The Long Moon

by Stephy Smith

  Why did she have Gabe call and ask him to help her out with problems on her ranch? Didn’t she get her fill of abusing his heart the last time he talked to her? She knew where he was and how to get in touch with him. He sized up the situation.

  He knew why. Gabe gave him some of the details. The manager who replaced him had stolen some money, and she fired him. She wanted Carson back to manage the place, and to torture him some more. His jaws clenched. After all, she thought he would need a place to go after they stuck their dad in private care. I’ll show her, she isn’t getting to me this time. This is my place, and they have no right to come here and start trouble.

  “Whoa! Let’s get a few things straight, women. When you step onto my territory, you can be civil, or get off my land. That’s all there is to it. I won’t be threatened by your yapping lips or your attempts to degrade me.” He straightened his shoulders and hooked his thumbs in his pockets.

  For the first time in years, he wished he had found a girl to take River’s place. A split second later, he thought better of wishing for things he didn’t need or want. Not if all women were like her, he could do without that kind of drama.

  There were other things he would rather do than go back to the green eyes that haunted him. He could have said no to Gabe’s request and hers. Somehow, it didn’t appear right to leave her stranded, no matter what she’d done to him in the past. She was here now to join her sisters while they tried to bully him into their way of thinking.

  He bucked up, and made up his mind to face the vixen who had stolen his heart, and crushed it with a ten-pound hammer. There had been women he could have had a life with if she hadn’t tossed him out like a ruined pair of socks. She demolished him, and he had no desire to let another woman destroy what was left.

  It wasn’t all her. He had a long time to think about the things he did to her when they were together. He couldn’t think of anything he had done that was as cold hearted as the wrath she rained on him. Not once did he stoop to her level, and treat her as if she was nothing but cow manure stuck on the bottom of his boots.

  The odds of her changing were equal to those the lottery would hand out. Still, she was a challenge he had to deal with in order to move on.

  Round two with the beautiful vixen might tear his heart out. He shook his head as the women quieted the tirade. “Now, would you like to come in and talk about what brings y’all here to scream and yell at me?”

  “Right here is fine with me,” Carol glared. She fanned the papers in the air. “How did you con dad into selling his part of the ranch to you?”

  “I didn’t; he offered.” Carson moved closer to the group.

  “Dad would never do anything without our consent,” Lydia said through clenched teeth.

  “Your dad did a lot of things he never consulted any of y’all about.” He rocked back on his heels, then let his toes fall back to the ground.

  “We’re getting’ a lawyer. We’ll fight you for the land you’ve stolen from Daddy.” Lydia stepped forward with her chest puffed out.

  “Your daddy had the papers drawn up by his lawyer. Fight all you want.”

  River stepped to Carson’s side and faced her sisters. “He’s right. Daddy had the papers drawn up years ago. I was with him when he did it.” She ducked her head as pink caressed her cheek.

  “Get back over here, River!” Carol glared at her younger sister.

  “No! I came out here to warn Carson of your little scheme. I’m tired of being told what to do by you and Lydia. I don’t want him to go through what you have put me through since I took over my part of the ranch. You two are nothing but vultures, roosting on a worn weathered fence waiting to pounce on some dying animal. You may mistreat me, but you won’t mistreat someone who doesn’t deserve your wrath.”

  Carson lost his ability to form words. He cleared his throat.

  “Yeah, that’s just like you. Sticking up for Carson just like you always have. You’re the one who kicked him out of your life, and now you want to defend his honor?” Carol raised her arms in the air, waving them about with the papers still clenched tight in her fist.

  “Carson is a big boy, River. He can stand up for himself.” Lydia balled her fist at River.

  He stepped between River and Lydia. “You’re right, Lydia. I can protect myself. But if you ever raise a fist to River again, I’ll plow into you with a fury you won’t forget. She deserves more respect than either one of you.”

  “Come on, Lydia. Let’s get out of here. There’s no reasoning with that man.” She turned and marched toward the car with Lydia huffing behind her. The car threw dirt and rocks as it sped down the dirt road.

  “Thanks, River. I’ll be by tomorrow sometime to talk about your other problem.”

  “I tried to get here before they did. I’m sorry about the way they acted.” She walked to her pickup, opened the door and slid in. One last glance his way and then she drove away.

  Carson stood with his hands on his hips as he watched the dust fly in the air. He shook his head and pivoted to the barn to tend to the horse. With the reins in hand, he led the gelding into the barn. He set the saddle aside and grabbed the brush. Easy strokes with the bristles slid across the horse’s slick hair. “What’s gotten into River, Black Bart? I hope you have an answer for me, because I sure can’t figure it out.” He patted the horse’s neck. Shaking his head, he fed the horse then turned for the house to sit and ponder the situation.

  When he stepped onto the porch, his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and plopped down on the steps.

  “Did the firing squad shoot ya?” Gabe’s laughter bellowed over the phone.

  “Naw, Carol and Lydia tried, but River jumped in, and stood up for me. Tell me, old friend, why would she do that?”

  “Maybe she still likes you.” Carson let Gabe’s words sink in.

  “I don’t think so. But hey, if you’re free tonight, drop by.”

  “Not tonight pal. Gotta date.” The phone went dead.

  “Gabe on a date? When have you taken time off to date? Now, just what got into my beautiful little River?” He stared at the cell phone then tucked it away in his pocket. He rose from the steps and walked into the house, letting the screen door slam behind him.

  Chapter Two

  River Moon paced the office of the big ranch house in her Northwest Texas Panhandle home. Her mind obsessed over Carson instead of the accounting books sprawled across the desk. A tingle ran down her spine as his brilliant image danced around her thoughts. She closed her eyes trying to remember every aspect concealed by lost or misplaced memories.

  When they graduated high school he was the king of kings — football, basketball, and any kind of emperor’s position there was to be had, Carson was it. Of course, behind every king there was his queen. It was as if she became glued to his side for the year. After all, they were considered a couple and had been for a few years. Everyone expected to see them together during and after school. She grew weary of hearing how they made such a nice couple.

  She could still picture the way his thick brown hair waved in the breeze and hung just below his collar. The memory of his sweet smelling aftershave, the soft brush of his shaved cheeks next to hers, and his massive arms wrapped around her, warmed her insides. Recalling his penetrating brown eyes, which sparkled with gold specks, brought a quake to the surface she hadn’t acknowledged in years.

  Heat flushed her face in the midst of guilt from her childish behavior. She had tossed him out of her world in a fevered squabble. He packed his bags, and vanished from her life faster than tumbleweeds in a windstorm. She’d suffered the devastation alone, secretly hoping he would return within hours and beseech her to take him back. Her heart collapsed to depths of an eerie quietness. She would’ve welcomed him openly. The pain still stung as if it had happened mere hours earlier in the day.

  Earlier words from Carol invaded her memories. “We need to go get that low down skunk off dad’s ranch.”

  “Just
how do you propose we do that, Carol? From the looks of those papers, he is a part of the ranch. They were drawn up by dad’s lawyer, and dad hasn’t been declared insane even if he is a little loony,” Lydia said.

  Fury rose to choke River as the day before played in her mind. Mounting rage swelled in her chest. “Dad talked about it for years. I never thought he would actually do it, but he did. Besides, I like the idea of having Carson as competition. He’s gonna help me get to the bottom of a few problems arising on Grandpa Alvin Moon’s range.”

  “I’m going over there, and giving him a piece of my mind. Come on Lydia.” Carol grabbed up the papers, and stormed from River’s house.

  She had run out the back door. Quickly slid into her pickup and drove from the drive as if the place had been hit by a cyclone. In her rear view mirror, she saw Lydia’s red car backing from the driveway, and she pushed harder on the gas. She had to get to Carson before they did and warn him. However, she didn’t make it, and her sisters were tossing insults at him as soon as their feet hit the dirt.

  She sucked in a deep breath and pondered the image of him when her sisters zoomed out to confront him for their dad’s behavior. She shook her head. Why didn’t they see dad was at fault, and none of the blame should go to Carson?

  He didn’t come back into her life three years ago, and he surely wouldn’t now after the way her sisters had treated him. Her heart picked up a beat at the confrontation earlier that afternoon. She had reveled in the sight of Carson up close. It had been a while since she had the opportunity to stand beside him. Hopefully, the gesture she made would earn her another chance. That was all that mattered unless he couldn’t forgive her. The loss of her one true love left her deadened to the bone. Why hadn’t he come back when it all happened? What did she say to make the jumbled calamity permanent?

  Many times she tried to remember the words that had flown from her mouth in the chaos. The sordid carnage refused to revisit her mind even now. Bewilderment riled with the aching desire for Carson. Back then, he was the only thing in her life that was stable outside of her family. Mom and Dad tried their best to guide her; although they told her to do what she felt was right, and to make her own decisions.

  If she wanted to keep Carson now, she would have to work things from a different angle. By some foreign luck, he might give her a second chance to make things right. If... he wasn’t involved with someone else at this time. Her father never would talk about Carson to her. Many times, he told her the problem was between her and Carson. She should leave him out of their business. The time he worked for her father had to be a long and lonely time for the cowboy. Especially, without a woman to care for him, since her mother had died before he went to work for the Moon ranch.

  The sound of a motor coming up the drive drew her gaze to the lane. The thumping in her chest beat with the timing of the vehicle. Pressing her face against the window flattened her nose, as she peered out with excited eagerness. Her shoulders dropped when one of the ranch hands pulled up and walked to the barn. The tightness in her chest left her hopes tattered and torn as the heaviness settled in.

  “Don’t leave me hanging this way, Carson.” River’s words garbled and quietly mingled with the creaking of her breath. “I need you now more than ever, and not just to assist me on the ranch, but to see for myself what I missed out on.” Her throat constricted. Her heart sank into a soggy quagmire of emotions and brought sobs boiling to the surface.

  She returned to the desk, then back to the window. Pacing back and forth until she could take no more of the long expected arrival. Her mind whirled as questions popped in accompanied by answers she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear. The one thing about Carson she admired the most was his honesty; and at his worst, he could be brutal with his opinions. If he didn’t want to help her, he wouldn’t have agreed to come here.

  The pleasant aroma of fried chicken floated into the office and disrupted the mayhem in her mind. Her stomach growled in protest, even though she didn’t think she could eat a bite. If she did, she wondered how long her nervous stomach could tolerate it. Misery stormed her impatience with a powerful vengeance. What could’ve happened to you, Carson?

  If he would show his face, she was sure her appetite would return. River’s focus rested on his picture perched on the desk. It was taken at the county fair. They were in high school when she won the grand prize for her herd sire, Klondike, a Black Angus bull. She owed it all to Carson. He should’ve gotten credit. His expertise won the prize, not hers. They were young, and she didn’t stop to think how selfish she’d been in her early years.

  Growing up, she and her sisters worked hard for everything they got. Carol and Lydia had dreams of big city life, and she wanted to run her own ranch. When she came of age, part of the ranch had been turned over to her with the blessings of her father. He lived on the oldest and largest part. Continually, he showered her with the things she needed to make it a success.

  Trying to sort out the memories of her early years, she wondered how she survived with a friend left. Carson wasn’t the only one who had suffered at the hands of her egotism. She had managed to salvage the friendships of most of the others. Carson was a different story altogether.

  Her hand shook when she reached for the ringing phone. Please don’t be Carson refusing to come help. A loud sigh escaped her lips while she listened to the raspy voice of her grandmother on the other end. She rolled the chair to the window and gazed outside with the occasional ‘Yes, Grandma,’ ‘No, Grandma,’ and ‘I will, Grandma’ filtering through the air. After the lengthy discussion, Grandma confessed she was running out of air and hung up the phone.

  Grandma Dessie and Grandpa Alvin’s ranch bordered her’s and Carson’s on one end. Grandma Dessie called everyday to inform her of all her ailments and fill her in on the latest gossip which she dismissed most of the time. The one thing her grandmother never brought up was the subject of Carson. She wanted to know what he was up to, not some talk about so and so taking care of someone else’s pet chicken.

  Where are you Carson? You should have been here by now. She had begged Gabe, Carson’s friend to give up his phone number to no avail. Gabe refused and advised her if she needed to get a message to Carson, he would contact him. Anything less than an emergency was nothing but jibber-jabber, and Carson didn’t want to hear it.

  A slight giggle slipped over her lips. She even played it up big when Grandpa had his kidney stone. Sure, it was a big deal to grandpa, but the main thing that mattered to River was to try to get a glimpse of Carson, so she would exaggerate if she had to.

  Gabe was devoted to Carson. He stood by him until the end, helped Carson pack his things, handed him some extra money, and sent Carson to her dads’ place. She should hate Gabe for his role in sending Carson there. Instead, she admired him for his loyalty. Her dad refused to give her any inside information. He said he didn’t want in the middle of the squabble, and neither did anyone else.

  She tried not to question Gabe or her father too much about Carson. If they brought him up the subject was open for discussion and she took advantage of it. They never revealed where his next ride would be. If he would have given up bull riding, things may have turned out differently.

  “Carson is probably off risking his life to get on a bull. I don’t understand. He always put me second when it came to rodeo. I think he may have liked making me worry about him.” She glanced at a picture on the wall of Carson standing next to a gray headed ex-bull rider. “The only thing good about rodeos is barrel racing!”

  No one else knew how to contact Carson except Gabe and her dad. He was staying in the bunkhouse on her father’s place. Every time she would visit he was somewhere else on the ranch, bull riding, or in town — never close enough for her to try to patch things up between them. Gabe was River’s sole chance to get him back.

  Gabe had more gumption than the other hands working for her. When the trouble started, she sent him to take care of Grandpa Alvin’s ranch, knowing she coul
d trust him to take care of her grandparents. But with Gabe gone, she needed someone she could trust to take care of her problems and direct the men on what they could do to stop the harassment. She was sure, now that her father was in the care of someone other than Carson, that he would be more accessible to her.

  When he returns, she swore to herself, I will prove to him I have changed my ways. She would be the prim and proper woman he deserved. In addition, I’ll submit to his wild notions that a woman needs a man to protect and provide for her. There was more truth in her last thought than she cared to admit. The mess she was in now added strength to the statement. She hung her head. Sometimes a girl had to face the fact she needed a man for muscles and brawn in her line of business. More importantly, she needed Carson to save her sunken heart.

  The rumbling motor of Carson’s pickup revved up near the house. A fertile excitement darted through her body. Pulling back the curtains, she peeked through at his long lean body as he stepped out of the truck and stretched. His impact on her shivered her to the bone. Standing beside him the day before had brought back memories of how it used to be. Here he was in her front yard, handsome as ever. Her desires flamed like the Olympic torch.

  River willed herself to stay calm. Her heart beat out a quick rhythm as she stepped across the threshold, walked to the edge of the porch and paused. She took a deep breath, her feet took flight, and she ran and threw her arms around Carson’s neck. Tears gushed down her cheeks. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She buried her face in his neck and held on tight.

  The smell of spice and the smoothness of his face against her cheek brought back sweet memories. Some things never change, she was happy to know. The confrontation with her sisters the day before didn’t allow her the freedom to run to him at the time. Last night’s sultry dreams of him didn’t help matters much. It only created a more intense desire to be held by him again. To hear him whisper in her ear everything would work out all right.