Chapter 1 #2
“No, and especially not a girlfriend, but I have worked with Jack. We put up some minimansions down in central Texas around Austin several years ago. I trust his judgment.” Knox couldn’t remember the last time he had introduced a woman as his girlfriend and was surprised at how easy the word fell out of his mouth.
“We’ve worked with her, but not you, so try to keep up. Like Jack said at the pizza party tonight, anyone who falls behind on the schedule don’t last long,” Thomas said.
“I’ll do my best. Do you live around these parts?” Knox asked.
Thomas ran his fingers through his curly black beard.
“No, just through the workweek. My trailer is at the end of the line out there. My brother will be arriving next Wednesday with the crew that puts the houses in the dry,” Thomas answered.
“We go home to Randlett, Oklahoma, on weekends. That’s about an hour drive.
We can leave on Friday after work, and if we want to get up early, we can stay over until Monday.
My wife likes me to do that so I can spend more time with her and the kids.
But when we go out to El Paso, school will be out for the summer, so we’ll take our RV and spend the time out there as a family. ”
Knox nodded toward the other two framers who were standing at the edge of the lake. “What’s going on in the bullpen over here?”
“They’re talking about you and trying to figure out what y’all were arguing about.” Thomas whistled and waved the other men toward the pavilion. “Hey, you two, come on over here and get it out in the open.”
Gabe brought a six-pack of beer over and set it in the middle of the table. “All of us, plus Lottie, have worked together on other projects. You are the newcomer, and we’re wondering if Jack hired you because you are dating his niece.”
“I can promise you that he did not!” Knox answered. That put a whole new spotlight on the matter.
“So, how long have you been in this kind of business?” An air force tat on Gabe’s upper arm peeked out from under the stretched fabric of his T-shirt.
“For more than a decade. Pull up a piece of concrete and sit down,” Knox said.
Gabe and Eddie sat down on the other side of the table, one on either side of Thomas.
“I just want you to know that I’m glad Lottie is your girlfriend,” Gabe said. “My wife is the jealous type, and even though Lottie is just a coworker, Hayley will rest easier knowing that Lottie has a man in her life.”
Eddie nodded. “So will Jeannie.”
Thomas raised his hand. “And Angie makes three.”
“So, you are all married and live up in Oklahoma, right?” Knox asked.
“Yep,” Thomas answered. “But the drywall guys, the painters…”
“The finish carpenters and those who’ll put up the log-cabin-type siding don’t all have wives, and they can be pretty wild after we finish each day,” Gabe finished for him.
“Don’t get me wrong. They’re really good at what they do, but they like to party, and they will all try to steal Lottie right out from under your nose. ”
“And Micah will lead the pack,” Eddie added.
“Then I reckon I’d better hang on to her real tight,” Knox said.
“Where are you from?” Gabe asked.
“Spanish Fort. A little more than two hours from here,” Knox answered.
“That’s just over the Red River from Ratliff City, right?” Thomas asked.
“A little more than an hour south of that place,” Knox answered.
“I remember seeing a sign for Spanish Fort when we started home from a project east of Nocona,” Gabe said.
“You must’ve crossed the Red River on the Taovayas Bridge. Spanish Fort is a little west of there, but still right on the river. My sister and her husband own a little convenience store slash fishing shop there. We all tell her it’s a beer, bait, and bologna place.”
Eddie pulled a can of beer free from the plastic ring and handed it to Knox. “I like those kinds of stores. Yep, we crossed the river on that bridge. Not much on either side of it, and a strange name for a bridge. Is Spanish Fort really named after an old fort?”
“Nope, and it almost became a ghost town. But, it’s growing, and now has about two hundred people living there.”
“I guess if things get serious between you and Lottie, you’ll be an FJ couple,” Eddie said.
Knox took a long drink, wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his knit shirt, and asked, “What is that?”
“Our wives call us ‘framing junkies.’ We just shortened it to FJ’s,” Thomas answered with a chuckle.
“We’ve been working for Jack putting up these kinds of gated communities for about five years.
Lottie’s been part of the crew even longer than we have.
He hired her during the summers between her high school and college years.
Looked like y’all were having a disagreement. Did you work things out?”
“We did,” Knox said. “Sometimes, new relationships are tough.”
“And older ones are too.” Gabe chuckled.
“Hey, have you ever been up to Ratliff City?” Eddie asked.
“No, but I know where it is,” Knox answered. “And I’ve heard that it’s just a wide spot in the road, a lot like Spanish Fort.”
“Yep,” Gabe answered. “We went through that place on the way home a few times.”
“And stopped at a little bar for a beer,” Eddie added.
“We loved that bar, but it burned down, or maybe it was a tornado that got it, but no matter what, it’s gone.
I wonder what ever happened to Bernie. She was this spicy old gal who owned and ran the place.
Had a yippy little Chihuahua that hated Micah.
The rest of us could pet him, but not my brother. ”
“She retired from bartending and moved to Spanish Fort. She’s my step-aunt,” Knox replied.
Eddie slapped his leg and laughed. “It really is a small world. Spicy as she is, I bet she keeps you on your toes. Does she still have that dog?”
Knox grinned. “She does, and he’s still just as yappy as ever.”
“Lucky you,” Gabe said. “She would be a hoot at parties. What’s she doing now?”
“Matchmaking,” Knox answered.
“I bet she’s good at it.” Thomas chuckled.
Knox finished off his beer. “Yes, she is.”
“Did she fix you up with Lottie?” Eddie asked.
“No, but she’ll probably take credit for it,” Knox answered.
* * *
Lottie paced the floor of her trailer—from the living room to the far end, where her bed was located—back and forth several times, and talked to her black-and-white cat, Prissy.
“What have I done, Prissy? It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m wondering if I opened a can of worms or, worse yet, of spiders.” She shivered at the visual that popped into her head of a long-legged bug with big eyes that seemed to stare at her.
The cat hopped onto the bed and curled up on one of the pillows.
“Well?” Lottie asked.
Prissy meowed once and closed her eyes.
“You are no help at all.”
The cat opened one eye and meowed again.
“I wish Knox wasn’t so sexy, but then beggars can’t be choosers, can they? If this doesn’t work, I’m seriously considering trying my hand at banking or the oil business. Or maybe I’ll get a job digging ditches.”
Prissy tucked her paw over her nose.
“Don’t ignore me, or you’ll have to eat that cheap cat food that you don’t like.
” Lottie groaned and went back to the other end of the small trailer.
She plopped down on the sofa and let her thoughts wander back to when she finished college.
She’d had a degree in business and three job opportunities waiting for her.
Her oldest brother, Steven, wanted her to move to Austin and work at his bank.
Her youngest one, Ryan, begged her to come to Houston and work as his assistant at an oil company.
The middle one, Paul, offered her a very good job at his bank in El Paso.
But the idea of working in an office, even if it was a corner one with a view, practically gave her hives.
She couldn’t wait to strap her well-worn tool belt around her hips and get started on framing houses for her uncle. After years of trying to carve out a place in a man’s world, she couldn’t throw in the towel now. Or could she?
“I can’t,” she muttered as she picked up her cell phone, scrolled down to her mother’s name, and tapped the screen.
“Hello, are you settled in?” Darlene asked.
“I took your advice,” Lottie blurted out.
“Praise the Lord!” her mother shouted. “Which of your brothers are you going to work for? Of course, I’d rather it was Ryan since he lives closest to us, but I won’t fuss if it’s Paul or Steven.”
“None of the above,” Lottie said.
“Then what?” Darlene sighed.
“Remember when I was griping about all the guys hitting on me?”
“Yes, I do, and I told you if you had a boyfriend, that wouldn’t happen,” Darlene answered.
“Do you remember Bernie from the Chicken Coop bar over in Ratliff City, Oklahoma, that burned down?” she asked. “It wasn’t far from Duncan, where y’all lived while I was in college. I drank my first legal shot there when I turned twenty-one.”
The mention of Duncan and the Chicken Coop brought memories of her school years—elementary, high school, and college—to Lottie’s mind.
The bullying in elementary school because she was taller than everyone else.
The ugly remarks in high school and college when no one wanted someone like her in their little clique—boring, they called her.
“Lottie! Are you there?” Darlene yelled into the phone.
“I’m here. Sorry, I was woolgathering.”
“I was saying that my mind is fine,” Darlene snapped. “Of course, I remember Bernie and the Chicken Coop and you drinking there long before you were legal. I’ve kept in touch with Bernie through the years, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what one has to do with the other.”
“On my way here, the route took me to within a few miles of where Bernie lives now. A little place near the Red River called Spanish Fort. I called her to say hello and invite her to have lunch with me. She insisted that I not only come to see her, but that I spend a night so we could catch up.”
“You don’t have to start with ‘and God created dirt’ to tell me what’s going on,” Darlene said.