by Jackie Anton
“What do the livestock eat? I don’t see a blade of grass anywhere.”
“There isn’t much left—drought and wildfires have devastated a large area of the state. Agriculture is in the toilet. Farmers and ranchers are struggling just to survive. Most can’t afford to bring in hay from outside of Texas, so they are dumping their stock at sales. It’s that or watch them starve.”
Their conversation ceased as the ranch outbuildings began to materialize out of the parched landscape. Lexie knew she’d been here before, but seeing it in the glare of the hot afternoon sun took some getting used to. Waves of heat undulated from the scorched earth distorting the lines of the house and barns. She squinted her eyes in an effort to get a better view. She was still rubbernecking when she realized Cutter was unloading her luggage. Like a sleepwalker rudely awakened, she grabbed her overnight case, mangled shoulder bag, and her invaluable laptop. She followed him up the stone walkway to the covered porch of the white, stucco house with its terracotta-colored roof tiles, and then through the front door. Nothing looked the least bit familiar, but then from what she’d been able to piece together and learn from Cutter’s sparse accounts, they had entered from the far side of the house through the mudroom.
More aware this time, she took in the sprawling footprint of the house. She thought it curious that there wasn’t a tree, a flower bed, or even a rock garden with the cacti that she’s noticed around the homes and businesses in Lubbock, and a few of the same around the hospital when she had made her escape. She followed him down a wide hall, for now she could only guess at the rooms to the left of the central hall the right seemed to be mostly sleeping quarters. Cutter opened a door near the back of the house. He stashed her luggage on the closet floor.
“It stays cooler at the back of the house away from the kitchen, Lex. You have time to take a shower, rest for a while, or unpack a few things before dinner. I’ll see you later.”
The room was decorated in cool blues and greens. There were no curtains, just vertical blinds in a light green that coordinated with the blue and green spread. Pillow shams that matched decorated the double bed. Walls were painted a pale blue that was nearly white. Several braided throw rugs with the same color scheme were scattered on the white and gray terrazzo floor. The floor down the long hall had been the same kind of surface, but was more of a tan color. The predominately white floor flowed into the attached bath. A shower had been on the top of her list once she got back to the hotel, but things went south from there. She placed her terrycloth robe on the back of the door. There was a duplicate brass hook on the other door. Curious, she opened it to peek in. Okay, it looked like this was a shared bath, so she closed it over before locking it, and then made quick work of her shower. Terry robe in place, she unlocked the door to the adjoining room before retreating to her temporary bedchamber to blow-dry her hair. Dry and braided, her hair was beginning to feel normal once more. A cool, navy tank and a pair of denim cutoffs replaced the now damp robe. Shoeless, Lexie stretched across the inviting bed; she was out as soon as she closed her eyes.
She was accustomed to waking to Cutter’s image beside her bed, so it took a few moments for her to realize that she was no longer in the hospital. The instant she remembered where she was, she also became aware he was sitting on the foot of the bed she was sprawled across.
“Are you ready to join the rest of us for dinner, Sleeping Beauty?”
Maria’s cooking was a world away from the bland hospital fare. It caused her to rethink Cutter’s motivation to share dinner trays with her. Like a starving person, she wolfed down the spicy burritos, Spanish rice, and garden salad loaded with a con queso style dressing that was offered for the evening’s dinner. Lexie was sure she was going to pay for her overindulgence with a bellyache, but the spicy food was such a treat. However, one swig of the iced tea almost brought everything she had just eaten to the recycle receptacle located in the attached bath at the other end of the house. Fortunately her new touchy stomach settled and she was spared the humiliation of making an emergency dash down the hall. She switched to water.
7
Lexie made quick work of breakfast early the next morning, around seven. Bacon and scrambled eggs evaporated as if by magic, and she was working on her second cup of hair curling coffee. She ate alone; it appeared Cutter and Maria’s husband were out checking on stock before even respectable roosters were up and crowing. Maria sat and had a cup of coffee with her. She had a distinct feeling that the older woman was evaluating more than her ratty old jeans and oversized blue T-shirt, or physical condition while sipping potent brew. It was then that Lexie discovered the dark honey skinned cook with the plump Dolly Parton profile, and eyes almost as dark as her coal black hair, would escort her to the interview at ten thirty. I wonder if she is also going to make introductions. She had been expecting Cutter to accompany her to the interview.
At 8:30 AM Texas time, she called her mom at work to let her know that she was out of the hospital. It had taken all her strength when she woke in that institution to sound normal and convince Mom and Grandma she was fine, and that they didn’t need to make the trip to Texas. After a short conversation in which she told her mom that she was feeling much better, and even had a job interview scheduled for that morning. Lexie made the obligatory call to Melinda’s parents. Fortunately, Ohio operated on Eastern Time, making it an hour later. The Potter’s were already at the law office. A half-hour later, after explaining about her ill-fated trip to join their daughter for dinner, and her prolonged stay at the hospital, she took them through the confrontation with Mel the day before. Lexie suggested they intervene.
“I’m worried about her, Mr. Potter. She didn’t look right to me, like she was on something. He has undue influence over her.”
“Do you think he drugged her?”
Lexie tried to remember the physical appearance of her friend during their confrontation. “I can’t prove anything, but it just makes sense the strange behavior Her eyes were way too dilated for the light in the sitting room, where we had our disagreement. I don’t trust him, and wouldn’t put anything past him.”
Benson felt responsible. Spoiled and willful his only daughter was used to having her own way. It was probably not fair for his wife Linda and him to have saddle Lexie with trying to keep her out of trouble. “How are you, Lexie?”
“I think escaping from the hospital yesterday was, in hindsight, good in some aspects. I’m staying temporarily with a local family that I got to know while at the hospital, and I have a job interview in less than an hour, near here. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, Lexie. Let us know if you need references. We’ll be in touch soon.”
Guilt was her companion as she dressed for her interview, but she took some comfort in the realization that she would feel a lot worse if something terrible were to happen to Mel, and she hadn’t notified her parents. David’s power over her friend had gone beyond any sway Lexie might have had in quelling the relationship.
She’d managed a decent rendition of a French braid, but found the chore extremely taxing. She darkened her eyebrows and applied a light pink lip stain. Due to the heat, she opted out of makeup, even though she was pathetically pale. What little tan she had going when she first arrived in this godforsaken land had been lost between the sheets of an Amarillo hospital bed. The figure in the mirror over the small white dressing table looked presentable, if not as professional as she would have liked. A white cotton tank top supplied minimal contrast to her makeup-less complexion. The white top set off the hunter green slacks. She chose an antique gold locket and slipped her grandmother’s gold watch on her left wrist, grateful that she’d left them behind on the day of her mud bath. Her only other jewelry consisted of the small gold studs in her ears. She fingered them, wondering where the small diamond ear-rings had ended up. This was the first time she’d remembered that she had worn them for the ill fated trip that buried Mel’s SUV. The diamonds had been a graduation gift from her mother. Mom and
Grandma were in the habit of giving her jewelry on special occasions, knowing that Lexie wouldn’t spend money on such things. She forced herself from her musings, and out of the white lacquered ladder-back with the wicker seat. It occurred to her that the dressing table and chair were probably antiques. She slipped into a pair of low-heeled white pumps. Then Lexie picked up a white shoulder bag along with a hunter and white checked blazer. She closed the door on her way out, and started down the hall toward the kitchen to meet Maria.
“Are you expecting cool weather?” Maria asked with mock hope and a smile that didn’t ring true. She was focused on the jacket Lexie had slung over her arm. Lexie smiled back at the other woman; there was something familiar about her, but the context eluded her.
“Best to be prepared. Some people really crank up the air conditioners when the temperatures rise. How long a trip is it, Maria? It is almost ten.”
“Not far. We have a few minutes to spare. Would you like something to drink?”
“Just a little water.” Usually a tea drinker, she didn’t think that her stomach could handle another cup of coffee.
Lexie sat down at the kitchen table once more. After thanking Maria for the cool glass of water, she tried to recall another ranch within fifteen or twenty miles of this location other than Decker’s place, but couldn’t remember anything. Maybe the other ranch or farm was in the opposite direction from the route they had taken to arrive from Lubbock. It is never a good idea to be late for a job interview. Maria finally appeared ready to make what Lexie hoped was a short drive.
“Ready?”
Lexie bit back a retort; she was in the habit of arriving early for meetings or interviews. Maria evidently subscribed to the mañana theory. She picked up her jacket and bag. Still working on controlling her volatile temper; she followed the other woman back to the hall toward the front entry. Now, what? Instead of heading out the front door, she stopped at the closest door to the entrance. The door she entered was opposite the dining room, on the same side of the house as the bedrooms. Lexie had noticed when she arrived the day before that both rooms at the front of the house provided a pair of large windows with a view overlooking the covered porch that spanned the front of the house. She was fighting the urge to ream Maria a new one when she heard Cutter’s voice.
“Come in, Lex. Have a seat, I’ll be right with you.”
He was seated behind a huge mahogany desk talking on the landline. That tears it! She turned around to track the retreating Maria.
Cutter set the phone down and went after her. “Lex, please come in, and sit until I get off the phone. Then we’ll deal with the interview.”
“Damn it, Cutter, I’m going to be late!”
“No, you’re not. You are right on time, but I am running behind.”
Now she was furious, but she followed him back into the room. There wasn’t any job. It was just a ploy to get her out here when she refused to return to the hospital. She tried to cool her rising temper by taking in the large, very masculine, room. A moderate sized bar that matched the dark desk was placed near the front of the room not far from where he was seated. The four wood backed-bar stools looked more modern, but the wood matched perfectly. She was making a conscious effort not to listen to his conversation, and occupied herself gazing about the room. She noted that the leather fabric on the stools matched the tanned leather of the large chair Cutter was occupying. She was failing miserably in her efforts at controlling her ire. Once he was finished negotiating for a hay delivery, and hung up the phone, she let him have it with both barrels.
“You damned lying snake! There never was a f------ job interview, was there?”
“It’s a good thing that you’re a woman, Lex; if a man talked to me that way, he’d be missing a few teeth.”
“Well, lucky for me, then. But if I were a man I wouldn’t even be here. Would I?”
“Will you please sit down, Lex? There is an accounting job here at the Rocking R. Our bookkeeper had been with us since my father ran the place, but two months ago he retired, and I have been interviewing applicants since. I have to admit, none of them approached the interview by using foul language and calling me a lying snake. You have a unique style.”
“I’m not sure I want the position, Cutter, this is the middle of nowhere. Commuting back and forth from Lubbock would be unbelievable.”
“That’s true, and also the reason that I haven’t replaced old Bob by now. It would require the employee to live in most of the year. Maria is alone here during the day, and I haven’t felt comfortable with any of the applicants so far.”
“I don’t think you should feel too comfortable about me around her either, I’m seriously considering kicking her butt for her part in this ruse.”
“I’m not too concerned with you damaging her. You like her cooking too much.”
“Her cooking is adequate, the exception being the gross sugary stuff she calls iced tea.”
“Sweet tea is the norm in these parts.”
“I know. It amazes me y’all aren’t diabetic. Show me the books, then we can negotiate if I decide to accept the position.”
Cutter sighed. That was the second time she had used ‘position’ instead of ‘job’, and he had a feeling there was a big dollar value attached to the term position. They were just diving into the bookkeeping nightmare that had been his haphazard attempt to keep up the books the past couple of months when Maria peeked in to announce lunch. Sliced roast beef sandwiches, Swiss cheese, and sliced vegetables for the choosing. Cutter noticed that Lexie ate sparsely, and elected to drink water. Lunch out of the way, they returned to the daunting task of the books. Dinner was ready by the time they weeded through the mess, and she had some grasp of the business.
“Okay, Cutter, assuming I agree to tackle this disorder, lets talk salary.”
Cutter tried not to groan. Others had asked about how often they got paid, or compensation packages, but she wanted to know about salary. He needed to take back control of the negotiation, if he even had it to begin with. “The job pays five hundred a week.”
“Forget it, Cutter. I can get a position in Lubbock, Amarillo, Dallas, or Houston with a starting salary of twice that.”
“Do you think you could let me finish before you interrupt me again?”
She just nodded her head and waved her hand in an imperious way as if to say get on with it. “It is true you could probably command more in one of the large cities, but you would also have to pay rent, utilities, food, and gas for a car to commute every day. I repeat, the pay is five hundred dollars per week plus room and board. Medical insurance is usually a thirty-day waiting period most places, but we start our people immediately. If you can handle the job, you will get a hundred and fifty dollar a week raise in thirty days, and a like amount in sixty days.”
“Okay, I have a couple of conditions before I accept.”
Cutter was restraining the sudden urge to strangle her. “Go on.”
He practically growled the last two words, but she refused to be intimidated. “One, you need to move into the twenty first century, which means purchasing a computer and appropriate software. Two, you deduct half of my salary in repayment for the hospital bills to date. Three, if you are to be my employer, absolutely no inappropriate advances. Four, I get to make my own iced tea. Five, I need to arrange to have my vehicle and the rest of my clothes delivered. Six, I have a dog.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No. Well, maybe. Do you have a horse I could ride once in a while when I get stronger? I had to sell mine when I left for college.”
Cutter agreed to all her terms except for the repayment of the hospital expenses, but relented when she raised a plan B. “I will apply in one of the major cities, and just mail you a check each pay period.”
She didn’t have to worry about inappropriate advances he thought, and controlled the urge to articulate it. The more of her opinionated, nasty tempered, independent, and bad-mannered self that surfaced, the more
thankful he was that they were not really married. He had known from the first day he found her cussing out that big Hereford cow that she could be a handful. He hadn’t expected her to have an explosive temper, or cuss like a sailor on a bender. It also surprised him that she was comfortable with horses, given her horrified expression at his suggestion she mount Rowdy on the hasty exit from the rising creek. The thought occurred to him that maybe it was riding with me, and not the size of my horse that had worried her.
While she was filling out the required employment information, he retrieved a small envelope from his top desk drawer, and traded her for the completed paper work.
“These belong to you. They were sent home with me when you were admitted to the hospital.”
Lexie peeked into the envelope and found her missing diamond earrings and a silver bracelet watch still caked with mud and no longer keeping time. “Thank you. The diamonds were a graduation gift from my mother and grandmother.”
Lexie never made dinner that evening. She decided on a short, pre-meal nap after a long exhausting day, but was dead to the world until almost ten the next morning.
By the following week, she’d put a serious dent in the huge backlog of the ranch bookwork caused by Bob Henson’s departure, and Cutter now owned one powerful computer, a printer/scanner/copier, and a new fax machine with a dedicated line. Cutter decided his new equipment rivaled that of the corporate offices in Dallas.
It was a week to the day that Lexie had called the Potters when Mel’s mother phoned her wanting to know if she’d heard from her daughter.
