Gina greeted the regulars and introduced herself to the two new gals who’d heard about the event from Crop Circles, the scrapbook store in Tranquility, about thirty miles to the west, just this side of the Kansas state line.
Gina glanced at the big round clock on the wall. Twenty after six. Getting to know the newbies was important, but she wanted to scoot out as quickly as possible so she could get home to see Toby and relieve Sandy.
Sandy, a retired schoolteacher, had stepped into the role of grandmother shortly after she started watching Toby. She was a widow with no grandchildren of her own and a flexible schedule. Thanks to her dead husband’s pension, she lived comfortably. Whenever Gina got stuck at the store, Sandy didn’t complain. Just fixed a meal or made up a bed – whatever was needed.
Gina excused herself, then wandered around the crop tables to mix with the other customers.
Dottie, who had been in the store when Aidan stopped by, patted the table next to her craft mat. “Nobody’s sitting here. Take a load off, Gina!”
Gina hesitated, but glanced around and saw that everyone was busy unpacking their supplies or scrapping, so she pulled the folding chair back and sat down. She pointed to the papers and photos spread out in front of Dottie and asked, “What are you working on tonight?”
“I’m making an exploding mini-album.” Dottie fanned several pictures out. “My trip to Alaska.”
Gina pointed at a package of heavy duty magnets. “How are you going to use the magnets?”
Dottie tapped one side of the album. “One magnet here, behind a picture, and the other under the patterned paper on the front.”
Gina nodded her approval. “Smart.”
Dottie asked, “How’s little Toby doing?”
Just the thought of him lit Gina’s face up. “He’s doing good. Sandy’s at home with him now. Hard to believe he’ll be six tomorrow.”
“Having a party?”
Gina nodded and raised her eyebrows. “Cowboy themed.” Like she needed any more of an excuse to think about cowboys.
“That’ll be fun.” Dottie said as she swiped her pink glue gun across the back of a photo. “Say, you ought to call Beth Jameson out at the Diamond J. She’s trying to get more involved in the community. See if she’d bring a couple of baby farm animals over, like they did for the elementary school last week.”
Gina’s mouth dropped open. “That is an awesome idea! Toby would be so excited!” And maybe she’d get to see Aidan again, spend a little time with him, get to know him better.
Dottie leaned toward Gina and whispered, “And Steve? What’s going on there?”
Gina’s left eye began to twitch at the mention of her ex-husband. “Oh, he’s fine, I guess. He was supposed to pick Toby up tonight, but couldn’t make it.”
“I am so sorry.” Dottie shook her head. “That boy always was trouble.”
Marlene, who had been listening from across the table interjected, “It seems to follow him, or he follows it, I’m not sure which.”
Gina glanced across the table at the woman who managed the truck stop out at the junction. Marlene had been only been coming to crops for the past month or two, so Gina didn’t know her well. “You know my ex?”
The woman nodded, and her silver streaked curls bobbed. “Steve Potts, right?”
Gina nodded and offered a brief description. “Yeah. Kind of a small guy? A few inches shy of six foot?”
Marlene arched a thin eyebrow and looked a touch irritated. “Yes. Steve Potts. Your ex. Your little boy’s daddy. Short, wiry, with blonde hair. Blue eyes. Perpetually tanned. Always in trouble.” She shook her head and swiped her tape runner across the back of a photo before adhering it to her paper. A smile curved her thin lips up. “He sure knows how to work that bad boy angle.”
That last comment caught Gina’s attention, and curiosity burned in her stomach. Steve’s bad boy image is what drew her to him back in high school. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the scrapbooker. Marlene was attractive, or would be if she’d quit trying to stay young. Her bony shoulders stuck out in points against her thin t-shirt. Silver highlights failed to hide the gray in her shoulder length hair.
Gina’s first thought was Steve’s philandering. Was this woman one of his flings? She pursed her lips as she considered the possibility. “That’s definitely him. How do you know him?”
Marlene leaned forward, bony elbows propped on the table. “He hangs out at the truck stop all the time.” Her husky voice gritted on Gina’s nerves.
Gina cocked her head to one side, “Really? And what does he do there?”
The other woman grinned, displaying teeth yellowed by nicotine. “Drinks a lot of coffee. Hangs out at the restaurant, in the trucker section.”
Gina knew the section. She and Toby ate out there sometimes – the restaurant was known for their Friday night specials. You could get a plate full of food at a great price, and kids under 12 ate free. The truckers had their own section at the front of the restaurant, with corded phones at every table, a vestige from the days before cell phones.
“Why would Steve be in the trucker section?”
Marlene laughed, which dissolved into a dry, hacking cough. When she caught her breath, she shook her head and heaved, “Damned cigarettes. Trying to give them up, but this cough just won’t go away.”
Dottie reached across and patted the other woman on the hand. “I smoked a pack a day for years. Finally kicked the habit, and now my lungs feel so much better. The cough’ll go away eventually.”
Though Gina appreciated the health implications, she wanted the scoop on her ex. In an effort to steer the conversation, she prompted, “And you say Steve hangs out in the trucker section?”
The other woman spoke slowly. “Truckers are notorious for doing things outside the boundaries of the law. You know, hookers, drugs, black market, selling hot stuff. Anything you can think of that’s illegal, it probably happens at a truck stop.”
Gina fought the irritation rising within her at her customer’s condescending demeanor. Why should she care what Steve was into, as long as he didn’t drag their son into it? “I know that, but what specifically is Steve into?”
Marlene shrugged. “Not sure exactly, but since he’s not a trucker, he’s got to be hanging out with the people he is for some reason. Sure hope your boy doesn’t follow in his daddy’s footsteps, cause if he does, you’ll have your hands full.” She gave a dismissive snort.
Gina frowned at that last comment and bit her tongue to keep from saying the first thing that popped into her head. The woman’s insinuation hit a nerve, focused Gina’s fear that her ex-husband’s actions would hurt their son. Instead, she asked, “Who’s he hanging out with? What are they into?”
“I’m not sure.” Marlene leaned over and grabbed a clear plastic paper holder out of her bag and set it in front of her. “There’s always this one woman who looks like a nut case. Wears bright colors. Like a beatnik flower child or something. And she’s older than me!”
Gina heaved a sigh and glanced at Dottie, who arched one eyebrow and shrugged. “Who else does he hang out with?” She fought to keep her irritation from showing.
“There are sometimes a couple of guys with the old lady. Last week, she had on overalls and these bright socks poking out from the bottoms, and had her hair in long pigtails. Looked like frickin’ Pippi Longstocking.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Poker Fever
Aidan opened the top drawer of his dresser, reached under the t-shirts and pulled out the sock where he kept a roll of bills. He peeled off a couple of twenties, stuck them in his billfold, then tucked it into his back pocket. It was poker night, and he had been looking forward to it all week.
They played for small amounts of cash, but braggin’ rights were at stake every night. There were now five guys, including himself and Beau, and they rotated between three houses each week. This week they were going to be at Bert Winton’s house.
Beau banged around in the kitchen, ta
lking to himself and slamming doors. Aidan walked down the hall and stood in the doorway, watching his roommate. Since Beau had professed his love for Beth, he’d been spending more nights at the big house with her instead of staying in the bunkhouse.
Aidan leaned against the doorjamb and watched the other man squat down and peer into the cabinet. “Whatcha doin’?”
Beau turned around, scowling. “It’s my turn to bring snacks and I can’t find a thing here. I thought I had something, but … ” His voice trailed off.
Aidan cracked a grin and shrugged. “You talking about the Frito’s and jalapeno cheddar dip?”
Beau’s scowl deepened. He cocked his head to one side and his lips flattened into a thin line. He said in an accusatory tone, “You ate them, didn’t you?”
Aidan nodded, then walked over and opened one of the cabinet doors. He pulled out a big jar of salsa and set it on the counter. “We got salsa and tortilla chips. That’ll work.”
“But you bought them.”
“But I ate your Frito’s and cheese dip so how about we call it even?”
Beau nodded and snagged the big bag of tortilla chips from the counter. “Sounds like a plan. Come on, I’ll drive.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m not in a drinking mood tonight anyway.”
The two walked out and climbed into Beau’s four wheel drive pickup. As they turned out of the drive, Beau nodded toward the pasture. “You boys get all the fence checked this afternoon?”
“Got the east pastures checked. Plan to do the west pastures this weekend.” Aidan watched the fence posts flash past. He couldn’t help feeling cynical, though. “For all the good it’ll do. You know the rustlers’ll just pull up, open a gate and take whatever they want anyway, right?”
“I know.” Beau strangled the steering wheel in his grip. “Beth thinks we need to put padlocks all the gates, start locking them. Your thoughts?”
Aidan lifted one shoulder. “They’ll just cut the fence and take what they want anyway.” The rustlers made him angry. It was more than mere stealing. They were messing with folks’ livelihood.
Beau reached over and smacked Aidan’s arm. “Enough of that. You were looking for Charlotte earlier. You meet a girl or something?”
Aidan was thankful his friend’s eyes were focused on the road as he felt warmth sweep up his neck and face. “Beth asked me to go to the scrapbook store to get invitations for the barbecue next weekend.”
Beau let out a low whistle. “The one with the long hair, kind of a dark reddish brown? Curvy?”
One corner of Aidan’s mouth quirked up. “Yeah, she is hot. Long legs, curves. And those eyes …” He held his hands up in front of him. “And I bet I could fit my hands around her waist.”
“That’s what you need, buddy. A woman.” Beau lifted two fingers from the steering wheel in salute as they met another truck. “I have to admit, I’ve never been happier. Beth is amazing. It’s nice to go to bed with her, nice to wake up with her. We laid awake ‘til almost midnight last night talking about bloodlines.”
Aidan nodded. Beau had been noticeably happier since he’d finally admitted he was crazy about Beth. It took him a year to finally ask her to be his girlfriend, then he proposed just two weeks later. Aidan wanted what they had. He was ready to settle down, have more than just a casual relationship.
With that realization, he blinked, surprised at himself. He’d never had a serious relationship. The closest he’d come was his high school girlfriend, and that entire relationship was set up by his father, determined to join the two families. Everything revolved around money, in his father’s opinion. She had been a spoiled, entitled little bitch, the daughter of a real estate mogul. His father hadn’t spoken to him for a week when Aidan broke up with her.
Then there was Tracy, the local girl who’d expected him to pay her credit card bills after she found out who his family was.
If she only knew the trouble that money came with. His father had been a cruel, distant man, who used his wealth to control everyone around him. He’d been in the news so many times for shady business deals, but the authorities couldn’t get anything to stick. The press referred to him as Teflon Teddy Brackston.
He snorted. And Beau and Charlotte wondered why he didn’t let people get close. He’d been running from his past for so long, trying to avoid getting caught up in his father’s plans — he’d left that life so long ago.
That was it, he thought. Come hell or high water, he was going to ask Gina out when he picked the invitations up on Monday. If she had a boyfriend, said no, so be it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Suspicions
The clock on the wall said it was a little after 6. It was time to get home and relieve Sandy. But Gina couldn’t resist one last question. “Was he out there today?”
Marlene shrugged. “Just got there when I left.”
Gina pushed back from the table and caught Midge’s eye as she walked toward the back office.
Midge followed her. “Leaving?”
“Yeah. I’m going to run a quick errand before I go pick Toby up.” She tugged her bag over her shoulder and jingled the keys in her hands. It echoed her nerves. She couldn’t stop mentally comparing Steve and that cowboy. Aidan looked dark and dangerous with that five o’clock shadow and his black cowboy hat. Why was she drawn to the bad boys?
Midge frowned. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Gina paused in the doorway. “I think Steve is up to his old tricks. I’m going to go find out.”
Midge had been a friend for many years, and knew all about Steve and his checkered history. He’d gotten off lucky, as far as Midge was concerned — she’d said as much for years. The local cops weren’t able to make anything stick, and since he was a local boy, they didn’t try real hard. He’d stolen a couple of cars and went joyriding, and he ran a successful business selling black market cigarettes to underage kids when he was younger.
Midge’s forehead creased. “You think it’s black market stuff? Or something more serious?” Her lips pinched together.
Gina shrugged. “It’s Steve we’re talking about here. Hard telling. But I’m going to find out.” She pushed through the door and nodded to the scrappers on her way out.
As she walked along the sidewalk, she dug in her purse for the business card Aidan had left with her earlier in the day, then punched the number for the ranch into her cell phone.
An older woman answered the phone, then put Beth on. “This is Beth Jameson.”
Gina quickly explained who she was and what she wanted. She added, “If it’s not too much trouble, that is.”
Beth laughed. “That is a wonderful idea! I can send one of the boys with two calves, how would that be?”
Gina sagged with relief. She hadn’t even realized how nervous she was about asking for the favor. “That would be great. I’d be happy to pay you.”
“Nonsense,” Beth said. “Just be sure to tell folks where the calves are from. I’ll have the boys bring along a few panels of fencing to keep the little guys corralled.”
They worked out the timing and Gina hung up with a smile on her face. Toby was going to be so excited at having real farm animals at his party. He’d asked for a pony, but this would be nearly as good.
Beth had said she’d send one of the boys. Gina wondered how many “boys” worked at the Diamond J.
She hurried along the sidewalk. Gray clouds hung low in the sky, threatening rain. The wind had picked up since she’d gone out at lunch.
She reached her battered Toyota Tercel, opened the door, tossed her purse into the passenger seat and slid in. As always, she closed her eyes and whispered, “Please start, please start, please start.”
The key, stiff in her fingers, refused to turn. She jiggled the steering wheel and tried again. This time, the key turned in the ignition and the car sputtered to life. The drive to the junction took less than five minutes, but that was plenty of time for Gina to think up at least a dozen scenarios t
hat all ended with her little boy being known as the son of a convicted felon.
In spite of the fact that it was still daylight, the truck stop had a glow about it. Lots of neon in the windows, and the huge electronic billboard added to the illusion. She sat behind a rumbling livestock hauler as she waited for the red light to turn green. Those things, trucks used to haul live animals, always gave her the creeps with those sad brown eyes staring out. Thankfully, this one was empty, but the warm summer air intensified the rank odor.
The wind blew out of the west, so the smell of cattle and manure and sweat wafted right over her car and into the ventilation system. She cranked her window down, which didn’t help, but at least increased the flow of air through the small car.
The light turned green and the truck rumbled into motion, the engine struggling to get the monstrous metal beast moving. The semi veered to the left, toward the truck islands and parking. Gina swung right into the parking lot in front of the restaurant, but chose a spot close to the highway, so she’d have a clear view of the restaurant entrance and the truck parking. She put her car in park and switched the engine off.
It coughed twice and died.
She gripped the steering wheel, not sure what she was even doing. Driving to the truck stop had been nothing but an impulse, a gut reaction to Marlene’s comments. Steve was her ex. She needed to quit worrying about him.
Her thoughts turned to the cowboy who’d ordered the invitations. He had that dark, dangerous look that she was drawn to, but he was different. He’d been so nice, so pleasant.
Mmmm. The best of both worlds.
A bad boy that’s a real gentleman.
CHAPTER NINE
Memories
As they neared Bert’s house, Aidan looked out at the pasture, dotted with a handful of white faced black cows. “Looks like Bert has a few head this year. Guess he decided not to get polled Herefords again.”
Diamond in the Rough (Diamond J #2) Page 4