Chapter Six
Friday, July 26 th .
Budget Inn. La Grange. Texas.
“I can’t believe how hot it is here, Dad,” said Virge.
“Not hot all the time. Only in the summer.”
I laughed. “Texas is hot, and Montana is freezing. We should live some place in the middle.”
“This is the middle,” said Travis. “I used to live down near the Mexican border at the bottom of Arizona. My place was so close to the line, I could sit on my back porch and look at Mexico.”
“You never mentioned living near Mexico before,” said Virge.
“Didn’t think of it.”
“Huh.” Virge had to think on that, and he made me laugh.
“Get showered and dressed, boys. We have a full day of ranch looking ahead of us. I’m going to call and see how Billy is doing at the station. I hope he and Ted don’t get new cases while we’re gone.”
“Ask him if he fed the horses,” said Virge.
“I am not asking him that. Billy won’t forget the horses, or anything else. He’s competent and totally accountable.”
“Wish Max and Sarge could talk on the phone. I miss them.”
“Get your ass in the shower, Virgil.”
Virge finally headed for the shower, Dad called Billy, and I texted Lucy while I had the chance.
“We’re looking at ranches today, then coming to your ranch for dinner.”
“I’m so happy y’all are in Texas.”
“Me too.”
“Pick a ranch close to us.”
“Try to.”
We were finished breakfast and drinking a second cup of coffee when Kevin Bennett came to pick us up.
Big grin on his face as we climbed into his SUV. “It’s going to be a great day for y’all. We’ll find y’all the perfect ranch.”
“Hope we can do it in one day,” said Travis. “I have a helluva lot to do at home to get ready for this move.”
“Moving ranches is a heavy chore,” said Kevin.
Holiday Inn. Washington. D.C.
“Our second day in the capital city, Tammy, and I have to say that yesterday was an uplifting experience. Just by being here and seeing all these historic buildings and monuments, my patriotism escalated by leaps and bounds.”
“I’m happy for you, Willy. I think mine stayed about the same.”
Willy laughed.
“This morning we’ll walk the mall and pass the reflecting pool and the good part of that is George and Gracie can come with us.”
“Wonderful. Breakfast first and then off we go again. I’m having the time of my life.”
Tammy smiled at Willy. She enjoyed seeing him so happy after all he’d done for her, but her heart wasn’t in touring Washington and soaking up history. She had other things on her mind.
Red Roof Hotel. Martinsburg. West Virginia.
“I can’t figure it out, Cleo. Why is Tammy hanging around D.C. so long?”
Bobby showered and dressed and went down to the breakfast room for food and coffee. He checked the tracker periodically, and there was still no movement.
Back to the room with a second cup of coffee and after that, he couldn’t sit still.
“Come on, Cleo. A long walk for you and then we’ll check the tracker again. I hope we don’t sit around this motel for another whole day.”
Lexington. Texas.
The first ranch Mister Bennett took us to was outside of a little place called Lexington. Seven hundred acres, a small loafing barn for cattle. No bunk house.
Long, low ranch house in good condition but not suitable for what Dad had in mind.
“What I’m looking for, Kevin, and I should’ve gone into more detail at the outset, but I want a fairly big place where I can run cattle and horses and take in juvenile boys on parole and rehab them.”
Bennett smiled. “Okay. That’s a tall order, Travis, but I think the next one we’re scheduled to see up in Round Top will come closer to your specs.”
“Great,” said Travis.
Round Top. Texas.
“This is a bigger spread,” said Kevin. “With more acreage comes a higher price tag. I’m sure you’re aware of how that works.”
Travis laughed. “Sure am. What kind of dollars are we looking at for this one?”
“Fifteen hundred acres with a big barn, bunk house and a decent main house is going to run you about five million bucks.”
I looked at Virge and he rolled his eyes.
“Not surprising,” said Travis. “Let’s take a look at it.”
As we walked towards the house, I leaned close to my brother and asked him, “You think we can afford five for a ranch?”
“No fuckin’ way. Do you?”
“Nope.”
We toured the house first and it was nice. Four bedrooms at the one end. Big family room. Huge kitchen with a woodstove. Mud room and laundry at the back entrance. Long porch across the front of the house for sitting outside.
Virgie was in love with the barn. Beautiful stalls and eight on each side of the aisle. Big tack room and a full loft up above for the hay and straw storage.
“I could live in this barn,” he said to me as we left to check out the bunk house.
Travis seemed to be most interested in the bunk house, and I figured it was where he planned to house the juvies when we got them.
Two big bedrooms with four bunks each. Common room and a galley kitchen if they wanted to make themselves something to eat.
If they were on parole, I couldn’t see them staying on the ranch unless they were handcuffed, but Dad might’ve had a plan to keep them there. If he did, he hadn’t shared it with us.
“I like it a lot, Kevin. Couldn’t touch it until my ranch is sold, but my guy in Coyote Creek thinks it won’t take long. Land in Montana is at a premium right now with the millionaire ranchers scooping up all they can get.”
“I’ve heard about the high prices in certain areas up there in Montana, Travis. This might be the perfect time for you to sell your ranch.”
“My timing usually sucks, but this time maybe I’ll get it right.”
“Hope it works out for you. Got four more to show you and none of them are as costly as this beauty. First I’ll take you and the boys for lunch at a spot they’re gonna love.”
“Virge will love it,” said Travis. “He likes food of any kind.”
That made me laugh.
Red Roof Hotel. Martinsburg. Virginia.
Bobby and Cleo were stretched out on the big bed half asleep when his phone beeped, and the red dot started to move. “Whoa, Cleo. We’re up.”
Bobby jumped up and startled Cleo and she woofed a couple of times.
“Let’s get packed, girl. As soon as Tammy comes back on the highway we’ve got to get behind her.”
Cleo ran to the door and scratched to get going while Bobby packed up his toiletries and made sure he cleared the room.
Last thing he did was take all the money out of the safe and pack it into his aluminum briefcase.
“Time to get this game of follow the leader back on track, girl.”
Long Horn Barbeque. Round Top. Texas.
“Good barbeque at this place, boys. Hope y’all are hungry.”
“I could eat,” said Virge. That made Travis laugh.
Kevin ordered a pitcher of beer and the lunch special for all of us. The food was great, and the plates were heaped up with meat, potato wedges and slaw.
The ribs at Annie’s roadhouse were better but I didn’t say that to Kevin. This brisket was damned good too.
Dad got a call from Annie while we drank coffee and rested up a bit before going to the next ranch.
“Yep, we’re going pretty well,” said Travis. “Saw one this morning that ticks all the boxes. All I have to do is sell my ranch first.”
Fayetteville. Texas.
The first one we saw in the afternoon had a cheaper price tag but that didn’t seem to matter much to Travis. He had nothing good to say about the house and when we toured the barn, me and Virge didn’t like the stalls.
Tack room was too small for all the equipment we were bringing with us, and if we had juvie kids and more horses and saddles, this one wouldn’t cut it.
“I think we like the one in Round Top better than this one, Dad, but it costs the most.”
Travis laughed. “That’s why we like it the best.”
“True dat,” said Virge.
“What’s your opinion, Harlan?” Dad asked.
“Hate to, but I got to agree with Virge, Dad.”
We all laughed.
Coulter-Ross Ranch. La Grange.
Me and Virge and Dad were tired from tramping around ranches all day, but after a beer on Annie’s porch with our step-mom and the kids, we got our second wind.
“Tell us all about the ranches y’all saw today,” said Jackson. “Where were they? Very far away from here?”
“Not far,” said Travis. “One in Lexington, one in Fayetteville, and the one we liked the best and might offer on is in Round Top.”
“That’s not far,” said Annie. “I go up there all the time antiquing for my stores.”
“Yep. I saw antique stores,” I said. “Quite a few of them.”
“How many acres in the ranch y’all like the best?” asked Lucy.
“Fifteen hundred,” I said. “Bigger than our ranch in Montana, but not huge.”
“Manageable with just me and the boys,” said Travis, “if we don’t have extra boys from juvie, we can handle the work ourselves.”
“Bunkhouse?” asked Annie. “Is it suitable?”
“Yes. That’s one of the selling points for me. Very little I’d have to do to it. Room for eight boys at a time.”
“Love to see it,” said Annie.
“You should have a look before I worry about putting an offer in. Can’t do that anyway until my ranch sells.” Travis lowered his voice. “I could even without, but I don’t want the boys to know that.”
Annie giggled. “Don’t let them know the deep, dark ones, sugar.”
“Nope. I never do.”
The kids took off to the barn to look at the foals and Travis and Annie had an opportunity for a private talk on the porch.
“You worried at all about the club finding out you’re back in Texas?”
Travis shrugged. “Not much. It’s been so long, I doubt they’d spend the time or the money to do anything for payback now.”
“With the clubs, you can never be sure, sugar. Just be extra careful, okay?”
“Yeah. Head on a swivel, Annie-girl.”
After dinner, me and Lucy got a chance to walk down to the river alone. We sat on the sandy bank of the Colorado River and listened to the frogs croak and the fish jump. So peaceful. I held her hand and kissed her a few times and never wanted the night to end.
“When you move down here, Harlan, are we going to be allowed to date? Like I mean—out in the open with Mommy and my Daddy and Travis okay with it.”
“I’ve been wondering how Dad and Annie are going to look at it too. Let’s worry about that after we get moved.”
“Yeah. It’s something I worry about all the time.”
“I kind of worry about what your daddy will think of me. He’s a big biker who doesn’t take any shit. Makes me a bit nervous.”
Lucy giggled. “Yeah, he’s a tough guy but when my mom left us down in Victoriaville, he’s the one who raised me with Mommy’s help. I only remember having Annie and Jackson in my life when I was little. Annie’s my real mom.”
“I know she is.”
Martinsburg. West Virginia.
Bobby checked out of the hotel before another day clicked off and he owed more money. “We’re on the road again, Cleo.”
He drove as far as the ramp for the interstate and parked on the shoulder. “We’ll sit here and wait for Tammy to go by. When she does, we’ll see what she’s driving and who’s she’s with.”
Cleo sat with her big head hanging out the window panting while they waited.
Bobby sat with the phone in his hand and watched the red dot on the screen. “Here she comes.”
He started the Jeep, put it into gear and when the red blip went by him, he went down the ramp, changed lanes a couple of times and pulled in two cars behind the old truck Tammy was driving.
“Where’d she get that old wreck, Cleo?”
Bobby followed the truck north.
“Yep, she’s going to Canada. Easy to read, isn’t she? Can’t wait until I kill her for Ray. Partly for me too, but mostly for Ray. He had talent and would’ve been a great songwriter.”
What a fucking waste.
Budget Inn. La Grange. Texas.
The boys were beat when they got back to their room, and they flopped on their bed and went to sleep. Annie had offered them guest rooms at her ranch and the boys would’ve liked staying there, but Travis wanted to be on his own. They’d only be in Texas for a couple of days this time and a hotel was the way to go.
He sat in the easy chair in the corner of the room, lit up a smoke and sorted out the ranches in his head. He thought about calling Jesse and having a conversation about the juvies but saved it for the next day.
He texted Billy and checked in.
“Anything new at the station?”
“Nothing. We’re bored.”
“Good enough. Stay bored until I get back.”
“Copy that.”
Travis used the bathroom, then stripped down to his boxers and was about to climb into bed when he heard the rumble out in front of the hotel.
Staring out the window he counted about a dozen bikes, but in the dark he couldn’t make out the logo on the cuts. Trying not to wake the boys, he rummaged in his go-bag until he found his spotting scope and his Sig.
Another trip to the window facing the front of the hotel and he read the name of the club.
Black Breed.
Yep. They’re here for me. The fuckers never give up. Annie was worried about this happening.
Intent on watching the Breed, Travis didn’t notice Virgil wake up and get out of bed. He was standing beside him peering out the window.
“That another thing you forgot to mention, Dad?”
“Yeah, one of them.”
Holiday Inn. Scranton. Pennsylvania.
Bobby pulled into the hotel parking lot following after Tammy and the guy she was with. They grabbed a parking space and walked two dogs. Looked like hounds.
Cleo growled and snarled at the other dogs and at Tammy. Bobby thought she recognized Tammy from the attack in the Midway house. The way she was snarling and snapping it was evident Cleo hated Tammy as much as he did.
“Shh, girl. They’ll go inside in a minute, and you won’t have to look at them until tomorrow.” Bobby laughed. “This will be your last night, Tammy. Make it a good one.”
Tammy and the guy came back to their truck after the dog walk and got their luggage. They walked around to the front entrance and disappeared inside.
Bobby and Cleo waited in the Jeep for another ten minutes to be absolutely sure Tammy and the old guy didn’t see them. “Let’s get our room, Cleo. You want to lie on the bed and watch a movie?”