“They have warning lights and sirens in the middle of the wilderness? Does oil flood down the road or what?”
Casey yanked off her cowboy hat. Her thick black bangs dropped to her eyes like a curtain. “I think this is a gas field.”
“Are there refineries around here?”
“Natural gas.” Casey shoved her hat back on. Her thick black braid drooped almost to her waist. “If it blows out in the atmosphere, it can settle down like invisible fog and ah, well … I reckon at that point it becomes a weapon of mass destruction.”
Develyn took a deep breath. “Are we allowed in here?”
“As long as the lights aren’t flashing.” Casey took her arm and led her back to the truck.
Develyn glanced back over her shoulder. “Have you ever seen them flash?”
“I’ve never even heard of them flashing. I think it’s one of those worst-case scenarios the government dreams up. These companies aren’t going to let a squirt of that gas escape. It’s their income.”
They crested a rise and dusted their way down the draw when Develyn heard a buzz. When she jerked her head back, her hat tumbled into her lap. “What was that? Is that the gas alarm?”
Casey waved her long black braid like a pointer. “It’s your cell phone, Ms. Worrel. Relax, girl. What’s the matter with you?”
“I didn’t think we’d get reception out here.”
“Yet, you bought your cell anyway.”
Develyn fumbled for her phone. “I hope it’s not Quint.”
“So that’s it. Is that why you are uptight? There’s something you don’t want to tell him. Hmm,” Casey grinned. “What was in that note? I reckon a gas field disaster is the last of your worries.”
Develyn pressed the cell phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Devy-girl. You riding the range today?”
“Lily! I’m glad it’s you.”
“It’s nice to be welcomed.”
Casey leaned across the bouncing pickup and hollered. “Hey, Lil’ … you marry that lawyer yet?”
“Is that Casey?” Lily asked.
Develyn cleared the dust out of her throat. “Oh, yes.”
“Tell her I’m not close to being married, but I do have a date tonight.”
“Where are you off to?”
“An Alan Jackson concert in Indy.”
“You are kidding. Without me?”
“Dev, you ran off to Wyoming to chase cowboys.”
“I did not.”
“Where are you right now?”
“In the middle of a natural gas field in Casey’s pickup headed for Sage Canyon.”
“What’s at Sage Canyon?”
“I don’t know. It’s a secret.”
“Whose secret? Your Quint’s?”
Develyn lurched forward when Cree-Ryder hit the brakes to avoid a male pheasant that winged his way across the dirt roadway. “No, it’s Casey’s secret. Where are you, Ms. Martin?”
“Doing yard duty at Riverbend Elementary. You do remember that you are a teacher here?”
“How’s summer school this week?”
“Besides Dougie Baxter stuffing towels in the toilet and flooding the hallway again?”
The truck hit a pothole and tossed Develyn to the ceiling and back. “Yes, besides that.”
“Quiet. Of course, Tiffanee Percy is missing Ms. Worrell.”
“She’s a cutie.”
“She’s cuter now, with her hair cut short … just like Ms. Worrell.”
“Oh, dear. I hope that’s OK with her mother.”
“Mom thinks it’s wonderful. It’s her daddy who pines over losing that waist-length hair. You know men and long hair, even on their daughters.” Lily laughed. “What am I saying? All those cowboys love your short hair.”
“Tell Tiffanee ‘howdy’ for me. Tell her to finish reading Anna Karenina by the first of August.”
“She reads Tolstoy?”
“Lily, that girl reads everything in print. Long Russian novels keep her occupied and away from the short, trashy ones.”
“Honey, I’ve got to get back to class in a minute, but I need to talk to you about something.”
Develyn sat up and stared out the open window. “What’s happening in Crawfordsville?”
“It’s Dee.”
Develyn’s stomach felt wrung out like a wet rag. “What’s my prodigal daughter doing?”
“Dev, she’s OK. She’s been working backup at the Beef Haus. Maybe it’s nothing. Listen, I might be out of line, but I have to tell you.”
“I’m dying, Lil, what is it?” Develyn rubbed her temples with her fingertips.
“Honey, I’ve seen Delaney three mornings in the last week, and she’s been sick every time.”
“Sick?”
“Says she has the flu, but July in Indiana isn’t the flu season.”
Develyn stared out the window at the passing sage. Lord, this would be a very good time to have peace that passes all understanding. “She told me she isn’t pregnant, if that’s what you’re hinting.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Look, girls make mistakes; we know that. I just wanted you to know. Maybe the subject will come up. You could say ‘Lily told me you had the flu’ and let her take it from there. Honey, I’ll do whatever you want. I just had to say something.”
“Thanks, Lil. You are a priceless friend. I’ll check with Dee.”
“Sure, Devy-girl. Let me know. I’ll stop by and check on your cats or something this evening. Maybe I’ll learn more.”
“Before or after the concert?”
“Oh, yes, before the concert. I suppose my evening is rather busy. Oops, there’s the bell, and Timmy O. just kicked the soccer ball off Jennifer Carnine’s head.”
“Heaven help Timmy!”
“I wish you were here, Ms. Worrel. Bye, honey.”
“I bet you do. Bye, sweetie.”
Develyn folded the phone and tucked it in her jeans pocket.
“And?” Casey prodded.
“Oh, summer school is summer school. All the normal things,” Dev murmured.
“That’s not what I’m asking. Is Delaney sick or pregnant or both?”
“She’s not pregnant,” Develyn snapped.
Casey stared out the front window. “You want me to change the subject?”
“What I want is a simple life,” Develyn snapped. She leaned back against the pickup seat. “I’m sorry, Casey. That came out wrong. But there are some days I so envy you.”
“You envy me? Which part? The part about being a Native American, Irish, Mexican, African-American mixed-breed? Or is it that I have no family? Maybe you are envious of the fact that unless there is another immaculate conception, there is no way I could be pregnant.”
Develyn watched the distant rim of mountains to the north. “I’m sorry, Casey. I love your singleness of focus. You work with your horses and you enjoy it. That is what I envy.”
“Oh, good, for a minute I thought you were jealous of my long black braid.” A grin broke across Casey’s round face.
“Do you know what I envy most? You make quick decisions. I let things eat away at me for days and weeks and years, and never decide anything in a hurry.”
“You decided to spend the summer in Wyoming rather quick.”
“Yes, and it turned out to be a great thing. That’s my point.”
Casey slowed down to turn. “But you still have hassles.”
“Yes, but they are my fault.” Develyn held on to the armrest as the truck and horse trailer lurched forward. “Are you sure this is a road?”
“I didn’t say it was a road. It’s just the way to get to where we’re going.”
“You see, I would still be parked back there wondering which way to turn. I need to make quicker decisions.”
“Are you talking about Delaney … o
r Quint … or the trail to Sage Canyon?”
“Yeah,” Develyn mumbled.
“Yeah, what? You aren’t talking about your daughter now, are you?”
“I won’t know anything until I talk to Dee,” Develyn said. “So I suppose I’m thinking of my uncertainty over Quint Burdett.”
“The mysterious note?”
Develyn flattened the wadded note on the leg of her jeans, and handed it to Casey.
“Are you sure you want me to read it?”
“I’m not even sure I wanted to read it.”
Develyn waited several moments as they continued to bounce down the rutted dirt path.
Casey flipped her toothpick over with her tongue, then cleared her throat. “OK, what have you decided? Are you going with Quint to Powell?”
Develyn traced a question mark in the dust on the dashboard. “I wish I knew. Miss Cree-Ryder, what would you do?”
“Do you want to know what I would do if it were me? Or what I think Ms. Develyn Gail Upton Worrell should do?”
“Both.”
The rutted trail ended. Casey drove across untracked prairie, then stopped in a clearing in the sage. “Here’s where we unload.”
“How can you tell? It looks like no one has been out here since the days of the Oregon Trail.”
“That’s what I love about Wyoming. It’s still a wilderness.” Casey shoved open her door as if expecting it to stick.
“You didn’t answer my question. What would you do about the trip to Powell?”
“Dev, I need to ponder how to say some things. Give me a little time. I don’t want you to shoot me if I blurt it out wrong.”
“I won’t shoot you.” Develyn climbed out of the truck. “I didn’t even bring a gun.”
“I did.”
* * *
My Maria followed Uncle Henry out of the trailer. With both horses saddled, they rode west off the embankment, down into a dry creek bed and into a stiff wind. Cree-Ryder yanked her battered felt cowboy hat down low in the front so that her braid swished in unison with her horse’s tail. Develyn followed, but My Maria twitched her head often and needed a constant kick to keep up the pace. Uncle Henry trailed along behind, never losing sight of the others.
Devy-girl, you ran, but you couldn’t hide. You’re in the middle of Wyoming, but you still have decisions to make. Choices to eliminate. A daughter to understand. Lord, I hope that Delaney isn’t pregnant. But I don’t know if that is for my sake or hers. If she has sinned, she must confess it and I know you will forgive. I know this is wrong, but if she is pregnant, it will provide everyone more ammunition to say what a failure I am as a mother. Perhaps I am a failure and refuse to admit it.
Should I have shrugged off Spencer’s infidelity? Then, at least, Dee would have been happy. Would he have died anyway? Would I be the rock-solid widow who hung in there to the end? The martyr? I couldn’t, Lord. You know I couldn’t. I needed more faith, I suppose. That was one time I acted quickly.
“You got it figured out yet?” Casey called back.
“Look,” Develyn pointed to the north. “Antelope.”
“We’ve passed several hundred pronghorn antelope this morning. Are you changing the subject?”
“I’m refocusing.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m tired of reliving the past. I’m going to live this day to the fullest.”
“Good. Are you going to live tonight to the fullest too? And where will you be?”
“That’s tonight, honey. I don’t even know where I’ll be an hour from now. My whole life is a surprise, a mystery. Come on, my beautiful bronze friend. Let’s race to that lone cedar over there.”
“It’s not a cedar; it’s a pinon pine.”
“So much the better.” Develyn kicked her heels into My Maria’s side. They bolted up the incline. By the time they reached the rounded peak, the paint horse was at a gallop. The saddle slapped into Develyn’s back side, and she transferred most of the weight to her knees.
She felt the stiffness in her neck relax as she gulped in the dry prairie air. This is it, Lord. This is what I need. I don’t want to make life-changing decisions. Not for me. Not for Delaney. You created this day, and I want to enjoy it. I want to catch every sound … wonder at every sight … and feel every bruise! Take care of me, Lord, because I’m doing a poor job of it myself.
She reined up next to the scrubby little tree that was the only object taller than sagebrush on the horizon.
“I win!” she shouted as Casey rode up.
“You have the fastest horse. You didn’t fall off this time.”
“Yes, isn’t that amazing?” Develyn gazed across the broad valley that stretched before them. “What’s on the horizon?”
“The rimrock at Sage Canyon.”
“We’re almost there?”
“Don’t let clean air fool you. It will take two more hours.”
“Not if we race.”
“You can’t run horses all day, Devy-girl. These two need some walking in between. Are you in a hurry to turn back to the rig?”
“Nope. I was contemplating staying out here forever. No one could find me that way.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Eh, no, not really.” The wind stiffened. Develyn tugged her hat down lower in the front.
“Come on, then …” Casey led the way off the hill.
Develyn pointed to the west. “Is that a river down there?”
“A creek, not a river.”
“What’s it called?”
Popcorn stumbled, but Casey kicked his flanks. The Appaloosa bolted ahead. “I think Parker Creek. Maybe it’s Crazy Woman Creek … Parker empties into it somewhere along here.”
“Crazy Woman Creek? Is that why you brought me here?” Develyn laughed.
“No, I’m taking you to Sage Canyon.”
Develyn rode up alongside Casey. “I love the name. I wonder if you lived here, would your address be Crazy Woman Creek, Wyoming? It wouldn’t surprise my mother at all.”
“You thinkin’ of buildin’ in here?”
They loped down the rolling prairie. “No, but look around. What do you see, Casey?”
“Absolutely nothing. No people, no cattle, no fences, no oil pipe, no houses … nothing.”
“Yes, isn’t it wonderful?” Develyn said. “No kid next door repairing his motorcycle. No meetings to attend at school every night. No garden club to impress with your flower bed. No sixteen-year-olds racing up and down the street. No twenty-year-old clerk at Target trying to hit on you. No traffic jams. It must be a wonderful feeling. Do you think this is the way Adam and Eve felt?”
Casey kicked Popcorn and picked up the speed. “I reckon they felt better than this, honey. Being naked in a lush garden with the man the Lord created for you sounds a whole lot better. Nothin’ personal, of course. I enjoy your company.”
Develyn’s hand flew up over her mouth. She started laughing. “Yes! You are right again, Miss Cree-Ryder. You do have a way with words.”
“What you mean is, I just blurt out what’s in my mind without worrying about what others will think of me.”
Develyn galloped up alongside Casey. “Yes, I suppose that’s right. I wish I could be that way more.”
“Yes, and then, maybe, you could have what I have. Wouldn’t that be swell? A five-year lease on 160 acres of ground, twelve horses, an old pickup, two horse trailers, one of which has a camper that serves as my home. Oh, boy, Ms. Worrell … if you could only have what I have.”
“Casey, what would you like to change in your life? I mean, you complain about all of that, yet it seems like you enjoy life.”
“You know what, Dev? Meeting you and being your friend this summer is one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
“Casey, that’s a wonderful thing to say.”
“But it’s also
made me unhappy with my life.”
“Oh, dear.”
“No, it’s a good thing. I just realize that I’m ready for more.”
“You mean find a husband, start a family … get a regular job and all of that?”
“Yeah, but nothing too routine,” Casey grinned. “Let’s face it, Dev … the man who marries Casey Cree-Ryder will be a brave man, indeed.”
“And a fortunate one.”
Casey reined up and faced Develyn. “Why do you say that?”
“Sweet Casey, you are the most loyal person I’ve ever met. You give everything to a relationship. You will make some lucky cowboy feel like he’s king of the world.”
“Wow, this is so cool.” Casey cantered on down the slope. “Keep goin’, you’re on a roll. Tell me how wonderful I am, even if it’s a stretcher.”
Develyn laughed and rode up to the edge of the shallow, narrow creek. “I love it, Casey. You always say what’s in my mind. Let’s see how good you are at guessing. What’s in my mind right now?”
“You want to pull off your shoes and soak your feet in the water.”
“Close.”
“I know, I know … you want to slosh around in the creek barefoot so you can feel the mud squish between your toes!”
“See … you do know what I’m thinking.”
“If you plan on going to Powell with your Quint, we’d better make this a short stop.”
Develyn slid down off My Maria and tied her to the stump of a dead cottonwood. She sat on the stump and pulled off her tennis shoes and white cotton socks.
Uncle Henry splashed out into the six-inch-deep creek.
Casey unbuttoned her jeans.
“What are you doing?” Develyn challenged.
“I don’t want to get my Wranglers wet.”
“But it’s only a few inches deep. We can roll up our jeans.”
“Not, me, Devy-girl.” Cree-Ryder let her jeans drop to the dirt.
Develyn stiffened her back. “I am not wandering around in my underwear, no matter how remote we are.”
“Neither am I.” Casey tugged up her long T-shirt to reveal running shorts. “I came prepared.”
“Whew … for a minute I was worried …”
Casey waded into the stream. “That we were going skinny-dipping in six inches of water?”
Develyn took two steps. Mud mashed the soles of her bare feet. “I wasn’t sure.”
Stephen Bly's Horse Dreams Trilogy: Memories of a Dirt Road, the Mustang Breaker, Wish I'd Known You Tears Ago Page 23
