One Lucky Cowboy (8 page)

   "Where to first?" she asked when they reached the mall.

   "Burke's. I love that outlet store. They have the best prices," Ellen said.

   It was the first time in her life that Jane had shopped in an outlet store. She bought two sundresses and two pair of sandals with the seventy dollars she'd won from Slade. Even though she was saddle sore and her hind end felt bruised, she considered the morning's work well worth it for the things she carried to the cashier's counter.

   Ellen purchased a flowing, tiered silk skirt with huge yellow flowers on a turquoise background, and a white knit tunic with the same color flowers embroidered across the top. She chose a thin blue belt to rope it in to her still slim waistline and matching flat leather sandals.

   "Used to dance in high heels but they hurt my feet. I'd rather dance more and look less sexy," Ellen said with a wink.

   Nellie let Ellen talk her into a lovely full denim skirt with the frayed seams on the outside of each tier. She matched it up with a chambray shirt that had embroidery and fake jewels on the left side of the breast. They picked out a gold belt and gold sandals to match.

   "So now you two are ready for a night at the Silver Saddle?" Jane asked.

   "Yes, we are. And you'll be wearing that pink checked, halter-top sundress and those cute little white sandals, right?"

   "Oh, am I going?"

   "We got to have a driver," Ellen said.

JANE'S HAIR NEEDED A TRIM AND SHE'D ONLY BROUGHT THE very basic makeup—the kit she carried in her purse, to be exact. She had a tiny spray bottle of perfume that was barely half full and she hadn't even thought about a curling iron or straightener when she fled from her murdering son-of-a-bitch fiancé.

   "I don't expect many near-sighted men with artificial hips are going to be noticing that my hair isn't perfect or that my mascara is a little lumpy," she said to the reflection in the mirror. She did feel semi-pretty in the dress, the first she'd worn or had occasion to wear in two weeks, and was more than a little amazed that she was actually excited about going to the Silver Saddle with Nellie and Ellen.

Slade shaved, being careful not to nick the very slight dent in his chin. He combed his sun-streaked blond hair back and even used a touch of hair gel to keep it in place. He dressed in a white knit shirt with three buttons and heavy starched Wranglers. He pulled a tooled leather belt through the loops and fastened the big silver buckle engraved with the Double L brand. He shoved his feet down into black eel boots polished to a high shine.

   He took one look at the finished product in the mirror and smiled rakishly.

   
That'll do for the ladies at the Silver Saddle. It'll
please Granny and Aunt Ellen to walk in with me and
then they'll go off in search of a distinguished gentleman
to flirt with. I'll spend the whole evening at the bar
nursing a long neck beer and watching whatever is on
the television set. But they'll be happy. I could shake the
liver out of Jane for insisting on an evening off. She was
hired to drive Granny wherever she wanted to go.

They arrived in the den at the same time.

   Jane had never seen him dressed up for an evening out on the town. He smelled wonderful and looked even better. She stood there staring as if he were some kind of movie star who would disappear if she blinked. No doubt about it. Kristy was flirting way out of her league. That man could have any woman on the face of the earth… except Ellacyn Jane Hayes.

   Slade really did want to shake Jane when he saw her all dolled up for an evening away from the ranch. Just who was she going out with and when had she met him? A flush of green jealousy shot through his heart. She was lovely in that get-up and any man would be the envy of the whole party if they arrived with her on his arm. Was it his cousin, Griffin? Was that the man she was going out with? Griffin could at least have consulted him about asking her out before he did it.

   As if on cue in a Broadway play, Nellie entered the room and gushed, "Well, what are you doing all dressed up?"

   "Taking you to the Silver Saddle," Jane said.

   Ellen made her entrance. "You got a date tonight with that Kristy witch?"

   "No, I'm taking you two to the Silver Saddle. Remember, Granny, you said Jane needed a night off. It wasn't right to take up every waking minute for what you paid her and blah, blah, blah. You know what you told me, so I don't need to repeat it."

   "Guess we got our wires crossed. Ellen asked Jane and I thought she might want a night off and insisted you drive us."

   Ellen shrugged. "What's the big problem? You are both dressed and look mighty fine so we'll all go. It's no big deal."

   "I'll stay home," Jane said.

   Slade frowned. "No, I will. I can call the Kristy witch and see if she wants to go for ice cream without a big notice."

   "Don't be silly. You both got prettied up and you're going," Nellie said.

   Ellen shook her head. "Besides, the Kristy witch would need an hour or two to get all dolled up to match you. And honey, there ain't a woman alive who'd want to go for ice cream with something that looks like you and her lookin' like leftover oatmeal."

   "Well, that's settled. Let's go. I don't want to miss any of the fun," Nellie said.

   Neither had a choice if they didn't want more shenanigans. They stiffly and wordlessly headed toward the truck. Both women chattered about who might be there, who they'd dance with and who they wouldn't. It was as if they were going to a debutante party and they were the belles of the ball in their new finery.

   Slade opened the doors for his grandmother and aunt and got them settled into the backseat, then started around to do the same for Jane, only to find her already in the passenger's seat. She looked as though she could chew up railroad ties and spit out Tinker Toys. It had been a simple mix-up; she didn't have to act as though she was going out with the scum of the earth. Damn it all, it wasn't a date. They were simply going to a senior citizen's dance and evening at a club. He'd sit at the bar nursing a beer, and she could find a corner and play nice.

   The Silver Saddle was a hot spot on Friday and Saturday nights for the younger generation but the owners had agreed with the local senior citizen's groups to open the doors on Thursday nights for the oldsters to do a little bar hopping. It had started a month ago and Ellen had just talked Nellie into trying it. Slade didn't know how she managed to perform that trick but he was glad she had, because Nellie seldom ever got away from the ranch.

   He fired up the engine and drove west. The club was located between Jolly and Wichita Falls, about half an hour away. Silence prevailed in the front seat. The party goers in the backseat kept right on with their discussion and paid no attention to Slade or Jane right up through the time he parked in the near empty lot.

   "Looks like we might be the only ones here," Nellie said, disappointment in her voice.

   "I don't think so. Folks our age are being driven and left like teenagers at the movies," Ellen whispered.

   A burly guard in a three-piece suit stood beside the door outfitted with a red velvet rope complete with a golden clasp on the end. "I'll need ID, please," he said.

   "From us?" Nellie asked.

   "That's right sweetheart. No one under fifty-five goes through the velvet tonight and you ladies sure don't look fifty to me," he said.

   "But—" Jane started to argue.

   "Sorry darlin', I can see that you ain't nowhere near that age and you ain't either, sir. So you can come back at midnight and pick up the two Cinderellas, or you can wait in your pickup truck. Don't make me no never mind, but you ain't goin' through the gate. This is for seniors only. Tomorrow night you can all four come back. We don't have an age limit then. If you're twenty-one, you can dance and drink. I have my doubts about you, young lady, so you better bring a license or ID."

   Nellie's grin was a bit too big and fake when she turned to face Jane and Slade. "Sorry. See you at midnight. Go have some dinner and see a late movie. Ain't no need for you to sit in the parking lot all evening. You'll kill each other."

   "Listen to that music," Ellen enthused. "Is that Elvis? God, I'm going to love this place. I may come to Ringgold every week on Thursday." Ellen pushed her sister on inside and left Slade and Jane standing speechless.

   "What just happened?" Jane asked.

   "I think we just got rinky-doed by two old ladies."

   Kristy appeared from the shadows of an older model black Lincoln Continental. "What in the hell are you doing here with her?"

   "I might ask you the same. What are you doing here with him?" Slade shot right back. He was already stunned and anger was setting in quickly. He didn't need Kristy to start on him, too.

   "He is my uncle who wanted to come to senior night. I drove him and will come back and get him. But it's pretty damned evident you thought this was a night you two could come dancing. I thought we were an item."

   Kristy had her hair slicked back in a ponytail, wasn't wearing a bit of makeup, and her T-shirt with Betty Boop on the front had seen better days. She wore rubber flip-flops and tight, cut-off jean shorts. And her voice was so high and shrill it would hurt a deaf man's ears.

   She took two steps forward, stopping only when she could see the whites of Jane's eyes. "Well, since he's evidently tongue-tied, what have you got to say for yourself? I told you Sunday he was my territory and to stay away from him. Remember I promised that the next time wouldn't be with words. It appears that a low down, white-trash bitch like you don't have much sense."

   Jane had heard of honky tonk, parking-lot cat fights. If she'd been told on the eve of her wedding that two weeks later she'd be standing in the middle of one, she would have had the person doing the talking committed. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond, but no one was calling her white trash. She stepped into Kristy's invisible wall of space, doubled up her fist, and connected solidly with the woman's chin in an upper cut. When the tall oak of a woman started to fall to her knees, Jane caught her again in the stomach. She bent over clutching her gut and screaming that she was going to kill Jane.

   "I told you Sunday I wasn't moving in on your territory and this fight isn't for Slade. It's to teach you never to call me white trash. Either get up and quit threatening me or go home. I don't give a damn which one you do."

   Kristy slowly got up and shook her fist toward Jane, but she didn't get close enough to take or give any more punches. "I'll file assault charges on you."

   "Bring it on. I keep enough cash in my purse to pay the fine for assault at all times. It's insurance against anyone who calls me names or thinks they can intimi date me."

   "You going to let her talk to me like that, Slade?" Kristy edged in close to his side.

   "I'm not your territory, Kristy," he said through clenched teeth.

   "You can both go to hell. Don't call me and don't come around my place any more. Consider us broken up," she shouted and stormed off toward the Lincoln. She fired it up and laid enough rubber on the parking lot to deplete the life of the tires by at least twenty miles.

   Jane glared at Slade. "Don't you say a word. I'm hungry and I'm still mad. So feed me or take me home and I'll cook."

   Slade glared back. "Why didn't you tell me she was making threats to you?"

   "Why should I? It was between me and her."

   "But it was about me."

   "So?" She headed toward the truck, glad that she was wearing flat sandals and not high-heeled shoes because both heels would be broken the way she stomped.

   "Steak?" he asked when he started the engine.

   "For my stomach or her chin?"

   "She can take care of her own chin," he said gruffly. He didn't like Jane, but he sure didn't want Kristy acting as if they were already engaged and on the way to see the preacher. The woman had shown her true colors that night and he was glad it was over. Maybe he had inherited too many of his father's genes that drew him to trashy women and thought he could be the knight in shining armor and change her. That could be the reason he wasn't the least bit attracted to Jane, who was classy even if she was poor.

   "Then steak is fine. A big one with a stuffed baked potato on the side," she said.

   "Anger makes you hungry?"

   "Yes, it does. When my mother died I went through all the stages of grief. When I got to anger I gained ten pounds," she said.

   
And it loosens my tongue. I shouldn't have said
that about my mother. I shouldn't be getting close
to Nellie and Ellen because I'll have to disappear
in four short weeks. I already love both of them like
they were my favorite aunts and leaving is going to
be painful.

   Slade kept his silence and drove to McBride Land and Cattle Company, one of his favorite steak houses in the area. Thursday night was fairly slow so they were shown to a table immediately. The waitress handed them both a menu and asked what they'd have to drink.

   "Coors on tap," Jane said.

   Slade nodded. "The same, please."

   Jane perused the menu for a few minutes. "What do you recommend?"

   "Ribeyes are my favorite," he said.

   By then the waitress was back with their drinks. She set them down and removed an order pad from the pocket of her apron. "Are you ready or do you need a few more minutes?"