Texas Fire

by Gerry Bartlett

  “Yeah. Vince is too nice to tell you outright to disappear and too aware that you’re a Calhoun.” Rowdy opened the trailer door. “I know you didn’t mean to cause the accident, Megan. Men are stupid sometimes. Carlos lost his head over a pretty woman. We should dock his pay, not give him workmen’s comp.”

  “No, please!” Megan followed him outside. “I should have left my work shirt on. But it was so freaking hot.”

  “He acted the fool. He was using the railing like a tightrope, and the pipe like a balance bar.” Rowdy laughed. “Didn’t you notice?”

  “Not really. I was watching how the pipe was going into the ground. But he did say something about the circus.” Megan laughed. “My father would have been impressed by the fact that Carlos tried that trick. You have no idea how much Daddy loved the circus.”

  “Yes, I do. Cass showed me the master bedroom at your house in Houston.” Rowdy hadn’t believed the strange collection Conrad Calhoun had put together in his place. The man had been obsessed with anything to do with the circus. Maybe he had been losing his mind toward the end of his life. That would certainly help explain why he’d pushed his daughter, a woman who had no chance of doing well, into this ridiculous charade of learning the business on the road.

  Megan climbed into the truck. “Forget Carlos for now. You know, I don’t think the company should pay a dime for that trailer, do you? And not much for this truck.”

  “Nope. I’m going to give that dealer a piece of my mind. Then I think we should hit the café in the square again. Vince says today’s special is fried chicken.”

  Megan leaned back in her seat. “The only good thing to come out of this trip so far is the food. I never thought I’d say that.” She sat up again. “Wait. Where are we going next? You didn’t sound too happy about it.”

  “I’m not. Let’s just say they have places out there the roughnecks lovingly call the Devil’s Asshole.” They both shut up after that.

  * * *

  Two hours later, they were finally in the café. It had taken that long for Rowdy to get the trailer turned in and for them to make sure the company wouldn’t be charged for it. The same waitress served them the daily special—fried chicken and fresh corn with sweet potatoes. Megan was already buttering a yeast roll.

  “I’m going to gain weight on this trip if I don’t start running or something every day.” She took a bite and smiled. Bliss.

  “My foot is killing me. I won’t be running any time soon if I don’t get it looked at. I’m afraid there’s still a piece of glass in there.” Rowdy picked up a chicken leg and took a bite. “You’re right. So far the food has been outstanding.”

  “You want me to look at your foot when we get back to the office this afternoon? I saw a first aid kit there.” Megan smiled. “It would be my pleasure to dig a piece of glass out of your foot. With a dull knife or tweezers.”

  “I see the gleam of payback in your eyes. No, thank you.” Rowdy sipped his iced tea. “Maybe the doctor the company uses for its workmen’s comp claims can fit me in this afternoon. You should let him look at your butt while we’re here.”

  “I’m fine. I barely feel a thing now.” Megan wasn’t about to show her hip to anyone else. And it was true she was healing well. “But I know you can’t afford to take a chance on an infection when you’re on the road.”

  Rowdy told her a story about getting sick once when at a site in far West Texas. The lunch went by quickly as they laughed over his sad plight.

  “Hey, it wasn’t funny.” He pretended to be insulted. “I lay on that bathroom floor for two days until the super found me and took me to the hospital. Which was an eight-hour drive away.”

  “Wow. Such isolated places. I’d go stir-crazy if I had to stay so far away from civilization for long.” Megan pushed back her plate. “But you’ve gotten to see a lot of the state. Do you enjoy it? The traveling?”

  “I did at first. Now I’m pretty sick of it. I’m going to ask for a transfer to another kind of job after our year is up.” Rowdy threw his paper napkin on top of a plate that was clean except for chicken bones. “I’m ready to do something else. I hope I can do that within the company. I know this is a bad time to change jobs in the oil industry, but moving around so much is getting me down. I’d like to see what it’s like to stay in one place for longer than a two-week stretch.”

  “I see your point. But for now this lifestyle seems like an adventure to me. If I didn’t have to learn about oil, I’d think it was cool to pull a trailer around the state and see so many new places and meet new people.”

  “Well, you’re going to see new places anyway. Day after tomorrow is my best guess.” Rowdy pulled out his phone. It was a text. “Just got the confirmation from my boss.”

  “Seriously?” Megan sat up straight. “King will be disappointed.”

  “I’m sure.” Rowdy didn’t look broken up about it. He was busy texting back. “This is going to be a mess. We’re going to West Texas, where there’s an issue with fracking. Outside of Pecos. There have been problems, protests, and environmental issues. Someone is getting the protesters organized which is where you come in. You’re supposed to diffuse the tension while I see what’s up with the rigs. Says here your sister Shannon is going to e-mail you some articles about what’s happening there. She wants you to be the face of Calhoun. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Rowdy grinned, clearly glad he wasn’t going to have to meet the press.

  “Fun?” Megan looked down at her jeans and T-shirt. “Not if I have to stand next to one of those noisy rigs and pretend like I don’t think fracking is an assault on the environment. Daddy and I had fights about it.” She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Shit, Rowdy. We should shut those wells down, no matter what the company wants us to do.”

  Chapter 9

  “The foal is a beauty, King.” Megan leaned against the stall where the mother horse nursed her colt. “It always amazes me how they can stand so quickly.”

  “This is fine stock.” King went on at length about horse breeding and bloodlines.

  Rowdy wasn’t really listening. He looked around the huge barn. It was clean, well-organized, and looked like it must have cost a fortune. There were at least ten horses in different stalls, and all of them had the look of champions. Not that he knew much about it. He’d ridden a few times back in college when he’d been lucky enough to score invitations to the working ranches where some of his football buddies lived.

  This was a different world. One where Megan fit right in. Seemed that the Calhouns had a ranch somewhere, too. She’d already mentioned that it would probably have to be sold because of the problems in the oil industry. That had set King off. He was always offering to buy Megan things—the Calhoun ranch, her dad’s company. Shit. What had happened to candy and flowers?

  King’s phone rang. “I’ve got to take this. I have a man in Montana bidding for me at a big cattle auction. There’s a bull I have my eye on. A prime breeder. They must have put it last in the lineup.” King stepped away from them, his phone to his ear.

  “You ride?” Megan turned to Rowdy where he’d stopped in front of a big black horse who’d stuck its nose over the fence. “Careful. He might bite.”

  Rowdy jerked back his hand. He’d actually forgotten you weren’t supposed to pet a horse.

  Megan laughed. She pulled a carrot out of a cloth bag Carmelita had given her at the house. “Here. Offer him this. Put it in the palm of your hand so he can take it from you and you can avoid those big teeth of his. That’s King’s horse. He probably would bite you. He’s a one-man horse, according to King.”

  “She’s right.” King watched Rowdy offer the carrot, which was snatched out of his hand before the horse devoured it. “Sorry, sugar, but I have to go inside and get on the computer. There’s a bidding war going on, and I can see things better on FaceTime in there. I want a closer look at that bull before I go too high.” He waved over a man working at the opposite end of the barn. “Juan can saddle up a couple of h
orses if you two want to take a ride. He’ll point you to a nice little trail out to the tank in the western pasture, too. It’s about an easy thirty-minute ride if you think your butt can take it.” He looked Megan over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “What do you think?”

  “I’d like to try it.” She smiled. “I do miss riding. Don’t know why I quit. Got too busy in town, I guess.” She turned to Rowdy. “You didn’t answer me. Can you ride? I won’t go by myself.”

  “I’m rusty, but I’ll give it a shot.” He listened to King give Juan orders, in Spanish of course. The man pulled a horse out of a stall, then pointed to another, waiting for King’s nod of approval. “Speaking of shots. Sanders, did Megan tell you we went to the doctor today?”

  “No! Did he examine your cactus wounds?” King shifted on his feet and clutched his phone, obviously in a hurry, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Megan.

  “Yes. Rowdy pushed me into it. He had glass in his foot after he played games with Karen.” She arched her brows at Rowdy. “So he needed a tetanus shot. Then my boss here opened his big mouth and mentioned my encounter with the cactus. The doctor made a big deal out of it.” Megan rolled her eyes. “I don’t think the doctor likes the Calhouns for some reason. He must have said my last name ten times. ‘Yes, Miss Calhoun. Bend over, Miss Calhoun. Oh, did that hurt, Miss Calhoun?’” She popped Rowdy on the arm when he laughed. “Not funny. Anyway, I got a tetanus shot, too. With a dull needle. It hurt me worse than that cactus ever did.”

  “That would be Mickey Murakami.” King glared at Rowdy, who was still chuckling.

  He couldn’t help it. Megan was right. The doctor had clearly had it in for her. Rowdy stopped laughing when King wrapped his arms around Megan and kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry he took his disappointment out on you, sugar. He’s a good doctor, but still bitter because he owns land and the mineral rights under it. Seems his wells were the first that your company shut down. He still makes money doing workman’s comp for Calhoun, but it’s not much compared to those lost royalties.” King let her go. “Damn, I wish I didn’t have to see about this bull right now. But leave old Mickey to me. He doesn’t realize that if he holds on and oil comes back up, the money will start flowing again.”

  “That’s what we’re all praying for.” Megan sighed.

  “I’ll have a talk with him. He should have realized that if he makes you mad, you could tell the main office to keep him shut down no matter what oil does.” His phone buzzed, and he glanced down at it. “Shit, it’s a text this time. The price just keeps going up on that bull. I sure wish I was riding with you, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let some fella from Wyoming steal this bull out from under me. If I get things settled in time, I’ll join you.” He hurried out of the barn.

  “You haven’t told him we’re leaving yet.” Rowdy walked down to where Juan was saddling a brown and white horse. “Why not?”

  “You know why not. He’ll make a big deal about it and try to keep me here. For some reason he thinks he’s in love with me.” Megan talked to Juan, then finished saddling the brown and white while he went to get a second horse.

  “He thinks he’s in love? Maybe he really is. The question is, how do you feel? He seems like a decent guy.” Rowdy moved out of the way when Juan brought out a dark brown horse. Rowdy had no idea how to saddle one of the beasts and just tried to stay out of the way.

  “He is a decent guy. And he’s been wonderful to me. I’ve told him I just want to be friends, but he won’t accept that. He thinks he can wear me down, make me love him. Maybe over time . . .” Megan checked the cinch on her saddle. “If he’s serious about me, then he can just cool it for a while. I have this year to work for the company ahead of me. He should understand that and quit pressuring me.”

  “Good point.” Rowdy realized Juan was probably taking this all in with interest. “We’d better get a move on.” He followed Megan out of the barn, leading his horse the way she was leading hers. It was obviously something she’d done many times, while he felt awkward getting the horse where it needed to go. When they were finally outside, she let Juan give her a boost before she vaulted into the saddle. At least he remembered which side was the right one, then got on without help. It actually felt pretty good once he was up there and settled in. Juan adjusted the stirrups for his long legs.

  “Ready?” Megan grinned, obviously eager to get started after Juan gave them directions to the trail they’d be taking.

  Rowdy nodded and followed her lead. It was a cool night, the sky was clear, and the moon looked almost full. Once they left the lights around the house and barn and their eyes adjusted, it was easy to see the well-worn path they would take toward the glistening water that King had called a tank. Cattle grazed beyond a barbed-wire fence.

  In the distance he could see the sky lit up by the fiery flare next to the drilling site where they’d spent the day. They were burning off the natural gas produced by the wells when the oil came to the surface. He needed to explain that to Megan. It was a good reminder of why they’d come here in the first place. He took a deep breath of the clear air and appreciated the quiet, though if he concentrated he could still hear the persistent rumble of the generators at the well site. It was good that they were far enough away that it was possible to pick up the sounds of an occasional birdcall, the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves, and a cow lowing mournfully. Rowdy wondered why it sounded sad, but he knew even less about cows than he did about horses.

  “So, I wonder why Karen took off for San Antonio?” Megan broke the silence as they rode side by side.

  “Shopping emergency? She told me last night she needed to get ready for her trip to Italy.” Rowdy hadn’t been surprised when Karen didn’t show up for dinner. King had explained that she’d taken off for the big city right after lunch and wouldn’t be back for several days.

  “Oh, you had time to talk?” Megan twisted in the saddle to look at him.

  “Maybe.” He wasn’t going to elaborate. He wasn’t comfortable with Karen’s deception and sure wasn’t going to invent details.

  Megan shook her head. “Don’t play dumb, Rowdy. King told me what really happened last night. Seems Carmelita came down hard on Karen for acting like a slut, so your lover broke and told the truth. That there was nothing going on between you two. When Karen was packing her bags, she even admitted you’d turned her down. Apparently you hit her right in her ego.” Megan steered her horse close. “Why didn’t you take what she offered, Rowdy? She’s attractive. The kind of woman who wouldn’t have tied strings to a little affair. And she certainly wouldn’t have sprung the baby trap.”

  Rowdy shrugged. “Maybe I’m stupid.”

  “Seriously?” Megan eyed him. “Most men would have jumped on her offer.”

  “Can we stop talking about this?” Rowdy tightened his legs and his horse went faster. Good. At least he’d remembered that much about riding. He passed her on the trail and enjoyed the cool wind on his face.

  Megan rode up beside him again, looking like she’d been born on a horse. “She claimed you couldn’t get it up.” She must have seen Rowdy’s horse dance when he did something with the reins. “Relax. She didn’t tell Carmelita that, but she tried to bluff it with King. He laughed in her face.” She sighed. “That’s when she broke down and told him everything. Those two are really close. Karen actually thinks you’re a nice guy, but she couldn’t face you again after you rejected her. You hurt her pride. She likes to think she can get any man she wants.”

  Rowdy, the nice guy. It burned him that the three rich people had been discussing him, maybe laughing about his uptight, old-fashioned morals. He uncurled his fist from the reins and sat back in the saddle. He gave a gentle tug when they reached the gleaming pond. To his relief, the horse did stop and he slid off, letting the reins drop to the ground when he saw Megan do the same. He walked over to the water’s edge, then turned to face her.

  “So, she was hurt? What a pity. But I didn’t like what happened last night. Par
t of the reason I turned Karen down was because I don’t want to be used. Especially by some spoiled rich woman who brags that she can get any man she wants.” He looked Megan over, from head to toe. “Is that how you think, too, Megan? Wiggle your butt, bat your big blue eyes, and men fall right at your feet? Well, I’m sick of it. Because when your type is done with a man, you don’t give a shit what kind of wounds you’ve inflicted or the pain you’ve caused. Cass sure didn’t look back when she was done with me.” God, he sounded like a character from one of those fucking soap operas his grandmother had loved. He turned away from her, disgusted with himself and her. What was she thinking now? Poor, pitiful Rowdy? Better that than him being too “nice.” The word made his teeth hurt.

  Her laughter got his head up fast enough.

  “What’s so funny? You don’t believe me? That I got hurt?” He blinked, trying to work up a tear. Of course, he was bone-dry. “Women. They think they can just run over a man and we won’t feel a thing. Look at what you’re doing to King Sanders. The man is offering you the world. Laying his heart at your feet. And what’s your reaction?” He dusted his hands in front of him. “You tell him to quit pressuring you. It would be kinder to just give him a firm yes or no. But I haven’t heard that. Oh no. Instead you let him put his hands on you, play the flirt, and plan to leave him without a backward glance. Adios, King. Thanks for the offer, but not now. Maybe I’ll get back to you after my year is done. Or maybe not.”

  She stared at him, her mouth open.

  He shook his head. “Hell, you tell me to use Karen for a meaningless fling, but I don’t see you taking your own advice. Why won’t you at least sleep with the guy to put him out of his misery?”

  “Why you . . .” Megan stepped closer. “You really have no idea—”

  “I know what I see. You’re leading him on. Have since the day we ran into him here.” Rowdy looked up at the stars. “Shit. Why am I wasting my breath? You obviously expect him to just tough it out. To wait until you figure out if he’s the best you can do. You think he’ll wait? Let’s make a bet on it.” He held out his hand, dropping it when she just stared at him. “No?”