Tuesday afternoon."
My dad stared at me in shock.
"Why?"
Wasn't it obvious why? Blushing, I answered.
"Because I want to. Because I want to be with him," I gently added.
My dad said nothing, but stared at the spinning hog like it had all the answers to everything. Thankfully Arnold piped in then.
"What about the Monday job?"
"I did research on that. There should only be 1-3 hogs max for that which is something you all can handle. I'll be back on Tuesday though, with more than enough time to tackle the Christian ranch with you."
"What about the billing? And the ordering of supplies?"
I almost smiled at Arnold, but didn't. He saw me taking care of those things earlier that day.
"I already took care of it. There are a couple of calls that I can make on Monday from New Mexico, though."
"Where will you stay, Lauren?"
Daniel piped in then.
"I have a condo that sits atop my business. A condo with two bedrooms," he added.
My dad looked at Daniel then.
"Hmmm. Not that that ever held anyone back before."
Daniel didn't even bristle.
"True."
My dad sighed. "Well, Lauren. It seems like you've got all the answers. I don't know why you bother checking with me."
He wasn't surly, but he wasn't happy. Things were changing, I knew. I was starting to pull away. I hoped that he understood that I loved him no less, though.
"Alright, daddy," I said.
He just grunted at that and then headed back inside the house.
"That went well," Arnold sarcastically said.
"Shut up," I softly said.
That night, Chris drove Daniel's truck while Daniel drove mine. Thankfully, I had a bench seat that allowed me to sit right next to him. His arm was around my shoulders which was so nice.
"I love that you are coming home with me, Lauren."
I smiled at that.
"Me too."
It was a nice ride. The condo was even nicer. It sat on the top floor of the building right outside of the reservation. I smiled and sat up straighter as we pulled into the dark parking lot.
"Oh! I can't wait to see everything."
He smiled back. "I'll give you a tour as soon as we get upstairs."
There were two entrances to Daniel's condo - one on the inside and one on the outside. We climbed the stairs on the outside to gain access. Daniel looked almost nervous as he opened the door with his key. I was delighted by what I saw as soon as he opened the door. Light blond hardwood floors ran diagonally across the floor. Light granite countertops sat atop dark cabinets with stainless steel appliances within that space. Large leather couches sat at the other side of the room where a massively huge LCD flat panel television dominated a huge wall.
"This looks like something out of a magazine, Daniel," I praised.
He smiled as he locked the door behind us and set our bags down on the ground.
"It works," he said with a bashful smile.
He showed me his bedroom which was impressive too. A large king sized bed covered with a dark green comforter sat under a bank of windows. Black furniture surrounded it. Off to the side was a door that presumably led to the bathroom. He walked me inside. It was a gorgeous bathroom. River rocks adorned the shower floor while multiple shower heads aimed at the center of the space. Dual sinks carved into a chunk of cement floated off of the wall. Two faucets came straight out of the wall above those sinks. A large mirror sat above those.
"Wow, Daniel. This is swanky." I said to him.
"Yeah," he said on a sigh. "It used to be a dump. I renovated it only a few months ago. It's a good place to come to when I want to get away from my other place."
"Well, it's quite the escape."
"Let me show you to your room," he said with a smile.
The guest room was smaller, but certainly serviceable. It also featured a small bathroom off of it which was nice.
"Will it do?"
"It will," I said to him with a smile.
After taking a quick shower and throwing on some sweatpants and a tank top, I joined him in the living room. He smiled at me.
"Come here."
I did just that, curling up against his side as we watched some TV. I must have fallen asleep lying next to him, because next thing I knew, I was gently being placed onto the guest bed.
"Oh no. Did I fall asleep?"
He smiled at me as he pulled the covers over me. "Yes, you did."
"Will you sit with me for a bit?" I asked on a yawn.
"Of course I will," he said, sitting on the bed next to me.
I curled up my body closer to where he sat.
"How frequently do you stay here?"
"Whenever I work very late. Whenever my brothers drop in too much on me at the res."
I nodded at that. "Does it make it hard from you to stay away from downstairs, though?"
He smiled. "Not when there's a hot blond in my guest room."
"Does that happen much?" I asked with a smile.
His smile disappeared.
"No Lauren. It does not. I've never brought another woman up here before. Not ever."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," I sat up then.
He sighed. "You didn't. I just need you to understand...how serious I am about you."
"I know," I whispered back.
He nodded again. "Are you...that serious about me?"
"I am."
He leaned into me then and kissed me. Gently at first, but then more hungrily. His hands went to my arms as he pulled me closer to him. We were both on fire, again. He then pulled away.
"Lauren, please stop me. Stop me from carrying you to my bed and making love to you. Please," he said.
"Okay," I said gently kissing his mouth. "Good night, handsome man. I'll see you in the morning."
With that, he kissed me one more time and then left my room, closing the door. As soon as I thought he'd gotten further away, I moaned out loud. I was glad that he was waiting, but Lord; I could not wait to have him in every sense of the word.
The next morning, I woke up and jumped in the shower. I put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a sweater over it. I then walked out and saw that Daniel was still asleep in his bed; he'd left the bedroom door open. Looking for a second longer than I should have, I noticed that his large, chiseled copper chest was bare on the white bed sheets. Getting flushed, I quickly walked away. Seeking distraction, I went to the kitchen and perused the cupboards. The refrigerator was mostly bare, with the exception of a few key items - orange juice, eggs, sausage and cheese. Looking in a pull-out pantry, I found potatoes and a loaf of bread.
"Hmmm. What are the odds?" I said with a smile.
After finding some coffee and a coffee maker, I put that on. I then found a couple of skillets and began to cook. A few minutes after I began to cook the sausage, Daniel came out of his room.
"Hey. I was going to take you out to breakfast this morning."
I smiled and went back to my cooking. I moaned when he hugged me from behind and kissed my neck.
"You look beautiful this morning," he whispered to my ear.
I turned around in his arms and kissed him.
"As do you." And he did, with a black t-shirt on and dark jeans.
After eating breakfast and cleaning up after, we headed downstairs to his shop through an entrance next to his laundry room. I heard music playing on a radio downstairs along with the sounds of drilling and grinding.
"I've got a few guys that come in on Saturday mornings to process orders and whatnot."
I appreciatively nodded at that. We walked straight through the machine shop, where four individuals were working.
"Hi Danny," said the nearest one.
"Hi Peter. This is my girlfriend, Laure
n. Lauren, Peter here is one of my best gunsmiths."
"It's nice to meet you, Lauren," he said with a smile.
"Likewise, Peter," I said with a smile.
He then introduced me to three other employees, all who were very polite. We then went to the reception area where Paul stood behind a desk. He got up and greeted me with a smile and a big hug.
"Hi Paul. How are you?"
"I'm doing good. How did my little brother handle hanging out with all of you hog hunters?"
"He actually did very well."
After some laughter and banter, they conferred over some information that Paul had written on a steno pad. I walked around the machine shop and looked at guns hanging on the walls. They were very impressive. A couple of minutes later, I felt two very familiar hands on my shoulders.
"Come on," he said with a smile.
He then took me to a smaller shop right off of the big one - his Apache weapons shop. My jaw dropped in surprise as I saw all of the weaponry lining the walls and sitting in display cases - traditional bows and arrows, spears, shields and knives. He opened the cases of the weapons and showed me the proper usage, the decorations he made and the hours he put into each piece.
"Wow, Daniel. This takes so much talent and artistry. It is a wonder how you made such fierce weapons look so...beautiful."
He smiled at me. "I'm glad you like them."
"Do you sell them to anyone who wants one?"
He shook his head at that. "No - only to museums, collectors and other Apaches. These aren't like guns, or bullets; there is a little bit of my spirit in every single piece here."
I kissed on the mouth gently. "I'm so glad I'm here, Daniel."
He smiled and pulled me into his arms. "Oh, me too."
The rest of the weekend went wonderfully. We went out to dinner, went to his brothers' houses, checked on his other house, visited with his mom (who was thankfully pleasant to me) and with his sister. They all welcomed me quite warmly. Tuesday morning rolled around much too quickly for me. Daniel lingered with me outside of my truck for a while.
"Maybe I should drive you back," he said as he stared at his parking lot.
"No. How would you get back?" I said with a smile.
"Maybe I'll stay up there with you," he replied.
I laughed. "Then by all means, let's go!"
He laughed back and then sighed.
"I hate seeing you go."
My eyes welled up. "I hate going."
Thankfully, we'd already made plans for him to go up there two weeks from that day - for a nice long weekend. He kissed me long and hard and made me promise that I would be safe on the way back. After promising that, I made the long drive home. It was a LONG drive too, but I managed to stay amused and awake. I was in no way sorry either as I had spent the weekend with my love.
Chapter 26
I texted Daniel as soon as I walked into my front door. He called me back five minutes later.
"So this isn't working for me," he said in a serious voice.
Panicked, I dropped my purse on the floor.
"What isn't working?" I asked in a trembling voice.
He sighed, "This being apart. It doesn't work for me - not anymore."
Relief and happiness flooded my system. My eyes welled up as his words spoke to my heart.
"Good. I don't want to do it anymore."
I sat down and cried happy tears as we talked about what we would do to bridge our seven hour distance. Bursting at the seams with happiness after the call, I went to my art room and painted. I painted all afternoon - scenes of warm sunsets on deserts, scenes of promising sunrises between tall evergreen trees, and scenes of the sun peeking through the darkest clouds.
The next morning, I went to Laura's house for breakfast. She happily hugged me as soon as I entered her home.
"Oh! I'm so happy you are back!!!"
I gave her a warm smile.
"It's good to see you too, Laura."
We ate scones and strawberry jam with tea. She asked me how my trip went. I smiled and told her how wonderful it was.
"Oh, no," she said to me with a smile.
"Oh no, what?" I asked as I took a sip of my tea.
"You look happy. You look like a woman in love."
I laughed and blushed. "And what is wrong with that?"
She shrugged. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all; I want this for you so much."
I smiled. "Me too."
She tilted her head at me. "Just make sure you spend lots of time with your friends and family before Daniel takes you home with him - for good."
She sounded so bittersweet just then. I set my tea cup down and looked at her glassy brown eyes.
"Oh, Laura. My family and friends are one and the same. No distance would ever change that."
She nodded at that. "Of course. Don't mind me; I've been so weepy these past few days."
"Okay," I replied with a smile.
I didn't want to speculate, but I suspected that she was pregnant - again. I prayed to God that she was.
Still, I left her and Tim's house thinking about her words of my leaving them for good. It was sad, but it was a true possibility. With that in mind, I drove to Mara's ranch. I didn't call or text her - I just went.
I don't know why I got nervous before I drove onto the road that led me to her house, but I was. I walked passed her truck in her driveway and nervously rolled the sleeves down my shirt as I wondered if she would be happy to see me. I knocked on her door twice and then heard Petey, her dog, barking. I smiled. A few seconds later, the door opened. Instead of it being Mara, it was a tall red-headed man. His brow furrowed for a few seconds, but then turned into a smile.
"Lauren McCoy?"
I smiled and nodded. "Hi. You must be Ted. I think that I've seen you out in town a time or two."
"Ted McCabe. Nice to meet you," he said as he extended a hand to me.
Just then, I heard Mara calling.
"Who's there, Ted?"
Just then, she pulled the door open a little more, revealing her pretty red-headed self. First, she looked at me in surprise. Then that changed into a small smile.
"Lauren. It's nice to see you," she said.
I beamed, relieved that my impromptu visit was well received.
"Please, come in."
I slipped through the open screen door and went inside. She looked so happy to see me. Ted was polite and gregarious. After eating some cookies and coffee, she asked me a question.
"So what brings you over?"
Ted was still sitting there, watching me. Nervously, I took another sip of my coffee before answering.
"Well, you've been so busy lately and I have been lately too. I just thought I'd stop by and say hello."
She smiled and nodded at that.
"What's been keeping you busy? You guys have many jobs?"
I could see that the second question in her eyes looked more urgent than the first.
"Well, work's been certainly busy. But that, and I am also dating someone."
She smiled at that.
"Really? Who? Anyone I know?"
I shook my head at that.
"No. He lives in New Mexico, but we commute back in forth to spend time together."
"How did you meet him?"
I wondered if I should tell her that I met him at the competition or not. I decided on no as I did not want to bring up Trevor Garrett again.
"He needed help with hogs on his reservation so he sought us out."
She furrowed her brow at that. "Reservation? As in Native American?"
I blinked, wondering if she thought something was wrong with that.
"Yes. He is Apache."
She nodded at that, as did Ted. I didn't like their pause; I didn't like their silence. Suddenly, my visit went down the drain. I thought about what kind of excuse I could make to leave when I caught them eyeing each other. I watched as Mara shook her head at him to which he widened his eyes.
"Something going on
?" I carefully asked.
Ted then turned to me.
"Mara doesn't want to bring this up because she's embarrassed," he then sighed before continuing. "But I will, being that I am now the man in the house. We are in financial straits, Lauren. We really need funds; any hogging jobs that you might be able to turn our way or let us be a part of would be greatly appreciated. What with all the ranch expenses and the wedding coming soon..."
I admired Ted for his strength of character just then. Still, the request made me feel very uncomfortable. After formulating a response, I turned to Mara.
"Mara, I am so sorry about the financial hardships you are going through. I know how much you relied on the funds you earned when you worked with us, but I just don't see it possible that we could turn away any more work right now."
She then spoke up.
"Then bring me along - please. Talk to Arnold. I think he would understand," she pleaded.
I sighed.
"No, Mara. He is not ready for anything like that right now. He knows that you are engaged to Ted."
Her eyes widened at that.
"You mean you told him?!" she exclaimed.
Instantly, I flushed. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched at Ted's jaw clenched, but somehow I figured that his discomfort was not owed to me.
"I did, Mara. I thought you were happy about this."
She looked flabbergasted just then.
"I am, Lauren. It is just my news to give - not yours," she said in a strong voice.
I felt a chasm open up between Mara and I just then. It was saddening.
"He's my brother, Mara," I said in a soft voice.
"And you were my best friend," she retorted.
Sensing damage that I could not repair this visit, I nodded before grabbing my purse off of the floor and stood up. Ted stood up as soon as I did; Mara followed shortly thereafter.
"It was nice seeing you, Mara. It was nice to finally meet you, Ted."
I then turned and walked to the screen door before looking back once. Mara looked so angry, concerned and hurt all at the same time. Did I do that? Was I at fault for that? I didn't know. A feeling inside of me told me that maybe this was the end of our old friendship. I didn't know what would follow, but I did know that I could be polite and kind.
"I hope that things straighten out for you, Mara. If I don't see you soon, I hope that wedding planning goes well. Take care."
Nice Shootin' Tex Page 26