by Reeni Austin
"Yes." She nodded. "And Marcy was only trying to help you. Just like my cousin Bert did for Doris."
Ramon said, "You made up that story. And it doesn't apply here."
"I most certainly did not make it up. Cara remembers and she was traumatized." She put her hand on Ramon's arm. "Marcy cares about you, very much. And maybe she did the wrong thing here. I don't know. There's obviously a lot more going on between you and your brothers than you've told me. But Marcy deserves another chance."
Ramon set his fork down. "Patty, I will always wonder if she's gonna betray me again. And maybe it'll be worse next time. You understand?"
"Yes," she said with a sober nod. "Sweetheart, I was blissfully married for eighteen years to a man who probably lied to me every day because he knew I'd worry. He was a cop, and a damn good one, at that. He knew I couldn't sleep at night if he told me everything he saw at work. But he did it to protect me, and I respected him for it."
Ramon sighed. "That's different."
Patty folded her hands together on the table and leaned forward. "I think sometimes a person has to do the right thing, no matter what. And that's all Marcy was trying to do, because she cares about you. She thought she was helping you. Just like your brothers."
"Did she tell you that?"
Patty shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe she swore me to secrecy." She winked.
"Doesn't matter. She hasn't known me long enough to care about me. And in a few weeks she'll be leaving anyway."
"Or maybe not," Patty replied in a breezy tone.
"What?" Ramon's heart pounded furiously. "You think she wants to stay? She tell you that?"
Patty chuckled and touched his hand. "I think it's worth finding out, don't you?"
Ramon took a deep breath, then a long drink of his beer. When he set the bottle down, he said, "I don't know what to think. Why do you women have to be so damn complicated?"
Patty laughed, then sarcastically said, "It's the effect you uncomplicated men have on us."
Ramon ignored her comment, then proceeded to eat the rest of his meal in silence.
CHAPTER 20
Wednesday arrived, and Ramon had the pleasure of staying at his own ranch. And usually he enjoyed these days.
But the heat was brutal, like high noon began at sunrise and wouldn't let up. He stayed outside even though there was plenty of work to do in his air-conditioned office; it unfortunately required a walk to the house to retrieve some files he'd left there. And that would put him at risk of a Marcy sighting.
Ramon had already lost too much time to that woman. And not just the time they spent together—he was now losing sleep. She haunted his dreams. Gave him false hope. Made him fantasize about crazy shit like having babies.
Ramon readjusted his hat, wiped the sweat from his sunglasses and his brow, and returned to the business at hand: it was calving season, and Otis, the new bull, was ready for action.
Ramon chuckled to himself, thinking about a conversation he had with Isaac the previous week, about why they needed bulls at the ranch. And Ramon was half tempted to just let the little guy find out for himself. Maybe he would have if Isaac had been a little older. Hell, that was how Ramon learned where babies came from. He'd never forget that day when he was nine years old and he watched Henry's ranch hands turn a bull loose into a meadow full of heifers. Henry took young Ramon aside and carefully explained it in a way no boy should've probably ever heard.
A lump formed in Ramon's throat. Looking back, it was clear that Henry treated Ramon differently than he treated his brothers. Ramon always chalked it up to a camaraderie with Henry to which Victor and Armando could never relate because they were too soft. But now, he wondered… was it because Henry knew all along he was really my father?
Shrug it off and get back to work, he scolded himself.
A few minutes later, as Ramon was in a storage shed looking for some misplaced shovels, he heard footsteps come up behind him. Then a distinct fragrance tickled his nostrils, and he snickered. It was some kind of ritzy cologne Armando always wore. The smell wasn't bad. It was just unnecessary.
Ramon wiped his hands together and turned around to see his brothers standing there at the entrance of the shed. They both wore jeans and T-shirts, and even though they were trying to be casual, those clothes were still too fancy for Ramon's taste.
This was the first time he laid eyes on them since he stormed out of the house on Monday night. Admittedly, he had cooled down a lot since then, but he wasn't ready for an ambush like this. Smirking, he said, "What're you doin' out here? It's too hot. You should go back inside with the rest of the women."
Victor and Armando both flinched a little, but they took a step forward at the same time, like they'd rehearsed it.
Victor spoke first. "We just wanted to see how you're doing."
Armando nodded. "Been hard to track you down today. Looks like you're busy. Something we can help with?"
Snorting, Ramon said, "Help. Yeah, right. From you two cabrones?"
Victor stayed calm and ignored his insult. "Fine then. Just tell me if you have everything scheduled for Isaac's birthday party this Saturday. Or did we lose that privilege?"
"Oh," Ramon said, his anger dissipating a little at the mention of Isaac's name. "It's all set. I gave you my word, remember?"
Victor nodded. "Yeah, but…" His voice trailed off as he shared a glance with Armando. "What can we expect? Cara said you've been vague about it."
Ramon shrugged. "It's a surprise. Gotta be vague."
Victor's eyes narrowed. "No, it's a child's birthday party. Cara and I need to know exactly what's going on."
"All right," Ramon said. "A couple of those bouncy castle things. Maybe a few little surprises."
Victor glared at him, knowing this was the most information he was going to get from Ramon. "Fine. But no big surprises."
With a sly grin, Ramon said, "Everyone's gonna have a great time."
Victor groaned under his breath. "Okay then." He cleared his throat. "I'm still planning to come to Kernersville with you tomorrow. I don't care how pissed you are. You gave me your word about that, too."
Ramon sighed. "I don't know. That was before you sent your little spy the other day. Not sure how I feel about it anymore."
Armando grunted, then muttered, "Geez, man. You and your fuckin' pride. Just take some help once in a while."
Victor shot Armando a threatening glance.
Ramon arched a brow at Armando. "Help, huh?" Then he chuckled. "You really wanna do something that'll help me?" His eyes darted between his brothers, then he turned around to search the shed again for the objects he came in there to find.
In less than a minute, Ramon found a few shovels lying on the floor behind some barrels. They were both old and rusty, but they were the only ones he owned that weren't currently in use. Smiling, he picked up two of them, then rushed past his brothers, heading outside. "Follow me."
He heard them both groan at the same time, and he laughed and said, "You offered," without looking at them.
Victor and Armando followed Ramon through an empty pasture, stopping at a long ditch.
Ramon then turned around to look at them. They were both wiping beads of sweat from their foreheads as a result of the humid, scorching air. For a moment he felt badly about what he was about to do, but he figured they'd balk and go back to the house anyway. "All right," he said. "See this drainage ditch? It's clogged. Need to lay some pipe down but I don't have the manpower for it right now. So, in the meantime…" He grinned and extended a shovel to each of them.
Victor shrugged and said, "All right," as he took the shovel and started working.
Armando scowled at first, but he followed Victor's lead without saying a word.
Ramon stood there, speechless, as he watched them. He was instantly reminded of his teenage years, when routine tasks like clearing ditches was part of their daily lives.
His sense of guilt made him pause for a moment. This ditch could take
all day. And it wouldn't take long for their uncallused hands to hurt from handling those shovels.
Ramon finally said, "Uh… wait. You guys don't have to do that. You're not used to it."
"What?" Armando glanced at him over his shoulder and took a moment to wipe sweat from his brow. "I stay in shape. I can handle it."
Victor nodded as he carved his way around a large rock. "Me too." Then he panted a little as he jabbed at the ground. "Could probably use some water."
"Water. Okay." Ramon nodded. "So, you guys are really gonna do this?"
Victor stopped and squinted at Ramon, using his hand to protect his eyes from the sun. "I told you last week, hermano. I wanna help."
Armando stopped to give Ramon a grin, then went back to his task.
"Uh…" Ramon stammered. "But you're both gonna ruin those nice shoes."
"Nah," Victor said as he resumed. "They'll be all right. I'll wear boots next time."
Ramon stood perfectly still, observing them for a little while longer. And he was infinitely thankful that his sunglasses hid his eyes. If his brothers knew he had teared up over this, they would never let him live it down. He cleared his throat and did his best to steel his voice. "Okay then. Take it easy though. It's hot. You'll kill yourselves out here. I'll go get you some water. And gloves." Then he turned and ran toward the house.
Armando called out after him, "Let us know what you want us do to next! This won't take long!"
Ramon laughed and ran faster, lifting his sunglasses to wipe his eyes with his fingers. He was already preparing a mental list of supplies to bring to them.
When he arrived at the trailer, he immediately started filling a used grocery bag with bottles of water, clean rags, gloves, and sunscreen, among other things. And he thought there were extra hats, but he couldn't find them.
He knew for sure he could find a couple in the house.
Damn it, Ramon growled to himself. His brothers were working up a sweat out there and it was already too hot outside even for people who were accustomed to that kind of labor.
So, he took a deep breath, left his bag of supplies in the trailer, and took off running to the house.
* * *
Cara, Marcy, and Katie were in the living room discussing wedding details when they heard the back door open, and a person rush inside. They knew Victor and Armando had left in an attempt to make peace with Ramon, and they were all a little nervous.
Cara stood first. "Who's that?"
Katie bit her nail. "I hope everything's okay."
The three women walked down the hall to the sound of the frantic activity they heard.
They inhaled a collective gasp when they saw Ramon foraging through shelves in the downstairs linen closet.
Marcy's stomach leaped to her throat.
Ramon did a double take when he saw them, then reached to the back of a shelf. "Hey," he muttered.
Cara glanced at Marcy, who stared at him in silence. "Hey Ramon," Cara said calmly. "Can we help you find something?"
Ramon let out a sigh of relief as he retrieved a few hats that were hidden behind a large stack of towels. "Just found 'em. Thanks." Then he chuckled. "Your men are out there clearin' a ditch for me. Can you believe that?"
Katie's eyes widened at the old, worn cowboy hats in his hand. "And I guess they're gonna wear those?"
Ramon scowled at her as he brushed past on his way to his office across the hall. "Yeah. All these hats gotta do is protect 'em from the sun. No need to be all fancy."
Cara and Katie both entered the office after him while Marcy hung back in the hall outside the door.
"So," Cara said, "Did Victor ask you about Isaac's party?"
"Yeah." Sitting at his desk, Ramon's eyes met Cara's for a brief moment. Then he opened a drawer and retrieved two pairs of sunglasses. "It's all set. Bouncy castles. Maybe a few little extras. It'll be set it up first thing Saturday morning. Weather's supposed to be nice. Not too hot."
"That's good," Cara said.
Katie folded her arms over her chest and gave Ramon a stern look. "Is Armando really out there working?"
Smirking, Ramon's voice went up a few registers. "Why? You afraid sweet little 'Mando's gonna hurt himself by doin' manual labor for the first time in ten years?" He snorted and resumed his normal voice. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him. He's finally gonna grow some balls with that kinda work." Then he looked at Cara, and his tone softened. "Oh shit! Isaac's not out there, is he?"
"No." Cara gave him a flat stare.
Katie gave him one single, sarcastic laugh and said, "You're a real prize, Ramon."
Ramon nodded proudly. "Yep. And now I'm your brother-in-law. Congratulations." As he stood from his chair, he grabbed the hats and sunglasses and said, "You can probably see 'em working on the security camera. Cara, you remember how to log in, right?"
Cara said, "Yes," and hurried around him to the computer.
"Security camera?" Katie asked. "That's fancy."
Ramon stopped as he headed to the door, narrowing his eyes at her. "Yeah, I got a security system. Real nice one, too. What? You think I'm runnin' some kinda chicken shack out there?"
In an even tone, Katie responded, "No, Ramon. I was not trying to imply that you're running a chicken shack." Then she paused for a short breath and in an overly polite voice, added, "As usual, it was lovely to see you."
Ramon chuckled. "You too, sis." His eyes widened dramatically on "sis." Then he rushed into the hall and turned toward the back door, oblivious to Marcy cowering beneath the stairs.
Cara yelled, "Hey Ramon, wait! Are you gonna be here for dinner tonight? I know Mom's gonna ask."
He stopped in his tracks and let out a sigh, ready to reply until he noticed Marcy… and his words got stuck in his throat.
Marcy felt trapped in his gaze, unable to move or speak.
Ramon lips formed a deep frown. He looked in Marcy's eyes as he answered Cara. "No. I won't be here for dinner." Then he put on his sunglasses and headed to the door. In seconds, he was gone.
Marcy breathed for what felt like the first time in hours as she walked into the office.
Katie sat next to Cara behind the desk, both of them huddled around the computer as Cara double-clicked the program icon to view the surveillance camera.
Eyebrows lifted, Katie said to Marcy, "See how he is? You're better off without him."
Marcy bit her cheek and peered shyly at the floor. "He's not that bad." Everyone had been trying to console Marcy even though she did her best to appear as though she wasn't hurt.
Cara groaned as she typed the password to log in. "Not that bad?" She shot Marcy a brief glance. "You deserve a guy who'll treat you with respect."
Sighing, Marcy said, "He treated me with plenty of respect. I don't understand why you guys think he's so terrible. I happen to appreciate his honesty." She slumped down in a chair in front of the desk.
Katie rolled her eyes.
Cara muttered, "Whatever," then focused on the screen as she clicked a few times. "Let me see… it takes a few seconds to change cameras…"
Nodding, Katie said, "This is impressive. Much better than the system we had at the restaurant." Then she and Cara both gasped at the same time as the picture changed.
"What is it?" Marcy got out of her chair and hurried around the desk. "Did you find them?"
"No!" Cara brought her hands to her mouth as she watched the enormous bull stand on his hind legs behind a cow.
"Whoa!" Katie said, her eyes huge. "Do you think the cow enjoys that?"
Cara scoffed. "Well, she's walking away from him. So I'll have to assume she doesn't."
Katie watched the screen, fascinated. "I thought they could just artificially inseminate the cows. Why do they need to do this?"
Marcy stood over them and said, "Ramon told me it's cheaper and more effective this way," as she stared at the screen.
Cara shook her head and clicked to another camera view. "I'm just glad Isaac's not here to see it."
> "Who's that?" Katie asked as she pointed to a guy in the background.
Cara said, "Joe. The foreman."
"He's hot. Is he single?" Katie asked, tipping her head back to peer up at Marcy.
Marcy let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know for sure." Then with a nervous giggle, she said, "Ramon seemed kinda jealous when he introduced us the other day. It was sweet."
"Sweet?" Katie raised a brow at Marcy and turned fully in her chair to face her. "Forget about Ramon. If you want a fling while you're here," she thumbed behind her at the screen, "that's the guy."
Cara chuckled.
Marcy looked away and kept her comment to herself. Ramon was more than a fling to her, but she could never expect these two to understand.
Suddenly, Cara gasped. "There they are!"
Katie turned to the screen. "Ooh! Does it let you zoom in?"
"Maybe." Cara clicked a few buttons and whined, "Come on!" at the screen.
A moment later, the angle changed. The picture was slightly grainy, but there was no mistaking the two brothers with shovels. They stopped at the same time to wipe sweat from their brows, then continued their work.
"Oh…" Cara's eyes were glued to Victor.
Katie said, "I don't get it. Don't they have equipment that can do this? Those ditch digger machines?"
Cara tapped Katie's leg with the back of her hand. "Shh! Then we wouldn't get to watch this!"
Katie put her elbow on the desk and stared dreamily at the screen. "It really is kinda nice, huh?"
"Yeah." Cara nodded slowly. "I don't think I've ever been more attracted to him." Then she inhaled sharply. "He's taking his shirt off!"
Victor slid his shirt up over his head and tossed it to the ground. Armando quickly followed suit.
The women watched in stunned silence as the brothers started shoveling again. A few moments later, Ramon ran into view, handing each brother a bottle of water which they opened and drank immediately.
"Aw," Marcy said. "He's a good brother."
Ramon tried to give Victor and Armando gloves, to which they shook their heads. Then he shrugged and handed them each a hat. They looked at each other, then Ramon said something and laughed. The brothers stared at him and put on their hats. When they started digging again, Ramon left a bag on the grass next to Armando, and walked away.
