That’s the best place for breakfast between Billings and Cheyenne,” Renny said. His black hat was pushed back, a wooden toothpick hung from his dimpled smile.
“It’s incredible how much food they serve you.” Develyn leaned against the seat of the pickup and studied the outstretched parallel ribbons of Interstate 25 north. “I didn’t quite understand the name of the place.”
“It hasn’t always been called ‘Earl’s or Else.’ When I first started eatin’ there it was called ‘Earl’s & Elsie’s.’”
“Elsie was his wife?”
“Yep.”
“What happened to her?”
“She went home.”
“To her parents?” Develyn asked.
“To her husband and kid.”
“I thought you said she was married to Earl.”
“She was. She was a mail-order bride from China. Earl went through this agency in Seattle. Paid to have her come over, and married her. He gave her the name Elsie. She was quite an excellent cook. You should have seen the place before she moved in.”
“But she got homesick and returned to China?”
“Turns out her daddy was some political prisoner over there and they needed to ship all his family out of the country. When things changed, it was time to gather them all back. So one day, a big black limousine with foreign embassy plates pulled into Earl’s & Elsie’s and off she went. Turns out she had a husband and a son back in China. All he gets is a letter and a picture of her kid ever’ Christmas. He was just goin’ to white out the ‘& Elsie’s,’ but it tossed the sign off center. So he changed it to Earl’s or Else.”
“Or else … what?” Develyn asked.
“Or else you have to eat somewhere else, I reckon.”
“I would have never guessed by looking at the outside that it had good food. In fact, there’s no way I’d ever stop there on my own.”
“Yep. I always say that Earl’s sort of looks like a cross between an auto wrecking yard and a Mexicali brothel. You know, that rundown, cheesy look.”
She sat up and laughed. “You said that just to get me stirred up. I’m not falling for that, cowboy. I know for a fact you’ve never been to such a place.”
“Shoot, Devy-girl, I’ve never even been to Mexicali. I visited Juarez once and been to Calgary a dozen times. That’s the extent of my international travels. How about you?”
“I’ve been to Europe a couple of times with my mother, and …”
“Hold on, Devy-girl!” Renny shouted.
Develyn clutched the handhold as Renny slammed on the brakes. They shot out into the wide dirt median that separated the interstate lanes.
“What is it?” she yelled.
“Ivan’s in trouble.”
The pickup bounced and lunged as the left tires raised off the ground when Renny cranked a hard left and roared up on the southbound lanes.
She fought to catch her breath. “Who’s Ivan?”
“Look!” Renny pointed to a horse trailer on the right apron of the Interstate. A man tried to get a kicking, panicked horse out of the silver trailer.
Renny pulled over fifty feet behind the rig and jumped out of the truck. “Come on, we’ve got to help!” he hollered.
We? I don’t have to cross a border to be in a foreign land.
“Renny, you’re a sight for sore eyes!” the man shouted. “Geraldine was gettin’ close to deliverin’ the baby, and things got complicated … I didn’t have time to wait for the doc … so I was rushin’ her to the clinic but it don’t look like we’ll make it.”
A little boy stuck his head out the pickup window. “Daddy, the baby is crying.”
“Honey, you help her settle down.”
“She wants Mommy!”
“I know, hon,” Ivan shouted. “But Mommy’s stuck in the front of the horse trailer.”
Develyn’s hands went to her mouth as he tried to peer in front of the flailing horse. Oh, my Lord, no … a pregnant lady is stuck in the front of a trailer with a panicked horse?
“Ease up on the rope, Ivan!” Renny shouted.
“She’ll surely kick you to death if you get in there, Renny.”
“You’ll lose your wife, your horse, and the little one if I don’t get her out now.”
Take a deep breath, Dev … you are OK … if you faint, no one will even notice. Stay calm. You can do this. Everyone’s going to die.
A big truck blasted by so close the wind almost spun her around.
The horse kicked at Renny. The bang of the hoofs on the walls of the trailer sounded like lightning striking. Renny waited for the second kick, then dove into the trailer for the horse’s head stall.
I can’t watch this … he’ll be kicked to death.
Renny’s right hand caught the head stall, and he hung on like a dead weight. “Yank on the lead rope now!” he shouted.
The tall, thin cowboy with the battered straw hat waved at Develyn. “I need some help.”
She ran and grabbed the rope. No one has ever needed my strength before. They’ve never even asked for it.
The rope burned her hands as she and Ivan yanked. The horse struggled and fought, but first one hind leg and then the other left the trailer. After another kick at Ivan and Develyn, the horse backed out of the trailer and tugged Renny like a ball and chain. A woman limped out behind Renny. She sported a torn flannel shirt and had sweat dripping down her face.
Ivan and Renny led the horse to a spot between the freeway and the fence. The flashing lights of a Wyoming state patrolman caught Develyn’s attention.
“Slater, what’s going on here?” the lawman shouted.
Hatless, but still clutched to the halter of the horse, Renny waved a frantic arm at the trooper. “Bobby, call Dr. Bradford in Casper and tell him to get out here right now. We’ve got a breech birth coming any minute, and we’ll lose the horse and the foal if we don’t get help.”
The woman stepped up to Develyn.
“The horse …” Develyn mumbled. “The horse is the one giving birth?”
“You didn’t think it was me, did you?” The lady stuck out her hand. “I’m Lovie, Ivan’s wife. You are so pretty and clean you must belong to Renny.”
“I’m Dev Worrell. We’re good friends.”
Lovie rubbed her thigh. “I’ll have a major bruise there tomorrow. I’m lucky that was the only time I was kicked.”
“What were you doing in the trailer?”
“Tryin’ to keep Geraldine quiet until we got to the vet. She’s my mare.”
“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt more.”
“I never prayed so much in my life.” The woman watched as Renny and Ivan looped a rope around the horse’s leg.
“What are they doing?”
“Lying the horse down. You do know that there isn’t another man in Wyoming that would have dove in there and grabbed that halter. Renny will put his life on the line for his friends … shoot, for complete strangers … time and again. I don’t know how he’s lived this long. He’s a godsend, that’s for sure.”
Above the roar of freeway traffic, Develyn leaned over and whispered. “Lovie, your shirt’s ripped, and your bra’s showing a little.”
“Lovie, we need you over here!” Ivan shouted. “Hold her head down.”
“Mommy! The baby needs you,” the boy cried from the truck.
She squeezed Develyn’s hand. “I suppose my bra is the least of my worries right now.”
“I’ll get the baby,” Develyn offered.
“Thanks. Take them over by the fence.” Lovie ran down the embankment to sit on the flailing horse.
Develyn hiked up to the muddy gray Dodge pickup. A little boy about five had his head out the window. “Is Geraldine going to die?”
“Your daddy and mommy and Mr. Slater are taking care of her.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Ms. Worrell. I’m a friend of Mr. Slater.”
“I’m Buster.”
“I’m glad to meet you.” Develyn glanced inside at a whimpering infant strapped into a car seat.
“What’s your sister’s name?”
“Naomi.”
“Buster, your mommy asked me to get you and Naomi and stand over by the fence. Is that alright with you?”
“OK.”
Develyn wiped the eyes of the six-month-old, cradled her in her arms, then wrapped her in a thin, pink, burp-stained blanket. She took Buster’s sticky hand, and they walked down to the fence. Several more pickups then parked behind the patrol car.
“It’s Renny!” Buster shouted.
“Yes, the one putting on the rubber gloves is Mr. Slater.”
“No, it’s not!” Buster shouted. “It’s Renny!”
You have quite a fan club, Mr. Renny Slater. “What’s he doing?”
“He’s going to reach up inside of Geraldine and try and turn the foal’s hooves,” Buster reported.
Develyn sucked air.
It’s OK, Ms. Worrell … sit down in the dirt … put your head between your knees. Breathe deep.
“Buster, let’s just sit here in the dirt. It might take awhile.”
“Yeah, and we get to see everything!”
Develyn glanced down at the big brown eyes of the baby. Little Naomi clutched her fingers. “Honey, you and me don’t have to watch if we don’t want to.”
The vet never arrived, but the brown colt did.
* * *
Several dozen people who had gathered on the shoulder of the Interstate applauded. While the colt tried out his new legs, Renny and Ivan cleaned up. After a long walk with Buster and Naomi along the fence line, Develyn returned to find the horses trailered. Only Ivan and Renny’s rigs were left.
“Well, Devy-girl, I’m a mess.”
She looked at his wet, filthy shirt and jeans. “Yes, and I don’t want to know what it is you have smeared all over your arm.”
“You and Renny were surely angels amongst us today,” Ivan said.
“You have wonderful children,” Develyn reported.
“Yes, ma’am, I’m a lucky man.” He turned and slapped Renny on the back. “Partner, you saved me today. I can’t repay it, but you got supper and a place to stay anytime you’re in our area. You know that for a fact.”
“Thanks, Ivan. You would have done the same for me.”
Ivan looked right at Develyn. “No, I wouldn’t. I would have helped all I could, but I don’t have the guts or the timing to dive for that halter.”
“Or the foolishness,” Renny replied.
“No, you knew what you were doing,” Ivan replied.
“Sometimes a man’s brave because he doesn’t have much to lose.”
Renny and Develyn hiked back up to his pickup. “Well, Ms. Worrell, that’s a little excitement I didn’t expect to show you this morning.”
She smiled and peered over the top of her sunglasses.
“Mr. Slater, life with you is never dull. There’s always something new.”
“Here’s another thing new. I am too messy to even get in my truck. You are going to drive across the median to the northbound lanes and head up there two miles to a rest stop. I’ll hop in the back of the pickup.”
* * *
With a fresh, clean long-sleeve green shirt and Wranglers, Renny Slater slid back behind the steering wheel. “Is that better?”
“You scrub up well, cowboy.”
“Have you had enough excitement for the day?”
“I’ve had enough for a lifetime.”
They took the exit just south of Buffalo and angled west toward the Bighorn Mountains. Blacktop gave way to gravel, then to dirt as they approached a large green square in the otherwise brown prairie.
“That’s my forty acres.” Renny pointed straight ahead.
“You have it irrigated.”
“Yep. Rod Clements is a well-driller and owed me some favors. So I let him sink a couple of wells for me. All together I have over a hundred gallons a minute, which is pretty good for the east side of the mountains. It allows me to grow a little hay if I rotate it around.”
“Are those your horses back there?”
“Eight of them are mine. The other four belong to various friends who by now have probably forgot where they left ’em.”
They pulled under a big log gate carved with a circle RS in the middle.
“Is that your brand?”
“I have several registered. That’s my horse brand.” Renny stopped next to a huge, half-built barn.
“This is quite a building project,” Develyn said.
He got out and walked with her to the entrance of the building. “Yep, but its completion is hampered by time and money.”
“A two-story barn?”
“The top story will be my house. Two bedrooms, den, kitchen, office, two baths, and a veranda that faces the mountains.”
“It sounds wonderful.”
“Someday, Devy-girl, I’ll get it done … someday. Until then,” he pointed to the other side of the barn, “it’s me and my double-wide.”
“Your yard looks very neat.”
“Yeah, don’t that surprise you?”
“No.” She slipped her arm in his. “I have learned one thing about Renny Slater. He can do anything he sets his mind to. I bet you built every bit of the barn yourself.”
“Oh, I get a friend to hold a board up once in a while. But I fenced the place and built the arena all by myself. I like workin’ by myself, Dev. It’s kind of like therapy sometimes.”
“The arena has a couple of bucking chutes and roping boxes,” she said.
“There’s always someone stopping by who wants to practice. I’m surprised no one’s here now.”
“They just pop in and use it anytime?”
“Yep. That’s what it’s for.”
Develyn stared into the shadows of the half-built barn. “You have a cat.”
“Yeah, don’t that beat all? A cowboy with a cat and no dog.”
“She looks very …”
“Sturdy.”
“Is she tame?”
“Nope. Strictly a barn cat. She moved in as soon as I built the first storage building, and has lived here ever since. I call her Jezebel. I give her a little dry food whenever I get a chance, and she takes care of the mice. But don’t get too close to her.”
“Does she run off?”
“No, she’ll attack you.”
“Oh, heavens, she is wild. But you’re right. I am stunned that you don’t have a dog.”
“I had two when I moved here. Cougars came down off the mountain and got them both.”
“But they left Jezebel?”
“Cougars aren’t dumb.” He pointed toward the double-wide. “Would you like to see my place? Got some Cokes and shrimp salad waiting in the refrigerator.”
“Shrimp salad? Mr. Slater, how in the world did you …”
“Well, don’t be too amazed. I picked it up at the supermarket last evenin’. It looked good, and I haven’t had shrimp for a while. I was trying to guess what a schoolteacher might like. It was either shrimp salad or frozen foot-long green chili burritos.”
They strolled to the grassy area in front of the gray mobile home with forest green trim.
“I love your roses!”
Renny pulled off his hat and brushed back his thinning blond hair. “People in town claimed that roses wouldn’t grow out here.”
“So you had to prove them wrong?”
“Something in me likes to do that.”
“That’s quite a pottery menagerie.”
“Most of them are horrible looking. Ever’ last one is a gift. I’m afraid to toss ’em ’cause whoever gave it to me will stop by and ask. So I confine ’em to the north side. In the winter time they stay covered with snow. But it looks like the coyotes got in here, ’cause most of them are turned over.”
Renny ambled into the yard of small animal figurines. “I reckon I’ll set them upright, but I’m not sure that looks better.”
“Do you mind if I go on inside and use the ladies room?”
He shoved the key ring toward her. “It’s the big silver one.”
A brass sign above the doorbell read, “Lord, bless this home with love and laughter.” Develyn fumbled to get the key in the door and found it was unlocked.
Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. Nothing about Renny Slater surprises me.
The living room furniture was leather and oak. The spring on the self-closing door was tight. When she released it, the door slammed hard.
“Renny, darlin’, I’m in the kitchen washin’ my hair,” a woman’s voice shouted.
Develyn froze. Her neck stiffened. She wrapped her arms around her chest.
A woman wearing jeans and a white sports bra appeared at the kitchen doorway with a white towel wrapped around her wet, red hair.
“Oh! Is Renny with you?”
“He’s outside,” Develyn mumbled.
“I’m Mary.”
“I’m not.”
“Oh, don’t worry, honey. I’ll just dry my hair and scoot to the back room so you and Renny can … well, whatever.”
Develyn opened the front door and shouted. “Slater, get in here.”
Renny bounded through the door, hat in hand. His dimpled grin faded when he spotted the woman with the towel.
“Mary? What are you doing here?”
“You invited me, remember?”
“I what?”
“You said if Walt ever beat me up again, I could always come over here.” She dropped the towel to reveal cuts and bruises on her neck and ear. “He came home drunk and came after me with the rake.”
Develyn held herself and began to rock back and forth.
“Your place was locked but I found the spare key finally, under that little hideous yard frog. I had blood in my hair, so I washed it. Who’s your friend?”
“Mary, this is Dev Worrell. Now go back in there and get your shirt on.”
“Renny, I can go out to the barn if you two want to visit.”
“Just get your shirt on, darlin’. I’ll take care of this.”
“Renny, don’t send me back to Walt. Not today. Let me spend the night here.” She started to cry.
“You know I won’t send you back. I’ll figure out something. Go get dressed.”
The woman wiped her eyes on the towel, then looked at Develyn. “I used to be purdy like you.” She shuffled back into the kitchen.
“Dev, the master bathroom is down the hall on the right, if you still need it. I need to make a phone call, and then explain this to you.”
“Are you calling the sheriff?”
“Not yet.”
* * *
Develyn stood in front of the mirror of the tidy bathroom and dried off the water she had splashed on her face.
Lord, Renny’s life is one emergency after another. It’s all I can do to keep from fainting. I don’t know what’s really going on here. I don’t know if I want to know.
Mary was sitting on the couch when Develyn returned to the living room. She could hear Renny finish a phone call.
He ignored Develyn when he returned and pulled up a chair in front of Mary. “Darlin’, when did Walt get back in the area?”
Mary’s voice softened. “Two weeks ago.”
“You promised me you wouldn’t take him back next time.”
“He didn’t have anywhere to stay, Renny.”
“What happened to the money he got workin’ that oil rig?”
“He said someone stole most of it.”
“Do you believe that?”
She dropped her pointed chin to her chest. “No.”
Develyn could see more bruises around her neck.
“What’s he been doin’ for two weeks?”
“Drinkin’.”
“Where did he get the money for the booze?”
“He took it out of my purse, I reckon.” She began to sob.
Renny scooted over on the couch next to her and cradled her head against his shoulder. “Darlin’, listen to me. No one can help you unless you want help. Do you want help?”
“I want him to love me and not hit me.”
Now tears streamed down Develyn’s face.
“You have to answer me, darlin’. You are still the purdiest redhead in Johnson County. Do you want help?”
“I want to stay with you, Renny.”
“You didn’t answer me.”
“Yes,” she whimpered. “I want help.”
“Then you have to do what I tell you to do.”
“If I mind you, will you let me stay here? I’m a good cook, Renny, you know I’m a good cook.”
“I have somethin’ much better in mind for you than stayin’ here.”
She clutched on to him. “Don’t ever turn me loose.”
Develyn heard a rig pull up in the driveway.
“Don’t let him get me, Renny,” Mary wailed.
Develyn peeked out the window. “It’s a man and a woman.”
Renny stood, with Mary still clinging. He shoved her back. “Mary, go get your things. That’s Pastor Tim and his wife, Barb. They have a safe place for you, and they know exactly how to handle this.”
“But,” she sobbed, “I wanted to stay with you.”
“Darlin’, in your heart you knew I’d never be able to let you do that. Get your stuff.”
Within minutes, Pastor Tim and Barb drove off with Mary and her two paper sacks of belongings.
Develyn and Renny sat outside on the front step.
“How did she get here without a car?” Dev asked.
“She said she hitchhiked.”
“In that condition?”
“About a year ago Walt beat on her. I remember at the time thinkin’ I would surely regret offerin’ her help. I just didn’t know what else to say. Walt is OK when he’s sober. He’s a good oil rig worker because he can’t get to a bar or liquor store. He was in jail ninety days last time. They let him out because he was going down to Louisiana to work the rigs in the gulf. He even sent Mary some of his pay.” He took a big breath, then sighed. “I don’t know what to do in that kind of deal.”
“Are you going to call the sheriff?”
“Pastor Tim said he’d take care of it. They are good folks.” He patted her knee. “Must have been quite a shock walking in the house and seeing her.”
“Yes, I take back what I said when I mentioned nothing would surprise me.”
“Well, Devy-girl … it startled me. When you screamed, I figured there was a snake in the house again.”
“Renny, is your life ever quiet and peaceful?”
“You see those mountains back there?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes I have to ride off in them and get lost for a few days.”
“By yourself?”
“Yep. I just stay out there until the solitary eats me up and I need to come back.”
“It must be quite lonely, camping by yourself.”
“No more so than the rest of my life.”
“Renny Slater, are you saying you are a lonely man?”
“Devy, I know most ever’one in this half of the state. They know my name, and they’ll welcome me in their home, any day or night of the year. But none of them are close. Do you know what it’s like to be right at the hub of all the activity and still feel alone?”
“Renny … I’ve known that since I was twelve.”
“I figured you had. It’s one of the things that draws us together. That, my irresistible dimples, and your little upturned nose seldom seen in a girl over twelve.”
She turned and slugged his arm. “Don’t you start in on my nose.”
“Are you still hungry?”
“I was promised a shrimp salad.”
He stood and tugged on her hand. “Come on, Ms. Worrell. I’ve got a surprise for you after lunch.”
“I don’t know how many more I can stand in one day.”
“Maybe that’s not a good word. How about a unique gift for you?” His grin revealed two deep dimples.
* * *
“Where did you get it!” she giggled. “I love it!”
“I got a friend in Billings who has a trophy shop.”
“The Golden Thistle Award. How fitting,” she said.
“I figured you’d want a token to remember the first day you met Renny Slater.”
“This is the same thistle?”
“I jammed it in the side pocket of the truck. It’s been bouncin’ around in there all summer.”
“Renny, this is wonderful. It goes right on my desk in my classroom.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t like to think about you goin’ back to Indiana. Not just yet. I’m gettin’ mighty fond of you being here in Wyoming.”
“I agree. I do want to enjoy every day. Teaching brings its own set of problems. I’m not ready to face those yet.”
“I got something I want you to read.” Renny retrieved a letter stapled to an envelope from the top of a cluttered desk. “Tell me what you think of this.”
Develyn read each word with care, then glanced up. “Wow … Renny Slater, college professor. That sounds great.”
“Can you imagine me at a college with a bunch of eighteen-to twenty-year-olds?”
“Yes, I can.”
“You mean that, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes. And you know what … if I had the right woman with me, I probably could do it.”
“Where is the College of Southern Idaho?”
“It’s a junior college in Twin Falls.”
“Would you coach both the men’s and women’s rodeo teams?”
“Yep. I’d have a gal for an assistant.”
“What kind of contract? Year round?”
“Nine months. I’d have my summer to come home and work on the place, if I wanted to. The salary is pretty dadgum good. But still …”
“You sound hesitant.”
“Can I just blurt something out, Dev?”
“Of course.”
“I daydreamed a little about what it would be like, you know … if I were to marry a certain Indiana schoolteacher and we settled down in Twin Falls. You teachin’ fifth-graders and me with the college.”
“I’m flattered, Renny. I don’t know if I’ve ever been someone’s daydream before. What did you conclude?”
“Even if we were crazy in love, I’m too stubborn and you’re too old.”
“Oh, dear … I went from daydream to old in just seconds.”
“Devy, I think I could learn to be a good husband, if I had a wife who would take the time to school me. I know you could do that. But I also would like to be a good daddy. Now, my forty-two isn’t too old to be a daddy, but I reckon your forty-five is too old to be a mama again.” He reached out for her.
She took his hand. “You are right about that.”
“Yet, I can’t remember having a more fun summer than this one with you, Ms. Worrell.”
“Mr. Slater, I’m sure nine out of the ten most exciting times in my life have been with you.”
He laughed. “What about that tenth one?”
“I was just leaving it open for speculation.”
Renny disappeared to the kitchen. Develyn reread his rodeo team coaching offer.
She heard a knock at the door. She waited for Renny to come back. When he didn’t appear, she opened the door.
A huge unshaven man wearing a Houston Astros baseball cap glared at her.
“Who in hades are you?” he grumbled.
Develyn folded her arms across her chest. “I’m … eh, a … a friend of Renny’s.” “Get out of the way. I’m here to fetch my wife.” The man started for the doorway. “Mary is not here, Walt,” Develyn blurted out. He stepped back. “How do you know who I am?” Develyn felt Renny’s hands at her waist as he tugged her aside.
“She’s right, Walt. Mary isn’t here.”
The red-faced man waved his hands. “She ran away, Renny. I want her back. I want her back right now.”
“Of course she ran away, Walt. You hurt her.”
“She deserved it.”
“No, she didn’t. I’ve told you that before. No woman deserves a beating.”
“She ain’t here?”
“No.”
“I’m goin’ to look around.” He shoved Renny back a step.
Renny dove his head into the big man’s chest. Walt staggered back, tumbled off the front step, and sprawled on his back in the grass.
As he struggled to his feet, he yanked out a revolver. “I’ll kill you, Slater. I’ll kill you!”
Develyn could feel her entire body begin to shake. Oh, Lord Jesus … no … no … no.
“You aren’t going to kill me, Walt. Give me the gun,” Renny demanded.
“I sure as hades will.” He pointed the gun at Renny’s head. “Where’s my wife?”
Renny kept his voice low. Calm. “Give me the gun, Walt.”
“I’m killin’ you, Slater! This time, I’m killin’ you!” the man screamed.
“Give me the gun and sit down on the step with me. Let’s talk. We’ve been friends a long time. You don’t have many friends, Walt. You need me. Give me the gun.”
The big man’s shoulders slumped. “You won’t call the sheriff?”
“No, I won’t call the sheriff. Let’s talk. Now give me the gun.”
“Who’s that woman?”
“That’s my good friend. She’s a schoolteacher from Indiana.”
“She don’t look like no schoolteacher. She looks like a barrel racer.”
Renny stuck out his hand. “Give me the gun.”
Walt hesitated. Then he dropped his chin and sighed. He handed the gun to Renny.
Develyn wiped the sweat off her face with her fingers.
“Let’s sit down, Walt.”
The big man motioned at Develyn. “Have that buckle bunny come out here and sit down too. I don’t want her sneakin’ back there to call the sheriff.”
“Dev, come sit next to me.”
Walt, Renny, and Develyn lined the step.
The man rubbed his face into his massive hands. “What am I goin’ to do, Renny?”
“You need some help.”
“Jail don’t help.”
“It keeps Mary safe for awhile. If you can’t think of some-thin’ better, that’s where you’ll end up. I think you need to quit workin’ the rigs.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve got a friend who’s got a special kind of ranch outside Silver City, New Mexico. He helps men like you, and you get to ride horses and do some ranch work.”
“You talkin’ about dryin’ me out?”
“Rehab, it’s called. I know some boys it really helped. But you have to sign up for twelve weeks, and you don’t get to leave.”
“Three months is a long time.”
“You’ve got a pretty big problem, Walt. Besides, think about how pleased Mary will be when you are sober all the time and slicked up handsome.”
“I do scrub up good.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Does that New Mexico place cost a lot of money?”
“It ain’t cheap, but I can get you a scholarship. For some students, they will pay everything.”
“How do I get there?”
“Let’s let Johnson County worry about that.”
“How do I do that?”
“What if you contacted the sheriff’s office and asked them to come pick you up? Tell them you need some help and you’re willing to do rehab in New Mexico, if they get you there.”
“You think they’ll do that?”
“They don’t want to pay your room and board at the county jail.”
“You goin’ to tell them about the gun?”
“What gun?” Renny replied.
Walt dropped his head in his hands. “You’re the only friend I got left, Renny.”
“You get yourself cleaned up, you’ll be surprised how many friends you have. You want me to get that phone for you?”
“Will you or the rodeo gal call them for me?”
“Nope. We promised you we wouldn’t. You got to make the call. I’ll dial it for you.”
“You’ll wait with me ’til they come?”
“You know I will.”
“You’ll see that my truck gets home?”
“We’ll drive it for you.”
“How about my gun?”
“Why don’t I keep it until you get home from New Mexico? You ready for the phone?”
“I’m ready for things to be different, Renny. I truly am.”
* * *
The sun lowered over the horizon when Renny pulled into Argenta and drove past Mrs. Tagley’s. Uncle Henry met them at the road and trailed behind to the cabin.
“Well, Mr. Renny Slater, you sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
Renny shook his head. “Dev, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry for the danger I put you in.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “Renny, you are the bravest man I have ever known. Being with you is like riding in the Old West with my cowboy hero. Whether you are diving after a panicked horse, or standing down a drunk with a gun, you are awesome. It’s a privilege to call you my friend.”
“What do you think about that college coaching job?”
“I don’t know. I’ll pray about it. I think it’s a great opportunity for some stability for you. But I’m not sure you’re called to have a stable life. Where would Ivan and Lovie and Little Buster and Naomi and Mary and Walt … and all those kids in Douglas be if they didn’t have their Renny? You are needed here by hundreds of different people in hundreds of different ways. You can do some things that no one else can. Wyoming needs you, Renny Slater.”
“How about Ms. Worrell?”
Develyn laughed. “I was told that I am too old. But I do have a cherished trophy. You will be my good friend forever. I’m going to need you too. A cowboy girl always needs a hero.”
“The schoolteacher and the mustang breaker. We make a pretty good team, Devy-girl.”
This time he kissed her on the cheek.
* * *
Develyn pressed the orange Popsicle against her forehead. She plopped down next to her brother on the wagon seat in front of Mrs. Tagley’s store and stared out at the bright Wyoming day.
“I didn’t know it could be so hot out here. Before we came, I thought Wyoming was all mountains covered with trees and always cold.”
Dewayne held half his Popsicle in one hand and the other half in the other. He rotated his licks from one to the other.
“It’s windy every day. Daddy says Wyoming is the air freeway that connects the west and the midwest, and there is always a lot of traffic going both ways.”
Develyn lapped at the bottom of her Popsicle. Three drops had already hit her pink T-shirt. “Did I tell you that I’m moving to Wyoming?”
Dewayne chomped off half of one Popsicle with a single bite. “When?”
“After I graduate from college.”
He traced his carved initials with a clean-licked Popsicle stick. “I thought you were going to be a schoolteacher.”
“I am,” she said.
“You going to teach school in Wyoming?”
“No, I’m going to teach school in Crawfordsville.”
“So, how are you going to live in Wyoming at the same time?”
“I will have two houses. I’ll spend summers and vacations here. And during the year, I’ll stay in Crawfordsville. Mrs. Ralston has a house in Wisconsin. So I’ll have a house in Wyoming.”
“What if your husband doesn’t want to do that?” Dewayne pressed.
“I cannot imagine a husband not wanting to do everything I ask.”
“Neither can I.” Dewayne stood up as he finished his second half of the Popsicle. “But I don’t think it’s as easy as that.”
“Where are you going?”
“Daddy said Mr. Homer traded a Ford transmission for a filly. I wanted to go look at it.”
Develyn slurped at her Popsicle and watched it drip on her bare knee. “The transmission or the filly?”
“The filly.”
“I want to go too.”
“You don’t have on any shoes.”
“My feet are tough.” She trotted down the wooden steps and into the dirt yard after him.
“Devy-girl, I’m going clear to the corral, and I’m not going to carry you on my back.”
“And I’m not going to carry you either, Dewayne Upton. I’ll race you.”
“You can’t outrun me even if you had on your shoes.”
“Hah!” she yelled, then took off and raced west down the dirt road.
* * *
The eight-month-old gray filly pushed her nose through the rails of the corral fence when Dewayne staggered up, toting his twin sister on his back.
“I knew I’d have to do this,” he grumbled, then shoved her down.
“I stepped on a sticker.” She pointed to her toe, then bent over and peered between the rails. “Isn’t she cute?”
“She looks like a regular horse, only smaller,” Dewayne mumbled.
“Posh. She’s adorable.” Develyn stroked the horse with a sticky hand. “You are a very pretty girl. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?” Develyn held the dripping orange Popsicle in front of the filly’s lips.
The horse slapped it to the dirt with one swat of her long thin nose.
Develyn stared at the Popsicle lying in the powdery corral dirt.
Dewayne burst out laughing.
Her hands on the hips of her pink shorts, Develyn bit her lower lip and fought back the tears. “That was terribly, terribly rude!” she cried. “I hope your mother teaches you some manners.”
“Horses don’t need manners,” Dewayne insisted.
“Well, this one does.” Develyn stared at the big dark brown eyes. “But she’s still a baby. She has a lot to learn.”
“I think I’ll go fly my kite.”
“I’ve jammed a sticker in my toe. You’ll have to carry me back to the house.”
“I pulled the sticker out.”
“It still hurts. Good-bye, honey,” she said to the horse. “I’ll come back and see you when you learn some manners.” Develyn reached over to stroke the filly’s nose.
The horse turned her head sideways and bit Develyn’s finger.
“Ouch! Did you see that? She bit my finger! That hurt,” Develyn wailed.
“Then you won’t notice the pain in your feet when you walk to the cabin,” Dewayne said.
“I try to be nice, I try to do things for her, and look what she does. That is terribly, terribly rude!”
“What is terribly, terribly rude?”
“Her mother needs to teach her more than manners.”
“Whose mother?”
There was an abrupt shaking of Develyn’s shoulder.
“The … eh … Casey?”
“Were you dreaming of horses again … or your Delaney?”
Develyn sat up in the yard chair, then toweled the sweat off her forehead. “I don’t know.” She gazed at the sun, halfway across the afternoon sky.
“You were mumbling about someone being rude.”
The shotgun blast followed by a shout, “Leon, you get back here!” brought Develyn to her feet.
“What time is it?”
“Time to go to the airport and get Delaney. Ms. Worrell … are you ready for your daughter?”
Develyn shoved her sunglasses high on her nose. “Casey, I’ve never been more ready in my life.”