Rodeo Blues Page 5

  He had a copy of the plans for the place behind the seat in his truck. The house would include twelve-foot ceilings to allow extra relief from the hot Texas summers. Cypress siding and glass-paneled windows would give the house good circulation and the flooring would be what Jolie had always liked, longleaf pine. The plans also included a raised deck around two thirds of the house, a porch with a swing too, so he and Jolie could relax and watch the sunset over the horizon, or perhaps they could watch the sun rise as they sipped their morning coffee. Yeah, he liked that idea. Everything would fall into place – just the way he imagined – if only Jolie would forgive him.

  He took off his hat and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Man, it's hot today.

  "Good day, Mr. Casper," a man called to him in greeting.

  Tye turned and spotted his lawyer, a tall man with light hair, as he headed up the drive. The man must be sweating bullets in the fancy suit he wore. As he reached him, Tye offered his hand with a nod. "Good morning to you, Mr. Jonas."

  "I have the papers drawn," Mr. Jonas said as he lifted his hand to show him the documents.

  "Good." He nodded. "What about the deal with Reeves Construction?"

  "No one will be the wiser that you bought out their shares. They'll go under before they know what hit them."

  Tye thought he'd feel happier about the news, but instead it left a bad taste in his mouth to stoop to the Reeves' level of thinking.

  Thomas Reeves owned the construction business as his pappy had before him. Thomas then handed over the reins to his eldest son, Jhett. The man didn't have any common sense for business and to make it extra special he had a gambling problem. Tye actually wouldn't have to lift a finger. Jhett would run the company into the ground by the end of the year, but Tye wanted to be the one to put up the 'closed' sign on the door. Jhett deserved no less from him. Maybe he should keep the mobile home. Jhett might need it once the business went belly up.

  Tye had gone to school with Jhett, a bully and the leader of the pack who'd made his life miserable while he grew up here. Knowing Jhett would end up without a penny to his name should have put a smile on his face, and yet, it didn't. Dammit, why wasn't he pleased?

  "Now that you're rich, Mr. Casper," his lawyer said and glanced at the oil drill in the distance. "What do you plan on doing with your newfound wealth?"

  He leveled his gaze on Mr. Jonas, who had handled the matter about placing the rig in his backyard – so to speak – with an option to add more. "Have a life." He gave the man a sidelong glance. "And you can stop calling me Mr. Casper, Jon."

  Jon's lips curved into a broad smile. "Well, it wouldn't be professional now would it if I go callin' you Tye-Bo."

  "You're family, but if you call me Tye-Bo, I might have to teach you a lesson, Jon-boy," he dragged out the childhood nickname.

  "Think you can take me, cuz?"

  Tye gave him a once over and smiled. "I know I can." He bounced on his feet and sent a friendly punch to his cousin's mid section. Jon jumped back with a laugh.

  "Lawyer-ing has made you a little soft," Tye said.

  Jon sighed. "Marcy calls it her love handles." He patted his stomach.

  Tye chuckled. "Indeed. Your wife's a sure keeper then, ifn' she's fit to overlook your faults."

  Jon glanced over his shoulder and Tye didn't have to guess where his gaze landed. "You know," Jon said, "I don't understand why Uncle Gunther lived in squalor when he could have been living the life of luxury. By what I've learned, he'd been approached many times by investors and refused. Sure would have given the Reeves a run for their money. This land is worth millions, if not more, Tye-Bo...sorry, Tye."

  Didn't he know it, but what could he say to explain it? "Once mom passed on, my father died too. Nothing mattered to him."

  "He had you," Jon met his gaze.

  Tye forced a smile. "He forgot I existed."

  "Man, we didn't know you had it so bad." He shook his head. "You should have told us."

  Jon's mother, his Aunt Gertrude, was his mother's sister. They lived in the next town over and he didn't see them much while growing up. Aunt Gertrude had six children. Though he knew his uncle worked hard to put food on the table, they didn't have much else. So how could he tell them he needed their help when they were just scraping by?

  Jon had been as smart as they come. Earned himself a scholarship and went to Yale. Thought they'd seen the last of him after he rubbed elbows with the elite, but Jon came home and opened a practice in his hometown, even though one of the top firms had offered him quite a handsome fee to work for them.

  "Don't go feeling sorry for me, Jon. I survived and I had a girl who cared about me. It made living in that piece of crap worthwhile." He gestured toward the trailer.

  "Yeah." Jon eyed Tye with a once over. "So, where's the girl now?"

  Chapter Ten

  Once she left Tye at the hotel, Jolie called for a cab since Tye had seen fit to stay at the hotel on the edge of town. She didn't have time to walk back to Big Bob's Saloon where she could only assume she left her vehicle.

  As soon as she would arrive home, she'd shower, change into clean clothes, and then pack what she was taking with her to the fairgrounds. Trinkets Galore had a booth where she would be selling drinks and souvenirs, while Whisper would be offering her expertise at palm reading.

  Since Skeeter Blue only had one cab service, and one cab driver – who also ran the local gas station and auto repair shop – there would be no sense in trying to hide the fact she'd spent the night with Tye. Besides, she had a hunch they'd taken the cab to the hotel last night.

  Mike Tethers didn't mutter a word when she climbed into the back seat of his sedan painted yellow and sporting big black letters that read, Tethers' Wheels and Daily Deals, but he did glance a time or two at her in the rearview mirror.

  "Go ahead," she said with a wave of her hand. "Just go ahead and say it."

  "Say what?" he asked with a shrug.

  "How stupid I was to…uh…go with Tye Casper."

  "Listen, I'm the last person to give advice to someone about their love life."

  Mike had an on again, off again, kind of relationship with Georgia Hamlin. Yep, he married the girl, divorced her then married her again…and divorced her. Rumor had it he was seeing Georgia again. Seemed their relationship was great, until they said their I dos.

  Mike glanced in the rearview mirror again. "If it means anything, I always thought you and Tye would end up together, you know." He gave a little chuckle. "Guess you did…since…well, since you married him and all."

  She groaned and hit her head against the back of the seat. Big mistake. Big, big mistake. Her hand went to her head with hopes of steadying the pounding between her temples.

  "Here," Mike said and half-turned, handing her a bottle of pain relievers and a bottle of water. "Thought you'd need these. You and Tye really tied one over."

  She downed a couple of pills and took a swig of water. Guess it was asking too much for her and Tye's wedding to be a private affair – not that the secret would have lasted for long. God, she hoped her daddy hadn't heard the news yet. She'd like to be the one to tell him. She really didn't look forward to that lovely conversation. "Can I ask you something?"

  "Sure," Mike said, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror.

  "How many know about Tye and me…you know…?"

  "Getting hitched?" he offered.

  She closed her eyes. "Yep…that."

  "Well…there's me, Jimmy and Sonny, Whisper and some bloke named Buddy, and of course Mayor Dirkly."

  He paused, and she thought perhaps that's all there was. Not too bad.

  "Then there was everyone in the saloon, of course," Mike said. "You made an announcement and all on the stage. Showed us your ring." He chuckled again. "Can't say I ever saw a wedding band made from cherry stems before."

  "Oh God, say I didn't." She closed her eyes.

  "I'm afraid you did. Might have had a few people video tape you too."
>
  She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She liked it much better when they were silent.

  "We've arrived at the scene of the crime," Mike announced ten minutes later and brought his car to a halt beside her truck.

  She opened her eyes. "Thanks."

  Mike turned in his seat to look at her. "You're going to be okay, you know."

  Did she look like she wouldn't be? "Uh…thanks."

  "I mean it. If you decide to stay married—"

  "I'm not," she answered a little too quickly.

  "Either way, you'll be okay because you're a strong woman. And if Tye thinks he can just run out on you again…well, he just better not."

  She leaned forward and rested a hand on his arm. "Thank you, Mike." She opened the car door and stepped out as she rifled through her purse for her wallet.

  Mike rolled down his window. "You don't have to pay me. Call it a wedding present."

  "I can't—" But it was too late. Mike had rolled up his window and turned his car around, zooming off as if he believed she'd chase him down.

  She rolled her eyes. "Wedding present," she murmured in disgust.

  With no time to waste, she rushed home, showered, and changed clothes. She grabbed her cell and was about to text Whisper to say she was on her way to the store, but found three texts waiting for her. One from her daddy, and she cringed when she read, Call me as soon as you see this. Truthfully, she was surprised he hadn't been sitting on her porch waiting for her, but then he was the on-call physician at the medical tent this morning down at the fairgrounds.

  She pursed her lips as she decided if she should call him. His lecture, when she'd turned twenty-one on dos and don'ts while under the influence of alcohol, came back to haunt her.

  "Don't drive," her daddy had said as rule number one.

  She followed that one well enough.

  "Rule number two, don't bare your soul. Words can haunt you worse than a relentless ghost."

  Okay, she was a little foggy on if she'd followed rule number two.

  "And never, ever run off and get hitched. You may think you married a prince, but in the light of day, you may just find your prince turned back into a frog."

  Not the best analogy, but she understood what he meant. So she followed one out of three of the rules. She'd stop by her daddy's tent – later. She decided she didn't want this conversation over the phone.

  The next two texts were from Whisper, telling her not to worry. She had things under control. She'd already picked up the items they needed today and was at the fairgrounds.

  Jolie stared at her phone and tried to figure out how Whisper didn't have a hangover, but instead seemed to have no trouble getting up early and organizing the day. To top it off, she was supposed to be her best friend. They were supposed to have each other's back. Why hadn't she stopped her from making the biggest mistake of her life? She was even her maid of honor, for goodness sake, since she spotted Whisper's name bold and true on the marriage certificate.

  The drive took her less than fifteen minutes and that included walking from the parking lot to the booth's location.

  Good to her word, Whisper had already placed the souvenirs on the table – T-shirts, hats, cups, and key chains on one end, and on the other she placed books about the history of rodeos, and the history of Skeeter Blue. One of the books was Haunted Spots of the Area, written by a local author. The book was a bestseller at the rodeo last year so they decided to give it a go again. They had something for everyone. Mary Lou Smithers would be by later to sell her necklaces, and Pat Green promised she'd have her cowboy bears ready by the end of the day.

  "Didn't you get my texts?" Whisper said the moment she neared. "I didn't expect to see you today since you're on your honeymoon, but then I guess Tye has an event – other than keeping you satisfied in bed, that is." She chortled and winked.

  Jolie blinked rapidly for about half a second. "You truly believe I've been enjoying a honeymoon?"

  Whisper's eyebrows shot up in surprise, no doubt because she had shrilled like a banshee. "Well, yeah," Whisper said with caution, "you did get hitched and all last night. I was your maid of honor." She bowed as if expecting applause for a performance well done. "Don't you remember?" she added as she rose to her full Amazon height.

  Jolie frowned and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm wondering why you think this is okay. Why in the heck didn't you stop me?" She closed her eyes and counted to ten before she opened them again, all the time praying for patience. "Whisper, the wedding was a farce. Look." She held out her hand. "My wedding ring is made out of cherry stems, for God's sake."

  Whisper clicked her tongue as she took her hand for a closer look. "I didn't picture you for the petty type. Tye made that ring out of love."

  She yanked her hand away. "This is not about the damn ring. My husband plans on leaving after the rodeo is through. Why would you think I'd be happy about this?"

  Whisper shook her head then knelt down on her haunches to retrieve her stars and planets tote bag. She rummaged through it only seconds before fishing out papers. "I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning and did yours and Tye's charting. You belong together, perfect match. I told you a storm was brewing. I was wrong though. It's not just brewing. It's here. You can't have thunder without lightning, honey."

  Jolie glanced at Whisper's outstretched hand. The thick paper with etched celestial drawings was a special made parchment that Whisper had purchased in order to give her charts an ancient mysterious look about them. She opened her mouth to say more, but bit her tongue when two women approached, wanting to purchase T-shirts printed with: Save a Horse, Ride a Rodeo Star. Not her favorite printed shirts, but Whisper insisted they would sell like hotcakes. She'd been right.

  Whisper shoved the charts into Jolie's hand before she turned her wide smile on the customers.

  Storm, charts … perfect match? More like perfect disaster. She glanced at the charts for only a few seconds before she rolled them up with an exasperated sigh. She didn't care what Whisper believed, or if Jupiter was aligned with Mars, or whatever the chart said. She couldn't remain married to Tye Casper one more second.

  She left Whisper to man the booth and marched over to the arena where she knew Mayor Dirkly would be. The Mayor always announced the opening games. Maybe if she stated her complaint in person it would make a difference to the man.

  As she approached, she could see the State flags as well as the Mexican and Canadian flags flying high around the oval shaped arena. The stands were filled with tourists and locals alike. She could hear the strong sweet voice of Mary Sue Gillian singing the Star Spangle Banner. She was all of thirteen years old, but boy, could that gal sing. When the song ended, the crowd roared with applause.

  Reaching the fence, she glanced toward where the chute was located, just a curious observation. She was in no way looking for Tye. Or so she told herself…but there he was, looking as good as ever. Damn his hide. Her traitorous heart clamored against her ribcage as if trying to make an escape.

  Flashes of their night together at the hotel invaded her conscious state of mind – broad shoulders, hard abs, and hands that knew how to hold a gal. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. Tye had left Skeeter Blue a lean and lanky boy and came back a man – all man, from his chiseled jaw to— At that moment, he turned away from her, giving her a nice view of those tight buns. She opened and closed her fists at her sides, then realized what she was doing and cleared her throat as she glanced around to see if anyone noticed her ogling. Thank goodness no one had. She peered toward the chute again. This time keeping the drooling to a minimum.

  Bull riding wasn't an easy sport, by any means, and she'd heard Tye had won the Professional Bull Riding Championship two years in a row. She'd bet he was something to watch – live and up close as he sat upon the bull for those full eight seconds. Why not watch Tye take the arena before she cornered Mayor Dirkly and made her demands? Her marriage wasn't going anywhere.

  Chapter Eleven<
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  Tye paced as he waited for his turn to ride. He used the same routine he'd use for years to loosen up his muscles and ready his body to endure the punishment it was about to take by being jolted in every direction with enough force to make him feel like a ragdoll in the hands of a five-year-old. Heck, he had a new appreciation of what the ragdoll had to endure. He rolled his shoulders back and shook out his hands.

  He wore his lucky felt hat that he only wore when he rode, his well-worn Wranglers, a long sleeved cotton shirt, and his worn buffalo hide boots. In riding, luck had always been on his side. He'd never broken any bones, but he visited the emergency room with a hyper-extended elbow, and he'd torn his bicep a few times over, but he still craved the excitement those eight seconds gave him. What a rush.

  "Next up is number two," Toby announced over the loudspeaker. "He thwarts death, he rides like nothing can touch him. Whooshes in and whooshes out. That's right, folks. We have us the honest to goodness Ghost Rider, and he's a local man from way back when. It's our one and only rodeo star from Skeeter Blue. Give it up for Tye Casper, ladies and gents, and give our boy a welcome home howdy-ho!"

  The crowd roared with a howdy-ho.

  Tye took his position, mounting the bull in the bucking chute, and gripping the flat braided rope with his gloved hand. He had drawn Blazing Smackdown. Not the meanest bull he'd ever ridden, but if he made the eight seconds, he should score big. The bull snorted and bucked in protest at the added weight on its back. Definitely not at all happy to have him perched there. Tye inhaled deeply, taking a deep breath as he nodded to indicate he was ready. The chute opened and the bull shot out into the arena as if catapulted from a cannon. He held onto the leather rigging with his left hand, while making sure the right didn't touch any part of his body or the bull's either. The bull kicked up his hind legs and twisted in an effort to throw him off. He could hear the crowd roaring his name like a chant, but he was listening for the buzzer to tell him when he completed his eight seconds. Eight seconds of a pure adrenaline rush. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Buddy, dressed in his outrageous clown outfit, ready to aid him to safety once he jumped from the bull's back.