Chapter 6
Baylor
“Thought I’d catch you fucking off down at the river.”
Tagger starts laughing before he turns to see me heading toward the equipment barn.
“The prodigal son returns. It’s been a few months.
” He comes toward me in a summer straw cowboy hat, looking more at peace in the shadow of it than he ever was when he was living in the city.
Tucking a rag in his back pocket, he holds out his hand.
“I can’t say I’m so golden anymore.” I take it, but we always bring it in for a bump against the chest. “I think you might have stolen the title when you decided to start dating my sister.”
His laughter gets deeper. Holding up his hand to show off his ring, he says, “I fell for her before I knew what hit me.”
I punched him when I found out he broke his promise to me. I forgave him when I realized how much he loves her. Three years later, I like to give him shit over it any time I can. That’s what friends are for, after all. “Is that how it happened?”
“Something like that.” He thumbs over his shoulder. “I want to show you something.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s head to the old barn and I’ll show you.” We start walking, and he asks, “Business keeping you away?”
“It’s booming. How about you? You still in the finance game?”
He waffles his head. “Dabbling online but mostly investing in the ranch these days.”
“I saw the last statement. Profits are up.” Grinning, I add, “I like to see it.”
“I’m sure you do since you get a cut of it.” He tucks his hands in his front pockets. “Your sister gets the credit. She runs this operation.”
“When are you going to let her retire?”
He balks and heads back toward the barn. “I don’t think Pris will ever be happy sitting still.”
I walk next to him, looking at how much the ranch has grown in the six years my mom’s been gone. She’d be proud of her daughter for what she’s accomplished. It’s obvious from the new equipment to the extra ranch hands she’s hired that the farm and ranch have grown exponentially.
I’m proud of her for taking on what I couldn’t back then.
We round the side of the newest warehouse, the equipment barn, and the original barn from generations past comes into view. I say, “That should have been torn down years ago.” It’s decrepit, and the walls are leaning. “It’s barely standing.”
He says, “I’m planning on it, but I found a few things that I need to get moved first. ”
“Like what?” I follow him inside, hoping the ceiling doesn’t give while we’re standing under it.
Under the eaves of a now nonexistent second floor, he pulls back a cover. It’s not even revealed before my heart starts racing in my chest. I know what it is. “Wow,” I say, stepping closer. “I didn’t know we still had it.”
“None of us did. Well, maybe your dad, but he hasn’t talked about it.”
“Sore subject.” I grin, staring at the front of the car. “I haven’t seen it since I was a kid.” I run my fingers over the silver hood. “1972 Porsche 911T Coupe. Damn, she’s fine.”
“There’s no engine.”
I nod, knowing the backstory, though I’m not sure he does. “This was my mom’s dream car. She saw it in a movie and fell in love.”
Tagger pulls the cover off the rest of the sports car. “Your dad said he bought it for her.”
“To fix up. That never happened.” I bend down to look through the driver’s window. “Ripped leather.”
“The body is the only thing that’s in great condition.”
“The body is all that matters.” I study the dashboard before stepping back to take it in again. “There was nothing practical about having this car in the country, but my mom would say what’s the fun in practicality.”
He steps back, letting me take this in. I cross my arms over my chest, wondering if I have any claims to it at all. My sister owns majority share of the property. I would assume this comes along with it. My gut twists. I don’t have much of anything from my mom except memories.
I wonder if my mom would be proud of me as well. My dad says as much on occasion. She even told me once on a quick visit when I flew her to see the city for the first time. But I can’t stop thinking about how she’d feel now .
She was too young to die, to leave us out in the world without her tether.
“Baylor?”
Pulled from my thoughts, I look over at him. “Yeah?”
He chuckles. “It’s not even eight o’clock, and your mind is wandering.”
“Not wandering but wondering.” Eyeing him, I ask, “What are you doing with the car?”
“I’m going to move it to one of the other barns to figure out the next steps. It’s not a project I’m wanting to take on?—”
“I will.”
His eyes level on me. “You’re handy with tools, but this isn’t a tune-up. This is a complete rebuild. A costly one at that.”
“I have the money, and I want to do it for my mom.”
He goes quiet. How can he argue with that?
He can’t. At least, I’m hoping he won’t.
I’m still unsure who has the rights to it, but he seems confident he does.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he looks back at the vehicle.
“It’s not mine to decide. I think you should talk to Pris and your dad, but I’ll put in a good word for you, brother. ” He flips the cover over it again.
It's gutting to see it hidden away again, but more so that I have no say in the matter of ownership. “Thanks.”
I follow him back out, looking back once more before we head into the large equipment barn. I’m slow, my whole being protesting leaving that car behind.
“You’re moving slow today. You need some coffee?” he asks. “Didn’t get much sleep or what?”
In the rising sun of the new day, I reach over my shoulder and scratch the back of my neck, trying not to think about those strawberry tattoos on my Shortcake, the taste of her sweetness, and how she sounded like an angel when she came. That’s not something I need to share with him. “No, not much.”
“The storm was bad. I was up earlier than usual to do some cleanup around the place before starting the day. We had a few downed branches by the house and some on the other side of the field near the front rail.”
I’ve known him most of my life, if not all of it, and never seen him look happier.
This is despite waking up at some ungodly hour to clean up branches around the property.
He probably did it with a smile as well.
Tagger sure is in his element out here. “How’d you make the transition back to this life so easily? ”
Climbing up on a tractor that looks brand new to me, he replies, “It’s in our blood, brother. This is what we do.”
“No, we’re both in finance. Well, you used to be.”
Chuckling, he settles in the seat. “This is more satisfying. Pris and our kids are a big part of that, too. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t fallen for her. My son is thriving here, and Pris took him under her wing like one of her own. She’s the glue that made this life possible.”
“I should be pissed that you broke your promise to me about not dating my sister, but you make it hard to be mad about when it turned out the best for both of ya.”
He looks ready to get on with his day, but before he starts the engine, he says, “We got away from this town so fast, I never had time to look back to see what I left in the rearview mirror. And don’t get me wrong, Baylor, I don’t have many regrets.
But when I came back, I was ready for a change from the life I created.
I needed the change and so did my son. We don’t all travel at the same pace, but if you slow down a bit, you might find that the life you were running away from might suit you best.” He starts the tractor, then yells, “You’re here now.
Why don’t you go spend some time with your dad and your niece and your nephew?
I’ll loop around for some beers and hoops later.
” Patting the steel body of the tractor, he laughs.
“I’ve been dying to get this girl out of the barn since she got her new tires. ”
I walk to the side to get out of his way.
This is a man who used to pay for bottle service on the regular when we first moved to Manhattan after college graduation and could drink me under the table before we turned twenty-one.
I taught him the best plays on the football field.
He taught me the best plays off the field.
And now here he is, excited about new tires on a tractor.
I don’t know whether to shake my head in disappointment or wonder if I’m missing out. He stops just ahead of me and looks back. “You want to take her for a spin?”
“I’m good.” There’s never time to waste on the ranch, though I have to say I miss the days we used to take the trucks out muddin’ or were getting up to no good until the sun went down. “I’ll see you later.”
“Hoops.”
“Beers.”
He drives the tractor around the back heading toward one of the back fields. So I start back toward their house down near the woods by the river. I owe those kids some play time like the awesome uncle I am.
I look around the property as I make my way across the fields alongside a gravel driveway they had laid since the last time I was here. It’s a nice house. Big, made for large families. It makes me curious how many kids they want. He’s already had two with one on the way, and we’re the same age.
We’re sowing seeds in different ways these days. Settling down looks as pretty as a picture when my head is clear of the noise pollution of the city. I don’t mind putting in a hard day’s work out here, but it’s not the life I want to live as a bachelor.
Would I choose this life otherwise?
That’s not a thought I’ve given room to breathe since before my mom died. It’s probably best if I don’t do it right now either. What’s the point?
I have a great career, an apartment with incredible views, endless options when I’m wanting company, and conveniences twenty-four seven.
Peachtree Pass doesn’t even have a food delivery.
Heck, there are only a couple of places in the entire county and the one next to Greene County to get food after five o’clock.