The Horseman

by Anna Jeffrey

  Drake next announced that his wife had bought him the San Gabriel vineyard and winery as a gift, so now he was in the wine business. Another toast.

  His last announcement was that before leaving home this morning, he had heard from one of the owners of Redstone Partners. One of the Double-Barrel’s security team members, Chris Taylor, had left the ranch.

  A murmur rose from around the table. Sitting across from Mandy, Shannon couldn’t miss seeing her jaw drop and a frown across her brow. Pic leaned into her and spoke in a low voice. “Did he say anything to you about this?”

  “N—no,” she answered, equally low.

  “Why’s he leaving?” Kate asked Drake.

  “Bored with the slow pace, wanted to see some more action. Things like that,” Drake answered. “He’s already gone. His boss and I agreed there’s no reason to replace him permanently until after Christmas, so we’ve got a new man who’s temporary.”

  Another murmur traveled around the table.

  “I’m not feeling well,” Mandy said all at once, ducking her chin and pressing her palm against her throat.

  “What is it, baby?” Pic asked.

  “I don’t know. I think I need to lie down.” She stood, scooted her chair back and quickstepped out of the dining room.

  All eyes followed her. “What’s wrong with her?” Kate asked Pic.

  “She’s been coming down with something for a couple of days,” Pic said. “Probably something she caught at school. There’s always some kind of bug going around at that schoolhouse.”

  In a pig’s eye. Shannon had seen her sister-in-law’s reaction to the news that Chris Taylor had left the ranch. Could Pic be that dense? Since Chris had been Mandy’s personal bodyguard even before she and Pic got married no doubt Mandy was good friends with him.

  Thoughts of Mandy and Chris halted when Bill Junior lifted Will from his highchair and declared he was taking him to the barn to show him the horses. Shannon caught Drake’s eyes and pleaded with him.

  When Drake did nothing, she spoke up. “I think he’s too young for that, Mr. Lockhart. Maybe next year.”

  Drake left his chair, stepped behind her and gave her shoulders a squeeze. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’ll go with them.” He plucked Will from his dad’s arm. “Let me put some warm clothes on him, Dad.” To Will, he said, “Hey, tough guy, let’s go get you dressed for outdoors.” He started for the bedroom, carrying the one-year-old.

  Shannon got to her feet and followed him. In the bedroom, before she could say a word, Drake said, “I saw that look in your eye. You don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of him.”

  Shannon jammed her fists against her hips. “He’s a baby, forgodsake. Why does he need to look at horses?”

  Drake sat Will on the bed. “Where’s his coat?”

  She heaved a huge sigh. She couldn’t stop this. Like a dutiful little wife and mother, she went to the closet for her baby’s warm coat and handed it to Drake. He stuffed Will’s chubby arms into it with the one-year-old’s full cooperation. Will never resisted his father the way he did her and the nanny.

  Drake propped him on his arm, looped his other arm around Shannon’s shoulder, drew her close and kissed her temple. “Sweetheart, listen to me. Someday he’ll own part of this ranch. He’s got to learn about the animals, the sooner the better. My God, what if he grew up afraid of them? Think about that.”

  Shannon’s jaw clenched again. Hell. Just hell. Sharing a kid with a man on a ranch was hard. “Well, it looks to me like his learning could wait a little longer.” She zipped up his thick little coat and straightened it, then kissed his cheek and straightened his hair. “There’s just ... just a lot for him to get into here around here that could hurt him.”

  Drake gave one of his indulgent smiles and kissed her. “I won’t let anything happen to him.”

  He walked out of the bedroom and started up the hall toward the living area. She followed. Prissy trotted closed on their heels, her tiny painted toenails clicking on the tile floor. Worried, no doubt, about Will.

  “Tell Prissy he’s going to have a good time,” Drake called back over his shoulder as he delivered Will to Bill Junior. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

  Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she watched her husband, Pic, Troy, Kate and Bill Junior with Will propped on his arm, walk out the back door. Prissy looked up at her anxiously, a tiny growl escaping her throat. “Hush, Prissy. He’s okay.”

  She shouldn’t be upset. Of course, Drake would take care of their son. He adored him. And dammit, they all adored horses. How long would it be before Drake had Will sitting on one’s back?

  Chapter 23

  “Looks like you lost that argument.”

  Shannon turned toward Mandy who had come from behind her. She stood in the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed under her breasts. Color had returned to her face.

  Shannon heaved a great sigh. “It sure does.”

  “He’ll be okay. The horses are penned up. They can’t hurt him.”

  “I know. It’s just that. ... She looked down at her hands clenched into a knot she hadn’t even noticed. “It’s like I told Drake, there is a lot around here for him to get into.”

  “Welcome to life on a ranch. There’s something every day. What if you actually lived here?”

  “Yeah. What if? Raising four kids here must have been a constant worry for Betty Lockhart.”

  “She had plenty to worry about, for sure, and on more than one front.”

  Half the time, Mandy spoke in riddles. “What do you mean?”

  “Funny, but I was just thinking about this a couple of days ago. Besides the hazards that just naturally go with ranching, the Lockharts dealt with other traps. Every girl in school wanted to hook up with one of the Lockhart brothers, especially Drake. Getting knocked up was a goal for more than one of them. And even if the girls didn’t want that for themselves, their parents wanted it. Betty had her hands full fending off the husband-seekers for sure.

  She looked down and giggled. “Girls were always so easy for those boys and they took full advantage. Pic told me about once he walked into the big hay barn and Abby Hartshell who was a total goody-two-shoes and claimed to be a virgin. You know her, don’t you?”

  “Uh, no. I don’t know anyone in Drinkwell.”

  “Abby was performing a strip show for Drake to music on the radio. They got it on right there in the hay barn, with her stark naked and Drake’s pants around his knees. All us kids thought she was untouchable. And maybe she was. But she sure wasn’t after that day in the hay barn.”

  “Really. Um...Pic was watching them?”

  “He sneaked out of the barn and they never knew he was there. Although knowing those two brothers as I do, I’m sure Pic told him later. Abby’s married to one of Pic’s hunting buddies now.”

  A memory of her own days in high school rushed through the halls of Shannon’s memory. Back then, everyone had heard stories about the Lockhart brothers and their adventures with girls. There were always warnings to “nice girls” to stay away from them.

  Not wanting to talk about Drake being with a nude girl, even when they were kids, Shannon searched for something to say. “I think I must have been in the same grade as Pic. Kids from Drinkwell always came up to Camden. I’m still surprised I didn’t run into either Drake or Pic.”

  “Me, too. They were all over the place.”

  The picture of Drake with a naked woman continued to nag at Shannon. “Can I ask you something? I thought Drake was a virgin when he was engaged to Tammy. I thought he was faithful to only her.”

  Mandy shrugged. “Oh, the barn incident took place after the big breakup, before Drake went back to SMU. He would’ve screwed a fence post. Abby wasn’t the only one.”

  Shannon drew a shaky breath. “I see.”

  “Hey, don’t be upset. They were kids. Pic was as bad as Drake. Lord, they used to make bets on who they could get to give them blow jobs.”

  Sh
annon shook her head. “TMI, Mandy. I thought I wanted to hear about stuff Drake did, but I’m not so sure I do. It bothers me. ... So, are you feeling better now?”

  Mandy nodded. “I just had a little something in my stomach. For a minute, I thought I was going to throw up.”

  Shannon studied her for a few beats. She was lying. But why? “Can I help you in some way?”

  Mandy shook her head.

  “I saw your reaction when Drake told everyone about Chris. Are you upset about him leaving?”

  “Uh, no, not really. ... Well, maybe. There have been times when I saw more of him than I did Pic. I’m a little hurt that he didn’t tell me. He’s been with me so much, especially lately, and we had gotten to know each other. I’m going to miss him. Wouldn’t you miss Steve Logan if he suddenly went away?”

  “I’m sure I would.”

  Mandy started back into the kitchen and Shannon followed. Her sister-in-law pulled a mug from the cupboard above the coffee urn that had been parked on the end of the counter every time Shannon had been here. Mandy drew a mug of coffee from the urn.”

  Shannon chuckled. “Really, those Redstone guys don’t tell us much about what they’re doing. Why would Chris tell you he’s leaving? Wouldn’t that be between him and the owners of Redstone Partners?”

  Mandy removed the spoon from her coffee mug and laid it on the counter. “You know something? Before this ranch became my home, I hardly ever drank coffee. But around here, they drink it all-day long, even in August. I think it has something to do with John Wayne. Do you want a cup?”

  Wow. Mandy had dodged that question slick as a whistle. Shannon gave her a look. “Uh, no thanks. I’m avoiding caffeine right now.”

  “Tea? There are tea bags around here somewhere.”

  “Tea has more caffeine than coffee. I brought apple juice. If I want something, I’ll drink that.”

  “I would offer you a bottle of water, but Johnnie Sue isn’t allowed to buy bottled water. Pic and Bill Junior hate the empty plastic bottles. That they’re strewn along the highway annoys them no end.

  “Drake hates that, too. He doesn’t want Gloria buying bottled water either.”

  “Bill Junior told Tom Gilmore—he’s the sheriff—he should get the prisoners in the jail to pick up the plastic bottles and other crap on the side of the highway between here and town, but Treadway County never has enough jailbirds to make that doable.”

  Shannon managed a laugh. “Does that mean the county needs more crime?”

  “Perish the thought. Most of the crime that takes place around here is perpetrated against this family.” Mandy picked up a napkin. “Let’s go into the living room. You haven’t seen the Christmas decorations. Besides, I don’t like Johnnie Sue listening to my conversations. She has gotten so bad about nosing into everything that goes on around here. You’d think she owns the place.”

  Shannon looked around the cavernous kitchen, trying to see if the housekeeper was present and could have heard what Mandy had just said. Just then, a phone warbled and Shannon spotted a flip phone on the counter a couple of feet away from the coffee urn. “Oh, is that your phone?”

  Mandy, too, glanced at the phone. “I’ve got a smartphone. It must be Johnnie Sue’s.” She picked it up and checked the tiny screen on front. “Jordon Palmer? Humph. Wonder why he’d be calling Johnnie Sue?”

  The name Jordan Palmer crashed into Shannon’s memory and she swallowed a gasp. She had seen Jordan only once since she and Drake got married. Drake, too, had some kind of history with the man, but he had never told her exactly what it was. “Are we talking about the guy we ran into when we went to the horse show at the coliseum on your birthday?”

  “I guess. You know him, right?”

  Shannon was reluctant to admit she knew Jordan. “Well ... only slightly. Through the real estate business. He’s a commercial broker with a company in Dallas.”

  “Of course, I suppose there could be more than one Jordan Palmer.”

  “Drake knows him, too, but he’s never told me why he gets so uptight about him.”

  “Oh, it’s probably because they had a fight. Years ago, Kate was engaged to him. They had a nasty break-up and Jordan stalked her for weeks until Drake kicked him out of Kate’s house. Mind you, I was living in Lubbock then, so I don’t have the first-hand skinny. That’s just what Pic told me.”

  Shannon filed the phone call in the back of her mind and walked with her sister-in-law along the wide hallway that led to the formal living room. Prissy trotted beside her. “I hope no one’s upset because we brought Prissy. She’s sort of become a part of our household. She and Will love each other. Drake said it was okay, but he might have been just saying that. I don’t want to cause a conflict.”

  “It was Betty’s rule that no dogs were allowed inside the house, especially male dogs. I’m sure Bill Junior doesn’t care and I don’t think anyone else does, either. I sure don’t.”

  “There’s no one at our house for her to stay with. Drake gave all the help time off until Friday and my grandmother went to my sister’s house. I suggested we board her, but Drake said that was unnecessary.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Honest. So you bought Drake a winery as a present? Is that a Christmas present in this family that doesn’t exchange Christmas presents?”

  “It is now. Originally, it was supposed to be a birthday present. I made an informal offer on it back in September. I planned to have it closed by Drake’s birthday at the end of November, but that timetable didn’t pan out.”

  “San Gabriel’s. Pic and I’ve gone down there for lunch a few times.”

  “Good food?”

  “Fine, as I recall. Nothing fancy. The last time we were there, it was also a bed-and-breakfast. Is Drake going to keep that part going?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “I don’t get the point of a bed-and-breakfast out here in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing to do except look at grapevines. It’s pretty down there, though. You must think so, too.”

  “I’ve never seen it.”

  “And you just up and bought it?”

  The sharp tone in Mandy’s voice bordered on being critical. Next, she would be asking what Shannon had paid for it. “Well, yes. I trusted the Realtor handling it.”

  They reached the heavy double doors that opened into the living room. The minute Mandy swung them open, the scent of pine and spices filled the air. “Hmm. I love holiday smells.”

  As they stepped inside, Shannon looked around. Thick ropes of gold garland draped from corner to corner of the large room. A wide evergreen tree that touched the ceiling filled the corner on one side of a cut-limestone fireplace. It was exquisitely decorated with gold and white angels and burgundy and gold ribbons. Hundreds of tiny lights winked from it.

  Elaborate cascading garland looped along the thick oak mantel. A single stocking with Will’s name on it hung in the center of the mantel. “Oh, my gosh,” Shannon said. She walked over and looked closer at the stocking. “How sweet. Did you make this?”

  “Not I,” Mandy said. “I’m not artsy like that. Kate’s responsible.”

  “I’ll have to remember to thank her. Next Christmas, we’ll have two stockings. Or maybe three if you get pregnant.” She completed the circle of the room at a massive harvest table outfitted with burgundy ribbons trimmed with gold. It huddled beneath a wide window that looked out over a landscape of giant live oaks and rolling pastures, a picture of tranquility. On the table sat a large crystal Wassail bowl and matching cups. Shannon picked up one of the heavy cups. “This is for eggnog?”

  Mandy came and stood beside her. “Yeah, but I guess you won’t be having any. It’ll have bourbon.”

  Shannon continued to study the intricate work on the crystal cup. She had never even seen such fine crystal, much less held it in her hand. “God, what if someone broke one of these cups?” Shannon carefully set the cup back in its place. “Open house? Hm. Drake didn’t mention that. Who’s coming?” />
  “People the ranch does business with, mostly from the surrounding area. A few locals. A few people from the school. The school loves Bill Junior, you know.”

  “They should. He’s done a lot for them. I understand the big gift this year is enough money to remodel the gym.”

  “He gives them something big every year. People in town used to think he was so generous because I was Pic’s mistress. Now they think he’s generous because I’m Pic’s wife. I’m still sleeping with Pic, but at least now, I’m respectable.” She laughed.

  Though she heard a note of sarcasm in Mandy’s comment, Shannon laughed, too. “Small town BS. You can’t defeat it. It goes on in Camden, too.” They strolled around the room toward the Christmas tree.

  “I think the real reason he gives so much is number one, he’s got it to give and would probably have to give it to the government in taxes if he didn’t donate it to something. Also, he went to school here himself and so did his father and grandfather as well as his kids. He knows that without the school, the town would amount to nothing.”

  Shannon stopped in front of the Christmas tree. “This tree is even more beautiful than last year’s.” She fondled a Christmas ornament hanging on the tree. “I’m afraid to ask what a tree like this cost.”

  “I didn’t see the bill. Five digits, no doubt. No telling where it had to be shipped from.”

  “This makes our home-decorated tree in Camden look so cheesy. I know I’m dumb, but until last year, I didn’t know there were companies that did nothing but decorate people’s homes for holidays.” She laughed again, her hand flattened against her bulging belly. “Being in the real estate business and working at cultivating customers who buy high-end homes, you’d think I’d know that, wouldn’t you?”

  “That Christmas store in Dallas, All About Christmas, came down and did all of the decorating.”

  “Oh, I know about that store. They sell nothing but expensive stuff. They spend the entire year getting ready for the Christmas season.”

  “Three days they spent here. You saw the decorations they put at the front gate. Kate even dragged them over to Troy’s house and put up a tree over there. You did your own tree?”