Develyn toted out two cardboard boxes crammed with dirty clothes and shoved them in the back of her silver Jeep Grand Cherokee. Uncle Henry paced back and forth.
“I know … I have to go to town and you can’t go. I told you to go with Casey and Jackson, but you didn’t want to. I should just put you in the pasture. You’d have it all to yourself.”
Cooper Tallon strolled across the dirt yard between the cabins.
“Mornin’, Miss Dev.” He tipped his cowboy hat. “You didn’t go riding with the others?”
“Casey and Jackson wanted to ride, so I lent them My Maria.”
“You could have borrowed one of my horses.” He pointed to the buckskin and the bay in the pasture on the opposite side of his cabin. “Help yourself anytime.”
“Thanks, but I do believe Casey and Jackson wanted to be by themselves.”
“Jackson Hill, from up Sheridan way?”
“Yes, do you know him?”
“I know his mama. She teaches school up at Sheridan. She’s a fine lady.”
“I’ve only visited with Jackson a couple of times, but he seems very nice.” Develyn nudged the boxes, then slammed the door. “I’m going to do laundry in Casper. I’ve been borrowing Mrs. Tagley’s washer, but this is too big a mess to bother her. Do you know a convenient coin-operated laundry in town?”
“Jenny’s-By-The-Park is where I take mine.”
“What’s it called?”
“Jenny’s-By-The-Park. It’s on 16th, just past the transmission shop. If you don’t have time to watch the machines spin, she’ll do the laundry for a few more bucks. It saves me a lot of time. In fact, if I didn’t have to hurry down to Cheyenne, I’d take my laundry to town today myself.”
“Go get it. I’ll take it,” she offered.
Cooper laughed. “No. I will not have you do my laundry.”
“I’m not going to do it. I’ll take it to Jenny and she can do it.”
“Thanks, Dev, but I couldn’t impose like that.”
She shaded the morning sun with her hand. “Cooper, you and I are adults. I can certainly tote your laundry to the cleaners.”
“If I were the one going to town, would you let me take your things to the laundry?”
“No,” she replied. “I mean … some of it is OK … but maybe not all.”
He grinned. “That’s my point.”
“You might be right. Laundry can be a little personal. Will you be driving down to Cheyenne?” She turned the key and rolled up the rear window.
Cooper waved his arm south. “Quint Burdett is flying down and said he would give me a lift.”
“Quint is coming down here?”
Tallon studied the thin blue Wyoming sky. “Should be here any moment.”
Develyn fidgeted with her keys.
Cooper rubbed his chin. “I take it you want to be gone when he gets here.”
“I’m not quite sure what to say when I see him. Our last conversation was rather … short.”
“Just listen, then. Let him do the talking.”
“Do you think he wants to talk to me?”
“I imagine he does. But who am I to know? You do whatever you want, Miss Dev.”
She opened the door to her Cherokee. “Are you going down to Frontier Days?”
“Quint and Lindsay are, but I need to meet with a couple of men from Denver. They made me an offer on my construction business.”
Develyn slid into the Cherokee, but left the door open. “Do you build houses and that sort of thing?”
“No, it’s heavy equipment. I dig trenches for oil fields with backhoes, bulldozers, and all that.”
“So, you are going to retire?”
“I hadn’t planned on it. But if they want it bad enough, I might sell out and build that log house I’ve been wanting here.”
“Oh, that would be nice. Sometimes I think about retirement, usually every February. But I need about twelve more years for maximum benefits.”
A buzz in the sky caused them both to scan the horizon.
“Maybe I’d better go,” she said.
“Maybe you should answer your phone.”
“Oh … yes … well …” Develyn fumbled to tug her cell phone from her pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Miss Dev.”
“Quint, is that you up there?”
“Yep. I’m picking up Cooper Tallon and taking him down to Cheyenne. Do you want to come with us?”
“I’m standing right out in the front yard visiting with Cooper.”
“Yes, we can see you.”
The airplane dipped lower. “Thanks for the invitation. I’m just on my way to Casper to do the laundry, so I’ll pass on Frontier Days.”
“We need to talk, Miss Dev. Even if you have decided to hate me, we need to talk.”
“Quint, I don’t hate you at all. I just needed some time to try to understand myself a little better.”
“That’s fair enough. How about you coming out to the ranch on Friday evening? We’ll have a little supper and sit out on the porch and visit.”
Develyn glanced at Cooper Tallon, who stood by the front of her rig scratching Uncle Henry’s ear. “I have other plans for Friday. How about Saturday?”
“That’s great. Thanks. I need to work on my approach now.”
“Your approach is always very good, Mr. Burdett.”
“Thanks, it’s good to hear you laugh. I’ll see you Saturday, then.”
“What time?”
“Anytime before five will be fine. And, eh … Miss Dev why don’t you wear that purple shirt with the cowgirl on the front.”
“Bye, Quint.”
“Bye, darlin’.”
Develyn tossed the cell phone on the seat next to her. Why must he always dress me?
“You want me to stick Uncle Henry in the pasture after you pull out of here?” Tallon asked.
“That would be nice.” She closed the door, then rolled down the window. “This is your last chance. Can I take your laundry to Jenny’s?”
He rapped his fingers on the hood of her rig. “It would help. This deal might get me real busy with lawyers and paperwork for a while.”
She shoved the door open again. “Go get your laundry. I’ll stick Uncle Henry in the pasture, and I’ll give you a lift to the airstrip.”
* * *
Quint Burdett pushed back his black cowboy hat when they pulled up beside the plane. Lindsay wore a white hat with a turquoise-sequined blouse. They walked over to the Cherokee.
“Thank you, Miss Dev,” Cooper grinned. “Will you greet me at the airport when I return?”
“Oh, dear, I forgot. If you brought your truck you wouldn’t have to walk back.”
“Don’t worry, it was worth it just to see Burdett’s face when you drove me up.” Tallon ducked his head and climbed out of the rig.
When Develyn got out, Quint Burdett strolled up and gave her a polite hug. “Hi, Miss Dev.”
She hugged him back. “Hi, Quint.”
“Saturday?”
“Yes.” She refused to look over at Cooper Tallon.
Lindsay Burdett grabbed her arm. “I need to talk,” she whispered.
Develyn studied the young woman’s bright blue eyes. “OK.”
“Alone …” Lindsay tugged her back behind the Jeep.
“Are you mad at me, Linds?”
“Oh no, Dev. I was puzzled a little bit by the way you set Daddy up, then dumped him. But …”
“Honey, I didn’t dump him … it’s just …”
“Then I thought to myself, Lindsay, that’s exactly the way you’ve treated several boys over the years, and every time I had a very good reason for what I did. So I just know you have an explanation for this. Then when I saw you … well, it’s written all over your face.”
“My face?”
“Sweet Dev, there is only one reason a woman goes without any makeup or lipstick. You’ve been crying, haven’t you? When I saw you just now … lookin’ worn out and you know …”
“Old?”
“Well, sort of … I knew you were heartbroken. You got worried about how you could ever replace my mother, didn’t you?”
“I think that was part of it.”
Lindsay hugged her. “I’ve been thinking about that lately myself. Mother keeps getting more perfect every year in Daddy’s mind. He’s expecting me to live up to standards that Mother never demanded. But in his mind he’s convinced she did. Does that make sense to you?”
“I hate to break this up, but we need to get back in the air,” Quint called to them.
Develyn hugged Lindsay. “Yes, it does, honey.”
“Can we spend some time talking? Just the two of us?”
“I’m coming up Saturday for supper.”
“Why don’t you spend the night? We can stay up late and talk.”
“I’ll see if I can do that.”
“Thanks. I just knew we could work this out. When I saw poor Dev without makeup … it broke my heart. Bye.”
Develyn stood by the Jeep and watched as the plane taxied to the far end of the dirt landing strip. Then she got inside and rolled up the windows to block the dust. She waved. Two hands waved back.
When she reached the blacktop of Highway 20, ten miles south of Argenta, she pulled over and stared at herself in the rearview mirror.
Never … ever again … will I make such a dumb dare. Old? Crying? There you have it, Ms. Develyn Worrell. Straight from the rodeo queen’s lips. Lord, I’ve learned a lot this summer … and some of it’s hard. I know it is vanity, but after this week, I will wear makeup until the day I die. That’s just me.
Develyn pulled out on the highway toward Casper, then began to chuckle.
Well, Ms. Worrell, what a fine summer you are having! If you came to Wyoming to find yourself, you certainly succeeded. You are a neurotic, middle-aged, plain-looking schoolteacher who tries desperately to be something different. You’re not a rodeo queen … or a Texas beauty … or even a buckle bunny. The males that you relate to best are all eleven or twelve years old. The rest imagine you are something you’re not.
When her Eagles CD blared out “Get Over It,” she rolled down the windows and turned up the sound.
She didn’t hear the phone.
But she felt the vibration, and punched off the stereo.
“Hi, Miss Dev … it’s Renny.”
“Hi, Mustang Breaker … how are those little buckaroos?”
“Enthusiastic, but they have a lot to learn.”
“Sort of like me, and kissing?” she laughed.
“Dev, let me apologize about that. I don’t mean to rush things.”
“I’m the one who needs to apologize, Renny … I, eh … well, I thought it was just a little game we were playing, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
“It is for me.”
“Me too, Renny.”
“Can I get a re-ride?”
“What?”
“Can I start over and do a little better job?” he pressed.
“Sure.”
“I could take you to supper in Casper, but Casey can’t come with us this time.”
Develyn watched the sage and fenceposts flash by. “Casey and Jackson are out riding today.”
“That’s great. Do you think they’ll hit it off?”
“I hope so, but you know them better than I do. What’s your take on those two?”
“Casey has changed a lot, Devy-girl. I appreciate what you’ve done for her.”
Develyn slowed down behind a hay swather. “I don’t know that I’ve done anything.”
“That’s not true, Ms. Worrell. I’ve known Casey for fifteen years. She’s a legend around here. As you can imagine, she’s the butt of a lot of cowboy jokes with the guns and knives and bravado. She’s known as a half-breed hell-cat. I’ve seen tough cowboys cross the street, just so she wouldn’t confront them. Then you came along. Casey settled down. She dresses better. Takes care of herself. Has cut down on the trash talk.”
“Casey is a neat person. I really like her.” Develyn pulled around the hay-cutting machine and waved at the baseball-capped operator.
He waved back.
“That’s the greatest compliment of all. If Miss Dev likes her … well, there is something special about her.”
“You are flattering me, cowboy. What is it you want?”
“Supper on Saturday night.”
“Oh, rats, Renny, I already made some plans.”
“OK, how about Friday night? I was hoping for a haircut before we went out, but I reckon you can put up with me shaggy.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve got Friday plans too.”
“Dadgum it, girl, who is this lucky guy?”
She tapped on the steering wheel and bit her lip. “Guys.”
“One on Friday and another on Saturday?”
“Yeah, is that horrible?”
“Shoot, no. Now you sound like Renny Slater. Why don’t I just pick a number and wait my turn? Actually, two different guys is better than the same one. It means you are still shopping.”
“I’m not shopping at all. How about tomorrow night, Renny? I need to talk to you.”
“About kissin’?”
“No. I’ve got some decisions to make about Delaney.”
“I don’t know a blasted thing about daughters, darlin’.”
“I just need a friend to listen while I unload.”
“That is something I can do.”
“Thanks, Renny.”
“I’ll take you to an Italian place in Casper.”
“Is the food good?”
“No, it’s lousy, but there’s lots of privacy,” he said. “I’m kidding about the food, of course. It’s excellent.”
“Thanks. You might want to come over early, because I have a lot of things to dump on you.”
“I like this, Devy-girl. This is the way to build a friendship.”
She giggled. “Do you mean I don’t get any more kissing lessons?”
“You don’t need any lessons.”
“Coming from a professional like you, I take that as a compliment.”
“If Casey and Jackson are out riding, what are you doing?”
“I’m driving down Highway 20 to Casper. This is coin-operated laundry day. I decided to wear clean clothes for you.”
“That will be different. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in clean clothes. Most have orange Popsicle stains, or something.”
“Thanks. I guess you have seen me kind of ratty.”
“Shoot, darlin’, if I’d known you were going to the laundry, I’d have sent mine along.”
“Join the crowd. I’m taking Coop’s laundry too.”
“What? Are you packin’ another man’s dirty clothes?”
“Yes, much to his protest. But there was no reason for us both to spend a day going to Casper.”
“Devy-girl, don’t you know there are some counties in Wyomin’ where doin’ a cowboy’s laundry is like bein’ engaged?”
“No wonder Cooper panicked. Besides, I’m not doing his laundry; Miss Jenny is. I’m just the delivery person.”
“Jenny-By-The-Park?”
“Yes, Cooper said it was the best place in town.” Develyn slowed down behind a hay truck and rolled up her windows to block out a shower of chaff.
“It’s closed.”
“It is?”
“Jenny closed it down last month. She got married on Memorial Day, and her hubby didn’t want her doing other men’s laundry.”
“Are you kidding me, Slater?”
“Not this time, sweet Dev.”
“I’ll just have to find a different laundry.”
“Don’t use the one on 10th and Broadway.”
“Why?”
“The dryers are so hot they melted the rivets on my Wranglers.”
“I don’t buy that, cowboy.”
“Boy, you toughened up.”
“Thank you.”
“Tomorrow night?” he asked.
“I’m counting on it.”
“So am I, Miss Dev. So am I.”
* * *
Develyn had just passed the Natrona County International Airport when her cell phone rang again.
“Yes?”
“It’s Renny the pest.”
“Oh, did you find a better date for tomorrow night and have to cancel?”
“What?”
“I’m just teasing you, cowboy.”
“It’s no joke. I do have to change the plans for tomorrow night,” he admitted.
“You can’t desert me. I need you, Slater.”
“Now that sounds good to my ears. Here’s the deal. Tomorrow afternoon, as a finale to the saddle bronc clinic, we run a little rodeo over here. The boys get to show off and ride some buckin’ horses. (Like a Saturday soccer game in Indiana but with all the parents watching from the railing.) But I was reminded that they are having a barbecue afterward. I’m expected to be there and say a few words about the boys.”
“I’m sure it’s important.”
“So is being with Miss Dev.”
“I’ll be crushed, cowboy, but I’ll try to hang on.”
“I don’t aim to miss a evenin’ with Devy-girl.”
“What’s the plan?”
“How about you coming over to Douglas and watch the boys buck out? I think you would enjoy it. They are thrilled when someone besides parents come to watch them. Then you could stay for supper, and we’d find some private time somehow, even if I have to tow your rig home and we visit in the truck.”
“I don’t think Casey, nor Uncle Henry, would let us do that again.”
“That’s not what I meant. How about it, Dev? How about a little junior rodeo? I’ll take you to that Italian restaurant next time there’s an opening on your dance card.”
“OK, Renny, but you’ll have to phone me at home tonight and give me directions on how to get there.”
“Thanks, you made my day. Shoot, you’ve already made my summer.”
“Stood up by a junior rodeo. That’s a first for me too.”
“Oh … no …”
“What’s the matter?”
“He was holdin’ his bronc rein too short.”
“Go take care of your boys, Mr. Slater.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
The wind died down at sunset. Develyn perched out on the front porch next to a short but stout burro.
“Uncle Henry, I shouldn’t let you come up on the porch. You have to promise not to poop. Honey, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you at the end of summer. I’ll give My Maria to Casey … and I know she’d take you just to be nice, but why does she need a burro? What does anyone need with a burro?”
When her cell phone rang, Develyn sat down on the wooden box and leaned against the outside wall of the log cabin. “Hi, Lily.”
“Hi, sweetie. Did you get the airline ticket for Dee?”
“Yes, she is to fly out of Indy next Wednesday. I couldn’t get anything quicker that I could afford. You’ll need to get her to the airport by seven in the morning. I know that’s horrible. I didn’t have a lot of choices.”
“Did you tell Delaney?”
“Yes, she has the details.”
“What did she say when you told her you were flying her to Wyoming?”
“She just murmured, ‘Yes, Mom.’ We both know that we need to be together, and right now Indiana has too many memories and too many old patterns.”
“Where will she stay?”
Develyn stared at the shadows of Argenta. “I bought one of those inflatable mattresses like you see on TV. We’ll pump it up and toss it right in the cabin between me and Casey.”
“How long will she be there?”
“The ticket is for a week, but she can stay out here and ride home with me if she wants to. A one-way ticket costs more than a round trip.”
“Will that dampen your style? What about the cowboys tripping over themselves to be with Dev darlin’?”
“Lily, Delaney is my number one priority this summer. I don’t know why it took coming out here to understand that.”
“You mean you’re going to dump the cowboys?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Good, because I don’t have any intention of dropping a certain attorney.”
“You promised you wouldn’t get married until I get home.”
“Don’t worry, honey. He told me I had to pass his mother’s inspection. I told him he had to pass the inspection of Ms. Worrell.”
“How old is his mother?”
“Eighty-six.”
“And he still has to have her approval?”
“You never outgrow the need for your mother’s approval. You know that. But he was teasing about her approval. He just respects his mother that much. There’s nothing wrong with that in a man.”
“He sounds like a jewel.”
“Would you like to talk to him?”
“Is he right there?” Develyn gasped.
“No, but I can give you his cell phone number.”
“E-mail it to me.”
“You never check your e-mail.”
“I’ll go down to Mrs. Tagley’s tomorrow and retrieve it.”
“Honey, if I can do anything for your Dee from here, you let me know.”
“Thanks, Lil. Have you seen my cats lately? Delaney said Josephine, the monster, tore up the curtains in the back bedroom.”
“In your bedroom.”
“Mine? I thought Dee said the back bedroom.”
“There too. I believe if Delaney goes to stay with you the rest of the summer, you won’t have anything left standing but the exterior brick walls.”
“And Smoky?”
“He sleeps in the basket on top of the hutch all day and runs for his life at night.”
“I’ve thought about tossing her out the back door some night and seeing if the coyotes would drag her off. But I might get reported to the SPCA.”
“For cruelty to cats?”
“For cruelty to coyotes. Is it dark there yet?”
“Yes. There’s no wind and a very nice moon,” Develyn reported.
“Do you have plans for the evening?”
“Just me and Uncle Henry waiting on the porch for my other daughter.”
“Where did Casey and this new boyfriend go?”
“That’s a good question, Lil’. They were to go riding all day, and when I got home there was a note on the table that read, ‘Jackson wants to show me something. I’ll be right back.’”
“When did you get home?”
“Around four.”
“What time is it now?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“Wow, that was really something he had to show her.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Casey is almost thirty. She knows what’s she doing.”
“In some areas of her life, she’s about fifteen.”
“Oh, dear. It’s too bad she’s not mature and wise like we were at thirty.”
“Honey, I’m not mature and wise at forty-five!”
“I suppose she’s too old to ‘ground’ her for being late.”
“She already ‘grounded’ me this week.”
“For what?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Tell me she didn’t catch you parked out in the driveway in a pickup truck making out with some cowboy.”
“Lily, I think I’m losing my signal.”
“I think you are losing your mind. Call me tomorrow night.”
“If I can … sorry, Lily … the signal is going.”
“Answer me one thing … who were you necking with … the rancher man?”
“No,” Develyn sighed, “it was the mustang breaker.”
* * *
Develyn strolled out the dirt driveway to the gravel road that led back to Mrs. Tagley’s store, Uncle Henry beside her. She studied the landscape.
Lord, this is peaceful. It’s eight o’clock, and not one car is on the road. People are settling down for the night. Even the dogs have called it a day. I’m grateful you allowed me the privilege of spending the summer here. I think I need a break every summer. Of course, my life will be different if I have a grandbaby.
I’ve tried not to think about it. Lord, I want to love and support Dee no matter what … but how will I tell Mother? She will blame it on me. Maybe she’s right. Maybe Delaney is my fault. Spencer was my fault. Quint is my fault. Do I just leave a trail of ruined lives behind me? Now I’m sounding like one of Mrs. Tagley’s soap operas.
Develyn drug her heel across the dusty drive to mark a shadowy line. “Do you see that line, Uncle Henry? When I step over that line, that’s the start of a new me. I am going to be helpful and encouraging to all people and not leave any more messy relationships. I’ll be the Florence Nightingale of relationships.”
She stepped over the line.
“There, what do you think of that? Do you like the new me?”
She surveyed the silent lights of Argenta’s dozen buildings. I think my work is done for the night. Everything’s quiet in my part of the world.
“Leon, you get back in here right now!” A piercing scream broke the silence, followed by a thunderous explosion.
Develyn turned to Uncle Henry and sighed. “I see Mrs. Morton got some more shotgun shells.”
She was halfway back to the cabin when her cell phone rang. “Casey, you’d better have a good explanation …”
“Dev, it’s Cooper Tallon.”
“Oh, Coop. Sorry.”
“Did Cree-Ryder come back from her ride?”
“Yes, but she went off and didn’t …” Develyn stopped. “But I’m not worried. Knowing her, she’s having a great time.”
“Listen, Dev, I’ve got a big favor to ask. Quint’s not flying back until tomorrow. I ran across some pals of mine driving up to Butte, so I just hitched a ride with them. We just crossed the Powder River on Highway 20, and I realized they are on a tight time schedule. I can’t expect them to drive me back into Argenta. They have to deliver a …”
“I’ll come pick you up at the Waltman turnoff.”
“Thanks, Dev, I’m real embarrassed having to ask you for a lift.”
“Cooper, I don’t know how many nights you went out looking for me. This is the least a neighbor can do. How soon will you be there?”
“About fifteen minutes, Dev. Thanks.”
After jamming the phone back into her pocket, she picked up her pace back to the cabin. “There you have it, Uncle Henry. I’m making one relationship better. For the first two weeks of the summer, we hated each other. Now Mr. Tallon is calling me for a ride. That’s what friends do. I’ll go in and grab my purse, wallet, a bottle of water, and put on some makeup!”
Dev laughed out loud and barged into the dimly lit cabin.
You are going to meet a man who has seen you without any makeup, and it’s dark. He won’t know, and he won’t care. Why do you have this thing about makeup? All he wants is a ride down ten miles of a dirt road. I could be a non-English-speaking immigrant from a Third World country driving a yellow cab for all he cares. He just needs a ride … not a babe.
Develyn glanced in the tiny mirror.
“But I am going to change my blouse. This is way too frumpy.”
* * *
The Wyoming Department of Transportation had constructed a turnaround for snow plows about a hundred feet east of the Waltman/Argenta turnoff. Develyn parked in the dark at the western end so that any vehicle would be able to spot her, even at night.
She locked the doors and waited for headlights.
For over six weeks this tiny community has treated me like the visitor I am. I think this might be the first time I’ve felt like one of the community. Called on to give a neighbor a lift home. I like that. What would it be like to live here year round? The winters must be horrific. Wind, snow, blizzards, but if you had a big old house like the Burdetts … and a huge fireplace with logs blazing … and a strong, gentle man who smelled like spice aftershave wrapping his arms around you … a girl could survive … provided the gigantic picture of Miss Emily over the mantle didn’t dishearten her.
In the dark of a Wyoming night, Develyn closed her eyes.
You know, Lord. I could survive with Quint. I could survive quite nicely. I could ride all the time. I could be the queen bee with the ranch hands. I certainly wouldn’t worry about money … and Quint is a sincere Christian man. But I don’t want to just survive. There has to be more than that. Doesn’t there?
At the top of the rise, two miles east, Develyn spotted flashing lights. Then a second vehicle with orange flashing lights. Then a third.
Ambulances? Oh, my … must be a horrible wreck. Not Cooper Tallon, I trust. No, he’s coming in from Casper so he would be behind them.
Her hand went to her mouth. Her neck stiffened. She had to grab her arms to keep them from shaking.
Oh, Lord, no! No … no … no … not Casey. Not Casey and Jackson. Please, Lord, I didn’t come all the way to Wyoming to have my heart broken again. I’m not that strong … I’m just healing from Spencer’s death and …
As the flashing lights drew closer, she recognized the running lights of a big truck.
A truck? A wide load! Those are a lead car, a trail car, and a wide-loaded semi. Thank you, Jesus.
She reached for a Kleenex and blew her nose.
I do love Casey so. You brought her into my life, Lord. I know I’m going to need her as a friend for a long time. I know she’s with Jackson, but keep her safe. Eh … keep Jackson safe too.
The rigs with flashing lights slowed down as they approached.
I think, Lord, that was the first time I admitted to myself that I grieved Spencer’s death. I know there was a lot in him that was good. I know he had such wonderful potential as a young man. I don’t know where or how it got sidetracked. Forgive me, Lord, for failing him.
She splashed some water on her hands and wiped her eyes.
One good thing about no makeup or mascara … I can wash my face without smearing the warpaint.
She watched as the rigs signaled to pull over in the gravel turnout.
Oh, great … they are going to pull in here and block it so that Coop’s friend can’t park here. Why does everything get so complicated?
The lead car pulled up twenty feet away, headlights pointed at Develyn. She had to shade her eyes to watch a man get of the car. He sported a long, stringy ponytail, wore a tank-top and thick tattoos.
She relocked her doors.
I’ll just pull up to the turnoff and wait for him there. I have no intention of entertaining truckers.
Two men got out of the big truck, but they were in the shadows. She did spot the driver of the trail car.
A woman? A very wide woman.
The two men from the truck popped into view.
Develyn continued to shade her eyes from the glare of the headlights as she rolled down her window a couple of inches. “Cooper?”
“Thanks for coming out to get me, Dev. I got some folks here for you to meet.”
She grabbed the door handle, but it was locked. She hit the unlock button, opened the door, and swung her legs out, but the seat belt yanked her back. Free from the belt, she stepped out of the car, cracked her knee on the door, and staggered forward into the headlights.
Well, Ms. Worrell, that was quite an entrance.
“You were right, Coop; she looks a lot like Barb,” the lady said.
“Dev … this is Andy Rasmussen, his wife, Carol … and their youngest son, Little Coop.”
The man with tank top and tattoos reached out his hand. “The name’s Cooper, ma’am. Only Big Coop gets to call me Little Coop.”
“You were named after Mr. Tallon?”
“Yes, ma’am, but you shouldn’t hold that against me.”
Carol Rasmussen strolled over and hugged her shoulder. It felt like being caught in malfunctioning elevator doors. “Good to meet you, Dev. Big Coop said you were a sweetheart.”
“You looked a little surprised when we pulled up,” Little Coop said.
“I didn’t hear the part about a big rig. I thought I was waiting for a pickup.”
“I’m hauling a bridge to Butte,” Andy said.
Develyn stared at the shadowy load. “A whole, assembled bridge?”
“I told Coop we could deliver him back to Argenta in the lead car, but he wouldn’t hear of it,” Andy added. “He’s right. I do need to make deadline. The permit for something this wide is time limited.”
“We specialize in wide loads,” Carol stated.
Develyn bit her lip and glanced at the large lady. “I’m very happy to meet you all. Coop’s been a good landlord and neighbor to me this summer. I’m delighted to help him out.”
“Well, treat him good, Miss Dev. He’s one of a kind,” Andy said. “Let’s get back on the road. We’ve got lots of highway to swallow.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Develyn called out.
The three trudged back to their rigs. The young man with the ponytail turned back before he slid into the lead car. “You were right about her, Big Coop … you were right.”
Develyn stood beside Cooper Tallon and waved as the three rigs pulled onto the highway. “Mr. Tallon, your taxi is waiting.”
He held the driver’s door open for her, then ambled to the passenger side. His hat in his hand, he slid in and closed the door. “Dev, I can’t thank you enough. Andy and Carol would do anything for me. They would drive me to the edge of the earth and back. But they had some trouble bypassing a low bridge back near Chugwater and got about an hour and a half behind schedule.”
Develyn turned off the highway onto the gravel road back to Argenta.
“No problem, Coop. But you do have to answer one question.”
He cleared his throat. “What did they mean by, ‘I was right’?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got to give you the whole story about Andy and Carol. Andy and I worked our way through college driving backhoes for a contractor in Laramie. After graduation, he went to Viet Nam, and I went to Colorado. In the mid-seventies we found ourselves living near each other along the Colorado/Wyoming border. With a few other folks, we started a little church just off the highway near Virginia Dale, Colorado.”
“A church?”
“That’s one of the nicest Christian families you’re ever goin’ to meet. Carol plays the organ, and Little Coop sings tenor as good as anyone in a southern gospel quartet.”
“He’s in a church quartet?” she gasped.
“The long hair and tattoos threw you off, huh?”
“I suppose.”
“Did you read the tattoos?”
“I always feel awkward about reading a man’s tattoos.”
“I feel the same way about reading a phrase written on the front of a woman’s shirt, especially when the words sort of bobble up and down.”
“What did the tattoos say?” she pressed.
“The one on his left arm says ‘John 3:16.’ On the right, it says ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’”
“Witnessing tattoos?”
“Little Coop made some mistakes early in life, but he won’t repeat them. He’s a good kid.”
“OK, you told me about the Rasmussens. How about you being ‘right,’ and who is Barbara?”
“Barbara was a lady in the church there in Colorado. Her husband had died in Nam, and she was raising two little girls by herself. She liked horses, so they lived out there in the mountains. She got some kind of pension from the army and she had this at-home job of sewing dog collars.”
“What kind of job?”
“You know, the thick nylon dog collars? They supplied the machine, sent her a huge box of parts, and she sewed them together. They paid by the piece. Anyway, she was a part of that little church. She was a sweet woman.”
“Does that mean that you and she were … eh …”
“No, there wasn’t any romantic interest, if that’s where you’re headed. The thought crossed my mind ever’ Sunday, but I was just putting together my business and working eighteen hours a day. On Sundays I would go to church, then sleep all afternoon, and start the week over again. She and Carol were pals. They were the children’s Sunday school teachers.”
“Carol seemed like a pleasant lady.”
“She is a sweetie. She hasn’t always been that heavy, Dev. She will do anything for anyone, anytime of the day. I’ve never known a person exemplify the phrase ‘servant of the Lord’ better than Carol. Anyway, I took a few liberties talking about you.”
Develyn kept her eyes focused on the dirt road. “What did you tell them?”
“For thirty years, Carol and Andy have been trying to get me married. I cannot count the number of ladies they have introduced me too. And I don’t mean losers. Most have been very nice, fine ladies.”
“But not for you?”
“No. Not for me. Anyway, when we got to visitin’ down in Cheyenne this afternoon, Carol grilled me about the women in my life. I knew if I told them there was no one, they would get me lined up with some more of their friends.”
Develyn laughed. “So you told them that I was your lady, just to get them off your back?”
“I didn’t say you were my lady … but I did say there was a neighbor gal in Argenta that … I … eh …”
“Make it good, Coop.”
“I’m sorta diggin’ myself a hole.”
“That’s your business, isn’t it? Diggin’ holes?”
Cooper rubbed his chin. “Oh, Miss Dev, you turned out purdy good.”
“You mean for someone you disliked for the first two weeks.”
“Yes, I’m glad you stayed around.”
“You haven’t finished your story.”
“I told them you reminded me of Barbara, and I was hoping to get to know you better.”
“And this taxi ride was sort of a ruse to show them you really did have such a friend?”
“Will you forgive me for that?”
“Sure. I’ve been divorced several years, and I can’t count how many wonderful men my friends have pushed my way.”
“Thanks.” She turned left at Mrs. Tagley’s store. “What happened to Barbara? You spoke of her in the past tense.”
Cooper was silent until they turned right down the drive to the cabins. “There was a chimney fire in the night,” he murmured.
“Oh, no!”
Develyn parked the rig in front of her cabin. Uncle Henry was sprawled out in the dirt asleep.
“She got the girls out, but was so burned doin’ it that she died a few days later.”
They sat there in silence.
“It’s hard to understand those things, Dev,” he finally said. “I asked the Lord about that one, night after night. I still don’t have the answer.”
“What happened to the girls?”
“Her sister in Grand Junction raised them. Some of us in that little church saw to it that they got a college education. One of them is a schoolteacher now.”
“You put them through college by yourself, didn’t you, Coop?”
“They lost their daddy to the war and their mama to a fire. Kids deserve better than that, Dev. But that was a long time ago. I had the funds and no family of my own to spend it on. But that’s why I told the Rasmussens what I did.”
“I look forward to visiting with you more on Friday night, Coop.”
“Yes, I’d like your advice on log house designs.”
“You’re going to build it?”
“Looks like they are going to buy me out.”
“That’s wonderful. You’ll have to tell me everything about it on Friday.” She stepped around to the rear of the Jeep Cherokee. “Don’t forget your laundry.”
“Oh … yeah. Thanks again. You’ve been tendin’ me all day. How was Jenny-By-The-Park?”
“Very happy. She got married in May.”
Coop jammed his hands in his back pockets. “I didn’t know that.”
“Her husband made her close the business.”
“She’s closed? So … you didn’t get them …”
“Oh, they are clean. I just took them to a coin laundry and did them myself.”
“You did my wash?”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. So you spilt a little mustard on that blue and black shirt. It came right out with some stain remover.”
He grabbed up the cardboard box. “And you folded them too?”
“You don’t seem to like the wrinkled look.”
The front door of the cabin banged open. “Hey, what’s going on out there?”
“Casey! You are finally home,” Develyn called out.
Cree-Ryder strolled toward them in the light of the open cabin door. “What do you mean, I’m finally home? I left you a note. That’s more than you did for me.”
“Mr. Tallon needed a lift, and I …”
“Sure. Here I’ve been worried for nothing,” Casey jibed.
Cooper Tallon started toward his cabin. “Good night, ladies. Thanks for the ride, Dev, and for doing my laundry.”
“You did his laundry?” Casey giggled.
“What is the big deal about doing a man’s laundry?”
“Wait!” Cooper scooted off into the shadows. “I don’t think I want to hear Cree-Ryder’s answer to that.”