The hum of the tires on the highway reminded Develyn of the band warm-up before a concert. Plenty of noise but no discernable melody. She turned on her Eagles CD and listened to half of Hotel California, then turned it off.
Maybe it's the caffeine. I'm so edgy. Too many loose ends. In a few days I need to drive home. Home to what? Home to my two cats … and my classroom of fifth-graders? No Quint. No Renny. No Cooper. No Casey. No Uncle Henry. No My Maria. Delaney said that she wants to live in West Lafayette, whether she goes to Purdue or not.
Will I just mope around at night and reminisce about summer? Will I go down to Greencastle on Sundays and have their potpie, then drive straight home? Will I vegetate in the living room with the lights out, watching a fake fire in the fireplace?
This summer has made a difference. I just don't know what the difference is yet. So much I don't know.
Lord, I'm not ready to go home. I wish the girls had returned from Riverton before I left. Why didn't Delaney call from the doctor's office? Maybe she just couldn't tell me. Casey could have called. Maybe there are complications. I should have gone with her. I should be there.
But she didn't want me to be.
I am determined to return to Indiana with a good relationship with my daughter.
I'm not putting pressure on you, Lord, but you've got about a week for that one.
Then there is poor Mrs. Tagley. She's outlived her family and friends. I want to encourage her, but I don't have the right words to say.
And I can't go home without knowing what Hunter Burke is up to.
And then there is Cooper. Dear Coop. The more I know about him, the closer I feel. What a joy to live close enough that we could be friends. He would be a great neighbor. He is a great neighbor.
I'm not going there, Lord. It's not about me.
I've got to get my mind off going home. I need to take care of some things today. Right now.
The small, battered, black pickup's headlights blinked behind her. Develyn glanced at the speedometer, then ahead at the hill. I have no idea why you are blinking those lights. When her eyes went back to the rearview mirror, the truck was nowhere in sight.
The whine of a small engine turned her head.
He's passing me? Uphill? Over a double yellow line?
A semitruck crested the hill and barreled down on the little truck. Develyn stomped on her brakes and pulled off the road to the right in a cloud of dust.
The small truck swerved south to the correct lane and shot on up the hill. The semitruck veered so quickly to the north that the right wheel lifted off the ground.
“Oh no!” Develyn groaned.
The tires slammed back down on the road. The truck and trailer skidded down the gradual embankment and came to a brake-squealing stop in the sage.
Develyn jumped out and sprinted toward the truck. By the time she reached it, the driver slid to the ground, bent over, with his hands on his knees.
“Are you alright?” she called out.
He stood up and hurried to tuck his shirt in. “Yes, ma'am. Thanks for stoppin'. That's way too close. I thought I was going to lose my lunch.”
“I thought you were going to lose a lot more than that.”
He looked back up the now-empty road. “What a jerk.”
“I have a cell phone. Can I call anyone for you?”
“No, I'm covered. When I relax, I figure I'll be able to drive back up on the road. This old Peterbilt didn't tip over, so I should be able to get on down the road.” He stuck out his hand. “I'm Max.”
She shook his calloused hand. “I'm Dev.”
“Say that again.”
“I know it's unusual, but my name is Dev, D-e-v. That's short for…”
“For Develyn.”
“How did you know? No one ever guessed my name before.”
“We met once. I'll be. Can't believe I'd stumble across you out here.”
She shaded her eyes with her hand. “Where did we meet?”
“Your sister introduced us.”
“My sister?”
“Stef…she works at Thelma Lou's in Iowa. It was early summer, or was that last summer?”
“Of course!” Develyn pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Max Knowlton from Tacoma.”
“How did you remember that?”
“I don't know. I can just hear Stef calling your name.”
“Ain't that somethin'? Was that this summer?”
“Yes, it was. But it does seem like a long time ago.”
“Thanks for pullin' over when you did. If you'd held your lane, we'd all be in a pile.”
“Have you seen Stef lately?” Develyn asked.
“I had me a chicken-fried steak there two nights ago. How about you?”
“I haven't talked to her since June, but I'll be stopping by in a week or so.”
“If you were headin' west, I'd buy you supper in Lander.”
“Thanks, Max. If I were heading west, I'd take you up on that. I'm going to Casper to visit a friend in the hospital. Mrs. Tagley is in her nineties and had a heart attack.”
“Well, she's got my prayers, and you, too, Ms. Dev. You got a mighty fine sister. She treats every driver special.”
“Thank you, Max. I'll tell her.”
Develyn pulled into the first gas station in Casper and filled up the tank.
Well, Lord, you got my eyes off the future, alright. I can't believe the trucker was someone I knew. I don't think I know more than three truck drivers on the North American continent. Why Max? Why did you do that?
Stef? I haven't thought of her for weeks. I will definitely stop back and see her. Delaney will be with me.
I think.
Dev studied the tall gray-haired man who filled the tank of the silver Lincoln with Colorado plates ahead of her.
I think this was the station where I first met Cooper. That seems so long ago too. He invited me to the wild horse auction, and all of this began.
The lady on the passenger's side of the Lincoln fumbled with a cell phone.
They are dressed too nice for Wyoming. They must be from Colorado Springs or maybe Aspen. Her hairstyle reminds me of someone. Maybe my mother, but that's definitely not David.
The gas pump had just shut off when her cell phone rang. Develyn retrieved it out of the front seat. She stared at the back of the woman in the Lincoln.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Devy, we are in Casper now. We didn't even stop for lunch in Cheyenne but drove straight up. I just couldn't wait any longer. How can we find you? We won't need horses, will we?”
Develyn reached into the Jeep Cherokee and retrieved her straw cowboy hat. “Get out of that white Lincoln, Ms. Martin.”
“White Lincoln? Dev, where are you?”
“Look in your side-view mirror, Lily girl!”
“Oh, my word…oh…”
Lily Martin slung the door open and flew out of the car. “Dev? What have you done to my Dev? You're as brown as Cindi Martinez. And the hat?”
“What were you expecting, Ms. Martin, some prissy Indiana schoolteacher type?”
Arms circled arms. The two women hugged and danced and giggled around the gas pump.
“I can't believe this. Look at you!” Lily shouted. “Look at you! You've gone native.”
“Me? Me? Look at you.” Develyn pointed at the tall man wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt and loosened charcoal gray silk tie.
“You're the one with Mr. Tall-and-Handsome!”
“Honey, how good it is to see you!” Lily tugged Develyn to the startled man.
He rubbed his narrow chin as if trying to decide which entrée to order.
“Stewart, this is my best friend in the whole world,” Lily announced. “This is my Devy-girl.”
“My word, that explains it.” His thin lips broke into an easy smile that made him look more handsome but not younger. “I was expecting…”
Develyn pulled off her straw cowboy hat. “You were expecting an eastern schoolteacher?”
He held out his hand. “I'm delighted to meet you at last, Develyn. I don't believe a day has gone by all summer that you were not mentioned in conversation.”
“Oh, my, I trust it was most often positive.”
“Oh, yes,” he murmured. “Most often, it was quite positive. I believe ‘Dev is the classiest lady in central Indiana’ came up often.”
Develyn glanced down at the drips of orange on her jeans. “It's a good thing this is central Wyoming, not central Indiana.”
Lily slipped her hand into Develyn's. “I can't believe we were at the same gas station.”
“I wouldn't even have stopped here, but I had a near accident on the highway, and I decided to pull in.” She looked up at Stewart. “Isn't this something?”
“I find the serendipitous sequence of events quite disarming,” he mumbled.
“Don't you love the way lawyers talk?”
“It's been a while since I heard a man speak without a western drawl. I am so hyped that you came to Wyoming,” Develyn said. “Have you guys checked into the motel yet?”
“We just drove through town, and I was anxious to phone you. What are you doing in Casper?”
“I'm on my way to the hospital to visit Mrs. Tagley.”
“Who's Mrs. Tagley?” Stewart questioned.
“She's the lady your mother's age who runs the store in Argenta,” Lily explained. “How is she doing?”
“That's what I hope to find out. She was more depressed than hurting yesterday.”
“Why don't you go to the hospital? We'll check in; then we can meet for dinner,” Lily suggested.
Before Develyn could answer, an old Dodge truck with a silver, two-horse trailer pulled in beside them.
A small face peeked out the jump-seat window behind the driver. The boy waved as the tall, thin driver scooted out.
“Ivan, how are you?” Develyn called out.
“Miss Dev, seein' you makes me happier than a coyote with a full moon. Is Renny with you?”
“Who's Renny?” Stewart mumbled.
“He's the mustang breaker,” Lily whispered.
“No, Renny's in Twin Falls.”
“You reckon he'll take that teaching job?”
“I don't know, Ivan. I think he's needed here.”
“Right now, you're needed here.” Ivan lifted the boy from the backseat and set him on the concrete.
Develyn squatted down. “Hi, Buster.”
The little boy hopped from one foot to the other. “Hi, Devy. I've got to go to the bathroom.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
“Dev, Naomi's in the backseat. Would you watch her while I get Buster inside?”
Develyn looked into the pickup. “Sure, go ahead. Where's Lovie?”
“In Torrington, buyin' some horses.”
“Well, hi, honey,” Develyn cooed. She grabbed the baby, dressed in a diaper and ruffled pink T-shirt. She waltzed over to Lily and Stewart. “This is Naomi.”
“My word, Ms. Worrell, did you adopt the entire state of Wyoming?”
“Now Stewart, Ivan, and Lovie had the mare that dropped the foal alongside the interstate that Renny and Dev had to help with. Remember when I told you that?” Lily said.
“You mean it was true? Things like that don't happen.”
“They don't happen in Indiana,” Lily corrected. She turned to Develyn. “Speaking of the baby, have you…”
“Not yet…”
“Did she go…”
“Today.”
“With…”
“Yes.”
“How will you…”
“She's supposed to…”
“When?”
“Any time now.”
“Good heavens,” Stewart said. “It's like the microphone cutting in and out at the Rotary meeting. Did you two have a complete conversation?”
A horn honked from a mud-splattered black Dodge pickup. The truck made a hard U-turn and bounced up on the sidewalk in front of the mini-mart gas station.
“Hey, Miss Dev, we came to town.”
She glanced at the three cowboys in the front seat and one sitting in the back of the truck. “Hi, Cuban, Tiny, boys. How are you?”
“He doesn't look Hispanic,” Stewart said.
“He's not,” Lily replied.
“Is that your baby, Miss Dev?” Tiny called out from the back of the pickup.
“Boys, meet Miss Naomi. But I don't get to keep her. She belongs to Ivan and Lovie.”
“I thought I recognized Ivan's rig,” Cuban grinned. “Well, you look good with a baby, Miss Dev.”
Holding the baby in one arm, she tipped her straw cowboy hat. “Thank you, Cuban. What happened to your hat?”
He pulled off his black felt cowboy hat and jammed his fingers through two holes in the brim. “Tiny shot it. We was havin' a shootin' contest.”
“Did you lose or win?”
“I won,” he grinned.
“I don't like losin',” Tiny mumbled from the back of the pickup.
“We got the rest of the week off.”
“Is Quint still in Texas?” Develyn asked.
“Who's Quint?” Stewart asked.
“Cowboy number one,” Lily explained.
“Yep, he's still down in Austin. But he sent word for us to take the weekend off. We don't have to be back until Monday,” Tiny explained.
“Well, good for you.”
“He must have changed his mind,” Cuban added. “He gave us a list of chores a mile long before he and Lindsay flew off.”
“Who's Lindsay?” Stewart pressed.
“Quint's daughter,” Lily shushed.
“It ain't like the ol' man to give us that much time off, but we ain't complainin',” Cuban said.
“You want to go to a movie with us, Miss Dev?” Tiny asked.
She stared into the crowded cab of the pickup. “I think Naomi and I will pass. Boys, meet my friends from Indiana. This is Lily and Stewart.”
“Don't that beat all. We met someone else from Indiana this summer,” Tiny called out. “Who was that, Cuban?”
“It was Miss Dev, Tiny.”
“Nah, she's from over in Sheridan, right, Miss Dev?”
“Cuban is right. I'm a Hoosier.”
Tiny scratched his clean-shaven face. “You mean you wear those funny hats and drive buggies?”
“Never mind, Tiny. Maybe I am from Sheridan. You boys have a nice vacation.”
“Yes, ma'am,” Cuban said. “I've worked for the old man over fifteen years, and he ain't never let us off in August before.”
“Are you sure you don't want to go to the movie with us? We'll buy your ticket and Junior Mints,” Pete called out.
“Thank you, boys, for that generous offer. I need to go to the hospital to visit Mrs. Tagley. She had a heart attack yesterday.”
“She did?” Cuban gulped. “No foolin'? Is she at St. Joseph's?”
“Yes.”
“She always treated us square when we came to town. Tell her she's in our prayers.”
“I'll do that.”
Lily walked over and stood beside Develyn and the baby as they drove off. “Does every cowboy in the state know Miss Dev?”
“Of course not, it's just a coincidence.”
Ivan and Buster sauntered out of the mini-mart, hand in hand.
“Well, young man,” Lily beamed, “did you get your business done?”
“No, I peed right in the john mounted on the wall,” he declared.
“Oh, yes, well,” Lily stammered.
Develyn tucked Naomi back in the car seat.
“Hope she didn't trouble you,” Ivan said.
“Oh, no, Naomi and I are pals.”
“That's because you're both Wyomin' cowboy girls,” he said. “And that's a whole lot closer than any sorority sisters ever could be.”
“Tell Lovie hi for me. Hope she did well with the horses.”
“After we get some feed, we're goin' to eat supper at Earl's or Else,” Buster said.
“Miss Dev, you and Renny come see us sometime. It's been months since he stopped by for supper.”
The Dodge pickup pulled back out into the street.
“You mean you just drive up unannounced at dinnertime?” Lily said.
“If I drove up to Ivan and Lovie's at suppertime, they'd be thrilled to feed me and insulted if I didn't spend the night. It's a different world.”
“Are you still coming back to Indiana?”
“Yes, I am. I hear the new principal wants to move my classroom to the back of the building.”
“That was one of several suggestions on the memo,” Lily reported.
“I suppose I'll have to school him.”
“He's from Idaho. You might be more persuasive if you wore that hat.”
The lights were off in Mrs. Tagley's hospital room, but the setting sun filtered through the curtains and gave the room a soft glow like a dim fluorescent light.
“Come in, Devy.”
“I was afraid you were sleeping.”
“That's about all they let me do.”
“How are you feeling today?”
“Tired, but they say that is normal.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“Did you bring my other cosmetics?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, turn on a light and help me with my makeup and hair.”
Develyn pulled up a chair and dug into the black canvas bag.
“How are things at the store?”
“A number of tourists and the like. Oh, listen, honey, we noticed in your schedule you have some wholesale groceries to be delivered tomorrow. Do you want me to buy them?”
“Yes, and pay cash.”
“Do you have a safe?”
“It's in the closet in my bedroom. Write down the combination.”
Develyn grabbed a piece of paper. “If you'd rather I didn't get into your funds, I understand.”
The elderly lady laughed. “Honey, what am I saving it for? If I have another heart attack tonight, I'm in the arms of Jesus. Why would I care what happens to it?”
“I just want to do what's right. I won't show anyone the combination; but if you don't mind, I'd like to have someone witness and sign a receipt for what I take out. That would make me feel better.”
“Sure, Devy. That's fine. Who's helping you with the store?”
“Casey and Jackson Hill, mainly Jackson. He worked at a grocery store when he was in high school and college.”
“Did I tell you his mother teaches up in Sheridan? I knew his grandmother. She was the only lady to catch more fish than me down in Wind River Canyon right after they opened the road through there. Those are good folks. Is Cree-Ryder going to marry him?”
“I believe so.”
“I'll be; that's good. That's the best news I heard since Misti went back to Harold.”
“Did you get to watch your soap today?”
“Yes, and it's a good thing. Do you know what that little tramp Tori did?”
“Oh, dear, what?”
“In my day we wouldn't talk like that at a doctor's convention, let alone standing in line at the bank.”
Develyn brushed Mrs. Tagley's snow-white hair.
“Who's staying at my house?”
“We lock it up. Would you like someone on the grounds?”
“I've got all that room, and you girls crowded in that cabin. Someone ought to use it.”
“We're all settled in.”
“How about the Hill boy? Where is he staying?”
“At a friend's near Casper, I think.”
“Have him stay at my house.”
“That's nice of you. I'm sure he'll take care of things.”
“Did I tell you I knew his grandmother?”
Develyn held her hand. “Yes, Mrs. Tagley, you told me already.”
“I think I'm forgetting things, Devy.”
“It's OK. It will take a little time to recover.”
Mrs. Tagley turned her head away. “I don't want to lose my memory, Develyn. It's my life. It's me.”
“Sweetie, you just enjoy today as well as the memories. Think of things in the future. Delight in things yet to be. I guess that sounds like a sermon.”
She clutched Develyn's hand. “Devy-girl, are you going to marry him?”
“Me? Marry whom?” Develyn stammered.
“There's only one for you. You know that. All the rest was just stalling around until the timing was right.”
“You think I should marry a man from Wyoming?”
“It doesn't matter what I think. I'm just reading your heart, and it wants that cowboy.”
“But which one are you talking about?”
“You know in your heart which one, don't you?”
“I think I do. But I also think I want to change the subject.”
“Just like Chet did today, when Millie asked him about the duffel bag with the black negligee at the beach house.”
Develyn rubbed Mrs. Tagley's hands with aloe cream. “Yes, well, I have a question for you. What do you know about Mrs. Morton's grandson, Leon?”
“Besides the fact that he'll steal every Little Debbie he can get his hands on?”
“Yes. Where are his parents? What's their story?”
“It's sad, Devy. His daddy's in prison, and his mother's in a mental hospital. He's being raised in a state home in Cheyenne, but Mrs. Morton gets to have him every summer.”
“What's the dad in jail for?”
“Trying to kill his mother.”
“That does explain a lot.”
“They found Leon next to his mother in the garage. He won't talk about it. If the neighbors had been any later, she would have died. Leon's dad tried to hang her. And he whipped Leon with the rope.”
Tears puddled up in Develyn's eyes. “How could anyone do that?”
“Sin is ugly.”
“And now Leon has to bear it all inside.”
“He's out of control so much of the time. Poor Mrs. Morton doesn't know what to do. She says that someday he'll end up like his father. But I say the good Lord can redeem anyone. Even the likes of Leon Morton. They say at the state home all he does is hide in his room and play video games.”
Develyn applied face cream, then foundation cream, then rouge and lipstick.
“How long will you be here?”
“If I don't die in a few days, they'll send me home.”
“They said that?”
“More or less.”
“You'll need someone to look after you for a while at home. Will Medicaid help with a home nurse?”
“Oh, Devy, when you are my age and have a business all these years with no family to dote on, there's no worry about money. But I don't know who would want to come live in Argenta, even for a few weeks. Besides, a nurse won't want to operate the store. I think I'd just be better off to die.”
“Honey, don't say that. People out there need you. They count on you.”
“Things change. Within a month I'll be part of their memory like the Argenta Dance Hall. I was quite a dancer in my day.”
“I bet you were.” Develyn held up the mirror. “There, you look good enough to dance.”
Mrs. Tagley studied her image. “Seventy years ago I could turn every cowboy's head in the room. Now I'm just a very tired, very old lady.”
“Let me smooth down your gown and raise your bed up a bit.” Develyn fussed around the bed for a few moments. “Now you look like the queen ready to receive her subjects.”
“Devy, sometimes I wish you lived in Argenta.”
“Sometimes I wish it too.”
A knock at the open doorway caused Develyn to spin around.
“Cuban? Tiny? Pete? T. J.”
“Can we come in, Miss Dev?”
“Oh, yes.”
One by one the four cowboys, hats in hand, filed into the room and next to the hospital bed.
Develyn stepped back next to the window and watched Mrs. Tagley's eyes light up.
“Boys!” Mrs. Tagley grinned. “It's nice to see you. You didn't have to come visit me.”
“Yes, we did, Mrs. Tagley. You've been lookin' after us since we was in high school,” Tiny said.
“I don't know how many times you bailed us out when we was busted,” Pete added.
“I wouldn't have been able to buy my truck without you loanin' me that money,” Cuban said as he stepped back from the bed. “You know, Miss Dev, what this lady did? I was drivin' back from a rodeo in Santa Fe. It was two in the mornin', and some drunks ran a stop sign and plowed into the side of my rig and totaled it. By the time it was breakin' daylight, I was at the phone booth in front of the hospital with about ten bucks to my name. It had cost me over $200 in the emergency room. I didn't know what to do. Mr. Burdett was out of town, so I called Mrs. Tagley at 5:00 a.m. and asked if she could wire me enough for a bus ticket home.”
“And she sent you the money for a ticket?”
“I went to Western Union, and there was $25,000 and a note that I should buy myself a new truck, and she'd have some loan papers I could sign when I got home.”
Mrs. Tagley waved it off. “Buses are so slow. I knew he'd want to get home sooner than that.”
“She paid the doctor's bill when I ran into that baseball bat with my jaw,” Tiny said.
“Baseball bat?”
“Victor Slade was trying to empty the Drifter's Social Club.”
“Oh.”
“Mrs. Tagley, you get yourself well. Knowin' you are there for us helps us keep pluggin' away. We need you in Argenta,” Pete insisted.
T. J. just stood against the wall, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Mrs. Tagley glanced at Develyn.
“Whether I recover or not is surely up to the good Lord. Thanks for coming to see me. It perks me up and makes me feel young.”
“It does?” Tiny asked.
“Yes, at the moment I don't feel a day over eighty-five.”
Pete cleared his throat and stared at the top of his worn brown boots. “I don't think you look a day over eighty.”
Mrs. Tagley grinned at Develyn. “You can't beat that cowboy charm, can you, Devy girl? And people wonder why I like living out in ranch country.”
When Cuban shoved his cowboy hat on, the others did the same. “We'd better light a shuck, ma'am. You take care of yourself. We'll send some bunkhouse prayers your way.”
“Thank you, boys.”
One by one they filed by her bed. Each one held her hand, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek before they left.
Develyn stood by the bed, her arms folded across her chest. “Mrs. Tagley, oh sweetie, those boys need you.”
The white-haired lady exposed a sly smile. “I never thought the day would come when looking eighty would be such a wonderful compliment.”
“You really sent Cuban $25,000?”
“He paid off that truck in three years. Why does the Lord give us money anyway?”
Develyn's cell phone rang. She stepped out into the hallway.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Dee, what did the doctor say?”
“I didn't see her.”
Develyn felt her neck stiffen. “Sweetheart, this has to stop. You have…”
“Mother, relax, take a big breath. It was not my fault this time. When we got there, we were told that she had an emergency. There was a difficult delivery–twins, and both turned wrong.”
“Oh, dear, that does sound critical.”
“They asked me to come back in a couple hours. So Casey and I hung out with a friend of hers who owns a pizza place.”
“First Stop?”
“Yes, isn't it great pizza?”
“That's not what I want to talk about.”
“When we went back, the nurse said the doctor needed to stay with the babies and had to cancel. I got another appointment for the day after tomorrow. Mother, I didn't know what else to do. You can talk to Casey if you don't believe me.”
“I believe you, Dee. Sorry I got so jumpy. That's all you could do. How are the babies?”
“Fine, as far as I know.”
“What did she have? Boys or girls?”
“I don't know, Mom, a cow is a cow to me.”
“Cow?”
“Yeah, the doctor has some cattle and went home at noon to check on them.”
“You were talking about cows?”
“Mom, this is Wyoming.”
“Yes, I, of all people, should know that. Lily and Stewart made it to Casper already. I'm staying in town and having supper with them here. You and Casey…and Jackson are welcome to join us.”
“Mother, I told you I have a date with Hunt.”
“Yes, well, I guess that slipped my mind.”
“We have a bunch of pizza left. Casey says the four of us should just hang out at the cabin. Would that be alright?”
Develyn bit her lower lip. “Dee, you are a smart girl. Do what is smart, OK?”
“Thanks, Mom. We'll go back to the cabin now. Casey said she'd teach me how to throw a knife before the guys come over.”
“She's going to teach you what?”
“Mom, you are so fun. Casey told me to say that. She said you'd fall for it. Casey wants to talk to you.”
“Hey, Dev.”
“Bronze Bombshell, what are you teaching my daughter?”
“Devy-girl, I'm just tryin' to take up the slack for the pathetic Indiana education.”
“Thank you for that. Is that why you wanted to talk to me?”
“No, I had an idea. Let's pitch a barbecue for your Lily and her fella. I mean, we all want to meet each other, so why not have a cookout? Kind of a Miss Dev goin' away barbecue.”
“Where?”
“At the cabin.”
“You mean outside?”
“We aren't going to get a hundred people in the cabin.”
“A hundred?” Develyn gasped.
“Oh, how I'd like to see that expression. OK, …a dozen or so. It was just a thought. I sort of think I'll have an announcement by then.”
“Oh, that kind of barbecue!”
“What do you think? Could we do it tomorrow night?”
“Casey, I think the day after would be better. I don't even know if Coop's got the old cabin site cleaned up. We will need to figure logistics, like getting tables. Then there's the stress of finding the right placemats, matching napkins, and placecards.”
“Whoa! For a barbecue?” Casey replied.
“Oh, my dear countess, two can tease.”
“You rat.”
“Thank you, I've had a good teacher. But we will need a day or so to get ready. Cooking might be problem. Let me check with Coop. He said he always had a company cookout with a big portable barbecue. Maybe he has some ideas.”
“Watermelon.”
“You want watermelon?”
“There's some for sale at a roadside stand near here. Shall I bring some back?”
“That would be nice.”
“How many?”
“Several. We can always sell the excess at Mrs. Tagley's.”
“How is she?”
“Feeling a little down, I think. Listen, tell Jackson she'd like him to bunk at her place until she comes home.”
“Really? That's cool.”
“Alone.”
“Rats.”
“No, I don't think so. Maybe a spider or two, but I haven't seen any other varmints.”
“No, I meant…”
“I know exactly what you meant.”
“Well, have a nice evening with your Lily and her guy. After we get the melons, me and Delaney and the fellas will stop off at the Dew Drop Inn for a few beers and be home before midnight if one of us is sober enough to drive.”
“Casey, I'm not that gullible.”
“I know,” Casey laughed. “I just said that so you'd feel better.”
“Always thinking of me. How kind.”
“Hey, that's what good friends are for.”
“You know what I was thinking? Having you, Lily, and Delaney here means my three best friends in the whole world are with me.”
“Wow, we ought to do something memorable.”
“Let's make it a good memory.”
“Oh, here's the Dew Drop Inn. And look, it's full of bikers. They must be on their way home from Rally Days in Sturgis.”
Develyn laughed. “Well, don't hurt them, honey.”
Develyn checked her watch when she turned off the blacktop and bounced down the gravel road to Argenta.
One a.m. I haven't stayed out this late all summer. But it was so fun to visit with Lil. I think I missed her more than I realized. I might have missed her more than she missed me.
I like Stewart, Lord. He seems good for her. He's a little stuffy but so tenderhearted to her. That's what she needs. He's so much taller than she is, but then Coop's quite a bit taller than …
Why did I think of that?
Lord, maybe I envy Lil a little. In a good way. I'm so thrilled for her. It's just, coming out here, well, it's sort of an impossible dream. Oh, pooh. I don't even want to think about it.
I think Casey's right about the barbecue. It will be a fun way to end the summer. It's like the last day at summer camp. When I think about it, I want to cry.
When she turned up the drive to the cabin, she noticed a light on in Cooper's travel trailer.
She parked the Cherokee and was greeted by familiar big brown eyes when she stepped out.
“Hi, honey,” she whispered. “You need to get some sleep.” She rubbed his ear, then slapped him on the rump. Uncle Henry trotted off to the shadows.
She paused in the yard. The wind drifted clouds past the half-full moon, like a slow strobe light. The air smelled of sage. It was just a little chilly; she held her arms.
She peered at the trailer. No noise. No movement. Just lights.
Go to bed, Ms. Worrell. One a.m. is not a good time to visit any man.
Of course, Coop is not just any man. Why did Mrs. Tagley insinuate that he was the one for me? One of the privileges of being ninety is blurting out anything you want.
Her arms still folded, she meandered toward the travel trailer.
Coop could be the man. I mean, if the circumstances were different. If we lived in the same area. If we lived in the same world.
I wish I'd have known him years ago…tears ago.
I wonder what he was like in his prime?
I don't even know what I was like in my prime.
Did I have a prime?
Maybe it's now.
The metal door of the trailer felt cold to the soft knock of her knuckles.
“Coop?” she whispered.