Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Dex
“ Y up. I know, Rosie. Spotted him yesterday as he was arriving in town.”
The last thing I was about to do was divulge the details of my encounter with the obnoxious Meyer Jones to the town gossip. I was convinced she spent most of her waking hours on the precipice of the Butte, telescope in hand, lip-reading abilities sharpened, notepad and pencil at the ready. Of course, her employment as Police Chief Wally’s assistant probably had a lot to do with her insider knowledge.
Rosie sniffed as if the mere mention of Meyer was nauseating. If the man hadn’t blossomed into the epitome of pure masculine perfection, I would’ve agreed. But the last way my high school secret crush could be described was nauseating.
I’d already toed off my work boots before she called, so I ambled into the front room to drop onto the sofa. I couldn’t be certain of how long I’d be roped into speaking with her before I could politely ease my way free.
“Well,” she continued, “I say he has a lot of nerve skulking back into town after leaving his poor mama alone and defenseless all these years.”
A snort almost escaped my lips, but I clamped them down in time. “Uh, I’m not sure Lindy is what one would consider helpless…”
I had to be careful how I worded my thoughts. After all, the preacher’s wife didn’t put up with any nonsense. And as it turned out, anyone who didn’t share her opinion was definitely spouting off nonsense.
“But we must give him points for returning now, don’t you think? He’s certainly helping with the firehouse situation. I’m not sure what Chief Brannigan and the council would’ve done if he hadn’t agreed to come home.”
My gut clenched. Was it Meyer’s home? Or merely another brief stop in the way a bee flits from one flower to the next? I growled. What the hell did I care what he did? I’d already decided he wasn’t my problem. All his presence would do was remind me of my stupidity back when I was a na?ve, love-sick fool. Beyond that? He wasn’t even a blip on my radar.
“Dex, honey. Are you all right? You sound like you’re in pain. Did that bull kick you again?”
The fact that she was referring to an incident on the ranch when I was sixteen—over ten years ago—reminded me of how gifted she was at latching on to a moment in time like a Chihuahua with a chew toy.
“I’m fine, Rosie. Been a long morning. One of the calves is having trouble, and we’re not sure she’s going to make it.”
“You poor thing,” she cooed. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Oh, gotta run. Chief Wally just stumbled in, and it looks like the seat of his pants is ripped. I’d better check on that. You have a good day, hon.”
I almost choked on my spit but managed to respond, “Well, you have a good day, too, Rosie.”
I sent out a silent thank you to Wally for the interruption but imagined that whatever was going on over there wasn’t something he was thankful for. I didn’t truly mind Rosie’s calls. Although I knew that most of them were thinly veiled attempts at enticing me to take out her oldest daughter. It was as if she thought the more motherly she was to me, the more I’d be convinced to join the family.
No one could take the place of my folks—especially Mom. Ever since they’d passed, my view of the family had diminished to a minuscule universe that only my sister and I inhabited - except for Cal, our foreman, who had been with us for so long he was an honorary member. And the only person who ever came close to being like a mom to me in the past five years was Lindy.
I groaned as I fell back against the couch cushion. An irrational slice of anger tore through me because everything was changing once again. My world was being turned upside down—despite never having a true claim to that world to begin with. I had no business being jealous because Lindy would give Meyer special attention now. The homemade dinners she made so neither of us had to eat alone would now belong to him. I’d be back to canned chili and take-out Mexican, sitting on my porch alone or watching sports in front of the TV while I ate.
I rubbed my forehead, pressing my lips together. What the hell was wrong with me? He was her son, for fuck’s sake, and I’d already been through all this with Kayla. What I really needed was some damn coffee so I could quit getting all worked up over nothing. I’d been up since four with a sick calf, and it was already close to nine, so I was way overdue.
A light tap sounded at the door before Cal stepped into the foyer. “Hey, boss. Just wanted to let you know the doc is here. He says not to worry.”
I sat up straighter, which was in direct opposition to the lying down my body had hoped to do. “Yeah?” I leaned forward, ready to propel myself off the couch. “Let me get my boots back on.”
“Sorry. I know you’re beat.”
Cal scratched behind his ear, tucking his fingers beneath his cowboy hat and tilting it slightly in the process. It was a move I’d seen him do most of my life. The small, gangly man had to be in his late fifties by now. Many men had underestimated his ability to drive a herd or rope a bull over the years. He could handle what men twice his size couldn’t. After my folks had passed and I took over the ranch, Cal stayed on. I never would’ve made a go of it without him.
“That’s okay. I’ll have a chat with him on my way out to grab some coffee. Get you some?”
“Nah. I’m good.”
I gave him a half smile, which was about all I had the energy for.
Cal waited for me to yank on my boots back, and right as I was following him out the door, my phone rang. I dug it back out of my pocket, preparing myself to tell Rosie I had some business to attend to and couldn’t talk.
I stopped mid-stride. The caller was Lindy. Part of me wanted to let it go to voicemail—especially now that her precious son was back in town—but I couldn’t do it. The closeness we shared since Meyer’s absence forbade me from simply cutting her off because he was back, and I was afraid of being left out.
“Hi, Lindy. Is everything okay?”
She barked out a laugh. “Of course, honey. Why did you think something was wrong?”
Cal glanced over his shoulder as if making sure I was still coming. We were strolling down the dirt drive, which was about halfway to the rectangular barn beyond the horse paddock.
I chuckled, suddenly uneasy in my skin, as if I didn’t have the right to a friendly conversation with Meyer’s mom. As though she was his and I no longer belonged. I rubbed the back of my neck. I needed to quit being so needy. This was life. Shit happened. The guy came back to town to help out. That was it. Business as freakin’ usual.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to come off that way. Lots going on at the ranch this morning.”
“Oh, then I won’t pester you.”
“You’re not pestering me, Lindy. What’s up?”
“Well,” she began. “I’m making pot roast tomorrow and thought it might be nice to have you over. Thought it would be a good reason to celebrate now that my Meyer is back.”
“Yes, great reason to celebrate.” I clenched my jaw, reminding myself I couldn’t get butt hurt every time Lindy talked about her own son.
“It’s hard to believe he’s actually here,” she continued breathlessly. “I’ve missed him so much. So, you can make it?”
At this point, we’d reached the barn, and the vet was standing by his car, waving. “I’ll definitely try. There’s so much going on at the ranch right now, and I…”
I felt like a first-class dick. The ranch was always busy. There was always a lot happening. But sitting down and sharing a meal with Meyer? In the same house he grew up in? Where we hung out with the team after practice? Where I made a fool of myself?
There was no getting out of it, though. She wasn’t aware of any bad blood between us, and she’d been nothing but kind to me when I felt so alone and lost in the world. I could be a dick on my own time.
“Of course, I’ll be there. Looking forward to it.”
“Wonderful! I’ll let Meyer know. Is six okay?”
My throat closed. It was always okay. Every meal she’d ever made for me was at six. Yet now everything seemed so formal.
“Yeah, perfect. See you then.”
The morning had taken the soul out of me, and it was time for a refresher. I spoke with the vet, and as Cal said, the calf and mama cow were going to be fine. That was a big checkmark on the to-do list for the day. But between the three AM emergency wake-up call from the foreman, and the fact that I couldn’t get the annoying Meyer out of my brain, I figured a run into town would do me good.
I took the back road so I could loop my way around and hit Bobcat Stump on the way into Charming. It was a well-known fact that despite the pie crust at the Stump’s only café tasting like it had been rolled in the desert sand before being pressed into a pie dish, their buttermilk bars would cause a holy man to sell his soul.
On the other hand, the coffee at The Flying Saucer in Charming was like an elixir of the gods. It might add a good twenty minutes to my trip, but it was worth every second to ensure the proper pastry-to-coffee ratio—the ultimate taste combination.
Yet, therein lay the conundrum. While my feelings on the subject weren’t unique—almost anyone in town would say the same—admitting such a thing to Destiny, the owner and confection maker at The Saucer, would create a calamity from which the town would never recover.
Destiny and the Stump’s owner, Alejandra, had a rivalry that went way back. No one was certain of the exact origin, but rumors over the years pointed to a fundraising bake sale that began when they were in middle school together. Something about stolen recipes and purloined ingredients. However, no one knew for certain.
I’d already grabbed my donut, which was carefully wrapped in the tiny white paper bag. I tucked it under my hat where it couldn’t be spotted on the passenger seat of my truck. Not that Destiny was likely to come out of the shop and inspect my truck for donut contraband, but one couldn’t be too careful.
“Good morning, Destiny,” I called out as I breezed into the shop. The strong, earthy scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mixed with a hint of cinnamon and fresh bread. “Smells great in here.”
“Aww, thanks, hon.” Destiny grinned at me from behind the counter, where she was busy cleaning up the espresso attachments. “What can I get for you today?”
I cleared my throat, mortified that I was already radiating guilt before I’d uttered one word. “Well, I think I’ll go for the twenty-ounce meteor brew today. I’ve been up since three.”
“Ooh, boy. Sounds like there’s a lot going on at the ranch.”
I nodded. “Always.”
As I waited for her to make my drink, I took in the unique décor of the shop. The entire small space was painted a nighttime sky deep blue, which sometimes made me feel as if it were closing in on me. In addition, an array of planets and stars had been painted by someone with questionable artistic talent on the walls, including the occasional misshapen flying saucer adding to the chaotic scenery.
Eventually, my gaze landed on a flying saucer-shaped sugar cookie with an alien made out of green frosting decorating the top. Next to that was a large black macaron with ‘we come in peace’ spelled out in edible glitter.
Destiny handed me my cup, then smiled as she tracked my gaze. “These are the sassy saucers.”
I arched my eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“The macarons. See? Don’t they look like flying saucers?”
I blinked several times as I considered the sugary creations. “Oh, of course. Yeah. Now I see it.”
“And these?”
She pointed to a tray below the saucers. An array of peach-shaped cookies were displayed, but they were covered in green frosting and… I squinted. There was a distinct brown frosting line going down the center. “Those are the new alien butts.” Destiny snort-chuckled. “The tourists love them. I get all the tourist traffic, you know. For fresh baked goods, I mean.” She gave a casual shrug. “No point in driving out of your way to a two-horse town when you already have the best right here. Wouldn’t you agree, Dex?” She batted her eyelashes.
“I…err…” I swallowed with no spit, so I took a sip of my coffee. “Goodness. That is some incredible coffee.” I made a small salute with my cup. “Nothing beats this right here.”
Destiny’s eyes narrowed a tad. “What about a pastry to go with your coffee? Unless, of course, you already picked up something from somewhere else?”
My throat closed up, and my limbs froze. It was as if I’d been transported back in time to when I’d lied to my sixth-grade teacher about my book report. It wasn’t my dog that ate my homework, but I did place the blame of the hideous crime on a hapless mare who’d never done me wrong. Would I confess now? How could I avoid punishment for my transgression?
“Uh, you know what? I think Lindy would love to have a dozen cookies. Those green alien butts do look tasty.”
The words had flown from my mouth before my brain could catch up and save me from my own stupidity. My face heated, and I coughed into my fist, looking everywhere but at her. In a stunning development, Destiny appeared oblivious to my slip of the tongue, as it were.
“Oh, they are! Believe me, I’ve eaten plenty of those butts.”
She grinned like a loon as she pulled a dark blue bakery box from under the counter. The signature item featured her logo, which was a cartoon drawing of flying saucers with little green men laughing and hanging out of their spaceships with fistfuls of cookies and coffee cups. After carefully loading the cookies into the box—with an extra butt to make a baker’s dozen—I managed to escape the bakery and my own mortification.
I almost stumbled over my boots right as I reached my truck. Thankfully, the cookies and my coffee survived my clumsiness. However, I wasn’t so sure I’d survive my next stop. Now that I had the goodies, I had no choice but to drive them over to Lindy’s.
Of course, I could wait to bring them until dinner the next day. But wouldn’t they go stale? I wasn’t an expert on fresh-baked goods, except that day-old was a thing for a reason.
I dropped my shoulders, sighing. Perfect. By the time I finished dinner at the Jones’ house the following night, I would’ve spent three days in a row with the odious Meyer Jones. I yanked my door open with a bit too much force, and my coffee hit the ground like an actual meteor, liquid splashing all over my leather boots.
The man was a curse. This wasn’t his town, not anymore. When he left, he swore never to come back. Yet, here he was, getting ready to step into a top position and be beloved by all again.
I set the bakery box on the passenger seat, nudging my hat with the illicit donut beneath it out of the way.
Beloved by all? Nope. Not by me.
Not anymore.