Not A Good Reason

by McCarthy, G. L.

  Smokey wasn’t as apprehensive about getting in the trailer as he could smell the sweet feed. This was the last stretch to home and in five or six hours they would be pulling in to his new home. Smokey would be sharing a pasture with Alex’s horse Beau. But until they figured out who was boss, they would be in separate corrals and could visit over the fence. Taking one last walk around the place Sam wanted to leave Jack some money for his hospitality and straw, but how would she be sure he got it. No, she would look him up and mail it to him, along with a story of her encounter with Oliver and his Civil War story.

  Chapter 7

  The drive back to the freeway was slow going, but it was going. The overcast day made it feel like it was still early, but she would get back to the freeway by noon. Having that feeling that she was not alone kept coming and going, but she was wide awake and definitely alone. When Sam finally got back to Bloomsburg she pulled over to call Alex before getting back on I-80 to let her know approximately when she hoped to be arriving with Smokey.

  “Is everything all right? Are you on your way? Did you get to sleep in a barn?” Alex needed to stop talking so Sam could answer.

  “Yes, yes and yes. I’m just fine, Darlin’. I should be there baring any crazy traffic tie ups in about five or six hours, best guess. I’ll call when I get off the freeway.” Sam was trying to organize the junk food she had ready for the rest of this trip.

  “So you were able to sleep in a barn, how great was that?” Alex wanted to hear every detail, because once again her dream last night was a little cryptic as usual.

  “It was great to be able to stretch out and get a comfortable night’s sleep. I had the strangest dream, but I’ll tell you all about it later.” Sam wanted to get back on the road before more travelers realized the roads were clear.

  “I will be anxiously awaiting your return. Drive carefully and be safe, love you.” Alex realized their evening would be short, but oh so sweet.

  As Sam pulled back onto the freeway she was pumped. The road was clear of snow and not having chains on would make the trip a lot more pleasurable. This long boring trip would soon be over and she could once again wrap her arms around Alex and feel like she was on cloud nine. Sam needed a distraction and so she cheered to herself as every large town rolled by. Hazelton, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Middletown, Newburgh, Danbury, Waterbury and when she passed through Hartford she was ready to cry. Now she could call Alex and tell her she’d be at the barn within the hour.

  “Are you almost here?” Alex had her keys in her hand and was ready to fly out the door.

  “Well almost. I’ve just passed Hartford and the traffic isn’t horrible, but not clear sailing. I should be pulling in, in about an hour if my memory still works on how to get there.” Sam had only been to the barn a couple of times and may need a refresher on which road to take.

  “I’ll meet you half way. I’m leaving now and will head your direction. That should put you twenty minutes from the barn if I’ve figured right.” Alex was about to jump out of her skin in anticipation and needed to do something with herself.

  “I like that idea. The sooner I see you the better. See you soon. Bye Darlin’.” Sam shifted in her seat and only wanted to see Alex’s Red F-1 coming down the road.

  Alex jumped with joy, and then needed to hit the bathroom and grab some carrots before she jumped into her truck. It would take her a while to drive to the main road, through town and then head for the highway. As she drove down main street all the stores were closing for the day, including the Tea House. This small town rolled up it’s sidewalks at six on Sunday and it was a good thing Alex had plenty of food at home for her weary traveler. Sam was sure to want something when she finally got back to the house. Alex was almost to the highway when she spotted Sam’s truck, and making a quick U-turn, she headed for the barn. She didn’t get very far before Sam flashed her headlights and Alex pulled over. Sam pulled up behind Alex and jumped out and ran up to her door.

  “What’s wrong?” Alex opened her door and wondered if she had car trouble.

  “Nothing now.” Sam pulled Alex into a long passionate kiss and then gave her a wink and ran back to her truck.

  “Oh fine. Get me all worked up and then run away. Just you wait young lady.” Alex felt flushed as she got back in behind the wheel.

  As Alex took a deep breath she looked in her rearview mirror and thought she saw someone sitting in the bed of Sam’s truck. Was it a hitch hiker or just some of Sam belongs that made it appear to be a head and shoulders? Anyway she’d find out when they reached the barn.

  It was the sound of Alex’s engine that brought Beau out of his stall in anticipation of a few carrots to go along with his meal. Mr. McGuiness was just heading back to his house after giving Beau his dinner. Now he could meet the new addition that would be under his daily care. As Sam pulled along side the fence it was Beau that could tell he had company and let out a cheerful greeting. A greeting that Smokey quickly answered.

  Alex pulled her truck out of harm’s way in case Smokey had a notion to act up. Beau was at the fence and tossing his head up and down as if to say “Come on, open the doors already”. But it was probably more of a “Give me the carrots now” kind of thing.

  “Hi, Mr. McGuiness. Here he is.” Alex had made sure it was going to be okay with Mrs. McGuiness to bring in another horse. Mr. McG would have loved to have a herd of horses, but his health wasn’t what it used to be.

  “He’s a good looking horse. What’s his name again?” Mr. McG’s memory wasn’t what it used to be either.

  “Smokey. I know, not that original for a black horse. But it fits.” Sam had a tight hold on his halter as he was very excited to see another horse. “Alex can you get his buckets and hay net?”

  “On it.” Alex tossed what little water was left in both buckets, then untied the hay net and took them to the door of Smokey’s stall.

  “The bag of sweet feed is in the truck bed. Can you put it in the feed room? I’ll get the rest of the hay and shavings out and put them away. Thank you.” Sam wished that Mr. McG wasn’t around so she could give Alex another kiss.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Alex knew why Sam was in a hurry – that kiss got her worked up too.

  As Alex lowered the tailgate it was apparent no one was riding in the bed of the truck. There really wasn’t any room as Sam had it packed tight. Alex grabbed the opened bag of feed and headed for the small feed room. Sam met her halfway and took it the remaining way. Alex then removed the tarp so she could pull the bags of shavings and Sam’s saddle to the edge of the tailgate. Sam was moving like someone who’s pants were on fire, which was close to what was on fire. When she grabbed the last item that was to remain at the barn, Alex closed the tailgate. That left the last chore of parking and covering her trailer. Mr. McG had a place all ready for her to park it. Alex would have done it, but she’d never driven a truck towing a trailer in her life. She always paid to have Beau hauled from place to place. But she could help Sam cover the trailer and tie the tarp down. Last detail – cover the tires and they were good to go.

  “Do you want to hang around a bit and see how Smokey settles in?” Alex didn’t mind hanging around for a while. But really hoped Mr. McG didn’t wait with them.

  “He’ll be fine. I expect he’ll eat and then sprawl out and get a good night’s sleep. He’s a lot calmer now that he’s not alone anymore.” Smokey was making quick work of the treat Sam placed in his feeder and was tossing the hay out of the way to get to it.

  “He does seem to have adapted quite well. I’ll get the carrots before Beau disowns me.” Alex knew that the little bit of excitement of having a roomy would only last for a while.

  Alex was trying to break up the carrots so Beau could chew them easier, but he didn’t think she was doing it fast enough. Sam arrived with a small amount of sweet feed to give him something to get his mind off the carrots.

  “Thank you. He’s such a brat when it comes to carrots. You’d think he never gets them. Here, give
some to Smokey. He can probably hear the crunching.” Alex glanced over her shoulder to see if Mr. McG was in sight before she grabbed Sam unfortunately he was.

  “Why thank you. I know he’ll love them.” Sam gave Alex a wink as she knew why they weren’t in lip lock and smiled at Mr. McG as she passed him on her way to Smokey’s stall.

  “Well you two can go ahead and leave. I’ll check on these two in a couple of hours to make sure they’re okay. I’m sure you’re ready for a shower and a hot home cooked meal after that trip.” Mr. McG wanted to hang out at the barn and get to know this new guy.

  “Thank you Mr. McGuiness, we really appreciate you keeping an eye on our boys. You have a good night and give my regards to the Mrs.” Alex was very respectful of his privacy and knew what a great deal she had there.

  Alex gave Sam’s hand a squeeze as they parted to get in their trucks and head for home. Sam was ready to break the land speed record if she had the horsepower, for two reasons. She really wanted another kiss and she really needed to use the bathroom. Sam had her own house key so she took the lead as she knew how to get home from there.

  When Alex drove up the driveway Sam had the garage open for her and the lights were on inside. Alex pulled in and wondered why Sam hadn’t parked inside the garage as well. There was plenty of room for both of them. But then it would be in the way of her putting her camping gear and such up on the storage platform.

  “Where did you go?” Alex had expected to find her in the kitchen making herself something to eat.

  “Coming. I really had to go.” Sam came running from the bathroom and into Alex’s open arms.

  “Welcome home, lover.” Alex was in a state of calm she’d never felt before. Life was as good as it could get.

  “Darlin’ you have no idea how much I’ve thought about this moment since I left the ranch.” Sam pulled Alex close and then kissed her as if they’d been apart a lot longer than a little less than four days.

  “Hmmm. That was perfect. Can I make you something to eat?” Alex was ready to help Sam take a shower as she was a might gamey, but wanted her to eat first.

  “Would there be any leftovers from the Tea House?” The thought of orange chicken was the only food other than Alex that she was in the mood to eat right now.

  “No leftovers, but I do have a full order I can heat up.” Alex had made a trip into town at noon to get her weary traveler her favorite take out.

  “Why did it take this long for me to find you? I would love for you to heat it up.” Sam felt a lump in her throat as well as the tears welling up.

  “I’ll get it going. Did you want to park your truck in the garage? There’s plenty of room.” Alex wanted her to use it too.

  “Oh yeah, I wanted to put my stuff up on the platform. I’ll go back it in and do that. Call me when it’s ready and if I’m not done I’ll finish tomorrow.” Sam wanted to make sure Alex had plenty of room for her truck before she put hers away.

  Sam had her camping gear and tools put away in a matter of minutes. Then started on the few boxes of clothes and personal items. Her wardrobe consisted of six pairs of 505 Levi’s, in various colors, several work shirts, and two good outfits for special occasions. One of the first tasks was to buy some new, nicer clothes for every day. She would have her uniform for work, but some nice slacks and white shirts were needed as well. Sheriff Taylor asked her to check in with him when she got back in town and classes didn’t start back up until Wednesday. Not really sure why they picked Wednesday, but Sam was grateful for the extra time off to get organized. Alex had taken her time heating up Sam’s dinner as it allowed her to help with putting clothes away and an occasional kiss as they passed each other on their way to and from the garage. As Sam closed her lingerie drawer she was finished and so was Alex with her dinner.

  “Come sit and eat.” Alex was ready to pour the plum wine, but wanted to make sure Sam wanted a glass.

  “It smells so good. Plum wine, too. I’m in heaven.” Sam wanted it, but also knew how it would make her a little sleepy and she wanted to be able to stay up as long as possible. “I’d better not. I don’t want to fall asleep too early tonight.”

  “Absolutely not. But what do you say after your shower we head for bed. You’ve had a long drive and I can hardly wait to feel you next to me again.” Alex was as horny as she’d ever been and was beginning to wonder if she was becoming a sex addict.

  “You read my mind. I really only want a few bites as my stomach is full of butterflies at the thought of being with you too.” Sam figured she could microwave it later if she woke up hungry.

  Alex kissed Sam on the head and went about closing up the house for the night. Sam ate a quarter of her dinner and then put the rest back in the frig for later. Alex left Sam alone in the shower as she could do a much quicker job of washing herself without help or a distraction. When she emerged Alex was already in bed and had two glasses of milk and chocolate chip cookies sitting on the night stand. As Sam joined her she knew they would be skipping that dessert tonight as they had each other in mind and they were a lot less fattening.

  Chapter 8

  The sound of footsteps walking through the house brought Sam out of a sound sleep. As she sat up she was a little disoriented and then remembered where she was and opened the night stand drawer to retrieve her gun. Slowly getting out of bed she let her eyes adjust as much as they could in the darkness. The outside lights had not come on and maybe it was nothing at all. She just needed to get used to the sounds of the house again. But there was someone or something moving around in the house. Sam eased out of the bedroom and moved down to the guest bedroom where she found him standing by the window – she hit the lights.

  “Hands up and don’t make any sudden moves.” Sam would shoot if he tried anything cute.

  “Sam it’s me, Oliver.” The boy raised his hands and turned around slowly and looked at Sam wide eyed.

  “Oliver, how the hell did you get here? What am I saying, I’m dreaming again.” Sam lowered her gun.

  ‘Why do you say that?” Oliver put his hands down and was puzzled by Sam’s statement.

  “Because you’ve been dead since 1863, that’s why.” Sam wondered how long she would be dreaming of Oliver’s plight.

  “I came with you from Pennsylvania. You’re the only person I can talk to that isn’t afraid of me. There was this guy who could see me, but only when he was drunk. I think I scared him off when he sobered up.” Oliver had the saddest expression on his face.

  “Oliver how can you be here? You said you were cursed.” Sam was really hoping this was a dream.

  “Yes, to spend eternity on earth – not in that barn. I mean I guess that’s how it works.” Oliver never really gave that part of the curse much thought.

  “Sam, who are you talking to?” Alex had wondered if she was sleepwalking.

  “SHIT! Oh gosh, Alex, you startled me.” Sam had swung around with gun raised.

  “Why do you have your gun?” Alex jumped when she saw the gun.

  “You don’t see him?” Sam turned and pointed at Oliver.

  “Him who? Sam I don’t think you’re awake. Why don’t you give me the gun and come back to bed.” Alex wondered where this behavior had come from – was this normal for Sam?

  “You don’t see a kid wearing a navy blue shirt and light blue pants standing by the window?” Sam turned to see Oliver smiling at her and waving to Alex. “Now he’s waving his hand.”

  “No, sweetheart. I only see the window. But if you see him then I believe he’s there. Can you please give me the gun?” Alex didn’t like the fact that Sam was using it to point at her and the figure by the window.

  “No, Alex, don’t patronize me. I’m awake and Oliver is standing right there. If this is my dream why can’t you see him?” Sam was starting to get very upset.

  “Because I’m not in your dream. I’m awake, but you could still be sleepwalking.” Alex reached for the gun and slowly pulled it out of Sam’s hand.

  “
I don’t sleep walk and until last night I’ve never seen Oliver before in my life.” Sam needed to get a grip and be rational. If this was a dream, stop acting like a jerk, and if it wasn’t a dream then start explaining before Alex called for the straight jacket.

  “Last night meaning your last night on the road?” Alex looked at the digital clock on the night stand; it was five thirty in the morning.

  “Yes. I had a dream that I met this kid who was killed for being a deserter during the Civil War and cursed to spend eternity on earth for betraying his country. We talked for hours about how things had changed since he died. I thought it was a dream, but apparently not because he hitched a ride and here he is.” Sam motioned at Oliver and was ready for Alex to make the call to the loony bin.

  Alex looked at Sam’s face and could tell she was as sincere as anyone could be. The fact that she thought she saw a figure in the back of Sam’s truck could support her story. Who was she to discount this story; she had Anna and Ramon following her around the country. Not to mention her dream which didn’t exactly spell out new house guest, but that might have been what the package on her front door step meant.

  “I believe you. I can tell you now; because you’d believe me that I thought I saw a figure in the back of your truck when we stopped along side the road. I didn’t say anything at the time because no one was there when we got to the barn. Oliver, I’m pleased to meet you. Make yourself at home. I need to get this one back to bed for a little more sleep. Sam do you realize you’re naked?” Alex was glad she had her robe on as it would be a little embarrassing to think someone other than Sam was seeing her that way.