Texas Fire

by Gerry Bartlett

  Rowdy watched him carefully. He didn’t like the wild look in Clint’s eyes or the way he stared at Megan, who had jumped to her feet at the mention of her father.

  “Then those tree-hugging do-gooders just got worked up over the environment. You think I give a shit about that?” He waved the hand that held his tobacco tin. “But you and your company caved in to them at the first squawk. Un-fuckin’-believable. Your daddy would be downright ashamed of you. He’d have never made that deal.”

  “If you’d done your job right, kept this site decent, maybe Wallace and the environmentalists wouldn’t have gotten so worked up, Stephens.” Rowdy kept himself between Megan and the super.

  “Oh, what does it matter now? I’m done. These wells are already making me rich anyway, and I’m getting richer with every well we complete.” Clint poked Rowdy in the chest. “So, who’s stupid now?”

  Rowdy shoved Clint away. “Don’t you fucking touch me again.”

  Megan rounded the desk after a stop by the printer. “Settle down. You’re right, Clint. These wells are productive. In fact, we know exactly how much money you’ve been making here.” She waved the paper in Clint’s face. “But it doesn’t look like the state of Nevada was aware.”

  “What?” Clint took a step toward her. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Back off, Stephens.” Rowdy slapped a hand on the man’s chest to make sure he gave Megan room.

  She smiled at Rowdy. “You know I just love living in Texas. One reason? No state income tax. But Nevada? They find it necessary and are careful to collect it. And they sure hate it when someone doesn’t report income. So does the IRS. So I sent them both a copy of your recent windfall, Clint. I’m sure you’ll be happy to get straight with them. To pay what you owe. Since you insist that’s your permanent residence. And the papers you filed for the Limited Liability Corporation make it official.” She slapped the paper she held against Clint’s chest. “Look. I just got a nice thank-you note from your home state. They tack on penalties and interest for failure to report, you know. I may get a reward as a whistle-blower.”

  “Why, you bitch!” He lunged at Megan.

  Rowdy tackled him before he could reach her and wrestled him back. “You touch one hair on her head and I’ll kill you.” He slammed Clint against the door again. “Now, get off of this well site. And be sure to leave that company truck when you go.”

  “You motherfucker.” Clint shoved back. “How the hell am I supposed to get to town?”

  “Catch a ride with that chemical truck that’s fixing to leave here.” Rowdy pulled open the door and whistled. The truck that was about to pull out of the yard stopped. “Hurry now. Because if you miss it, you’ll have to walk the ten miles.”

  Clint spewed obscenities as he staggered out of the office and down to where the truck idled. He said something to the driver, then stopped by his pickup and pulled some things out of the backseat and glove compartment. Rowdy stood on the porch, watching until the truck with Stephens aboard finally rumbled out of sight.

  “That was intense.” Megan came up behind him.

  “When did you come up with the income tax thing?”

  “This morning. It was bothering me that he had created his corporation in Nevada. Of course, he did it to hide the ownership, but I had a feeling it could be useful. The reason it took me a long time to find out who was behind Comstock in the first place was because there was a little mix-up with his Social Security number. He used a bogus number. So, he’s looking at tax evasion, too. I’m sure that’s why he’s really upset. I can’t believe he thought he could get away with that. He’ll owe a ton of money to the IRS and to Nevada and may face federal charges. He’ll still get plenty of money from Calhoun in the future, but he may have to spend a lot of it on lawyers.”

  “He was furious and he’s a bad enemy to have.” Rowdy looked toward the rigs. “I need to go find this guy Stephens recommended. If I don’t think he can handle the job, I’ll have to make some calls.” He’d been watching the men work for a couple of weeks now. He had a pretty good idea which ones knew what they were doing, but he hadn’t learned all their names.

  “Good luck.” Megan sighed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling relieved. I never liked that man.”

  “Me, either. Tonight let’s celebrate. Dinner in town, then a private party in the RV.”

  She grinned. “It’s a date.”

  * * *

  “Well, that was a surprise. Who knew you’d find such fantastic Italian food in a little West Texas town?” Megan was happy and just a little too full after a delicious meal.

  “And veal piccata. That’s always been one of my favorites.” Rowdy held her hand as they drove toward home. The county road was much smoother after crews had been out doing some repair work. With the wells almost complete, it would probably stay that way, too.

  “Yet another thing we have in common.” Megan sighed and thought about unbuttoning her jeans. Not because she wanted to get something started with Rowdy, but because the Italian cream cake she’d eaten for dessert had been a little too much. She really did need to start doing more exercise than just what she and Rowdy had been doing in bed. She said as much to him.

  “What? You like to run? Go to a gym?” He grinned and tried to tug her closer. It was impossible with that stupid console between them and the seat belt holding her into her seat. “Maybe our bedroom exercise hasn’t been vigorous enough.”

  She laughed and reminded him to watch the road. “It’s the trailer. How wild and crazy can we be with so little space?” She saw the RV park ahead. “We have to stop and get Lucky. Which reminds me. How long do you think we’re going to be here, now that this protester thing is settled and Clint Stephens is gone?”

  “I need a few more days to be sure Dave Rodriguez will work out, but we could leave as early as next Monday. Of course, you need the Wallace contract signed.” Rowdy stopped next to Raylene’s trailer. The park was almost deserted, except for just a few trailers near the entrance. Those were occupied by Amos, Art, and a couple of the workers on the well site.

  “She’ll sure miss Lucky.” Megan bit her lip. She’d been thinking about the upcoming year and had arrived at a decision. “What would you think if I offered to let her keep him?”

  “Seriously?” Rowdy stared at her. “You were so dead set on making him your dog.”

  “I know. But he’s getting bigger and, living on the road like we do, well, I can see it’s not fair to him and it’s impractical for us.” She stared into the dark landscape. “I’ll miss him. He’s so sweet. But he’s really happy here. And she loves him.”

  “You do what you want.” Rowdy held her hand. “I’ll support you either way.”

  Megan sighed. “Let me think about it.” She realized actually giving up the dog was going to be harder than she thought. “I’ll sleep on it.”

  “Good idea. Now, go get him.” Rowdy nodded. “I’ll drive on down and you can walk off your dessert and let him do his potty stops.”

  “Fine. See you in a few.” She opened her seat belt, then leaned across and kissed him. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”

  “Maybe this morning. But I can’t hear it enough.” He grinned and smoothed her hair back from her face. “I love you, too, Megan Calhoun. Now, smile or Raylene is going to think something’s wrong.”

  “Hey, something usually is. But tonight I’m feeling pretty good. You know, looking over his lease agreement and seeing what Clint Stephens gets from those wells reminded me that the company gets seven times what he does. Calhoun does have money flowing in from wells all over the world. And we have the Reese County bonanza to look forward to now. It may be that we’ll survive this mess my father made.” She opened the truck door. “I’m going to think positively about that.”

  Megan collected Lucky and warned Raylene that they’d be leaving the next week. The landlady’s reaction made her realize just how attached the woman had gotten to Lucky.


  “I know he’ll miss you, Raylene. We’ll miss you, too.” Megan dragged Lucky away from the landlady’s trailer. She shivered, wishing she’d put on more layers in the chilly night air. She noticed a couple of the lights were out between the small cluster of RVs and their site. The darkness began to bother her. It must have spooked Lucky, too, because he growled and barked at the edge of the barbecue area.

  “What do you see, boy? Is there a rabbit out there?” She held tight to his leash. “I’d let you chase him, but then I’d never be able to catch you. And there could be a rattlesnake. I know you’re a brave boy—” She yelped when he almost jerked the leash out of her hand. “Stop it!”

  The door to the RV opened. “What’s going on out here?” Rowdy came down the steps. “Lucky, behave yourself!”

  “He thinks something interesting is out there.” Megan passed off his leash and examined her hand. “He got me when he leaped after it.”

  “Let me see.” Rowdy pulled her under their porch light. “You skinned your palm. I think you’ll live, but we’ll put some salve and a Band-Aid on it.” He glared at the dog, who’d kept barking. “We’d better get him inside. I think they can probably hear him down at Raylene’s. It’s almost ten o’clock. The hands living down there have their lights off. They’re trying to sleep.”

  “Pull him inside.” Megan looked around at the darkness. “Did you lock the truck?”

  “Not yet.” He pushed the dog inside and closed the door.

  Megan could hear Lucky scratching to be let out. “Get the gun out of the glove compartment. I’m spooked. Maybe there’s a rattlesnake out there. Whatever it is, I’d feel better if we had the gun in here with us.”

  “Anything to make you happy.” Rowdy pulled her close for a kiss. “Am I allowed to call you ‘baby’ now?”

  “I guess so.” Megan smiled and waited until he was back beside her again. “Sorry for that outburst. I actually love it when you call me that.”

  “You know some guys call every woman they’re with the same pet name. So they won’t have to take the chance they’ll call the wrong name when they’re in the middle of the action.” Rowdy opened the door, and they both shoved Lucky back when they stepped inside.

  “Really? Did you just share inside information with me? Break the ‘guy code’?” Megan laughed and took the gun from him. “All loaded?”

  “Of course. Put it in that cabinet next to the dinette. I’m figuring it’s a good time to christen that spot. What do you think?” Rowdy looked down when Lucky whined and hit his leg. “Dog, what the hell’s the matter with you? I don’t care what it is, you’re going to bed.” He walked him down to the front bedroom. “His toy in here?”

  “Yes, it is. Hurry. I’m pulling out a sheet. If this is happening, I’m covering the table. We do eat on this thing.”

  Rowdy looked back and grinned. She was setting up the space topless. Oh boy, but he was just as lucky as this goofy dog, who was bringing him a stuffed mouse Raylene had given him. By the time he’d turned out the light and shut the door, Rowdy was pulling off his shirt and kicking off his shoes. The lights in the RV were all off, except for one small night-light in the bathroom. It made the woman stretched out on the table look perfect and ready for love.

  He stopped and just took her in—her golden hair spread out around her head on the blue sheet, the way she’d posed so that one hand lay on her breast, the other on that silly and sexy tattoo he couldn’t wait to kiss.

  “Rowdy, what are you waiting for?” Her voice was husky, and she dragged a fingertip down from that tat to where he knew she’d be wet and welcoming.

  “You’re beautiful. I’d like a picture of you like that.” He almost reached for his phone.

  “Don’t you dare. Stuff like that has a tendency to show up where you don’t want it to. Quit looking and start touching, Roland.” She grinned, sure that would get him moving.

  “That’s my grandpa. You want me over there, call me by my name.”

  “Rowdy. Come play with me.” She sat up, then frowned. “Lucky’s barking again. And do you smell something?”

  Rowdy sniffed. “Diesel? Or is it a propane leak?” He headed back to the dog. “Lucky, what is it, boy?” As soon as he opened the door, Lucky raced to the front bedroom and went crazy, digging into the carpet with his paws.

  “What is it?” Megan was up and had pulled the sheet around her.

  Rowdy had followed the dog. “Smoke. God, Megan, we’ve got to get out of here. The RV is on fire and the fuel tank could blow any minute. Grab the gun, I’ll get the dog.”

  “Put him on the leash. I don’t want him running out into the desert.” She had the gun in her hands and was sliding her feet into the shoes she’d worn to dinner.

  Rowdy tossed her a coat and grabbed one for himself. “Come on, we need to run.” He clipped the leash on Lucky, who had to be dragged from the corner by the bed, and threw open the door. The smoke smell was strong outside and he looked behind him to be sure Megan was with him.

  “Where the hell are you? Megan!”

  She finally appeared with her purse under one arm and her computer under the other, all the while struggling with that sheet wrapped around her. The gun was sticking out of the purse. “A woman knows what’s important.”

  “Screw that. If the thing had blown . . .” He grabbed her hand and pulled her well away from the trailer. “We need to get behind the truck!” Thank God he hadn’t taken off his jeans yet and his cell was in his pocket. He fumbled it out and hit 911. Then he heard a pop just before the RV exploded into a ball of fire.

  Megan screamed and pulled him down to the ground, the truck acting as a shield against the worst of the blast. When fiery debris began falling from the sky, they crawled under the back end to avoid being hit. Rowdy could hear heavy pieces of the trailer hitting the truck for endless seconds. The heat was intense, and he realized he couldn’t hear the 911 operator who’d answered his call.

  “Emergency. Fire. Ray’s RV Park.” He’d be damned if he could remember the address or the proper name. “Need help.” He gave up and held on to Megan and the dog. Both of them were trembling against him. He tried to organize his thoughts. Brand-new RV. Fuel tank. Leak? But a pop. What did it mean? He heard screaming and looked out behind the back of the truck. People were running toward them from the other end of the park. Of course they’d heard . . . The fire . . . lighting up the sky.

  “Stay there. We see you. Are you hurt?” Raylene had a phone in her hand. The people behind her stood and stared at the blaze like they were watching a movie.

  Rowdy took inventory. Was he hurt? Didn’t know. He tried to ask Megan how she was but couldn’t get a word out. All he could do was hold on to her. Who was shaking harder—her, the dog, or him?

  * * *

  Megan realized the fire must have died down, because a man in a firefighter’s slicker was trying to coax them out from under the truck.

  “Rowdy. Are you okay? Can you move?” She passed Lucky’s leash out to the man and the dog ran to Raylene, who was crying. Ray picked him up even though it made her stagger. “Rowdy?” Oh God, what was wrong with him?

  “Megan?” He finally moved his arms, which had been wrapped tightly around her. “I think I’m bleeding. How about you? Okay?”

  “Me? I’m fine. You protected me.” She felt his chest, then his head. There. A wet spot. Some falling debris must have hit his head. “Can you crawl out now? See the flashing lights? I think there’s an ambulance, paramedics. Let them find out what’s wrong. Please?”

  “Give me a minute. You go out first. I want to see that you can move.” He shoved her toward the fireman who still squatted at the end of the truck. “Check her out.”

  “Will do, sir.” The man waited patiently, finally pulling Megan out when she got close enough for him to reach her. “She seems fine, sir. Now it’s your turn.”

  “Do it, Rowdy. Come on, baby. See? I can call you that, too. Crawl on out here. I’d hate for you to bleed
to death under there.” Megan wiped away a tear. “Damn it, move!” Finally he crawled slowly toward them.

  By the time Rowdy had been helped out and was lying where they could work on him away from the ruined truck and the still-smoldering RV, it was clear he’d been hit on the head by something large. He probably had a concussion. He seemed confused and kept falling asleep. The paramedics loaded him into the ambulance and promised Megan she could ride with him to the regional hospital.

  “Megan, honey, take this with you.” Raylene caught up with her before she got into the vehicle. It was a bundle of clothes. “You can’t run around in a sheet all the time.” She laughed but it turned into a sob. “The sheriff found a bullet hole in your fuel tank. Someone shot the tank to make it explode. This sure wasn’t no accident. You keep your gun handy. You hear me?”

  Megan hugged her. “Loud and clear.” Bullet hole? That fact sank in, and she shuddered. Someone tried to kill us. She heard Rowdy call her name. She couldn’t tell him this, or he’d try to fling himself out of the ambulance and lead the manhunt. Of course, she knew who had a grudge against them and hated them enough to want them dead. “Tell the sheriff I have a suspect for him. He can talk to me at the hospital. And thanks for the clothes.” She climbed into the ambulance. The thirty-minute trip gave her plenty of time to dig in her purse and make some calls. Damn, but she hated being so far away from her family at a time like this.

  * * *

  “That’s two RVs and two trucks, Megan. I don’t think we can afford for you and Rowdy to stay on the road.” Mason didn’t laugh. “Seriously, are you sure you’re all right? You say Rowdy is still in the hospital?”

  “A concussion. He’s being released now. We don’t have any place to stay.” Megan stood outside Rowdy’s hospital room. She wore one of Raylene’s hippy-dippy T-shirts and a pair of her jeans. Thank God their landlady favored a loose fit or she wouldn’t have been able to wiggle into them.