by AJ Attard
Nora nodded, "Right then, Monteque," she said giving Lexi a moment to compose herself, "He bought the old Carmichael place," she said, adopting a tone that was purely factual, giving away nothing but an uncharacteristic detachment, "It was kind of sudden, we all had no idea they were thinking of selling. I mean Ben Carmichael was getting older but not that old," Nora said, anger starting to creep into her voice, "but there you had it, the Carmichaels were gone and we had Peter, who was as charming as he could be, although something never sat right with me from the beginning," Nora said as a side bar.
Lexi nodded, acknowledging those same feelings in her instincts, "Something more must have happened though," she pressed, "I've never seen Luke take the first swing at someone," she said thoughtfully.
"More did happen," Nora said, a half smile interrupting the seriousness for a moment, "By the way that was something back there, you and Luke," she winked knowingly at her daughter and Lexi squirmed uneasily in her seat.
"We're talking about Peter Monteque," Lexi protested, "not me and Luke."
"Of course," Nora acquiesced but a large grin had taken residence on her face, causing gentle wrinkles to crease her eyes and the corners of her mouth.
"Mom!" Lexi complained, feeling for a moment like a teenager again and fighting the urge to cross her arms over her chest and stomp her foot. Although, to be honest, she wasn't sure who she was more frustrated with, her mother for catching her reaction to Luke or herself for reacting.
"Monteque, who by the way was telling everyone he was independently wealthy, just dabbled in real estate and was now looking for a place to settle down and start a life. He began buying up the land around town, sometimes under very shady circumstances. He even went after Sandy’s place but she chased him off the property by turning that big hunting dog of hers loose on him. Needless to say he doesn’t get along well with Sandy, or Marci for that matter,” Nora said with a half smile.
"What do you mean shady circumstances?" Lexi asked, still trying to push the thought of Luke from her mind.
"Well, like the Smiths," Nora said her tone tightening with her grip as another gust of wind shook the truck and the first, fat drops of rain plopped onto the windshield. "They've been here longer than us," she said, peering up at the now dark sky as she did so, "No one thought they would ever sell. They have generations of history here," Nora frowned, a tempest of emotion crossing her face that rivaled the storm brewing outside, "Peter started dating the granddaughter, Emily. Do you remember her? Little redheaded thing?" Nora asked flicking a glance in Lexi's direction before focusing again on the road.
"I think so," Lexi responded, "she was a few years younger than me, but if I remember correctly, a real sweet girl. She was a heck of a rider," Lexi added remembering red braids and a fast quarter horse pony, "She had that buckskin," she smiled now that she had placed the girl.
"Leave it to you to remember the horse," Nora shook her head in amusement and Lexi grinned sheepishly in response.
"That was a great little horse," she said in mock self defense, "they were champions if I remember correctly."
Nora laughed in spite of the seriousness of their conversation. "Yes, they were 4-H champions. You and your horses," she said in amusement before proceeding with the conversation, "Emily, besides being 4-H champ and having a buckskin,"she shot Lexi a look, "was a good girl. She worked the ranch, did well in school, wanted to be a vet and come back to town and work here in our community. Her life was here where generations of her family had lived and worked, here at home."
Lexi immediately caught the shift in her mother's tone, "Was?" She asked, "What do you mean was?" Dread filled Lexi's heart and she found herself suddenly wishing Nora wouldn't finish her story.
"Peter had bought several parcels of land around town, mostly from people who were struggling in this economy," Nora's obvious disgust at Monteque capitalizing on the misfortune of others was written all over her face. Her mouth was pursed as if she had sucked a lemon and her eyes narrowed dangerously. The storm was going full force now and she had slowed their speed to accommodate the lack of visibility, "The deals had been quiet but with each one we all became more and more wary of him. Peter even approached us about selling but Dad told him hell would freeze over first, that he was born on our ranch and would die there," she gave Lexi a smile, "You know your grandpa, he knows his mind." she shrugged, "Anyway, Peter said he admired Dad, although I rather think he really was annoyed we wouldn't sell up. Peter then started sporting Emily around. They went to dances, church socials; he hosted a barbeque out at his place and had her with him, that kind of thing. Now, Emily had never been much for dating. To be honest, I can't remember her ever going out with anyone but the Seevers boy until Peter. The Smiths were worried and even came to talk to Dad about it but what can you do with a girl dead set on a man?"
"Sometimes it turns out okay," Lexi said defensively, "I mean look at me," she said pointedly, yet she couldn't help but squirm again in her seat.
"Yeah, that turned out great," Nora snorted, "Your husband gets killed fishing in Alaska after you all haven't been in civilization for how many years? Yep, that worked out perfectly," Nora said.
Lexi frowned, "That's not exactly how it happened," she protested, "but nonetheless we are talking about Emily Smith," she informed her mother firmly.
"Hey," Nora told her, accelerating a bit as the rain slackened and the skies started to lighten up, "You were the one that brought it up," she pointed out, "Back to Peter though, he began encouraging Emily to talk to her family about selling him their land. He really romanced her, working on getting that prime parcel of land."
"What happened?" Lexi asked, the feeling of dread again gripping her heart.
"The inevitable," Nora said with a heavy sigh, "When it became evident the Smiths were not interested in selling he lost interest in Emily and found someone else more lucrative. The problem was," Nora's words hung heavy with sadness, dripping in the air like the last few raindrops of the storm, "By that time Emily was pregnant, heartbroken, and disgraced, even though this isn’t the 1950’s anymore. She was a good girl and felt she had messed things up beyond repair. She hung herself in the barn a week later. It broke the Smith family's heart," Nora swiped away a tear and shook her head, waited for her voice to become steady again, "The family couldn't go on living there after that and they sold the ranch. The people they sold to flipped the ranch to Peter Monteque so coincidentally he ended up with it anyway."
Lexi thought her heart would break in her chest, "No wonder," Lexi breathed, " No wonder everyone reacted the way they did."
Nora nodded, slowing to turn into the driveway, "He has been at everyone for their land, the Hendersons included, hence Luke's attitude. Peter tried to go for his sister, break up her engagement, but Luke kept it from happening, somehow," Nora added thoughtfully, "She got married last spring," Nora smiled, "Has a little one on the way now. In the meantime Peter just keeps working his deals and smiling like he is the best thing to ever happen to this town."
"That certainly explains a lot," Lexi admitted shaking her head, "I thought what we'd been through was tough," she said, "The poor Smiths."
Nora nodded thoughtfully, "Speaking of what you all have been through," she began just as they pulled up to the house. Jake came barreling out of the barn, a big grin stretched ear to ear across his face, "I guess we'll talk about it later," Nora said softly as she and Lexi stepped out of the truck.
"Mom! Grandma! Guess what?" he asked practically dancing a circle around them in his excitement.
Lexi couldn't help but smile back. It had been so long since she had seen Jake smiling
Iike that, or at all to be honest, "What?" she queried with a giggle, Jake's excitement was contagious and she could barely keep from joining in his prancing about.
"Grandpa and I went fishing and we were caught in the rain and the truck got stuck and Twinkie jumped in the water," the words came out in a tidal wave of enthusiasm and both Lexi and Nora be
gan to laugh as Jake continued his high energy monologue of the guys' adventure while the women had been in town, "best of all," Jake said, finally taking a deep breath, "We caught enough fish for dinner tonight!" He beamed at them like he was the proudest boy in the whole world.
"Wow!" Lexi exclaimed, "Really?" she reached out and wrapped her son in a big bear hug, "Way to go, sSugar!" she said, "I'm proud of you guys!"
"Easy, Mom," Jake said with a sheepish grin but he hugged her back regardless, "We just finished cleaning them and Grandpa put them in buttermilk for later," he smiled, "They should be as good as Alaska fish Grandpa said when he was done with them!"
"Well if Grandpa said that I'm sure he's right," Lexi said ruffling Jake's hair and marveling at how much he had grown up in such a short time. She was glad to see there was still a kid in there as well. She was especially glad that he and her grandfather were bonding. Jake needed someone to confide in and be close to other than her and Grandpa was the perfect person.
As if on cue, Clyde appeared around the corner of the barn wiping his hands on a rag, a half smile creasing his weathered face. He still walked with long strided purpose and Lexi smiled thinking of how many times she had trotted next to him as a child, her short legs pumping madly to keep up with his long, even steps.
"Hello, girls," he greeted his daughter and granddaughter warmly, pushing the rag into the back pocket of his overalls and giving each of them a hug, "Did Jake tell you about our afternoon?" he asked shooting Jake a wink that suggested they may have gotten into more trouble than even Jake let on.
"He did," Lexi assured him, "Sounds like you all had a good time," she said, leaning her head against Clyde's shoulder and giving him a squeeze.
"We did," he answered, a note of contentment, pure and simple, threaded through his words and Lexi exhaled, smiling to herself. Things may be alright after all, she thought, soaking up the moment, "Let's unpack the truck," Clyde suggested, interrupting her reverie, "so we can get that fish cooking. You all can tell us about your trip to town while we work," he added with a tone that implied he knew there was plenty to tell.
They unpacked the supplies for the barn and animals first, taking the time to do evening feeding while they were at it before heading up to the house to get cleaned up and start dinner. In between tasks, Nora and Lexi had filled Clyde in on what all had happened on their trip to town. Clyde remained silent through their recitation, the only change of expression coming when they spoke about the feed store.
"I would have liked to see Luke deck him," Clyde admitted, filling a glass with lemonade and resuming cutting up some fresh tomatoes.
"Grandpa!" Lexi exclaimed, trying to hide the smile on her face as she mixed cornmeal and spices in a bowl.
"Well," Clyde shrugged, "Monteque deserves it and Luke deserves to give it to him," he said matter of factly.
"Oh and by the way, that reminds me, Luke said he would be by tomorrow to help with the fence," Lexi added, keeping her eyes on the fish she was rolling in corn meal then dropping into hot oil, as she felt a flush start to grow up her cheeks.
Clyde raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Nora who merely shook her head and bit down on her lip to keep from commenting, "Did he now?" Clyde said, a touch of amusement dancing on his words, "That's mighty kind of him," he said, delight sparkling in his wise green eyes, a chuckle vibrating in the air around them.
Lexi shook her head in mock exasperation, "You're as bad as Mom and Marci!" she said with an exaggerated sigh, "What am I going to do with you all?"
***
“So she ventured into town today, did she?” He asked his companion, his tone frigidly bemused, “What a brave girl she is,” he laughed, the sound echoing into the darkness, the now empty front porch seeming to drop off into the infinity of night as if it dropped off the edge of the Earth.
The other companion shifted uncomfortably, rising from a seated position, his footfalls reverberating on the wood floor of the porch as he paced back and forth. His mouth opened to answer but no words chose to come. He closed it again knowing no words were better than the wrong ones. Just then another person arrived their shape slowly taking form in the shadows of the night. He found himself thankful for the diversion and moved back to his chair, ensconcing himself deeply into its hard depths.
“Glad you could join us,” the first man greeted the newcomer who only nodded in response, climbing the three steps from the ground to the porch slowly and wearily. The evening had taken on a chill that was almost as ominous as the moon slipped behind some clouds and what little light the night had held evaporated into a dream.
“What is it you want from me?” the newcomer asked contemptuously, shrugging deeper into the heavy jacket and tightly pulling the collar up.
“Funny you should ask,” The first man said turning to fully face the late arrival, “I do have a task that requires your attention.”
Chapter 8
The first tendrils of an early summer curled through the warm morning air, hinting at heat to come but for now content to luxuriate in a glorious new day, pleasing in temperature. Lexi leaned over the stall door giving Red a rub as he munched his breakfast with noisy exuberance and slobbered grain cheerfully from his bowl as he swung his face around to look at her. She smiled at him and gave him another pat, closing her eyes momentarily and enjoying the sounds of happy horses.
"While Luke is here we should get him out and start on him," Clyde's voice pulled Lexi's mind back from her moment of peaceful stillness, "The sooner we start the better off we'll all be, him included," Clyde came to stand next to Lexi and admire the big colt, "He's a good looking horse," he told her, though he seemed to be talking more to Red than her, "Big, strong, smart," he too reached out a work hardened hand to give the horse's neck an affectionate rub," He's a keeper for sure."
"I think so," Lexi agreed as Jake came strolling up covered in an indeterminable amount of dirt and smiling broadly, eyes shining brightly.
"My heaven, son," Lexi said ruffling his hair and sending pieces of hay cascading to the ground, "What in the world have you been doing?" she asked with a laugh.
"Morning chores," he answered, looking at her with the delight of a boy covered in grime of his own doing, "Grandpa gave me the haying to do," he said proudly, "and we've already been out to check the cows."
Lexi nodded appreciatively, "Pretty impressive, kiddo," she said, "How about some breakfast now?"
"Yes ma'am!" Jake exclaimed causing Red to snap his head up and flick his ears forward anxiously, "Sorry, boy," Jake told him before bounding off toward the house and the bountiful breakfast Nora was cooking at that very moment.
"He's a good boy too," Clyde said as he and Lexi followed in the boy's wake, smiling appreciatively as his great grandson stopped to rub Twinkie’s ears and then urging her to follow him to breakfast, "He didn't blink at doing chores before breakfast or at anything I gave him to do and he's good with the animals too. You've done good, hon," he told Lexi as they crossed the gravel driveway, "I know it hasn't been easy but you've done a good job. I'm proud of you and him."
Lexi felt tears spring to her eyes, her lashes suddenly heavy with unshed tears, "Thanks Grandpa,” she said slipping her arm through his and falling into step beside him. They ambled arm and arm around the corner of the house and had just stepped up onto the big porch when a cloud of dust at the end of the driveway signaled the arrival of an early morning visitor. As this was a ranching and farming community it was not uncommon for people to be up early, but even for this community it was early for a visitor to drop by. Lexi and Clyde stood side by side on the porch, waiting expectantly for the vehicle to appear in the swirl of dust and dirt and their guest to be revealed. Nora joined them on the porch, wiping her hands on her apron, the tantalizing smell of homemade biscuits wafting out the door behind her.
"Jake is washing up," she said absently as she came to a halt next to her father and daughter, "Who is visiting at this hour?" she wondered aloud, worry creeping into her
voice and giving voice to the concern that stirred in all their minds. What had happened that someone was here so early was the question that hung in the air as the cloud of dust suddenly parted and a giant, black truck appeared as if by magic from the thickness of the dust.
"Damn," Nora muttered shaking her head, a frown pulling her usually cheerful face downward darkly.
"What?" Lexi asked, watching as the truck slowed the closer it got to the house. As it reached the last curve before reaching the house a well-manicured hand stretched from the driver's side window in a wave reminiscent of a beauty queen at a pageant.
"Peter Monteque is here," Clyde said with a heavy sigh, "Better go see what the horse's hind end wants now."
"You go right ahead," Nora snorted contemptuously, "I have breakfast to tend to," she said firmly, before adding sharply, "Don't be long, the food will get cold," and with that she was gone, disappeared in the depths of the big farm house without so much as a look back.
