One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) (12 page)

The burger shop was booming, with only one table left, and it was at the back, close to the soda pop dispenser. While they stood in line, someone claimed that spot too, leaving Leah and Rhett with two choices—wait for a table or take it to go.

“What do you think?” Rhett asked.

“We’re parked under a shade tree and the whole bed is empty,” she said.

“Brazen lady, aren’t you?” Rhett grinned.

She raised an eyebrow.

“You offered to share supper with me in a bed, and it’s only our second date.”

Her green eyes twinkled long before the smile materialized. “I guess I did. Are you going to take me up on it, or are we going to wait for a table in here?”

“Oh, honey, I’d never refuse the offer of going to bed with you.”

“Rhett O’Donnell, you are the devil reincarnated,” she whispered.

They moved up in line. “I never have been accused of havin’ a halo or wings.”

She started to ask him if anyone had ever accused him of being sexy but clamped her mouth shut when Tanner and Betsy Gallagher pushed through the doors and lined up right behind them.

“What are you doing back in Texas? I thought you were on vacation in the big city,” Tanner said.

“I was.” She nodded.

He took a step forward and whispered, “Did you like the roses I sent? I’ve missed you so much, and I’m glad you are back home.”

Betsy slapped him on the shoulder. “Speak up and stop whispering. Anyone sees you making eyes at a Brennan, they’ll tell Granny. What are you saying to her?”

“That I wouldn’t have liked spending a whole week in a big city either,” Tanner answered.

Rhett turned around and said, “What brings y’all out of Burnt Boot today?”

“Granny sent us on a mission,” Tanner answered. “And y’all?”

“Rhett was kind enough to pick me up at the airport,” Leah said. She hoped their mission didn’t have anything to do with blowing up septic tanks or spreading any more shit in Burnt Boot.

“I thought you went with Honey and Kinsey,” Betsy said.

“I did, but I decided to come home early.”

“Are you crazy? If I had a week in New York City, you can damn sure bet I wouldn’t come home early,” Betsy said. “You hear about what your Granny did?”

“I heard that your septic company made a big mistake,” Leah said.

“Mistake, my ass. When we got ahold of them, they told us this big story about how we’d rescheduled, but we didn’t. You Brennans did this and you can bet your sorry ass we will get even,” Betsy said.

“If you had a scrap of evidence that my family had anything to do with that mistake, you’d already have Orville out on River Bend flashing his gun and cuffs,” Leah said.

“We don’t have to prove jack shit. We know, and you will pay for it,” Betsy said.

“And then you will after that,” Leah said. “Don’t you ever get tired of this feuding?”

“Not when I’ve had to smell shit for half a day, until the family came home from church and shoveled us out and fixed the electricity. I won’t be tired of it until I get even, so watch your back, Leah Brennan.”

“Is that a threat?” Rhett asked.

“I’d call it a promise,” Betsy said.

“Next,” the cashier said as she looked up at Rhett and Leah.

“I’ll have a burger with lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, dill pickles, and mustard, and I want a big order of fries and a large drink,” Leah said.

“Double that and add cheese to mine,” Rhett said as he turned to face Tanner and Betsy. “It’s your turn. I’d say it was nice seein’ y’all, but I’d be lyin’.”

“Same here,” Betsy growled.

Rhett and Leah moved down the pathway made by stacked bags of potatoes to the drink machine and filled their cups. Then they went back to stand beside the door until their number was called.

Leah was sipping on a diet cola when Rhett nudged her shoulder and said, “I bet you’re ready to get away from the Gallaghers. Want to wait in the bed of the truck while I pick it up?”

“I’d love to,” she answered.

She glanced over her shoulder before she walked out the door and Tanner blew her a kiss. Once outside, she crawled over the side, into the truck bed, and braced her back under the rear window. Her stomach growled, but she wasn’t sure if it was real hunger or maybe just pure, old anxiety. There was no way that Tanner and Betsy could have known they were in the burger joint, so that was coincidence, but was Tanner crazy, flirting with her like that? Naomi would kill him for that after what had happened, unless she really was in on the whole thing.

* * *

Rhett picked up the brown paper sacks, and carried the whole load out to the truck. He handed it over the side to Leah and let down the tailgate to make getting up in the back a whole lot easier.

She opened a bag and blew on the hot fries before she popped one into her mouth. She chewed while she removed the paper from her hamburger and bit into it, making appreciative noises like she’d done with the cupcake.

“Pretty good, huh?” he said.

“Fantastic,” she answered.

“Imagine running into Gallaghers in there.”

She nodded. “They’re like cockroaches. They’re everywhere.”

“So what are you going to do when you get home?” Rhett asked.

“I’ve got some things to work out from the past, some things to get straighten up about the future, and…”

“Why did you stop?”

“I forgot about the present. That’s right now. I should be enjoying it instead of worrying about the past and future,” she answered.

“What does your heart tell you about the past and future?”

“To get all my ducks in a row, so I can enjoy every minute of the present,” she answered.

“And what do you have to do for that to happen?” Rhett asked.

She took a long drink of her soda. “Get things straightened out with my family, and that’s not going to be easy.”

“You’re a strong woman. I’ve got faith that you can do whatever you set your mind to,” he said.

She set her drink down and laid a hand on his thigh. “That’s a lot of faith.”

He smiled, and she noticed that the soul patch was gone.

“When did you shave?”

“I shave every morning,” he answered.

She touched her bottom lip.

“Oh, that. I got tired of messing with it,” he said. “Do you miss it?”

“No, you’re handsome with or without it,” she said.

“Does your Granny know you’re on the way home?”

She shook her head.

Rhett finished his burger and stuffed the paper down into the empty bag. “I won’t come between you and family. I couldn’t do it and live with myself.”

“That’s not your decision to make or your burden to bear,” she said softly. “I sent my mother a message. She said she wouldn’t talk to me until I was away from the ranch. I told you that already. It’s time I knew what happened, so I’m going to start by talking to my dad.”

He slid down to the end of the tailgate and took the food bags to the can outside the restaurant’s door. She’d made her way to the passenger side of the truck while he was gone and waited for him to unlock the door. She’d cupped her hands over her eyes and was looking inside when he hit the right button on his key fob to open the door.

“Look, Rhett. It didn’t wilt. My bouquet is still pretty.”

She took a step back, and he opened the door for her. “The stems are in little vials of water, and besides, mimosas can take the heat. A rose or an orchid would wither up and die, but those things can withstand a lot.”

She pulled the seat belt across her chest and fastened it. “And I’m like that bouquet, right?”

He kissed her on the cheek and hoped to hell it wasn’t the last time his lips had the chance to touch her. “Yes, darlin’, you definitely are.”

“Then take me home. I can withstand whatever heat gets thrown at me.”

He whistled as he rounded the back of the truck. He’d started the engine before he remembered the serious conversation they’d had before she saw her mimosas again.

“Leah, there are some things better left in the past. Maybe what happened is best left in the closet,” he said.

She shook her head. “I want to know. I feel like they owe me that much. I bet it has something to do with this damn feud. I hate it. I wish it would end and we could live normal lives.”

“What’s normal?” Rhett asked.

“Good question. I bet a million dollars couldn’t buy the answer.”

Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the Brennans’ driveway, set her suitcase on the concrete, and opened the door for her. She stepped out, holding her purse in one hand and the bouquet in the other. The front door flew open, and Mavis Brennan filled it, hands on her hips, bigger than life, glaring at Leah.

“I talked to your cousins, but they couldn’t tell me what kind of bee got in your under-britches,” Mavis said.

“Well, maybe you can tell me, Granny. I think it’s time we air out the dirty laundry from years ago. Thanks, Rhett, for taking your only day off to come to the airport for me.” She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I can get it from here.”

“You are very welcome. That’s what friends are for,” he said. “Good day, Miz Mavis. See y’all at the Sadie Hawkins Festival next weekend.”

“I hope to hell you are long gone from Burnt Boot by then,” Mavis said.

“That isn’t likely. See you later, Leah.” He whistled a country music tune as he rounded the front end of his truck and got inside.

“Tell Sawyer thanks for letting you borrow his truck,” Leah yelled and waved.

Anything worth having or loving is worth fightin’ for, so put on your fightin’ gloves, man.
That inner voice kept on repeating it until he finally nodded.

“Yes, sir! Leah is worth fighting for.”

* * *

Mavis reminded Leah of a drum major as she marched into the house ahead of her, not offering to carry the little bouquet, much less roll her suitcase into the house. Stopping in the middle of the foyer, her grandmother spun around and set her mouth in a firm line. Her hands went to her hips. “I’m mad at you for calling that cowboy to come get you. You’ve got dozens of cousins, and your Daddy could have made the trip to Dallas. Why are you home, anyway?”

“Answers,” Leah said simply.

“To what?” Mavis dropped her chin, frowned, and glared through eyes that were little more than slits.

“Questions, but I’m not having this conversation tonight, Granny. I want to take a long shower, sit on the porch with a glass of sweet tea, watch the sun go down, and think.”

“Fair enough. When you get done figuring it out, I know you’ll do the right thing. I can always depend on you to have a level head on your shoulders. You are a Brennan, and you’ll see right quick when you think about it that wild cowboys aren’t for you.” Mavis patted her hair. “You hear what happened out at Wild Horse? I swear to God, Naomi blames me if she eats cabbage and farts.”

“Did you make it happen?” Leah asked. “Tell me the truth. Is this the work of Brennans, or are we taking credit to keep the feud going?”

“Hell yes, we did it. Cost me a ton of money, but it made me happier than anything we’ve ever done. They shouldn’t have blown up our school the way they did. If they want a shit war, by damn, I’ll deliver them a shit war.”

“Granny!”

Mavis shook her finger at Leah. “Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady. I’m old, but I still know how to fight. If Naomi wants to meet me in the middle of the road in front of the bar, I’ll wipe up the street with her ass and enjoy doin’ it. Crazy old broad never has forgiven me for takin’ her feller.”

Leah had started up the stairs, but she stopped midway. “Oh? I’ve never heard this before.”

“She was dating your grandpa and he broke it off with her to ask me to go to a street dance. She had to settle for Jimmy Gallagher, who wasn’t nearly as good-lookin’.”

“And the feud took on a whole new life, right?”

Mavis grinned. “Oh, yes, it did. And it ain’t never ending, long as either one of us has got breath in our lungs.”

“I believe you,” Leah said.

Mavis nodded and headed to her quarters at the back of the house.

Leah pulled her suitcase into her bedroom and fell into a rocking chair beside the window. Granny was right when she’d said that Leah had always done the right thing, but Leah wasn’t so sure what that was anymore. Did she do the right thing for her, for River Bend, or what?

She dug her phone from her purse and dialed Rhett’s number.

“Did you forget something? I can bring it to you,” he said.

“No, I need something though. Which heart do I follow, the one that makes me happy or the one that makes me responsible?” she asked.

“I heard a story once that says that we all have three hearts. There’s one that we let our family inside to see, one that we let our friends see, and one that we keep all to ourselves that no one ever gets to see except maybe a soul mate. It would be wonderful to make a decision that can make them all happy, but if you can’t, then you make the third heart happy because it’s the one that you keep all for yourself,” he said.

“Are you back at Fiddle Creek?”

“I’m here all alone. There’s a note on the table that says Sawyer and Jill went to a movie down in Gainesville,” he said.

“Do you think they’re soul mates, and they get to see each other’s third heart?”

“I really do,” he answered.

“They are some lucky people. Good night. And thanks, Rhett.”

“I’ll be fixin’ fence with a crew of high school boys all day tomorrow and working the bar alone tomorrow night. It’d sure make the day go better if you called or sent me a text. And the evening would definitely be nicer if you spent a little time nursin’ a Jack Daniel’s on the end stool.”

“I’ll see if I can make that happen.”

Rhett was hot, sweaty, and looking forward to a cool bath that evening. It was the middle of August, so a person could not beg, borrow, buy, or steal a breeze. At the beginning of the day, the boys had told jokes and ribbed each other about having farmer’s tans when they started back to school, but now nothing was funny.

The phone buzzed in Rhett’s pocket near quitting time, and he hoped it was Leah, calling for the second time that day. She’d called early that morning, and they’d shared a sunrise over the phone, and she’d sent two text messages during the day.

Sawyer’s picture came up on the phone instead of Leah’s. “Where’re y’all at with the new fence?” he asked.

“More than halfway across the back side of the ranch, up next to the river,” Rhett said.

“Ask the guys if they’d mind staying with it until it’s done. There’s a big moon, and y’all could probably do the work with your eyes closed,” Sawyer said. “Jill and I will take care of the bar tonight.”

“Why the hurry?” Rhett asked.

“The weatherman says we’ve got a ninety percent chance of rain tomorrow. You might be able to build fence in the dark, but I don’t think you can do it underwater. If we can get that done, then we can start clearing mesquite off another forty acres while the ground is soft from the rain.”

Rhett turned around and yelled, “Hey, it’s going to rain tomorrow. Who wants to make up the hours you’re going to lose by working until this job is done tonight?”

Five hands shot up.

“The vote is in, and I guess we’ll keep working,” Rhett told Sawyer.

“That’s good. I know the boys are tired, but let them know how much I appreciate it. Make a run down to the store and get sandwich makings and whatever else you want so they can have some supper. Can’t expect them to work on empty stomachs,” Sawyer said.

“Will do.” He hit the end button and called Leah, but it went to voice mail, so he sent a text saying that he would be building fence instead of bartending that night.

She didn’t text right back, so he checked the time and yelled at the guys that he was going to the store to get some supper for them. The air conditioner had long since gone out on the ranch’s old work truck, so Rhett drove with an arm propped on the open window. Since the radio didn’t work either, he hummed one of Blake Shelton’s older tunes, “Sure Be Cool If You Did,” with Dammit howling in the seat beside him.

He let go of the steering wheel with his right hand and rubbed the dog’s ears. “I bet if they let dogs sing in karaoke bars, I could make a mint with you. But what would be really cool is if I got to see Leah today. I wouldn’t even care if it was a glimpse and a wave from a truck going down the road,” he said as he parked in front of the store. Dammit bounded out of the truck right behind him and beat him to the porch, where he sprawled out in the shade.

“You stay right here. I won’t be long.”

Dammit yipped and wagged his tail.

“Hey.” Jill waved from behind the counter. She looked like a teenager with her hair pulled up in a ponytail and the freckles shining on her nose. “I’ll trade places with you anytime you want an afternoon in the store. This is so damn boring I could scream.”

“No thanks. I’d rather be outside putting up barbed wire than sitting in here, even if the cool does feel wonderful. I need about three pounds of lunch meat. Just mix it up—ham, turkey, bologna, salami.”

“Hungry, are you?” Jill asked.

“No, but there’s a bunch of boys out there who could eat a whole hog. We’re going to work until the job is done because Sawyer says it’s going to rain tomorrow. Y’all will be running the bar by yourselves tonight,” Rhett said.

Jill headed toward the back of the store. “I’ll take care of the meat. You go on and get the bread and a sack of ice and a case of soda pop. I’m glad they’re willin’ to stay with it. Oh, Rhett, pick up a couple packages of cookies for them too, and a bag of those apples.”

He was pushing a half-full cart to the front of the store when the little bell at the top of the door rang. He looked up into the eyes of Betsy Gallagher who was right behind her grandmother, Naomi.

“Well, hello, Rhett. Seems like we run into each other pretty often. Think it’s an omen?” Betsy asked.

Naomi stopped in front of the counter and eyed him from boots to ponytail. Her hair had probably been as vibrantly red as Betsy’s when she was younger, but it had a few gray streaks in it these days. She wore it short, in a no-nonsense cut that feathered back, away from her green eyes. That afternoon, she was dressed in jeans, a hot-pink Western shirt with pearl snaps, and black, shiny boots.

“So, you’re the one who’s turning Leah Brennan into a bad girl,” Naomi said.

“I’m Rhett O’Donnell, ma’am. I’ve seen you in church, but we’ve not been formally introduced. About Leah, has she always been a good girl?” Rhett asked.

“Yes, she has,” Betsy answered.

“I might even like her if she wasn’t a Brennan,” Naomi said. “But I’m glad you’re giving Mavis some grief. After what she did to me this week, she deserves it.”

“Did I hear my name?” Mavis pushed her way into the store with Leah right behind her, letting cold air out the door and making no attempt to shut it.

Leah caught Rhett’s eye and smiled at him.

“My prayers have been answered,” he said.

“Well, mine haven’t,” Mavis snarled.

Instant tension sucked all the air out of the store. Mavis and Naomi locked eyes, their brows drawing together and their mouths pursed up like they’d eaten green persimmons.

Jill jogged from the back of the store, three packages of lunch meat wrapped in white butcher paper in her hands. “You’d do well to remember, folks, that this is neutral territory.”

“Then, by damn, we’ll take it outside.” Naomi grabbed Mavis by the arm and shoved her out the still-open door. Mavis came back with a right hook and got Naomi on the upper arm, knocking her backwards off the porch. Naomi reached up from the ground and got a firm hold on Mavis’s ankle and brought her to her knees on the porch. Then she gave a jerk and Mavis bounced down the steps on her butt and landed on the ground, sending red dust up in a cloud above them.

Mavis snatched at Naomi’s hair and Naomi did the same, pulling Mavis’s hairpiece off like she was scalping her and slinging it behind her. It flew across the gravel parking lot and Dammit caught it midair, but he spit it out quickly when he got a taste of the hair spray. It looked like a roadkill skunk without the white stripe, lying there on the ground beside the truck tire. Dammit wouldn’t stop growling at it.

“Stop it!” Betsy screamed as she pulled Naomi off Mavis. “Dammit!”

The dog jumped at the sound of his name, ran over to get a firm hold on Naomi’s jean leg, and pulled as hard as he could.

Betsy slapped the dog on the flank. “Dammit, dog, don’t you dare bite her or I’ll shoot you between the eyes.”

Leah locked her arms around Mavis’s waist and pulled her away from Naomi. To Rhett, it looked like a Chihuahua trying to control a pit bull, and he started to give her a hand but changed his mind and whistled shrilly. Dammit let go of Naomi’s jeans and trotted up to the porch where he sat down beside Rhett.

“Do something, Rhett!” Jill yelled.

“Why? If they kill each other, maybe this feud will end.”

Naomi made another dive at Mavis. Betsy managed to get in front of her and push her backwards with a hand on each shoulder, but Naomi slapped the shit out of Betsy’s cheek. “Get the hell away from me. I’m going to kill that bitch for what she did to my house.”

Mavis broke free of Leah, and the two old women met each other with such force that it would have put the Texas Longhorn football team to shame. Hell, if Rhett could have talked either one or both of them into trying out for the team, he might have left ranchin’ and gone into the sport’s agent business.

“Rhett!” Jill stomped her foot.

Since she did make a killer apple pie, he pointed at Dammit and said, “Stay.” Then he forced the old gals apart, a hand on each of their heads like they were a couple of grade-school kids who’d gotten into a battle over a game of marbles.

“Get your damn hands off me, you hippie!” Mavis screamed.

“I’ll put you down like a rabid dog if you don’t turn me loose,” Naomi yelled.

“You are both getting the hell out of here. You have to fight, you take it somewhere else. We don’t need it on Fiddle Creek. Leah, get in your truck and get it started. Open the passenger door. Betsy, you do the same.”

Fists and swear words swung, with most landing on him. Their punches stung, but he doubted if they’d even leave a bruise because the old gals were wearing out. Their breath came in gasps, and even a cussword took lots more air than they had in their lungs. Finally, he motioned for Jill.

“You hold Naomi right here and don’t let her take a step. Knock her flat on her ass if she even picks up a foot,” he said.

Jill nodded and put a hand on each of Naomi’s shoulders. “I’ve never hit an old lady before, but you can bet your sweet ass I will. What in the hell is the matter with you two?”

“I’m not old,” Naomi hissed.

“Yes, you are,” Mavis said. “You’re an old bitch.” That’s all she got out because Rhett tossed her over his shoulder like a bag of chicken feed and carried her to Leah’s truck. He deposited her in the passenger seat and said, “Take her home.”

“You take me to Gainesville right now. I need a beauty shop,” Mavis panted.

Naomi broke free from Jill, trotted across the gravel parking lot, and grabbed up Mavis’s hairpiece. “I scalped a rotten, damned, old Brennan. I’m going to put this in a frame and hang it above my fireplace, Mavis, to show the whole world that I scalped you.” She shook it at the truck as Leah pulled out on the highway.

“Granny!” Betsy said.

“Don’t you say a word to me. You should have killed Leah and helped me stomp Mavis to death instead of pulling us apart. Some granddaughter you are,” Naomi said. “Take me home and call a taxidermist. I want this pelt cleaned and fixed up to look like a skunk hide. That’s what those Brennans are—roadkill skunks.”

“Now, am I going to carry you over my shoulder to the truck, or will you get out of here peacefully?” Rhett asked.

“You touch me and I’ll see to it you’re dead by morning,” Naomi said.

“Come on, Granny. Let’s go home.” Betsy helped Naomi limp over to the truck and then drove away.

Jill sat down beside Dammit and exhaled loudly. “You are a good boy. You tried to stop that mayhem. I’m proud of you.”

Rhett plopped down on the other side of the dog. “After that, it’s going to be a busy night at the bar. If y’all get too busy, call me and I’ll put an end to the fencing.”

“I keep hoping this shit will end, but today proves it ain’t about to happen,” she said. “You sure fried your ass with Mavis today. She won’t ever let Leah date you now, for sure.”

“Leah is a grown woman. She can make up her own mind about who she dates,” Rhett said.

“I like her better than any of the Brennans or the Gallaghers but, Rhett, don’t get your hopes up. She’s never gone against her family.”

“Not until recently.” He grinned.

“She has had a little independent streak in her these past few weeks, but it won’t last. Let’s go get the stuff ready for you to take out to the field to those boys. I bet they’ve starved plumb to death. You can take the ice out and dump it in your cooler while I charge the food to Fiddle Creek.” Jill stood up and headed inside.

Rhett followed her. “You really think Leah will forfeit what she wants to toe the line for her grandmother?”

“Depends.” Jill grinned.

“On what?”

“On whether a cowboy with a big motorcycle can sweep her off her feet and take her away to the promised land, where there are no feuds and only beautiful sunsets and mimosas that bloom all year long.”