Dorothy Garlock - [Route 66] (25 page)

“She’ll want news of him.”

“We’ll give her news. In a day or two we’ll wire her and say that he’s come down with somethin’ and we have to take care of him till he’s on his feet. Don’t ya have any imagination a-tall?”

“I hate lyin’ to Maw.”

“Why? She’ll never know the difference. Gal-damn! Looks like one of the women is takin’ off down the highway.”

“What’s she doin’ that for?”

“Might of had a spat with her old man. Hot dog! We’ll wait a bit, then follow ’er.”

“You’re goin’ to get us hung,” Chester moaned.

Homer was too excited to listen to his uncle’s mutterings.

“Wait till she gets on down past that clump of woods.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, Homer. We ain’t takin’ no woman! We could get hung for kidnappin’.”

“Trust me, Uncle Chester. It’s near dark. We’ll offer her a ride, politelike. She ain’t goin’ to recognize us.”

“She will too.”

“Them birds in the campground don’t know this car either. So ease on down there.”

Muttering that Homer had no more sense than a pie-eyed mule, Chester started the car and drove on down the hill.

“Get up to twenty-five when we pass the garage. We don’t want them to think we’re pokin’ along. Then slow when we get by.”

“Do this, do that. Yo’re good at givin’ orders.”

Homer paid no attention to his uncle’s grumbling. His eyes were on the woman walking at the edge of the road.

“Ease up on her—by damn, I think it’s the hot-blooded, black-haired bitch that give us supper. Howdy,” he said when they were even with Sugar. “You needin’ a ride somers?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Nothin’. Just offerin’ ya a ride. Be glad to take ya where yo’re goin’.”

“I’m goin’ to town.”

“So are we, ma’am. No sense in a lady walkin’ when she can ride.”

Sugar stopped. The car moved past her before Chester could stop. Homer opened the door, stepped out and made a courtly bow.

“We’re harmless and at yore service, pretty lady,” he said with a charming grin.

“You’ll take me to town?”

“Sure will. It’s just down the road a mile or two.”

Sugar hesitated only a moment, then stepped up onto the running board. She sat down, then moved over into the middle of the seat. Homer got in and slammed the door.

“My name is Homer. His is Chester. He don’t talk much.”

“My name is Selma, but I’m called Sugar.”

“Fittin’ name for a pretty lady.” Homer put his arm across the back of the seat. Chester stepped on the gas, and the car shot off down the highway. “Whyer ya goin’ to town, Sugar?”

“ ’Cause I’m sick and tired of being in an old campground with a bunch of old farts whose idea of havin’ fun is singin’ hymns. Hey, wait a minute. You’re … you’re—Godalmighty! The other night you had a cap on!” To the surprise of both Homer and Chester, Sugar laughed, loud and long. “Now, ain’t this rich? Whater you doin’ here?”

“We wasn’t goin’ to rob ya, ya know. We was just havin’ us a little fun when that cowboy poked his nose in.” Homer’s arm on the back of the seat slid down and hugged her to him. When she offered no resistance, he hugged her tighter.

“How come you’re here? Are you goin’ to California?”

“To tell you the truth, sweet little Sugar, we’re pokin’ along to get even with that cowboy who tied us up all night. The sheriff let us go ’cause we hadn’t done nothin’. What do you think of that?”

“You rascals you! You slashed his tires the other night!”

“Now, why would you go and think a thin’ like that?”

“Because it’s what I’d have done.”

“Whee! Hot doggie-dog-dog! Uncle Chester, this is the woman I’ve been lookin’ for all my life.” He hugged her briefly with both arms.

“Hey, look. I’ve not forgotten what you said about me that night at the campground.” Sugar stuck her lip out in a pout.

“About ya being a bitch and all? I was tryin’ to rile yore old man and the cowboy into doin’ something foolish. I knew they both thought ya was the cat’s meow. Honey, ya got to use yore old noggin when yo’re in a fix like that. I knew sayin’ that ’bout you would rile ’em more’n anythin’, and they might drop their guard so we could get the hell out of there.”

“You’re as full of shit as a young robin.”

Homer’s laugh rang out. Sugar tilted her head so that she could see his face. He was young and full of life. Not bad-looking either.

“Where ya been all my life, sugar teat?”

“Lookin’ for someone to put a little fun in mine.”

“Ya found him, sweet thin’.”

“That depends … sweet thin’.” Her voice was a breathy whisper. She leaned forward to look out the windshield “We’re in town. God, what a dead place.”

“We can go on up to Elk City. There’s a couple hot honky-tonks up there. Have we got enough gas, Chester?”

“Yeah. But I don’t think we ort to go there.”

“Go to Elk City? Why not? We got us a good-time lady here who wants to go honky-tonkin’.”

“You know why we shouldn’t go there.”

“Forget that. I want to show this sweet little thin’ a good time. How ’bout it, sugar doll?”

“Got any money?”

“Some.”

“Then let’s go!”

“Will yore old man be after ya?”

“Probably.”

“I would too, if’n ya was mine.”

“He
adores
me! Take me someplace where he can’t find me. I’ve had ’bout all of him and his damn kids I can take.”

“Why’d a good-lookin’ woman like you marry a clod like him?”

“Money, honey. He’s got some, but he’s not turnin’ loose of it till he gets to California.”

“A lot of it?”

“Enough.”

“Maybe we can help ya pry some of it away from him.”

“Maybe.” Sugar looked at him and made a kissing movement with her lips. “I’ll think on it.”

“By damn, Uncle Chester. I’m fallin’ in love with this woman.”

Chapter 19

D
O YOU WANT ME TO GO WITH YOU, PA?”

“No, son.” Foley slid in under the wheel of his car. “I’ll go get her. She’s goin’ to be madder than a wet hen. You don’t need to listen to her rant and rave. Hopefully she’ll be calmed down by the time we get back.”

Margie joined Jody. They stood together and watched his father leave the campground.

“Is he going to get Sugar?”

“Yeah. She got mad and walked off. It don’t take much to set her off.”

Margie walked beside him back to the Luker camp.

“Mona and Rusty are out walking,” Jody remarked.

“Does that set all right with you and your father?”

He turned to look at her. “Because Rusty’s blind?”

“Almost every time I see them they’ve got their heads together.”

“Yeah.” He smiled.

“You approve?”

“Sure, but it isn’t for me to approve or to disapprove. It’s all right with me as long as Mona is happy. If they love each other, it’ll work out.”

Margie tilted her head and looked up at the tall boy.

“Mona is lucky. If I’d had a brother, Jody, I would want him to be just like you.”

Jody laughed nervously and kicked a dirt clod with the toe of his shoe.

Margie took a deep breath, then said, “Jody, I’ve got to decide what I’m going to do. As I see it, I could turn the truck over to the sheriff until my father’s wife can claim it. Or, as Mr. Putman suggested, I could hire a driver and take the truck to Goldie in California, if I could find her.”

“I didn’t know Mr. Kinnard was married.”

“He married Goldie Johnson. It didn’t last. She ran off and went to California, or so her cousin said. What Elmer left is hers now.”

“I take it you don’t drive.”

“No. I’ve not had a reason to learn.”

“I taught Mona to drive a few years ago. She would go on ice deliveries with me, and I’d let her drive some until she got pretty good.”

“Would you be interested in driving the truck? I would pay you of course.”

“Drive you to California?”

“Uh-huh. Mr. Putman suggested that I pay you a dollar a day.”

“I’ll drive the truck for you, but I won’t take your money.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t let you do it otherwise.”

“We can talk later about pay.”

“Shouldn’t you talk it over with your father before you decide?”

“I don’t think so. Pa wouldn’t object.”

“Would you be able to stand my company all day, every day, for more than three weeks?”

“That won’t be any trouble at all.” Jody smiled. “Could Mona ride with us part of the time? It would make things a little easier for Pa.”

“Why not? And, Jody, will you teach me to drive? Of course, I’ll not have anything to drive once I turn the truck over to Goldie.”

“Sure. If we stop at a campground where there’s room, I’ll show you how to start and stop and use the hand signals. The rest is just steering.”

“Oh, thank you.” Margie was so relieved she put her hand on Jody’s arm and smiled at him. When she became aware that Brady and Anna Marie had come up beside them, her first smile of the day faded.

“Margie, Uncle Brady is going to get me a soda pop.”

“That’s nice. What kind?” Margie’s eyes went down to the child. All she could see of Brady was from his knees to his dusty boots.

“I don’t know. Strawberry or orange.”

“Both are good.”

“He’ll get one for
you
.” Anna Marie giggled. “If you’ve been good.”

Margie’s eyes flew up to collide with squinted green ones, then back to Anna Marie.

Margie’s pretty and proud and has had more trouble this past week than some women have in half a lifetime. These thoughts went through Brady’s head as he looked at her. Her face, he noticed, had tanned from the sun, and her hair was becoming sun-bleached. She was capable and strong-minded, despite looking so fragile that a man would automatically want to protect her. She had demonstrated that strength when told of her father’s sudden death.

Edgy under Brady’s scrutiny, Margie stooped and straightened the collar of the child’s dress.

“I just finished a big glass of iced tea, honey.”

“I haven’t thanked you for ironing Anna Marie’s dresses.” Brady’s voice was a little rough.

“I had nothing else to do.” Margie turned and headed for the truck. “I’ll talk to you later, Jody,” she called over her shoulder.

Brady waited until Margie reached the truck and sat down in the canvas chair before he spoke to Jody.

“Did she ask you to drive?”

“Yeah. She wants to pay me, but I couldn’t take her money.”

“Maybe you should. That way she’ll feel that she’s paying her way. She’s doesn’t want to be obligated to anyone.” He said the last dryly.

“She wouldn’t be.”

“She would think she was, and that’s what counts.”

“Mr. Kinnard wasn’t a nice man, but at least she wasn’t alone. I feel sorry for her.”

“Don’t let her know that,” Brady was quick to suggest. “That would get her back up in a hurry. She’d take off like a wild goose if she thought we asked her to come along because we feel sorry for her.”

“Why else do you want her along?” Brady heard a small note of irritation in the boy’s voice.

Uh-oh. The frown on Jody’s young face triggered a warning signal. Did the boy have a crush on Margie? God, he hoped not. At his age unrequited love was painful.

“We don’t have to pity her to want to help her. But it’ll not hurt at all to have another truck in our caravan.” When Jody said nothing more, Brady asked, “Did Foley go after Sugar?”

“Yeah. She wanted him to take her honky-tonkin’. He told her he was tired from working on the car all day and that when we got to Amarillo they would go out one night. She got in a snit and walked off down the highway.”

“That wasn’t too smart. There’s nothing between here and town but woods on both sides of the highway.”

“Can we get the pop now?” Anna Marie tugged on Brady’s hand.

“Sure, Punkie. Let’s go get it before Deke locks up for the night.”

Brady and Anna Marie were sitting on the bench in front of the garage when Foley Luker drove in. Jody hurried to the car when he saw that he was alone. Foley got out and spoke to his son. Snatches of words drifted to Brady.

“Can’t find her.”

“Did you look in the PowWow?”

“Not many there. It’s early.”

“She couldn’t have walked to town in that length of time.”

“Are you sure she didn’t come back through the woods? I looked all over town. I don’t know what the hell to do.”

“Is this all the pop you want, Punkie?” Brady held the bottle of NeHi.

“I’m full.”

“Mind if I have the rest?”

“Huh-uh.”

Brady emptied the bottle in a few gulps and left it in the wooden case. Picking up the tired little girl, he carried her to where Foley was leaning against his car.

“I’ll be glad to take my car and help hunt for her.”

“I’d be obliged, Brady. I don’t know where to look next.”

“Deke might have an idea,” Jody suggested.

“We should let Alvin know that we’re leaving.”

“While you’re letting him know, I’ll leave Anna Marie with Margie and be right back.”

He stopped a few feet from where Margie sat in the canvas chair. “Can Punkie stay with you while I help Foley look for his wife?”

“Sure. Stand her in the truck. I’ll wash her face and hands, and when she gets sleepy, she can lie down on the bunk.”

“Grace and Alvin are visiting with Mrs. Bales and Deke. Mona and Rusty are out spoonin’.”

“And I’m all that’s left.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that,” he said sharply.

“I don’t care how you meant it.”

When Margie climbed into the truck and turned to take the child, she found her eyes locked with a pair of startling green ones. Brady looked at her as if he were reading each and every thought that passed through her mind. She kept her features composed, but a little shock went through her when she realized how hardened she had become since she left home.

She wasn’t bowing her head to anyone ever again.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“It doesn’t matter. She can sleep here. Come on, puddin’.” Margie turned her back to Brady and lifted the child to sit on the bunk. “We’ll wash your face and hands and take off your shoes.”

“I got mud on ’em.”

“That’s all right. We can take care of that.”