CH 4 - #decompress
#decompress
Luke
Songs: “That’s How Country Boys Roll” by Billy Currington, and “Tush” by ZZ Top
Hayden: Let’s hit Midnight Rodeo for a drink.
Me: I just got out of the shower and was about to eat supper.
Hayden: Eat and come on!
Me: Are you there now?
Hayden: About to head that way.
Me: I’ll see you in an hour. Don’t drink all the whiskey.
Hayden:
Staring at myself in my bathroom mirror, I shook my head.
What the hell was I doing, agreeing to go out with my brother?
I hadn’t been to Midnight Rodeo in months, just not in the mood.
Would I see Sierra there? Possibly, then she’d want to hook up with me later.
I wasn’t in the mood for that either. I just needed to decompress after the workweek.
It had been full and then some. One of the cows dropped a stillborn calf today for no obvious reason.
Walking across the parking lot, approaching the dance hall, I heard music coming from inside.
Billy Currington’s “That’s How Country Boys Roll” was playing.
After paying the ten-dollar admission fee, I entered the building and looked toward the dance floor.
Dozens of couples were on it, spinning around and enjoying their Friday night, which I was going to try to do.
I spotted Hayden sitting at the bar. As I neared him, he noticed me and held up his whiskey glass, grinning.
“Shit, I thought you’d bailed on me,” he said when I reached him.
“Nope, I just had to eat supper first.”
“What’d you have?”
“Steak and a baked potato.”
“Supper of champions.”
The bartender approached me. I knew her from high school. “Hey, Luke! How are you doing?” Lacey asked.
“Hanging in there. What about yourself?”
“I’m good. I want you to know that you, Hayden, and your mom are in my prayers. I’m really sorry about the loss of your dad.”
“I appreciate it.”
“He was a very kind man.”
“He sure was.”
“Buffalo Trace for you tonight?”
I nodded. “It’s the only whiskey I drink now because it’s that good.”
“I’ll get you set up.”
While she was making my drink, I glanced around, not seeing anybody I knew. Used to, I could go just about anywhere in Amarillo and would run into a buddy of mine or an acquaintance, but the city had grown so much.
“Here you go,” Lacey said, handing me my glass.
I gave her a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you. Every little bit helps in raising my little boy.”
I gave her an understanding smile, and then she walked off to serve another customer.
“So what’s the latest with you and Angela? You haven’t mentioned her lately,” I said, looking at Hayden sitting to my left on a barstool.
“We busted up again a few days ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“Because there’s no point. Same old, same old with Angela.”
“She’ll be back in a week when she starts missing your dick.”
“Probably.”
“What will you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“When are you going to find a woman better suited for you?”
“As soon as you find one better suited for you. It damn sure isn’t Sierra. That ship sailed for you and her a long time ago.”
“You know we aren’t serious. It’s all about sexual gratification.”
“Hitting my point home again. You aren’t getting any younger, brother. Don’t you think it’s time for you to get serious about finding the one for you and starting a family?”“Don’t you think it’s time for you to do that?”
“I’m four years behind you, so I’ve got some more play time.”
“Whatever.”
I took a sip from my glass and started people-watching.
“Tush” by ZZ Top came on, amping up Hayden even more than he already was.
He was bobbing his head to the music, looking the women up and down as they passed by us.
Without question, he was on the hunt for some tush or ass tonight since he was single again.
Then he did a double-take at something to my right.
“Holy shit, I’m looking at a red-headed, green-eyed goddess,” he said, his eyes bugging out.
I turned my head in the woman’s direction, realizing Hayden was referring to Madison.
I was shocked to see her here. She had just walked up to the bar and grabbed a stool, sitting on it, a few yards away from me.
She was wearing an open-shouldered black knit halter top, blue jeans, a thin black leather belt, and black boots, but not the western kind.
They had at least 3-inch heels on them and were dressy.
Madison was a city girl at heart, trying to be as country as she knew how.
She pulled it off well, too, just like her hair and makeup.
When I saw her at the barn the other day, her hair was in a high ponytail, and she didn’t have a lick of makeup on, not that she needed it.
Tonight, her hair was down in loose curls to her waist, and her makeup was classy.
Her eyes were accented with a frosty brown shadow and black eyeliner, while her full lips were a glossy red.
I turned back to Hayden, still staring at her. “Stop eye-fucking that woman,” I said.
He focused on me and scoffed. “I’m just admiring her beauty.”
“Liar.”
“I can tell you right now that she isn’t from around here.”
“I know, she’s from Dallas.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I met her the other day.”
“Where?”
“At the ranch. Her name is Madison. She’s Mr. and Mrs. Livingston’s youngest daughter and is staying with them. Her little girl, Bella, is too.”
“Why am I just now hearing about this from you?”
“It wasn’t relevant.”
“The hell it wasn’t, Luke. That gorgeous woman over there is all kinds of relevant. Where did you meet her on the ranch exactly?”
“In the barn. I was getting ready to wash Casper and heard him whinny in his stall. When I went to check on him, Madison was letting him smell her hand.”
“Did she tell you why she came to stay at the ranch?”
“Yep, she’s in banking and oversees her parents’ finances and investments. She also told me that she needed to get away from Dallas for a while.”
“Did she say why?”
“Nope, and I didn’t ask because it isn’t any of my business.”
“Is Madison nice?”
“Yep, and she’s also guarded. She doesn’t wear a wedding ring, so I think she’s divorced, which would explain why she’s guarded around men. She was toward me to a point.”
“Since y’all have already met, why don’t you go speak to her? She’s here alone.”
“I’ll do it in a minute.”
“You’re also going to introduce me to her.” My brother was such a horndog.
“Not right away. I want to feel her out, see what kind of mood she’s in.”
“Obviously a good one for her to come here.”
“Not necessarily. I’ve come here plenty of times when I wasn’t in a good mood and just needed a strong drink and good music. No company.”
I looked at Madison again. She’d just taken a sip from her whiskey glass. With her being a city girl, I figured she would’ve ordered wine or a mojito.
I still had my eyes on her when a short blond man eased up beside her and spoke to her, smiling.
I couldn’t see her face because it was turned away, but the fact that she didn’t accept the man’s outstretched hand and was shaking her head told me all I needed to know. She wasn’t in the mood for company.
The man continued talking to her, clearly put off by her rejection, as evidenced by his irritated expression.
Then I noticed Madison swirling her whiskey in the glass faster and faster.
She was getting ready to throw it in the man’s face.
I felt it in my gut, so I got up and walked over to her before things blew up between her and the jackass who couldn’t take no for an answer.
“Good to see you, Madison,” I said, standing to her left with my right hand on her back.
She snapped her head around, her angry eyes meeting mine and immediately softening. “Luke.”
“Is everything alright here?” I gave the man a get-the-fuck-away-from-her look, then focused on Madison again.
“It was, until this creeper showed up.”
We both turned to him and stared, then he walked off, grumbling something I couldn’t make out.
“Thank God,” Madison said, looking back at me.
“You were about to throw your drink in his face, weren’t you?”
“I was on the verge.”
“I knew it. Which brand of whiskey do you drink?”
“Gentleman Jack.” She glanced at my glass in my hand. “What about you?”
“Buffalo Trace.”
“I’ve never tried it.”
“Try mine, see what you think.”
She searched my eyes and took a sip from my glass. “That’s really good. It’s sweeter and has a more robust taste than mine.”
“Trade me.”
“Seriously?” she asked, grinning.
“Seriously.”
After we swapped glasses, she asked me if I came to Midnight Rodeo alone.
“I met my brother here. He’s the shorter version of me, sitting a few yards behind me, likely staring at you,” I said.
Madison glanced over my shoulder. “He sure is.”
“He wants to meet you.”
“How long have you two been here?”
“Not much longer than you.”
“Did you see me come up to the bar?”
“Yep.”
“Why didn’t you come over before now?”
“I got the impression that you wanted to be left alone.”
“What gave you that impression?”
“The serious look on your face.”
“Yeah, I have a resting bitch face.”
“It’s a pretty one, though, especially with that constellation of tiny freckles across your nose and cheeks.”
“Are you flirting with me, Luke?”
“Just being honest.”
Madison smiled and pointed at the barstool beside her. “Join me?”
“Alright.”
I had just sat down when Hayden came up to us.
“Time’s up,” he said to me.
“Up for what?”
“Me waiting for you to introduce me to the Livingstons ’ youngest daughter.”
He glanced at her while I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous he was; then I gave him what he’d been waiting for. “Madison, this is my younger brother, Hayden. Hayden, this is Madison.”
She readily shook his outstretched hand, saying, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. You have the most gorgeous red hair that I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank you. I got it from my dad.”
“That’s right, he does have red hair.”
Madison cut her humored eyes at me, then looked at Hayden again, not saying anything.
“I, um, need to use the john. Y’all have fun,” he said, thumbing over his shoulder, awkward as all get out.
As he walked off, I apologized to Madison on his behalf.
“No, he’s fine. You and he definitely resemble each other, but your personalities are night and day different.”
“I’ve been told that before. Do you have any siblings?”
“An older sister, Meredith.”
“Does she live in Dallas like you?”
“She and her husband, Tanner, do.”
“Do you and your sister look alike?”
“We both have green eyes, but she got our mom’s black hair.”
“Does she have your personality?”
“Not at all. She’s very laid back, doesn’t get in a hurry about anything, and puts up with more bullshit from others than I ever have.”
“I got the impression that you never have.”
“Well, the one and only person that I tolerated until I got enough of them is my ex-husband, Ty.”
“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but how long have you been divorced?”
“Six months.”
“Sorry you went through that.”
Madison shrugged. “It’s life. Have you ever been married?
“Nope.”
“Are you engaged?”
“Nope.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I do not.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope.”
“Are you secretly gay or something?”
“Hell no, I’m not,” I chuckled, shaking my head.
Madison’s face lit up with her perfect white smile. “Just making sure. How old are you, Luke?”
“Thirty-two.”
“I turn thirty on August thirty-first.”
“Four months to go.”
“When is your birthday?”
“October thirty-first.”
“Get out of here!”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“You’re a Halloween baby! That’s amazing. I’ll bet your birthday parties were so much fun when you were a kid.”
“They were.”
Lacey approached us from behind the bar. “Another round for y’all?” she asked.
I looked at Madison. “My treat.”
“I appreciate it.” She faced Lacey. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take Buffalo Trace this time. I tried my friend’s here. It’s really good.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You drink it, too?”
“I sure do.”
After Lacey went to fix our drinks, I looked at Madison. “So we’re friends?” I asked.
“New friends getting to know each other.”
“How long are you and your daughter going to be in Amarillo?”
“A few weeks, not that I have a ton of financial work to do for my parents, because I don’t. I’m already caught up on everything with them and can take care of my other customers remotely. My extended stay is due to my needing a change of scenery.”
“Amarillo looks very different from Dallas.”
“The ranch is very different from Dallas. It’s really beautiful out there.”
“It’s all I’ve known my whole life.”
Madison smiled at me sympathetically. “I don’t need to know all the details that led to your family needing to sell it, but please know I’m sorry you had to.”
“Thanks. Besides knowing I’ll eventually have to move off the land bothering me, my dad and all my other ancestors are buried on it.”
“What?”
“Yep. Have you not seen the cemetery?”
“No. Where is it?”
“West of the ranch house in a cluster of mesquite trees.”
“I haven’t ventured any further on the property than the barn where I met you and Casper.”
“If you’re interested, I’ll take you to see my ancestors’ plots sometime. It’s peaceful out there.”
“I’ll bet it is.”
I studied Madison’s eyes. They were like emeralds. “Changing the subject, what made you come to Midnight Rodeo?”
“I simply Googled the top dance halls in Amarillo. It was the first one listed.”
“What I meant was, why would you come to a place like this?”
“I wanted a good, strong drink and to listen to some country music. Think for a while, you know?”
“I do. But were you not concerned about venturing out alone in a big city?”
“I’m used to Dallas.”
“Fair enough. Just be careful, alright?”
“I always am. I also carry pepper spray with me,” Madison said, patting the little black purse strapped across the front of her. “I had it in my hand until I entered this big building.”
“I’m relieved to know that. Just don’t spray me with it.”
“Don’t piss me off,” Madison said, grinning.
“Not planning to.”