Stream Ran Dry

by Jeanne Harrell

  “Why would they shoot a local rancher? Their beef is with the Bureau of Land Management guys.”

  “… It was an armed camp with lots of itchy trigger fingers, as the expression goes…”

  Rebecca and Ella looked at one another and burst out laughing. Wiping away salt on the glasses before taking sips of their tart drinks, they looked at one another and laughed heartily again… Lots of people talking and laughing in the well anointed bar tonight and their spirited laughter could be heard over it all. It felt good…

  “So…”

  “So?”

  “…You going to see him again?”

  Rebecca shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, come on… I haven’t seen you this excited about a guy ever…” Ella rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you can’t come up with some sort of flimsy excuse to see him somehow.”

  “I don’t know, Ella.”

  “What don’t you know?”

  “…I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a deep chasm. One more step and I’ll fall.”

  “Well, good. It’s been a long time coming for you.”

  “It’s just all so scary…”

  “What is?”

  “…Love and all the frightening things that go with it.”

  “Then you’ve never been in love. It’s the best thing going…”

  Rebecca shook her head, clearing the daydreams. She pushed back a strand of dark hair and bit her lip.

  “…Anyway, he hasn’t called or anything…”

  “Then call him…”

  “Under what pretext?”

  That stumped her. “…Um…”

  Just then her cell phone rang. Rebecca picked it up, frowning. She didn’t recognize the number.

  “Who is it?”

  “…Don’t know.”

  “Well, answer it anyway. I’m going to get us a second round.” Ella held up a hand to flag down a waiter, while Rebecca answered her phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Rebecca?” said a very deep voice. “This is Wyatt.”

  She froze like that deer in headlights and gripped the phone harder.

  “Hi…”

  “I got your number from Mary Carson. I hope this isn’t an imposition to call you like this.”

  She swallowed and Ella cast quizzical eyes her way. Rebecca lowered her lashes and wiped the corners of her mouth.

  “…No…no… Not at all. What can I do for you, Wyatt?” She turned wide eyes at Ella who began to smile.

  “I understand we both have to give our depositions tomorrow at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas. That right?”

  “That’s what I was told too.”

  “I was just hoping that we could get that cup of coffee afterwards. Do you think that’s possible?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yes, I think that would be very possible. There’s a cafeteria on the first floor of the courthouse.”

  “…Good. My deposition’s at one. What time is yours?”

  “One o’clock…”

  “Why don’t we meet in the cafeteria as soon as we’ve finished?”

  “Okay…” Rebecca was shyly smiling now and Ella was shaking her head, pretending to fan herself with a hand.

  “Until then, Rebecca…Bye.”

  “Bye, Wyatt…”

  Rebecca hung up and looked blankly at her cell phone.

  “Oh, honey… There’s stars in your eyes.”

  She gulped. “…Ella. You’ve got to see this guy. He looks like some rodeo cowboy off a glossy magazine cover.”

  “Gorgeous?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “… Tell me.”

  Rebecca took a deep breath. “…Chestnut hair under a big old cowboy hat, deep blue eyes that I swear can look right through me.”

  Ella sighed.

  “He’s tall with broad shoulders and a trim waist. His face is tanned from working outdoors – jeans, Western shirt…” She ran out of breath.

  “Damn, Rebecca. Does he have a brother?”

  “I don’t know much about him except that he was married and his wife died.”

  Ella sat up straighter. “Well that’s very sad.”

  “It is. Mary Carson told me a little about him. You remember – She’s the woman we stayed with when we went over for the interview.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  Rebecca peered down at her shoes, speaking softly. “…Because she told me Wyatt was interested in me and she thought I might be interested in him.”

  Ella’s grin consumed her face. “That was quite a couple of days you had down in Allenville. You came away with a great story that Dave loved, and is running on Sunday, I might add… And possibly a new beau!”

  It was Rebecca’s turn to laugh. “…Beau? What century are we in?”

  “If he’s half the gentleman that he sounds like, it could be back to Victorian times.”

  “Wow,” breathed Rebecca.

  “You can say that again…”

  “Wow,” she repeated.

  The two smiling friends looked at one another and raised their glasses for a toast.

  “Here’s to…” began Rebecca.

  “…Love – definitely,” finished Ella.

  And they drained their glasses…

  * * *

  The next day at the federal courthouse, Rebecca worked hard putting much thought into her deposition. She glanced around at the drab gray walls, barren and stripped of personality, and wondered why these buildings had to be so impersonal… Then she shook her head of unwanted thoughts and concentrated on the task at hand. Rebecca wanted her deposition to be as factual as possible, so there would be no questions as to what she actually saw in Alllenville.

  She’d been very thorough gathering information and interviewing while in the camp, but had been frozen with fear when the BLM agent was shot – And right in front of her! She’d pushed him down on the ground and they had both crawled to safety behind his truck.

  He had a bandanna, which she took and applied a tourniquet on his arm to stop the flow of bleeding. She’d never ever been in a situation like that before and was just happy that she could help the agent at all. He moved away towards another agent when Wyatt came up behind her. She’d been so relieved that he was there with her -- Rebecca was sure it all showed on her face too.

  When she left the office where she had written the deposition, she handed it to a federal agent waiting outside the door. With a serious face, he thanked her for her cooperation and she started walking toward the elevator when she received a text.

  ‘Just finished. You?’

  She smiled and texted him back. ‘Just. Where r u?’

  ‘Waiting for you. Cafeteria.’

  ‘Be there in 5.’

  And Rebecca picked up the pace.

  But the elevator was incredibly slow… Her deposition was taken on the fourth floor and the stupid elevator stopped on each floor going down to the first, letting out people with more getting on. She was sure it was taking a year to get downstairs…maybe she should have walked.

  When she finally got out of the elevator, Wyatt was standing there waiting for her. He took off his cowboy hat when he saw her, ran a hand through his trimmed hair and smiled pleasantly. She noticed briefly that women and men walking by took a second look. He stood out big-time with his Western clothes in a sea of business suits. Wyatt glanced quickly at her pretty dress and commented.

  “No business suit?”

  “Tell you the truth, I usually wear jeans. I made an exception today since I was meeting you…”

  He grinned, shifting his stance. “…That’s a pretty dress for sure, but I would have preferred the jeans, ma’am…”

  She smiled back at him as he gently took her elbow to escort her to the cafeteria. It was after two and the place was nearly empty. They sat down at a table near the side of the room and Wyatt went to get their coffee. When he returned with the mugs, he set them down and went back for the cream and sugar.
>
  “Thanks,” said Rebecca when he was finally seated. He plopped his hat on the next seat.

  She reached for the cream and poured a little in. Then she took a tentative sip.

  “No sugar?” he asked.

  “…I’m sweet enough.” She made him laugh.

  “How’d your deposition go?” he began, taking a long drink.

  “Pretty well, I think. I just tried to put in facts, leaving out opinions.”

  “…Me too. It would be easy to read between the lines anyway.”

  “…Agreed.”

  They took more sips, regarding one another over the rim of their cups.

  She’s as pretty as a picture…

  He’s a very fine specimen of a man…

  “I hope that was all right that I got your number from Mary.”

  “Sure.”

  “I didn’t even ask for it. Mary just handed it to me when I went back to their ranch.”

  Rebecca smiled. So Mary was playing Cupid…

  “…Huh… Wonder why she’d do that…” She let that hang out there for a second.

  “She’s got this crazy notion… that we might…”

  “… Like each other?”

  He gave a quick chuckle. “… Hard to believe, I know.”

  “Right,” she grinned. “Since I’m a pain-in-the-ass city slicker and you’re a stoic cowboy.”

  “There are differences to be sure. But she also mentioned you’re from a small town in California.”

  “…Raised on a small ranch…”

  “So… maybe not as many differences as we thought.”

  “Maybe not.”

  Their coffee was cooling and they took quiet sips, again regarding one another.

  She bet he was dying to ask her a million questions and she felt the same. With all the questions rolling around her brain, she couldn’t come up with one at this very moment. It was embarrassing… especially for a reporter…

  “Do you like living in Las Vegas?” he asked.

  “It’s all right. It’s the big city…”

  “… You like big cities?”

  “I like what big cities can offer – hospitals, doctors, theatres, art, culture, museums…”

  “We have all that around Allenville, just in different degrees and different styles maybe.”

  “Really? You have a hospital?”

  “The closest is in Mesquite which is only a half hour away from my ranch.”

  “… Art?”

  “We have Western art shows around the area, usually at rodeos, which draw the biggest crowds.”

  “Do you rodeo?”

  “Yes, I do – with Clint in the team roping event.” He picked up his spoon, set it back down. “… Would you… like to see our rodeo… sometime?”

  She smiled at him. “…Yes, I believe I would.”

  He leaned back in his chair, slid his eyes to hers and took another sip of his now cold coffee.

  “More coffee?”

  She shook her head. “How about you come to my world for a change? You’re in Las Vegas, after all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come see my newspaper and my office. It’s 180 degrees from your life, but will give you an idea about what I do every day.”

  “I thought you crocheted doilies.” His lips smugly turned up.

  “… Well, maybe not every day…”

  “All right. How do you want to do this?”

  She nodded. “I’ll drive. I know where I’m going. I can bring you back to your car later… I mean – if you have the time and interest.”

  He gazed into her eyes, deep pools of chocolate and tried hard not to melt or sigh.

  “Yes, Rebecca. I have both…”

  “Great!” She stood up. “Ready? Let’s go then.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He stood up too and reached over for his hat. She watched as he ran a hand through his chestnut hair and adjusted the hat on his head.

  “Never seen a man put on a hat?” he teased.

  “I’ve never even met a man like you before, Wyatt…”

  He took her elbow to escort her out of the cafeteria together and towards her car.

  * * *

  CHAPTER NINE

  Damn, it was hot today. Las Vegas in the summer is not for the faint of heart…

  When they stepped out of the elevator onto her floor, the noise level seemed crazy. He followed her to the cubicle where she worked, dodging fast-moving people, blinking computer monitors and ringing cell phones. He noticed placards on walls encouraging reporters to file their stories at deadline or before… Something somewhere smelled like refried beans. As they arrived at her office, Ella quickly made a beeline that way. Tim saw them at about the same time and walked over to say hi.

  Wyatt smiled as Tim came up and extended his hand. “Wyatt. Good to see you.”

  “Tim, nice to see you again.” He shook his hand.

  “Are you in town for the deposition?”

  “Yes, we both just came from there.”

  “…And she dragged you over to see our loony bin of a newspaper?”

  “She did indeed.” He stole a glance at Rebecca.

  Ella walked up to Rebecca and cleared her voice loudly.

  “Ahem…Hi… I’m Ella, a friend of Rebecca’s.” She stuck out her hand.

  Wyatt tipped his hat at her. “Ma’am… Nice to meet you.” And shook Ella’s hand.

  Her eyes widened and jaw dropped.

  Wyatt saw Rebecca’s quick grin and subdued laugh. He shifted from one foot to the other and took off his hat. Had she brought many men up to see her office before? He knew he was probably pretty different from the rest of them… And he had expected scrutiny from her friends. It all came as part of a package when you were trying out a new person.

  Ella smoothed an eyebrow. “Rebecca’s told me about your excitement in Allenville.”

  “…It wasn’t that exciting.”

  “That’s not what I hear…” she said.

  “It was that exciting,” added Tim. “It was a touchy situation that Wyatt handled expertly.” He looked back at Wyatt. “You did a great job. It all could have been so much worse.”

  “Thanks, Tim.”

  Rebecca beamed -- Ella cast curious eyes her way.

  “I’m taking Wyatt in to meet Dave. Is he around?” asked Rebecca.

  “Sure. Grouchy as usual. Maybe this will perk him up…” said Ella.

  Ella and Tim went back to work, while Rebecca and Wyatt lingered in her office for a few minutes. She moved some books and papers off a chair for him to sit.

  “… Kinda messy,” he brushed off the chair before sitting down.

  “Yeah, the maid hasn’t been in today.”

  “So you’re sarcastic too…”

  She looked sheepish. “Sorry… I’ve been around these guys too long. I’ll stop.”

  “No, don’t. You’re funny… I like funny…”

  She watched as he took in all the stories she had pinned up on her walls. She didn’t think that those blue eyes of his missed very much at all and was learning that he was very detail-oriented. An interesting tidbit she filed away…

  “What’s with all the stories?”

  “I’m looking for that one great story idea…”

  “…What for?”

  Glancing around, she lowered her voice. “I want to write a book… I want to write several books…” She spoke to some paper on the floor. “My goal is to be a book author and not just a crazy reporter.”

  He smiled at her, nodding. “I thought there was more to you than what I’ve seen so far. You’re a deep soul, Rebecca.”

  A flush crept over her face. “…Um.”

  “Don’t ever give up on a dream.”

  That made her smile. “So besides being a cowboy, rodeo star and part-time lawman, you’re also a philosopher?”

  He looked her in the eyes. “…And fortune teller. I predict you’ll have a book published in a year, maybe two – depending
on variables.”

  “Who are you? A Renaissance man? You really can do it all, can’t you?”

  “I guess that remains to be seen…”

  They sat still, looking at each other for a moment and then she stood.

  “Come on. Let me introduce you to my editor. He drives me nuts but is a good guy and fine editor. He just doesn’t like many of the story ideas I pitch him.”

  “Did he like the Allenville story?”

  “He loved it, which I’m hoping to swing my way with another idea I’ve told him about.”

  Dave West had almost a minute to give Rebecca and meet Wyatt. Shaking hands, he took the cowboy in with a sharp once-over and a quick nod. He thanked Wyatt for helping Rebecca and then had to dash out the door to a budget meeting.

  “…And that’s our infamous editor.”

  “Well, he’s pretty busy obviously.” Wyatt shrugged. “I probably should take off. You have lots to do, I’m sure, and I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”

  They walked to the elevator together.

  “I’ll drive you back.”

  “No, don’t. I’ll get a cab…”

  Did he want to get rid of her?

  He stopped and pressed the call button for the elevator.

  “Are you going back to the ranch now?” She bit her lip.

  “No, I’m staying the night over at the Bellagio.”

  “Oh…ah…” She swallowed and cleared her throat. Is he going away forever?

  She was racking her brains to think of something to say when she heard a ping announcing the elevator. The door opened, Wyatt stepped in and reached over to hold the door.

  “Rebecca?”

  “Yes?”

  “… Could I take you to dinner tonight?” Whoosh…all the air just left her lungs. Thank God, someone could say something.

  “Yes.” She didn’t hesitate a nanosecond.

  “Six o’clock?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could you text me your address?”

  “…Yes.”

  He laughed. “You’re pretty easy to get along with.”

  “…You just don’t know me very well.”

  “Maybe we can work on that.”

  “Yeah…maybe.”

  Smiling at one another, he released the hold button and the elevator door began to close.