Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Dex
“ M ornin’, Abe.”
I tipped my hat at the new stable hand as I led Juniper to the grooming station for her post-ride washdown and brushing. He was in the middle of hoof-picking our gentle giant, Magnum, a stallion I’d recently acquired. But Junie was my girl and the only of our now six horses that I ever rode. I’d convinced myself that she’d get jealous otherwise.
“I’m almost finished up with Magnum, sir. You can leave her attached to the rail, and I’ll take care of her in a few minutes.”
“That’s all right, Abe. I’ve got it.”
He gave me a smile and nod, clicked his tongue, and Magnum raised his back hoof. As he continued working on the black stallion, I turned my attention to the beautiful chestnut mare I’d owned since middle school. Junie had a stripe down her face, white socks, and a patch of white on her left ear that was shaped like a heart. When my dad and I went looking, the white patch was what sold me.
As I brushed Junie down, my mind raced. Since running into Meyer, I hadn’t been able to keep my thoughts straight. Meyer Jones. I thought he’d put Charming in his rearview forever. Yet, there he was on my road, intruding on my morning peace by daring to return, his sexy swagger and tight ass scorching my brain cells as if it were yesterday.
I pressed my lips together, my fingers gripping the brush a bit too tightly. I was being ridiculous. Why should I care what Meyer did or didn’t do? If he was in Charming or China? Ten years had passed since the incident during our final hometown game, the one that finally crushed…well, my crush.
But that was a silly, high school moment. Everyone experiences at least one tragic, teenage event that haunts their memories, right? Sometimes, a multitude of incidents forever cloud our childhood recollections into colors of gray. Maybe Meyer peaked in high school, and his big-city aspirations were a bust. Perhaps he was using the excuse that Charming needed a new assistant fire chief to return home without his tail between his legs.
Back then, I was a gangly freshman and hadn’t quite grown into myself. Meyer was the hot senior jock I couldn’t quit staring at or control my pervy little fantasies whenever I thought about him—which was often. Who could blame me? Over one brief summer, Meyer had not only grown into himself, he’d blossomed like a stallion put out to stud.
I must’ve been radiating pent-up frustration—or, more likely—seething rage because Abe kept giving me the side eye as he finished up with Magnum. His furrowed brow didn’t convey suspicion, more that he was concerned that I didn’t have my wits about me. That was something my grandpa always loved to say. Whenever he couldn’t fathom what someone was doing, that meant they must’ve lost all their wits.
I finished up with Junie, rubbing my nose against her velvety soft muzzle as I brushed my knuckles on either side of her nostrils. I moved my face out of the way right before she gave an excited nod. She was a gentle girl and the only one of my horses I dared to nuzzle like that. We had a special connection that reached back to when I lost my folks to a terrible collision on the highway. Taking solitary trail rides with her saved my sanity during that awful time.
“There you go, sweetheart.” I closed her stall. “I’ll grab you some oats. Then you can cool down in here for a bit. You can have some pasture time later.” I scritched the spot behind her ear that was her favorite. “Sound good?”
She gave me another enthusiastic nod as if she understood. While I finished up with her, I wondered if my sister might be around. She worked from home, but I hated to bug her during the day. Her graphic design work was a creative endeavor, and I was never sure if I would destroy a burst of inspiration with a pointless interruption.
If I kept telling myself that this thing with Meyer was silly, maybe I’d start to believe it too.
I ambled up the dirt path that led back to the house, waving to the guys replacing a couple of rusty rails on the paddock. Once inside, I headed straight for the roomy, square-shaped kitchen, which had always been a festive gathering place growing up, a place where everything good, loving, and perfect happened.
The white tile with the cobalt blue edging was old and chipped in a few places, but all original from when my grandparents first built the house in the fifties. My folks had renovated several parts of the place when they got married and took over, but the sink hadn’t been touched. The porcelain on one side had a hairline crack that seemed to get a bit longer every year, yet it never bothered me.
The lemon-yellow curtains with tiny bluebell flowers that hung over the windows above the sink weren’t so lemony anymore. I stared at the fabric, realizing that the yellow of my memory was now more of a dull beige. Small snags were next to several of the flowers, and at the bottom of one panel was a hole, no bigger than a pea, but one I’d never noticed. I guess everything changes when we aren’t paying attention.
I heaved a sigh, then turned the spigot, using both hands to splash cool water over my face before shutting it off again. I was getting goofy. Hearing my sister’s voice needed to happen now rather than later. Maybe speaking to her would ground me again. If Mom were still around, she’d say I needed the sense knocked back into me. Kayla was the only close family member I still had available to do the job.
After grabbing a glass of iced tea, I snatched my phone off the round pine kitchen table and made my way through the sliding glass doors that opened onto the patio. A canopy extended from above the doors, offering much-needed protection during the beastly hot summers.
Unfortunately, the shade did nothing to protect against the desert winds, bits of fine dirt whipping through the air, gusts hurling the debris against exposed skin. Not great for barbecuing or picnics, but when I rode hard, and Junie’s hooves kicked up even more dust, I didn’t mind. I kept my face covered with a bandana, had my sunglasses and hat. I loved the freedom of charging together across the desert plains.
The back patio looked out onto the empty desert on the backside of town, the panorama extending for miles. The famous butte of our town was visible in the distance. From where I sat in the outdoor chair with the faded denim cushions, it wasn’t nearly as magnificent. However, the tourists sure loved taking a drive to the national park surrounding the rocky formation for photo ops.
I took a sip of the tea as I waited for what I was sure would be Kayla’s voicemail. When she answered immediately, I set my drink down a little too hard, and tea splashed on my wrist. I let out a grrr as I shook my hand and heard a chuckle coming from the phone.
“Are you growling at me?” Kayla laughed. “That’s the thanks I get for not letting it go to voicemail.”
“Funny. I’m just making a mess over here.”
I finally let out a chuckle of my own, more from letting go of the tension I’d been holding all morning. Hearing her voice was definitely a needed remedy.
“So,” Kayla said. “What’s up? You caught me on a break. This logo I’m working on is giving me a headache. The client keeps changing their mind about what they want.”
I couldn’t begin to imagine what sort of creativity was involved in coming up with something new out of vague descriptions and disjointed ideas. She’d shared the process with me one time, and all I’d been able to do was stare at her with slack-jawed awe.
“That sounds annoying.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Eh.” She said it like a verbal shrug. “Part of the job. But enough about me. You never call in the middle of the day, so you’re kinda stressing me out.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t considered how the impromptu call might come across. “Sorry about that. No big emergency, I promise.”
After a pause, a loud sigh sounded. “Dex. I’m on a break, not a sabbatical. Something has to be eating at you. Otherwise, you would’ve waited until our usual Sunday night gabfest.”
I frowned. “Gabfest?” We usually spent around thirty minutes catching up at the end of each week, but most of the conversation came from her. I loved hearing about her busy life in Denver and enjoyed my role as the person she could vent to without judgment. But I rarely had much to say. Every day in the Butte was pretty standard.
I frowned again. Except for this one .
“I was being sarcastic, dork. Your strong and silent type persona is very cool, but less so when there’s something you’re not sharing.”
“Fair enough.” Okay, so maybe I didn’t pour out my feelings at the drop of a hat, but whenever I did, she was the one I allowed myself to be vulnerable with. “Well, something unexpected happened this morning. I was riding Junie on Big Butte Road, and I spotted Meyer Jones strolling along. His car had broken down.”
“Uh-huh.” Chewing and lip-smacking sounds filled my ears. “And then what happened?”
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
“I…Uh…” I scratched behind my ear. “Turns out he’s come back.”
“Sorry, that apple wasn’t going to eat itself. What do you mean, Meyer’s come back? To visit Lindy? Geez. It’s about damn time.”
“Not visit. Stay. He’s Charming’s new assistant fire chief.”
“Shut the front door! Why? I thought he was living the high life in Chicago.”
“I think it’s mainly because of Lindy. I’m guessing he wants to be here for her because of what happened.”
“Wow.” I gave her a moment to process what I’d told her. “And how are we feeling about that?”
“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s fine.”
“Riiiiight. Because you’re always calling me in the middle of the day when you have a busy ranch to run just so we can shoot the shit about nothing.”
I rolled my eyes at myself. I’d called my big sister for a reason. I needed to let it out so I could move on with my life, which didn’t need to be taken up anymore with what Meyer was or wasn’t doing.
“Yup. You're right.” I rubbed my forehead, a headache definitely forming. “I dunno. Tell me I’m being ridiculous, that some homophobic jock from high school telling the coach to bench me all the time is a stupid reason to hold a grudge. We were kids. Shit happens, then we grow up and know better.”
“And does he? Know better?”
I barked out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s the first thing I asked him. Hey, are you still a homophobic asshole?” I grunted. “Didn’t stop him from climbing on Junie and getting a free ride into town. But anyway, we certainly didn’t discuss anything like that.”
“Maybe living in the city all these years has taught him that there’s more to the world than what he was viewing through a narrow lens.”
“Not so sure about that. He was as hostile and standoffish as ever. I don’t know what his beef with me is, though. I mean, other than the fact that he obviously can’t stand me because I’m gay.”
“You don’t know that, Dex. What if he’s just uncomfortable around you because of how he treated you back then?”
“I dunno. Maybe. Still doesn’t explain his hostility.”
“Um…” She cleared her throat. “Don’t take this the wrong way, hon. But there’s some seriously hostile vibes pouring off of you right now. He might be thinking the same thing, asking Lindy why you’re so pissed off at him.”
“Oh! And that’s another thing.” Now that the cork on my feelings about Meyer had been popped, I was off and running. “He seemed pretty pissed that Lindy and I have kept in touch and that I spend time with her.”
“Are you afraid that because he’s back, you somehow won’t be welcome at Lindy’s anymore?”
I huffed. “Of course not.” But my throat tightened up, and I reminded myself to quit bullshitting my sister. “Maybe.”
“Oh, Dex. She’s not going to just kick you to the curb. She didn’t do that when she started dating Chief Brannigan; why would she do it now?”
“Yeah…”
“Hon, give everything a chance to fit back into place, to get to a new normal. Things will sort themselves out. I know for a fact that Lindy has been very grateful for your help and companionship over the years.”
“How do you know that?” I hoped she hadn’t said anything too embarrassing to Lindy.
“Last year at the fiesta. She mentioned it to me when she stopped by our booth.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to think of that.
The heat was sucking the life out of me, sweat pouring down my neck and dampening my collar. Kayla was right. I needed to give everything time to settle. Maybe Meyer would quit being such a jerk. As far as Lindy went, she was dating the fire chief. In the back of my mind, I’d always prepared myself that if they got married, I wouldn’t be going there every week like I did now.
“Thanks, Kayla. Needed to get out of my head.” I checked the time on my watch. There was still plenty to do before the day was over, and I was way behind schedule after the Meyer incident. “But I should let you go.”
“Actually, speaking of the fiesta…” She laughed shakily. “I was saving this for our Sunday night call, but I might as well tell you now.”
My stomach tightened. “Is there something wrong?”
“Not wrong so much as you’re not going to be too thrilled.” If she were in front of me, I imagined she’d have her nose scrunched up, and lips pursed the way they always were when she had something uncomfortable to say. “I can’t make it to the Dancing Chiles Food Fiesta this year.”
“But…” My shoulders dropped. It must be Disrupt Dexter’s Ordered Existence Day. Okay, so maybe I fear change. But there are much worse phobias to have. “I already have almost fifty orders. The townspeople count on getting their prickly pear salsa at the fiesta every year. It’s our family tradition.”
I was only one more whine away from sounding like a toddler.
“I know, I know. I feel really bad. But that’s the only week Todd can get off work for our vacation.”
“That’s perfect.” Already, hope had bloomed. “You guys can come here. I bet he’d love to help you make the salsa.”
She snorted loud enough to impress my bulls. “Yeah. I don’t think so. But good try.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Dex. He’s the new guy at the firm, and he only gets one week off this year. Somehow, I don’t think scraping needles off cactus pads so they can be consumed without digestive injury compares with a cruise to the Bahamas.”
“Reservations have been made?”
“Yup. And deposits taken.”
“Is he paying for this?” I asked.
“Signing bonus.”
I nodded in defeat. “He sounds like a keeper.”
This time, her sigh was wistful. “I sure hope so. I’m so tired of the dating scene.”
I winced at the jab in my chest. I’d probably be tired of the scene too, except that there wasn’t one in Charming. At least not for me.
“It sounds great, Kayla. I hope you have a wonderful time.”
I truly did. I loved her and wanted her to have the best of everything.
“I feel bad about canceling; I really do. It’ll be the first time since Mom and Dad died that I haven’t been to the fiesta.”
I rubbed my chest and decided this conversation with my sister was veering toward making me feel worse instead of better.
“Yeah. Same.”
“Wait a minute.” She huffed. “You’re not going?”
“Well…” I pinched my eyebrows together. “We always go together—I’m not saying that to guilt trip you, I swear. But if I’m not helping you load the salsa jars into the truck and setting up the tent and display, I’m not sure what else to do with myself.”
“Help me lord…” She muttered. “First off, why wouldn’t you go and hang out? You know everyone, they know you, and I doubt you’ll get run out of town because you didn’t provide them with their yearly salsa fix.”
“I know that.” I traced a finger through the condensation on the glass of my rapidly warming tea. I was truly feeling sorry for myself. “I’m sure I’ll end up going. The Cow Patty Kickers will probably play, and I wouldn’t mind grabbing a bag or two of Alma’s pecan brittle.”
“Gee, try to tamp down your excitement before you hurt yourself. Let me ask you something. Why not take the salsa like usual and fill those orders? It’ll give you a chance to, I don’t know, get out and socialize. Even when you go with me every year, you stand to the side and don’t say much. I always end up doing all the talking.”
“Well, yeah. It’s impossible to get a word in edgewise.”
“Oh, aren’t we hilarious?”
We both laughed, and I focused on keeping my tone light so I didn’t bum her out. It wasn’t her fault that I was the cowboy wallflower to her social butterfly.
“I get what you mean,” I said. “You’ve been cool about not hassling me to get out more, and I know doing nothing but working on the ranch constantly isn’t healthy. I rarely do anything, and now that Lindy…”
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t need to bring that up again. Maybe Meyer’s sudden appearance was exactly the change I needed.
“Dex, you’re a year younger than me, and it still feels like you’re my much older brother. You’ve taken on such a huge responsibility with the ranch. If you ever decide to sell?—”
“No!” I plucked a bandana from my pocket and wiped the sweat off the back of my neck. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to yell. It’s just… This is my life, Kayla. It’s what I’ve always wanted from the moment Dad made me his little sidekick. I love this ranch—and not only because it’s where we grew up. Sure, that’s part of it, but this land, Junie and the other horses, the herd, the trails I ride—this is where I belong. If I sold the ranch, what would I do? Where would I go?”
“You remind me so much of Dad sometimes,” she said softly. “So, this is my advice. If you love the ranch with all your heart and want to keep it forever and ever, then be a part of Charming. Don’t simply keep your head down and push forward. Look around. Be a part of things. Get to know your town again. You’ve made a decision, Dex. You’ve gone past born and raised. You’re choosing to be a resident of Charming Butte. So do something to show everyone you’re one of the fine, upstanding citizens.”
“Make the salsa?”
“Yes, Dex. Make the damn salsa.”