Chapter Thirty-Three
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
As they walked through the door Ranger came bounding towards them, then ran into the kitchen and stood by the cupboard where Andy kept the treats.
“Like I said, scary smart,” Helen said with a grin. “I’m going to check on—there you are,” she exclaimed as Molly walked in before she could finish. “You look so sleepy.”
“See, I told you she’d be okay,” Andy remarked as he found a milk bone and gave it to Ranger.
“You were right and it’s a relief to know we can leave her if we have to. Come on, sweet girl, let’s get to bed. It’s late and I’m very tired.”
“I’ll be right there. I’m going to let Ranger out for a minute.”
“Okay.”
Moving down the hall and into the bedroom with Molly in her arms, she placed her back in her bed, then moved into the bathroom to freshen up. But as she finished brushing her teeth she heard her phone chine. Worried something else had happened at her parent’s house she hastily lifted it from her pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hey, where are you? It’s Karen. I’m here at Nighthawk with Debbie and Charlene. Come and join us, we haven’t seen you in ages.”
“You sound totally wasted,” Helen replied with a laugh ambling back into the bedroom.
“I am, and you should be too. I’m putting you on speaker. Say hello to the girls.”
Just as the sound of the music and crowd came through the phone, Andy and Ranger walked in.
“Hi, everyone,” Helen said, shouting to be heard over the racket.
“It’s Charlene, where have you been? Ha ha, that rhymes, but seriously, what’s going on?” a female voice yelled back. “We miss you. The night’s still young, get over here.”
“Hi, Charlene, I would but I’m not in town.”
“You’re not out in Hooterville again, are you? Every time I watch that old show I think about you and laugh my ass off.”
“Yeah, it’s hilarious,” another girl exclaimed. “We should all get together at my place and make a night of it. Will you come, Helen, say you will.”
“Sorry, gotta go,” Karen interjected, abruptly taking the phone off the speaker. “There are two really cute guys coming over. Call me, or better still, show up. The drinks are on me.”
“Those girls,” Helen said, shaking her head as she ended the call.
“Yeah, they sounded like they were havin’ a wild night,” Andy remarked as he quickly stripped and climbed into bed. “Will you go?”
“Go where?”
“Into town to join them.”
“Now?”
“No, not now. I mean generally. Do you miss the clubs?”
“Sometimes,” she replied as she peeled off her clothes and slipped between the sheets next to him. “When I was alone in the cottage on the estate I’d get bored and drive into town.”
“And the place they were at, is that where you met Ken?”
“Yes, though I’d seen him around at the other clubs. He was high profile. Wow, I still can’t believe who he really was. Everything that’s happened is just so crazy.”
“Helen--”
“Andy, you look so serious. What is it?”
“I’m sorry, darlin’.”
“Why?”
“I thought I’d be okay with you goin’ off to those places from time to time, but I just realized I’m not.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t like ultimatum’s, gettin’ them or givin’ them, but sometimes they have to be made. You need to really think about things. Will you be happy with a simple life here at this ranch? I’m not sayin’ I’m a hermit, I’m not, and I’d love to take you to my country and western tavern. When they have live bands it’s great, but no way will it compare to those clubs in Dallas.”
“So…are you saying I have to choose?”
“Yeah, and I’m sorry, but I can’t be sittin’ here not knowin’ if you’ll suddenly say you need to drive into Dallas and have a wild night with those girls. I’d be worried sick the whole time. You could run into another jerk like Ken, or get behind the wheel after too many drinks, or whatever. Helen, I’m a simple cowboy. I love my horses, and I love sharin’ what I’ve learned with people who want to hear about it. That’s it. Yeah, I can get drunk with my buddies, but these days it’s rare. So, that’s it. Me and my life here, or your wild life in Dallas. Maybe there’s a guy who can let you have both, but that’s not me.”
“Andy—”
“By the way, you’re welcome to invite your friends out here. We can take them on a trail ride up Smoky Hill. Who knows, maybe it will open their eyes a bit. And yeah, I know this is an ultimatum, and I’m sorry, truly, but I’m makin’ it for both our sakes.”
“Andy—
“Don’t answer me now. Sleep on it. Really think this through. You must be sure. I can’t have you resentin’ me down the line.”
“Andy—”
“You’ve been goin’ to those places for ages, and you—”
“Andy will you please shut up!?” she said sharply. “I don’t need to think about it. It’s a no brainer! When I listened to Karen and Charlene on the phone and heard all that noise, I remembered how loud it is. You can’t hear yourself think. And it’s so smoky. Not that lovely, cool fog up our hill, but caustic, choking, cigarette smoke. Then I thought back to how the guys are almost always slobbering and drunk. By the time the call was over I realized I have zero desire to ever go there again. Not ever! So I made the decision before you’d even started talking. Now if you don’t mind I want to snuggle up next to you and go to sleep. I’m totally and completely drained. Is that alright with you?”
“Darlin’, don’t ever change.”
“I won’t if you let me go to sleep. Otherwise I’ll be a real grouch in the morning.”
“Nite, darlin’, I love you.”
“I love you too, cowboy,” she murmured, then slipped into sleep with her lips curled in a soft smile.