Texas Fire

by Gerry Bartlett

  “I have a theory. If we’re moving, calories can’t catch us. What do you think?” She grinned at him, then pulled a large Snickers bar out of her jacket pocket.

  “I think we’d better hedge our bets and do some workouts tonight.” He slammed the door and walked around to get in the driver’s seat.

  “Hmm.” She bit into the candy. “What kind of workouts do you have in mind, Mr. Baker?”

  He leaned over and kissed her, tasting chocolate, nuts, caramel, and Megan. He was across the console and close to doing something foolish when the dog barked. Making love in a parking lot. He’d lost his freaking mind. He pulled back and licked his lips.

  “Delicious. Why didn’t you get me one of those?” He sat back and pulled on his seat belt.

  She looked a little dazed, the candy bar hitting her leg when her hand fell into her lap. “A Snickers? I did.” She looked down. “Shit. Chocolate on my jeans.” She pulled off the napkin she’d wrapped around her soda and dabbed at it. “I hope it comes out.”

  “You can wash them tonight.” Rowdy started the truck. “That dog needs obedience school.” He looked back at Lucky, who was grinning at them, his tongue hanging out. “And he sure doesn’t get chocolate, it’s bad for dogs.”

  “I know that.” Megan tossed Rowdy a candy bar. “How am I going to wash my jeans in an RV?”

  “Didn’t you notice? Not only do we have two bedrooms, thanks to Cassidy, but there’s a stackable washer and dryer in one of the closets. Free samples of detergent inside the washer.” Rowdy laughed. “Your sister is out of control, Megan. I know there was insurance, but not enough for what she paid for this trailer.”

  “Cass went overboard.” She sighed and looked out the window. “You think she’s feeling guilty for dumping you?”

  “Maybe. Or sorry you’re stuck with me doing what will surely be a nasty, dirty job for the next year. Our own washer and dryer? I’m stoked.” After he got them safely on the highway again, he steered with one hand and ripped open the candy bar. “Either way, I say we relax and enjoy it all.” Rowdy took a bite and savored it. He rarely let himself eat this kind of sweet treat. Maybe Megan was a bad influence on him. But then again, he’d be working it off later.

  He glanced at her as she wiped her fingers on that napkin and sipped her soda. She’d put on her tight jeans and form-fitting T-shirt for their trip this morning, since they’d probably not make it to the rigs in time to do more than set up camp. It had been chilly, so she’d thrown a jean jacket over it, but he could still see her curves from where he sat. And he remembered . . .

  Megan had been all fire and fun last night and this morning. She was up for anything, and her zest for life had pulled something new out of him. Cassidy might be feeling guilty, but Rowdy realized that he was feeling liberated. Damn. It was as shocking as it was crazy to realize that he’d been holding himself back in his relationship with Cass for way too long. Yes, he’d loved her, but it had been a comfortable kind of love that he’d obviously needed to be blasted free from.

  He smiled, thinking about how he’d let all his inhibitions go last night and just played. It wasn’t how he’d ever approached lovemaking before. Why not? Beat the hell out of him.

  Rowdy finished off his candy bar, looked around for a place to put the wrapper, and ended up cramming it into the side pocket in the door. Well, hell. He was disorganized, and that was just not like him. Usually he had everything figured out well in advance. In a new truck he would have brought along a sack for trash. Also would have picked up a handful of napkins when he’d bought his soda to have ready for spills or to wipe off his messy hands. Clearly Megan had screwed up his routine and his mind. Because in that truck stop all he could think about was hurrying back to her. Getting on the road fast so they could reach their destination and set up. And then the night would come, and she’d make good on her promise to “christen” that trailer “from one end to the other.”

  He reached forward and hit the radio again. Talk shows. Sports. Maybe that would calm down his body. Because he couldn’t drive another two hundred miles with a hard-on. He glanced at Megan and damn if she hadn’t dozed off, her head against the door. Not that he would have asked her to do anything about his problem. He adjusted his jeans and thought about football. Yeah. Like that was going to ease his pain. Eventually he calmed down. But then he noticed a smear of chocolate on the brand-new tan leather steering wheel.

  Megan Calhoun. What was she doing to him? Worse, what was he letting himself be pulled into? An affair with a Calhoun woman. He knew where it was headed. He would save himself a lot of pain if he just drove this rig into a tree right now and got it over with.

  Chapter 12

  “Rowdy, we can’t stay here.” Megan pulled her T-shirt up over her nose. The smell was so much worse than it had been at King’s ranch. The generators roared, chains rattled, and it was all too much. The pounding might as well have been against her skull.

  “I usually just deal with it. But I see what you mean.” Rowdy turned off the engine and jumped out of the truck. He looked back at her. “Stay here. I already don’t like what I see, and I haven’t even begun to inspect this place.” He slammed the door and stomped off toward what she recognized as the office trailer.

  “Lucky, I hate to tell you this, but if you want to pee, it’s going to have to be here—on those dead bushes or that sand.” Megan clipped on his leash and ignored Rowdy’s orders. She needed to stretch her legs after a long ride. Sure, they’d stopped for lunch and another bathroom break, but sitting for over three hundred miles was flat-out exhausting. She tried to breathe through her mouth when the smell from a foul-smelling and greenish pond got to her. The dog sneezed and shook his head before tentatively stepping over to bushes that were obviously victims of the horrible conditions. Megan kept a tight grip on Lucky’s leash, but he seemed to realize the pond wasn’t drinking water and steered clear on his own.

  “I thought I told you to stay in the truck.” Rowdy came up behind her.

  “The dog needed to take a leak.” She turned and saw he wasn’t alone.

  “Ms. Calhoun. My, oh my, but this is an unexpected pleasure.” The man was tall and bulky, looking more than capable of joining the roughnecks on the rig and handling a chain and collar himself. “Clint Stephens, supervisor here.” He extended his hand.

  Megan shifted the leash to her left hand so she could shake his. “Thank you, Mr. Stephens. I think I will get back in the truck. This smell is getting to me.” She tugged Lucky, who was growling at the supervisor, toward the truck.

  “Perfectly normal. I’m sure Baker here has explained that the chemicals we use in fracking are necessary.” He smiled and gestured toward the three wells with men working on top of them doing what she actually recognized. There were six other wells already capped and pumping nearby, and they weren’t exactly quiet. “This has been a good field for us. Very productive. And we’re actually ahead of schedule. Your daddy would have been proud of the progress we’ve made here. He came out personally last year, when we started the first well.” Stephens frowned. “Didn’t have crazies trying to shut us down then. No, ma’am. Local businesses welcomed us with open arms. We brought employment opportunities and money to this town.”

  “I’ve heard that happens. Small towns like us until reality sets in.” Megan opened the car door and shoved Lucky inside when he continued to growl at Stephens. “We need to find a place to set up our RV. Forgive me if I’m hoping it’s not next to this”—she waved her hand toward the polluted water—“pond.”

  “Perfectly understandable. I rent a nice little house in town myself. It’s only about ten miles away. Close enough to get here in an emergency, but far enough so I can draw breath, if you know what I mean.” He laughed, seemingly not a bit concerned that Rowdy looked unhappy.

  “So, where’s the nearest trailer park?” Rowdy had told Megan he wanted to get them settled somewhere before dark.

  “There’s a tidy little trailer park about
six miles due west. Has a nice view of the mountains and good hookups. No problem taking your dog in there, and good water you can use to fill your tank. Propane available, too.” Stephens checked out the trailer, now covered with dust from the road. “Good to see the company set you up in style, Ms. Calhoun. Must mean the price of oil coming up has us in good shape and my job’s secure. Right, Baker?” He slapped Rowdy on the back, and Megan almost jumped between them at the look on Rowdy’s face. But he held it together.

  “We’d better get going. I’ll expect to meet you here on-site first thing in the morning, Stephens. I want to see your accident reports and environmental studies. All of them, including readings on the well water in a five-mile radius from as recently as yesterday. Am I clear?” Rowdy motioned to her, and Megan climbed into the truck and slammed the door.

  Whatever Stephens said wasn’t good enough, because Rowdy got in his face and said a few more things that made the super’s face flush. Finally the man nodded and turned on his heel, marching toward the office building. Rowdy strode around the truck and got in.

  “Is he the problem here?” Megan slid her hand over Rowdy’s fist on the steering wheel.

  “At least part of it. I’ll know more tomorrow.” He turned to her. “This may be worse than we expected. If the company is entirely at fault because of shoddy work conditions, then you’re going to have quite a time calming down the protesters.”

  “Well, let’s see what you find out tomorrow before I panic, okay?” Megan sat back. “Please get us out of here and turn on the air conditioner. I know it’s chilly outside, but I can’t stand to breathe this air another minute.”

  “I know what you mean, and I’m fairly used to those chemicals. I didn’t like the looks of that pond. He should have disposed of his spillage better than that. I’m going to be insisting on some changes here right away.” He hit some controls, and soon had cold air hitting her cheeks. “Better?”

  “A little.” She wrapped her jacket around herself and shivered. “Now, find that trailer park. I can’t wait to get our new home set up.” She smiled at him. “You know what I have in mind, don’t you?”

  “Dinner?” He punched the address Stephens had given him into the navigation system, then pulled out of the site and onto the rutted county road that ran next to it.

  “Dessert.” She rubbed his thigh in his worn jeans. “I wouldn’t mind skipping dinner altogether.”

  A woman’s voice told them to turn left at the next intersection. Rowdy stopped the truck, looked around, then pulled Megan to him. His hungry kiss let Megan know that he believed having dessert first was a fine idea, too.

  * * *

  Rowdy stopped when they got to the trailer park. It was no Disney World vacation spot, that was for sure. The line of trailers appeared at the end of a road behind a sign naming it RAY’S RECREATIONAL PARK. The only indication there might be any actual recreation was a netless basketball hoop nailed to the back of the post holding the sign. Megan didn’t think it looked welcoming since there was a cluster of prickly pear plants near the entrance. All she needed was another dose of cactus spines.

  “Maybe we should look somewhere else.” She stared at the desert around her and the mountains in the distance. Not exactly picturesque.

  “I’m tired, you’re tired, and there’s a sign on the trailer marked ‘Office’ that claims they have free Wi-Fi. I see what you’re worried about. Just stay away from the cactus. I doubt it’ll chase you down the road, Megan.” Rowdy grinned and climbed out of the truck when a woman stepped out of the office trailer and looked them over.

  Raylene, the manager, shook her head when he asked if she had space for them. “I’m pretty full right now, if you want to know the truth. But you can try to fit down there.” She pointed to the end of a dirt and gravel road. Then she quoted an outrageous rental rate, both daily and weekly.

  “Isn’t that a little high?” Rowdy frowned.

  She pointed to the RV. “Fact is, I can’t really accommodate you. You’re too damn long for the one space I’ve got left. I’m doing you a favor by letting you try to squeeze in there. Of course, there’s always Fort Stockton. That’s the closest RV park that I know of.”

  Rowdy shook his head. “Too far. That’s fifty miles away.”

  “Well, then. I guess you’ll have to try to put that rig down there on the end. You’ll kind of poke out in the scrub grass, but it should work.” She eyed the RV, then took a drag on her cigarette. “That’s a sweet setup you’ve got there, I have to say. Just be careful if you try to back it in. It’ll be tight. But there’s water there and a plug for electricity.” She frowned down at her dog, which had been barking nonstop. “Butch, shut the hell up.”

  “He’s probably barking at our dog.” Megan had climbed out of the truck and stood beside Rowdy. Any chance to stretch her legs was still welcome, and she’d wanted to take a breath of the air to make sure it wasn’t nasty like that back at the oil well site. Thank goodness it was clean and fresh, except for the smoke coming from Raylene. Their landlady was whip-thin, tanned walnut brown, and wore her gray hair in a long pony tail down her back. With her tie-dyed T-shirt and baggy jeans, she could have been a hippie stuck back in the sixties.

  “We were told you allow dogs. We’ll keep him on a leash.” Lucky was impossible to miss since he was answering Butch’s barks with his own from the backseat of the truck. Butch was a ten-pound ball of fur but had one of those big egos that made her wonder if he’d attack Lucky just to show him whose turf this was. Megan didn’t want to get in the middle of a dogfight, though she thought Lucky could take the fur ball.

  “Oh, I allow ’em. On a leash, like you said. Now, I’ll need a deposit. Credit card will do.” Raylene waited while Rowdy pulled out his company card. “Calhoun Petroleum?” She frowned. “Well, your money spends as well as anyone’s, I guess.” She lowered her voice. “I got some of those protesters here. You hear about them?”

  “Yes. We were told there were some unhappy people trying to shut down the rigs.” Megan looked down the dirt and gravel road. No one was out walking around, but she could smell food cooking. Suppertime.

  “I should say. Mad as hell is more like it.” Raylene shook her head. “The ones here are cousins of Sharon Wallace, that organizer from Waco. If I was you, I’d keep your affiliation with the company to yourself or you’ll be hearing from them night and day.”

  “Oh great.” Megan shared a look with Rowdy. “How many are staying here?”

  “Well, I’ll have to think. I heard in town that Dr. Wallace—that’s how she insists people call her—has fifty-three cousins. Can you believe it? When she got herself all riled up about the fracking, I guess she called in the troops. So some are staying with her at her place. Those are the dumb ones.” Raylene laughed. “The noise from those wells can be heard clear as a bell there, night and day. And when the wind is right, the smell will knock you over.”

  “Yes, we stopped by the site a while ago.” Rowdy frowned. “So, how many are staying here?”

  “The smart ones who brought trailers? Good business for me, not so good for you.” She laughed. “I’d say there are twelve RVs, no, make that fifteen. Maybe about thirty people of that bunch staying here.” She finished her cigarette, stomped it out, then picked it up and stuck it in her jacket pocket after she pinched it to make sure it was out. “Got to be careful. If you folks smoke, please police your butts. Butch eats the dang things. Don’t know why. I’d think they’d taste nasty, but nicotine poisoning almost did him in when he was a pup.” She leaned down to pick him up and gave him a cuddle. “Scared me to death.”

  “We don’t smoke, but I’m glad he survived.” Megan reached for him and almost lost a finger when he snapped at her.

  “Careful, honey. He doesn’t take to strangers.” Raylene laughed again. “I have to go inside to run your card. I can bring it down to you or you can come by to pick it up. One week, paid in advance. That’s the deal.”

  “That’s fine. We�
��ll pick it up after we have dinner.” Rowdy nodded toward their RV. “Thanks for making room for us, Raylene. And for warning us about the cousins.”

  “No problem, honey.” She winked at him. “I didn’t catch your name, girl.”

  Megan shifted her feet. If she dodged the question, it would just make this woman even more determined to get the answer. So she’d give her half of one. “It’s Megan, Raylene. I’d shake hands, but I’m afraid Butch wouldn’t like it.”

  “Pleased to meet you. Most workers who come out here don’t get to bring their gals with them.” Raylene looked Rowdy over. “I guess you must rate special treatment.” She gave the gleaming trailer an even longer appraisal. “You a bigwig in the company, Rowdy Baker?”

  “Nope. Just a lowly engineer, sent here to help clean up the mess that’s causing problems.” He opened the truck door. “See you later, Raylene. Let’s go, Megan, I’m getting hungry.”

  Megan hurried around to her side of the truck and climbed in. “Way to avoid the third degree.”

  “It’ll come out soon enough when you have to meet with Dr. Wallace.” He drove the truck and trailer down the central track between rows of trailers. Many of them had fancy SUVs or pickup trucks parked next to them, most with out-of-state license plates. “She’s right about one thing. This parking spot is going to be tight. I think I’ll drive straight in, go out onto the flat land, then make a wide turn, so I can aim toward the road again. I may have to drive over some of that prickly pear you’re so fond of.”

  “Smash it all.” Megan eyed the challenge he had getting the RV parked. “You want me to get out and direct you? That looks awfully narrow to me.” Megan could see the place where they’d plug in had probably been set up for a much smaller trailer. Luckily there would be no other trailers on the end. There was a barbecue grill set up on a concrete slab along with picnic tables and benches that were obviously for the tenants of the trailer park to share.