“That was Yuma, wasn’t it? Where Willie and Stephanie met?” Trey took another sip of beer.
“Yep, it was.” Jake rattled the base of his beer bottle on the table.
“Dani was there, too, wasn’t she?” asked Trey.
“Look here.” Jake leaned back in his chair and put both palms on the table as he added, “I just came in here to mind my own business. I don’t want to…”
Trey held up his left hand as if to say “stop” and chuckled. “Hold on there. That part’s none of my business. Dani’s gonna do what Dani’s gonna do.” He nodded toward the hostess stand. “My sister Stephanie over there don’t seem to care too much for you, and neither does Willie. But Dani? She does…I know she does. I wish I could count how many times I’ve listened to her get into it with Stephanie whenever your name comes up.” Trey nodded. “As fate would have it, she’s in town, too. I’m pretty sure she’d like to see you again.”
Jake relaxed as he leaned forward. “Did she tell you that?”
“No.” Trey bit his upper lip, “I just know.” He crossed the fingers of his left hand and added, “Me and her have always been like this.”
“Is she married?” asked Jake quickly.
“Nah…she’s been dating a guy forever, though.” Trey put both elbows on the table and leaned in. “She’s been with Brandon Clark, you know, the country and western singer.”
Jake’s eyes went wide. “That guy?”
“That’s the one,” answered Trey with a laugh.
“I’ve met him before. He seems nice enough.” Jake took a swig of beer before asking, “How the hell did she get hooked up with him? When?”
“Ever since she was in high school.” Trey shrugged. “He’s a couple years older than her, but he grew up around here. Graduated from the same high school.”
“Damn.” Jake leaned back in his chair again. “If she’s been dating a famous country singer all this time, what makes you think she’ll want to see me?”
“You’ll just have to trust me on that one.” Trey smirked. “Hey,” he added, “where are you staying tonight? You got someplace to go, or would you like to come on out to my daddy’s ranch? They got plenty of room out there, and you can put your horse up in the barn. I’m sure he could use a nice stall to bed down in.”
“Hmmm, he sure could. That’s an interesting offer.” Jake mulled the proposition over.
“Dani’s out there, too.” Trey winked.
“What…why?” Jake stuttered.
“Why what?” replied Trey.
“If she’s dating Brandon Clark…” Jake drummed his fingers on the table, “who’s probably got more money now than I’ll ever have, why would you want me to see her?”
“Because I’ve always looked after Dani and know her better than she knows herself.” Trey finished the last of his beer. He set the bottle down and wiped his lips before adding, “I know she likes being with Brandon and all the hoopla that goes with it, but I also know it probably ain’t gonna be enough for her in the end. She might really like the country music lifestyle…” he paused to wink and nod before finishing, “but ever since I was old enough to remember, all she’s ever wanted to do is run off and see the world from the front seat of a truck being driven by a guy wearing a gold belt buckle. Besides, from what I hear, he’s quick to hand out those backstage passes to pretty girls in the front row when Dani ain’t around.”
A smile crept across Jake’s lips as he let what Trey said sink in. He turned to look toward the hostess stand as he asked, “What about her and Willie? You think Dani will let that get in the way?”
“That depends.” Trey shrugged. “My guess is yes, if you really did fuck Willie over somehow, but I’d say no if Willie’s just pissed he got his own ass whipped and is trying to blame you for it.” He grabbed his empty beer bottle off the table and clanked it against Jake’s as he added with a laugh, “Either way, in the end, that’ll be Dani’s job to figure that out.”
Jake’s smile turned into a laugh before he cocked his thumb at Trey and said, “I think I’m gonna like you, Trey.” He was still grinning as the waitress stopped by the table to set down his steaming plate of meatloaf with a large helping of mashed potatoes and gravy. After she made sure Jake had everything he needed for his meal and walked away, Jake reached across the table and said, “And I’d like to take you up on that offer. It’d be great to meet your daddy, too.”
With a firm handshake, Trey said, “Good. You can bet he’s gonna want to talk your ear off, though.” He grinned and stood before adding, “Tell you what, I’m gonna go call my momma and tell her she’s gonna have company tonight. After you finish your dinner, you can follow me out to the house. Sound good?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it does.” Jake unrolled the paper napkin, pulled out his silverware and started eating. He watched Trey walk over to meet his sister at the hostess stand, but pretended not to notice the difficult conversation that followed. They both talked under their breath but, for the next sixty seconds, Stephanie looked like she was trying everything in her power to convince Trey she could handle Jake O’Brien being in the family restaurant, but she couldn’t stomach the idea he was going to spend the night at her parents’ home. She startled a couple of nearby tables when she ended the conversation by slamming her palm down on the stand, then stormed off through the kitchen doors behind her.
Jake couldn’t help but laugh when Trey walked back to the table, smiling. “Looks like we’re all set, then.”
Jake wiped his mouth, stood, opened his wallet and tossed a twenty-dollar bill onto the table.
Trey pointed at his half-eaten plate of food. “You going to finish that?
“No. I’m good,” Jake answered. “I’m ready when you are.”
Trey shrugged and said, “All right. Let’s go.”
Jake was relieved that Stephanie hadn’t returned to the hostess stand as they walked to the front door. “She’s really pissed, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she is,” answered Trey as they stepped out into the night.
“That doesn’t bother you?” Jake cocked his head.
“Well, I can’t say it doesn’t.” Trey stopped at the driver’s side door of a white Trans Am and put a key in the door lock. “But, hopefully, we’ll all find out she’s wrong.”
In the pause that followed, Jake looked at Trey to let him know he knew he would have to make things right with Stephanie and Willie if he was going to start seeing Dani. Trey opened his car door before adding, “Let’s get going.”
Jake took a long look at Trey’s car and whistled. “Damn, nice car.” He stepped around to the passenger side and read “Official Pace Car, Turbo Trans Am” written on both passenger doors, then walked back around to the front of the vehicle to stare at the large black-and-grey phoenix decal that wrapped around the engine cowling and covered most of the hood. He scratched the back of his head and said, “That’s a pretty fancy car you got there. That some kind of special edition or something?”
“Yeah.” Trey smiled. “They made this model the pace car for the Indy 500 back in May.”
“That’s real nice,” Jake said with a grin. “And here I figured you for a pickup man.”
Trey laughed. “Well, you know some guys like fast cars and some guys like fast women. I’ll take the fast cars any day. The cars don’t bitch so much and they require a hell of a lot less maintenance.”
Jake chuckled as he watched Trey roll down the window, then sit down in the driver’s seat before closing the door behind him. The 4.9 turbo-charged motor came to life. Trey floored the pedal a couple of times, making the engine roar loudly before he put the car in reverse to back out of his parking space. “You’re gonna follow me, right?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Jake headed for his truck. “Gimme a minute and I’ll be right behind you.” On his way across the parking lot, he chuckled. Trey had a good point; fast women were a handful, but there was something about them that always made Jake’s motor run. Even though he often fel
t that dating risqué women was like sticking his finger in a wall socket, and a long-term relationship couldn’t possibly be born from it, no matter how hard he tried, he could never talk himself out of jumping in head first, because there was something about the jolt that made his blood run hot.
As he climbed into his truck and put the key in the ignition, he hoped tonight wouldn’t turn out to be any different.
* * *
“Well, well,” said Dani, stepping out of the darkness into the lit-up barn. She wore a tight pair of faded jeans with a white blouse unbuttoned just enough to expose her cleavage. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose knot on the back of her head. She held an apple in her right hand and tossed it into the air once before leaning against the inside of the open barn door, crossing one boot over the other. “I have to tell you, I never thought I’d see you again,” she said, “much less in the house I grew up in…and in the same stall I used to keep my horse in.”
“Hey.” Jake looked up in surprise. After a slight pause, he asked, “What was his name? Your horse?”
“Tiny Tim,” Dani answered with a smile.
Jake closed the stall door, then looked back at Dani. “Tiny Tim, huh?”
Dani pointed at the stall Jake had just stepped out of as she walked down the middle of the barn. “Yes. That’s where I kept him when I was a kid. He was a Shetland, a good pony. I rode him everywhere.”
“Yeah?” Jake paused. “I had a pony when I was just a kid. His name was Rocket.”
“Let me guess,” said Dani. “You were Rocket Man?”
“As a matter of fact,” Jake said, chuckling, “I was.” He took a moment to remember a few times long ago when he was on his pony racing the wind. “And what did you call yourself? What could possibly go with Tiny Tim?”
Dani laughed as she came up beside him. “I was always Little Joe…from Bonanza.”
“Little Joe and Tiny Tim, huh?” asked Jake. “That’s cute.”
“I always thought so.” Dani folded her arms and leaned against the four-foot-wide steel door. Chief stuck his head and neck through the deep V built into the middle of the metal door to check out his new guest as she petted the side of his face. “You got him put up for the night?”
“Yeah.” Jake scratched the side of his horse’s neck. “He’s good to go.”
Chief devoured the apple Dani held up. “He sure is pretty. How long have you had him?”
“Going on three years now,” Jake answered. “He’s a heck of a horse.”
Dani straightened away from the stall door. “Sorry. I don’t want you to think I was being rude up at the house.”
Jake shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I didn’t say much to you the whole time we were up there. I don’t want you to think I was ignoring you.” Dani chuckled. “It’s just my daddy. I didn’t think he was ever going to stop talking, so I just sat on the sofa knowing sooner or later he was bound to run out of steam.”
“Oh, that was all right.” Jake grinned. He took his hat off so he could scratch the top of his head. “I gotta tell you, I was hoping you’d follow me out here. I was starting to wonder that maybe it was a mistake coming here.”
“No.” Dani shook her head. “I’m glad you came.”
“Me, too. I did enjoy talking to your daddy, though. It was nice having a conversation about roping with somebody who knows what the hell he’s talking about.”
“We don’t cuss around here, okay?” Dani turned serious. “My momma doesn’t like swearing at all…if she hears you, she’ll be upset.”
Jake looked around to make sure no one else heard him before a smile crossed his face. He said, “Well, ‘hell’ isn’t really a cuss word; it’s a place. And it’s not like I haven’t heard you say a few choice words yourself. Matter of fact, the last time I saw you, you let fly some doozies.”
This time it was Dani’s turn to look around to make sure no one else could hear. Her face had reddened by the time she glanced back at Jake, and she answered with an embarrassed smile. “Yeah, I guess I did.” She sighed and stared off into the past before adding, “I’ll never forget that night. Of course, my excuse will always be that I had one drink too many.”
Jake looked away and smiled. After a long pause, he said, “You know, I’d need an accountant to keep track of all the times I’ve thought about you since that night and, every time you’ve crossed my mind, I’ve wondered what you’d say about it…if and when I ran into you again.” He shook his head. “I’ve always hoped if you did say something like that, it’d be a stretch.”
“A stretch?” Dani raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, a stretch.” Jake gazed into her eyes. “That’s what you’d say, but not what you meant.”
Dani took a deep breath. “My, my, you get right to the point, don’t you?”
“I’ve been accused of that before,” Jake admitted, “A lot, as a matter of fact.”
Dani laughed. “I bet you do.”
“Sooo, speaking of which…” Jake nervously cracked his knuckles, “I hear you’re dating Brandon Clark.”
“I guess Trey told you, huh?” Dani frowned.
“Do you love him?” asked Jake.
“Geez.” Dani playfully elbowed Jake in the side. She took a deep breath, adding in a serious tone, “You could slow down a little bit. I was hoping we could get through at least a dinner and a movie before we wound up wallowing around in the deep stuff.”
“Sorry.” Jake nodded. “All right, then. So tell me, you still live in Phoenix?”
“That’s better.” Dani smiled. “For the most part.”
“Any kids?” Jake asked.
“Boy, you don’t stop, do you?” Dani raised her eyebrows.
Jake shrugged.
She exhaled deeply. “Nope. You?”
“None. At least not that I know of, anyways.” Jake laughed.
Dani smirked. “I bet you get plenty of practice, though, don’t you?”
“I really don’t want to go there right now. If it’s all right with you,” Jake answered uncomfortably.
“Sorry.” Dani put her hand on Jake’s arm. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I was just thinking of the time we spent together in Yuma, that’s all.”
“That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in my whole life.” Jake sighed. “And I drove halfway across the country this afternoon so I could find out if there was a chance I could ever do that again.”
“It took you long enough,” Dani said with a sly smile.
Jake looked deep into her eyes. “Better late than never is what I say.”
Dani smiled seductively. “It is late, but it might be even better this time.”
Jake smiled as the offer sank in, then put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her over for a kiss.
She was more than willing. Their kiss lasted no more than thirty seconds, but the intensity was breathtaking. Dani finally put her palms on Jake’s chest and pushed herself away. “We need to stop.”
Jake was breathing heavily when he held her by the waist and answered, “You sure? Your momma and daddy are asleep and Trey left an hour ago. We’re all alone out here.”
“I know, but I’m sure.” Dani gently slapped him on the chest. “We’re at my daddy’s house…and we’re sure as hell not going to do it in his smelly barn, for God’s sake.” She gazed into Jake’s eyes for a moment before leaning back in to give him another heart-stopping kiss, then pushed herself away again. “Besides, at the very least, you still owe me a dinner and a movie.”
Jake gazed into her eyes. “How about a few drinks and a dance or two? Does that count?”
A smile crept across Dani’s face. “Yes, I suppose that’ll do…for now.”
“They got a place like that open around here?” Jake asked.
She tilted her head to one side. “Right now?”
“Why not?” Jake grinned.
“You’re a silver-tongued devil, aren’t you?”
Dani laughed. When Jake shrugged again, she continued, “Well, I do know of this really nice, smoky place we can go. There’ll probably be three or four people in there, tops, and it’ll cost you a few quarters to hear any of the crappy old songs on the juke box, and the dance floor is about as big as the hood of your truck. The beer’s cold, though.” She smiled. “You in the mood for something like that?”
“Sounds great,” Jake answered with a gleam in his eyes.
“Well, say goodnight to your horse, then.” Dani grabbed Jake’s hand and tugged him toward the barn door. “We’ll need to get there quick. Sometimes Charlie will close up early if there’s nobody in there.”
“Who’s Charlie?” asked Jake.
“The bartender.” Dani giggled.
Jake smiled. “So I take it you’ve been there a few times.”
“Never…not once.” Dani stopped where the lights from inside the barn met the darkness of the night and added, “A girl’s gotta have some secrets.” She turned off the lights. “Come on, what do you say we go and see if Charlie’s still dating that slut Debbie Adams.”
“And who’s Debbie Adams?’ asked Jake as they started for the back door of the house hand in hand.
“The biggest whore in town” answered Dani. “Has been for the last couple of years. I think she’d screw a wood pile if she thought there was a penis in it.”
“Damn. Is she pretty?” Jake asked. “She sounds like fun. You’ll have to introduce me to her if you see her.”
Dani slapped Jake on the chest again. “I don’t think so! Besides, from what I hear, there’d be a good chance you’d need to go get a penicillin shot afterward.”
“You know I’m just teasing you.” Jake grinned, stopping before they reached the back porch to ask, “Do you need anything inside, or do you want to hop in my truck right now and take off?”
“Let me get my purse.” Dani let go of his hand and made a beeline for the back door. “I’ll be right back.”
Jake reached into his front pocket to pull out his truck keys, then unlocked his door and sat inside. For the next few minutes, he couldn’t stop feeling as if he was the luckiest guy in the world.
Roped & Tied Page 13