Chapter Seven
Saturday, July 27 th .
Budget Inn. La Grange. Texas.
At breakfast in the room off the hotel lobby, Virge asked Dad questions about the bikers who were swarming the hotel the night before. I had no clue what he was talking about.
“What bikers, Virge?”
“They’re a bunch of guys who don’t even know me,” said Travis. “I was in that club before their time, but they think they still owe me payback for shit I did to their club.”
“What did you do to them, Dad? How many came to the hotel? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“About two dozen,” said Virge. “No point waking you up, bro. We didn’t go outside and cap any of them—nothing like that. We watched them out the window and that was it.”
“I was a Texas Ranger working undercover for Violent Crime way back then and I busted up their club after working my way up in the hierarchy. I was club boss before the takedown. Took me two fuckin’ years to get ‘er done.”
“As Dale Burden, right Dad?” asked Virge.
“That’s right. The club is all new guys now and I bet not one of those guys who showed up on their Harleys has ever met me.”
“But they want to kill you anyway for an old grudge?” I asked.
“That’s about the size of it.”
“The fact they know you’re here in Texas, ain’t good news, Dad. Means they have intel on you. Maybe you’re safer in Montana.”
“If they wanted me bad enough, they could ride up to Montana and knock me off, but they didn’t—at least not yet. Forget about them. I’m phoning Bob Crockett to see if there are any offers incoming on our ranch.”
While Dad called Crockett, Virge gave me an eye signal that we weren’t done talking about the bikers watching Dad. They knew we were in Texas and that didn’t have a good feel to it.
“Hey, Bob. This is Travis Frost calling you from Texas.” Dad put the call on speaker so me and Virge could hear.
“How is the ranch hunting going, Travis?”
“Not bad. We found one we liked yesterday, but I’m gonna need five million bucks. Can you help me out?”
“I’m working hard on it, Travis. I’m hoping to have a bidding war going on your thousand acres later today. Three different buyers have expressed an interest, and I told them to get their offers together and we’d have a sit-down in my office to see who was going to come up the winner.”
“Sounds promising. Hope it goes well.”
“Can I call you back when I have a solid deal cooking for you?”
“Sure. Why don’t you do that, Bob, and I’ll tell my guy down here that we’ve got action in Montana.”
“Good enough. Talk to you later.”
“Is our ranch almost sold, Dad?” I asked.
“Bob has a couple, maybe three buyers bidding on our place. He’ll call later when he’s got something definite on paper.”
“Wow. We might be able to buy a ranch while we’re down here,” I said.
Travis’ cell rang and it was another real estate call.
“Kevin Bennett here, Travis. I just got wind of a dandy ranch that came on market last night and no one has viewed it yet.”
“Where is it?”
“Not far from La Grange. Just outside of Lincoln. Do you feel like looking at it this morning?”
“How many acres?”
“Just under two thousand. They’re asking six million for it and that’s a real deal on today’s market. The pictures look fantastic, and it has all the features y’all are looking for. I know y’all like the one up in Round Top, but this one will give y’all a comparable and might help you decide.”
“Sure, Kevin. Let’s go see it. We can be ready by ten.”
“I’ll be by to pick y’all up.”
“Thanks for the call.”
“We have another ranch to look at, Dad?”
“Yep, brand new on the market, Harlan. Let’s get cleaned up and eat breakfast. Kevin’s coming to pick us up.”
Holiday Inn. Scranton. Pennsylvania.
Bobby set his alarm to get up extra early. He packed up his money first, then everything else in the room. After double-checking to make sure he had everything, he made two quick trips down to the Jeep.
That done, he walked Cleo and put her in the Wrangler to wait for him. The staff were setting out the breakfast buffet when Bobby sneaked into the room before they were ready looking for coffee.
He fixed himself two cardboard containers of caffeine, helped himself to two muffins and a shiny red apple and retreated to the parking lot.
“I’m back, Cleo.”
Bobby hunkered down behind the wheel to wait for Tammy and her new boyfriend to come out of the hotel.
Willy walked out of the shower in a happy mood and while he dressed in clean clothes fresh out of his suitcase, he asked Tammy where they’d be going today.
“This will be a long driving day, Willy, but we’ll probably cross into Canada after dinner and our hotel tonight will be on the other side of the border.”
“We should get our passports ready then.”
“We’ll get them out of our suitcases before we leave and put them in the glove box, so they’ll be handy.”
Willy was all smiles. “This will be my first trip to Canada and I’m excited to see it.”
“Canada is great, Willy. I think I was born there, but I can’t be sure.”
“You mean you don’t know where you were born?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?” Tammy’s anger flared and she snapped at Willy.
“Don’t get mad at me, Tammy. That was a question of concern.”
“No need to be concerned about me. I can take care of myself.” Tammy leashed the dogs and pointed at the suitcases by the door. She led the way to the elevator, and they went downstairs to check out.
Before eating breakfast they carried their luggage out to the truck and stowed it. Tammy glanced around, a little wary of the parking lot. From being a cop, her sense of danger was elevated.
“What are you doing, Tammy?”
“Looking at the other vehicles parked here and listening to my built-in radar. I think somebody is watching us.”
Willy laughed and poked fun at her. “Nobody is watching us, Tammy. That paranoia is all in your head because you’ve been in a bit of trouble with the police in the past.”
“I may be the paranoid one, Willy. But I’ll be the one who saves your over-trusting lax ass from getting dead. You know nothing about surviving in the real fucking world.”
“I’m sorry, Tammy. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was only joking around trying to keep things light. Sometimes you look like you’ve got the weight of the world on you.”
They walked the dogs in silence, put them into the truck, then went back inside the hotel for the free breakfast.
Bobby watched with diligence and unwavering interest until Tammy came back to the old truck with the guy—somewhere in his forties—and they weren’t talking.
He could tell they’d had a fight, and he laughed about it with Cleo. “Look at that, Cleo, their last fight.”
Cleo wagged her tail.
“I know you hate her, Cleo. Join the fuckin club. We’ll both celebrate when Tammy stops breathing.”
The old truck chugged a couple of times when Tammy started it, but then the engine turned over and she pulled out of the parking lot.
Bobby put the Wrangler into gear and followed. “At last we’re moving, girl. I can’t wait to catch them in the next rest area when they stop for the dogs.”
Cleo whined and wagged her tail. She was up for it.
Lincoln. Texas.
Kevin Bennett picked them up at the hotel at ten and drove up to Lincoln. He was right about it not being too far. Lincoln was only a few miles from La Grange.
As they approached the gate, Kevin slowed down. “Nice gate at the end of the laneway. Defines the property.”
RIVER BEND RANCH
“Look at that,” said Virge. “This ranch has a name, and we don’t have to think one up on our own. Saves burning out our brain cells.”
“You’d better save all you can, little bro.” I laughed at Virge, and he punched me.
As soon as we drove down the long laneway and parked near the big corral, I took a look around and I liked the ranch right off. The barn was large and looked like it had been freshly painted a dark rust color.
We hopped out and Kevin started the tour with the barn. The stalls were excellent. And then the bunkhouse next to it. It was roomy and similar in setup to the one at the Round Top ranch.
We walked through the house next, and I could tell Travis liked it a lot. Big kitchen with a woodstove. All the rooms on the main floor were large. Four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.
A bedroom for each of us and one for Billy if he decided he was moving to Texas with us.
Big front porch and a woodshed out back half full of wood for the kitchen stove. This ranch had outbuildings like we had on our ranch. Double garage with room for a workshop at the back. Outdoor lean-to shelter for horses at the side of the barn.
Driving shed for the tractor and other equipment like a riding lawnmower. The rancher had a green John Deere that caught Virgil’s eye.
And a chicken coop. The present owner or maybe his wife had chickens walking around, pecking the ground, making chicken noises.
“What do you think, boys?” Kevin Bennett asked us before we got into his SUV to leave.
“The barn is dandy,” said Virgil. “Nice big tack room. We have a lot of saddles and tack to put away and I think it would all fit.”
“We could try an offer and tie the ranch up for a few days until y’all hear from your agent up in Montana,” said Kevin.
Travis didn’t think about it for very long before nodding his head. “Yeah. Let’s do that, Kevin. I like this ranch, and it has everything we need. The location is next to perfect.”
“I didn’t see the river,” I said as we climbed into the truck. “Or the bend like the ranch name says.”
“Runs alongside the laneway back there apiece,” said Kevin. “I’ll show you the pictures and save y’all walking for a mile.”
“Copy that,” said Virge. “Save these old legs from getting tired.”
Travis chuckled. “Wish I had seventeen-year-old legs, Virgie.”
Budget Inn. La Grange.
Dad decided we’d put a bid in on the ranch not far from Annie’s spread and me and Virge were happy about it. We liked that ranch a lot and it was only a short drive away from Lucy, Jacks and Davey.
Kevin asked at the reservation desk if the hotel had a business lounge, and the clerk told us how to get there. Not far from the main lobby, we found the room and it was totally empty.
A bunch of desks with computers on them. A couple of printers on shelves off to the one side. Lots of outlets and charging docks for phones.
Kevin sat down at one of the desks, plugged his laptop in and typed in the offer we were putting forward on the ranch in Lincoln.
The printer spewed out three copies and Dad read one of them over. He signed on the dotted line to make the offer official.
“You can see here where we gave them forty-eight hours to decide on your price, or they can make a change and adjust the price and sign it back to you.”
“Yep. I understand the process, Kevin. I’ve bought and sold property before.”
“I’ll see what I can do for you, Travis, to make this go smoothly.” Kevin packed up his laptop and put the offer in his briefcase. “Y’all will hear from me later today.”
Dad shook Kevin’s hand, and we went up to our room to get cleaned up.
“How about beer and pizza?” Dad asked us. “That’s what I feel like having for lunch.”
“Copy that,” said Virge. “Meat lovers for me.”
“Any kind for me. I’m starving.”
Pizza Heaven. La Grange.
The hostess showed us to a booth and Travis ordered a pitcher of beer while me and Virge decided which toppings we wanted on our pizza.
“All we have to do is wait,” said Virge. “How long will it take them to decide if your price is okay?”
“No idea, son, but they can take up to two days. That’s what we put in the offer, so we’ll wait and roll with it. Let’s enjoy our beer and pizza, hope for the best, and celebrate a little in advance.”
“I’m for that,” I said. My brother was the nervous, antsy one in our family. It wasn’t me.
The server brought our two large pizzas, and me and Virge had no trouble polishing them off. Dad helped us out a little by eating three or four slices, but he left the rest to us.
The three of us were sitting back, stuffed and hardly moving waiting for Kevin Bennett to call. Travis’ phone rang and it wasn’t Kevin at all, it was Bob Crockett calling from Coyote Creek.
“Travis, good news. I’ve got an offer in hand and it’s a good one. I had three bids come in at the same time and this is the best one. More than you’ll need to secure your ranch in Texas.”
“That is good news, Bob. What do you need me to do?” He put the call on speaker so me and Virge could hear the directions—especially me because I was the computer guy in the family.
“I need you to receive the offer by email and read it over. Make any changes you need to make.”
“Okay.”
“Then when you’re satisfied with the price and the terms, sign it and send it back to me so I can negotiate on your behalf.”
“Hang on a second, Bob.”
Dad looked at me and I said, “Give us ten minutes to drive back to the hotel and set up my laptop. In the meantime, you can send the offer to this email.” I recited my email to Bob Crockett, and he thanked me.
“I’ll send it off right away and wait for your response, Harlan.”
“Copy that, Mister Crockett. We’re leaving for our hotel right now.”
Dad paid the check, and we had to move it.
Budget Inn. La Grange.
I took my laptop out of my backpack and set it up on the table by the window in our hotel room. The offer was sitting there at the top of my emails with an attachment, waiting for me to open it.
“It’s here, Dad. Come and read it over.”
Dad pulled a chair up so he could see the screen and read the small printing. We went over it line by line, and I changed everything Dad didn’t like.
When we were done the read-through, I typed Dad’s name on the bottom line and sent it back to Bob Crockett in Montana.
“Good, that’s done,” said Travis. “Nice job, Harlan. I’d better call Billy, tell him about the offer and bring him up to speed.”
“Yeah, the closing date is at the end of August. He should know about that if he’s not coming with us,” I said.
“I’m still hoping he is,” said Travis.
Me and Virge were too, but Dad told us not to be saying stuff to Billy to sway him. Best to let him make up his own mind.
“Hey, Travis I was about to call and tell you about all the people who’ve been here looking at the ranch. Seems Crockett had a run on the place.”
“Yep. He’s got an offer that we’re almost settled on. Down here, we’ve got action too. We’re waiting to hear back on a ranch we offered on this morning. It’s been a busy day.”
“You coming home soon?”
“Be back tomorrow. I’ll book a flight right now and let you know the time we’ll be landing in Great Falls. If the sale is solid, we’ve got a helluva lot of work to do in the next few weeks.”
“Sure do. Tell the boys the horses are dandy. I think they’re missing the way the boys fuss over them.”
“How about Max and Sarge?”
Billy laughed. “Those two big crybabies? I had to let them sleep on my bed for chrissakes.”
Travis chuckled. “Tell them we’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Copy that.”
Boots & Saddles Roadhouse. Giddings.
“It’s our last night in Texas for several weeks, boys. Y’all want to go to Boots tonight and celebrate with Annie?”
“Sounds like fun, Dad. Let’s do it.”
We drove up to Giddings around nine and got us a booth near the dance floor. Annie sent us over a couple of pitchers of Miller along with chips and salsa that she gave to every table free of charge.
We’d been there for a couple of hours kicking back when a few bikers started drifting in. They weren’t local. They wore cuts that said Black Breed, Houston Chapter.
I knew right away they were the same guys who came to the hotel in La Grange looking for Dad.
“Should we leave now Dad? Those are the guys who don’t like you from a long time ago.”
“Hell no,” said Travis. “I ain’t running from those punks.”
“Okeydokey. If you’re sure.”
Wasn’t long after that Annie came over to our table and sat with us. “I’m watching them, sugar. Gilly and Mick are on alert in the pool hall. We should be okay.”
“Course we are, Annie-girl. Running scared ain’t my style.”