Lazy Days (58 page)

"Ah,
I know someone who looks like her and that's her name."

"Oh,
okay."

Julie
and Jacob walked to stand beside Sarah who politely excused herself from
talking with Mr. and Mrs. Tully. After showing Sarah to her room and helping
her unpack, Julie returned to the great room where Jacob was waiting. The twins
had disappeared. They were probably trailing her dad around the ranch, which
would no doubt put him in a worse mood. Jacob's mom was now exercising with the
aerobics video and doing a pretty good job of keeping up. His dad sat in one of
the recliners watching her with a sullen expression.

A
knock on the door interrupted everyone. Julie opened it. "Hey, Jackson,
good to see ya. You just missed my dad. You might catch him at the barn. Want
me to call him on the walkie-talkie?"

"Uh,
yeah. Can I come in a minute?"

Julie
stepped aside. "Sure. Hey, were you at Boot Bustin' Barn last night? Did
you meet our guests?"

Jackson
removed his Stetson. "Yes, I met everyone last night." He glanced
toward Mrs. Hackstetter who had stopped exercising. Julie couldn't tell if she
was red-faced from exertion or blushing. Mr. Hackstetter's face was red as a
tomato.

Jackson
said, "I'm…ah…delivering the last of the fence posts Sage bought from the
Triple T. I thought he might be here."

Duh,
since when do you look for dad when delivering fence posts?

Mrs.
Hackstetter said softly, "Hello Jackson. It's nice to see you again. Last
night was fun."

"Thank
you, ma'am. I enjoyed myself."

Curley
walked in from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee that he always kept
brewed. "Hey, Jackson, haven't seen you for awhile."

"Howdy,
Curley." He held his hat in front of him and nervously played with the
brim.

There
was an awkward silence and then Julie said, "Curley, will you call Dad on
the walkie-talkie and let him know Jackson's looking for him?"

"Sure
thing." Curley got to the kitchen door then turned back around. "Hey,
Jackson, why don’t you join us for supper? I'm servin' stew and
cornbread."

Jackson
smiled. "I'd like that."

Julie
glanced at Mrs. Hackstetter. She looked delighted. Mr. Hackstetter looked mad.
Jacob looked confused.
Jeez, have I stepped into an alternate reality?

Sarah
unpacked her suitcases, grateful to be alone. The atmosphere had gotten tight
when Jackson arrived. She remembered him from the previous night. He'd danced
several times with Mrs. Hackstetter, who'd obviously enjoyed his attention. She
couldn't blame her. Jackson was handsome and Mr. Hackstetter didn't appear to
be a very attentive husband, although the look he'd given the cowboy had
jealousy written all over it. Perhaps Jackson was just the kick-in-the-ass Mr.
Hackstetter needed to kindle something with his wife. Sarah stuck the scene in
the back of her mind; maybe she'd use it in one of her stories.

After
unpacking, she stretched across the homemade quilt on the four-poster bed in
her temporary home. Unwanted emotions, buried for a long, long time, surfaced
with Sage's haunting words.
You need to see a shrink, Mims.

She
covered her eyes with her forearm, remembering things she wanted to forget—a
failed marriage at the age of twenty-four, a miscarriage at five months
gestation, and then depression so deep she hadn't wanted to live. Maybe she was
having a relapse and Sage was right about her needing to seek help. What did
they call it—Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?

She
sighed and rolled onto her side. Her thoughts retaliated against Sage. He
didn't have dibs on the heartache market. Although losing his wife and child
certainly outweighed her tragedy; watching her baby's twenty-four hour struggle
for life while caressing his tiny hand was enough to send anyone to the loony
bin. Closing her eyes, she drifted and relived bits and pieces of her
life—meeting John Carter, a man eighteen years her senior and being swept off her
feet; planning her beautiful wedding; believing the lies John told her about
out-of-town business trips and late night meetings; accepting the reality of
his infidelity after being confronted by a jilted lover; listening to his
harangues about her weight problem; being overjoyed to discover she was
pregnant; losing the baby; blaming herself for the miscarriage; garnering the
courage to leave John; working low paying jobs to keep a roof over her head;
and the list went on. She opened her eyes and swiped away tears.

* * *

Sage
and Jackson unloaded the last of the fence posts and Sage reached into his
pocket. Pulling out his money clip, he slipped out two twenties and handed them
to Jackson. He'd already paid the other two guys in his scheme. "Thanks
for playing along last night. Mrs. Hackstetter had a great time; better than
anything that old fart of a husband would have shown her."

"I
don't want your money. I had fun dancing with Annie; taking it doesn't seem
right." Jackson pushed Sage's hand back.

Sage
blinked. "Annie, huh? Do I detect a note of fondness in your voice?"

Jackson
turned red. "Give it a rest, Sage."

"Shit,
Jackson, she's married. I only asked you to dance with her to make her husband
jealous. Thought it might make him pay attention to her."

"Whatever.
Curley asked me to stay for supper and I accepted."

"I
don't need this bullshit. You stay away from her. Besides, they're leaving at
the end of the week."

Jackson
merely shrugged and climbed into his truck. Sage watched him drive the short
distance back to the dorm. Sarah already had her panties in a wad. He didn't
need Mr. Hackstetter getting pissed, too. Rubbing the ache in his forehead, he
stalked toward the house to change and wash up for supper.

Curley
set a crock of beef stew on the sideboard along with cornbread floating in
butter, green beans simmered in bacon drippings, coleslaw, and fried potatoes.
Sage loaded his plate and sat at the head of the table. Thankfully, Mr. and
Mrs. Tully had saved him from the twins tonight by sitting on either side of
him. Next to them, Julie and Jacob sat across from each other. Mr. and Mrs.
Hackstetter sat side-by-side next to Jacob, and Jackson sat across from Mrs.
Hackstetter. Sarah was next to Jackson and the twins flanked Newt at the
opposite end of the table. Curley said a quick prayer and conversation buzzed.
Sage politely made small talk with his guests. He glanced at Sarah. Her face
looked puffy, like she'd been crying again, and she was rubbing the back of her
neck. Hell, he felt like crap. She glanced up and met his gaze and quickly
looked back down.

After
supper, while Curley passed around plates of hot apple pie topped with homemade
vanilla ice cream, Sage asked for everyone's attention.

"I
thought this would be a good time to discuss and answer questions about our
Annual Covered Wagon Three-Day Trail Blaze sponsored by the Lazy M Ranch and
Triple T Ranch. Some of you will be leaving at the end of the week, but we had
some last minute cancellations if you change your mind. The wagon train consists
of six replicas of covered wagons, otherwise known as prairie schooners, three
buckboards, and one chuck wagon. So far, we have a total of twenty 'dudes' and
'dudettes' registered." He made quote marks with his fingers and everyone
chuckled. "The wagon train will have a wagon master, which is yours truly;
a cook, Curley; and about twelve cowboys either driving the wagons or riding
alongside. Newt, Beaner, Ned, and Skipper from the Lazy M are working the
train. The rest of the cowboys are from the Triple T, including Jackson."
He paused, but before he could continue his spiel, Mrs. Hackstetter said,
"I'd like to sign up. Who should I see?"

Sage
glanced at Mr. Hackstetter. The man looked like he'd swallowed his tongue. The
shit-eatin' grin on Jackson's face confirmed the fact that he was attracted to
Mrs. Hackstetter. He heard Jacob exclaim, "Right on, Mom!"

Inwardly,
Sage sighed, but outwardly he said enthusiastically, "You can sign up with
Newt after supper." He wondered if Mr. Hackstetter would be staying too.

Continuing
his discourse, he glanced around the group. "I hope y'all realize this
trek is as authentic as we can make it. You'll even be wearing period
costumes."

Mindy
and Mandy squealed and one of them said, "We want to be saloon
girls!" The other one vigorously nodded. Sage rubbed his temples. The more
the night wore on, the less he felt like smiling. He forced a smile at the
girls. "I think that can be arranged, ladies. Costumes will be delivered
the day before we leave. At that time, role playing will also be assigned. Are
there any questions?"

"How
many days will we be traveling?" asked Mrs. Hackstetter.

"Three
days; the wagons leave Triple T around eight on Thursday morning and arrive at
my ranch Saturday night. Just so everyone's clear, you will
definitely
get a taste of pioneer life. So, having said that, if you're not ready to leave
modern conveniences, including a bathroom, this may not be the adventure for
you."

The
group chuckled and glanced nervously at each other.

* * *

After
getting her ankle wrap off the day after moving to the dorm, Sarah had been
anxious to experience ranch life. She'd been given a tour of the Lazy M by
Beaner with an overview of its operations. Cows were more complicated than
she'd imagined. Later, she'd watched Jacob practice roping, and that same
afternoon, Julie had demonstrated trick riding. In the evening, Curley had
revealed secrets to preparing savory beans, fluffy cornbread, mouth watering
bread pudding, and perfect lemonade. After supper, while the guests lay sprawled
on couches and recliners in the great room, Newt had regaled them with stories
of the Old West. Copious notes filled Sarah's journal. She had some good stuff.

Now,
two days after her emancipation from convalescence, Sarah looked into the eyes
of the horse in front of her and told herself,
You can do this.

"Miz.
Carter, this is our oldest and most gentle gelding. He wouldn't hurt a fly.
He's used to inexperienced riders, so you don't need to be scared," Newt
tried to reassure her.

Sarah
followed his instructions and put her foot in the stirrup while he hoisted her
atop Safety Blanket. She sure hoped the horse's name was an accurate depiction
of his personality. She squealed and grabbed the pommel.

"Now
you don't need to be so stiff. Try to relax and hold the reins."

Inhaling
a calming breath, Sarah forced her muscles to relax. After a minute she felt
better…and proud of her accomplishment. This was a
real
experience for
her book.

Newt
made a clicking sound and Safety Blanket started forward. Sarah's muscles
tensed again and she bit her bottom lip. The horse followed Newt around the
corral while he gave Sarah instructions about handling the beast. On her third
circle she was getting the hang of it. She glanced toward the barn to see Sage
leaning against the siding. His lips twitched and he tipped his hat. She
inadvertently pulled back on the reins and the horse stopped.
Okay how do I
make him go again?
Her brain wouldn't function clearly.
Oh, yeah, nudge
him with my feet.
She looked up again to see Sage was gone.
Thank goodness.
For the next hour, Newt taught her the basics of horseback riding.

The
day after her riding lesson a van that had Triple T Ranch written on the side,
arrived with costumes. Mindy and Mandy spotted some saloon girl outfits and
snagged them out of the hands of Jackson who was hauling them into the great
room to hang on racks.

Sage
called for everyone's attention, "Listen up, cowboys and cowgirls, Newt
and I put together some role playing assignments and here's what we've come up
with. Mindy and Mandy, you'll be saloon gals headed for San Francisco."

The
girls giggled and one of them said, "Sage, you can be our first
customer."

Mrs.
Tully coughed and Mr. Tully patted her back.

Sage
sorta looked like he smiled, but Sarah wasn't sure. He continued, "Mr. and
Mrs. Hackstetter, you're farmers traveling west with your son to stake a claim
on some of that free land in California."

Mrs.
Hackstetter grinned and nudged her husband. Mr. Hackstetter didn't so much as
crack a smile. Obviously, he didn't want to participate. Sarah watched him
snarl at Jackson across the room.

The
next role was given to Mr. and Mrs. Tully. "You two are hoping to strike
it rich in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The wild mining town
of Placerville is your final destination."

The
elderly couple grinned at each other with such love that Sarah felt a pang of
jealousy for their adoration.

Sage
turned his attention to Sarah. "And Sarah, you're a wealthy widow hoping
to start a new life in the new territory and you haven't decided on your final
destination."

Sarah
politely smiled and nodded.

"Okay,
is everyone happy with their role? If not, speak up now." Sage waited a
few seconds. "I guess that's it then. Have fun choosing your costumes. You
can select two so you'll have a change of clothing. One outfit you'll wear the
day we leave, the other will be packed in a trunk in your wagon." He
grinned. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about my role and some of the
other cowboys. As I said the other night, I'm the wagon master. It's my job to
get ya'll to Cali in one piece and not scalped or robbed."

Mindy
and Mandy gasped and feigned shock. Everyone laughed.

Sage
pointed to Jackson. "And Jackson is the hired gunslinger sworn to protect
us. He's slick-as-snot with his six-shooter."

Everyone's
attention shifted to Jackson as he straightened away from the wall and tipped
his Stetson. Unexpectedly, he pulled his hand from an imaginary holster, shaped
his index finger and thumb into a gun, and then shot with his thumb toward Mrs.
Hackstetter. He mouthed the word "bang" and blew on the top of his
finger as if cooling it.

The
guests loved it and clapped. Sage frowned. The M girls pretended swooning.

Jackson
bowed slightly. "Ladies, gents, my pleasure."

Sarah
jotted notes and looked up to see Sage watching her. She quickly looked back at
her notebook.

Sage
said, "As for the rest of the hands, they're seasoned cowboys used to
making the trek from Colorado to California. The pay is low but the company
better." His grin widened. "Your costumes will help you get into
character. Oh, and by the way, don't be afraid to go for the Emmy." He
nodded toward the racks. "Help yourselves."

Mindy
and Mandy had no trepidation about scavenging through the clothing; even Mrs.
Hackstetter beelined it to the costumes. Before venturing to the racks, Sarah
waited until the twins had removed brightly colored satin dresses, a red one
and an orange one, and several other frilly ones, and hurried to their bedroom
to try them on. Mrs. Hackstetter stood next to her. "Since I'm a farmer's
wife, I don't think my outfit will be quite as eye-popping as the twins."
She removed a brown muslin farmer's dress.

Sarah
spotted a calico with a fitted bodice that would look nice on Mrs.
Hackstetter's slim figure. "But even a farmer's wife has a
Sunday-go-to-Meetin' outfit." She handed the pretty pink dress to her.
"This color looks lovely with your olive complexion."

"Thank
you, Sarah. We haven't had much chance to talk. Please call me Ann," she
responded shyly.