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

  “I didn't think…yes, thank you. This is my first view of cowboy hospitality.”

  “I take it I'm a little early?” Renny asked. “What can I do to help?”

  Develyn grabbed him by the arm. “Go ask Coop. He insisted on hosting everything. It sort of ended up being a going-away party of sorts. Although I don't intend to leave until Sunday afternoon.”

  Renny circled his arms around Develyn. “Indiana is lucky. They get Miss Dev for the rest of the year while the rest of us can only hold her in our dreams.”

  “Oh, brother, I'll be so glad to get away from this gooey cowboy charm,” Develyn chided.

  Renny shrugged and winked at Lily. “She is one tough lady. I knew that the first day I met her when she got back on that paint mare after being bucked off.”

  Develyn stepped out of his arms. “As I remember it, I left the arena in tears.”

  “Yeah, but you rode out on your own horse.” He sauntered over to where Cooper Tallon tossed wood onto a long, raised barbecue grill.

  “I can't believe Renny,” Lily laughed. “He's the real live stereotype, isn't he?”

  “He's the real deal, honey. Renny's every little cowgirl's dream, right down to his bow legs and soft heart.”

  “How did you find him?”

  “Don't you remember? I was sitting on the bench in front of Mrs. Tagley's eating an orange Popsicle. He stopped out in the road, remember? From fifty feet away and with his dark glasses on, I looked twenty-five instead of forty-five. It was a mistake that didn't take him long to figure out.”

  “But he stuck around anyway?”

  “Lily, if a gal had to go through life with only two or three friends, you'd want one of them to be Renny Slater.”

  “No wonder you sounded happy when you phoned me.”

  “That's not true. I remember some panicked calls to you. But it has been a good summer.”

  Leon ran up to her. “I got to go home and change. I got my shirt dirty.”

  “Why don't you wait until right before the barbecue starts and then change? Just in case you get dirty again.”

  “Yeah, I'll do that. Did you know that we have ten watermelons?”

  “Yes, Lily and I just brought them back from town. They were having a sale on Green River watermelons.”

  “If twenty people show up, we all get half a watermelon. I ain't never had half a watermelon.”

  “If twenty people come, I'll be shocked.”

  “When I get my driver's license, Mr. Tallon said he'd teach me how to drive a dump truck.”

  “That will be wonderful.”

  “He said he might need a boy to do chores for him next summer. If I come back to Grandma's, he'll give me a job.”

  “Gives you something to look forward to, doesn't it?”

  “Yep. I ain't never had nothin' to look forward to. I got to go. Coop needs me.”

  Leon bolted back to the awning.

  “Dev, he doesn't seem like the Dougie Baxter type to me.”

  “Lil, that kid changed overnight. This is remarkable.”

  “Maybe Dougie will change overnight.”

  Develyn looked into Lily's green eyes.

  They responded as a duet: “No.”

  Develyn was sorting a pile of dirty clothes when the cell phone rang. She stepped over to the window when she answered it.

  “Miss Dev, have you seen good ol' Hunter Burke?”

  “Quint, what is it?”

  “Someone decided to steal my One of One Thousand.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Someone who knew where it was. Someone who knew how to get the crew to town so no one would be around. He left the other guns. He just took the one gun.”

  “And you suspect Hunter?”

  “When I called the museum, they said they fired him two weeks ago.”

  “What for?”

  “He photocopied a bunch of private documents for his personal use.”

  “That's strange. But it doesn't mean he took the Winchester.”

  “I know. But he is the last one to look at it, besides family. Maybe he told someone. The sheriff's here now and wants to talk to Burke.”

  “I'll keep an eye out.”

  “Miss Dev, I might not get down to the barbecue. I'm waitin' on Cuban and the boys. The only chance of retrieving that gun is to catch him quick. It looks like whomever took my gun cut across the pasture on an ATV.”

  “A four-wheeler? Quint, do you know where Cooper Tallon's spring meadow is on Cedar Creek?”

  “I used to lease that from him.”

  “We were up there when Hunter came by and asked permission to store a gas can for his four-wheeler. He claimed to want to scout out the southern Big Horns before hunting season. But besides gas, he left several boxes of bullets. Revolver bullets.”

  “You thinking that's a part of his route?”

  “I don't know anything, except he really did leave gas and bullets there.”

  “On second thought, I might come down that way. Tell Cuban and the boys to wait for me there.”

  “Quint, I'm so sorry about this.”

  “Me too, Dev. The gun's worth a $125 grand, but it's the sentimental value that gnaws at me. Miss Emily gave it to me on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.”

  “Doesn't Mrs. Tagley have some old guns like that?”

  “She used to. I sold them all for her.”

  “When was that?”

  “Years ago. Her husband bought up old guns during the depression. He ended up with three hundred. He just kept them in a back room at their house. Well, about 1980 Mrs. Tagley wanted to clean out the room and use it for a storeroom. So I took them to a couple of gun shows and sold them—mostly all Winchester 1894 carbines. Quite used, as you can imagine. The only other One of One Thousand in Wyoming is owned by Dr. Bob Simmons in Jackson. He has his on loan this summer to some museum in Japan.”

  “What should I do if I see Hunter?”

  “Call the sheriff's office and stall him as long as you can.”

  “Johnson County or Natrona County? I had that problem once before.”

  “It won't matter this time. Place him under citizen's arrest if you have to.”

  “I don't think I could do that.”

  “Have Cree-Ryder do it. There isn't a man in Wyoming that isn't afraid of her.”

  “There's one. And he's going to marry her.”

  “Casey married? Ranch hands all over the basin will sleep better knowing that. Now what time's supper?”

  “Around six o'clock.”

  “Me and the boys will be down your way. Whether we can stop and eat will depend on what happens with this investigation.”

  “You didn't tell Quint that Mrs. Tagley had a ‘One of a Thousand' in her safe?” Cooper asked.

  “I feel funny mentioning anything in her safe. If she never told anyone, I shouldn't either. Buy why would someone steal Quint's gun? Wouldn't it be almost impossible to resell it? You said it has a serial number, and everyone knows that it belongs to him.”

  “I'm sure there is some collector, somewhere, that would jump at the chance to own it, even if procured illegally.”

  “But he can't advertise that he has it.”

  “No, but if he was on the museum staff, he might have contact with those looking for such a gun.”

  “I don't like Hunter, but I can't believe he'd do that.”

  They watched Casey and Delaney drive up and park in the shade of the Cottonwood, away from the other vehicles.

  “You're right,” Coop said. “Innocent until proven guilty.”

  “You talking daughters or gun thieves?”

  “Gun thieves,” he replied. “Now go on and visit with her. Just let me know the verdict when you get a chance.

  Dev strolled over as Casey got out of the driver's side of Jackson's truck.

 
“Come talk to your girl, Mama. I'm going to the store to check on my man.”

  Oh, Lord, my little Dee. Oh, give us strength, dear Jesus.

  Develyn scooted into the truck and rolled the window halfway down. Delaney's shoulders slumped. She twisted several damp, rolled up tissues in her hands.

  “Honey, what did you find out?”

  “Everything,” she whimpered.

  “Tell it all to me, Dee. I want to know.”

  “Mom,” Delaney cried. “I'm so sorry, Mom.”

  As Develyn hugged her daughter, tears flooded both faces and dripped to their blouses.

  “Baby,” Develyn sobbed. “It's OK. Whatever it is, it's OK. We'll get through it together, you and me. You cry all you want, and I'll cry with you.”

  Develyn rocked her daughter for several minutes.

  “I'm so sorry, Mom… I'm so sorry.”

  “Baby, it's OK. Tell me what you are sorry about? What did the doctor tell you?”

  “I wish I'd listened to you and we had gone to Maine together.”

  “That choice is long gone. The Lord will help us with the choices we have now.”

  “I was so stupid,” Delaney sobbed. “I was stupid for not realizing your pain when Daddy cheated on you. I was stupid for blaming you for his heart attack. I was stupid for giving in to a guy that didn't want me all that much. I don't want to be stupid anymore.”

  “If you can learn that when you're twenty, you'll be twenty-five years ahead of me. Tell me what the doctor said. What kind of smart decision do we make from here?”

  “I'm going to try not to cry, Mom. I'm a grown woman. OK, here goes. She said I was pregnant.”

  “You are?”

  “That's why I missed my period. And then, when I got back home to Indiana, I had a miscarriage and lost the baby. Oh, God, I hurt all over.”

  Develyn held her daughter and wept.

  Delaney heaved a breath. “How many miscarriages did you have?”

  “After my sweet Dee was born, I had at least four, honey. Four that I carried long enough to know I was pregnant.”

  “Did you feel like you wanted to die when you found out?”

  “Every time, baby. Every time.”

  “I really hoped I was not pregnant. I know I sinned, and I know the Lord can forgive me.”

  “He has forgiven you.”

  “But if I was pregnant, I was prepared to accept the consequences. So in some way I was prepared for either option but not this. If I hadn't sinned, the baby wouldn't have died.”

  “Honey, we can't play God. But I do know how you feel.”

  “How did you survive your miscarriages, Mom?”

  “Time, and prayer…and friends…and David.”

  “Grandma's David?”

  “No, the Lord's David, in the Bible. When the first baby was born to David and Bathsheba, it lived only a short time. After the baby died, David went on with life. He told people that someday, he could go and be with the baby, but the baby could never come and be with him. He needed to let go of his grief and take God's next step for him.”

  “Mom, the doctor said that due to the scar tissue and all, I could miscarry other babies.”

  Develyn hugged Delaney and sobbed. “It's OK, honey. It's OK. The Lord will take care of you.”

  “But you're crying, Mom.”

  “We can cry because we hurt, but that doesn't mean we aren't trusting the Lord at the same time.”

  “What am I going to do now?”

  “You're going to go out and live your life, Dee. Accept God's forgiveness, and let him heal your hurts.”

  “You think I should go back to Purdue?”

  “Whatever you decide, I will support you. It's your life, Dee. You make the decisions.”

  “You mean that?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “What would you do if you were me?”

  “I wanted to be a teacher since I was ten years old. I have never wanted anything else. So, of course, if I were you, I'd finish college and teach. But you aren't me. That's the point.”

  “Are you going to tell anyone?”

  “I would like to tell Lily and Coop. I take it Casey knows.”

  “Yeah, she cried with me all the way home.”

  “Would it be alright if I told Coop and Lily?”

  “Yes. How about Grandma?”

  “No, I will not tell Mother. You may tell her if and when you think it's the right time.”

  “I don't think I will.”

  “That's fine.”

  “I don't feel like a party.”

  “Why don't you go take a nap in the cabin? We have a couple of hours before everyone shows up. If you feel like it, come out and join us. If not, sleep in.”

  “What will you tell them?”

  “That you aren't feeling well.”

  “Mother, I invited Hunter to the party. Was that OK?”

  “That's OK, honey.”

  “I don't want to see him now.”

  “I'll talk to him.”

  “Mom, I've got something to confess.”

  “What, Dee?”

  “Hunter came by last night, and I visited with him. I was afraid you'd get mad if I told you. Casey and Jackson had to run to Casper for some supplies for the state highway workers' lunches, so they dropped me off here. Hunt was waiting for me.”

  “I'm surprised Ms. Cree-Ryder left you here without a chaperone.”

  “She didn't know he was here. He parked his truck behind Mrs. Tagley's and walked over here.”

  “Why did he do that?”

  “He said he liked to camp back in those trees.”

  “Camp?”

  “I think that just means sleep in his truck. We sat behind the cabin on that old log and talked for several hours.”

  “You just talked?”

  “Yes, Mom, I'm not a slut.”

  “I know you aren't, baby. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. What do you know about him?”

  “He's angry and bitter. Did you know the museum fired him? That's why he was sleeping in his truck.”

  “I just heard that today.”

  “He found some of the inventory of old guns missing, and when he took those facts to his superiors, they fired him. He claims they are trying to cover up someone stealing some of the deluxe firearms.”

  “If he was treated wrong, he should take his case to the authorities or to the newspapers.”

  “They threatened him if he did. He said they would accuse him of the theft and get him arrested.”

  “He told you all of this?”

  “Yes. He seemed to be rambling on and on. He wanted to go to Paris, maybe the Riviera. He said I should go with him.”

  “He got fired, has to live in his truck, but he wants you to go with him to Paris?”

  “I think he was just angry and rambling on and on.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him I wasn't going with him anywhere, but he could come see me again when he was not angry and bitter.”

  “That's good thinking.”

  “He kissed me, Mom.”

  “Oh?”

  “He acted like I was easy. He did try to touch me, but I told him that's where I kept one of my knives. That's when he left.”

  “You said that?”

  “Yeah, Casey taught me.”

  “Casey taught you how to say things that scare men away?”

  “No, how to carry a knife where no one knows you have it.”

  Cooper Tallon hammered the triangle. All those huddled under the awning drew close to the huge, wood-fired barbecue. “I think the hostess should say a few words. So I present to you, Ms. Develyn Gail Worrell, who came here an Indiana schoolteacher and will go home a genuine Wyomin' cowboy girl.”

  “Coop, I'm not going to give a speech. That would be lik
e saying we may never see each other again. I took thirty-five years to come back to Argenta. I'm never going to make that mistake again. Coop's right. I'm part Wyoming. Mrs. Tagley thinks I always have been. I'll be back. So this is just a party and not some big teary going-away thing. And if I have to say any more, I'll cry, and my makeup will smear, and that could frighten all of you.”

  “Are you goin' to talk all night, or do we get to eat?” Renny called out.

  “Mr. Slater, that's one thing I love about cowboys: they aren't very subtle.”

  “Subtle don't fill the belly, Miss Dev,” Renny shot back.

  “Line up behind Leon,” Develyn instructed. “He has been helping us set up since 6:00 a.m., so he gets to be first. In fact, he's been holding his plate in his hand for almost an hour.”

  Develyn nibbled on the sweet, tiny carrot sticks and plowed them through a paper plate of onion dip. A procession of people scooted up next to her to visit.

  Lily grabbed her arm and led her to the pile of barbecued pork. “I think there are more than twenty people here. Leon counted forty-four, but that included Uncle Henry.”

  Develyn stabbed a slab of meat lathered with thick red sauce. “You know what, Lily? Argenta has fifty-one people. I've been here almost eight weeks and haven't met half of them until tonight. Oh, we nod or wave but never visit. I should have done this the first night in town. Do you see that man over there with the gray ponytail? He used to be a professor at Notre Dame.”

  “He's from Indiana?”

  “No, he's originally from Layton, Wyoming.”

  “Where's that?”

  “I don't know, but he said it's smaller than Argenta.”

  “Well, the party's going to get bigger. Mr. Be-Still-My-Heart Rich Rancher is here.”

  “Quint?” Develyn looked up to see two Quarter-Circle-Diamond pickups bouncing up the road. She watched as Uncle Henry shuffled over to meet the new arrivals.

  “Does your watch-burro park cars too?”

  “No, he's the unofficial greeter and official mooch.”

  “The boys are headed for the food line, and Mr. Burdett is coming toward his Miss Dev,” Lily said. “Think I'll mosey over to Stewart.”