Stephen Bly's Horse Dreams Trilogy: Memories of a Dirt Road, the Mustang Breaker, Wish I'd Known You Tears Ago

by Stephen A. Bly

  Lily raised her eyebrows. “I imagine he is.”

  “Heavy construction equipment.”

  “Oh, that. I imagine he's quite strong for an older man.”

  “Don't let that age factor fool you. He can pick me up by the ankles and hold his arms straight out with me dangling down like a fish.”

  “He what?”

  “You know, if he wanted to.”

  “He dangled you upside down by your ankles?”

  “I needed to recover something.”

  “Your sanity?”

  The two women meandered over to the fence.

  “I like your horse.”

  “Isn't she pretty? I think she knows she's good looking.”

  “Does she have that arrogant attitude like Silena Lipman?”

  “Yes, that's it. She torments Uncle Henry something awful.”

  “Just like your cat, Josephine, treats Smoky.”

  “Very similar. Will there be anything left in my house, or will the monster cat have destroyed it all?”

  “She seemed to have calmed down ever since the neighbor boy took her for a walk.”

  “You don't walk cats.”

  “Don't argue with success.”

  Delaney drifted out of the cabin, a towel wrapped around-her head. She wore sandals, khaki shorts, and a dark blue halter top.

  Develyn could see no extra piercings or tattoos.

  “Hi, Lily. Isn't Wyoming wide open and wonderful?”

  “It certainly is wide open. I forget the world isn't closed in by trees like back home.”

  “Mom, do you think I can find some conditioner at the store? Mine was lost in the fire.”

  “You can use mine.”

  “I need something a little, you know, for softer, finer hair.”

  “That's a nice way of saying it,” Develyn said. “Lil, did you ever wonder what shade our hair really is under all this coloring?”

  “I know what color mine would be, Devy-girl, and I don't intend to go there. Ever.”

  “Can I take the Cherokee?” Delaney asked. “I just polished my toenails.”

  “Sure, honey, the keys are in my purse on top of that pile on the table. Lil and I are goin' to walk down to the corrals where this whole adventure began. Did the four of you have a good time last night?”

  “Sure. Didn't Casey tell you?”

  “I forgot to ask.”

  She watched Delaney scoot back into the cabin. “I think that means the conversation is over.”

  Develyn and Lily ambled down the lane. Uncle Henry tagged behind.

  “Dev, after spending the summer in a one-room cabin with a roommate most of the time, you'll be lost in your big house back home.”

  “It's funny, I came to Wyoming to slow down. To think things through and to find a simpler life. From where I am now, Indiana seems like the quiet, uncomplicated life.”

  “Could it be you take the stress and busyness with you?”

  “That's a happy thought. But it's a different kind of activity. I've had less time to sit and ponder all my problems. I've been happier here. But I've also had more times I was scared to death. I've helped more people and had more people help me. I know for a fact I've had more men flirt with me...in a nice way...than eight years of high school and college. And in the past nine weeks, I've doubled the number of men who have ever kissed these lips.”

  Lily giggled. “Now we are getting to the good part. Who is the best at kissing?”

  “The verdict is still out. One of the contestants has yet to submit his entry.”

  “You haven't kissed Cooper yet?”

  “Not really. I mean...just a peck on the cheek or a brush across the lips in greeting. The kind of thing you do with your brother.”

  “I have never brushed my lips across my brother's,” Lily insisted.

  “You don't have a brother.”

  “Good point.”

  They paused at the road, then turned west toward the corrals.

  “I should have saddled up My Maria. We could have ridden down here.”

  “I'm not anxious to ride large animals, but I do want to get a picture of Ms. Worrell and her horse.”

  Uncle Henry brayed.

  “And her burro,” Lily added.

  A trumpet blast caused Develyn to turn. Leon raced toward them. He was barefoot and stepped lightly across the dirt and gravel.

  “Is he wearing just a towel?” Lily asked.

  “I believe so.”

  Uncle Henry hid behind Develyn.

  “Leon, what are you doing?” she called out before the boy reached them.

  “I spied you over here and wanted to tell you that I'm gettin' me a bath.”

  “That's very good. You do remember that the barbecue is not until tomorrow?”

  “Yes, ma'am, Miss Dev. I'll get another bath tomorrow. I just wanted to practice.”

  “That's very commendable. Now go on home so you don't get your grandmother's towel dirty.”

  When he turned around and trotted back to the house, Lily burst out laughing.

  “Leon!” Develyn called. “You should wrap the towel all the way around you.”

  “I don't think he heard you. That reminds me. Did I tell you the latest about Dougie Baxter?”

  Develyn still faced the Morton house when the champagne-colored Cherokee rolled down the dusty drive and took a hard turn east toward the store.

  “Did my daughter still have that towel on her head?”

  “And the halter top.”

  “She can't go out in public like that.”

  Lily stared up and down Argenta's one empty dirt road. “Maybe she doesn't think of this as going out in public.”

  “You don't go to the store like that...ever.”

  “We don't go to the store like that. When was the last time you were in West Lafayette in the summer?”

  They turned toward the corrals. “That is one goal I don't think I've accomplished yet this summer, Lily. I wanted Dee and me to find the relationship the Lord wants for us...and to come to peace with it. I find no peace with my daughter bouncing her barely covered chest out in plain view.”

  “I've been praying for you too, honey.”

  “Thanks, Lil. I know I can count on you. You're my rock. You always have been. You've saved my life on more than one occasion.”

  They stopped by the fence and glanced in at the empty arena. “I think you exaggerate a bit, but thanks. So this is where Miss Dev made her grand entry into cowboy life?”

  “Casey and I sat right over there, where the board is smooth. See that big dirt clod out there? That's where that paint monster mare slammed my face into the dirt. I was ready to jump on a plane and fly home right then and hide in my livingroom the rest of the summer...or the rest of my life.” She put her arm around Lil. “I didn't exaggerate about you saving my life. I remember one January driving back from the science convention in Wheaton during an ice storm at night with a three-inch ice cap on the highway. I was in tears, thinking about Spencer, about Delaney, about my hopeless situation. I got down to the river where there are all those curves and cliffs, and I said, ‘Lord, I just can't take it. This life is too hard for me.’ And I thought about stepping on the gas and ending it all.”

  Lily hugged her. “Oh, honey, I'm so glad you didn't.”

  “But, I thought, not before I talk to my Lil. I need to say good-bye to her face-to-face.”

  “I don't remember.”

  “It was the time the monster cat ate my date palm and barfed all over the bedspread and in my clothes closet. By the time I ran her to the vet and cleaned the house, the depression had lifted. There were several other times. It's you, sweet lady, who has been my rock.”

  Lily wiped the corners of her eyes. “We have been there for each other. It's important to have someone who cares.”

  “Yes, eve
ryone needs that.”

  “Of course, if I'm honest,” Lily grinned. “I'll have to admit that I hang out with you because you are so young and cute and a stud magnet.”

  Develyn burst out laughing. “Oh, that's the joy of having older friends. I can forever be young. But a stud magnet? In Indiana?”

  “I suppose one has to be a man of steel to be attracted to a stud magnet. There aren't many of those in central Indiana.”

  They sauntered east toward the store. “Lily, we tease each other a lot. But before this summer, I haven't had a legitimate date in Indiana since I was at Purdue.”

  “You had illegitimate dates?”

  “I had several boring encounters that I couldn't wait to escape.”

  “Remember that young bull rider in Louisville? He took one look at you and said, ‘Oh, thank you, Jesus, I must be in heaven.’”

  “Is that the lad who was knocked unconscious when the bull slammed into his forehead?”

  “I believe it was.”

  “He's also the one who, when asked what day of the week it was, said ‘September.’”

  “OK, so he was a little delusional, a tad mixed up.”

  “Speaking of mixed up, what did you say about Dougie Baxter?”

  “Oh, so you did hear.”

  “Did you figure a way to keep him out of your class?”

  “I didn't figure it out. But Mr. and Mrs. Baxter did.”

  “Did they put him in private school?”

  “No.”

  “They aren't going to try to homeschool him, are they?”

  “Oh, no. They took Ms. Worrell's advice.”

  “You mean they are really going to keep him back a year and let him mature?”

  “Yes, they are.”

  “I can't believe it. Someone did something right. That's wonderful.”

  Develyn noticed several pickups parked in front of the store.

  “Hold onto your wonders, Dev. It gets more bizarre. The Baxters came in and demanded that Dougie be kept back a grade and placed in Ms. Worrell's class.”

  “They can't do that. School policy states that a failed student has to have another teacher.”

  “Dougie insisted. His parents claim you're the only teacher who treats him decent.”

  Develyn waved her hands as if warding off an improper advance. “Decent? You call twenty-six detentions decent? They can't do this to me. No teacher should ever have Dougie Baxter more than once. I won't let this happen.”

  “I wanted to tell you in person. I knew you'd handle it well.”

  “Can't they put Dougie in Brian's class?”

  “Brian told them he'd take the junior high opening if Dougie Baxter was in his class.”

  “Lisa hasn't had a turn.”

  “Lisa said she would go on maternity leave.”

  “She's not pregnant.”

  “I don't think that's the deciding factor.”

  “Ms. Martin, there is no way …”

  An off-key trumpet blast silenced her.

  “Was that for Leon?” Lily asked.

  Develyn looked east and rubbed her temples. She chewed on her lip, then shook her head. “No, I think that blast was for Dougie.”

  “Dougie?”

  “I think the Lord's using Leon to prepare my heart for Dougie Baxter...again.”

  “You mean you aren't going to protest the placement?”

  “No,” Develyn signed. “I won't.”

  “You are amazing, Ms. Worrell.”

  “Not hardly. But I am learning a few things this summer.” She and Lily continued to walk toward the store. “Of course I might need to borrow Casey's brass knuckles and handcuffs.” Develyn waved her hand toward Mrs. Tagley's store. “What are all those rigs doing here?”

  “Rigs?”

  Develyn pointed ahead. “At the store.”

  “Rush hour? Lunch break?”

  “Break from what?”

  Several men lounged in the shade of the sole cottonwood tree. Others spread across the porch. Most held white-bread sandwiches in their less-than-clean hands.

  A big man with a thick beard pointed at Uncle Henry. “Hey, lady, does he belong to you?”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “Well, you've got a fine lookin' …”

  “Mister, the future of your children and your children's children depends upon the next word out of your mouth,” Develyn growled.

  “Yes, ma'am, you've got a fine lookin' burro.”

  “Thank you, his name is Uncle Henry.”

  Another half dozen men stood in line at the counter with a busy Jackson Hill. “See if you can help the girls in the back,” he called out.

  Develyn led Lily to Mrs. Tagley's kitchen. Casey and a T-shirt-clad Delaney were making sandwiches. “What's happening?”

  Casey rubbed her broad, brown nose. “You're the carrot lady. Open another bag. They get three of those little carrots each. They started working on the state highway, and the crew drove back in here looking for lunch.”

  “Jackson made them a deal, Mom. They get a lunch meat and cheese sandwich, chips, three carrots, and a soda for six dollars. They love it. They said to sign them up for two weeks at least.”

  Casey waved across the table. “Lil, grab another variety box of chips from that aisle near the door. Jackson said these lunches cost us around $2.88, so we can double our money with a little work.”

  “Some of the guys even tipped us,” Delaney added.

  Casey grabbed another hunk of lunchmeat. “Until Dee put on the shirt.”

  Develyn studied her daughter's T-shirt. “Where did you get a shirt that says, ‘Argenta, Wyo. POLICE DEPT’?”

  “Under the counter.”

  “Your hair looks…”

  “Casey combed it out for me in a hurry, and I just pinned it back.”

  When the last of the highway workers left, Develyn and Lily scouted for trash outside while Casey and Delaney cleaned the kitchen. All four sprawled on the front porch when Jackson strolled out.

  “Listen to this. They spent $214.81.”

  “That's more than six dollars each,” Develyn said.

  “Most had more than one sandwich. Lots took a candy bar and another soda for later. Even with leftover bread and mustard and all, we made $111.12.”

  Dev shook her head. “I've never known anyone so quick to calculate profits.”

  “Jackson is good at that,” Casey said.

  “I spent a lot of time stocking shelves at Albertsons, so I would figure how much profit per item. It runs in my head. Listen, I was thinking. What with a highway crew every summer, and BLM crews, and firefighting crews, and oil crews...we ought to cater lunches. Take them right out to them. I think we could keep a lunch profit going most all summer and into September. We'd need two people running the store, so one could deliver, but it would increase profits.” He glanced around at the ladies. “You know, if the store was ours, and all.”

  Casey rubbed her nose and grinned.

  “I almost forgot. David came by this morning,” Jackson announced.

  “You mean Hunter Burke? Did he stop by before or after Miss Purple put on the T-shirt?”

  “Mother.”

  “Before she came up,” Jackson said.

  “Why the name change?”

  “He did a lot of New England theater work while at Yale. That was his stage name. He just kept using it.”

  “What did he want from you?”

  “To talk to my boss. He wants to rent the entire string of horses up in Glacier Park to take some Japanese tourists on a trail ride. He works for the museum in Cody and arranges cross-cultural events.”

  “Really?” Delaney pressed. “Sounds like a very responsible position, doesn't it, Mother?”

  “OK, I'll grant you that. An actor?”

  “Couldn't you just see him playing Jam
es Bond or someone like that?” Delaney questioned.

  Develyn bit her lip and refused to glance at Lily Martin.

  “I told you I don't ride large animals,” Lily sputtered.

  “You don't ride small ones, either, so what does that mean? I'm not having my best friend come all the way to Wyoming to see me and not ride my horse.”

  “If I had known this, I would have stayed away.”

  “What a wimpina.”

  “And your point is?”

  “You are going to ride, Lily girl.”

  “I'd rather not.”

  Develyn tightened the cinch on My Maria, then pulled herself into the saddle. “I'll tire her out a little first.”

  “Great! Have a nice afternoon. I'll see you tomorrow.”

  “Lily!”

  “Perhaps I'll go catch some rays with Dee.” She motioned to the shaded dirt in front of the cabin.

  “No, she needs some quiet time. She's studying the Purdue catalog, trying to decide on a major.”

  “She's changing again?”

  “She thought about changing to nutrition, but it has too much chemistry. She was trying to avoid taking a class with Mr. Corvette from South Carolina.”

  “So what does that leave her?”

  “Today's debate is between child psychology and drama.”

  “A sudden interest in acting?”

  “So it seems. I'll be right back. Let me stretch her legs out.”

  Develyn turned My Maria north and dug her heels into the paint horse's flanks. The burst of speed slid Develyn against the cantle, but she leaned forward, gripped with her knees, and refused to grab the saddle horn. The wind whipped at her straw cowboy hat, but it stayed put. Develyn found the rhythm and was soon rocking back and forth.

  “We haven't had many rides in the past few days. Summer is almost gone. Casey will take real good care of you and ride you some. I'll be back next year and …”

  She turned the galloping horse east with a slight touch of her knee.

  “That's the same speech I gave Brownie thirty-five years ago. But I have more motivation this time. I want to see you and Uncle Henry, and Casey and Jackson and their little one. There is no way that girl won't have a baby nine months after they get married. I'll want to see how Renny is doing and check on Quint and Lindsay...oh, and Mrs. Tagley.”