“Not that either,” she said.
“What then?”
“I’m going to tell everyone at breakfast,” she said.
“We haven’t had breakfast together in . . .”
“In seventy-two hours. I know. But I think everyone should know, don’t you?”
“Know what?” Professor Johnson asked, exasperated, as his aunt marched out the door.
Cleo left her half-empty glass on the counter. Professor Johnson watched her through the front window. She picked up the clapper to the chuck-wagon gong. As she rang it, he knocked back the remains of her drink.
Dymphna heard the clanging and tried to ignore it. She hadn’t been down the hill since it was clear Thud wasn’t coming home. Professor Johnson was steering clear of her; their dance of moving toward each other then running away had moved into uncharted territory with the addition of their grief. Dymphna had no idea what to do or say—and clearly, neither did he.
It was obvious Cleo was not going to stop her racket until each and every one of them came into town. Dymphna finished feeding the animals and headed down the hill. She smiled as she saw the twins coming out of hiding, pulling up to the café on their ATVs.
Cleo had made a generous spread of homemade breads, eggs, Dymphna’s jams, and strong coffee. Even so, as Dymphna studied her, she realized this no-nonsense, brittle and humorless Cleo was more like the woman Dymphna had met at the mansion six months ago than the fiery Cleo who had thrown a frying pan at Powderkeg.
“I have an announcement to make,” Cleo said, her practiced, luminous smile in place. “I know we have all been searching for . . . well, we’ve been searching the past few days, and time has gotten away from us.”
“Pass the bread basket, please,” Pappy said.
“Pappy, please!” Cleo snapped, then the mask returned. She smiled as if she were addressing the Rotary Club. “Well, I just wanted to inform everyone that, well, our sentence in this loathsome town is complete.”
The group sat stunned.
“You mean, our six months is over?” Polly asked.
“Yes, indeed,” Cleo said gleefully. “I’ve called Wesley and he’s sending the jet. I’ll give you all a ride as far as Los Angeles.”
“I can’t believe it’s over,” Titan said.
“I wish I had champagne,” Cleo said. “We could toast to our . . . efforts.”
“I’m not leaving,” Titan said. “I don’t want to leave Fancy. If she can’t come with me, I’m going to stay here.”
“Dude,” Wally Wasabi said, “I don’t want to leave either. I don’t really have anything to go back to, and I’m doing really good work here.”
Dymphna’s ears perked up. Work?
Wally took a deep breath. He looked at Polly. “Please don’t laugh,” he said to her. Then in a more threatening voice, he said to Rodney and Rock, “You either.”
“OK, we promise,” Polly said.
Wally gulped down some coffee before continuing. “When I was in jail a while ago, I started sexting some girls. Just to pass the time. But it turned out, I was really good at it. I got a little following, and then a bigger following, and then a bigger following.”
Polly gasped. “No way.”
“Yeah,” Wally said, sounding miserable. “I’m Mimi Millicent.”
“But you stopped writing!” Polly said. “I’ve been looking for you since we got here.”
“I know. But when I thought we didn’t have reception, I started writing a novel instead. I mean, my word processing program still worked. I wrote three chapters and sent a thumb drive to a couple publishers. Black Poppy Publishing offered me a deal.”
A black poppy, not a black rose, thought Dymphna.
“If Titan stays, maybe I should stay, too,” Polly said. “We could work on our jewelry line—maybe start a website or something.”
Polly didn’t add that if Rodney and Wally Wasabi were both in the area, she had no desire to leave. Dymphna watched Professor Johnson, hoping he might be next to volunteer his desire to stay. Privately, she’d wondered if she could make a go of this place. She could bring her rabbits here and have a real farm. A real home. She could see it, but what she couldn’t see was a future without Professor Johnson in it.
But Professor Johnson was silent.
“Seems like I could see my way to staying—if Polly would sell my stuff on her website,” Powderkeg said, winking at Polly.
“I’d like to stay, too,” Old Bertha said. “If you think you all might still need an innkeeper.”
“Couldn’t imagine the place without you,” Powderkeg said.
“I think y’all are forgetting,” Pappy said bleakly, “Dodge is going to own this town.”
“Now, let’s all be realistic,” Cleo said, her smile getting more and more determined. “You can’t stay here. Dodge or no Dodge. It doesn’t make any sense. You have to get back to your real lives.”
“But,” Titan said, “I think this is my real life. Don’t you think your father would be happy if we wanted to stay?”
“My father wouldn’t care,” Cleo said. “I know that sounds cruel, but it’s the truth. He only did this to assuage his own guilt. He was toying with us.”
She looked around the room. She had everyone’s attention again. “Look,” she continued, “nobody can say we didn’t give this little experiment our all. But it’s finished.”
“Where will you go, Pappy?” Rodney said. “I mean, you can come stay at our campsite, if you want.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Pappy said. “Jerry Lee and I will figure something out.”
“I can certainly take care of Pappy,” Cleo said, looking around the room as if accepting an award.
“I don’t need your help, thanks,” Pappy said. “I’ll make do. I always have.”
“I feel as if you are all looking at me as if I’m the bad guy,” Cleo said. “I didn’t take your town, Pappy. Dodge did.”
“That’s right,” Dodge said from the doorway. “I did take your town.”
The men all stood up from their chairs.
“You’re either mighty brave or mighty stupid coming here before we all left town,” Powderkeg said.
“Well, I think the events of the last few months prove I’m definitely not stupid,” Dodge said.
The men started toward him.
Dodge held up his hands. “Hold on, hold on. I’ve come in peace. I just forgot my white flag.”
“Say what you came to say,” Pappy said, “and get out. You don’t own Fat Chance yet.”
“That’s what I came to say,” Dodge said. “Things get passed down, generation to generation. In my case, high cholesterol, a receding hairline, and the crazy idea that I had to get Fat Chance back come hell or high water.”
“Whatever you came to say, you’re taking a long time saying it,” Powderkeg grumbled.
“Times change,” Dodge said. “I take medication for my high cholesterol and have come to terms with my receding hairline. And, well, I guess I can come to terms with never owning Fat Chance.”
“If this is another one of your tricks, dude . . . ,” Wally said.
“It’s not. I can’t get that crazy dog out of my head. He saved the life of a man who set out to ruin all of you.”
“Dog never did have any sense,” Old Bertha growled.
Dodge turned to Cleo. “I’m ready to let bygones be bygones. I can’t cancel all debts, ’cause I don’t have that kind of money, but I’m happy to have y’all make payments as they come in. Code of the West.”
He put out his hand and Cleo shook it.
“All right,” she said.
“Can I stay for coffee?” Dodge asked, seating himself at the table. “I know we’re never going to be friends, but y’all are still going to have to come to Spoonerville and I’m still gonna have to deal with all of you, so we might as well make the best of it.”
“I . . . I’ll get a cup,” Cleo said, in stunned confusion.
“And I expect you boy
s back on the bowling team and back at work first thing in the morning,” Dodge said to the twins.
The twins shrugged and nodded.
“Code of the West, my ass,” Pappy whispered to Dymphna, who shushed him.
While the mood of the café had lifted considerably, Dymphna was very aware that Professor Johnson had not declared that he wanted to make a life in Fat Chance. She realized that he probably would never be able to see the place as anything but the town that took his dog from him.
“One more thing, just to show my good will,” Dodge said, heading to the door. He opened it, and Thud bounded in. “Found him on the ranch two days ago. He was one sick pup. Wasn’t sure he was going to make it.”
Professor Johnson and Thud met midair.
Cleo heard all the noise and rushed back in. She jumped into Powderkeg’s arms.
Professor Johnson had to yell over Thud’s whimpers to be heard. “You knew two days ago that Thud was alive?!”
“Yep,” Dodge said, puffing out his chest. “It was touch-and-go for a while. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I even had the vet take a look at him. Something I am not inclined to do under normal circumstances.”
Thud had knocked Professor Johnson to the ground, licking him until the professor’s glasses were smeared with saliva. Professor Johnson got back on his feet. He wiped off his glasses and stared at Dodge.
“But don’t worry about it,” Dodge said. “You don’t have to thank me.”
“Oh, I do,” Professor Johnson said, as Thud started making the rounds for kisses and hugs.
Dodge extended his hand as Professor Johnson approached. The professor smiled and spread his arms as if waiting for a hug. Dodge shrugged, then opened his arms.
Professor Johnson decked him.
Old Bertha threw a pitcher of water on Dodge to bring him to. Professor Johnson looked down at him until he saw Dodge’s eyes focus.
“Next time,” the professor said, “you come tell me my dog is alive. Understood?”
Dodge got to his feet and then wheeled on Professor Johnson. “I save your dog and give you your piss-ant town back, and this is the thanks I get?” he said, rubbing his jaw. He pointed a finger at Rodney and Rock. “I still expect to see you boys at work tomorrow. Enough of this horsing around,” he declared, and then stalked out the door.
“Thank you,” Professor Johnson called out as Dodge stormed down the boardwalk.
CHAPTER 46
The people of Fat Chance celebrated their good fortune. It was impossible to believe they had their town back and that Thud was among them once more. Cleo finally shooed everyone away. As she hung the last pot on the rack, she turned to find Powderkeg standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest, smiling wickedly at her.
“This was quite a day,” he said.
“I can’t remember anything quite like it,” she said.
Powderkeg came into the room and stood in front of Cleo. Smoothing her hair, he took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “Stay here with me,” he breathed softly into her neck.
He released her and looked into her eyes.
“Don’t be silly, Marshall,” she said. “You know I can’t stay.”
“What are you talking about? Your father put us both here because he thought we should give it another shot!”
“I know that. Look, Marshall, we’re all wrong for each other. We fought as much as we . . . well, as much as we didn’t fight. All this proves is that Daddy wasn’t right about everything.”
“I can’t believe this. You’re leaving me—again?”
Cleo shrugged. Powderkeg turned abruptly and walked out the door.
Dymphna stood in the middle of the street, talking to Erinn on the phone. She relayed the entire story of planning the Fandango, losing the town, losing Thud, getting the town and Thud back, and Professor Johnson punching Dodge.
“I’m confused,” Erinn said. “Who does the town belong to now?”
“It belongs to Cleo.”
“So, Cleo is the landlady?” Erinn asked.
“I think Pappy is the landlady—landlord. The on-site manager, anyway. Cleo is going back to Los Angeles tomorrow.”
“But most of you are staying to try to make a go of it?” Erinn asked, wading into forbidden territory.
“Yes,” Dymphna said, aware that both of them were skirting the big question. “With Dodge giving everybody time to pay off their loans, we’ll all have enough money from our settlements from Cutthroat to really try to make something of the place.”
“We? Did you say we?”
“Did I?” Dymphna asked guiltily.
“I think you did.”
“I didn’t mean to say that. I didn’t mean not to say it, either.”
“That’s a double negative,” Erinn said. “Which means you did mean to say it, which means you want to stay.”
“Does it?”
“You tell me. Dymphna, it should be easy. Just ask yourself, where is my heart?”
That was easy. Her heart was here.
Rodney and Rock snuck off the ranch to meet everyone at the top of the trail. It was going to be rough saying good-bye to Cleo and Professor Johnson, who were headed back to Los Angeles.
Everyone was on time and assembled at the top of the trail as the limo pulled up. The Covered Volkswagen stood proudly, like a kindergartener who hadn’t gotten the memo that he wasn’t the cutest kid on the planet as the real cutest kid on the planet rolled in. As the driver’s door swung open, Dymphna was hoping to see Jeffries, but Wesley had hired a local driver to take Cleo and her nephew to the airport.
Powderkeg was all bravado and fake cheer, kissing Cleo on the cheek and wishing her well. “I guess this is it,” he said.
“You know I’ll be back to visit,” Cleo said. “You can’t get away from me that easily.”
She patted Powderkeg on the shoulder, hugged Titan, dodged Fancy, kissed Old Bertha and Polly, kissed Dymphna twice, playfully boxed with the twins, and came up short as she looked at Pappy.
“You take care of my town,” she said.
“I always have and I always will.”
“May I ask you something?”
“It’s a little late,” Pappy said. “But shoot.”
“Do I know you?” she asked. “Every once in a while . . . I don’t know . . . I just feel as if I know you.”
“No,” Pappy said. “You don’t know me at all.”
Cleo looked at Professor Johnson, who was going through his own good-byes.
“Don’t take too long, dear,” Cleo said. “We may own the jet, but a schedule is a schedule.”
Cleo disappeared into the limo. As if by some unspoken signal, the group faded into the background, so only Professor Johnson and Dymphna had their farewells to exchange. True to form, the two of them had avoided each other as the time for departure drew near.
Professor Johnson furrowed his brow. “I have to leave. I hope you know that,” he said. “I have a contract for another year at the university.”
Dymphna didn’t know that. And she had to admit, keeping a player piano running and giving tours of his museum really weren’t much of an incentive to stay.
“I hope you’ll come back and visit sometime,” she said. Worried that she sounded like she was nagging, she added, “You know, if your aunt is coming or something.”
“Are you not listening to me? I have to fulfill my contract at the university.”
Dymphna’s heart started pounding wildly. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? “That depends on what you’re saying,” Dymphna hedged.
“I am a cautious person by nature,” the professor said. “And not the easiest person to get to know.”
I’ve been trying to get to know you for six months!
“I’ve probably handled everything badly,” he said.
“Oh no,” she said. Yes.
“You’ll be very busy in the months ahead,” the professor said. “I know your rabbits will be arriving and the
y’ll need some time to adjust. But I was hoping . . . I was hoping that when my contract is over, I might come back here and see what I could make of my museum.”
“That sounds fine,” Dymphna said, restraining herself from jumping into his arms.
“Perhaps we might do some research together.”
Dymphna threw her arms around him, restraint be damned. They shared a long kiss. He touched his forehead to hers.
How Professor Johnson made research sound incredibly sexy was beyond her.
He looked around. “Where’s Thud?”
He whistled and the dog came running up the trail. He was wearing a new snakeskin collar, compliments of Powderkeg.
“We’re going to miss him,” Dymphna said, sniffling at first, then breaking down in sobs. “We’re going to miss him a lot.”
She was well aware that the professor knew she was talking about him as well as Thud, but it was a good excuse not to embarrass them all. Who could say if Professor Johnson would still be in the mood to return in a year?
“He’s going to be very bored in Los Feliz,” Professor Johnson said. “He’s a wild thing now.”
“He’ll just have to tough it out,” Dymphna said.
“Elwood.” Cleo rolled down her window and admonished her nephew. “We have to leave, dear.”
Professor Johnson nodded quickly, then returned his attention to Dymphna. “What would you say if I asked you to take care of Thud for me until I can get back here? It would mean the world to me.”
Dymphna felt another wave of tears coming. She pressed her fingers to her lower lids, but stopped. So what if he saw how much he meant to her? Wasn’t that a good thing? Wasn’t that what relationships—even this one, one that was starting just as he was leaving—were all about? “I’d be happy to take care of him,” she sputtered.
“Good.” Professor Johnson kissed her again. “And he’ll take care of you, too.”
“Elwood, darling,” Cleo said sternly.
“Coming, Auntie,” Professor Johnson replied.
Dymphna watched as he opened the passenger door. Before he stepped inside, he turned to face her one last time. “You know I have a PhD in natural science from Harvard,” he said.
Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas Page 25
