"I guess you should as that's how it was intended." She smiled back at him. He really was a gorgeous specimen of a man and was so easy to talk to, and he had a wonderful sense of humour. He seemed to know everything about anything. He exuded confidence without arrogance. Nothing seemed to phase him.
"I'll see you again of course. No, don't panic," he said when he saw her expression. "I won't cause any trouble for you, I promise. All I meant was that as I come to Oregon a few times a year, I'll call into the cafe and say hi. Maybe we'll have coffee together or a beer or I'll buy you lunch? I won't make any other demands on you. Hell - I won't even kiss you... unless you want me to," he added with a grin.
"That sounds great. You're a lovely man." Without thinking, she reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.
He returned the gesture. "Right. So tell me about this guy you're dating. What's his name? What's he like?"
"His name," came a cold sounding voice, "is Lyle Westrom. And he doesn't take any shit from anyone."
Carla spun round. "Lyle! I didn't see you arrive. How long have you been here?!"
"Plenty long enough." He stepped into full view. He was tall and lean and blonde, with tanned skin. His eyes were grey and hostile looking, and there was an ugly look on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"As you can see, I'm having a drink. This is Scott Armstrong. A friend of mine," she added defiantly.
"Howdy Lyle." Scott extended his right hand for a handshake. "Can I buy you a beer or somethin'?"
Deliberately ignoring the outstretched hand, Lyle sneered at Scott. "There is somethin' you can do. You can get lost. And keep your hands off my woman."
Scott's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Your woman? Carla isn't some commodity. She has free will. You don't own her."
"Spare me your fancy words, dumbass. Time for you to leave."
"Dumbass, huh? I'm looking at one right now. As for leaving, I'm staying exactly where I am and I'll leave when I choose to and not before. Now - why don't you shut up and sit down. You're embarrassing Carla," he said quietly.
"Don't play the smart tough guy with me, you jerk," spat Lyle. "Go back to wherever it is you came from. I don't want to see you in this town again... or else..."
"Or else what?" enquired Scott politely.
As Lyle lunged forwards brandishing his fists, Carla jumped up in fright. "Lyle! Lyle, please! Don't do this. Don't make a scene." She grabbed the fabric of his shirt, desperately trying to hold him back.
"Hands off, bitch," he snarled and gave her a shove that sent her sprawling.
That was enough for Scott. He sprang to his feet, scooped up Lyle by the back of his shirt, and lifted him bodily, carrying him off the premises. All the while, Lyle was kicking and cussing and threatening murder.
"Put me down, you asshole!" he roared.
"Gladly." Scott immediately deposited him face down in a pile of wet sand.
"Don't hurt him Scott! Please don't hurt him," begged Carla, her face ashen as she caught up with the two men. "He doesn't mean it. He... he just gets mean when he's angry."
"Then he really should take control of himself and curb his childish little temper tantrums. Temper and insults I can ignore, but what I won't ignore is him being disrespectful to you."
"It's ok. I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. Really he didn't."
"This time, maybe. But next time?"
"There won't be a next time," growled Lyle. He stood up, shaking wet sand out of his hair and face. "I know how to treat my woman." There was a slight inflection on the 'my' which, when accompanied by a fleeting smirk, was enough to get the message over to Scott that although Carla could be lulled into thinking this situation was well on the way to being blown over, it was well and truly not.
Looking at Lyle calmly, and despising the cocky arrogance of the man, Scott himself stood tall, raising himself to his full height. "Apologise to her."
"You can't make me do anything, buddy," sneered Lyle.
"Want to bet?" said Scott lightly, but there was a steely edge of menace to his tone.
"Please, guys," interjected Carla. "Lyle, you're making a scene and showing yourself up. Just stop being so darn stupid will you!"
Lyle turned and looked at Carla in surprise. She was a girl who knew her own mind, but she wasn't in the habit of calling him stupid. He glared at her through narrowed eyes.
"The lady has spoken. And I'm waiting for that apology if I have to wait all night." Scott leaned back and folded his arms, regarding Lyle appraisingly. He didn't like what he saw. The guy had good looks but as far as Scott was concerned, his looks were his only asset. He was mean spirited, ill tempered, shallow and possessive - Though I can forgive him the latter, thought Scott ruefully. I'd be a bit possessive if she were MY woman. And she will be, one day. I don't give a damn how long I have to wait.
Lyle did some quick thinking. He'd already sized Scott up, and the cowboy was taller and considerably brawnier than he was. Truth was, he didn't fancy his chances against him if it came down to a fight. Nor did he want Carla to witness a humiliating defeat. So he smiled an oily smile and put his arm possessively around Carla's shoulders. "You know I didn't mean anything, Baby Doll."
Baby Doll? Scott seethed inwardly but his face remained impassive.
"Sorry sugar. You know how much I love you, don't you darlin'?"
"I suppose," sighed Carla. To Lyle's annoyance and Scott's glee, she shrugged free of Lyle's arm. "You totally over reacted, Lyle. I was having a quiet drink with a friend and there's no harm in that."
For a moment it seemed that Lyle was going to argue the point, a surly and obstinate expression flickered over his face, tinged with annoyance that Carla was giving him a telling off in front of this Texan asshole. Still, he could exert his authority over her again later. Right now he decided to play it safe - he sidled over to Carla and kissed first her right cheek and then deposited a slimy kiss on her lips, casing a sly look in Scott's direction. Scott knew exactly what that look meant. It meant, See - she's mine not yours. Go to hell.
Carla glanced at her watch and wondered where the afternoon had disappeared to. "Look at the time! I'll be late for my shift if I don't hurry."
"I'll walk you back, Babes." Lyle's arm went around her waist. "C'mon. Let's go."
"Scott. I'm so very sorry about all this. And I'm sorry I have to rush back."
"No worries Carla. Get goin' - I'll catch up with you another time." He rose from his seat and, ignoring Lyle, gave Carla a hug and planted a kiss on her left cheek. "Take care of yourself, Freckles." He smiled that disarming smile of his and gave her a wink, before turning and heading back to the bar. He felt he could use a drink.
That little episode spoilt what had been an otherwise perfect day. Scott returned to Texas later that evening in a disgruntled mood. It didn't go unnoticed by the family either. They probed and hinted without asking him directly what was the cause of his grumpy mood, and eventually let him be, concluding that he was experiencing 'woman troubles', which was of course quite true.
---oOo---
Scott opened his eyes and shifted his Stetson from over his face. The Waterfront Bar and Bistro had filled up. Almost all the tables outside were in use. People were eating and drinking, or enjoying sitting in the shade and chatting. Scott drank the remains of his drink, now warm from the sun which had melted the ice. He settled the check, tilted the brim of his Stetson to shade his face from the sun, and set off to the Ocean View cafe. He was so looking forward to meeting up with Carla. All that reminiscing about her had only served to increase his ardour. He smiled and quickened his pace, impatient to see her again.
He had made so many visits to the Ocean View cafe over the past year that the regulars knew him and some greeted him by name. He smiled and stopped for a moment or two for a brief chat with familiar faces, and then went indoors. Herb and Precious were busy behind the counter cooking crab cakes and fries and assembling salads.
"Hey guys," he said with a smile as he approached.
Herb looked up. "Scott! Hi bud, it's good to see you."
"Hi Mr Scott," said Precious.
"Hi. You ok, Precious?" he enquired, as the normally ultra cheerful woman seemed a little subdued.
"No sir I 'aint, not since Miss Carla left," said Precious, dabbing the corner of her eye with her apron. "We all worried to bits about her."
"Gone? Gone where?" A frown replaced Scott's smile. "What's happened."
"We don't know where she's gone, that's the problem," sighed Herb. "She left three days ago after she and Lyle had a bust up."
"I never did take to that skinny-assed man," said Precious. "He's a sly one and no mistake and he's hurt our Carla real bad."
"What? Hurt her physically?"
"No, not that. Lord, we have to be thankful for that I suppose. No, he's been skulking around with another woman. Huh - probably thought it made him look good, having two women on the go," snorted Precious. "Carla was devastated when she found out what had been going on."
"Get yourself upstairs, Scott," said Herb. "Precious and I are needed down here right now but Violet's up in the sitting room doing some paperwork. Go talk to her. She'll give you all the details and she'll show you the note."
"Note?" Scott's expression was grim. The news that Carla had split with that jackass Lyle was wonderful, but Carla's subsequent disappearance was more than worrying.
"Carla left it for us to find. But she didn't leave a forwarding address," said Herb glumly. "We're just hoping that she'll see sense once she's calmed down, and come back home."
"I just need her to call and tell us she's alright," sniffed Precious.
"We'll find her," said Scott decisively. "I'll go and have a word with Violet."
"Ok son," said Herb. "I'll send one of the servers up with some lunch for you. What'll it be?"
For once, Scott found he had little appetite. "Just a club sandwich please Herb, and a coffee." He went through the swing doors at the back of the cafe and sprinted up the stairs. Aside from the en-suite bedrooms belonging to Precious, Carla, and Herb and Violet, there was a kitchen with a cosy dining area leading off it, and a large sitting room. It was there that he found Violet. She was seated at a small desk in the spaciously light and airy room that served as the family sitting room. "Violet. It's me. I just heard about Carla. You must be so worried." He strode across the room and gave her a hug.
She looked up and smiled. Her face was paler than usual, and there were the beginnings of dark shadows beneath her eyes. "Hi Scott, darlin' - I'm so pleased you're here. We're worried sick." She put down her pen and stood up to return the hug. Never having had any children of her own, Carla had become the daughter she never had, and this fine figure of a man had become very dear to her heart as well. "It's not like her to run off. It's not like her at all."
"Has she ever done anything like this before?" Scott continued to hold Violet in a bear hug.
"No, never. She was very taken with Lyle Westrom you know, though goodness knows why - he's not anything special. I could never understand what she saw in him or what hold he managed to have over her."
"Me neither," agreed Scott, releasing Violet from his embrace. She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Come sit down." She led him towards the comfortable leather sofas and chairs by the big window that faced the ocean. Normally they would sit there and enjoy the view, but today was different.
"Herb said there was a note?"
"Yes." Violet nodded and fumbled in her pocket, producing a well-worn and carefully folded (and refolded) piece of paper. "Here." She handed it to him. "See what you make of that."
Scott unfolded the sheet of paper and began to read.
Dear Violet, Herb and Precious
I'm sorry I don't have the courage to tell you this face to face, but I'm just so upset and I need to be on my own for awhile. Please don't be mad at me and think I don't value your advice and support, because I do. You're my family and I love you, but I just need some space and time to think things through.
I'm in love with Lyle. Well, I guess you all know that already. He's so special to me, and I thought I was special to him too. He always told me so, and often told me how much he loved me. So why is he sleeping with someone else? Yesterday, Wanda and I called in at the Waterfront Bar for a couple of glasses of Coke. He was there already - Lyle - and that tarty server Becky Sue was fawning all over him. I should have ignored her and gone to sit with him, but I felt upset and jealous, so we went somewhere else. He didn't even know I was there. Anyhow, I talked it over with Wanda and she suggested the best thing to do would be to go and talk it over with him... you know, low key, not making a big fuss about anything. I thought that was a pretty good idea so I went round to his place this afternoon when my shift had finished. He never locks the door to his condo so I just walked in. And oh god I wish I hadn't. He was there with her and they were both stark naked, rolling around on the rug. I felt sick.
'It's not what it looks like, Hon,' he called after me. What a liar! I wandered around on the beach for awhile and then I came home - sneaking in round the back so I wouldn't have to speak to anyone.
I don't understand how he can do this to me. He's told so many lies - and I believed him. I feel a real fool. And... I'm gutted... heartbroken. I've never felt like this before and I'm not handling it very well. So - I've packed a bag and I'm going away for a couple weeks or maybe even a couple of months. I don't know how long. Anyway, I have enough money saved to tide me over, and I could even get temporary work. I'll be fine, so you mustn't worry about me. I need this time to sort myself out and decide what it is I want from life.
Love, Carla.
Scott frowned, then sighed. "When did she leave - three days ago?" Violet nodded. Scott quickly scanned the note again, committing the words to memory. "Right. She's a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions, but obviously you - and I - need to know that she's safe."
"Oh Lordy, yes. We need to hear from her."
"If she had a destination address, then surely she would have given it? My guess is that at the time she wrote this, she had no clear idea of where she was heading. However - she needs to call you. It would be uncharacteristically selfish of her not to. It's not you and Herb she's had a disagreement with. She loves you. You know that. I know that. I think it's only a matter of time before she calms down and when she gets over the worst of her angst I feel sure she'll call you."
Violet nodded. She felt a little reassured, but was still worried. "I know that - but if anything were to happen to her in the meantime..."
"Try not to worry too much Violet - I know it's easier said than done. But we will find her. I'll make some calls, and I'll get involved in the search myself. Can you let me have a few sheets of paper? I want to make some notes."
"Sure," said Violet, glad to see some sort of plan unfolding, however tenuous.
"This friend of Carla's... Wanda - do you have her address? I figure I'll go round and pay her a visit, see if she can tell us anything. And while we're at it, can you give me a list of any other of her close friends? I need addresses and phone numbers too if you can get your hands on them."
"That shouldn't be a problem. She has a shared drive on her computer for storing music and photographs, and I know she has an electronic address book on there too. I can check that." Violet hurried off to Carla's room, glad to be doing something positive. It was so much better than sitting around moping and worrying.
"Great. Get to it. I'll make a couple of calls." He pulled out his cell phone and started punching in a number. He made more calls when Violet brought him the details of Carla's close friends, and then he left the cafe, returning two hours later with some helpful information.
When he finally got around to eating his Club sandwich, in between mouthfuls he gave Violet a progress report. "I couldn't get hold of Wanda so I followed up a couple of Carla's friends on that list you gave me and drew a blank, but then I managed to catch Wanda later and I had a chat with her
. She was reluctant to talk to me at first, but then changed her mind when I told her how concerned we all are for Carla's safety." The actuality was that Wanda thought that Scott was the most gorgeous hunk ever, and if he had designs on Carla, she'd do anything she could to bring them together.
"Oh!" Wanda knows where Carla is?!"
"Apparently so. She's headed for Texas."
"Texas? Oh my Lord - that must be over 2,000 miles away. Shall we check with the airports - see what flight she got?"
"No need. She didn't fly. She bought a used car. I went to the car lot and confirmed it."
"That's one hell of a drive. She's not used to driving long distance either." Violet started looking worried again. "How long do you think it will take her to get to Texas?"
"Depends on the performance of the car, her driving speed, and how many stops she takes. I figure it'll take her around three days, with two overnight stops."
"I just hope she checks into a motel and doesn't sleep in the car. I can't understand why she didn't just get on a plane."
"She told Wanda she just wanted to switch off from everything and take her time and enjoy the journey - seemed to think it would take her mind off things. She also told Wanda that she has a relative living in Austin. An Aunt Hannah. Has she spoken to you about her?"
"No, never. I'm sure of it. I didn't think she had any family other than her mother. She certainly never mentioned an Aunt Hannah."
"I have a guy who can turn his hand to anything. He's a former detective and he now works as a private investigator. Tracing missing people is his speciality. He's doing some digging on Aunt Hannah and he'll get back to me with her address. Once we have that - I'll get the next flight out of Newport and make my way there."
"Oh Scott, would you? That's wonderful." Relief flooded Violet's face. "I feel like we're well on the way to finding her. I can't thank you enough."
"Yeah, it's encouraging," nodded Scott. "I'm glad to help, Violet. I'm very fond of Carla." And when I catch up with her I'll give her such a spanking for running off and worrying us all to death. "Anyhow - Mike did his stuff - once it was clear that Carla was travelling by road, Mike got to work and found that she used her credit card to pay for gas just before reaching Arizona, and we know she used the same card to pay for a motel at a stopover in New Mexico."
Love on a Ranch Box Set Page 23