Chapter 5
“S he’s saying you assaulted her,” FrankMartin told him. “And she wants to press charges.”
“I didn’t assault her,” Avery said, chuckling. “I kissed her. She was running her mouth and making all kinds of crazy threats. It was the only way I knew of to shut her up without hurting her.”
“I think you bruised up her pride,” Frank laughed.
“Most likely. But please, find a way to make her leave me alone. She’s driving me nuts. I have no peace. She tries to sabotage everything I do, tries to worm her way into all of my business, and keeps threatening me with all kinds of legal action. Did you know she’s wanting to contest the sale of the property by saying Sirus was suffering from dementia?”
“Oh good lord. I wish her luck with that. But seriously, if she gives you any more trouble, let me know. In the meantime, I’m going to call the sheriff’s office and see what kind of charges you can bring against her to make her leave you alone.”
“Good. I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Thanks.” Avery hit END and put the phone down. It rang again and he picked it up: Lydia’s number. He just hit DECLINE and dropped it again. She tried two more times, but he declined the call both times. He was waiting for the vet to come by when his phone rang again, and this time he was pretty sure it was Marjorie. “Hello?”
“Avery?”
“Yes, Ms.Marjorie. I’m sorry I hung up so abruptly the other day, but there was a problem standing right in front of me and I had to tackle it head on.”
She chuckled. “Or kiss it until it shut up?”
“So you heard about that, huh?” he asked, laughing.
“Sure did! The whole town’s buzzing about it. And guess what? I got a call from her apologizing for the things she said. It must’ve done some good.”
Avery snickered. “Must’ve. I’m glad that worked, because nothing else had.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure!”
He waited and finally Marjorie asked, “Did she tell you why she wants that farm so badly?”
Even though he knew she couldn’t see, he shook his head. “I accused her of wanting to sell it off in lots and subdivide it. She said that’s what she wanted to do, but I’m not convinced. There’s something else going on there.”
“There is. I can’t say for sure, but I think I know what it is. And I’ve only got one thing to say to you.”
Now Avery was really curious. “Oh? What’s that?”
“Be gentle. I know it’s hard, but please, be as gentle as you can.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t get it,” Avery admitted.
“I don’t completely, but trust me, there’s something there that we’re not seeing, and this young woman is really, really fragile.”
“And that’s why she’s driving me crazy, threatening me, following me around, belittling me?” Avery couldn’t believe Marjorie was defending Lydia. What the hell?
“I’m serious, Avery. You need to dig a little deeper.”
Avery was glad Marjorie couldn’t see him rolling his eyes. “I’m not sure I can do that. She’s become so adversarial legally that all I can do is stay away from her and try to defend myself.”
“I understand.” Marjorie sighed so deeply through the phone that Avery thought he actually saw the curtains move. “I just hope you’ll think about what I’ve said, that’s all. Oh, and how’s Skipper doing?”
The dog must’ve heard her call his name through the phone because his head popped up, his ears perking up at the same time. “He’s doing great! I’m glad to have him around. He’s a lot of company.”
“Good, good! Daddy would be pleased. Well, nice talking to you, Avery. And I’m sorry about before.”
“No problem. I understand completely. Thanks for calling and talk to you later.” This time when he hit END, he turned the ringer off on the phone and laid it face down on the coffee table so he wouldn’t see if anyone else called.
It was an uneventful day as recent days had gone, and Avery got most everything he needed to do done in good time, as mid-morning starts went. He was headed back to the house from the barn when a familiar car caught his eye.
Danette.
Oh, no. Not again , he groaned inwardly, wondering if he could hide until she gave up, but she’d already spotted him. Might as well face the music , he thought and kept up his pace toward the house. When he got close, she called out, “Hey, Avery!”
“Hey, Danette.” When he finally reached her, he shoved his hands down in his front pockets. “Whatcha doin’ out here?”
“Came to see you,” she said and grinned. “Whatcha up to?”
“Oh, I just finished my chores for the morning and I was going to take a shower and watch a little TV. You know, maybe catch the reporting on the futures market.”
“Could I maybe watch with you?” she asked, a wicked smile splitting her face.
“The guys are working in the house. I don’t know if you’d want to do that.”
“We could go up to your room…” she said, trying as hard as he’d ever seen any woman try.
“I thought you said I was good,” he reminded her.
“I did!”
“I’m looking for great. And if I’m not great, you need to just move along to someone who is,” he snipped, turning and heading for the house.
“You’re great. I said great,” she called out.
“No. You said good. You specifically said good,” Avery reminded her without turning around. “If I recall correctly, you said pretty good.”
“Well, I meant great,” she said, jogging to catch up with him. “Really, really great.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you wanted in my pants,” Avery told her when he reached the porch.
“You don’t know better, because I do,” Danette giggled.
“What manner of woman are you?” Avery asked, trying hard not to laugh.
Danette snickered. “The horny kind.”
“I’ll say. Why don’t you go in here and see if Joey and Byron will tag-team you?” he offered, standing in front of the door, determined to not let her in.
“I don’t want Joey and Byron. I want you,” she whispered, leaning in and running a finger down the side of his face. “You’re quite the man, AveryHolcomb.”
Avery just stared down at her. “So I’ve been told.”
“Is that a yes?”
He shook his head. “No.”
The look she gave him would’ve melted the plastic cup in a jock strap. “What’s it gonna take to get into your bed, Avery? Because whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
“You don’t have it in you,” he told her, shaking his head.
“But I want it in me,” she whispered, then leaned out and nipped his shoulder.
“Then you’ve got to promise me something,” Avery said, turning to face her and leaning against the door.
“Yeah?”
“Today, I’ll fuck you however you wanna be fucked. Standing up, sitting down, draped over the hood of my truck, in the feed trough, hanging from the banister on the stairs. But the next time I talk to you, I want to hear all about a date.”
Danette’s brow dipped into wrinkles and she eyed him sideways. “A date?”
“Yup.”
The expression had apparently frozen to her face because it was still there when she asked, “You mean like a man and a woman going out to dinner and all that shit?”
Avery smiled sweetly. “Yes. Like a man and a woman going out to dinner and all that shit. Having a conversation. Going for ice cream. Seeing a movie. Going to a ballgame. Or since this is TuckerCity, Texas, maybe fishing in the creek, or going to a rodeo, or having a picnic,” he said and, seeing her eyes light up, he finished with, “a real picnic. In the park. With lots of other people around, and kids playing and running and screaming, and a hot dog vendor’s cart and everything. A date, Danette. Ever been on a date?”
Her expression softened and she looked away. Avery wondered if she was embarrassed. “Um, I never thought dates were…” She hesitated, looking for the right word, and then came out with, “Necessary.”
“They’re not―if all you ever want to be is the town slut.” Her eyes flashed and she started to say something when Avery belted out, “You know that’s what everybody says about you.”
“Not to my face,” she retorted.
“So? What the hell difference does that make?” Avery scowled. “And it bothers me that everybody thinks that about you.”
She shook her head and screwed up her face. “It doesn’t bother me. What the hell kinda cock do you have running the show in your head, Avery?” She spat his own words back to him when she asked, “What manner of man are you ?”
“The kind that’s trying to be better than he was. And then you come around and make me feel like a failure.”
“I told you I meant great, not good,” Danette almost coughed out, her exasperation growing.
“I don’t mean in the sack. I mean in my life. I want to be a better person. I’ve started over out here and I don’t want to be the same asshole I was before,” Avery explained.
Danette stood there for a few seconds, and Avery watched as her cheeks pinked up. “You really think I’m worth that?” she finally asked. Before his very eyes, he watched hers redden as tears pooled in her lower lids.
“Yes. I do. You came out here and brought me food because I didn’t have a kitchen. That was a nice thing to do.”
“Ms.Arlene sent me out here with it.”
“Yeah, but you could’ve just left it in the back seat of your car and come out here to fuck me. But you didn’t. You made sure you fed me before you fucked me,” Avery said, trying to find some shred of dignity to hand back to Danette, some way to make her feel like a good person.
“I was just trying to keep your strength up,” she said, eyes downcast, and then she chuckled.
Avery chuckled too. “Well, apparently it worked!” Her eyes popped up to catch his face, and he started to laugh.
That got Danette laughing, and she just kept it up when she said, “It appeared to! I’m back, aren’t I?”
“That you are!” Avery was still laughing when he said, “So I’ll tell ya, if you want to go upstairs, we can. But you can’t come back until you can come over here and tell me about a date you’ve had. Don’t care with whom. Doesn’t matter. But it’s got to be a real date, and you have to tell whoever it is that you won’t sleep with them unless they take you on a date because you deserve that. Deal?”
Danette sobered again and the smile she gave Avery was sad and forced. “Deal. Because I deserve that.”
“Exactly. Come on. Up the stairs with you. And I’m going to teach you something.” He opened the door and held it for her.
The minute she walked in, the five guys in the kitchen turned and stared, and then Joey called out, “Hey, Danette!”
“Hi, Joey. Hi, guys. It’s too noisy down here. Avery’s taking me upstairs to teach me something,” she explained, and Avery wanted to die.
“Oh, yeah?” Byron called out with a smirk. “And what’s that?”
“How to help a man pick out a tie and shirt to go with his slacks.” It was all Avery could come up with on the fly.
“Going somewhere?” Robbie asked Danette, his voice snotty and prying.
Avery glanced at Danette and watched her square her shoulders. “Yeah. On a date.”
“A date!” Byron hooted. “Since when do you date?”
To Avery’s delight, he watched Danette puff out her chest and grab herself an attitude. “Since right now. I’m looking to go out on a date, and Avery here’s gonna help me.”
“Oh, is that right?” Joey asked. “Well, will wonders never cease!”
“You boys need to get busy. Mike’s not paying you to monitor the social life of the women in town,” Avery spat out.
“That’s right,” Mike said, glancing up at Avery and grinning. “I’m not. Get back to work.”
Avery pointed to the stairs and Danette bounded up. When they reached the top, she turned to him. “Did I do good?”
“You did awesome. I’m proud of you.”
Danette gave him a sweet, happy little smile. “That felt good.”
“Good. Let’s go.” He threw the bedroom door open and they stepped into the room. The balcony doors were open and the warm, flat Texas breeze was streaming into the room, the curtains flapping and ceiling fan churning. Danette was already unbuttoning and unzipping, but Avery barked out, “No! Don’t do that.”
“Whaaa?” She spun to stare at him.
Avery closed the door, then the balcony door. “It’ll take a few minutes, but the air conditioning will catch up and the room will get cool. Now, I’m going to do this the way a real gentleman would. And I don’t want you to settle for anything less, you hear me? Be a lady, Danette. You want respect, that’s what it’s going to take.” He stepped up to her and put a hand on each of her cheeks, then leaned down into her and kissed her. His decision had been made; he was going to make love to DanetteMoyers, and he didn’t know how she’d respond.
But he was unprepared when she sagged against him and almost fell. Avery grabbed her before she could and didn’t break the kiss, but that only lasted a few seconds before he felt her start to shake. Confused, he pressed her back and looked down into her face.
Huge tears rolled down Danette’s face and she began to sob. Avery had never kissed a woman and made her cry. He wasn’t sure what was going on, and he was pretty damn uncomfortable with it. “Danette, honey, what’s wrong?”
She dropped her eyes, refusing to look at him. “Oh, Avery! I’ve made such a mess of my life! Nobody takes me seriously. The women at the church all think I’m some little fading flower, and the men all think I’m the town whore. I’ll have to move away. No man’s ever going to want me. I kept thinking if I fucked them good enough, they’d want me. I mean, I’m not pretty or anything, but?—”
“Danette.” Avery just stopped and waited until she looked up at him. “Danette, you’re cute as can be. You just don’t go to any trouble to fix yourself up because you figured if all they’re looking at are your tits and your pussy, they don’t care what your face looks like. Know what that says to them?”
“No,” she said, sniffling.
“It says you don’t care about yourself. It says you don’t think you’re worth fixing your hair or putting on a little makeup, or buying a dress that looks like the ones the other women wear―well, at least the younger ones, the ones your age. That’s what it says about you, that you don’t have any value in yourself. But you have a college degree, and you own a company.”
She sniffed. “That only makes me a geek.”
Avery shook his head and grinned. “No. It does not. It makes you smart and interesting and, frankly, a good catch. It gives you the right to be picky about who you date. Hell, put yourself on one of those dating websites and I guarantee you some guy will travel a long distance just to meet you and get to know you.”
Danette’s eyes went round. “You really think so?”
“Oh, I know so! They’re not looking for party girls, most of those guys aren’t. They know if they hook up with someone through one of those sites, they’ll have to woo her. And they’re willing to do that for the right woman. And you, missy,” he said, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger, “are the right woman.”
Tears started rolling down her cheeks again, and that was not the effect Avery was going for. He just stood there and wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. Finally, she looked up at him and tried to smile. “Thanks, Avery. You really are a good guy. No, wait,” she said and choked out a little giggle. “A great guy.”
Avery laughed down at her. “Thanks! I try. Now, you still want a fucking?”
To his astonishment, Danette shook her head. “No. Could we just lie down on your bed and you hold me? That would be nice.”
“We sure can. Come on over here and cuddle up with me.” Avery sat down on the bed and then scooted across it, and when Danette did the same, he drew her up in his arms, her back to his chest. “How’s this?”
“This is nice.” The next words she said broke Avery’s heart. “I’ve never done this before.”
He wasn’t sure what to say, or if he should say anything. Danette was a nice person. There was nothing wrong with her personality. For reasons he figured he’d never understand, she just got it in her head at some point that all she was worth was being a piece of ass. Avery realized in that moment that when he’d let her in the house, he’d never really wanted to bring her upstairs and fuck her. He’d intended to, but he really hadn’t wanted to. AveryAidan Holcomb, the guy who’d fuck pretty much anything that walked past, had once again been handed a chance to take advantage of a woman, and had passed on the opportunity. He decided right then that maybe he’d better find a doctor and have a checkup because he was probably suffering from a terminal illness and didn’t know it.
They lay like that for over an hour as Danette dozed in and out and Avery kissed her crown or stroked her hair. She was warm and soft, and he actually found the idea of lying there holding her with no expectations to be a lot more pleasant than he’d thought. After about an hour and a half, he moved to get up. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice hoarse with sleep.
“I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back, I promise,” he whispered to her and kissed her right behind her ear.
“Okay. I’ll be here,” she mumbled.
Avery hadn’t been in the bathroom more than a second or two―he’d barely gotten his fly unzipped―when he heard a buzzing sound and Danette called out, “Oh! Your phone’s ringing! I’ll get it!”
Nooooooo!!!! his brain screamed, but it was too late. He heard her say, “Hello?” The conversation that took place following that simple word was one he knew he’d pay for later. “This is DanetteMoyers. Who is this? Well, hello, Lydia!”
Oh, shit! Avery didn’t know whether to hurry and finish or cut it off midstream and get his ass back out to the bedroom, but he knew it didn’t matter―the damage was already done. So he just blended into the wallpaper and listened to the rest of the conversation to see how much damage control he was in for.
“Yes, Avery’s here, but he’s in the bathroom. I’m just sitting here on the bed waiting for him to come back.” Wow, thanks, Danette , he wanted to yell out. “Yes, at his house. Well, the signs didn’t mean me because I’m his friend.” That made him snicker. “Now you hang on just one minute here! We haven’t done a thing, not that it’s any of your business! Well, you’ve got a lot of nerve, calling me that! Just who do you think you are? Look here, missy, them’s fightin’ words,” Danette shouted into the phone, her voice husky and strong. “I’m not taking that from you. You have no… You. Did. NOT. Go. There! Oh boy, I tell you what, I see your scrawny little ass out in town, they’ll have to pull me off you. Oh, yeah, you just go right ahead, call the sheriff up and tell him I threatened you because I did! And I’ll make good on it too! No, YOU shut the fuck up! What in the holy hell’s gotten into you, LydiaKinsey? Okay, I’m not arguing with your silly ass anymore. You’re just getting ridiculous. When you can act like a grownup, we’ll have something to talk about, but not until… You take that mouth right back home and ask your mama to wash it out with soap. Goodbye, Lydia. I don’t have to put up with this!” He heard Danette huff out, “Gol’ darn skinny, skanky, smartass little sack of fluffed-up bones. I’m gonna snap her in half when I catch her out.” There was a momentary pause before he heard her yell out, “Avery!”
Somewhat relieved that he didn’t have to cower in the bathroom anymore, Avery stuck his head out the door and, wide-eyed, looked to Danette. “Yeah?”
Her gaze pierced him, her expression fierce. “You fucking that blond bundle of trouble?”
It was his turn to have eyebrows in his hairline. “No! Why in hell would you ask that?”
“Because she sure is a jealous little bitch. She found out I was here and, lord have mercy, you never heard a string of cuss words like that in your life! And then she started attacking me with ’em! I swear, she’s got the hots for you, boy, and she’s got ’em bad.” Danette was grinning and shaking her head, and Avery wanted a hole to open up in the floor and drop him and his flushed face straight into the basement―the basement he didn’t even have. “What the hell’s going on between the two of you?”
Avery sat down on the side of the bed and dropped his head into his hands. “She’s driving me crazy, Danette. Insists this farm’s hers and she wants it back. She’s tried everything, and now she’s going to try to get a court to say Sirus was crazy when he sold me this place.”
“What? Ain’t no court in the land gonna side with her on that. Sirus was a feisty old bird, and a looker for his age, but he wasn’t crazy.” When Avery gave her the stink eye, she added, “No. I did not sleep with him. But he was a pretty nice-looking old man. And he was a good old guy, but he was kinda cranky and hard to get along with sometimes.”
“I heard he really didn’t do his family right,” Avery said, scooting up and leaning back into the pillows at the head of the bed.
Danette shimmied up beside him and clasped her fingers across her belly. “Yeah, he really didn’t do right by them. Got pissed off because they wouldn’t all move out here and play ‘one big happy’ with him. Couldn’t blame ’em, though. Lydia’s daddy tried to work the farm for a while, but Sirus wouldn’t leave him alone. Tried to tell him how to do everything and sabotaged anything Rodney did that he didn’t agree with. Even took the farm equipment Rodney bought and sold it without his knowledge. Rodney came out to work and didn’t have a tractor. Sirus told him that steam-powered tractor had always been good enough for him and it was good enough for Rodney. That was when Rodney finally gave up and walked away.”
“Can’t say I blame him there,” Avery nodded.
“Nope. Sirus just made it impossible for anyone to help out or work the farm. Lydia’s uncle wanted a degree in accounting, thinking he could help out with the books. Sirus said a college education was foolish and cut him out of everything.”
“No!” Avery couldn’t believe it. That didn’t sound like the Sirus he’d met, although he hadn’t spent a lot of time with the old man. “What kind of person does that to their kids?”
“SirusKinsey. He was nice enough around town, but he treated his family like shit.”
“And Lydia’s parents?”
“Rodney and Belinda?” Danette smiled. “Nicest people you’d ever want to meet. Really sweet. You should go meet them, talk to them. Maybe they can get Lydia to calm down.”
“Fat chance of that,” Avery said with a deep sigh. “I think she’s permanently cranked up and nothing’s gonna help that.”
“Yeah, but what’ve you got to lose?” Danette pointed out. “Just your sanity if they can’t get her to come around.”
“Good point.” Avery thought for a few seconds. Maybe that would be worth the time and trouble to look into.
“Yeah, maybe you should try it. Rodney works for GoheenEquipment down the far side of town. Not hard to spot. Nice guy, not as tall as you―he’s where Lydia gets being so little―and a headful of snow-white hair.” Danette straightened and swung her legs off the far side of the bed. “I guess I’d better be going. And it’s about time for you to feed the cattle, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He looked at the clock and realized he was usually done by that time. “Guess I’d better get on it.” He stood and walked around the bed, reaching for Danette’s hands and helping her stand. “This was nice, Danette.”
“Yeah,” she said and stood on her tiptoes to drop a little kiss on his cheek. “Best sex I never had!” she added with a laugh.
“Yup! Me too! Come on, I’ll walk you out.” They made their way down the stairs, Danette in the lead, and she waved to the guys as they passed through the living room, then wandered out the front door and down the steps.
They were halfway to the car when they heard the door open behind them and a voice called out, “Danette?”
Turning, they watched as Greg walked toward them, purpose in his steps. “Yeah, Greg?”
He stood momentarily, uncertainty on his face, and then said, “Can I speak with you alone for just a second?”
“Uh, sure, I guess,” she said, turning to Avery with a shrug.
“I’ll just go wait for you at the car,” Avery told her and stepped away, but when he got to the car, he turned and rested his ass against the door, watching the two of them talking, their heads close together. He saw Danette nodding, then heard her give a nervous little laugh. Greg was smiling and, as they parted, he gave Danette a little wave and she turned, wearing a smile of her own as she made her way back to Avery. When she reached him, Avery grinned. “What was that about?”
Danette’s cheeks were pink and she smiled so hard that her eyes squeezed shut. “I just got asked out on a date!”
“No shit?” Avery exclaimed, and he watched her smile grow even wider as she nodded at him. “That’s awesome! See? I told you! Now, you go to the mall over in Texarkana and get yourself a makeover, buy a new dress and some new shoes, maybe some fancy jewelry. Get your hair done. Let that boy know you’re worth a little bit of effort, okay?”
Danette looked up into Avery’s eyes and gave him a soft smile. “Thank you. Thanks for making me understand that I’m worth more than a passing fuck.”
He gave her a little mock salute. “Just doin’ my duty, ma’am. You’re worth nothing more than a fuck if you let everyone know that’s all you’re worth. But you’re worth so much more, Danette. So much more.”
On her tiptoes again, she gave him a tiny little kiss on the lips. “I was telling the truth. You’re a great man, AveryHolcomb. A great man. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Sure. Please. Let me know how it goes. When are you going?”
“Tomorrow night. He wanted to go tonight, but a lady doesn’t accept a date and go on it the same day, you know,” she said as she slipped into the driver’s seat.
“See there? You’re learning already! Bye, Danette!” he called to her as he backed away from the car, and she waved at him through the window and pulled out of the parking area in front of the house.
Avery stood there for a few seconds and wondered at himself. He’d turned down a sure piece of ass in favor of building up a woman’s self-esteem. What the hell? Was he sick or something? But he knew the truth. He wasn’t just building up Danette’s self-esteem―he was building up his own. He’d let his life circumstances fuel his self-destruction over the last few years, and it was time to rebuild his life.
Looking around, he realized he was doing a pretty damn good job of it too. He had a home, a truck, a couple of livestock trailers, and almost seventy head of cattle. He wasn’t just Avery, the son and brother who’d been pushed aside, the husband who’d been left behind and cuckolded, the roommate who was impossible to get along with, and the jackass who fucked any woman in his path and didn’t give a shit about her.
He was an honest, dependable, responsible member of society, a property owner and a neighbor. He’d come there to be a farmer, but he was something completely different.
He was a rancher. Instead of just him, he was responsible for all those cattle. They might’ve been beef cattle who’d eventually be eaten, but they were living, breathing, sentient beings, and he was responsible for their care. The sensation of a rough tongue broke into his thinking, and he dropped to a squat and scratched Skipper behind the ears. The beautiful dog licked his face and Avery laughed. Yeah, and he was Skipper’s master too. There was someone besides him depending on him, and without him, they’d perish and die. It wasn’t a lot different from having a family.
“You know what? You’re my family,” Avery told Skipper, and the dog bounced up and down and licked his face again. “Come on, son. Let’s go in and see how the guys are doing!” he said, laughing as he stood. Skipper bounded along behind him, then ran ahead and waited by the door until Avery opened it.
Busy as he was, he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to the kitchen, but when he stepped through the door, he took a good look and realized all the cabinets were in. “I hadn’t noticed, but this is looking nice!” he crowed to Mike.
“Yeah, it is. You chose the right ones for this house. It’s going to make the place look great,” Mike told him, standing back and surveying their work. “I just got a call. The countertop’s in and they’ll deliver it tomorrow. We can put it in and then all that’s left is the plumbing and some trim work. Everything else is done.” He reached over and flipped a switch, and the new lighting snapped on. “And this looks really good.”
“Wow!” Avery looked around at their work. “You guys have done a good job.”
“Thanks! Hey, Rob, Joey, come out here and help me get this flooring in. We can have that done in a couple of hours if we really knuckle down,” Mike told the two guys. “Byron, grab that shop vac and get all this crap up off the floors. Greg,” he said, and the younger man’s head snapped up, “take that pile of scrap there and throw it in the dumpster out back.”
The three men headed out the door, Byron turned on the industrial vacuum, and Greg looked up at Avery. “Can I talk to you for just a minute?” he whispered loudly over the sound of the vac.
“Sure.” Avery helped him gather up two armloads of scrap and they carried them out the back door.
When they’d thrown them in the dumpster, Greg smiled at Avery. “Listen, I don’t go on very many dates. But I asked Danette out. So should I make a reservation somewhere in Texarkana? Buy flowers or something? I really don’t know how to do this. I grew up here. Our idea of dating was taking our girlfriend out and getting busy in the bed of our pickup truck, know what I mean?”
Avery smiled. “Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. And yeah, make a reservation and buy her some flowers. I think she’d like that.”
“Okay. Because, I mean, she’s good in the sack and all, don’t get me wrong. But she’s a nice person too, and I think I really want to get to know her, you know?” Greg said, his expression sheepish but his eyes bright.
“I know what you mean. And she’s an interesting person, Greg, she really is. I think if you’ll get to know her, you’ll find that out. Smart, too―very smart.”
Greg nodded. “Thanks for the advice. I hear you’re quite the ladies’ man,” Greg threw out.
Avery cut his eyes toward Greg. “Who told you that?”
“Oh, LydiaKinsey’s told everybody in town that. Says she’s heard you’re some kind of animal.”
“Is that right?” Now Avery was just getting royally pissed. In all the time he’d been in town, he’d only fucked one woman and kissed two, and one of those wasn’t because he wanted to. And no, that hadn’t been Danette. She had a lot of nerve to tell that kind of shit on him, and he wanted it to stop. “I appreciate you telling me that,” Avery said.
“No problem. You’re a nice guy. She don’t have no right to talk about you like that,” Greg said. “Well, guess I’d better get busy before the boss busts my chops.”
“Yup. Thanks, and I hope you guys have fun tomorrow night.”
Greg smiled as he headed back into the house. “Thanks!”
Avery stood there for a couple of minutes, thinking. So he was the local manwhore, huh? Well, maybe he and LydiaKinsey should have a little talk.
* * *
The bar was busy just like every other Friday night Avery had been in there. Danette was gone on her date, so he knew she wouldn’t be showing up. He decided maybe he’d go hang out, maybe play some pool with Roger and some of the other guys.
He’d been there for less than thirty minutes when he looked up and saw trouble come stalking in. All he could hope was that she didn’t spot him. Watching her from the corner, he saw her go up and talk to the bartender, then stand and wait while the man disappeared into the back. To his dismay, she turned and surveyed the crowd, and when her eyes landed on him, she glared, her face puckering up. A man followed the bartender out from the back and interrupted her stare fest, and Avery wondered what the papers were that she was showing the man. He didn’t know how the place could possibly be tied to him in any way, but Lydia was having paperwork filled out, so maybe she’d found another way to torment him. Maybe trying to find a way to keep him from coming there? He wouldn’t put anything past her. Roger came back to sit down from a trip to the restroom, and in a few minutes Frankie joined them. They were still sitting there, shooting the breeze, when Avery looked up and saw her coming his way. “Oh, shit.” he mumbled.
“That the woman who’s been giving you trouble?” Roger asked. Avery nodded.
“Holy shit. That’s LydiaKinsey,” Frankie whispered. “She’s the hottest piece of ass in town.”
“Don’t talk about a lady like that,” Roger admonished. The words had just fallen away when Lydia strode up.
“MissKinsey,” Avery said, maintaining a neutral facial expression and giving her barely a nod.
“Mr.Holcomb. Boys,” she said, glancing at Roger and Frankie, “you might want to leave now. This will only get worse in a couple of minutes.”
“Hell, it’s Friday night,” Roger quipped. “We need to liven this place up a little!”
“Yeah!” Frankie laughed. “Let ’er rip, tater chip!”
“Do you want something, MissKinsey?” Avery asked her, his face still blank.
“Yes. I want my farm back. And I won’t take no for an answer,” she announced.
“Then you’re going to leave here very disappointed, and there’s nothing I can do about that,” Avery said, his voice calm and measured.
“When will you finally get it? I’m never going to give up―never. That farm belongs to me, and I want it back.”
Avery sighed. “When will you finally get it? I’m never giving that farm up. It’s my home now. I’ve worked hard on it, and I don’t have any intention of walking away from it. Not compromising on that, not now, not ever. So if you really want to pursue this, know that it’ll do you zero good, spend a lot of your money needlessly, and just frustrate the hell out of both of us for all eternity. That’s my land, and those are my cattle. This is now my place to belong. And you, my dear, can do nothing about it.”
“Oh, yeah?” she spat, staring at him. “You can bet I’ll think of something. But you’re as good as gone.”
“No, ma’am. And you need to leave me alone,” Avery reminded her.
“Yeah. He ain’t done nothin’ to you, Lydia.”
“Shut up. None of your business,” she snapped at Roger.
“Hey, don’t talk to my friends that way,” Avery snapped back.
“Where’s your little girlfriend?” Avery stared at her. “You know, DanetteMoyers.”
“Danette’s your girlfriend?” Frankie asked, wide-eyed.
“Danette’s on a date tonight,” Avery answered her and watched her deflate. “Yeah. Danette can get a date and you can’t.”
“I can too.”
“Then why are you here on a Friday night tormenting me instead of being out with some hunk, letting him work at wooing you, buying you drinks and dinner and taking you dancing? Because you’re so damn ornery that no man wants to be around you!” Avery shouted back at her, sick and tired of her berating him. “That’s why you’re here! You’re bored and I’m your newest target.”
He watched her face change, something unknown working its way across her features, and a light went out behind her eyes. “Shut up. You don’t know anything about me,” she snarled.
“Yeah? Well, you don’t know anything about me either, and you haven’t bothered to try to find out anything about me. You don’t care that I’m a nice guy, or that I’ve had horrible things happen in my life. All you care about is yourself.”
“I want that farm, AveryHolcomb. I don’t give a damn about you or your life; I just want my farm back.”
Avery shook his head and forced out from between gritted teeth, “It’s. Not. Your. Farm. Get that through your head, woman.”
Lydia leaned across the table and down into Avery’s face. “Never.”
He just laughed. “Nice cleavage.”
“Ohhhhh, Holcomb, you’re a real asshole, know that?” she barked and stormed off.
“What the hell was that about?” Roger asked, his eyes wide and eyebrows peaking.
“Just a huge misunderstanding,” Avery said, watching her go and hoping she stayed gone. “One huge misunderstanding.”