A Wild Ride (Jessica Brodie Diaries #3) (2 page)

I had a short, tight skirt with stockings. It was a lot trashy, but apparently that’s what this guy liked, judging by his two ex-wives. I knew this because Moose was a fountain of information in all things gossip.

Lump had a hideous cotton shirt that was mostly see-through. The shirt was white, her push up bra was black.
Hot.
She had some crazy tight jeans on. We looked the part, all right.

I had four grand cash in my purse, and checkbook ready if it wasn’t enough. I really, really hoped it would be enough.

We arrived at the shabby, broken down ranch about mid-day. We walked carefully and stupidly in our too-high, ugly plastic heels. Before we got to the door I grabbed the camera from my purse and snapped a couple pictures of Lump. They’d be good blackmail pictures.

Once on the creaking porch I called Adam.

“Jess?”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “We’re about to knock.”

“Okay, keep the phone on, put it in your purse, and if there is any trouble, yell.”

“Kay, but we’ll be fine Adam. Listen in. If I get in a bind, I’ll go to the bathroom and ask advice.”

“No problem. And Jess?”

“Yeah?”

“You are a good woman for doing this for Willie, you know?”

“Thanks Adam, but it isn’t done yet. Talk soon.”

“And Jess…”

“Yes, Adam?”

“Let Betz handle…anything. Okay? Let her…handle it. Until I get there.”

I smiled briefly. “Always do.”

I put the phone in my purse as Lump knocked.

The door was answered by a gruff, white haired man in his 60’s or more. He was wrinkled and weathered, stooping over as he looked through the screen door at us.

“Who is it?” he asked in a scratchy voice badly damaged from years of smoking.

“Mr. Wyatt Pickitt?” Lump asked with a slight country twinge to her voice.

“Yeah? Who’s askin’?”

“Oh, hell-o Mr. Pickitt. I am here to ask about your little ‘ol bull for sale?”

He leaned closer to the screen door to get a better look at his prospective customers. It was then he noticed what we looked like. Or, more appropriately, what we were wearing.

“Well, ladies. Now. Y’all c’mon in here a minute. Don’t y’all look...purty.”

This was going to be a long afternoon.

He opened the screen door leering like the old creep he was. We sauntered in like prostitutes, getting our first look around.

The place smelt like feet and mold. Paint chipped off the walls, crap was piled everywhere, and there were more dirty coffee cups than I had ever seen in one place in my life, café’s and truck stops included.

He led us into a dilapidated living room where all the furniture was mismatched and, we soon found out, uncomfortable. I was sitting on a hard spring that I swear was leaving a bruise.

“Wud you girls like coffee?” he asked with teeth as mismatched as his furniture.

“Oh, no thank ya,” Lump replied with a cheesy, seductive smile. She was chosen to be the front runner in case this old fart tried anything, or in case he had sons around that we didn’t account for.

It was a little nippy in the room, as I expected, and I could tell my nipples were now making an appearance. It wasn’t long before they became the center attraction of the conversation. I bent over a little to show cleavage and distract him further. I wanted this sell. Pride had to take a back seat on this one. Sorry women’s lib. I’ll make it up another time.

“Which bull y’all interested in?” he asked, staring unceremoniously at my breasts.

“That little ‘ol one you have in the paper? I saw it in the Piggly Wiggly. We need us a bull, and someone told me to get one young, so here we are.”

“Who’s it for?” He looked at Lump closely, probably trying to see if figure out if she was a spy for Davies.

“Why, me and Phyllis, here.” That was my name for the day.

“You gotta ranch?” he asked incredulously.

“It was left to us by an uncle. He was always a bad man to us...” Lump and I exchanged a look that said we would rather not talk about how he was a bad man, but it was dirty.

I would hate myself tomorrow.

“But he left us a small ranch with four girl cows,” Lump continued. “We were told we need a boy cow. So, here we are.” She beamed at him, as did I.

The old geezer blinked at us, then looked at my boobs. “Well, that sounds about right. You need a bull for those heifers. Bull I got is, meaner’n spit, he is. Little fellow--he’ll get bigger, he’s just young is all, but a bad temper on him.”

“Will he bite my cows?” I asked in a breath whisper, putting my hand delicately to my chest.

Old Wyatt smiled slowly, showing his yellowed teeth and a glint in his eye I quickly wanted to forget.

I would
definitely
hate myself tomorrow.

“Nah, he won’t bite yourn cows, none. But it’ll take a coupla years a’fore he’s ready to pluck those heifers. He’ll be as happy as a tick on a hound dog once he gets at’em.”

“Oh, you won’t sell him for a coupla years?” Lump asked dejectedly.

“You got it wrong, Ma’am. I’m ready to sell today.”

We brightened.

“What are you wantin’ for him?” Lump asked.

“Got’n offer fer five grand.”

My face fell.
Fuck.
Adam had been right. Damn William and his bank roll.

Lump turned to me with a pout. I nodded slowly to her, allowing tears to come to my eyes. I hammed it up like I was on Broadway.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Pickitt,” Lump said, turning to a mildly distraught man—men hated to see women cry, after all. “My sister is emotional. We haven’t had
any
luck with finding us a boy cow—bull, did you say?—and we don’t know what we’re doin’.”

“If it wasn’t for that David, or Dave, or Davies man, whoever he is, we would have one by now!” I whimpered.

“Davies?” The old man asked.

Lump put a hand on my knee, exposing her stomach as she did so. “Yes. Some man named Mr. Davies seems to buy up all the bulls in the area. We have to get one local and can’t—he has more money than us. Phyllis takes it personally, is all. He wasn’t kind to her.”

“I don’t like that Davies, either!” Wyatt spat. “Him and his big money ranch. Chase’n away all the decent folk with his projects and undercutting. Got no use for him. He’s the one offer’n for this one.”

I let out a squeak of misery. Lump patted my knee and shook her head. “It’s okay, Mr. Pickitt. We understand. You are a businessman, you need to take the higher price. We’ll make do,
some
how.”

Lump stood up and turned toward me, leaning down to show off her butt. “C’mon Phyllis, let’s leave kind Mr. Pickitt to his day.”

“Well, now, wait jist a minute.” Wyatt would have gotten up, but was old. Plus, he was distracted with Lump’s butt.

Lump turned back to him with a questioning, yet still dejected, face. I shook my head and blew into my hanky.

“I would rather sell to a coupla God fearing women like yerselves than that Davies devil any day. What can ye offer?”

And the negotiations began. I was an expert negotiator. Expert! You have to get good to get deals in Tijuana, Mexico, after all.

That Wyatt was no fool, either, though. He talked a great game, had me running for my money a couple times. Thank goodness for tits and ass. A straight man’s downfall.

Finally, we nearly agreed on $3500 cash, but Lump was still acting worried that we might go broke. We decided that she should look at the bull to make sure he was as good as the ad said.

I could tell Wyatt knew it was in the bank. We wouldn’t know what we were looking at, and he would talk circles around us until we agreed. What’s more, the transaction would all be under the table, something William wasn’t offering.

Sure enough, we stood in cow poop in a dirty, unorganized, crap shoot of a ranch looking at a little bull. Wyatt pointed out this and that, and we let our confusion show. I genuinely shrugged at Lump, and she agreed on the price.

I told him I had a cousin in town that could drive the trailer so we could pick him up today. Lump would stay here and wait. Once we had the bull he could have the cash.

We had to protect ourselves, after all. We were just women and it was cash. Add a couple dumb-blond blinks and Wyatt was nodding.

Instead of Adam, we got a ranch hand acting lazy, since Adam was sure to be recognized. The bad news was, Lump and I, who legitimately didn’t have a clue as to what we were doing, had to maneuver the mean little sucker into a trailer. In high heels and tight clothes.

It took an hour and a lot of screaming before the ranch hand, doing a terrible of job of hiding the laughter, finally helped out.

After the bull was in, Lump handed over the wad of hundreds. Wyatt counted it, and we all shook hands. Lump pulled out a piece of badly typed paper that said he sold it, explaining that signing it would mean he couldn’t say we stole it. Adam’s advice.

He reluctantly agreed and off we went to Adam’s, where it would be stored until Christmas. Unfortunately, it meant I had to take care of the stupid thing. William was so lucky he was worth it!

As Adam and his ranch hand were unloading the bull, Adam whistled.

“What?” I said, hoping I didn’t just make a huge mistake.

“William’s got an eye for animals, I’ll say that.”

“Why? What’s awesome?”

“Look at this little guy. Good stock. I might have to get a free stud visit for helping secure him.” Adam grinned. Always the business man.

“Um. Okay. I’ll give him food and everything, then I need to get home and wipe the disgusting memories from my mind from that creepy old Wyatt.”

“You are a hell-uv-a negotiator, Jessica.”

“Is that...?” I listened for a minute with my hand at my ear. “Is that respect creeping into your voice?”

Adam laughed. “Maybe. I’ll admit to that, I guess. I might gotta take you along next time I need some cattle.”

“You might gotta?” I shook my head at him.

“You didn’t even see her hard ball, either,” Lump said with a smile. “She was trying to play a weepy role, but when she really wants something, stand back! I have seen her argue for a leather jacket in Mexico for half an hour, walking away with the best price of the day.”

“Of the day? Try century!” I acted like I was cleaning the dirt off my shoulders.

“You sure got a good price,” Adam said with a smile. “What are you going to do with your remaining $500?”

I hadn’t realized he knew how much cash I had. “Put it in the bank until it’s time to hand it over to you...” My voice was matter-of-fact. “Easy come, easy go.”

“Smart. Not like a woman,” Adam said, glancing at Lump for a reaction.

I punched him in the arm and he laughed as he moved away from me.

“Alright, git to work!” Adam said with a whoop. “High-heels ‘n all. You gotta get that bull situated before you leave here.”

“Yes sir,” I saluted.

Lump smiled and followed me, unbuttoning her pants so she had some breathing room.

Chapter Two

It was a week before Christmas and I was trying to get all the presents wrapped and organized. I was expecting William any minute, but not in an excited kind of way. He’d said he wanted to talk to me. Didn’t say what about. He sounded strange, too, but wouldn’t say why when I pressed him.

I was freaking panicking! I had no idea what I’d been doing differently, and he didn’t usually have serious talks that he wouldn’t explain upfront.

As I opened the door, hoping I wouldn’t be dumped out of the blue, since I thought things were going really well, my stomach dropped. The poorly disguised mask of pain on his face twisted my intestines.

“Hi, sweetie,” I said giving him a kiss.

“Hi Jess.”

He came in and sat on the couch, looking at, but not seeing, all the presents.

“Jessica. I would like to have an honest conversation with you.”

Fear was spilling down my spinal column at those words. It meant he had bad news of some sort. I nodded mutely.

“I would like you to be perfectly honest. I can’t stress that enough. Please don’t lie, and I won’t lie to you. I would always like that to be our philosophy. You can tell me anything. Even if you don’t think I will want to hear it, okay?”

What did I do wrong?

“I am going to just come out and ask you. Please answer directly and honestly. No action will be taken until we talk through it, okay?”

Tingles were working up my butt to my back. Fear was clawing at my gut. Still mute, I nodded again.

“Are you having an affair with Adam?”

All the breath went out of me in a
whoosh
. I couldn’t help but laugh. “
What?”

“Please Jess,” he begged like a man wanting the executioner to just end his life quickly. “Just answer the question.”

“God
no
! William, no! 100% no. I haven’t touched him besides a hug hello. You’ve seen that. Where are you getting that idea?”

William had always fought jealousy with Adam, but he had always realized it was his insecurity. For him to succumb to that fear, and believe it over his trust for me, something had to be acting on his logical side as well as his emotional.

Which was why my
no
didn’t convince him.

“A couple of my buddies, different one’s mind, have seen you going by yourself to Adam’s ranch. They say you leave a while later.”

He obviously didn’t know about the bull, but this was probably worse.

“William--”

“And Jessica,” he cut me off, “I know you have been hiding something. You haven’t been completely open with me, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. Then I heard about your...visits.”

“William... I don’t know what to say.”

“Just tell me the truth.”

“I did. But an explanation is probably more of what you want.” I scratched my head. This was dicey. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise, but I had to say something. I couldn’t even fabricate, because news of two sluts stealing William’s bull out from under him had him grinding his teeth. Especially since he couldn’t find this elusive ranch anywhere. Mentioning Christmas would have him pairing two sluts, Adam and the bull immediately.