Dorothy Garlock - [Route 66] (10 page)

Strangled sounds came from Virgil's open mouth. His eyes bulged; he gasped for breath. Yates shoved him back toward the car.

“Open the door or I'll throw him through the window,” Yates snarled at Virgil's friend, who stood stupefied.

Abe hurried to fling open the car door on the passenger side. Yates shoved Virgil down onto the seat, releasing his throat and the hold on his genitals at the same time. He quickly shoved the car door against Virgil's bony legs and held it there.

“That's just a little taste of what's in store for you if you come here again. I never want to hear of you talking to your sister the way you talked to her today and … if you ever strike her, or threaten to take the girls away from her, I'll hang you from a tree and skin you like a rabbit. Do you understand me?” Yates spoke in a hard, unyielding voice.

When Virgil didn't answer, Yates tromped hard on his foot with the heel of his boot. Virgil let out a strangled scream.

“Answer me, damn you!”

“Yes! Yes!” Virgil's face was crimson. His mouth worked to spit out the words.

Yates opened the door and released his legs. “That's a good boy.” He helped Virgil get his legs inside the car, patted him on the shoulder like he was a small boy and slammed the car door.

Yates waited beside the car. Abe had some difficulty in getting it started, but when he did, he drove out of the yard as if a gang of outlaws were after him. Yates watched the car until it reached the highway. When he turned to speak to Leona, she wasn't anywhere in sight. Nor were the girls.

The humiliation was almost more than Leona could endure.

A yelling match with her brother always left her shaken. To have Yates witness it was the most demeaning experience of her life. As soon as Virgil was in the car, she hurried into the house and on to the bedroom fearing that Yates would follow.

How would she ever be able to face him?

“Aunt Lee”—Ruth Ann came to where Leona sat on her narrow bed—“don't cry, Aunt Lee.”

“I …I'm trying …not to.”

“Why does Uncle Virgil say …those mean things?” Ruth Ann came to her aunt and put her arms around her.

“I don't know, honey.”

“Uncle Virgil said you're a whore. What's that, Aunt Lee?”

“It's a …woman who's not very nice.”

“You're nice, Aunt Lee. I hate Uncle Virgil.”

“I don't want to go live with him.” JoBeth's voice quivered as she rushed into the room.

“You're staying right here.” Leona held out her arm. The child rushed to her and buried her tear-wet face against her shoulder.

“You'll not let him take us?”

“No! I'll take you and run away to China before I let that happen,” Leona said in a choked voice and hugged the girls fiercely.

“Don't worry, JoBeth,” Ruth Ann said with the confidence of an eight-year-old. “Mr. Yates won't let him take us.”

“I wish Daddy was here.”

“He'll be back soon.” Leona spoke without much conviction and wiped her face on the end of her skirt.

“Will Mr. Yates stay till Daddy comes home?”

“I …think so.”

“He's going to take us to see Daddy.”

“When did he say that?”

“You said it, Aunt Lee. You told Mr. White he was going to take us.” Ruth Ann looked up at her aunt pleadingly. “He will, won't he?”

“I'll ask him,” JoBeth said.

“No, don't do that.” Leona spoke over the lump that came up in her throat. “Let's just wait and see how long your daddy will be there.”

“Maybe we'll get a letter tomorrow,” Ruth Ann said hopefully.

“Tonight we'll all write him a letter and put it out for Mr. Wilkes to pick up in the morning.”

“But we won't tell him Uncle Virgil was here,” Ruth Ann said. “Itd worry him.”

“Ah, honey.” Leona hugged the child to her. “Your mama would be so proud of you.”

Chapter 9

S
ON-OF-A-BITCH
!”

Yates cursed as he went back to the garage. It was hard for him to believe the pious windbag who he'd just managed to keep himself from gelding was Leona's brother. It cleared up one thing in his mind—Leona was the sister of Andy's dead wife, the girls' aunt. Why hadn't he thought of that? Her brother, and possibly others of his ilk, considered her a fallen woman because she was living out here with Andy and the girls without the benefit of marriage.

Curious when he had heard the raised voices, Yates had paused to listen. Leona had spunk. She was standing up to the loud-mouthed, overbearing bully. Yates hadn't meant to get involved in the squabble until the bastard lifted his hand to hit her. If that had happened, he would have swept the ground with him. There was nothing that got his temper up and rolling like seeing a woman or a child mistreated. Later he had wanted to kill him …instead, he thought with satisfaction, he had hurt the bastard plenty.

There were things about Leona Dawson that he didn't understand, and he wasn't sure why he was even interested, but he was …definitely. He couldn't help but to wonder if there was more between her and Andy than what appeared on the surface.

Why hadn't Andy explained to him who she was? And why had she cried when she returned from town?

Yates had expected her to be angry over the oven, but not to cry about it, for God's sake! What he had seen on her tearstreaked face was not only defiance, but hurt and embarrassment, too.

Yates's thoughts were interrupted when a car drove in and stopped at the gas pump. The man who got out wore tan trousers tucked into custom-made boots, a white shirt and a five-dollar Stetson. Yates was a good judge of men. This one would stand out in a crowd, not only because of his dress, but because he was tall, broad-shouldered and carried himself like someone who knew where he was going. Welldressed Indians were not uncommon in Oklahoma. Oil had made some of them wealthy.

“Howdy.” Yates moved the pump lever back and forth to fill the glass cylinder.

“It should hold ten gallon. Andy here?”

“No.” Then Yates repeated the words he'd said several times today. “Andy had a little run-in with a sick skunk. He'll be in the hospital for a while taking the vaccine.”

“Laws! I'm sorry to hear that. I always enjoy my visits with him when I pass this way. Name's Fleming, by the way. Barker Fleming from over near Elk City.”

“Yates.” Yates held out his hand.

“What do the doctors say about Andy?” Fleming asked with a worried frown.

“They'll give him the vaccine. The success rate is good, but there's nothing for sure.”

“God, I hope he makes it. Life has given him some hard knocks.”

“That it has,” Yates agreed. “Are you one of the Flemings that ranch south and east of here?”

“If it's a Fleming, we're related. My father has been ranching here for forty years. He has five sons, but not all of us are ranchers.”

“I bought a horse from a fellow who said he'd got it from the Fleming ranch.”

“We raise and train our stock animals and a few others.” Barker Fleming glanced toward the house. “Are you from around here?”

“No, I'm from Texas.”

“Pardon the questions, but it lays heavy on Andy that he has no relatives to care for his girls if something should happen to him.”

“I'll be here until he's back and able to work.” Yates was watching the cylinder and shut off the flow of gasoline.

“He knew the danger of being here on the highway, but he had a good attitude about it. His only worry was for his girls and Miss Dawson.”

“I'm not a relative, but if something happens to Andy, I'll see to it that they're cared for.”

“It must be a hell of a relief to Andy to know that.”

“Have you known him long?” Yates tightened the cap on the sedan's gas tank.

“I met him seven or eight years ago, just before he lost his foot. Where's he taking the vaccine?”

“St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City.”

“I'll be going to the city in a day or two. I'll go by and see him.”

“Check with Dr. Harris.”

“I'll do that.” Barker handed Yates a couple of bills.

Yates took the bills and dug in his pocket for the change.

“Tell him that I'll bring Miss Dawson and the girls as soon as I can find someone to stay here at the garage.”

“Deke Bales has stayed here a few times.”

“Miss Dawson told me that. Do you know how I can get in touch with him?”

“Deke works for me. Do you want me to send him around?”

“Well, yeah, but if he works for you—”

“He works at the ranch. I can spare him for a day or two.”

“Does he work on Sunday? I told Andy that I'd bring him a change of clothes, his shaving things and his crutches by the end of the week.”

“Sunday is like any other day to Deke.”

“It's important to Andy that someone be here to get gas for folks if they need it.”

“I'll see to it that he's here.”

“I'm obliged. If you see Andy before Sunday, tell him that everything is all right here.”

“I'll do that. Nice meeting you.”

“Same here.”

Fleming was a familiar name in this part of the country, Yates thought, as he watched the car leave the drive. The family, respected by both Indians and whites, was involved in ranching and meat processing among other things. The hides from Fleming packing plants supplied their tanneries. Fleming leather was used in making some of the finest custom-made shoes and boots sold in the United States. And surely, Yates mused, with all the land they own there must be oil on some of it.

When he went back into the garage, JoBeth was sitting on the bench beside the back door.

“I come out to see Mr. Fleming, but—he was goin'—”

Her lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears. “I was goin' to tell him about Daddy.”

“I told him. He's going to stop by the hospital and see him.”

“Sometimes he brings Marie to play”

“Marie?”

“His little girl. Marie saves the funny papers for Ruth Ann. Her favorite is Little Orphan Annie, but I like Tarzan.”

“Dick Tracy is my favorite.”

“He was Daddy's, too. Mr. Yates? Can I stay here a while?” The five-year-old clutched a rag doll with yellow yarn hair. “Daddy let me if I didn't get in the way.”

“Does your aunt know you're here?”

“Uh-uh.”

“You'd better go tell her. She'll be looking for you.”

“She won't. She's not done cryin yet.”

Yates didn't know how to reply to that and evidently JoBeth didn't expect a reply.

She said, “Ruth Ann said you'd not let Uncle Virgil take us.”

“Are you worried about that?”

“Uh-huh. I wish Daddy was here.”

Yates squatted down until his face was level with that of the child. He had no experience with children, but he knew that this one was suffering from anxiety.

“Your uncle won't take you away from here, honey, unless you and your aunt want to go.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

JoBeth dropped her doll and flung both arms around his neck. The action so surprised Yates, that he didn't know what to do. Awkwardly, he patted the child's back.

“There, there,” he murmured.

“Aunt Lee told Mr. White you was goin' to take us to see Daddy.”

“I'm planning on it.” Yates set the little girl back on the bench and stood.

“We're saving some of the candy to take to Daddy. Ruth Ann said maybe we'd buy our dinner at a eatin' place, but Aunt Lee said we'd take a picnic.”

“Would you like to do that?”

“Eat at a eatin' place?”

“Both.”

“Uh-huh. Are we goin' to the store in Elk City? Aunt Lee told Mr. White we was.”

“Didn't she get what she needed from Mr. White?”

“Uh-uh. Aunt Lee put it all back and we went out.”

“Maybe it wasn't what she wanted.”

“Uh-uh. She was mad.”

“How could you tell?”

“She set the baking powder can down real hard and walked fast.”

“JoBeth!”

The little girl dashed for the door when she heard her sister call from the porch.

“Can I tell Ruth Ann we're goin'?”

“I'd better talk to your aunt first.”

“She'll want to go. She likes Daddy” she said over her shoulder.

She likes Daddy.
The words played over and over in Yates's mind. It bothered him that he was so curious about the relationship between Leona and Andy. Did Andy feel guilty about his feelings for her because she was his wife's sister? If they had married it would put Leona out of the reach of that crazy brother of hers.

The little girl had given him something to think about—the damn grocer. Had White insinuated that he'd had an ulterior motive for establishing a credit for her at the store? If he had, he'd be set straight about it damn quick—after he rearranged his face.

He was still thinking about it and hoping to find Leona in the barn when he went there to feed the horses. He seldom felt the need to explain his actions. It surprised him that he wanted to tell her that he owed Andy and that the credit at the store was just one way he could pay back.

Yates was disappointed to find that Leona had already milked the cow. She stood patiently in her stall chewing her cud.

“Aunt Lee's makin bread puddin for supper,” JoBeth called when he went out to move the tin conduit, so that he could fill the stock tank. “It's got raisins in it.” The little girl was scattering grain, enticing the chickens into the pen for the night.

“My favorite,” Yates replied while rapidly working the pump handle until the water began to gush, then slower as it flowed into the conduit.

“Come on, JoBeth.” Ruth Ann, carrying the egg basket, walked past Yates. Her head was down and a mutinous look darkened her young face.

Yates watched her. Damn that uncle of theirs. Little girls shouldn't have to worry that some religious fanatic was going to come and take them. Hell. Now he wished he'd twisted his damn nuts off. That would've given the bastard something to think about besides snatching little girls out of their home.

Leona glanced out the kitchen window, saw Yates at the well and hurried to get the light supper on the table. She had to be out of here by the time he came in.

She needed more time before she could face him.