"You got it. I was so immature. Still, I did the best I could, and then, when you were about eight years old I received a letter from Hannah Odell. Can you imagine how I felt, learning I had a relative?! I was so happy!"
Carla's face fell at the mention of Hannah. "Ah yes, I remember Great Aunt Hannah. I tried to look her up when I came to Texas. The folks at the nursing home told me she had passed." She said nothing of her feelings of rage and anger against her mother for not letting her know Aunt Hannah had died. That anger had evaporated now and was no longer important. There was no need for recriminations now that she was getting an insight into her mother's difficult life.
"God bless her. She was a lovely woman. She was my pa's sister. He never ever told me I had an aunt and he never kept in touch with her, so it was some time before she learned what had happened to me. She spent a lot of money tracing me and when we finally got in touch, it was wonderful. She helped me so much over the years, not just with money from time to time, but with her letters and phone calls. I valued her... but still I hit the bottle. It had become a habit by then and one that I couldn't seem to break. I know that you too were aware of it as you were growing up, and there were times when I was so smashed I could barely speak. I was going though a real bad spell when I learnt she had died. I should have told you, Carla. I neglected you in so many ways, through my selfishness and my weakness. I'm so sorry."
"It doesn't matter now, mom. It really doesn't matter. What made things worse for me was when Johnny came into your life. I was glad you found someone, but I didn't like him. I really tried to like him."
"I know you did, hon. I look back to those times and I wonder what I ever saw in him. He was very handsome then, still is I suppose, and he could charm the very birds out of the air. I felt loved and I needed that, so we stuck together. As time passed I discovered unpleasant traits in his character - he can be selfish and mean and... violent at times." She paused, searching for the right words, wondering how much to reveal about Johnny Myers.
"Violent? Does he hit you, mom?"
Marie blanched and looked around furtively in case he was close by, listening to the conversation. "Sometimes he does," she admitted. "But he gets mad if I make a big deal of it."
"Jeez, mom - why the hell shouldn't you make a big deal of it? If he hits you in an act of violence, that's abuse. Does he hurt you badly?"
"I've had a couple of black eyes and busted ribs... and a few bruises. Nothing more."
"That's bad enough! The bastard! Why do you stay with him? Do you still love him?"
"No, I don't love him any more. I haven't for years. But I can't leave him, Carla. I tried to - twice. The first time I packed up and hid in New York. He and his buddies tracked me down. When he caught me, that's when he cracked my ribs. He threatened to kill me if I ever dared leave him again."
"Oh god, that's awful. Couldn't you have gone to the cops?"
"No - a threat isn't the same as the act itself. The cops are far too busy dealing with other things to be concerned about domestic hassles. They prefer to keep out of it. The other time I told him I was going down to the mall. I didn't take anything with me except my purse containing what little money I had. But he sensed something, even though I tried to remain calm and act casual, somehow he knew. He followed me. I was about to cross the road to go get on a bus and I saw him. I pretended everything was fine and I went to the mall - he came with me. Later that night, he grabbed my by the throat and said, 'You'll never leave me, Marie. You know that, don't you?' I tried to reassure him that I never would, even though inside I was screaming with frustration and desperation. He could make life so difficult for me, Carla, but now..."
"Now? You're planning to leave him?"
Marie nodded. "Yes. Yes I am. I thought it would be easier to do it now - he can go back without me, and he couldn't hurt me here with everyone around. He'd come looking of course, but I'd go somewhere he'd never find me."
Carla threw her arms around her mother. "I think you're making the right decision. We'll support you all we can. There's no need to be afraid of him ever again. In fact - mom - why don't you stay here? Scott won't mind, nor will the rest of the family. They'd be pleased if you were to stay."
"My darling girl. That is so kind. And maybe I could stay - just for a few days, and use that time to get to know you better. We have so much to catch up on. But I won't stay on longer, not yet. You have your own life to live, and I want so much to be a part of your life from now on, but I also have to sort myself out. I have to get my own life and independence back. What I'm going to do is check into a rehab clinic and work on my alcohol problem. Then I want to get a job. And I want you to be proud of me one day, Carla."
"I am proud of you mom. I'm proud of you in so many ways, and for all you have done for me. And now that I know the facts about your own upbringing, I'm amazed you made it through without going nuts."
"Guess I am maybe just a little bit nuts at times." Marie smiled fondly at her daughter. "But now you and I are reunited, I feel as though I can cope with anything."
There came a knock on the lounge door and Scott popped his head round the door. "You two ladies ok in there?" One look at Carla's radiant face told him his answer, and he smiled. "Have you mentioned to your mother what the celebration is?"
"Oh! No! I quite forgot!" Carla looked sheepish and then laughed and held out her left hand. The diamond sparkled. "Scott asked me to marry him, and I said yes."
Marie's eyes shone. "Carla - that's wonderful news! I'm delighted for you both. Scott - I'm so glad you found her. I know you both will be so happy."
"Thanks, Mrs Odell. I appreciate that," grinned Scott.
"Please call me Marie. And - it's actually Miss Odell. I never got around to getting married I'm afraid. Carla knows the whole story now."
"And what a story, Scott. Mom - is it okay to tell him?"
"Of course it is. Don't keep secrets from each other." She turned to Scott, "I'd like you to know, and to understand some of the things that happened in the past. I've apologised to Carla about being such a lousy mother. No, it's true," she said as Carla tried to deny it. "But that's going to change from now on. I'm having a new start and I'm going to make my daughter proud of me. I'm leaving Johnny."
"Thank the Lord for that!" exclaimed Scott. "Sorry, that perhaps wasn't very tactful, be we didn't exactly hit it off. And talking of hit - he's been pole-axed - knocked out cold with one hell of a punch from pa." Try as he would, Scott couldn't keep the satisfaction out of his voice.
"It's about time someone gave him a taste of what he deserves," said Marie. "Where is he now?"
"We put him in one of the guest cabins... and locked the door. He'll be fine in there 'til morning. It's warm and dry and there's food and drink for him if he wants it. You'll stay with us here at the ranch house of course. We'll sort you out a room."
"If it's not too much trouble. I'd really like that. Thank you for your hospitality."
"No worries. And now - the night is young. How about coming round back to meet the rest of the folks and have a bite to eat?"
"I'd love to," smiled Marie. "And knowing that Johnny is safely out of the way is one huge plus!"
They rejoined the party and spent the remainder of the evening dancing and sitting under the stars listening to Connor singing and playing guitar. It was a perfect evening.
But the next day was far from perfect...
---oOo---
Johnny Myers woke up with one hell of a headache. He groaned and pressed his hand to his temple, surprised to find a very tender area that protruded like an egg. Then he remembered. That fucking Isaac, he fumed.
Getting out of bed he looked around. The cabin was well appointed. There was a refrigerator stocked with soft drinks. He helped himself to a can of Coke and scowled as his mind relived the events of the previous night. He was in a foul mood. His mood was even worse when he tried the door and found that it was locked - from the outside.
"Bastards!" he cu
rsed. "Lousy stinking vermin. If they think I'm stayin' in this shit hole..." Picking up a chair he used one of the legs to smash a window, then he climbed out, his face a mask of fury. He wandered ahead with no clear idea of where he was going or what he was going to do - and then he spied the herd of Longhorn cattle and an idea came to mind. He'd heard about Longhorns being more prone to stampede because they were more skittish and jumpy than most domesticated cattle. He grinned to himself as he moved forward whilst reaching for his gun, congratulating himself that he had the foresight to bring it with him.
---oOo---
Scott and Carla were returning from their early morning ride. Less than half a mile away from the ranch they were startled by the sound of a gun shot, followed almost immediately by two more shots. The unexpected noise caused them to pause in alarm.
"What the hell?" Scott looked ahead. The herd of longhorns were milling around in a panic. "This doesn't look good," he frowned.
"What's going on? I hope no one is hurt." Carla urged Splash forwards and galloped swiftly towards the ranch.
"Steady on Carla. Don't get close to the herd. Careful now!"
But given the noise the cattle were making, his warning went unheard. The beasts weren't just agitated, they were upset and angry. The air was full of the sounds of the Longhorns bawling and bellowing and growling. Unlike domestic cattle which had a tendency to scatter, the Longhorns stayed together during the stampede. The gunshots had provoked them and they reacted by rushing en mass towards the north fence, flattening it to the ground, and as they surged forwards madly, they trampled on anything underfoot.
"Jesus! There's Johnny Myers! Scott - look! He'll get himself killed, the stupid man!" Carla veered towards him. He was running wildly, clearly in a mad panic and in real danger of being trampled. "Johnny!" she shouted. "Over here!"
Several things happened simultaneously. Splash, a horse who was very good around cattle was phased by the mass of moving bodies. He reared, and Carla, skilled though she had become, failed to hold on and tumbled down onto the ground. Splash bolted. Carla lay winded as a white-faced Johnny stumbled towards her then tripped and fell, rolling around in the dirt clutching his left ankle. Then came the sounds of the ranch hands approaching from all directions, desperately trying to get the panicked herd under some sort of control. Dylan and Gabriel, both experienced cowpokes rode out swiftly, aiming to get ahead and turn the stampeding cattle to the right and get them running in a tight circle which would tighten until the cattle stopped. Scott his tanned face ashen with concern, made a beeline for Carla and scooped her up.
"Are you hurt?"
"No. No. Just shaken." Seated behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Thank god for that. Hold on!" he said as he urged his powerful stallion towards Dylan and Gabriel.
Matthew and Connor charged up. Stooping down from the saddle they each grabbed one of Johnny's arms and half lifted, half dragged him out of the way of the herd. Johnny screamed and cursed as his injured ankle was bumped and scraped against the ground, but the two ranchers got him out of the way, dumped him unceremoniously at a safe distance, then returned immediately to help herd the cattle.
"Hey! Hey! Where ya' goin?! What about me?! I'm hurt real bad. Get back here!" He watched as the pair galloped off. "Fuck you then. Fuck the lot of you," he spat. He tried to stand but couldn't put any weight on his injured ankle, and lay sprawled on the ground in pain, cursing and lamenting. There was no one to hear him.
---oOo---
Some time later, Johnny Myers had been deposited on a chair in the big ranch kitchen. A grim-faced Hank was examining his ankle, elevating it on another chair while Rose applied wet cloths to help reduce the swelling.
"Lord, it hurts. It must be broken," wailed Johnny. "Steady, woman! You're making it worse!"
"I'm doing the best I can," said Rose. "So just shut up and keep still."
"Thank your lucky stars it's not your neck that's broken," muttered Scott, adding, "More's the pity."
"Yeah - you'd like that, wouldn't you," snapped Johnny. "I'm gonna sue you for this. I'm gonna claim compensation. I'm gonna get myself a lawyer and -"
"Shut your pathetic little mouth," said Isaac. "Are you really as stupid as you look? You really think you can fire three shots, deliberately attempting to spook the cattle, and we wouldn't know it was you? YOU are responsible for the stampede. You could have got your sorry ass killed - more importantly you could have got members of my family and my staff killed. If there's anyone around here going to get sued, it's you, you bloody arrogant halfwit."
For a brief moment, Johnny was quiet. Then he started ranting again, declaring that he fired the shots because the Longhorns were stampeding towards him. "It was self defence. You should manage your herd. It ain't right they go stampeding about, putting my life in danger."
"That's bullshit," said a grim faced Connor. "We saw you break out of the cabin and go provoking the cattle. They were fine until your shots set them off running."
"Go fuck yourself," muttered Johnny. By now, he realised he was in quite a predicament. "Where's Marie? Somebody go get Marie."
"I'm right here," she said in an icy tone, "and I've just had a very interesting conversation with the Sheriff.
"Eh? Sheriff? What the hell for? Get me to the hospital. I need my ankle fixin'."
"I told him about the six thousand dollars you stole."
"You WHAT?! You fucking BITCH! What the hell did you tell him that for?!"
"Thing is Johnny, the Sheriff knew already."
"What?! How? What the hell's going on?!"
"He knew because there were two CCTV cameras at the gas station you robbed. You only knew about one of them, didn't you? The other clearly identified you, along with Brad Johnson and Matt Stirling - the two men you murdered."
Johnny stared at Marie, his eyes bulging. His mouth opened and shut but no sound emerged. Deathly pale, he gave a forced laugh. "Hell, woman. You don't believe that, do you?"
"I do. You're despicable." She shook her head. "Words fail me..."
"Ain't no one got nothing on me! There's no proof!"
"There is," said a deep voice from the open doorway. Sheriff Johnson strode into the kitchen. "CCTV footage doesn't lie. Johnny Myers, you're under arrest for robbery and murder."
"No, no - you got it all wrong. You don't get it..." Johnny began to babble in panic. "It was an accident... I didn't mean to... Oh fuck," he said as the cuffs snapped shut on his wrists.
Another police officer entered, accompanied by two paramedics carrying a stretcher. The still protesting Johnny Myers was taken to the hospital under armed guard. Marie and Carla, their arms wrapped around one another, watched him go.
He was out of their lives forever.
---oOo---
That evening after dinner, Scott caught hold of Carla's hand. "It's been a hell of a day, darlin' - there's always plenty goin' on at the Armstrong ranch but today was somethin' else."
"Oh my god - yes. I won't forget today in a hurry. I can't tell you how glad I am that Johnny is behind bars. He's made my mother's life a misery for years."
Scott nodded in agreement, for Carla had retold her mother's story, and after the telling he found he had a new respect for Marie Odell. "My only regret is that I didn't get the chance to land a punch on the scumbag. Still, Pa got in a good one. He's proud of it too," he chuckled. "Honey it's real good to see you and your mother talking... really talking."
"I know. It's wonderful. We're getting to know each other all over again. So much has changed since she left. We have so much catching up to do."
"Well now you got all the time in the world to do it. Fancy a walk before bed? I need to walk off that prime rib." He patted his honed stomach - rock hard and without any flab.
"I'm amazed you aren't the size of a giant buffalo given the quantities of food you put in there," grinned Carla. "A walk sounds good, providing there are no stampeding cattle. That was scary!"
Scott le
d her outside and they strolled through the back yard near the lake. "It sure was, and YOU, young lady, put yourself in danger. I yelled at you to keep away from the steers but you rushed headlong towards them."
"With all the din going on I never heard you. Anyway - someone had to get to Johnny or he might have been trampled to death."
"And did it occur to you that you might also have been trampled to death too, huh? I know you did it for the right reasons, but I'll not have you putting yourself in the path of danger again. Is that clear?" His blue eyes sparked, but there was no anger behind them, only love and admiration for his woman, despite her foolhardiness.
"Perfectly clear. I suppose that's earned me a spanking?"
"You're so right, Miss." He quickened the pace and dragged her off into the trees. "You're going to get one right here and now."
Carla's eyes widened. "Here? Oh, but Scott... I don't think that's a good idea!"
"Tough. I do," he grinned. "Come here, naughty girl. You're in for a whuppin'."
"Someone might hear us!"
"Then you'd best not squeal too loudly, had you." He sat on the stump of an old oak felled years back, and expertly hauled her over his lap. She feigned outrage and indignation but he knew her so well by now to know that she was as excited by the prospect of getting a spanking as he was of giving one.
"I won't squeal if you don't spank too hard, Mr Big Nose," she goaded.
"Uh huh. It's Mr Big Nose again, is it? Now what happened last time you called me that?"
"I can't remember," she giggled.
"Then let me remind you. I lifted up your pretty little skirt - like so." He demonstrated, hitching her skirt up to her waist, revealing a pair of see-through black lace panties. "Then I gave that cute butt of yours a good fondle, to make sure it was in prime condition." He ran his hands over her pantied bottom, stroking and rubbing and squeezing her buttocks. "Then I took those panties right down, just like this." He teased hers down over the swell of her mounds, baring the creamy skin for his pleasure. "Mmmn, I never tire of this view." He bent to kiss each hillock in appreciation, and then he began to spank them.
Love on a Ranch Box Set Page 32
