by Bellus, HJ
“Granddad, stop.”
“No.” His voice shocks me as it comes out as a loud and angry roar. “You deserve the truth, Maverik. You’re a Slatter, and in no time, you’ll be the one in charge. The king of this ranch. It will all be on your shoulders to keep everything rolling. Please don’t lose hope.”
His eyes close as his breathing slows down as does his pain. I hold my granddad in my arms as his entire body goes limp.
“No. No. No. You hang in there, you stubborn ass. None of it matters. Hang in there, Granddad.”
My last word is muffled by the blaring siren of the ambulance at the end of the long drive. Paramedics fly from the cab and take him from me, inserting all sorts of tubes and trying to find his heartbeat.
“We gave him aspirin.” Challis comes running up behind me with tears streaming down her face.
The workers don’t pay us any attention as they work on him, and soon the doors shut and the ambulance is off toward town with its siren and lights going off.
“Get in.” The roar of Merek’s truck takes over the scene. Challis jumps up into the front seat and I follow, crawling in next to her. I twist uncomfortably in my seat to see Marvel in the back seat. It’s the same little boy I used to save on the bus when the bullies would pick on him. His face is flushed ghost white while his eye twitches and tears silently stream down his face.
“We’ve got this, bud.” I cover the top of his hand with mine. The silence in the cab of the truck is gut wrenching.
“Granddad told me the story as I raced him down the lane.”
I continue to tell the story and even his final words to everyone in the truck, and if I thought it hurt hearing it, it tore out the last shreds of my fucking heart to retell it.
“We are Slatters, and this topic will never fucking come up again. We know who our dad is and our granddad. It’s done.” Merek pulls Challis in tighter as he drives one handed.
We all agree in unison.
“And once we get him back home we are going to enjoy the rest of his days. There’s no way he’s going out like this,” Marvel adds.
Hours pass in the waiting room feeling like years, and we wait for any news. Random nurses have been out reassuring us the doctors are doing everything they can, but it’s not enough to erase the feeling of Granddad limp in my arms.
“I can go back home and buy enough feed to get us through this mess.”
I look over to Challis, who is now sitting up in Merek’s lap.
“What?” I ask.
“It will cost us a little more in delivery charges, but I’ll make it happen. We have to get these colts sent off to Saint. Period.”
“You’re not getting involved in this shit, Verde, I don’t want you in it.”
“Too bad, I’m a Slatter now and will do everything I can to help.”
She has her phone out and is dialing a number before Merek can stop her.
“He’s not going to hurt Challis.” Marvel sits up from the chairs he’s been sprawled across. “He’s after us and punishing us for our dad’s shit. Let her get the feed and all this will be behind us sooner than fucking later.”
Challis orders the feed and agrees to go back to her hometown tomorrow to settle up on the bill and bring half the load home. Her saving the day gives me a bit of hope and forces a slight grin to spread across my face. Relaxing back, I reflect over the last year and fight like hell to put all the puzzle pieces together.
We all know our dad fucked up by putting the ranch in jeopardy with his betting habit and then got caught with his dick out when it shouldn’t have been. Money is money and the whole state of Texas knows Saint has more of it than God. So, I can see the part where my dad boning his old lady would piss him off, but to the point of ruining a ranch and the livelihood of a family that had nothing to do with it? Something is missing, that’s for sure, and I have a damn good feeling there’s more to the story that has the potential to threaten all of us.
I pull out my phone and open the note section and begin typing out all the shit that’s gone down since our dad shared his misfortunes with us. The list isn’t pretty, from horses being let out of our corrals, to fences being torn down, to Teebaby being drugged and nearly killed, and now the feed. I read over the list several times before I type out the final line. “Who is behind this scandal?” And the only name that follows is Saint, and then the word, why?
I rest my head back on the wall and let out all the air I’d been holding as I was typing. Not much good was accomplished from the typing besides making it clear someone has a bigger vendetta to settle with us than we understand. And it may as well be Saint, but why is he sabotaging his own operation with us that has potential to bring in thousands for him? It all boils down to hate.
“Slatters.”
We all look up at the same time to a doctor clothed in scrubs standing in the doorway.
“You all have one very tough and stubborn cowboy on your hands.”
I feel the tension wash away from all four of us as his words take away the fear of the inevitable. At least Granddad is still with us.
“We had to replace a stent in his heart to open it up. Of all the problems, this was the best of any. We will keep him for observation, then he should be good to go. He’s already harassing the nurse in the recovery room.”
“How long will he have to stay?” Marvel asks.
“If all goes well just a day, and then we’ll send out a home nurse to continue monitoring him, but like I said, he’s a tough one.”
Challis fills in for us and begins asking the doctor questions.
“Oh, before I leave you. He’d like to see Maverik. Begged for him the whole time. Does Maverik happen to be here?”
I stand, nodding to the doctor. “I’m Maverik.”
I follow him out of the small waiting room, close on his heels. It takes a lot of strength not to push down the man and race to Granddad’s side.
“He will most likely be out of it but said he had to talk to you.”
I nod and continue to follow him down a hall and then into a room filled with beeping sounds and a strong sterile scent. There’s only one patient lying in a bed while all the other ones are vacant. The doctor stops at the door as I quickly make my way to him. I’m relieved when I see a flush of color on his cheeks and his eyes a bright blue this time.
“What are you doing, old fart? You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Maverik, I’m sorry. I never should’ve said a thing,”
“Stop, Granddad. We don’t care. The only thing that matters is you.”
“The only reason I shared the information is so you always know to protect your brothers and never feel guilt for betraying my son.”
He pauses, catching his breath, and I reach for his hand and gently squeeze it.
“I know you boys have always respected him and shown him great loyalty because of me and the respect you hold for me. Now, that’s all gone. If he screws with the ranch after I’m gone, don’t think twice about taking care of him. You got me?”
I nod and accept the terms he’s just put before me without a damn single question.
“I’ll always protect Silver Star and my family, but old man, I still need you around for a while. You have always been the king to the empire and my foundation.”
He lightly chuckles and then immediately winces in pain. “I’ll see what I can do. I’m starting to think the man upstairs has different plans.”
“Rest for now, Granddad. We’ve got the feed covered, or I should say Challis found a way.”
“That a girl. Sure glad Merek found him a keeper, and now it’s your turn.”
I wink down at him. “You know I enjoy playing around too much.”
A huge smile brightens up his face. “Yeah, Challis refers to you as a man whore.”
I share a laugh with my granddad as I send up several silent prayers to the man upstairs, thanking him for not taking this man from us.
I begin to walk away but do something I’ve
never done before—bend over and kiss him on the forehead. “You’re my blood and always will be. You’ve shaped me into a man and given me a priceless empire at Silver Star.”
A single tear streams down his face, and this time I have to turn away. Something you never want to see or experience is when the rock and strongest person you’ve ever met is at their weakest state of life and knocking on death’s door.
“Send in my feisty cowgirl.” I hear him from the bed and then hear the nurse scold him about visitors.
I turn to him, tip my hat, and reply, “You got it, old man.”
5
Maverik
The stars have lost their shine and the moon its power as I sit helplessly in my truck, trying to find some sense of relief. Marvel drove me home in Merek’s truck and then went back to the hospital with Merek, and Challis.
I needed a break, a chance to catch my breath and find a slice of peace in my life. But everywhere I look on the ranch, I see Granddad’s fingerprints all over it and then feel the sacrifice he made for his wife by giving her a child at any cost. He didn’t go into details, but I know beyond a doubt that all the pain on his face when he told me wasn’t from the heart attack alone.
Mindlessly, I begin to drive and pass up the bar. Booze would numb stuff right now, but it’s as if I don’t deserve to escape any of this pain and hurt. I pull into the local grocery store and decide to buy food to stock up Granddad’s place. Since Challis has been around, we eat all of our meals there, and between her and him they take turns cooking. These past few months have been the best with him. His damn smile and the sense of pride he has when we all surround his kitchen table is irreplaceable.
“Hey, Maverik.”
I look up to see a neighbor rushing over to me.
“Sorry to hear about your grandpa. Is he okay?”
The one thing that never changes about this town is word travels fast.
“He’s going to be okay. He’s one tough cookie.” I nod my hat to the elderly woman and try to be respectful.
“Well, let us know if you boys need anything.”
“Will do, Mrs. Camancho.”
I avoid eye contact with anyone else the rest of the time while filling the cart up. I have no fucking clue what the two need for cooking, and I just resort to throwing stuff in the cart. It’s a mindless job, and since it’s late at night, the store is deserted.
An old country tune floats through the air and I find myself singing along and tapping the edge of the cart, reassuring myself that life will be okay. I chuckle lightly to myself thinking about how many times Granddad should’ve passed between the rodeo and ranch accidents to his older age. Screw nine lives, he has to be on his twentieth.
I round the corner at a fast pace with my spirits finding the hope they need. A loud shriek fills the air, and then a shower of groceries goes flying. Once everything settles, I stare at a ghost from my past. One I’ve never wanted to run into again. Ella James stands before me with her hair all a mess and pulled up on the top of her head, eyes puffy and cheeks flushed.
This is different from the time I ran into her at the rodeo, because she was distracted and running from something. I’m not sure she even recognized me. But now she has no opportunity to duck away from me or feed me a line of bullshit.
“Mav.” My name rolls off her lips and it does something to me.
I only nod, refusing to speak to her.
“My mom died.”
I nod again, not wanting to talk to her or get trapped back in the vortex of Ella. She’s been my one love.
“I’m sorry,” she adds.
Those two words wreck me and cause me to fly off the handle, seeing nothing but red.
“Sorry for what?” I throw my hands up in the air and then bring them down, sweeping all the cereal from the shelf. “Sorry for leaving in the middle of the night? Sorry for being a bitch to me a couple of months ago, or wait, are you sorry for running into me tonight?”
She bows her head and tries to hide her swollen, watery eyes. “For all of it.”
“You should be.”
I push my cart around her and continue on. Blood pumps through my system at a rapid rate; I can feel my heart pound against my chest so hard it nearly hurts. I’m not sure if it’s from the adrenaline or the living heartbreak I just ran into.
“Maverik.” Her voice stops me in my tracks, instantly pissing me off. I’ve never understood the curse or the power this girl has held over me. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”
I turn to face her with a wicked chuckle escaping me. “You sure have a fucking funny way of showing it, Ella. Just leave me alone. Bury your mom and then leave town and never return.”
I watch as each one of my words slice her open, leaving her bleeding in pain in the middle of the local grocery store, and it may be the most satisfaction I’ve ever felt when it comes to the topic of Ella.
The clerk sends me several worried looks as I slam each item up on the belt and then curse when the cart becomes tangled in the magazine rack. Her eyes even dart to the phone next to her register. I want to reassure her but not sure my words right now would be all that soothing.
As soon as the total crosses the screen, I swipe my credit card, not waiting for her to tell me the total, and then swipe the bags from the counter and storm to my truck. As I toss the last bag in the bed of the truck, I think of my granddad lying in a bed fighting for his life and of all the sacrifices he’s made in his life for the loved ones that surrounded him.
He warned me she was returning home and made his message very clear about what I should do. This day can just go fuck itself. I’m not sure if I can handle anything else being dumped on me. Granddad’s words don’t leave my mind as I sit in the cab of my truck and stare down the entrance of the grocery store. He all but handed over everything to me tonight in that recovery room, and here I am in no less than a couple of hours acting like an immature dick.
I know have the right to be angry with Ella but being cruel is another thing. For the second time tonight, I’m talking quietly in my head to the man upstairs asking for a sliver of advice. As I wait in the truck and stare into the dark night sky, a shooting star grabs my attention. It’s brighter than anything I’ve seen.
Thoughts of Silver Star Ranch and my roots flow through my mind when I see Ella step out into the dark parking lot. I watch her stride across the lot with long, lean legs in tiny shorts. A half smirk crosses my face because some things never do change. Those damn shorty shorts are one of the things we always fought about back then.
Time has been kind to Ella with all of her beautiful features only magnetized and brought to the forefront. Her strong jawline that perfectly frames her gorgeous face right down to her long and lean torso.
Before I know what’s happening, I’m out of my truck and stomping toward her. “Ella, stop right there.”
My voice startles her as she tosses one of her bags into the night air, but it doesn’t stop me from taking her into my arms and pressing her up against me. This time I feel her heart racing out of control as it pounds into my chest. I use my hand and cup her cheek. My palms instantly feel at home on her skin. It’s not like when I touch other women.
Without a word, I drop my lips to hers and take a moment to savor the scent and feel of her sweet lips on mine. I capture her bottom lip with my teeth, lightly sinking into her flesh, feeling all of her. My tongue darts out, toying with her upper lip as memories of our first time flood back in.
I feel Ella nestle into me, allowing me to guide the pace of our heated kiss. Soon, both of our lips lock and explore each other’s mouths. Ella gently tilts back my cowboy hat, allowing her full access to me. I remove the hat from my head and plop it down on hers. Her giggles vibrate against my tongue as what I just did was an inside joke only shared between us.
Soon her hands roam in my hair and then she begins to lightly tug on my locks, and I know this is her sign of wanting more. The reality of what I just did sets in and I immediately
back up from her, leaving her panting.
“Fuck.” I run my hands through my hair and then bend over to try to catch my breath. “I just meant to say sorry for acting like an ass in the store.”
“I’ll take it.” I look up to Ella as she brushes her fingers over her swollen lips.
“What are you even doing here, Ella?”
“My mom passed away, asshole, remember? I came home to bury her.”
“She also went through years of chemo and fought off cancer by herself. People from the town were there for her and raised money for her. Where were you, Ella?”
“You’d never understand,” she whispers into the night air.
“Try me.”
Ella drops her head and walks away from me.
“Yep, do what you do best, Ella. Walk away.”
This stops her in her tracks and I stare as she marches over to me and throws my hat in my direction.
“You’d never understand, you narrow-minded asshole. I refuse to be treated like trash by you. It’s your choice. You can either decide to forgive me or leave me the fuck alone.”
I know I’ve sent her into a rage when she drops the F-bomb. It’s her telltale sign of being pissed off beyond belief. I watch her gather her bags in the dimly lit parking lot and feel the overwhelming sensation of panic hit me.
“I never stopped loving you, Ella. You’ve always been the one. Never dated or fell in love again. There’s been plenty of other women, but you’ve always been mine.”
When she turns back to me with her grocery bags settled in her arms, using them as a shield against me, streams of tears roll down her face. “Like I said, Maverik, you’d never be able to understand my reason for running away.”
“Did…” The word gets stuck in my throat, and I can’t believe I’m even going to ask her. “Did you even love me, or did you just use me to pass time?”