Steel raised his eyebrows. “Whew.”
Steve Logan shook his head. “Had the prettiest red hair.”
“They say she went to live with the Cherokees,” Billy finished. “But I think she just died.”
A silence hung over the table. Aja was looking down at a glass, brow furrowed.
“I take it the Tuckers aren’t popular around here,” said Steel finally.
“No sir,” said Billy. “That family’s got secrets, and we here in Boyd ain’t too fond of those. But you’re alright, son. And so is Carson, for all he’s funny as a three-legged hen.”
“Yep,” chuckled Dean, picking a splinter from his teeth. He’d chewed the ends off six matches by now; they made a neat little pile in front of him.
Billy eyed Steel speculatively. “Seems like you don’t know too much about the Tuckers.”
Steel shook his head. “I don’t like to pry.” He’d heard hardly anything about his mother’s childhood growing up in Boyd. She’d been a quiet woman, not one to live in the past.
“Ever wonder what happened to the Tucker bastards?” asked Steve, bushy brows raised. He was warming up to Steel.
“What happened?”
Billy laughed. “They disappeared. Packed up and hit the road. Only a couple are left now, but they stay low. No sense bringing up the past. And we treat each other fine, here in Boyd. It’s not like the old days.”
Dean shook his head. His voice was almost bitter. “That’s right.”
“How long has John Tucker been dead?” wondered Steel.
“Oh, he lived forever,” answered Dean. “Fatherin’ kids left and right. Died around eighty-eight?”
“Naw, eighty-five,” said Billy.
“Say,” said Steve, raising his voice, “Aja, didn’t your daddy work for old John?”
They all turned to look at Aja, who seemed startled. “No, “ she said softly. “That was Grandpa Buck.”
Billy shrugged, as if it was all the same to him.
Time crawled on. Soon it was nine-thirty. The bar closed at ten. The men talked for a little longer, but didn’t start up a new game.
“Well,” Billy said to Steel, placing both hands on the table-top and hoisting himself up. “Time to pack it in, boys.”
Steel watched them leave, and turned to Aja. He figured he should head back home, but he was reluctant to leave so soon. Steel wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Aja Robinson going home at this late hour, alone.
“Do you need help cleaning up? “ He asked.
Aja smiled. “No, I’m alright. “
Steel watched her move around the bar, straightening tables and chairs. She seemed to understand that he didn’t want to leave, and didn’t say anything when he resumed his seat at the bar. They held a companionable silence.
Aja swept, wiped the counters. Steel sat perched on the stool. It was strange, how deep this sudden attraction went. He was aware that he should probably leave- in a town this small, rumors travelled fast. Maybe Aja didn’t want any trouble over her name and reputation…
“You going to wait here all night? “ Aja laughed.
“No Ma’am,” said Steel, smiling. “I just like looking at you.”
Aja took her time locking up. “Then I guess you can walk me home.”
The night was cool and clear. Steel had never seen so many stars, twinkling in their seats. It was very peaceful, and the air coming down from the mountains had a tint of pine.
The darkness made Aja’s features even more prominent. He wondered what she was thinking.
Aja wasn’t sure how she felt about this handsome, tall stranger that in the space of a few hours she had developed such a powerful attraction to. On one hand, he seemed like a good man. He wasn’t from around Boyd, which was a huge plus- men around here knew too much, and talked too much, for her liking. On the other hand, was it worth getting involved with something that she wasn’t sure could last? She had no intentions of settling down with anyone from Boyd. And besides, he was a Tucker…
“What are you thinking?” She asked Steel.
“How pretty you look right now,” Said Steel. He wanted to bite his tongue off as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
She smiled. “Anything else? Maybe that you want to take me out for a drink?”
Steel was startled for a moment, but then he grinned. Aja thought his smile was dangerous; it did dangerous things to her. “Sounds good to me.”
The walk up the street was peaceful. Steel had parked a ways off. Again they came back to the fact that Aja couldn’t drive; Steel couldn’t believe it. In New York City, where he spent several years of his young adult life, hardly anyone knew how to drive. But that was New York! Steel couldn’t imagine living in such a small, closed-off place like Boyd with no form of escape.
He wondered how innocent Aja truly was- though she spoke easily enough to him, Steel could tell that she wasn’t completely comfortable around men. Did she go on dates? Were there any men in her life?
He was about to hedge his bets and ask, when flashing blue and red lights came streaking up the street, taking them by surprise. A white car pulled up in front of them, with “SHERIFF” in great blue letters plastered on the side. Steel looked at Aja, who looked nervous once she saw the car.
The door opened, and a tall, lanky man in uniform stepped out. Steel’s eye went immediately to the gun at his hip, a beautiful, shiny Colt .45. Not every run-of-the-mill police officer got one of those- they were expensive. He wore a cowboy hat, crisp blue shirt, and shiny black boots. A rabbit’s foot dangled from a keyring in his belt loop. The streetlamp threw the man’s features in sharp relief, and Steel was surprised to see that this could indeed have been his own brother. They had the same curly hair- though Steel’s was blonde, and a little longer. The Sheriff’s was chestnut. They had the same strong nose, and the same icy blue eyes. Steel knew that this had to be Sheriff Joe; and the fella had an attitude to match.
“Good evenin’ ,” said the Sheriff pleasantly, hooking his thumbs in his belt. “So it’s Aja Robinson. And the new Tucker boy. Thank you for your service, Sir,” he said to Steel, tipping his hat mockingly. Word had travelled fast throughout Boyd regarding Steel’s previous profession.
“You’re welcome,” Steel said. He immediately decided that he did not like this man.
The Sheriff smiled, and turned to Steel’s companion. “Aja, Aja, remember what we talked about the other day? About your responsibilities?”
Aja glared at him. “Yeah, I remember. Don’t do this right now Joe. Please.”
“Just reminding you what I said. If you can’t do the job, we can find plenty of people who can do it for you.” Joe smirked. He took a couple steps and opened the back of his car.
A tall black kid scrambled out. He was probably about fifteen. His hair was in dreads. He was followed immediately after by Drew Robinson. Both wore expressions of combined guilt and rage. Steel guessed that the older of the two must be Travis, the middle brother.
Aja gasped and pulled Drew close to her. “What the hell is going on?”
“Seems your, um, brothers took a little stroll on the Tucker property. Thought they’d get away with a little vandalism.” He pointed his night-stick at Travis.
“Did they actually do anything?” challenged Aja.
The Sheriff’s eyes flickered in annoyance. “Intent is still considered-“
“Are they under arrest?” Steel cut in, with obvious heat in his voice. He didn’t like the man’s tone. And he especially didn’t like the way he had handled these young boys. He was a man drunk on power, that much was abundantly clear, and Steel hated nothing more.
“Stay out of this,” The Sheriff snapped.
“This took place on my property, so it’s absolutely my concern. No, I will not be pressing charges on these kids, so you can let them go. No need to terrorize young boys over nothing.”
“It’s okay,” said Travis, trying to calm down Aja. “Drew went over there and I went to get him,
like you told me to.”
“I thought you were with your friends!” Aja cried. Concern had melted away; now she just looked livid.
“Those delinquents from over the county line?” Sheriff Joe sneered. “If I catch these brats around Boyd again, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Why don’t you leave us alone?” Aja snapped, rounding on him. “Haven’t you done enough to me?”
“It’s not my intent to cause you distress,” said the Sheriff, suddenly soothing and plaintive. The switch was so immediate it was sickening.
“Let’s go,” Travis muttered. “I’m sick of this shit.”
“You can leave now,” Steel informed the Sheriff.
Sheriff Joe never lost his smile. “Of course. Aja, do a better job watching those boys. That old lunatic isn’t going to do it. You don’t want me to make a call to social services.”
“Are you threatening me?” Aja took a step towards him, fists curled.
“Hang on,” said Steel, stepping in front of her. “What were you doing at my property in the first place?”
The Sheriff blinked, then said in a condescending tone, “Making my rounds of course. It’s my job to keep this county safe from thugs.”
“You can make it safer by not targeting children,” Steel snapped, authority crackling in his voice.
The thought of a man like this talking down to him made his blood boil. The sight of Aja’s face, and little Drew’s drawn expression, made him feel crazy.
Aja hung her head as Joe drove away. “God damn it,” she muttered.
“Sis-“ began Travis. Aja put up a hand. “Not now. Take Drew home, okay?”
“I can give them a ride,” Steel offered.
“No,” said Aja firmly. “Let them walk. It’s not too far.”
The two boys slunk off up the road. Aja took a deep breath as she watched them. She was obviously in distress. Steel watched as her features changed, as she carefully constructed a mask to hide her emotions. It was a talent he only knew women to possess; concealing the worst of themselves to put on a pleasant face for others.
“It’s difficult, isn’t it?” said Steel. He pulled out a cigarette. “Trying to hold it all together.”
“Tell me about it,” Aja muttered. She watched him light it. Aja didn’t smoke, but almost everyone in Boyd did. She supposed it was a better habit than chewing tobacco, which everyone in Boyd also did. To her surprise, she found the way he pulled in the smoke, and the way it spread out from his mouth, the quick little breath he took to pull it deep into his lungs, almost appealing. In fact, there were a lot of things about this man that she found appealing, against her better judgement.
“Would you like one?” Steel offered.
“No thanks,” she said.
“Do you mind if I do?”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
They continued their walk. “I guess I should have walked back with them,” she said. “But I know Joe. He just likes to scare me some. He won’t really do anything.”
She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as Steel.
“You sure about that?”
She nodded. “Oh yes.”
“He’s a hopped-up bully,” said Steel. “I bet he’s not too popular around here.”
Aja snorted. “That’s where you’re wrong. Joe’s a favorite around here. Boyd likes to think he’s some kind of hero. He protects the town from outsiders. He protects the town from itself. Or so they think.”
“So he just picks on your family?” Steel was beginning to see a rather nasty side to this sleepy southern town.
“That’s right,” said Aja.
“Why don’t you do something?”
Aja looked at him. “Seriously?”
“You can’t let him go after your brothers like that. Today he’s putting them in the back of the car. Tomorrow he’s giving them beatings. Bullies always escalate.”
“Well, if you know so much about it,” Aja snapped. “Tell me what I should do? I hold down whatever job I can get in this town. I keep them fed and in school- as much as I can, anyway. I can’t do it all, and no one’s out to help me, as far as I can tell.”
“You’d be better off finding work outside Boyd.”
“I can’t drive,” Aja said helplessly. “Grampa used to take me out to Washitaw. But then his mind started going, and it wasn’t safe for him behind a wheel. I’m trapped here.”
Steel felt the distress radiating off her, though her voice never raised or lowered. She was so matter-of-fact about it all. In his own mind, he saw the solution present itself as clear as day.
“Well. I’m not doing much around here,” he began. “I could drive you wherever you need to go. Hell, I could teach you how to drive.”
Aja’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe it. “Seriously?”
“Sure. You got a permit?”
Aja rifled through her pockets, pulling out a battered wallet. She flicked through it. “Aha!” she cried triumphantly, holding up the small white plastic ID. “I sure do.”
Steel grinned. He slipped his arm around her waist, and to his surprise, she naturally drew in next to him. Her smell was intoxicating, like cocoa and brown sugar and vanilla. Maybe it was something she used in her hair?
“Tell you what,” he said. “Your first lesson is tonight.”
Aja had no idea where this man had come from, but she was sure glad she’d met him. The thought of driving at night made her only a little nervous, but she felt safe and protected with Steel Gray. It was a strange feeling.
“Will it be OK? Driving- in this dark?”
“Sure. We can chase down that Sheriff if you want,” he laughed. “And to be honest, I’m a little drunk.”
Aja grinned. “Naw, you ain’t.”
He laughed. “OK, maybe not. But still.” He rested his hand just above the curve of her ass, stroking her lower back. It was so good to touch her, after watching her all night. She kept her arm modestly curled around his waist.
He wondered if it was too early to pull her into the shadow of the roadside, and taste those beautiful full lips too.
“You’re trouble for me,” Aja said finally, as they came upon the parking lot.
“Naw, I ain’t,” he said playfully, mimicking her country drawl. Truth be told, the whiskey, and the good conversation, had put him in a very good mood, and heated his blood just a little. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman.
The streetlamp in the parking lot flickered- it had been needing a new bulb for months, but things moved slow around here. Steel wondered about the Robinson brothers, walking home by themselves.
“I know you’re thinking about my brothers,” said Aja, watching him glance up the road. “But I promise they’ll be alright.”
“I know,” Steel smiled. “You’re a good sister.”
***
Steel’s truck was red, and large. It was exactly the kind some wealthier kids of Boyd would drive- the Quesenberrys and the Logans, those kinds of folk. And it looked new.
Aja was a little stressed from the incident with Travis and Drew, but that sort of thing had become so commonplace she could hardly work herself up over it. She’d become numb to Sheriff Joe’s antics for her attention, and it was only worry over how these things would affect the boys themselves that kept her up at night. How was constantly being targeted and painted as “criminals” affecting their self-esteem? Joe paid almost no attention to the other kids around Boyd- just Aja’s family. If it wasn’t Drew, it was Travis. If it wasn’t Travis, it was Drew. Occasionally it was the both of them. They hadn’t grown up with the love of their parents, like Aja and Daniel had. She had to set an example for them.
The first time the Sheriff had pulled the boys up in front of her, Aja had been terrified. She had been younger then, so it was mostly Travis and Daniel getting into trouble- although Daniel had always been more interested in his books than following Travis’s harebrained schemes. Drew was still a little kid then.
&n
bsp; Aja loved her brothers fiercely. And she worried about them all the time.
Steel tossed her the keys and climbed into the passenger’s seat. Aja smiled. She knew she’d have a protector in Steel. Apart from the fact that he obviously liked her- a fact she still didn’t know how to deal with- he seemed like a good man. The way he had stood up to Joe- well, she’d never seen anyone do that. It was because he wasn’t from around here; no one in Boyd would have dared.
Ride A Cowboy: Romance Novel Page 3
