Texas Reckless

by Gerry Bartlett

  “I never went to a cotillion in my life. By the time I was old enough, I was spending my life in hospitals, trying to save my leg.” Sierra almost jumped up, but Rhett’s hand on her knee stopped her. No, not now. She needed to hear Sally Ann’s rant.

  “Oh, sorry. Those were the older sisters of your ‘real’ friends. Your besties. Every fall you’d go home to Houston and those girls. Me, Marty and Ellie, we were just your summer friends.” Sally Ann roamed the room, stopping to open her designer bag. She smiled knowingly as she looked inside. “You know why we called ourselves the Tres Amigas?”

  “You all spoke Spanish. Marty is Latina. Ellie’s mom was Latina too. I assume you learned Spanish so you could talk with them about me behind my back. It was common knowledge I couldn’t speak a word of it. Or at least you didn’t think I could. It was your way of making me feel like an outsider.” Sierra frowned, remembering how that had hurt. “I took Spanish in high school. I never told you that, did I?”

  “Of course not.” Sally Ann opened the bottle and drank. “Did you understand what we said about you?”

  “Not really. You talked too fast for me.” Sierra hated to admit it. She’d tried so hard to learn their secrets but had no talent for languages. “I did learn puta meant whore. That was a favorite of yours.”

  Sally Ann laughed. “Ironic. You were a prude, a good little virgin. Which left Joey and Will for me.” That was said with a malicious grin.

  “How did that turn out for you?” Sierra couldn’t help herself.

  “Why you—” Sally Ann ran toward Sierra, but Rhett jumped up between them.

  “Stop it. You’re not teenagers anymore. Go back to the day of Sierra’s accident.” Rhett stood there until Sally Ann stepped back and sat on the end of the bed, near her purse.

  “Yes, that day. Did you do something to my saddle while I was outside looking for Will? You were desperate to beat me in that race, Sally Ann. It was your last one for a while because you were already pregnant with Joey’s child.” Sierra leaned forward.

  “Ah, one of the major mistakes of my life, hooking up with Joey. I sure lived to regret it.” Sally Ann finished her little bottle of tequila.

  “You wanted to win that last race.”

  “I wanted to win every race. But I didn’t have a chance!” She threw the bottle toward the metal trash can and missed. “My gear was threadbare and Mama sure couldn’t afford a new saddle for me. She was already griping about the cost of boarding my horse and the racing fees. You had Destiny, the best horse in the competition. I needed something to give me an edge. Anything to help me win that last time.”

  “What did you do, Sally Ann? How did you get that edge?” Sierra had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly she knew. God, she knew. “You switched saddles, didn’t you?”

  “Sierra, wouldn’t you have noticed if you had the wrong saddle on your horse?” Rhett asked.

  “Not if she put my old saddle on Destiny. Remember, I came back inside at the last minute. All I had time to do was jump on Destiny and ride. I’d used that old saddle so many times, it felt right. My new saddle was identical. It sat the same way, looked the same. I’d had them both custom-made. When the first one got worn, I had the new one ready to go.”

  “Do you hear her?” Sally Ann’s eyes filled with tears. “Custom-made saddles. Two of them. ‘Oh, dear, this saddle’s a little worn, better order a new one, just like the old one. Write a big fat check, Daddy.’ Fuck!” Sally Ann hit the bedspread. “She gave her old one to me. Charity. Told Mama all it needed was a good repair job and I’d be set. You know how much even that costs? Of course not. And never mind the finger-pointing. ‘Look at that, Sally Ann’s using Sierra MacKenzie’s hand-me-downs.’ I’d be a laughingstock!” She sniffed and dug into the minibar again. Her hand shook as she twisted off the cap of another bottle of tequila.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how you felt.” Sierra just stared at her.

  “Of course not.” Sally Ann waved the bottle. “What I want to know is, why now? Why are you bringing this up now?”

  “I never forgot it. I still hurt all the time. Worse lately.” Sierra rubbed her leg. “Now this Oxcart shit has raised a lot of questions. I decided there was one part of my life where I needed an answer.” She took a deep breath and gripped Rhett’s hand.

  “Answer me. Did you switch my saddles, Sally Ann?” Sierra asked quietly.

  “I didn’t think it would matter!” Sally Ann jumped up. “They looked the same! How was I to know your cinch was that frayed?” She turned her back and put her fist in her mouth, her shoulders heaving.

  “Why did you think I needed a new one? Not just for vanity, but because the old one was completely worn out. It was dangerous.” Sierra got up. “You had the ride of your life on my new saddle, didn’t you?” She grabbed Sally Ann’s shoulders and shook her. “Didn’t you?”

  Sally Ann jerked loose and faced her. “Yes! Yes, I did. I was leading in the standings. So I sat there, waiting for the last rider and the final results. Your results. I watched when you started your run. You came out as fast as I’d ever seen you. I thought then that it was over and I’d lost. You and Destiny, such a fine horse. You couldn’t be beat. You know what I thought when you fell?” She wiped her eyes. “I won! Yeah, I finally did it. I won!”

  “Because you cheated!” Sierra slapped her. Right across her face. Her hand stung. God. Brought down to Sally Ann’s level. Suddenly Rhett was between them again. He must have sensed that Sally Ann Jackson didn’t let anyone hit her without swinging back. He caught Sally Ann’s fist before it could land a blow.

  “That’s it. What we came for. You and your mother cleaned out Sierra’s stall and got all the saddles back where they belonged before anyone noticed, didn’t you? Marty told us that.” Rhett stayed between the women while Sierra sank back into the chair. “Did your mother know what you did?”

  “No, of course not. I put the saddles back while Mama was still hovering around the MacKenzies. She was in shock, just like your family was.” Sally Ann seemed to realize he had a reason for asking that. She was smart enough to want to keep her mother out of it.

  “Poor Sierra. Mama was putting you first. I’d won the fucking trophy and she was crying over you!” She staggered over to the bed and reached in her purse. She pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Sierra. “God, I wonder what she would have done if I’d killed you? Would she have taken my side? Realized you’d pushed me to it? Because I’m sick of you, Sierra MacKenzie. You and your rich-bitch ways. Now you won’t even sell your fucking ranch and make things right.”

  “Settle down, Sally Ann. You don’t have to do this.” Sierra saw that gun weaving from her to Rhett. It was as if Sally Ann didn’t care which one of them she shot first.

  “Don’t I? I just confessed to what I’m sure the sheriff will call attempted murder. I’ve had a long time to think about this, you know. A long, long time.” She aimed at Rhett when he took a step toward her. “Stay back, hot stuff. Yeah, of course Sierra gets a good-looking man, too. Mama says you’re a rich author, polite and kind.” Sally Ann moved back between the two beds so Rhett couldn’t reach her. “Take another step and I’ll shoot you in the leg. Or maybe in between them. Wouldn’t that break Sierra’s heart?” She sobbed. “I’m sick of everything I wanted turning to shit.”

  “Sally Ann…” Sierra needed to calm her down.

  “Shut up. Do you have any idea how guilty I feel every time I see you limping? It kills me.” Sally Ann wiped her eyes with her free hand, tequila splashing her wrist. “I know you don’t care, but I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. When I lost my baby I knew then that God was punishing me.” She sobbed again and the gun barrel aimed at the floor. Rhett moved and she raised it again. “No, stay back. Maybe I’ll plead insanity. I was pregnant. Hormones raging. Something like that.”

  “Sally Ann, calm down and listen
to me.” Sierra felt drained. She now knew the truth, or as much of the truth as Sally Ann was willing to share, but it didn’t make her feel better. It didn’t heal her leg or her resentment. “Give Rhett or me the gun and we’ll forget this happened. I won’t tell Rachel about this.”

  “You won’t?” Sally Ann looked at the gun as if wondering how it got in her hand. “What about the sheriff?”

  “It won’t do anyone any good to relive this. It would certainly hurt your mother.” Sierra held on to the table. “I just realized that I’m done with it. I needed to know the truth. You’re the one who has to live with the fact that your actions crippled me for life.”

  Crippled. God, Sierra hated that word. She never used it. She was fine. So she had a little limp and pain—oh, the pain. She dealt with it every day and managed better than most people did. Sierra faced Sally Ann. She wanted to scream at her, tell her that she hadn’t managed to ruin anything for her with her dirty trick. That she could take her barrel racing trophy and stick it… But the one punishment she could leave with this selfish bitch was guilt. If she was telling the truth and really capable of feeling it. Let her wallow in it, a life sentence.

  “Give me the gun and we’re done.” Sierra took Rhett’s arm. “I’m going to do what I can to forget the past. Can you?” She held out her hand, surprised it wasn’t shaking.

  “I—I’m sorry Sierra. Believe me, please. I didn’t mean for that to happen. It really was an accident.” Sally Ann threw the gun on the foot of the bed. “The safety’s on. I can’t shoot people, or even a rabbit or deer.” She fell onto the bed. “If I could, Will would have been dead a long time ago.”

  Rhett scooped up the gun and checked. “Yes, the safety is on.”

  Sally Ann stayed where she was as Rhett opened the door. “I was horrified after I realized how bad that fall was, how it affected you. Truly.”

  “I hope you mean that.” Sierra stopped in the doorway. “You married Will so you could be rich. Have you found that money buys you happiness, Sally Ann? Is it everything you thought it could be?”

  Tears rolled down Sally Ann’s cheeks. “You know Will. What do you think?”

  “Then consider this: everyone is after me to sell my land for this big investment, even you. But I like my place as it is. Why would I change things just for a few more dollars?” Sierra put her hand on the doorknob.

  Sally Ann took a shuddering breath. “Maybe because it would help other people?” She looked away. “But then you have no reason to listen to me, do you?”

  * * * *

  Rhett pushed Sierra outside before either woman could say more.

  “Hey, come here.” He pulled Sierra into his arms as soon as the door shut behind them. “How are you?” He could feel her shaking.

  “How do you think?” She pushed away from him and headed for the elevators. “Sorry, but I need to get out of here.”

  “Okay. I get it.” He hurried to punch the down button and stuck Sally Ann’s gun behind his back, then pulled his shirt over it. “That didn’t turn out like I thought it would. You were amazing.” He looked into Sierra’s face. She was too calm, too controlled. He had a feeling she was a dam about to burst. “It really was an accident.”

  “You’re not defending her, are you?” She whirled to face him, her eyes suddenly blazing. “Tell me that’s not what you’re doing.”

  “No, of course not. What she did was inexcusable.” Rhett was relieved when the elevator doors opened. Too bad there were people inside. A couple snuggled close and talked about going out for dinner. Dinner. He knew better than to suggest that right now.

  “We need to tell the sheriff what Sally Ann did.” He started to guide Sierra into the elevator, but she stepped away from him.

  “I promised we wouldn’t. I keep my promises.”

  Shit, was she mad at him now? They rode down in silence after that, the small distance between them yawning like a canyon. The elevator doors opened onto the lobby.

  The other couple hurried toward the exit. “Look, honey, the rain has stopped. We’re definitely trying that new steak place on Sixth Street.”

  “Sierra, say something.” Rhett pulled Sierra to a halt before she could step outside. “You want a drink? I know I could use one.” He nodded toward the bar. The piano player was having a moment with “Send in the Clowns.”

  “After what we just heard? What she just did?” She shook her head. “I decided long ago not to turn to alcohol to dull my pain, emotional or otherwise. I’ve known people who did that. I wasn’t about to go down that road.”

  “I didn’t mean…” Rhett followed her outside. “Is there anything I can say to make you feel better? Anything I can do?” He stopped her again before she stepped off the curb. “Wait. I’m still not sure you’re safe. It hasn’t been that long since we were almost run off the road.”

  She took a deep breath and turned to him. “I’m sorry. Of course you aren’t the bad guy here. I think I’m still in shock.” She put her face against his chest then held on to him. “Thanks for being there with me. You’ve been a rock and I just treated you like dirt instead.” She managed a chuckle. “How do you like my metaphors, writer guy?”

  “You’re amazing.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m here for whatever you need.”

  “Pity party of one. No help needed for that.” She smiled up at him. “No, I won’t subject either of us to that. Let’s go home. I’m actually feeling relieved. I finally know what happened that day. I believe her when she said she didn’t intend for me to fall. She wasn’t thinking when she switched the saddles. She did it in a hurry, I wasn’t outside that long. So it’s entirely possible she didn’t notice how frayed that cinch was when she tightened it on Destiny, especially if she thought I was just being vain when I said it was worn out.” Sierra pulled away.

  “Home. You’re sure? It’s a long drive and you look exhausted.” Rhett kept checking the parking lot around them. He still had that itchy feeling on the back of his neck, like they were being watched. No signs of moving cars though, as he finally got her to the Tahoe. The dent on the back bumper was a grim reminder that they wouldn’t be entirely safe even while on the road.

  “What about you? Are you too tired to drive?” She waited next to the passenger door. “Do I need to call Rachel to go let out Tramp for me? We can check into a hotel here for the night.” She looked back at the lights from the lobby. “Not here, of course. Not with the chance of running into Sally Ann. There are other nice hotels in Austin.”

  “I can make it to the ranch. Your bed is where you’ll feel comfortable and safe.” He unlocked the car and helped her climb in. “I hope asking for that meeting with Schlitzberger will stop the attempts to scare you.”

  “You think he’s been behind all of this?” Sierra stopped Rhett before he could close the door. “That’s my gut feeling too. But then I haven’t liked him since he treated Sally Ann so horribly in high school.” She held up her hand. “I know. Sally Ann’s not my best bud, but I heard plenty about him from Rachel years ago. I don’t care how he’s supposedly changed. Once a bastard, always a bastard.”

  “I think you could be right. Or maybe he’s a victim of the Oxcart flimflam.” Rhett kind of liked the idea. “Right now he seems the most likely suspect. He ramrodded the deal here and pulled in the local investors. Probably got pressure from Oxcart to get the deal done when you balked.” Rhett leaned in and kissed her. “If he’s not, he knows who is pulling the strings. So I’m hoping we’re in the clear for now with that appointment on his books for tomorrow. Unless your hammer comment made him think you’re still determined to hold out.”

  She held on to his shirt before he could draw back. “Me and my big mouth.”

  “I love your big mouth.” He kissed it again. “Let’s go. The sooner we get home, the sooner we can get to bed.”

  “Have plans, do you?” She pulled h
im down to her. “So do I.” She whispered a naughty one in his ear.

  “You expect me to calmly drive ninety miles after hearing that?” He leaned in and took her mouth hungrily. God, but he did love her mouth, her body and much, much more. He finally left her breathless and slammed the door. Just in time. A car pulled into the parking spot next to them and a laughing couple got out. They walked hand in hand toward the hotel. Damn it, he wished he could drag Sierra in there right now. Then he noticed a man sitting in the dark SUV that had arrived when he and Sierra had. Was the man there when they’d come out of the hotel? Had he been watching them?

  Rhett hurried around the car. He stuck Sally Ann’s gun in the console then started the car and buckled up. He didn’t need to remind Sierra to do so. When he drove out of the parking lot, he turned onto the freeway and merged into traffic. It was getting late, and he couldn’t tell if the dark SUV was back there.

  He didn’t say a thing to Sierra, just kept driving. When he took the turn toward Muellerville, he realized the other car wasn’t behind them. Okay, then. Maybe he’d been right about Schlitzberger and he’d called off his dogs. All he had to worry about tonight was pleasing this woman whose hand was creeping up his thigh.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I’m calling the sheriff.” Sierra shifted in her seat. “You think I didn’t notice you looking in your rearview mirror every five seconds? Are we being followed?”

  “It’s okay. I’ve checked and double-checked. No one is behind us.” Rhett glanced at her. “If it’ll make you feel better, call. I’m sure she’s been informed about our earlier incident on the road, but better safe than sorry.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Sierra pulled out her phone and hit some numbers. “It’s a sad thing when I’ve got the local sheriff on speed dial. It’s ringing.”

  “Sierra? I hope you aren’t in trouble again.” Myra sounded out of sorts.