by AE Rought
“Bonnie wants to talk to him actually, dear. It was nice talking to you finally.”
I had to smile. “Nice to talk to you too. I’m handing Slade the phone.” I held the phone out to Slade. “It’s your parents.”
His eyes widened slightly, and a faint smile grew when he took the phone. “Can you excuse me, Kally?” Slade didn’t wait for me to answer. He covered the mouthpiece and walked into the office with it. Surprise bubbled up when he cast me a quick glance through the door and shooed me away.
Slade held the phone up. “Hello?”
His mother’s voice was close to his heart and so far away. “Hello, son. How are things working out with Kally at the Fourth Moon? Is she healing well? Did the package arrive safely?”
“It’s so good to hear your voice, Mother.” He dropped into the chair behind his mother’s desk, fiddling with the letter opener. “Yup, Kally is healing up really well.” In more ways than one. “And she fits in here just fine. She’s kept up with the mail and has been a great help.” Slade watched the shifting shadows beneath the office door, the movement was suspicious. He turned the chair away from the door and spoke softly. “And, yes, the box came. Are you sure about this?”
Her voice was soft but assured. “Yes, I am. If she’s the girl, then the ring is yours to give.”
The chair squeaked when he turned it back to the desk. The shadows had not moved from the hinge side of the door. He poked at a cow figurine with the business end of the letter opener. “She’s the girl.” The cow tipped and nearly fell. “I can’t explain it, don’t want to get all…soft on the phone…”
His mother laughed. “You are just like your father. So, when are you going to do it?”
He stowed the letter opener and rolled the chair back. “I’m thinking I’ll do it at Christmas. Give her time. Give me time too.” Kally had captured more than Slade’s imagination. He wanted things to be right and know they wouldn’t change.
The shadow outside the door moved, drifting closer to the door handle. Slade was certain if he pushed the door quickly, he would ram Kally onto her butt on the other side. He’d be damned tempted to laugh then. But he didn’t want to get under the porcelain shell he knew she still held. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings in any way. Slade stomped his boots to give Kally a clue to back away from the door.
The clatter of boots cued me to step back from the door. I moved back to a more inconspicuous distance, and Slade came out of the office looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. “What’re you smiling about?”
Shaking his head, he crossed his arms. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“No.” I feigned a pout. “I have to wait until Christmas.”
He patted my shoulder, false consolation in the light of his impish grin, and then his hand slid down my spine and rested on my hip, a perfect natural fit. “Christmas is going to be great. I’m really looking forward to having you here with me.”
I gave him a sidelong glance and the mischievous smile I’d learned from him. “Yeah? Well, I’m looking forward to the infamous upcoming decorating party!”
“Oh…” A slight blush reddened his cheeks. “The party’s actually this Saturday.”
“Saturday?” The timbre of my voice rose. “So soon?”
“It’s not some fussy affair, Kally. We just pull out all the leftovers, throw some crackers and cheese on the table and haul out the beer. We play loud music, put up decorations and share a few drinks.”
“Sounds like fun.” Decorating at Matt’s had been horrible. It was a job, to be done to his specifications, not as a group effort, and certainly never fun.
“Yup, usually is.” Slade tipped his Stetson back. “And, we’ve got Butch’s tomorrow night.”
Time with Ilene and her husband Steve. We were going on a double date, like a real couple.
“I can’t wait.”
Slade and Kally: Letting Go of the Reins, Book 1
Chapter Eleven
Butch’s Roadhouse was the busiest, loudest questionable establishment I’d ever been in. Music poured out of the windows, the scent of beef and beer permeated the air—and that was just in the parking lot. Ilene and Steve met us at the front door. Peanut shells littered the floor. Mounts of small game lined the walls beneath garish neon signs touting the different types of liquors sold there. Waitresses strutted by, wearing tight jeans and tighter T-shirts. The dance floor was filled with whooping, yee-hawing line dancers.
I cast a nervous look at Ilene, but she flowered beside me, her jacket coming off and a smile blooming on her face. Steve took Ilene’s jacket from her, tossing it over his shoulder in a fluid motion I was certain he’d made a thousand times before. Slade slapped him on the shoulder and then tipped his hat when a man shouted his name from the nearest corner of the dance floor. “Howdy, Tom.”
Fidgeting beside Slade, I stepped back to hide behind him. He turned to me then, eyes shadowed by his Stetson. “We don’t have to stay…”
I shook my head. “No. It’s okay, really. Just a little louder than I expected. Besides, Ilene and Steve look like they’re already having fun.”
“And Kally could use a beer,” Ilene hooted. She grabbed my hand and dragged me toward a table to the left of the teeny dance floor. Steve had taken up a corner and cleared space for Ilene to sit beside him. She slid beneath his extended arm like a flower petal beneath a breeze.
“I didn’t know you drank, Kally.” Slade cocked an eyebrow at me and then smiled. Passing beneath the brim of his hat and dangerously close to his large belt buckle, I sat in the corner opposite of Steve and right next to a bucket of peanuts. Slade dropped onto the leather padded bench beside me and put his arm across the back of the seat, close to my shoulders, still not touching.
“I tied one on a few times in my college days. But,” I tossed a peanut at Ilene, “unlike some of us, I grew up.”
Ilene stuck her tongue out at me. I returned the favor, and both men laughed.
A pert little blonde waitress with a high-set ponytail came up to the table. “Hi, I’m Suzy. Can I get y’all anything to start?”
Slade and I shared a menu while Steve and Ilene ordered burgers, steak fries with gravy and a couple of beers. I handed the menu to Slade. “A burger sounds good. Put me down for one too. Just give me ketchup for the fries please.”
Slade folded the menu and then snorted. “No one out here uses ketchup, darlin’. It’s ranch dressing, fry sauce, or gravy—”
“Slade Carlson?” Suzy interrupted. She devoured his face with her gaze. “Long time no see!”
His blue eyes rolled when he grimaced, then he turned to Suzy with a fake smile plastered across his face. “Suzy Mitchell. How the hell are ya?”
She blushed, batted her eyelashes and shimmied closer. Her thigh brushed Slade’s where it stuck out into the aisle. He pulled his leg back in beneath the table. “I’m fine, Slade, thank ya for asking. Just got the job here to help with the bills.” She looked me over in the same predatory “kill the interloper” sense Cissy had done in Gillette. “And who’s this? You got a cousin in town?”
Ilene kicked me under the table, jerking her eyes toward Suzy. Slade dropped his arm from the back of the bench to drape on my shoulders. He pulled me closer. “She’s not a cousin. Kally is my…”
“Special guest at the Fourth Moon,” I filled in.
“Oh really?” She backed away a step, ignoring me and thrusting her order pad between her and Slade. “So what can I get for you, Slade?”
He ordered the same burger combo we all did, but added jalapeño poppers and a bloomin’ onion. Suzy tucked her tablet into her tight, low slung apron and then nearly tossed her butt into Slade’s face when she left to fetch our drinks and the appetizers. Slade backed away in mock fear and then took a sip of his water. The topic of tomorrow night’s decorating party came up, with Ilene and me begging for a second night. Steve shook his head. “Sorry. Ilene and I have to get home tomorrow morning. Mom is only going to watch
the dogs for so long.”
“Bummer.” I pouted and Ilene surrendered with a shrug of her shoulders.
Suzy returned with a tray full of beers, the battered, deep fried onion and Slade’s poppers. She stepped back without trying to chat up my cowboy. I watched her make a beeline away from our table to another at the other end of the dance floor. Cissy Rawlings sat there with what looked to be Cowgirl Barbie and her dark haired, less attractive but equally plastic friend. The three women leaned in and then followed Suzy’s finger right to me.
The nurse said I’d meet green-eyed monsters in Hulett. I didn’t think they ran in packs. I nudged Ilene underneath the table and then pointed to the table of feral females looking this way. She rolled her eyes and turned her back on them. “Just enjoy yourself, hun.”
“Agreed,” Steve chimed in, and raised his beer bottle like a champagne flute for toasting. “Here’s to new friends and having fun.”
Slade raised the neck of his bottle, clinking it against Steve’s. “To new friends.”
Ilene and I toasted, “New friends. Having fun.”
As a group we drew swigs off our beers, the men turning it into a race, draining their bottles. The bottles banged on the tabletop and Slade belched loud enough for the residents of Saint Joe to hear him. Ilene and I exchanged bug-eyed glances and then laughed out loud. I dropped a hand onto his thigh. “Great hang time.”
“Thank you kindly.” Slade asked Steve about his job while he unscrewed the cap of the Tabasco sauce bottle and dosed his side order of poppers. The tangy fumes were enough to knock a smaller girl on her ass. I looked at him, searching for sanity in a crazed man. “Are you kidding me?”
“Ain’t much can’t benefit from a little Tabasco.”
“But, Slade, those are jalapeños.”
“I know. I love ’em but they’re kind of fumy.” He waved his hand over the plate and then winked. “Good thing you sleep alone, eh?”
A deep blush singed my cheeks. If sliding under the table could be considered appropriate, I would’ve been gone. Ilene smiled, her eyes taking in every nuance of body language we displayed. She elbowed Steve, and he nodded.
Steve excused himself to go to the restroom, saying he’d order another round of beers before returning to the table. Slade nodded. “I’ll keep the ladies safe until you get back.”
In Steve’s absence, Slade leaned in over the center of the table toward us girls. A mischievous twinkle danced in his eyes. “Ever been stopped by those guys who smell like mint at the kiosks in the mall?”
Ilene cocked an eyebrow. “Occasionally. Why?”
“Well last time I was in the mall over in Spearfish, those guys stopped me twice.” He leaned back and waggled his hands over the table like a girl drying her nails after a manicure. “They just shouldn’t be asking a man if they want a ‘hand treatment’.”
Ilene snickered. I giggled, then laughed out loud. Tears beaded in the corners of my eyes, and I laughed so hard I snorted.
Slade faked a shocked expression tainted with a slight grin. “What?”
“I’m sorry.” I hiccupped for breath. “That really struck me funny.”
His eyes settled on mine. “I know.” He smiled, broad, with his blue eyes sparkling in the down turned light. Slade dipped a French fry in his puddle of fry sauce and then popped it in his mouth. Steve returned, and we settled into our meals. Our plates were emptied by the time Suzy returned with four beers. I took one drink off the new bottle and the “drink one, pee one” rule took effect.
“I’ve got to go to the little girls’ room. Need to go, too, Ilene?”
“Yep. I could use a little bladder relief.”
We worked our way out of the booth and wove through people to the bathroom. A sign above one door read “Colts” and another read “Fillies”. Ilene plowed through the Fillies door with me in tow and then banged into an empty stall. I danced foot-to-foot, waiting for the other stall to empty. A portly girl with a too tight shirt tied in a knot under her breasts walked out, and I ducked in. Ilene and I met at the sinks, where I tapped her shoulder.
“Do I look okay?” I turned on the heels of my boots, so Ilene could gauge my outfit.
“Oh, honey, you look great.” She waved a hand, dismissing my clothing concerns. “It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, every girl in this bar is glaring at you with envy because of who you’re sitting with. And speaking of Slade…” She cornered me. “Are you in love yet?”
I squirmed, tapping my toe and fussing with my blouse. “Oh, Ilene, please.”
She balled her hands into fists on her hips. “Come on, Kally. ’Fess up. Do you have feelings for your hot cowboy or not?”
“Would you feel better if I said ‘yes’?”
She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. “At least then I’d know you were telling the truth.”
I tucked my thumbs in my pockets. “Okay, fine. I like him. I like him a lot.”
She smiled and grabbed my hand. “Kally, I think you should go for it. Next time he gets close enough, wrap your arms around him and kiss him.”
I quoted Slade. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
We walked out of the bathroom in time to see Cissy Rawlings and the Barbies heading our way. Refusing to dignify their nasty glares, I tossed my hair over my shoulder and walked back to the table. Slade and Steve stood when we returned, Ilene smooched her husband, and for a moment I considered kissing Slade. But I didn’t want to kiss him just to prove a point to those other women, or even Ilene.
I stroked his cheek with my fingers, drawing close to him before sliding against his body and sitting in my seat. A new plate mounded with fries took up the center of the table, along with bowls of gravy, fry sauce and ranch dressing. Slade encouraged me to try a fry with gravy, holding it for me to bite. “Okay, fine.” I took the offered fry. It was damned good. “I think I’ve found a new favorite.”
Slade smiled, running his fingers along my arm. “Me too.” A slow dance song played, and Slade took my hand. “Are ya dancing?”
“Are you asking?”
He pulled me from the booth and onto the dance floor. I melted against him, his embrace more intoxicating than the beers coursing through me. Sighing, I stroked the back of his neck, playing with his dark hair. He emitted something close to a groan and held me tighter, one hand slipping down to cup my butt. Losing track of the lyrics, I clung to the rhythm, following the motion of his body and the rocking of his hips.
I could have danced with Slade all night, but eventually the song ended. He drew both hands up the side of my body, cupped the sides of my face and drew me close. My heart beat harder, my breath seized in my throat. Yes! Kiss me, press your lips to mine.
He didn’t. Slade stopped, his eyes leaving mine, his gaze aimed over my shoulder. “Oh God…here she comes.”
“Who?”
“Adelle Crawford—the ex-girlfriend from hell.”
The bleached-blonde Cowgirl Barbie swaggered to us, rolling her hips and thrusting her breasts at Slade in an obvious vie for attention. He held up his hands in a gesture of annoyance while she circled us, her muddy green eyes scouring me. I maintained my ground, fingers curled in his, while a new sensation of stubborn will rose within me. Slade shifted his weight onto his left hip, his body brushing mine. Her painted lips parted. “I heard you brought home a stray, Slade. I never expected you to keep something so scrawny…”
I stepped up to face her and shocked myself. “And what’s your problem with it?”
I didn’t have time to ponder the newfound strength. Adelle turned on me. “My problem? This is my territory and he’s part of it. Always has been, always will be.”
She sounds like Matt. Her attitude only fanned the flames inside. No one owns someone else. “Then why don’t you cock your leg and piss on him?”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Only male dogs cock their legs, idiot.”
“Oh? Then you’re just a bitch.”
Inwardly, I
was shocked with myself, but I maintained a solid stance. Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open, then snapped shut again. The blush on her face flushed her body, even staining her cleavage and breasts an angry red. She cast a glare back to the table she’d recently left and then turned back to me. “I am not a bitch, and I sure as hell ain’t no female dog!”
Just then, the two women who’d traveled in her pack to the bathroom and back to their table came to the dance floor and stood beside her. Things weren’t going her way, so she had to call reinforcements? Sarcasm simmered to a boil in my mouth. “Oh look, the rest of your dog sled team has arrived. Did you leave your harness outside?”
Ilene appeared by my side to join the verbal fray. “So, which one of you is the lead dog, and who are the ones left looking at ass all day?”
A round robin chorus of “you bitch” and “how dare you” ensued. Adelle seemed ready to charge in and rip out my throat with her manicured nails, but then the lone man at their abandoned table shouted, his voice cracking like a whip over the churlish pack. “Hey, Adelle. Get me a beer, would ya?”
Silence fell and a grin cut into my cheeks. “Better hurry, Adelle, your musher is calling…”
The color drained from her face, leaving red splotches of blush on her cheekbones. She growled half curses and glared at Slade. His smile remained placid and unaffected by her anger. Her bravado faded, but she leveled a finger at me. “No one insults me like this. You’d better watch yourself. I’ll come at you sideways. I’ll make you miserable for even looking at him!”
“Impossible.”
I motioned for her to run along, and then I tugged Slade’s hand and led him from the dance floor, leaving her chewing on the bone of her embarrassment. Slade stopped at the edge of the polished oak expanse and pulled me to his chest. He came close enough to kiss me a thousand ways and didn’t. The energy between us crackled. I was torn. I couldn’t turn away, but I didn’t want our first kiss to be because of Adelle. Then his lips moved, a breath away from mine while his hand encircled my back, cinching me to his body. I would have given in then. I couldn’t resist his embrace. His heart beat for us both.
