Chemistry Lessons (22 page)

“Thank you,” Rosie said, knowing the warning had more to do with what
happened in her classroom than what happened on the road. But instead of
regretting her actions, as the Moores probably hoped, she felt, for once, that
she had done the right thing.

Destry threw a tennis ball to the top of the fifteen-foot-tall dirt
pile in his North field. StainMaster sprinted up the pile, leaving Destry in a
cloud of dust so thick that he could barely tell the dog made it to the summit.
Within a few seconds, the dog was back at his side, offering him a broken piece
of plastic pipe. “What happened to the ball?” Destry asked, climbing up the
pile of dirt.

He found the tennis ball halfway up and threw it downhill, across his
field. This was what Cody would have liked about living in the country—being
closer to animals and farther away from people.

This time, StainMaster brought back a filthy old sock instead of the
ball. “Where’d you get that?” he asked, refusing to pick it up off the ground.
He pretended to throw a ball in the direction he had thrown before. “Go fetch.”

StainMaster ran. Then he paused and looked up as a V of migrating birds
flew overhead.

Since the construction crew of three men had gone back to the city for
the weekend, Destry had wandered out to inspect their progress. Though it was
early October, the construction workers hadn’t yet begun to dig the foundation
of the new building. Their first month of work had gone into leveling the land.
That was okay. He had learned from experience that construction was often a
slow process, about twice as slow as the contractors usually predicted, and he
still had plenty of work to do in convincing his neighbors that his specialized
vacation home could benefit their town.

His work at the school wasn’t helping with neighborhood outreach as
much as he wanted. Even after the majority of students scored well on their
tests, parents continued to complain about his lessons. At least things weren’t
as bad for him as they were for Rosie. After her lesson on impaired driving,
angry students—mostly those related to Janessa Moore—had started recording her
lessons, trying to catch her doing something wrong. He guessed it was their
goal to get her fired.

He gazed across to the horse pasture where Alan was irrigating. Though
the pump had broken once again this week, Alan had fixed it before their
scheduled watering time. With a smile, he remembered the first time he fixed
that pump—he had barely gotten it going when Rosie marched up and switched it
off.

He found StainMaster’s tennis ball and threw it toward some
earth-moving equipment. The dog took off in that direction. It had a way of
running low to the ground that reminded Destry of a lion chasing after its
prey. The ball fell down into a hole, and StainMaster lost interest in chasing
it. Destry walked over to get the ball. Curiously, the hole seemed to be
custom-sized to the dog. Had StainMaster dug it himself? He gazed across the
construction area to six more holes of a similar size.

As he knelt to pull the ball out of the hole, an ATV hummed up the
lane. Tanner and Rosie were at it again. He had seen them driving several times
already that week. This time though, they stopped on the other side of the
fence from where he stood. Rosie got off. She wore cut-off jeans, and Destry’s eyes
traced the curves of her tanned calves. He groaned. Why did he melt every time
he saw her? Just the curves of her legs could send him over the edge.

After throwing the ball extra hard toward some of the equipment on the
other side of the field, Destry walked to the fence line, trying to keep his
focus on Rosie’s head. She wore a pink baseball cap, her blonde ponytail
sticking out through the hole in the back. Tendrils of hair framed her face,
and her cheeks glowed pink. “We just came from the bank,” she said. “Everything
is set for us to buy the ranch in December—right after we get the paintings
auctioned off.”

Tanner reached over the fence to shake Destry’s hand. “Thanks for
finding out about those paintings.”

Instead of answering
you’re welcome
as his mother had taught
him, Destry cleared his throat and said, “No problem.” He hadn’t intended to do
a favor for Tanner. In fact, he wished the other paintings were valuable enough
that Rosie could have bought the ranch on her own.

The dog dropped an old hairbrush at Destry’s feet as Tanner surveyed
the flattened earth. “How big is this place going to be?”

Destry glanced at Rosie as she bent and reached her hand through the
fence to connect with StainMaster. “I don’t plan to host more than twelve people
at a time,” he said, avoiding any mention of square feet. “But I’ll have space
for my parents to come stay here after they retire, and there’ll also be rooms
for my employees to stay on site.”

“You’re not going to hire from around here?” Tanner asked.

Remembering what happened the last time Tanner didn’t understand his
motives, Destry took a step back from the fence. “I’ll hire people around here
for most of the positions, but I’m planning to bring in one of my psychiatrist
friends who specializes in addiction recovery.”

Tanner knit his brows. “Addiction recovery? I thought you said these
would be
former
drug addicts?”

Destry decided it was best to speak sooner rather than later. “They
will be clean and sober when they get here, and I want to make sure they stay
that way. If you have any concerns, you’re welcome to bring them to the Town
Meeting at the end of the month. I want everyone to be comfortable with how I’ll
run things.”

A stiff breeze picked up, howling in their ears as Rosie poked her head
in between the fence wires and nuzzled her face against StainMaster’s. It was
the first time Destry had ever envied his dog.

Tanner squatted beside Rosie and rubbed his hand across her back. “We
ought to get going.”

Rosie let go of the dog and looked at Tanner. “Not before we invite him
to our party. We wouldn’t have as much to celebrate if it weren’t for him.”
Destry would have liked to reach out and brush a stray hair from her cheek, but
he restrained himself as she stood.  “My mom’s throwing a little barbeque for
us tonight at six—to celebrate our new life together and the fact that Tanner
has been pre-approved to buy the ranch.”

“It’s an engagement party,” Tanner emphasized.

Rosie tilted her head to the side and smiled at Destry. “Will you come?”

He answered in a rush. “I’d love to.” He didn’t feel like celebrating
anything that had to do with Tanner, but he couldn’t disappoint Rosie.

She had to know how hard this would be for him, though. She knew how he
felt—he had seen the battle in her expressions when he told her he loved her. She
had even admitted that she felt the same emotions he did. Yet she still chose
Tanner.

It was past time for Destry to give up.

Tanner was already climbing back on the ATV as Rosie waved and hopped
onto the back. “See you at six, then.”

Destry raised his hand as she wrapped her arms around Tanner’s chest. “See
you at six.” He watched them drive off, wondering how Rosie could have invited
him to her engagement party when she knew how he felt. He supposed she was
trying to be a good neighbor, but she might as well have strapped him to an electric
chair.

At 6:15 p.m., Destry sat in the closest thing he could find to an electric
chair—Orion’s saddle—and rode down to the Curtis home. Chase McFerrin had shown
him the proper way to hold the reins in case Orion started to buck. Ever since,
Destry had been meaning to take the horse for a longer ride, and this seemed
the perfect opportunity—he almost hoped Orion would buck him off. Ending up
injured on the side of the road might be better than going to the party.

Sitting there, atop Orion, Destry rose taller than a NBA basketball
player. He felt that odd mix of power and vulnerability—the two emotions that
invigorated him the most. This engagement party was just another cliff to
scale, another deep-sea dive to descend. He could do it. If not, having Orion
around would give him an excuse to leave early.

As he approached the Curtis place, he smelled hamburgers and saw the
row of tiki torches stuck in the ground around the backyard. No matter what, he
would not stay long enough to see those torches lit. After presenting Rosie
with the gift card in his pocket, he would eat something. Then he would thank
her and make his way home. He pulled on the reins. “Whoa.”

The horse stopped in the shade of a Cottonwood tree, and Destry
searched the small crowd of people in Rosie’s backyard. He saw most of the
McFerrin family, Tanner Smith, Jade Harris, and Tanner’s parents. Off to the
side, almost hidden behind the grill, sat Mercedes. Seeing her, Destry loosened
the reins and nudged Orion forward. At least he could talk to Mercedes.

Remembering the game night at Mercedes’s house, he rode the horse
around to the back of Mr. Curtis’s hay barn. He and Mercedes had stayed up late
with three other high school teachers—all women—playing board games, drinking
strawberry lemonade, and laughing about the most embarrassing experiences of
their lives. It felt like the baby shower Destry’s mother once hosted for her
younger cousin, and Destry suspected he might have been the only man to ever
attend one of Mercedes’s game nights.

He hitched the horse to a fencepost beside some tall grass, dusted
himself off, and made his way to the backyard with his gift. He met Rosie’s
mother on her way out of the house. Carrying a plate of sliced tomatoes, she
waved her free hand high above her head. “Hey, you must be Destry. Glad you
could come.” She rushed toward him, grabbing his elbow.

He’d always been the type of guy that mothers liked, which, so far, had
not worked out in his favor. He reached for the plate in Azalea’s hand. “Let me
carry the tomatoes for you.”

She passed him the plate as they rounded the corner to the backyard.

There, blocking their passage, stood Mercedes talking with Betty
McFerrin, who flapped her hand, sending her metal bracelets jingling. “You
looked great on that horse, Destry,” she said. “I’m glad you gave him a second
chance.”

“He’s a beauty,” Mercedes added. She wore a red dress and had her hair
up in one of those twisty buns. He noticed how pretty her brown eyes were,
surrounded by dark, thick lashes.

Destry set the plate of tomatoes down on a card table next to some
other fixings. “Let me get you a burger,” Betty said. “You stay and keep
Mercedes company.”

Destry thanked her and watched as she headed to the grill, where Tanner
stood, flipping burgers. Tanner had Wile E on a leash next to him. So far,
Destry saw no sign of Rosie.

“I’m glad you came,” Mercedes said. “I always hate coming to these
things without a date.” She twisted a loose ringlet of hair around her pointer
finger. “Not to imply that you’re my date. It’s just nice to have someone else
come stag.”

“I don’t mind being your date.” It was the type of thing Destry would
have felt obligated to say, but this time he really meant it. Not only did she
look like she could win a beauty pageant, she had a way of making conversation
easy. If he hadn’t been so obsessed with Rosie, Mercedes could have already
been his girlfriend.

Mercedes giggled, stepping forward to point a finger at his chest. “You
don’t mean that.”

He bent to look into her eyes. “I’d like to be your date.”

Mercedes giggled again as Betty McFerrin came back with a hamburger. “I’ll
leave it to you to get your own fixings,” Betty said. Then her mouth dropped
open, and she pointed to something behind Destry’s back. “We’ve got a little
problem!”

He turned to see Orion nibbling at a shrub beside the house. “I must
not have tied that knot well enough,” he said. Thinking fast, he plucked a few
baby carrots from a nearby relish tray. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He just
hoped the horse would obey him this time.

Holding the carrots out, Destry approached Orion and snagged the reins.
Orion cooperated as Destry led him back toward the barn, except that he left a
little steaming pile behind in Rosie’s side yard—something that Destry would
have to clean up before anyone stepped in it. He supposed the horse didn’t have
much control over such things.

Once Destry got back to the shady spot behind the barn, he tied Orion
up with several tight knots. On his way back to the party, he borrowed a shovel
from the barn. Just as he started scooping up the manure and tossing it over
the fence into the pasture, Rosie came out of the house with Mr. Curtis. “Look
who’s here,” the old man called, “the art aficionado.” Rosie shimmered in the
same cream-colored dress she had worn the night he cleaned out her chicken
coop. The short sleeves showed off the sculpted muscles in her arms, and he
couldn’t help remembering how it had felt to hold her. She was a perfect
mixture of softness and strength.

Being here for her engagement party was going to kill him. He swallowed
and then forced a smile. “Hello.”

“Hi, Destry,” Rosie called. “I’m so glad you made it.” Her blue eyes
gleamed as she smiled, dazzling him with her beauty.

If they were going to be next-door neighbors for the rest of their
lives, he would have to learn to overlook all the things he found most
attractive about her. She had at least two faults to focus on—she was
incredibly stubborn and preferred animals to people. Still, he found himself
defending her against his inner accusations. After all, he liked a woman with
strong opinions, and he was also starting to prefer animals to some of the
people he knew. Propping the shovel against his side, he reached for the gift
card in his pocket. “I brought something for the bride-to-be.”

“I can see that,” Mr. Curtis said, chuckling and pointing at the
manure.

Rosie glanced down at the horse’s mess as she pushed her grandfather’s
wheelchair over the grass. She laughed in that melodious way of hers.

Destry held his breath and handed her the card. “Something other than
free fertilizer.”

She took the card, saw that it was for one of the restaurants in Copper
City, and hugged it to her chest. “You didn’t have to bring anything. This was
supposed to be our way to thank you for all you’ve done.” It was only the
second time he’d seen her wear her hair down, and he found himself trying to
memorize the way the various shades of gold blended with the wheat and honey
tones. “Everything okay?” she asked.

He jumped back into the conversation. “Yes.”

She slipped the card into a bag that hung from the back of the
wheelchair and went on pushing.

Destry looked from the wheelchair to the pile of manure, trying to
decide which was a bigger priority. By the time he decided to help push the
wheelchair, Rosie had already reached the backyard. Another fail. Not that it
mattered. This
was
her engagement party, after all.

He hurried to finish cleaning up and returned the shovel to the barn.
Arriving back at the party, he was just in time to witness Tanner’s
announcement that he and Rosie would be married over Christmas vacation, right
after the auction date for the paintings.
That was less than three months
away.
“Best Christmas gift I’ll ever receive,” Tanner said, holding Rosie’s
hand in his.

Jade asked where they were going on their honeymoon.

“Probably Las Vegas,” Tanner replied, “but we haven’t quite decided.”

Behind him, Mr. Curtis harrumphed. “Vegas is no place for a honeymoon.”

Destry felt the same way. If it were up to him, he would take Rosie to
the Galapagos Islands or Australia, where she could see exotic animals. He
imagined walking barefoot with her along the beach, holding her hand in his as
the waves washed up against their ankles. His jaw tensed as he reminded himself
that it would never happen.

Mercedes touched his elbow. “Tanner’s so sweet,” she whispered. “The
way he’s helping Rosie buy this place.”

Destry couldn’t bring himself to agree. He could have made Rosie much
happier. Finding his hamburger where he left it on the edge of a table, he
heaped condiments on it. Then he sat on a folding chair beside Mercedes. A gray-haired
man came to sit beside him and introduced himself as Azalea’s boyfriend, Mike.
Another
future stepdad for Rosie,
Destry thought as he shook Mike’s hand. “I’m
Destry, the next-door neighbor.”

Mike grinned. “Glad to know you.”

While Destry and Mercedes ate, a toddler with dark pigtails climbed
onto Mike’s lap. “My granddaughter,” he explained.

Destry watched Mike slice grapes in half and feed them to the little
girl one at a time. They chatted about Mike’s real estate business, but soon
the sound of an animal whining drew Destry’s attention to the other side of the
lawn. Behind the grill, Wile E pulled at her leash, begging Tanner for some
food. Tanner ordered her to sit, but it was clear he didn’t plan to reward her
efforts. He tossed some meat to Cheddar on the other side of the fence but went
on ignoring Wile E. For a few minutes, Destry watched, growing more and more
angry at Tanner’s prejudice. Why would he feed the retriever but not the
coyote?

Finally, Destry removed his hamburger from its bun, scraped off the
ketchup, and wrapped it in his napkin. “I’m going to get another burger,” he
told Mercedes. “Can I get you something while I’m up?”

She had been so occupied watching the toddler that she hadn’t noticed
Destry’s napkin trick. “No, thank you.”

Destry strode across the lawn, his napkin-wrapped burger in his hand.
He stopped in front of Tanner. “Mind if I have another?”

Tanner pointed his spatula at a plate of burgers on the nearby table. “Help
yourself.”

Destry stood still. “Oh, I didn’t notice those.” He looked off across
the fields. “The view here is so distracting. I’m still getting used to seeing
so far in all directions.”

Tanner refused to take the bait, keeping his eyes on the grill in front
of him. “It seems to me that Mercedes is the only distraction that’s holding
your attention.”

All Destry cared about was getting Tanner to look away from Wile E for
a few seconds. He tried again. “Like I said, I have a great view from where I’m
sitting.”

This time, Tanner glanced over to Destry’s empty chair, and Destry
tossed the rest of his hamburger in Wile E’s direction. She caught it and ate
it without a sound. “I didn’t know you two were going out,” Tanner said,
sounding too much like Betty.

Destry held back a chuckle as he stepped toward the table and helped
himself to another burger. Of course Tanner would be happy to see him talking
to a woman other than Rosie. He caught Rosie’s eye as he walked back toward his
seat, and from her amused expression, he could tell she had witnessed him
feeding Wile E.

Back at his seat, Destry bit into his second hamburger. It was
definitely time to go. “Are you doing anything after the party?” he asked
Mercedes. “There’re a couple good movies playing in Copper City tonight.”

“I’d love to go.” She pressed her knee against his. “But I promised
Janessa I’d go to the widows’ support group.”

Destry leaned back to appraise Mercedes. “You’re a widow?”

She giggled. “Oh, sorry, I guess you’ve never heard. The widows’
support group is a party Janessa Moore throws for all the women left behind
when the men go deer hunting. I’d love it if you came along.”

Except for the three times he’d eaten at La Cocina, Destry had mostly
avoided the flirtatious Janessa. Now that he knew she had caused the death of
Rosie’s grandmother, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know her better, but she
was
the type of person he wanted to help. This sounded like a party for women
though. “I’m not sure I fit the profile.”

 “Sure you do. Janessa invites everyone she knows. I promise there’ll
be men there.”

He supposed the worst that could happen was that he’d end up watching a
chick flick on Janessa’s couch—a fate much preferable to staying at Rosie’s
engagement party—but he hoped things would go much better than that. Maybe he could
forget Rosie altogether.