From the Hat Down, page 13
“Did you sleep okay?
“Like the dead. I forgot how peaceful it is here.” Irene picked the clean cup up from the table and crossed the room to the buffet table where do-it-yourself coffee urns stood.
“Morning, Phil. How’d you sleep?” Meg said as he approached the table.
He yawned and grinned. “Great. Y’all have iced tea? Or something like that? I’m not really a coffee man.”
“Sure. I’ll get you some.” Meg retreated into the kitchen and poured Phil a tall glass of tea. She put a long-handled spoon in it. Alice emerged from the walk-in.
“Morning, sweetie.”
“Go on out there and introduce yourself to Phil, so he crushes out on you and leaves me alone.”
Alice laughed and wiped her hands on a dish towel.
Meg pursed her lips, thinking. “You might wear him out, though, since we’re at altitude,” she teased as Alice started organizing some things for lunch. Tammy was busy at one of the counters.
“I like my men with a few years on ’em,” she shot back with a wicked little smile.
“But there’s nothing wrong with trying the newer models out.”
Tammy laughed.
“They’re usually all flash and no mileage, though.” Alice went back into the walk-in before Meg could respond and not for the first time, she thought Alice would make a good match for her dad.
Alice reappeared. “Oh, I packed you and your dad some sandwiches. They’re in the fridge. Now take that poor boy his beverage,” she said, gesturing at the glass of tea Meg held. “He’s probably parched.” She winked.
“Thanks, Alice. You’re the best.” Meg leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek before she went back into the dining room where she set the glass down in front of Phil. He had already loaded his plate with eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and fruit.
“Sugar’s right there. It’s not sweet tea,” she told him.
He glanced up at her appreciatively. “Thanks.”
Irene’s plate was arranged in neat categories. One egg, a small serving of fruit, one slice of bacon, and one sausage. She sat across from Meg, sipping her coffee. Meg had already eaten and she sat listening to the morning conversations and watching Irene pick at her food. Bruce was chatting with a small group that probably wanted to go horseback riding and Jackson was checking something with Jake, one of the other hands. Marjorie caught Meg’s eye and she waved, mouthing “talk to you later.” Meg nodded.
“Your mom tells me you’re a vet,” Phil said between bites.
“She is indeed,” Irene responded. “She’s always been good with animals.”
Meg nodded. “I am. I work in a clinic in Laramie.”
He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. He had a pleasant way about him and didn’t seem intrusive. Just nice. “I help my daddy run a business with Ed.”
“Something to do with horse breeding, then?”
He glanced at her and smiled. “Yep. I love horses.”
Meg looked over at Irene, who was smiling smugly. Only Irene would read a grand romance into chit-chat like that. “So do you do the actual breeding programs?” she asked him.
“Not really. I’m more the accounting side of things. I’m good with finances and management. I like riding, but I’m not much for all the work that goes into the training and prep.” He cut a piece of sausage.
A weekend cowboy. “Well, let Bruce know if you’d like to do a little riding this weekend. Different terrain here, differently trained horses. Might give you some ideas.”
“Might. I think I’ll take it easy today, though. I’m sort of on a bit of a vacation.”
Meg stood. “Sounds good. Mom, Dad and I have to check a few things this morning. We’ll be back after lunch.”
Irene looked at her, surprised. She turned her attention to Phil then back to her. “Why don’t you take Phil?”
Meg looked down at Phil. He continued eating. “I don’t think that’s on Phil’s agenda today. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Now, honey, I’m sure Phil would love to go with you.”
“It’s okay, Mrs. Bard,” he interrupted, not unkindly. “I’ll just hang around today. Chat up some of the hands. I’m interested to see how things run.” He smiled broadly and Meg almost choked on her coffee because Irene practically fluttered her eyelashes at him. She’d for sure have to have a talk with him before he got his hopes up.
“All right,” Meg announced. “Mom, you set for today?”
Irene waved dismissively and smiled. “Well, since it’s been a while since I’ve been here, I’ll tag along with Phil.”
I’m sure he’ll love that, Meg thought, leaving it unvoiced. “Okay. Catch up with you later.” She waved and picked her hat up off the adjoining chair and put it on before she went through the kitchen to drop her coffee cup off.
“How’s the matchmaking going?” Alice asked innocently.
“A bust so far, but I think Phil’s on to Irene anyway. He seems okay. Here’s your chance,” Meg said, leering. Alice laughed and Meg opened the fridge and took the bag of sandwiches out. “Thanks again. We’ll be back after lunch sometime.”
“I’ll make sure Irene’s not bored.”
She grinned. “Don’t wear yourself out.” She left through the back door and went around front. Moonshine limped up to her and she bent down to scratch him. “You can’t come, buddy. It’d tire you out and mess up your leg.” She had given him his pain medicine already. She’d check Booger, too, when she got back, see how she was doing. Nutter and Hellfire liked to explore so Meg expected they’d come along. She straightened just as Phil emerged from the dining room. He saw her and started toward her.
“I was wondering—” he began.
“Look, Phil,” she said, deciding to just get it over with. “I don’t know what Irene told you and I’m sorry she dragged you halfway across the country, but you seem like a smart guy, so I’m sure you’ve already figured out that she’s playing matchmaker.”
He drew back, surprised at first then a slow grin tugged at his mouth. “Well, yeah, she told me a bit about you. Plus, she has a rep for trying to set you up with every man she meets.”
Meg sighed. She pushed the brim of her hat back a bit so she could look him in the eye. “I’m just gonna put this out there for you, okay? You and me—no chance. And it’s not because I think you’re a bad guy. You’re not my type. I don’t go for guys.” Her tone stayed neutral but she watched him for his reaction.
He chuckled. “I kinda figured.”
She stared at him, momentarily surprised.
“Your mom showed me pictures and said this was your thirty-fifth birthday and she said you’d never been married and hadn’t had much time for a boyfriend. As good as you look, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. No boyfriend, mature, good-looking. Probably not into guys.”
She frowned, a little embarrassed at the frank assessment of her life. “So what are you doing here, then?”
He glanced over his shoulder toward the dining room then back at Meg. She took that as a cue for a little more privacy and she motioned for him to walk with her toward the horse paddock.
“I’m engaged,” he said quietly as they crossed the parking area.
That took her aback.
“But nobody really knows except her family and a few of my friends.”
“Okay. . .” she said, hesitatingly. “Congratulations.” I guess. “When’s the day?” They stopped just outside the horse barn. A few of the guests were standing outside while Bruce and Jake explained some fundamentals of riding to them. Meg motioned Phil over to the fence that overlooked the paddock.
“Not for a while,” he said. He pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and flipped through it. He withdrew a picture and handed it to Meg. She took it and suddenly understood what the issue might be. A pretty African-American woman sat on what looked like a park bench underneath a big tree. Meg gauged her age in her mid- to late twenties.
“She’s pretty,” Meg said as she handed it back.
He smiled and looked at the photo for a bit. He was clearly smitten. He put it carefully back into his wallet and slid his wallet into his pocket. “My daddy is old school Alabama,” he said, gazing at the horses in the paddock. “He comes from old money and old ways.” He glanced at her, perhaps checking to see if she saw where he was going with this. “And my mama is old-school Southern. She’s the Kentucky side of the family. My daddy knew some stuff about horses but not as much as Mama. So he married her and learned the business. He runs in old-school circles, with old-school friends and the only place black people have in his life is as stable hands and servants.” He stopped and cleared his throat.
“What about your mom?”
He let his breath out between his teeth. “Not much better. She’s from old money, too. Old white money built on the backs of slaves. Before the war—” she knew he was talking about the Civil War, “some of her family owned slaves. It’s not a part of our history I’m proud of.”
She waited for him to continue, feeling an odd kinship with him. Neither of them, in their respective contexts, was really free to love who they wanted.
“I met Alicia our senior year at Duke. She’s from Boston.” A wistful, goofy look crossed his face.
“You fell for her hard, huh?” she asked with a smile, knowing what the answer would be.
“Very. That was two years ago. I met her family right off. They were standoffish at first. I can’t blame them. Southern white boy, after all. Lotta baggage there. But after a bit, it went smoother and now her mama calls me to see how I’m doing.”
“But your family doesn’t know.”
He shook his head, a grim expression in his eyes. “My daddy’d disown me. He’s said so. When he found out I had black friends at college, he told me that was fine as long as I didn’t bring ’em around. I’ve told her family about my family. I was up front about it from the get-go and I know it gives ’em pause about me and Alicia. I can’t blame ’em. Life would be a hell of a lot easier in some respects if I didn’t love her.”
Amen to that, Meg thought. “That’s rough. I’m sorry to hear that. So why’d you let Irene talk you into coming out here?”
The look in his eyes softened. “Alicia and I are moving West. She’s going to start law school at the University of Denver this fall. I have a couple of contacts in Denver that I’m gonna go see on Monday. Irene’s flying back to Lexington without me. I’ll fly back the middle of the week from Denver.” He turned to face her. “And as soon as my daddy finds out, that’s it for me and him. But I’ve already got a venture up and running with some partners out here. Can’t talk too much about it, but it’s a go. I’m pretty good with business.”
She looked at him with new interest. Good with business. Something to keep in mind.
“And I figured I might be able to chat up the hands and your dad about how things work out West. Every bit of information helps. You never know who you might meet, after all.” He smiled at her. “Maybe get some info from you, too.”
She nodded in agreement. “I appreciate you telling me your story. And I’m glad I didn’t scare you.”
He laughed. “I kinda know what it’s like to have family members who aren’t into what you do with your life. Thanks for being up front with me.”
“Sure thing. Dad’ll be back later this afternoon. I’ll tell him you’re interested in the business end of things. He loves to talk about that.”
“All right,” he said, slapping the wood of the fence lightly. “I’ll see you around.”
“I reckon,” she responded, smiling. She watched him head back to the lodge just as Irene burst through the door, talking to an older male guest. She ducked into the horse barn past Bruce and went to find Destry and Calico, her father’s favorite Paint. As she saddled Destry, she thought about Phil’s story. At least she knew her father would never disown her for loving who she loved. Her mother, maybe. But she didn’t expect anything from Irene, had stopped expecting anything when Irene moved back to Kentucky. Meg adjusted Destry’s bridle and looped the reins loosely over the fence just as Stan emerged from the barn with his saddle.
“Let’s blow this popstand,” he said, grinning.
Chapter 10
Meg urged Destry into a full gallop and she grinned into the wind as the horse plunged forward, flanks heaving, bit clicking in her teeth. Meg’s hat threatened to blow off her head but the string at her chin kept it in place. She whooped and leaned into Destry’s speed, watching her father to the left and the smooth motion of Calico’s legs. Meg’s breathing echoed Destry’s and she felt a part of the horse, echoing her motions, standing in the stirrups and hunched into the wind.
Destry’s hooves pounded the earth, sure over the meadow as the ranch loomed closer. Meg guided her closer to Calico and Stan shifted his weight, allowing Calico another burst of speed. She closed the distance and drew abreast of Calico’s left side. She let Destry have her head as she leaned over and in one smooth motion pulled Stan’s hat off his head frontwise, so that the string around his chin wouldn’t choke him. At almost the same time she tapped her heels lightly against Destry’s sides and the horse lunged into a burst of speed.
“Goddammit!” Stan shouted after her, laughing and whooping.
She didn’t look back, and didn’t slow Destry until a quarter-mile from the lodge, where she waited for Stan and Calico to catch up.
“Damn,” Stan said as Calico trotted over. “Where’d you get them skills?” He laughed.
“You,” she shot back. She handed him his hat. “Wouldn’t want the guests to think you lost it,” she said.
He leaned over and punched her lightly on the arm. “It’s a good thing I love you,” he said. “Otherwise I’d run you right offa this spread.” He put his hat on.
“That’d leave you dealing with Mom the whole time,” she shot back.
He was quiet before sighing heavily. “I feel bad for you, hon. I wish there was something I could do about it. She doesn’t take kindly to me trying to talk to her about it, unfortunately.”
She didn’t answer right away. They slowed their horses to a walk. “It’s not your fault. She is what she is.” She glanced over at him. “Why’d you marry her?”
“Y’know, I wish you’d just get to the point,” he teased. “And tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s just that she seems so different than she was before she left. I just sometimes wonder.”
He shrugged. “Your mom’s a looker. I wish I’d been a stronger man then, but I was really young and she was very persuasive. You know how she is. That’s actually one of the things I liked about her. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.” He paused. “It’s hard for women sometimes and I liked that she stood up for herself. Besides, if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have you.” He smiled at Meg. “She’s a hell of a horsewoman, too. Better than I was at the time. I don’t know if she does much riding anymore, but damn, she could then. You must’ve gotten some of your skills from her, as well.”
“It seems all I did was piss her off when I was growing up,” she said quietly. “It seems that’s all I do now.” Funny. She didn’t remember her mom ever riding horses. Or enjoying herself.
“I know. You have to understand that when you were younger, it was hard on your mom, living out here, isolated. She wasn’t used to that. And you know she had problems getting and staying pregnant.” He cleared his throat. “When Thomas was born, it was a miracle. We’d lost one before him.”
She stared at him. She hadn’t known that. “Did she carry it to term?”
“No.” Stan shifted in his saddle. “And when Thomas only lived three months, she almost lost her mind. She went back to Kentucky for a few months. And when she came back, she was different. Harder, maybe. She hid things with superficial bullshit. We were all right for a while. But soon it was obvious she wasn’t happy. So she went back to Kentucky again. For a year. Then she came back and during that year she came back was when she got pregnant with you.” He flashed her a smile. “She was happy, but scared. She couldn’t go through losing another one and we did talk about terminating the pregnancy so we wouldn’t have to deal with that.”
Meg stayed silent.
“But the doctors said this one was healthy.” He glanced over at her. “They convinced us. The pregnancy was hard on her, too. I know she worried that the doctors were wrong, and that she’d lose you. But she didn’t. And then the labor was hard.” He smiled at Meg. “But you were ready. I will never forget seeing you come into this world. Your eyes were already open and you had this look on your face. Kind of a ‘let ’er rip’ expression. I know newborns don’t really look like much of anything, but you—you were different. I could tell. And I cried like a baby. I was crying before you were.”
She swallowed around the lump in her throat, surprised and touched.
“Your mom held you and kind of studied you and she said ‘she’s her father’s daughter.’ Just like that. And as you grew, I guess she was right.”
“So why do I drive her crazy?”
“Hell, I don’t know. Why do I drive her crazy? Your mom has certain ideas about what a daughter should be like and what a girl’s supposed to do, I guess. And you defied those. Ever since you joined us. You’ve been your own person, carving your own path, and your mom had no idea how to deal with that. Still doesn’t. I know she makes you nuts. But she hasn’t had an easy time of it, either.” He shrugged.
“Does it bother you that you probably won’t get grandchildren out of me?” Meg kept her eyes on Destry’s ears, thinking that maybe that was part of Irene’s issue with her, though even if she were straight, she doubted she’d want kids.
“Nope. Don’t need ’em.”
“But when I’m gone, the ranch might not stay in the family.”
