Chapter 10
STARLA
I had just finished filling jars for the next round of tomato sauce when footsteps sounded behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a man I didn’t recognize.
Even though I knew that Sarge’s friends were in the house, he still gave me a start.
I gasped, and he stopped in his tracks, raising his hands as if I’d pointed a gun at him.
“I’m not here to rob you, Goldilocks–unless you’ve got some blackberry jam over there. If that’s the case, all bets are off.”
“That’s on the agenda for tomorrow.”
“Damn. I’ll have to try again.” I laughed, and his expression softened. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you, Goldilocks. I apologize for giving you a scare.”
“Goldilocks? My name is Starla.”
“Well, I like that even better. I’m Frog.”
“Frog? Is that your first name or your last name?”
The man smiled. “I guess it’s kind of both.”
“You’d be a lot cooler if your first name were Edgar or Allan.”
“Why’s that?”
“The Frog Brothers?”
Confusion clouded his face for a second before he snapped his fingers. “The vampire flick. What’s it called?”
“The Lost Boys.”
“Yes! Well, now I can just start introducing myself as . . . which one sounds cooler?”
“Neither.”
As if he’d done it a million times before, Frog folded a paper towel, tilted the vinegar bottle to wet the square, and began wiping the rims of the jars on the table.
I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
I immediately followed behind him, putting flat lids on each one before screwing on the rings and lowering each jar into the water bath pot.
“Do you can food?”
“My mama was a canner. She put stuff up year-round.”
His use of the past tense suggested she had passed away, so I simply said, “It’s almost a lost skill.”
“Not to those who know what’s important. Have you seen Sarge lately?”
“I took his lunch out to him. Your plate is in the oven with the other man’s.”
“That’s Duke. He’s slowly getting up and around, so you’ll meet him in a bit, I’m sure. Where’s Ma?”
“She’s in her room, but she asked that no one bother her. I think she’s napping.”
“I’m just gonna tap on the door and say hello.”
“But she’s . . .”
“She’ll be fine,” Frog assured me. He finished the last jar and asked, “Need any more help? My dance card for the afternoon is wide open.”
“If that’s the case, I’d love to fill it with some chores.”
“Let me eat some of this food and visit Ma for a few minutes, then I’m all yours. I’ll let Duke know you need extra hands too.”
“If you’re going to help, will you tell Ma to relax for the afternoon? Tell her I’ve got it covered.”
“I’ll tell her, but I’m not sure that woman knows how to relax.”
“That’s the truth,” I said, dropping the lid onto the canner and setting the timer. “I’ll see you out here when you’re finished.”
Men’s voices drifted from the house while I worked. Just then, Frog walked out with another man. “Starla, this is Duke.”
Duke extended his hand and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hello! Nice to meet you too.”
“Frog said you need some help?”
“I’ve quickly realized that around here, you always need help, and you shouldn’t be ashamed to take it when it’s offered.”
“Well, you’re in luck today. You’ve got two willing and able helpers at your beck and call.”
“Frog mentioned he’s helped can before,” I said. “Have you?”
“Honey, I’m from the country. This is a common occurrence on the ranch back home.”
“You live on a ranch? Like this one?”
“This is more of a farm,” Duke explained. “We grow our own crops, and Mom preserves them in all sorts of ways.”
“Canning is pretty common for us country folks,” Frog added with an exaggerated drawl.
“Where is your ranch?” I asked Duke.
“Preston, Idaho.”
I turned to Frog. “And yours?”
“I grew up on a farm in Toad Suck, Arkansas.”
“Toad Suck?” I repeated with a bark of laughter. “Come on!”
Frog grinned. “Yes, that’s an actual place. Right outside Conway.”
“That’s hilarious.”
“It’s not an official town, just a community on the Arkansas River, but that’s the name.”
“Still hilarious!”
“What do you need us to do?” Duke asked, steering the conversation back to business.
“We’re going to work on pickled cabbage this afternoon, so I hope the two of you are good with knives.”
Duke chuckled. “I’ve used a few in my time.”
“Then let’s get started!”
We worked in companionable silence for a while.
To my surprise, both men seemed to know what they were doing.
As the conversation eventually opened up, I learned that Duke was the oldest of eight children and had a twin sister.
He’d spent his entire life working his family’s ranch, except for his time in prison.
That shocked me, though it shouldn’t have.
Sarge had already explained that the “brothers” in his motorcycle club all had one thing in common, a trait perfectly explained right in the name: Time Served MC.
To join, a man had to have done time. But Sarge also made it clear they didn’t just accept any criminal.
In fact, the club actively hated the same convicts despised behind bars.
Child molesters, rapists, and anyone else who used violence against the defenseless faced brutal shunning and abuse in prison. In my opinion, they deserved the exact same treatment in the free world. Sarge and his club clearly agreed.
Neither man mentioned what had sent them away, and I knew better than to ask. Instead, I asked if either of them had children.
“Not yet, but I’m not opposed to it,” Frog answered. “I’m keeping my eye out for that certain someone. Once I find her, I guess it depends on how she feels about the idea.”
“That means he’s never gonna have kids, because when he finally finds a woman, he’ll be too big of a pussy to commit,” Duke teased.
“Says the man in a committed and successful relationship,” Frog shot back.
“You’re married?”
“No. Frog’s just an asshole,” Duke said.
“It’s not like there are a lot of available women out in the boonies where I live,” Frog explained.
“I happen to know of a little community in Rojo, Texas, with an abundance of beautiful, available women,” I informed them. “I just moved from there.”
“And they’re all single? Is it a commune or something? What’s wrong with them?” Frog asked skeptically.
“She just said that’s where she came from, dumbass.
Obviously, it’s not a bunch of cave-dwelling ogres,” Duke said with a frown.
He swept the cabbage he'd just chopped into a large bowl, grabbed another head, and started slicing. “Honestly, though, you never know, man. I’ve seen some weird shit in my life, and that wouldn’t be the oddest.”
“She doesn’t look nefarious, but maybe she was the prom queen of some cult,” Frog mused. “Maybe they sent their one good-looking woman out to recruit new members to impregnate the rest so they can keep their line going.”
“That sounds completely reasonable,” Duke drawled sarcastically. “Good grief, man. How many times did your mom drop you on your head?”
I hummed, bit my lip, and looked Frog straight in the eye. “How did you know that was our plan? Did one of our emissaries already approach you?"
“Does Sarge know you’re here to seduce him so you can sweep his spawn away to the dark corners of Texas and raise them in a cult?” Frog asked.
“I’ve already given birth once, and I’m never doing that again, so your theory is flawed,” I said. “Maybe I’m just recruiting willing men to go back to our compound and become sex slaves.”
“Fuck it. I’m down.”
Duke laughed. “Of course you are.”
Duke and Frog were discussing the pros and cons of keeping a harem of women–most of which were cons, in my opinion–when Ma walked onto the porch with a glass of tea.
“Neither of you would know what to do with one woman, and you certainly wouldn’t survive a harem.”
“I might not survive it, but imagine the wild times I could have,” Frog said with a grin. “Of course, I wouldn’t have to consider the option if you’d just give in and run away with me.”
“Not only could you not handle a harem, boy, you damn sure couldn’t handle me,” Ma boasted. “Now, take yourself off to see Sarge in the barn. He’s bringing the tractor back and wants to chat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” both men chorused as they stood up. Duke glanced from the cutting board in front of his chair over to me and winced. “Sorry we’ve got to abandon you before we finish the job.”
“Ma could have done this in half the time it took the three of us.”
“Age and experience win every time,” Ma said, walking over to the sink to wash up.
“That’s why I think marrying you would be quite an adventure,” Frog said as he and Duke moved toward the door. “Think about it, Ma. You’d have me at your beck and call night and day.”
“Boy, I’m already cranky enough. If I had to deal with you that much, I might become downright irritable.”
None of us mentioned that she already fit that description.
“I’d love you anyway,” Frog replied with a wave, following Duke outside.
Ma and I watched them go, and I couldn’t help but smile. “How can someone so annoying be so adorable at the same time?”
“Honey, human or animal, if it has a penis, it fits that description.”
◆◆◆
Ma and I had just settled at the table for dinner when motorcycle engines roared out front. I pushed my chair back to answer the door, but Ma waved me off. “If they want to come inside, they know how to use the door. My guess is they’ll go straight to the barn.”
“More of Sarge’s friends?”
“None of mine ride motorcycles, although plenty of my grandsons have taken up that hobby, much to my dismay.”
“You don’t like motorcycles?” I asked.
“They’re fun to look at, especially when the rider is a handsome man. Just as long as that rider isn’t someone I love. Which makes no sense, since Sarge and all his friends ride.”
“You love his friends?”
“I’d never admit it if I did.”