Midnight Wrangler (4 page)

Bonnie parked in the driveway of the house she'd grown up in, and cut the engine, but didn't get out.

It wasn't exhaustion from the drive from Arizona to Oklahoma that kept her in her seat. She'd broken the more than twelve-hour trip in half by staying at a cheap hotel overnight. It was the memories of a past she'd worked to put behind her that had her frozen in place.

It hit her hard, the visceral reaction to seeing the place she'd hoped she'd never see again.

The minutes ticked by until the inside of the car began to get uncomfortably warm beneath the noonday summer sun.

As an older couple came into view, Bonnie realized she'd sat there so long, the neighbors had come over to investigate.

Colleen, a bit grayer, a little plumper, but always smiling and looking happy, waved at her through the windshield.

Drawing in a bracing breath, Bonnie opened the car door and stretched one leg out, feeling her stiff muscles protest.

“Bonnie Martin. Good golly. Look at you, all grown up,” the older woman exclaimed as she came forward.

Standing, Bonnie slammed the car door and moved to hug first Colleen, and then her husband. “Colleen, Andrew, thank you both for everything you've done. My mother and I appreciate it.”

“No thanks necessary, Bonnie.” Shaking his head, Andrew held up one hand to dismiss her gratitude. “We were happy to do it for Tom.”

No one in town knew the truth about why she'd left town. Not even the closest neighbors. To them, her father was just good old Tom. Quiet but hardworking. A man who kept to himself mostly but who could be counted on to be there in an emergency.

When all hands were needed to fight the wildfire that threatened this side of town, he had been there alongside the volunteer firefighters all through the night battling the blaze. Bonnie was well aware of that, but it didn't make up for the rest in her mind.

No one knew what the man was truly like or what had happened that summer. All the neighborhood knew was that Bonnie graduated from high school and left for college. Sent off to her grandmother's home in Phoenix, where she chose to remain even after she got her degree from ASU.

Her mother had followed her there shortly after. The divorce papers came by messenger. Her father's signature on them was the final break she and her mother had needed to make a new life in Arizona.

When Bonnie landed a good job teaching in a Phoenix school system after graduation, no one questioned that of course she'd stay in Arizona. No one knew then, and there was no reason for this smiling couple standing in front of her now to suspect that there was anything more to it than that.

“Of course, we'd be here to help your father.” Colleen echoed Andrew's sentiment. “We've known your family for as long as we've been married.”

“And that's a long time, I can tell you.” Andrew grinned when Colleen backhanded him in the arm.

Bonnie forced a smile at their bantering. “Well, I appreciate it.”

“We barely did anything. Really.” Colleen shook her head. “Once he started feeling poorly, your dad sold off the lower field. And he didn't even try planting a crop this season. So really, all we did to help out was make sure he had someone to call if he needed anything. Sometimes he'd ask for a ride to the doctor if he were particularly bad that day. And I'd drop off a hot meal for him a couple of times a week.”

Andrew nodded in agreement with his wife. “Truth is, I wish we could have done more for him, but he didn't accept help readily. But you know that, I'm sure.”

“Yup.” Bonnie nodded, hit with more guilt that the neighbors had stepped in out of the goodness of their hearts when his own daughter hadn't been there.

Did they think less of her because she hadn't come home to help out? Did she care if they did?

Surprisingly, yes, she did. She'd never been one to take it lightly if someone thought badly of her.

If they knew the truth, they'd understand, but the reality was Colleen and Andrew didn't know. No living person save her mother did—and Bonnie wasn't about to tell them.

Obviously her old neighbors had seen some good in her father she didn't see herself. And maybe he did have some good in him, buried beneath the bad. Or maybe he had changed.

Bonnie didn't know and squashed the small urge to care. She could show gratitude to Colleen and Andrew just fine without knowing their motives. Without looking past the goodness of their hearts.

Hell, maybe they had seen his faults and chosen to overlook them. Folks forgave criminals serving life sentences in prison for horrific crimes all the time. Forgave them, blessed them. She'd seen it on television more than once.

Pushing aside the thought niggling on the edge of her consciousness that she hadn't forgiven her father and had no desire ever to do so, Bonnie said to her neighbors, “You still helped out a lot, and that was really nice of you.”

“So what can we do to help you now?” Andrew glanced around them, probably thinking what Bonnie was—her father had become quite the hoarder over the years.

That was evidenced by the piles of junk she saw. Old appliances. Tools. Scrap wood and metal. If the outside looked this bad, what would the inside look like? She supposed she'd have to find out.

“Nothing. You've done enough already.” When they looked as if they would protest, Bonnie held up one hand. “I honestly haven't even been inside yet. But I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle. It looks like I'll be occupied for quite a while just clearing this place out before I can even think about what to do next with it. And that's something I have to do on my own.”

Sorting through the remains of her father's things would surely raise a lot of ghosts. Bonnie wanted to be alone when they descended upon her.

“I understand.” Colleen dipped her head. “If you need any help—”

“Thank you.” What Bonnie needed was to get away from the overwhelming kindness of these people. She needed to wrap her head around everything.

There was a lot to deal with. Her father leaving the whole place to her after she hadn't seen or talked to him for twenty-five years. Him being this
good man
the neighbors kept talking about and had been so close to. It was hard to reconcile that image with the memories she'd carried for so long of the man she knew.

The scene around her seemed to shift. The landscape tilted just a bit. Bonnie felt light-headed until she feared she'd fall down if she didn't sit down. She took a step to widen her stance so she'd be steadier on her feet.

Hoping the older couple hadn't seen, she hooked a thumb toward the house. “Um, I think I'm going to go inside and lie down. I'm a little tired from the trip.”

Colleen's brow furrowed. “Of course you are. And here we are keeping you out here in the hot sun.”

“It's okay. Really. It was good to talk to you.”

“Do you want to come over to our place for dinner later?” Colleen asked. “There won't be any fresh food inside—”

“Thank you, but no.” Bonnie cut off the invitation. The last thing she wanted to do was have dinner with them and spend the night talking more about her father but she hadn't meant to be rude. She had to scramble to cover and the first thing that popped into her head was a lie. “I've, uh, made plans to have dinner with some old friends . . . from high school. I promised them.”

“Of course. You should catch up with your friends. Just know that the offer's open any time.” Colleen smiled sweetly.

“Thank you.” Even with as kind as these people were, Bonnie still prayed they'd go home. She couldn't hold it together much longer.

As wobbly and uncertain as she felt facing being back, she might as well have been that scared teen she'd long ago put behind her.

“Come on, Colleen. The girl drove a long way. She needs her rest.” Andrew put an arm around his wife's shoulders and Bonnie got a look at what a healthy marriage should look like.

She needed the reminder. It was easy to forget since she couldn't remember a time when her parents' marriage hadn't been volatile, or kept peaceful only by her mother pandering to her father's every wish.

“I'll see you both soon. Thanks again.” She waved and smiled and had already turned to head for the door when Colleen called to her by name. More than ready to be done with this conversation, Bonnie spun back. “Yeah?”

“We forgot to give you the key.” Andrew held up a key as Bonnie let out a breath.

“Oh. Thanks.” She felt the need to explain her foolishness. “The door was never locked when I lived here, so I didn't even think.”

“Of course you didn't, darlin'.” Colleen shook her head. “You've got a lot on your mind right now. It's all right.”

“We've got you covered.” Andrew smiled and took the few steps forward to close the distance between them.

She took the key with yet another thanks and made a break for the house.

Her hands were shaking when she turned the lock and pushed the front door open. She'd thought she'd be relieved to be alone, but as she stepped inside and swung that thick wooden door closed between her and them, exactly how alone she was in this house struck her.

The sense of relief she'd expected to feel, the peace and quiet she'd expected to soothe her once she was finally left to herself, didn't come. The eerily quiet house held too many ghosts—memories she'd buried deep surfaced quick and brutal.

The atmosphere as well as the clutter smothered her until she couldn't breathe. She strode through the kitchen and toward the door at the back of the house. After wrestling with yet another lock, she threw it open, gasping in the fresh air and the scents of summer.

How was she going to spend a week here, or however long it would take to clean out the house, when she couldn't stand being inside for more than a minute?

How was she going to sleep in this house tonight when she knew the panic clawing her insides would grow worse after the sun went down and darkness brought with it more shadows and demons?

Drawing in a deep breath, she turned, but left the back door propped wide. She had to be strong. She'd survived far worse than an empty house.

Methodically, she made her way through the dwelling, throwing open curtains and windows until every room had sunlight and a warm breeze streaming inside. Dust particles danced in the air and the house filled with the heat of outside. She switched the air-conditioning completely off and opted to let summer in. She didn't care if the house became sweltering. It was better than feeling trapped, unable to get out.

Even after all her efforts, Bonnie still felt unsteady. She needed food. It had been a long drive and she hadn't stopped to eat, opting to make do with a couple of granola bars and bottled water on the road.

The house needed much attention, but she needed some TLC herself. First things first. If she didn't keep herself strong, she'd never be able to face the task at hand.

Colleen had been right. There was nothing fresh to eat in the kitchen. She checked the fridge, not that she'd thought she'd find anything enticing in there.

Giving up on the kitchen, and its many memories, Bonnie decided she'd have to go into town.

At least that would kill two birds with one stone. She'd get out of the house and be able to grab something to eat at the same time. Then, fortified with a full belly, she'd come back and face the overwhelming task of cleaning up.

Still unsure of where she'd be able to find a room in this house not so filled with bad memories she'd be able to sleep in it, she left, leaving the front door open to let air in through the screen.

Let thieves come in and take everything. They'd save her the trouble of dispensing with a lifetime of clutter belonging to a man she hated with every fiber of her being.

Getting into the car, she glanced back at the house. Yes, there were bad memories here, but there were some really good ones, as well. Maybe once she'd eaten and had gotten a good night's sleep she'd be able to enjoy reliving them.

“So tell me everything.” Bonnie's mother, in her usual place at the kitchen stove, looked as excited to hear about the prom as Bonnie had been to actually go to it.

“There's not much to tell.” Bonnie had slept kind of late this morning and then had to rush to get to her babysitting job on time, so this was the first opportunity her mother had had to pin her down for information.

“Oh, come on. It was prom. What were the other dresses like? Did someone ask you to dance?”

The biggest thing that stuck out in Bonnie's mind was Rohn talking to her—for quite a while, too. But she wasn't going to tell her mother about that even though she was still walking around on cloud nine.

A little bit of the fun had been sucked out of the night when she'd seen Rohn and his date together. The one thing that made her feel better about that whole thing was the fact he seemed to talk way more to his guy friends than to Lena.

Even better, Bonnie never saw Rohn dance with Lena. Not even once.

It was as if he'd rather be there alone than with his date. It might mean Bonnie was a bad person, but she liked that idea.

“There were lots of pretty dresses.” But none she liked more than the one she'd chosen.

“Long or short?”

“All long, I think. Or at least three-quarter length. No short ones.”

“And did you dance?” Her mother wasn't going to let that topic go. Too bad Bonnie didn't have any earth-shattering news in that department.

“Yes.”

Her mother's eyes widened. “You did? With who?”

Bonnie laughed at her mother's reaction. “Melody. Us girls all danced together when they played good dance songs. The DJ played some really old stuff. You know, like from the seventies.”

“Old. Like from the seventies. Lovely.” Her mother rolled her eyes.

Bonnie smiled. “Sorry, Mom.”

She dismissed the apology with the flick of one wrist. “So what else?”

“That's it.” Bonnie shrugged. “I volunteered at the snack table for a shift and then hung out with Melody, mostly.”

“Did you have fun?”

“I did.” That was no lie.

Rohn had talked to her. That was more than had happened in four years of high school. It seemed he really enjoyed talking to her, too. Even if nothing else had happened of note at the prom, the conversations with Rohn were something she'd remember forever.

Her mother continued with whatever she was doing at the counter as she said, “So now there's just graduation and then you're done.”

“Yup.”

“Are you sad?”

“No.” Except for her unrequited crush on a boy who hadn't known she existed until last night, high school hadn't been the most glowing time period in Bonnie's life.

Though she'd miss those lunches staring at the football players' table. She would definitely miss that.

“I dropped the film off today, so it won't be long before we'll have those pictures I took of you in your dress.”

“Great.” Pictures of her in her prom dress all alone were nothing to get too excited about.

“And I bought a new roll of film so I'm all prepared for the big day. I can't wait to see you in your cap and gown.” Her mother seemed more enthusiastic about her graduation than Bonnie did.

“Yeah.”

“Then after that, we can go shopping for what you'll need at college.”

“I think I should wait for the list they send of what I'll need. Melody's older sister was a freshman last year and she got a list in the mail from her college.”

“Okay, we can do that.” Her mother paused in her preparations to turn to Bonnie. “It's so exciting, baby girl. You're embarking on a whole new chapter in your life. I think Arizona will be good for you.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Bonnie lifted one shoulder.

There was one problem with going away to Arizona for college, though. Rohn wouldn't be there.

When she'd applied and gotten accepted with a scholarship, Bonnie had thought that leaving this town behind for a couple of years might be a good thing. In Arizona, she could start fresh. Be who she wanted to be. Make a new start someplace where she wasn't already labeled and put away in the box of being the quiet only-child who didn't play any sports and never had friends over after school.

In Arizona, the potential was limitless. Bonnie could be the most popular girl in school. She could even have a whole bunch of boyfriends, if she wanted.

She might need some new clothes for that, though. She glanced down at the denim cutoffs and tank top she was wearing. The clothes she'd worn to classes in high school weren't much better—mainly jeans and T-shirts, cowboy boots or flip-flops.

Yeah, she definitely needed a wardrobe makeover for college. She'd better start looking around for more babysitting jobs and save up the cash to go shopping. Her father had thought the prom dress was a waste of money. He'd probably think new clothes for college would be, too, since she had plenty of things from high school that were still perfectly good.

Her mother moved to the stove to stir a pot on the burner. “We're having your favorite dinner in honor of your big night last night and your graduation this weekend.”

“Spaghetti?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Her mother smiled.

“You didn't have to do that just for me.” Bonnie knew her father really didn't like spaghetti, so they didn't eat it often. Her mom making it tonight was only asking for him to be cranky. “Did you make meatballs, too?”

“I did.”

Bonnie had crossed her fingers the answer would be yes. “Good. Thanks.”

That would help. His biggest complaint about spaghetti was that he worked too hard all day to feel satisfied with just a belly full of noodles. But with meatballs on the menu, he might not be so unhappy.

The front doorbell rang and interrupted Bonnie's thoughts on tonight's dinner menu.

“Can you get that, baby girl?”

“Sure, Mom.”

She headed through the living room and pulled open the front door, only to have her mouth drop open. The absolute last person she'd ever expected to be at her house was standing in front of her.

Rohn Lerner was at her front door.

He smiled when he saw her. It started at his mouth with the lips she had dreamed so often of kissing, and moved up over his strong cheekbones, and reached all the way to his eyes that were such an incredibly deep blue she could lose herself staring into them forever.

“Hey, Bonnie.”

“Rohn. Hi. Um, what are you doing here?” She would have slapped herself in the forehead for that stupid question, if the move wouldn't have made her look like even more of an idiot.

In her defense, Bonnie was tongue-tied on a good day. Rohn's appearance had taken her by complete surprise so she really had no hope of being capable of making smart, smooth conversation with him.

“I heard your father might be looking for some help around here for the summer. I've got experience. I've been taking odd jobs since the year I turned thirteen, so I'd be good at it, if he's still looking for help . . . Or did he hire somebody already?” He kept talking, probably because she was standing there slack-jawed with nothing to say and he felt like he had to fill the silence.

“Um, I don't know.” That contribution to the discussion was no better than her prior effort. She hadn't even known her father was looking to hire someone.

Bonnie glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen. Her father was still out working, but her mother was here. She should invite him in rather than let him stand outside the front door. It seemed basic manners eluded her in the face of such hotness.

“Do you wanna come inside?”

“Sure.” He dipped his head.

Unlike at school, where he wore a baseball hat or nothing at all on his head, today he had on a straw cowboy hat. She liked it on him. Liked it a lot.

He stood there, eyebrows raised, and she realized he couldn't come in with her blocking the doorway. She jumped back, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. He didn't comment or act like he'd noticed as he walked inside and looked around.

She'd never thought much about the house she lived in before, but with him inside she looked around herself trying to see it as he would. Trying to imagine what he was thinking.

It was small. But they were a small family. That didn't prevent her from wishing that they had nicer furniture, and a grander living room.

The property was plenty big, but those were fields for growing crops. It didn't count. Not like the sweeping, lush green lawns that stretched in front of the bigger houses on the fancy side of town.

She wondered where Rohn lived, and what kind of house he lived in.

He didn't seem to be too disappointed in her home. Hopefully, that meant he wasn't from a family with a big, fancy place. The kind with the sprinklers in the lawn and the garage big enough for three cars. Bonnie's family had no garage at all. They had a couple of sheds for equipment, though.

“Um, let me get my mom. My dad's still out working.” She flung her hand in the general direction of the kitchen and was just turning to go when she realized it was rude to leave him standing in the living room all alone. “You can sit if you want.”

“Nah, I'll come with you.”

“Oh. Okay.”

All right. Now Rohn Lerner, the love of her life, was going to be in her kitchen. She might never be able to walk through this house again without remembering him there.

“Mom, is Dad looking to hire help?” Bonnie asked as she cleared the kitchen doorway, Rohn on her heels.

She knew her father's back had been acting up a lot lately, making him extra cranky, but to actually hire someone meant he must be in a lot of pain. Possibly enough pain he couldn't drive the tractor himself.

The doctor, once they'd finally convinced him to go to one, had said something about a disk in his spine or a pinched nerve. She wasn't sure of the details, but when the doctor mentioned possible surgery, her father wouldn't hear of it. He said it would heal on its own.

Maybe it would. Bonnie didn't know, but she certainly hoped it did since he wasn't pleasant to be around lately.

“Yes, he is.” Her mother turned from the stove where she'd been browning the meatballs for the sauce and smiled. “Hello.”

“Evening, ma'am. I'm Rohn Lerner.” Rohn swept his hat from his head, holding it in front of him with one hand while he ran the other through his dark hair. “I was hoping I could speak to your husband about a summer position here.”

“Sure. He hasn't come in yet, but I expect him shortly. Why don't you sit at the table and wait.”

Bonnie's heart stuttered. Rohn was going to sit in her kitchen and wait. This was a good thing, but still her gut twisted with nerves. She'd have to be on her game, sound smart, and not make a fool of herself the whole time he was here.

“Yes, ma'am. Thank you.” Rohn pulled out a chair and sat, while Bonnie wished she'd taken the time to glance in a mirror and see what she looked like before answering the door.

“Bonnie, pour the boy a sweet tea.” There was an amused reprimand in her mother's tone.

“Okay.” She should have thought of that herself.

She took down two glasses from the cabinet and turned toward the pitcher of tea that was always on the counter. Her mother made a fresh batch of sweet tea every evening before she went to bed, and by morning it was room temperature. Her father would drink it all day. By the time dinner was over, the pitcher would be almost empty again and ready for another batch to be made.

Bonnie poured two glasses and then turned to Rohn. “Ice?”

“Nah, that's fine.”

She handed him the glass and then reached into the freezer to grab an ice cube for herself.

“So Rohn, are you in Bonnie's grade in school?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“So you were at the prom last night.”

“I was.”

“Was it fun? Tell me about it. Bonnie here is a little stingy with her details.” Her mother sent her a look.

Bonnie stood with her glass in her hand and wanted to crawl under the table. The last thing she needed was her mother embarrassing her. She sat in a chair on the other side of the table from Rohn and took a sip of her tea for lack of anything better to do.

“Well, there's not much to tell. The girls all looked nice in their fancy dresses. The girls had on corsages, much like Bonnie's. There was music and dancing. Some guy got caught trying to smuggle some liquor inside and got thrown out. Not one of my friends, mind you. But I did know him.”

“See, Bonnie? I knew there were more stories you weren't telling me.”

Bonnie's face heated at the scrutiny. “I didn't know about the liquor thing, Mom.”

“Nah, don't worry, ma'am. Bonnie wouldn't know this kid. He's a troublemaker and a joker. He was in my classes, not in hers with the smart kids.”

And that in a nutshell was why Rohn would never like her, and would never have come here for anything more than a job. But he was here now and maybe that's all that mattered.

If only she wasn't behaving like such a dolt in front of him. She wished she could be cool and sexy like Lena the head cheerleader or Marie the prom queen. Instead, she answered the door in cutoffs and couldn't string more than half a dozen words together when talking to him.

She stifled a sigh, but didn't have long to wallow in her misery as the back door swung open.

“It's hot as blazes out there.” Her father stopped dead in the doorway, his stare pinning Rohn where he sat at the kitchen table, before his focus moved to Bonnie, and then her mother at the counter.