by Lexi Post
“We’re very proud of them, of course.” His mother gave a polite smile. “We can’t wait to see our casita.”
Mrs. Richards nodded. “You will love it. We were just going in for some ice cream. At our age, watching our weight takes a backseat to our enjoyment of sweets.” She patted her tummy. “I’ll let you get settled in. I’m sure we’ll get to talk later.”
“Thank you. That would be nice.”
Mrs. Richards took her husband’s hand and shuffled off to the entrance of the main building.
No sooner had the doors closed than his father chuckled. “Well dear. That’s what you get for insisting on coming early.”
His mom moved out from his father’s hands and faced him. “I’m glad we came. Now we can really appreciate all that Wade does here.”
Jean stepped forward. “I’d like to put Tierney down for her nap. Can we go to our lodging now?”
His dad shook his head. “Not me. I’m ready to see this reproduction stage coach.”
“That can wait.” His mother looked back at him. “I’d like to see Kendra and find out where she is with all her planning.”
Wade looked at each of them and silently nodded. Things just got significantly more complicated.
Chapter Eight
Saturday continued.
Kendra strode toward the barn. Selma hadn’t been seen since her freak-out, but her car was still in the garage. That concerned her. It was time to get to the bottom of the issue and from the few words of Spanish she understood, Jorge was the bottom.
She stepped into the shaded coolness and inhaled the scent of hay and horses. The open areas on each side of the barn were now for grooming on one side and tack and feed on the other. If a monsoon was imminent, they brought the wagon into the grooming bay. Beyond that were six stalls on each side, and ten of them were used on a daily basis, she and Wade agreeing to hold off on more horses until the demand required it. She hadn’t realized how much horses cost to house and feed.
Whistling in one of the stalls caught her attention. The first few stalls were empty, the big Belgians on duty with the wagon and a few out in the corral. As she walked by Sundancer, the horse nickered. She couldn’t resist giving him a pat. “Miss me, huh?” It had been so long since she and Wade had ridden out to their secret cove along the stream and made love. Their office was the setting for most of their sex. She missed being outdoors alone with him.
“Someone here?”
At Jorge’s question, she continued down past the stalls until she found him cleaning out Elsa’s, one of the horses that was out in the corral. The Arabian was smaller than Sundancer and scarred badly from a wildfire, but she was docile and got extra attention from the guests. Again, the wonder at how accepting nudists were of physical imperfections filled her. Why couldn’t she be as confident? “It’s just me.”
“Oh, hola Jefe.” He tipped his white hat with the back of his gloved hand. “What can I do for you?” Jorge stood straight and smiled as he leaned on the shovel he’d been using. He was a thin, shorter man who was probably a few years younger than her mom, but he had no white hair yet. He was also very honorable as attested to by his slightly crooked nose which he got defending her honor.
“We need to talk.”
He lost his smile and leaned the shovel against the wall. As he exited the stall, he opened his arm toward the exit of the barn. “I have two lawn chairs outside. I wouldn’t mind getting out of the smell for a few minutes.”
She turned toward the barn opening, her boots sounding muffled on the wood floor. Once outside, she noticed the lawn chairs and took a seat.
He sat once she did. “You want to know about your mama.”
Surprised by the question, she hid her reaction. “That’s a good start.”
He looked away to respond. “I like your mama. I never wonder what she’s thinking.”
She stifled a chuckle at that.
“It’s refreshing.” He looked back at her. “You know?”
She nodded, not wanting to change his opinion. She found it anything, but refreshing.
“But she’s still married and your papa didn’t treat her well, right?”
She shook her head. That was an understatement.
“I think your mama just needs some attention, so I give it to her. That’s all.”
This wasn’t the subject she’d come to talk to him about, but now that they were, she felt oddly protective. “But what if she sees this attention as something serious? Long term?”
Jorge’s deep brown eyes grew round. “Long term? No, no long term. I was just being nice. Does she think I want something long term?” As the man’s tone rose an octave, she was convinced he didn’t realize how fragile her mother’s heart was.
“I’m not sure, but I think she does. I also think Selma thinks so as well.”
Jorge crossed himself and looked at the sky before responding. “That woman is loco. She makes no sense.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I try to take her to dinner. I bring her flowers. I even fix her window, and she doesn’t want anything to do with me. Then I see your mama eating lunch by herself and I join her. Next thing I know, Selma’s screaming like la Llorona running out of the kitchen and hurling dishes at us.”
Jorge rose out of his chair and faced her directly. “That woman I don’t know. She’s not the warm, big hearted woman I think I know. She’s someone else. Maybe a bad spirit take her over.”
“And maybe it was love.” As a professional poker player, she’d learned to watch body language and she’d noticed Selma almost went out of her way to appear extra gruff whenever Jorge was around as if she didn’t want him to know she liked him. Kendra had also noticed Selma listening avidly when guests spoke about him.
Jorge stared at her as if she’d turned into a spirit horse right before his eyes. “Now I’m thinking you a bit loco.”
She shrugged. “If I’m wrong, I’ll have to fire her. I can’t have an unstable cook…that is if she hasn’t quit. Hard to tell with her.”
Her stable manager stiffened at that. “She’ll probably come ‘round.”
Kendra rose. “I don’t know. I’ll try to talk to her. Give her a chance, but I’m not putting up with that kind of behavior. Everyone deserves a second chance and since this is her first offense, I’ll wait and see. But I won’t tolerate another.”
Jorge lifted his hat and wiped his brow before settling it back on his head. “You’re a good Jefe. Selma knows that.”
“I hope so. In the meantime, I suggest you stay away from my mother, for her sake, your sake and Selma’s.” She didn’t wait to see if he agreed. Instead, she strode away to where her golf cart was parked. Stepping into it, she turned it on before glancing toward Jorge. He remained where she’d left him, hopefully thinking about a few things.
One uncomfortable conversation down and one to go. Driving past the Old West town, she headed for her mother’s casita. She hadn’t seen her all day and she needed to tell her about Buddy and Ginger.
When she arrived, she knocked and waited. There was no answer and no sound inside. Hesitant to intrude, especially if the dogs were inside, she knocked again, but all was silent. Wouldn’t the dogs bark?
But what if her mom had fallen and was unconscious. The thought had never occurred to her before when her mom was living two states away with Fred, but the idea took hold and wouldn’t let go. With no choice, she took out her master key and unlocked the door. “Mom? Mom!”
She took a quick walk through the one-story house before she was satisfied. Locking the door behind her she was at a loss as to where her mother might be with the dogs. It was time to get her mother a phone.
Jumping into the cart, she drove back to the main building. After checking with Lacey, Crystal, and Adriana, she started to get worried. If she had to, she’d wake up Hunter and get him on it. Striding into her office, she found Wade with his elbows on his desk, his head resting in his hands.
“Wha
t’s wrong?”
He snapped his head up. “Nothing. Just got my family settled in after convincing my father that I wasn’t going to tackle the stage coach today but would be happy to do so tomorrow. And assuring my mother that she can stay in the casita until the nudists leave now that she knows they aren’t Buddhists.”
“Buddhists?” Even through her worry, she found the humor in that. “She really thought we were saying Buddhist resort the whole time?”
He nodded before leaning back in his chair and linking his hands behind his head.
Her gaze immediately went to his bare biceps and triceps, causing a zing of need to tighten her belly. Shaking off the thought, she strode to her desk. “I’ll stop by and say hello as soon as I find my mother.” She glanced at the clock, hesitant to wake Hunter up, especially since he was on tonight.
“Oh, I saw her take her dogs down the new desert trail walking path about twenty minutes ago.”
She swallowed. “Did she see Ginger or Buddy?”
Wade sat forward again, his gaze alert. “I don’t know. You didn’t tell her yet?”
“No. I keep getting side tracked. I have to tell her right away.” Turning away from her desk, she headed for the door.
“You want me to come with you?”
She gave him a quick smile. “No, this is a problem of my own making. I need to tackle it.” She kept on down the hall then stopped and back-tracked. Sticking her head in the office, she grinned. “But if you’d like to go talk to Selma, make sure she’s alright, and see if she still wants her job. I’m good with that.”
Before he could respond, she headed down the hall again, her cowboy boots giving away exactly how fast she was walking.
She let Lacey know where she was headed as she walked by the reception desk then she was out the door. She waved to the guests by the pool and swallowed hard as she noticed Buddy and Ginger in the conversation pool.
Picking up her pace, she headed down the trail. It was late afternoon, so there wasn’t a lot of activity beyond the pools thanks to the warmth of the day. It was in the high seventies and for their northern guests, quite balmy. For those who lived in the desert, it was refreshing.
She passed by the saguaro cacti, prickly pear patches and paloverde trees, all labeled per Lacey’s research. Mesquite trees also had signs as well as the now bloomless wildflowers. When they had set about putting out the identification signs, they’d found jackrabbit scat and Lacey had insisted on a sign, but she refused. She had Chris scoop it up in a shovel and get rid of it.
The path wound upward before going down toward the small stream. It was two miles long, but she couldn’t imagine her mom walking that far. Not seeing her ahead on the incline, Kendra started to jog. Again, that new worry started in her gut that her mom was hurt. Was that because she was at Poker Flat?
She reached the highest part of the path only to turn the bend to find her mom on a boulder just off the path a few yards down. “Mom.”
Her mother looked up then away. Had she been crying? Shit. She’d only seen her mom cry three times in her life. The first time was when she realized Fred was cheating on her. The second time was at her first wedding, but she didn’t think those were happy tears. The last time her mother cried was when she said goodbye to her as she took off on the poker circuit.
She started forward only to halt as Freckles and Scruffy ran onto the path and barked at her. Her heartrate went into overdrive as her palms started to sweat. Luckily, her mother held the leashes. She licked her lips, trying to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. “Mom, are you okay?”
“Of course. What’s your problem?”
“Can you hold the dogs closer so I can come down?”
Her mother didn’t move. “Why do you want to come down?”
Freak. Something was definitely wrong. “So we can talk.”
“Go talk to your bosom buddies Ginger and Buddy. I hear they are part of the wedding party. Not sure why you wanted me to come. It’s not like I’m important or anything.”
Fuck. This was her fault. She’d been focused on Poker Flat instead of her wedding or her mom. “Of course, you’re important. Why do you think I sent you an airline ticket and bought you that beautiful blue gown? You’re the mother of the bride.”
Her mom looked at her. “Damned right, I am. No red topped nudie can say that.”
“No, she can’t. Ginger is going to be the matron of honor. I think the bridesmaids are all wearing pale yellow.”
“You think?”
She grimaced. “Lacey is my wedding planner. She’s taking care of the details. She went with them to get their dresses, not me.”
Her mother seemed to relax at that.
“Can you pull the dogs in so I can come closer?”
Her mom appeared to think about it for a minute, but then she clicked a button on the mechanism she had with the leashes and pulled the dogs closer. “Come on, sweeties. Big Kendra, owner of the Poker Flat nudie resort, is afraid of you.”
That made it clear they hadn’t cleared the air yet. She walked cautiously forward, still keeping her distance by a couple yards, just in case. “Mom, you’ll look beautiful as Luke walks you down the aisle.”
“Yeah, so, who’s walking you down the aisle?”
She tensed. “I’m having Buddy walk me down.”
“Of course, you are. You always liked them better than your own parents while you were growing up. If they hadn’t been kicked out, I would have never seen you as a teenager.”
Her mother wasn’t far from the truth. “It’s not that I liked them better than you. It’s that I couldn’t stand how Fred treated you. I’ve always loved you, mom. I’ve always liked you, too. It was Fred. He made being home hell.”
“That’s true. I started to hate it when he came home, too. I found myself wishing he’d get a new girlfriend just so I could have some peace, especially after your friends moved out of the park. I liked it when it was just us girls.”
Kendra smiled. “I did, too. But why did you stay? He treated you like shit.”
“And then some.” Her mom sighed. “But what could I do? I couldn’t provide for us without his income and that blasted trailer. I was stuck.”
“What about after I got married to Eugene? Why didn’t you leave then?”
“Where would I go? Like you, I’m an only child, so it wasn’t as if I could go to family, and all my friends lived in the park. Besides, after a while, it was just easier to stay. The Devil you know versus the shit you don’t.”
She’d been guilty of that, too. Her ex had treated her like her big bust meant she was stupid, but it had been easier to let it slide in exchange for a nice roof over her head and an escape from her life in the trailer park. It wasn’t until she sensed him moving on to better fish with equally big boobs that she found her backbone. “I understand that. But now you’re here and you are my mother and I want everyone to see how proud I am of you.”
Her mother laughed loudly. “Layin’ it on a bit thick, aren’t you? You made it clear before you married that you were ashamed of us.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t understand why you let Fred walk all over you. But look at you now. You took in two lonely dogs.” She glanced at them, happy to see them lying at her mom’s feet. “And now you’ve left him. You’re going to make it permanent with a divorce, too. I’m very proud of you.”
Her mother’s smirk turned into a genuine smile. “Yeah, that’s true, because I had someplace to go.”
“And I’m so glad you did.” She gazed at her mom through new eyes, understanding her more than she had her entire life. The sun had started to set and the sky behind her mom was changing colors. It was a metaphor for both of them, except she would be changing again. She would marry a man who truly loved her, flaws and all.
Though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she didn’t believe it would actually happen. He was going to wake up and realize he could do so much better than her, and she wouldn’t blame him a bit. He was t
oo damn close to perfect to be saddled with her. If she was a stronger person, she let him off the hook, but a small part of her hoped he’d forget to take off his rose-colored glasses and stay with her.
“I guess it’s okay that Ginger and Buddy are here. After all, you do need someone to walk you down the aisle.”
At her mom’s voice, she refocused. “Thanks, mom.”
Her mother stood. “Well, these two have had plenty of rest from their walk. Better get them back so they can have dinner.”
The two dogs immediately jumped to their feet and looked up at her mother, tails wagging.
Her heart started to race again and she took a few steps back.
“Kennie, you need to get over this fear.”
She waved away her mom’s comment and backed up some more. “I know. Maybe after the wedding. I’ll be a bit more relaxed then.”
Her mom sighed. “Fine. Go do what you have to do then because we’re headed back.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Turning around, she strode back up to the peak of the trail and around the corner. When she heard her mother’s chuckle behind her, she grimaced but she didn’t slow down. She had no problem being afraid of dogs until now. That was one fear she would rather never deal with.
As she came off the trailhead, she found Wade waiting for her.
“Are you ready for a private dinner?” He winked.
Happy to see him after the emotional minefield she’d just navigated, she took his hand in hers. “Yes, I am.”
“And your mom?”
She looked him in the eye. “She’s fine. We’re both fine.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good. That means I’ll have your mind as well as your body all to myself for a while.”
“Yes, you will.” They headed back toward the main building, the pool and bar area quiet as guests were back at their casitas or in the dining room for dinner. She needed to find a way to focus on Wade more, just in case he did decide he would go through with marrying a former poker player and current workaholic from a trailer park. The question was, how was she going to do that?
