Sage stepped into the room, angry. "You don't believe me, do you? You think I'm full of horseshit…just flattering you so you'll stay and not ask for a refund. Lady, you are a piece of work. I've bent over backwards to make up for my screw up in New York, and now I'm doing the same thing for my screw up last night. You know, I think you just don't like men. Sure, you write your novels about dashing heroes, but real-life men have no place in your world. You need to see a shrink, Mims."
Sarah couldn't move. She either wanted to lash a retort or run from the room, but neither her legs, nor her mouth worked, so she just stared wide-eyed at him. He didn't budge. Finally, the only body part that worked, were her tear ducts. Big fat drops welled and rolled down her cheeks.
"Aw shit. I can't do anything right." He strode across the room and knelt in front of her. Placing his hands over hers, he said gently, "Look, I don't want you to leave. I want you to finish your research. At least stay for the wagon train. It'll be fun and you'll learn a lot about the Old West. I promise I'll behave and try not to have foot-in-mouth disease again. If you leave now, we'll both feel like shit." He reached a hand toward her face, but it only hovered a second before he dropped it. Standing, he walked to the bathroom and grabbed a wad of Kleenex. Pressing the tissues into her palm, he said low, "Will you give me another chance, please Sarah?"
Sarah inhaled a shuddering breath. He may be a jerk, but he was a nice one, and he was right about one thing, she'd feel like shit. She knew he was exaggerating about himself, but for her, it was not an exaggeration. She needed to leave this ranch on good terms. If she didn’t, it would haunt her. Slowly she nodded.
He whooshed, "That's my girl."
Sarah wanted to glare at him for the endearment, but she didn't have the courage.
"Do you think you'll be ready to move to the dorm by late afternoon?"
She nodded again.
* * *
Julie helped Sarah pack the last of her belongings. Closing the small carry case she'd placed toiletries in, she carried it from the bathroom to the bedroom. "Hey, Sarah, looks like you almost don't need crutches anymore."
Sarah glanced up from fastening a large suitcase on her bed. "Uh, what did you say?"
Julie repeated herself. All day Sarah had seemed preoccupied. Maybe she didn't want to leave the house. Whatever was wrong, it had put a sad expression on her face. She looked like she'd been crying.
Sarah finally responded, "Oh yeah, another day or so and–"
There was a knock on the door halting their stilted conversation. Julie saw Sarah get an almost panicked look. What the heck is going on? When Sarah didn't say anything, Julie asked, "Do you want me to get the door? It's probably Dad or someone to help carry your things."
"Umm…yes, please." Sarah turned her back to the door and fiddled with the suitcase latch again.
Julie opened the door to her dad and Newt. She saw her dad glance quickly at Sarah's back. Even he looked weird. He looked at Julie. "Are you ready?" he asked cheerfully.
Julie knew it was forced cheerfulness. She scratched her head. "Yep, looks like everything's packed."
"Great. Newt, why don't you grab that suitcase?" He pointed to the one on the floor. "Julie, carry what you've got, and I'll grab the other one." He looked at the one Sarah was fiddling with.
When he walked toward the bed, Sarah stepped aside, seemingly entranced with the carpet. Julie glanced at Newt. He only gave a slight shrug, reading the question in her eyes. What's going on? She waited for the room to clear and then followed behind Sarah who was carrying her crutches and not using them. A sudden thought popped into her head. Do my dad and Sarah have a thing for each other? Her dad opened the front door and she studied his expression. She saw him cast a quick glance at Sarah. Dang, he does have a thing for her! I can't believe it. Wow, cool! By the way she's acting, she must like him too. Cool…cool…cool!
After the suitcases were loaded in the back of the pickup, it was decided Newt would drive the truck and Sarah would ride in the cab. Sage and Julie would sit on the tailgate for the short drive.
"Julie, help Sarah into the truck," Sage ordered.
If Julie had any doubts about how her dad felt, they evaporated with those words. If he didn't have feelings for Sarah, he wouldn't think twice about helping her. Julie hid her grin. "Sure, Dad."
At the dorm, she helped Sarah out of the cab and then grabbed the carry case while her dad and Newt transported her suitcases. Jacob rushed to help, but there was nothing left to carry. He shifted the small case from Julie's hand.
"You know, I think I can manage carrying that," said Julie.
"I know," Jacob replied, and smiled at her.
Julie's heart tripped. He's super cute.
Jacob held the door for everyone. Inside, Mindy and Mandy, wearing leggings and sports bras that seemed a size too small, were following high energy instructions blaring from an aerobics dance video. "Pump it up!" the instructor yelled as a song kicked into high gear. Not missing a beat, the twins said in unison, "Hi, Sage."
"Hello, Mindy and Mandy."
Julie knew he was just being polite. She looked at Jacob and rolled her eyes. He coughed and covered his mouth, but she could see he was grinning.
Mr. and Mrs. Hackstetter walked in from the hallway and Mr. and Mrs. Tully entered from the kitchen. Sage cleared his throat. "Can I have everyone's attention for a sec?"
"Anything you want," said one of the M girls. The other one turned the volume down on the video.
"I know ya'll met Sarah Carter last night. In a day or so, she won't need crutches, so she's decided to experience dude life by hanging out with ya'll."
"Welcome, Sarah, it's good to see you again. You let us know if you need anything," said kind Mrs. Tully.
While Sarah got reacquainted with her fellow greenhorns, Julie watched her dad, Jacob, and Newt deliver Sarah's suitcases to the largest bedroom at the end of the hall. When they returned, Newt mumbled something about checking on the horses and Jacob walked back to her. Mindy and Mandy cornered her dad and Julie heard Jacob snicker. He quickly did another "cough" act and turned around. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing herself. She could see from the grinding of her dad's jaw that he was really irritated with the twins. She watched him force a smile and then politely extricate himself from their clutches. Before he left the room, he said, "Julie, when Sarah's ready, show her to her room and help her unpack."
"Sure, Dad."
After he left, Jacob asked, "Is your dad okay?"
"Yeah. He's just got a lot on his mind," she hedged. "Hey, since it's free time, do you want to go for a horseback ride before supper?"
"That sounds great! Do you think we could ride to the river?"
"Oh, yeah. Why don't you bring your rope and we'll practice some tosses?"
"That's a great idea. Your dad was watching me earlier today and said I'm learning fast." Jacob looked kind of embarrassed and started to say something else, but stopped.
"What?"
"I was just going to tell you how much I like the cowboy life—never thought I'd say that."
Julie grinned. "Sure wish you were staying for the wagon train next week."
"Me, too. I asked my mom and dad if we could stay, but Dad said no 'cause he's got too many obligations, although I think my mom wants to stay. She's been acting weird all day. She always caters to my dad and now she's practically ignoring him. She even looks younger and keeps getting this grin on her face. I can tell it's driving my dad crazy. He hasn't pulled his laptop out all day."
"Yeah, my dad is acting strange, too," Julie admitted. "Well, let's see if Mims…er…Sarah, is ready to be shown to her room."
"Why do you keep calling her Mims?"
"Ah, I know someone who looks like her and that's her name."
"Oh, okay."
Julie and Jacob walked to stand beside Sarah who politely excused herself from talking with Mr. and Mrs. Tully. After showing Sarah to her room and helping her unpac
k, Julie returned to the great room where Jacob was waiting. The twins had disappeared. They were probably trailing her dad around the ranch, which would no doubt put him in a worse mood. Jacob's mom was now exercising with the aerobics video and doing a pretty good job of keeping up. His dad sat in one of the recliners watching her with a sullen expression.
A knock on the door interrupted everyone. Julie opened it. "Hey, Jackson, good to see ya. You just missed my dad. You might catch him at the barn. Want me to call him on the walkie-talkie?"
"Uh, yeah. Can I come in a minute?"
Julie stepped aside. "Sure. Hey, were you at Boot Bustin' Barn last night? Did you meet our guests?"
Jackson removed his Stetson. "Yes, I met everyone last night." He glanced toward Mrs. Hackstetter who had stopped exercising. Julie couldn't tell if she was red-faced from exertion or blushing. Mr. Hackstetter's face was red as a tomato.
Jackson said, "I'm…ah…delivering the last of the fence posts Sage bought from the Triple T. I thought he might be here."
Duh, since when do you look for dad when delivering fence posts?
Mrs. Hackstetter said softly, "Hello Jackson. It's nice to see you again. Last night was fun."
"Thank you, ma'am. I enjoyed myself."
Curley walked in from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee that he always kept brewed. "Hey, Jackson, haven't seen you for awhile."
"Howdy, Curley." He held his hat in front of him and nervously played with the brim.
There was an awkward silence and then Julie said, "Curley, will you call Dad on the walkie-talkie and let him know Jackson's looking for him?"
"Sure thing." Curley got to the kitchen door then turned back around. "Hey, Jackson, why don’t you join us for supper? I'm servin' stew and cornbread."
Jackson smiled. "I'd like that."
Julie glanced at Mrs. Hackstetter. She looked delighted. Mr. Hackstetter looked mad. Jacob looked confused. Jeez, have I stepped into an alternate reality?
Chapter 12: Role Playing
Sarah unpacked her suitcases, grateful to be alone. The atmosphere had gotten tight when Jackson arrived. She remembered him from the previous night. He'd danced several times with Mrs. Hackstetter, who'd obviously enjoyed his attention. She couldn't blame her. Jackson was handsome and Mr. Hackstetter didn't appear to be a very attentive husband, although the look he'd given the cowboy had jealousy written all over it. Perhaps Jackson was just the kick-in-the-ass Mr. Hackstetter needed to kindle something with his wife. Sarah stuck the scene in the back of her mind; maybe she'd use it in one of her stories.
After unpacking, she stretched across the homemade quilt on the four-poster bed in her temporary home. Unwanted emotions, buried for a long, long time, surfaced with Sage's haunting words. You need to see a shrink, Mims.
She covered her eyes with her forearm, remembering things she wanted to forget—a failed marriage at the age of twenty-four, a miscarriage at five months gestation, and then depression so deep she hadn't wanted to live. Maybe she was having a relapse and Sage was right about her needing to seek help. What did they call it—Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?
She sighed and rolled onto her side. Her thoughts retaliated against Sage. He didn't have dibs on the heartache market. Although losing his wife and child certainly outweighed her tragedy; watching her baby's twenty-four hour struggle for life while caressing his tiny hand was enough to send anyone to the loony bin. Closing her eyes, she drifted and relived bits and pieces of her life—meeting John Carter, a man eighteen years her senior and being swept off her feet; planning her beautiful wedding; believing the lies John told her about out-of-town business trips and late night meetings; accepting the reality of his infidelity after being confronted by a jilted lover; listening to his harangues about her weight problem; being overjoyed to discover she was pregnant; losing the baby; blaming herself for the miscarriage; garnering the courage to leave John; working low paying jobs to keep a roof over her head; and the list went on. She opened her eyes and swiped away tears.
* * *
Sage and Jackson unloaded the last of the fence posts and Sage reached into his pocket. Pulling out his money clip, he slipped out two twenties and handed them to Jackson. He'd already paid the other two guys in his scheme. "Thanks for playing along last night. Mrs. Hackstetter had a great time; better than anything that old fart of a husband would have shown her."
"I don't want your money. I had fun dancing with Annie; taking it doesn't seem right." Jackson pushed Sage's hand back.
Sage blinked. "Annie, huh? Do I detect a note of fondness in your voice?"
Jackson turned red. "Give it a rest, Sage."
"Shit, Jackson, she's married. I only asked you to dance with her to make her husband jealous. Thought it might make him pay attention to her."
"Whatever. Curley asked me to stay for supper and I accepted."
"I don't need this bullshit. You stay away from her. Besides, they're leaving at the end of the week."
Jackson merely shrugged and climbed into his truck. Sage watched him drive the short distance back to the dorm. Sarah already had her panties in a wad. He didn't need Mr. Hackstetter getting pissed, too. Rubbing the ache in his forehead, he stalked toward the house to change and wash up for supper.
Curley set a crock of beef stew on the sideboard along with cornbread floating in butter, green beans simmered in bacon drippings, coleslaw, and fried potatoes. Sage loaded his plate and sat at the head of the table. Thankfully, Mr. and Mrs. Tully had saved him from the twins tonight by sitting on either side of him. Next to them, Julie and Jacob sat across from each other. Mr. and Mrs. Hackstetter sat side-by-side next to Jacob, and Jackson sat across from Mrs. Hackstetter. Sarah was next to Jackson and the twins flanked Newt at the opposite end of the table. Curley said a quick prayer and conversation buzzed. Sage politely made small talk with his guests. He glanced at Sarah. Her face looked puffy, like she'd been crying again, and she was rubbing the back of her neck. Hell, he felt like crap. She glanced up and met his gaze and quickly looked back down.
After supper, while Curley passed around plates of hot apple pie topped with homemade vanilla ice cream, Sage asked for everyone's attention.
"I thought this would be a good time to discuss and answer questions about our Annual Covered Wagon Three-Day Trail Blaze sponsored by the Lazy M Ranch and Triple T Ranch. Some of you will be leaving at the end of the week, but we had some last minute cancellations if you change your mind. The wagon train consists of six replicas of covered wagons, otherwise known as prairie schooners, three buckboards, and one chuck wagon. So far, we have a total of twenty 'dudes' and 'dudettes' registered." He made quote marks with his fingers and everyone chuckled. "The wagon train will have a wagon master, which is yours truly; a cook, Curley; and about twelve cowboys either driving the wagons or riding alongside. Newt, Beaner, Ned, and Skipper from the Lazy M are working the train. The rest of the cowboys are from the Triple T, including Jackson." He paused, but before he could continue his spiel, Mrs. Hackstetter said, "I'd like to sign up. Who should I see?"
Sage glanced at Mr. Hackstetter. The man looked like he'd swallowed his tongue. The shit-eatin' grin on Jackson's face confirmed the fact that he was attracted to Mrs. Hackstetter. He heard Jacob exclaim, "Right on, Mom!"
Inwardly, Sage sighed, but outwardly he said enthusiastically, "You can sign up with Newt after supper." He wondered if Mr. Hackstetter would be staying too.
Continuing his discourse, he glanced around the group. "I hope y'all realize this trek is as authentic as we can make it. You'll even be wearing period costumes."
Mindy and Mandy squealed and one of them said, "We want to be saloon girls!" The other one vigorously nodded. Sage rubbed his temples. The more the night wore on, the less he felt like smiling. He forced a smile at the girls. "I think that can be arranged, ladies. Costumes will be delivered the day before we leave. At that time, role playing will also be assigned. Are there any questions?"
"How many days will we
be traveling?" asked Mrs. Hackstetter.
"Three days; the wagons leave Triple T around eight on Thursday morning and arrive at my ranch Saturday night. Just so everyone's clear, you will definitely get a taste of pioneer life. So, having said that, if you're not ready to leave modern conveniences, including a bathroom, this may not be the adventure for you."
The group chuckled and glanced nervously at each other.
* * *
After getting her ankle wrap off the day after moving to the dorm, Sarah had been anxious to experience ranch life. She'd been given a tour of the Lazy M by Beaner with an overview of its operations. Cows were more complicated than she'd imagined. Later, she'd watched Jacob practice roping, and that same afternoon, Julie had demonstrated trick riding. In the evening, Curley had revealed secrets to preparing savory beans, fluffy cornbread, mouth watering bread pudding, and perfect lemonade. After supper, while the guests lay sprawled on couches and recliners in the great room, Newt had regaled them with stories of the Old West. Copious notes filled Sarah's journal. She had some good stuff.
Now, two days after her emancipation from convalescence, Sarah looked into the eyes of the horse in front of her and told herself, You can do this.
"Miz Carter, this is our oldest and most gentle gelding. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He's used to inexperienced riders, so you don't need to be scared," Newt tried to reassure her.
Sarah followed his instructions and put her foot in the stirrup while he hoisted her atop Safety Blanket. She sure hoped the horse's name was an accurate depiction of his personality. She squealed and grabbed the pommel.
"Now you don't need to be so stiff. Try to relax and hold the reins."
Inhaling a calming breath, Sarah forced her muscles to relax. After a minute she felt better…and proud of her accomplishment. This was a real experience for her book.
Newt made a clicking sound and Safety Blanket started forward. Sarah's muscles tensed again and she bit her bottom lip. The horse followed Newt around the corral while he gave Sarah instructions about handling the beast. On her third circle she was getting the hang of it. She glanced toward the barn to see Sage leaning against the siding. His lips twitched and he tipped his hat. She inadvertently pulled back on the reins and the horse stopped. Okay how do I make him go again? Her brain wouldn't function clearly. Oh, yeah, nudge him with my feet. She looked up again to see Sage was gone. Thank goodness. For the next hour, Newt taught her the basics of horseback riding.