Vegas heat

by Michaels, Fern

  "Are you kidding? I love showing off my kids." "We'll say good-bye then. I'll be back on visiting day. C'mon, Daisy, we're going home."

  Fanny climbed from the rental car, Billie behind her. "Do you think we should have called ahead?" Billie asked.

  "No. Surprise is always best. Sallie would have just showed up, like she did when she went to Sunbridge to see Seth the first time. Too late now."

  "This place looks as big as Sunbridge. All you can see is miles and miles of split-rail fencing. Raising Thoroughbreds must be big business."

  "Oh, Billie, look at the arch! Look what it says."

  "SUNSTAR Farm." Billie sucked in her breath. "Guess the Coleman children had a thing about the sun. Sunbridge, Sunrise, and now SunStar."

  ' 'I know the answer to that even though it wasn't a question," Fanny said. "Sallie told me there was a crack in the shack's roof and if she squinted really hard, she could see the stars at night. I would imagine Josh must have lain in the same cot in the same spot before Sallie came along."

  "Seth told my mother the same story. He said he and Josh used to take turns looking up through the crack, trying to count the stars. It almost breaks your heart, doesn't it?"

  "Yes. This is the last of the family. Finally, they're all present and accounted for. Ash will have so much to tell Sallie when he sees her."

  "Fanny—"

  "Fm just repeating Ash's words. He was real keen on this

  trip. He said when it's time for him to go, he doesn't want to go empty-handed. He's real worried about the Simon business and how he's going to explain that to his mother. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Do we have everything?"

  "Six shopping bags, full to overflowing. In the car, everyone," Thad said.

  Josh Coleman himself opened the door. His faded blue eyes were alert and curious. Fanny could see the resemblance to Sallie and Seth immediately. "Mr. Coleman, I'm Fanny Thornton, your sister Sallie's daughter-in-law. This is Billie Coleman Kingsley. Your brother Seth's daughter-in-law, and this is Senator Kingsley, Billie's husband. May we come in?"

  His voice was deep, gruff and gentle at the same time. "Seth and Sallie? Lord have mercy. I tried for years to find them. Finally had to give up. Come in, come in."

  The old man led them to a comfortable room filled with leather furniture, books, green plants, and four skylights overhead. He motioned for them to sit. He looked pointedly at the shopping bags. The denim-colored eyes were full of questions.

  "We brought our family albums so you could see our families. I'd like to ask you something ... well, actually, I think I want to tell you something. Did you name this farm SunStar because you and Seth used to look at the stars through the crack in the roof?"

  ' 'I purely did. Ma was partial to the sun. She loved flowers and couldn't understand why the posies wouldn't grow alongside the shack with all the sun we had. It was a long time ago." He paused. "Seth ... Sallie ... ?"

  "Seth died in 1970 and Sallie in 1975. Peggy is still alive," Billie said.

  "Sallie tried to find you for years and years," Fanny said. "She did find Seth, and our two families have been together ever since. This pretty much makes it complete."

  "Did Sallie look like Ma?" the old man asked.

  "She said she did. She had a beautiful voice and used to sing a lot."

  "Don't have much time these days to do much of anything

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  but think. Tell me about Seth." His eyes turned crafty when he asked, ' 'Just how rich was he?''

  Billie could almost feel Fanny start to bristle. "He was rich. He had two children, Amelia and Moss. The sun rose and set on Moss. He was a fighter pilot during the war. That's where he met Ash and Simon Thornton, Sallie's sons. If they hadn't met, we wouldn't be sitting here today talking to you. I'm sorry to say I have no fond recollections of your brother. He was never kind to me while he was alive. I don't think he was kind to his wife Jessica either, and he was absolutely brutal to my sister-in-law Amelia. I never forgave him for that. He thought women were worthless. I can't forgive him for that either. He did dote on my son Riley, but he ignored my two daughters as did Moss. Riley was killed flying a Coleman airplane." Billie's eyes filled with tears. "I wish there was something good and kind I could say about your brother, but there isn't. Like you, Seth did ask Sallie about your mother. She must have been a wonderful woman."

  "She was plumb worn-out. She loved us, did her best. I was just a young'un, but I knew she sometimes didn't eat so there would be enough for us. Our pa, he drank and was always liquored-up. Where did Seth's money come from?" The faded eyes were full of greedy questions.

  ' 'Cattle ranching, aeronautics. Oil. During the war he sold his beef to the government. His sister Sallie gave the government chickens. That's another way of saying Seth was a taker and Sallie was a giver. I didn't like your brother, Mr. Coleman, and I never pretended I did. I wish it was otherwise."

  "Truth is truth. Did he ever mention my name?"

  "Not to me. Toward the end when Sallie came into our lives she told Seth she was searching for you. He didn't seem interested one way or the other. Also, I don't know if you're interested in this, but Sallie bought into Coleman Aviation. She owned fifty-one percent of the company. Sallie talked about you all the time. Fanny's in a better position to tell you about Sallie than I am."

  Fanny blinked at the brittleness in Billie's voice. There was

  something wrong here. She cleared her throat. "I think you would have loved Sallie, Mr. Coleman. I tend to think she was as kind, good, and gentle as your mother. She was a simple person who required little in the way of material things. I heard her say many times all she ever wanted in life was a good dress for church on Sunday, to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and to have enough food. She educated herself. She told me when she came to Las Vegas she could barely write her name. She brought a teacher to Nevada to educate her and ended up marrying him. They had two sons. She wanted a daughter desperately, but it wasn't meant to be. She spent years searching for her family. I don't think she ever gave up. I promised her I'd keep looking for you. You have five sisters, Mr. Coleman. I don't know too much about Maggie and the others because they prefer their own quiet lives. Peggy, the oldest after Sallie, is married to the former lieutenant governor of Nevada. Peggy told Sallie that when your mother was dying, all she could talk about was Seth and you. I think that broke Sallie's heart.

  "Sallie brought Las Vegas to life. She used her money wisely and built the sewage plant and a private power company. She built a medical center, a college. The list of her good deeds is endless. Your sister, Mr. Coleman, is a legend."

  "Where'd she get all that money to begin with?"

  Billie's eyes sparked. Fanny nodded imperceptibly. "She worked hard for it, Mr. Coleman. Everything we've told you is in the albums, all the pictures labeled along with dates. When you finish looking through them you'll know Seth and Sallie's families.

  "Why don't we let you look through the albums, and we'll walk around outside if you don't mind?"

  Thad motioned for Billie and Fanny to go outdoors. The old gentleman was already deeply engrossed in the albums.

  "I imagine it must be beautiful here in the spring and summer when things are green. It looks pretty barren right now. Let's go down to the barns. I've never seen a Thoroughbred,'' Fanny said.

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  They walked around, shivering with the cold for close to two hours, stopping once in the barn to warm up. Other than several grooms, they didn't see anyone.

  "I think we can go back now," Thad said.

  They let themselves into the house and walked back to the room where Josh Coleman was just closing the last album. 1 'Would you be of a mind to stay on a few days to meet the rest of my family?"

  "We can't, Mr. Coleman, but we can leave the albums for you if you give us yours to show our families. We can visit another time. Your family will always be welcome at our homes anytime you want to visit," Fanny
said.

  "I can do that. It's good to know you have kin. I'm much obliged you took the time to come here. You'd make me proud if you'd have lunch with me. Got some good Virginia ham."

  "We'd be pleased to have lunch with you," Thad said.

  The all-too-short lunch was filled with reminiscences, real memories, and regrets.

  "You're sure now there's nothing I can do for your families?"

  Thad laughed. "Seth owned Coleman Aviation and Sun-bridge grazes thousands and thousands of head of cattle. The family is self-sufficient. Sallie owned Las Vegas. She was the richest woman in the state. She searched for you and Seth because she wanted to help you both. It's kind of you to offer, though. Have you ever been to Las Vegas, Mr. Coleman?''

  "Last year. Lost a poke, too. Went to that there fancy one that's one of the seven wonders of the world or something like that."

  Fanny laughed. "In a manner of speaking, that's Sallie's casino. I'm sorry about your loss."

  ' 'We got us one of them Coleman airplanes. Now, don't that beat the dickens out of you?''

  "I'd say so," Thad chuckled.

  ' 'I'm sorry about your boy, Miss Billie. It's not right a parent should bury a child. God acts in mysterious ways. I'm gettin' religion in my old age." He cackled, slapping his denim-clad

  leg with the palm of his hand to make his point. "I want to thank you for coming all this way. We'll talk again."

  Thad filled the shopping bag with six different albums.

  "What do you think of SunStar?" the old man asked. His voice turned crafty again when he said, "Did I do as well as Seth and Sallie?"

  ''Yes, sir, I think you did. It wouldn't have mattered to Sallie if you dug ditches for a living," Fanny said.

  "I'm sorry to say it would have mattered to Seth," Billie said.

  The old man cackled. "I knew the answer before I asked the question. I was testing you."

  Fanny turned around. "Testing us for what?"

  "Just testing. I test people all the time. Most times they don't measure up. You two, you measured up."

  Fanny wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted. It looked to her like Billie was of the same opinion. In the end, both women shrugged.

  There were no hugs, no embraces. Everyone shook hands with a promise to stay in touch.

  The plane ride home was spent looking at the albums and speculating about this newest branch of the family.

  "I think there's something out of kilter with that family. Don't ask me why I think that because I don't know," Billie said. "I didn't like him, that much I do know."

  "I more or less feel the same way. Maybe it was something he said and we both picked up on it but didn't know what it meant. It's one of those things that come to you later on. I walked away with that kind of feeling."

  "The people in the photographs look so, what's the word I'm looking for? Maybe austere? I didn't see one smile in any of the pictures. Kids always mug for the cameras at one time or another."

  "It's not our problem, Billie. We followed through, we did what we thought we had to do. If there's going to be a next move, they have to make it. Let's agree on that."

  "I agree. Now, tell me about Marcus Reed."

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  Marcus Reed stood back to view his handiwork. It was a tree house worthy of Architectural Digest. Maybe he should take pictures and send them to the magazine. Then again, maybe he shouldn't.

  He sat down on the stump of an old tree. Two more days to go on his self-imposed vacation. All he'd done for the past twelve days was eat, sleep, read, and take long walks, commune with nature. His biggest accomplishment was the tree house. Using the materials at hand had been his ultimate challenge, but he now had a two-room tree house, completely open in the front, with a deck of sorts and a sturdy ladder leading to his haven in the tree. Tonight he might sit in the tree house and watch the stars. Maybe he could get a fix on the lights he thought he saw in the distance this past week.

  Fanny had said no one knew about this place. To see lights, even at a distance, meant someone was close by. Someone who didn't belong here. Several times during the past days he'd thought he heard noises outside the house late at night, after he was in bed and the lights were out. He'd attributed the sounds to animals, but he slept with his revolver under his pillow.

  He longed for a telephone, a newspaper. He realized all he had to do was get in his car and drive for ten miles and both would be within his grasp but if he did that, his solitude would be broken. He'd enjoyed every minute he'd spent in this secluded place Fanny called a sanctuary. It was that and more. He realized he was going to hate to leave. Maybe it was time for him to cut back on his workload, time to make a life for himself. He could put down some roots in Vegas, which would allow him to be near Fanny Thornton.

  Two more days until his date with Fanny. Just the thought made him feel as giddy as a teenager.

  Two more days.

  Fanny listened to the message on her machine. "Fanny, it's Marcus. I'm at a gas station on the side of the road. I want to thank you for two of the best weeks of my life. I cleaned the house and locked up. I'll pick you up at eight this evening. We'll do the town, dinner, show, the whole bit."

  Fanny looked at her watch. She had time to go to the beauty parlor and get the works. She might even have time for a leisurely bubble bath. What to wear? How did one act on a real date? She supposed it would be awkward at first, Marcus doing his best to put her at ease while she tried to fight off her nervousness. And when the evening ended, what would he expect? The kiss was a given. Nothing more. Kisses led to other things. One kiss should be all right. This wasn't an assignation, for heaven's sake. She could handle this. She enjoyed Marcus's company. They were friends.

  Fanny looked at her watch again. Could she possibly be ready in five hours? She felt like she needed days. She called downstairs to the beauty shop to make an appointment and was told they could take her in an hour.

  Fanny was tossing her wardrobe onto the bed, trying desperately to make a decision, when the phone rang. Her voice was light, cheerful sounding when she said, "Hello."

  "It's Simon. I want to talk to you."

  "I don't want to talk to you, Simon. If you have something to say, you need to say it to your lawyer, who will then say it to my lawyer. I don't want you calling me here. I'll get an unlisted number if you don't stop calling." Fanny hung up the phone. It rang almost immediately. She let it ring until the answering machine picked up. She quickly pressed the erase button. Then she took the phone off the hook.

  The intercom in the foyer buzzed. "Mrs. Thornton, there's a message for you. Mr. Thornton wants you to call him at Sunrise."

  Fanny called Ash. "Is Simon there with you?"

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  "No, why?"

  "He just called here and I hung up on him. He called back. I took the phone off the hook. Is something wrong?"

  "No. Jake wants to talk to you."

  "How nice. Put him on."

  "Grandma Fanny, will you take me Christmas shopping?"

  "Of course. When would you like to go?"

  Fanny waited as Jake negotiated the dates with his grandfather. "Saturday. I have money."

  "How much do you have?"

  "Seven nickels and two paper monies. Is that enough?"

  "I think so."

  "Pop Pop says you have plastic."

  "He did, did he? Catch any fish lately?"

  "One big one like my finger. Wanna talk to Pop Pop?"

  "Okay."

  "He wants to buy presents for everyone," Ash said. "You better start warming up the plastic, Fanny. How's it going?"

  "Great. I have a date tonight. You know the kind, he's going to ring the doorbell and all that. We're doing the town."

  "You like that guy, don't you?"

  "Yes, I do. What did you think of him?"

  "He looked like a worthy successor if we discount Simon."

  "Ash!"

  "Fanny, you asked me a questi
on, and I gave you an answer. Tell the truth, you liked my answer, didn't you?"

  "Sort of. Are you managing okay, Ash? Is there anything I can do?"

  "Like what?"

  "Like anything. You will call if you need me?"

  "Fanny, you'll be the first one I call. What would you do if you didn't worry about everyone?"

  "Probably get into some kind of trouble."

  "There you go. Get into some trouble tonight. Forget about all of us and enjoy yourself."

  "You mean that, don't you, Ash?"

  "Hell yes. Hey, I looked through those albums from my

  new old uncle. You know what I noticed? No one fucking smiles in those pictures. Is that weird or what?"

  "Maybe they're a serious family, unlike some families I know."

  "I think I might like to meet them one of these days," Ash said.

  "I'll see if I can arrange it. They have their own plane. A Coleman. How do you like that? So what are you doing with yourself to pass the time since Sunny's been gone?"

  "I daydream. I fantasize. The usual. The kids take a lot of time. I spend a lot of time thinking about that night."

  "Oh yeah?"

  "Yeah. You really fried my ass that night."

  Fanny laughed.

  "Listen, Fanny, I want to ask you a question. Billie sent a couple of sets of those dolls up here for Jake and Polly and Chue's kids. Sunny has the originals in glass cases. My question is, should Jake be playing with dolls?"

  "Why not, Ash?"

  "That's girl stuff. He does seem to like Bernie better than Blossom. He gets such a kick out of seeing the commercials on television. Soon as he sees it he runs for the dolls. You must be paying some big bucks for the airtime."

  "What do you think of them, Ash?"

  "They're pretty damn clever is what I think."

  "Did you tell that to our daughter? If you didn't, maybe you should give some thought to calling her. She works sixteen hours a day, Ash. Compliments go a long way."