Dorothy Garlock - [Route 66] (34 page)

“Are you worried that this is just a way to pass the time for her?”

“I’m afraid he’ll be brokenhearted if she leaves him.” Grace ran the palm of her hand over him in the places she knew he liked.

“Maybe they won’t break up, but if they do, he’ll have to take it like any other man who is disappointed in love. Now, stop your fooling around, woman. I’ve got to get some sleep.”

“Alvin, I’m afraid Brady has decided to keep Anna Marie and will leave us at Albuquerque. His ranch is straight north.”

“I don’t think he will unless Margie goes with him. She feels obligated to take the truck and the rest of Elmer’s possessions to California and find his wife. That says a lot about the girl’s character.”

“Brady’s crazy about her.”

“Yeah, and I’m crazy about you.” Alvin yawned.

“Sometimes I long for our old home, but I tell myself that home is where you and Rusty are. I hope that if Rusty ever marries, it will be to a girl who will want to be close to us.”

“Honey, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about this tomorrow. I’ve got to get some sleep. I take the watch in about four hours.”

Sitting on the blanket beside the truck, with Rusty’s arm around her, Mona whispered to him.

“What did you and Jody talk about today?”

“Lots of things. He told me about the time he tied a string on your loose tooth and the other end to the doorknob. He said he slammed the door ten times and every time you ran with the door.”

“He was telling a big windy. I ran with the door one time. Then he grabbed the string and yanked out the tooth.”

“And you cried because you couldn’t find it.”

“What else did he tell you?”

“He told me that when you were in the fifth grade, you played Mary in the Christmas play and you pinched the boy who played Joseph because he’d put chewing gum in your hair. He yelled, ‘Damn you,’ just as the Wise Men arrived.”

“That blabbermouth! What else?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Yes, I do. Tell me or I’ll pinch you.”

“I’ll pinch you back. I’ve been wanting to anyway.” His hand moved to the side of her breast and stroked gently.

“What did he say?” she asked breathlessly.

“He told me about the time you went to the outhouse and were going to stand up on the seat and your foot slipped.” He could hardly talk for the laughter that bubbled up.

“I’m going to kill him,” Mona said quietly. “But before I do I’m going to cut him into little-bitty pieces.”

Rusty, his hand on Blackie’s back, felt the dog tense, then stand. “What is it, boy? Still got the ladies on your mind?” he whispered, and minutes later felt the swish of the dog’s tail before he sank back down. “Sometimes us fellas have to just grin and bear it, huh, Blackie?”

“He wasn’t thinkin’ about
that
. He was looking toward the end of Margie’s truck. I think she got in, and Brady went to his car for his bedroll.”

“They’ve been there talking for a long while. I’d bet a dollar Brady’s in love with her.”

“From what he said tonight?”

“That, and the way he arranged for me to ride with Jody today so she would ride with him and how he’s been looking out for her and trying to not overdo it.”

“He may be just pretending to be interested in her to get her to look after Anna Marie. He told Daddy he was going to have a hard time parting with his twin’s little girl.”

“Naw. Brady strikes me as having more integrity than that. I think he’s fallen for her. Just like I’ve fallen for you, sweet girl.”

“And like I’ve fallen for you, sweet man.”

They sat silently in the velvet darkness. Mona laid her head on his shoulder. He turned his lips to her forehead. It was quiet except for male voices and laughter coming from in front of one of the rag tents where a group of men had gathered to talk and drink bootleg whiskey. A car came in off the road, its headlights dancing over the array of cars, trucks and tents before shutting off.

“There is a little bit of lightning off in the southwest,” Mona said softly.

“It doesn’t smell like rain.”

“Can you smell rain?”

“Sure. When you can’t see, your other senses like hearing and smelling kick in. I know every time you powder your nose. This morning you were wearing a blouse that had been sun-dried and ironed.” He buried his nose in her hair. “You washed your hair with castile soap.”

“I’ll have to be careful, or you’ll think I’m dolling up for you. Rusty, you haven’t sung to me since we left Deke’s.”

“I can’t sing to you tonight, sweet girl. I’m trying to keep my ears open for any unexpected sound. If the two of us ride with Jody tomorrow, I’ll sing to you all the way to Albuquerque.”

“Have you worked any more on your song?”

“Our song? A little bit.”

“I’d like to ride with you, even if we have to put up with Jody. It’ll depend on whether or not Margie rides with Brady.” She put her hand on his cheek and turned his face down to her. “When we started this trip, I hated it. Now I think if not for the trip, I’d never have met you. I’m afraid, now, that after we get to California and you get a job on the radio, you’ll be so popular that you’ll not want anything to do with a Missouri country girl.”

“And I’m afraid that when we get to California, you’ll see so many men that you’ll not want anything to do with a man you have to lead around by the hand.”

Mona’s arms went around his neck. “Darlin’ Rusty, don’t ever think that,” she said furiously. “You’re the dearest, most wonderful man in the world, and I’ll love you forever.”

“Forever is a long time, little Mona. And I’m going to be like I am for all that time.”

“I don’t care! Oh, I do care. I wish you could see—for your sake. But … but if you could see me, you might not want me.”

“I see you, sweet girl. I see you in my mind’s eye. You’re young, fresh and pretty as a buttercup. What’s more, you’ll never change. The years will go by, and you’ll never be wrinkled or gray. You’ll always be as I see you now.”

“Rusty, I’m so glad you like me.”

“How glad? Glad enough to kiss me?”

“A thousand times,” she whispered.

“Then you’d better get started. I heard my watch chime the hour. We’ve only got thirty minutes until Jody comes to take over the watch.”

Chapter 26

M
ARGIE WOULD NEVER KNOW
what had awakened her.

Perhaps, she thought later, she had not been fully asleep. Instantly alert, she slid off the bunk, slipped her skirt on over her head and buttoned it at the waist. After putting on her blouse she reached for the pistol she sometimes carried in her pocket.

Anna Marie was asleep on the end of the bunk and Mona on the box when Margie eased to the end of the truck and looked out. It was quiet and dark.

Brady had said that he would stay near the back of the truck. She thought of calling out to him, but instead she stepped over the tailgate and eased down onto the ground, holding the pistol close to her side.

Cautiously she moved around between the truck and Foley’s car and trailer, wishing she had taken the time to put on her shoes. As her eyes became more accustomed to the darkness, she saw the outline of Brady’s car ahead. She stopped near the cab of the truck to listen.

The unmistakable smell of gasoline caused her to wrinkle her nose. Was Brady’s gas tank leaking? Then she heard a sound and recognized it. She had thrown out enough dishwater to know that what she heard was a splash of liquid.

At that moment a man rounded the back of Brady’s car. She knew instantly that the short man in the cap wasn’t Brady. When he was no more than a few feet away, she saw that he had a can in his hands and was splashing its contents on Brady’s car. It was a few seconds before Margie’s vocal cords thawed enough for her to yell.

“Stop that!”

Catlike, the man spun around. On seeing her he took a quick step toward her and drew back the can to hit her.

She pointed the gun as she had been taught and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The man dropped the can and grabbed his arm. “Gawdamn! Bitch!” he shouted, then whirled and disappeared behind the car and down into the ditch beside the road.

Shaken by what she had done, Margie let the hand holding the pistol drop to her side. Seconds later a bare-chested Alvin was there; then Brady came running. Foley was a few steps behind him.

“He … he …” Margie tried to point to the car.

“Honey … sweetheart”—Brady took the pistol out of her hand—“are you all right? What were you shooting at?” He tucked the gun in his belt and put his arms around her.

“Good Lord! Smell that gas.” Alvin picked up the can the man had dropped.

Margie began to shake. “I hit him. In the arm, I think.”

Brady held her tightly to him. “What were you doing out here?”

“Something woke me. I was looking for you and smelled the gas before I saw him. He was going to hit me with the can.”

Jody came with a lantern. “Stay back with that, son,” Foley said. “There’s gasoline all over.”

Grace, in her nightgown, joined them. Rusty was with her. Mona climbed out of the truck, went to him and took his hand as if her place was beside him.

“Where’s Blackie?” Rusty asked.

“I think he went courtin’. Don’t blame him,” Brady said. “The bitches in heat were too much for him.”

“He wouldn’t have gone off if Rusty had been out,” Alvin said in defense of the faithful dog.

“I was snookered too.” Brady continued to hold Margie protectively close. “I heard a woman crying. I walked down alongside the ditch a short way and saw her huddled on the ground. She called out to me, ‘Help me. Please, help me.’ Before I could get near her she got up and stumbled away. She was bent over and crying and mumbling about someone trying to kill her. She fell down on her knees. And again, before I could get to her she got up and ran down into the ditch. Then I heard Margie’s yell followed by the shot.”

“Sounds like the woman was drawing you away.” Foley scratched his head.

“They probably didn’t expect to find anyone up at this time of night.”

“Why did they pick your car?” Alvin asked.

“I don’t know anyone out this way—”

“What’s goin’ on? We heard a shot.” Two hastily dressed men approached, the suspenders of one still hanging over his hips. The other man’s shirt was loose over his pants. “There’s a mighty strong smell of gasoline.”

“A man was splashing the car with it,” Alvin explained. “From the looks of it he was going to burn him out. As close as we are, it would have burned us all out if we weren’t able to move the trucks in time.”

“Son of a bitch!” The man pulled the suspenders up over his shoulders.

“A minute or two after I heard the shot, a car took off down the road.”

“Did you get a look at it?” Brady asked.

“Naw. But the motor had a soft purrin’ sound.”

“You fellas travelin’ together?” Foley asked.

“Yeah. There was three of us, but one turned back.” He stuck out his hand. “Name’s Taylor. My trailin’ partner here is Harry Wills. We’re both from over near Kingfisher, Oklahoma.”

The men introduced themselves and shook hands.

“We was a mite leery of this place and glad when you folks drove in.” Taylor was the more talkative of the two.

“We were leery too. It’s why we posted a guard. Good thing we did,” Alvin said.

“We was sleepin’ with one eye open.”

“It wasn’t anyone from inside the camp.” Harry Wills spoke for the first time since grunting a greeting when introduced. “He’da knowed that south wind woulda spread the fire.”

“Maybe he didn’t care,” Foley said.

“We’d better get this mess cleaned up if we want to be away from here by daylight.”

“Mister,” Taylor said, “me and my partner would like to tag along behind you folks for a while, if ya ain’t mindin’ it. We ain’t wantin’ to be no trouble, and we ain’t askin’ for no help.”

Alvin lifted his hands palms-out. “We couldn’t stop you if we wanted to. We’re stopping to gas up before we leave town.”

Margie pushed away from Brady. The realization of what she had just done was taking root in her mind.

“You don’t have your shoes on.” Brady swung her up in his arms. “There’s burs and glass and no telling what all out here.” He carried her to the end of the truck and guided her feet in over the tailgate. “Put on your shoes.”

Margie sat down on the end of the bunk, put her feet in her moccasins and tied them. Brady was waiting. She clung to him for a minute after he’d lifted her down.

“Do you think I killed him?”

“Probably not. It would be no great loss if you did, though. He could have burned down the whole campground.”

“Brady,” Alvin called, “we’re going to use the water we have in the barrels to wash the gas off your car. A spark from a backfire could set off a blaze.”

Rusty drained water from the barrels in both trucks and from the small one in Foley’s trailer into buckets. Brady and Foley washed down the car, diluting the gasoline with the water. Alvin moved the kerosene stove out into an open space away from the cars and trucks so Grace could make coffee.

“You women stay together,” he cautioned. “As soon as it’s safe to start the cars, we’ll leave here.”

Blackie, his tail between his legs and his coat full of cock-leburs, came and sank down under the truck.

“Some watchdog you are,” Alvin scolded. “Off ramming around when we needed you.”

“I’m glad you shot ’em,” Mona said as soon as Alvin left them. “I just wish you’d shot him in the head.”

“I did it before I thought. I didn’t think about anything except that he was going to hit me with the can.”

“A can half full of gasoline would’ve knocked you cold.” Mona shivered. “You’d of burnt up with the car.”

Brady was wiping the windshield on his car and thinking about Margie shooting at a man holding a can of gas.

“I’m sure as hell glad that Margie hit the man and not the gas can,” Foley said as if he had read Brady’s thoughts.

“That’s the gospel truth.”

Foley mopped his forehead with his shirtsleeve. “If she’d shot into that can, it would have exploded, and pieces of her would have been scattered all over the campground.”