Arya
I drove into town, listening to Shania Twain on the radio and smiling. As she sang about wearing men’s shirts, I thought about Chet and wondered what it would feel like to wear a piece of his clothing. I knew I shouldn’t dwell on the idea too much. I didn’t want to feel like I was too close to him, which was a little bit too late, because now that I’d slept with him I already felt like there was a closeness there that hadn’t existed before.
But I wasn’t going to let myself think about Chet and our night too much. I had more important things to do.
I pulled up outside of a coffee shop and took a deep breath as I got out of the car. I’d love to work in a coffee shop. I’d love to learn how to make espressos and cappuccinos and lattes. I walked through the door and looked around. There was a lone cowboy sitting at a table, drinking a cup of coffee with his back to me. There was no one behind the counter.
“Hello?” I called out.
“Just a second,” a voice called back to me from the back of the store.
“Okay,” I said, standing patiently.
The cowboy turned and looked at me for a few seconds and then turned back to his paper. a moment later, an elderly woman with bright blue hair popped out from the back. She had flour all over her face and a big smile.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m Arya.”
“Hi, Arya. My name’s Betsy Lou.”
“Nice to meet you, Betsy Lou.”
“What can I get ya? A tea, a coffee, hot chocolate?”
“Actually, I was inquiring whether or not you were hiring.”
“Hiring? You mean to work here?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m looking for a job.”
Betsy shook her head with a resigned smile. “Oh, deary me. I don’t get enough business to hire anyone else, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, okay,” I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Well, I don’t mean to disappoint you, dear. Would you like a cookie to go on your way?”
“No, that’s fine, thanks.” I smiled and left the coffee shop.
One down, but hopefully someone on this main road would be hiring. I walked up a couple of blocks and then stopped outside a bookstore. I loved books. I didn’t know much about books, but I could learn. I walked in and plastered a smile on my face.
“Hello?” I called out. Yet again, there was no one there at the front to greet me. I walked towards the back of the bookstore. “Hello?” Still no response.
I looked around. It was a small bookstore, but there must have still been thousands of books. I walked over to one of the bookshelves and smiled as I pulled off a copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This was a book that I remembered from my childhood.
“Oh, Laurie,” I whispered, thinking about the love that was not. “Oh, Joe.”
“Hi. Can I help you?” A woman around my age popped up beside me with a bright smile.
“Hi. I’m looking for a job. Are you hiring?”
“Hiring? Like for a job?”
“Yeah.” Wasn’t that what I just said?
“No, not right now. I’m afraid I don’t make enough money to hire anyone.”
“Oh, okay.” I have chewed on my lower lip. “That’s what the lady in the coffee shop said as well.”
“Oh, you spoke to Betsy Lou?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. This main street is not really happening.” The girl looked at me and shrugged. “Horseshoe Valley is a wonderful place to live, but we don’t get much business. You’d have to hop on over to St. Roses if you’re looking for a job. That’s the town twenty minutes away.”
“Oh, okay. I was hoping to stay in Horseshoe Valley, but I guess if it’s not that busy, I’ll have to go to St. Roses.”
“Yeah.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down. “Do I know you?”
“I don’t think so.” I smile shaking my head. “Why?”
“Well, we look about the same age, but I don’t recognize you from high school or elementary school.”
“Oh, I just got to town.”
“Oh, really? Where you staying?”
“I’m up at Horseshoe Ranch, with the Hamiltons.”
“Oh, Amelia and Ranger, and those goddamn fine boys.” She let out a low whistle. “Mm, mm. They are so delicious.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“But three of them’s off the table now. I can’t believe it.”
“Oh?” I asked her. “You know them?”
“Oh yeah. I went to school with Austin. We were in the same grade.”
“Oh, cool. Yeah. He’s getting married.”
“I know. He’s getting married. Beau’s getting married. Wyatt’s getting married. I just can’t believe it. Three Hamilton men at once. The next thing you know, they’re going to say Chet’s getting married.” She laughed.
I paused. “Do you know Chet?”
“Who doesn’t know Chet Hamilton?” She shook her head. “He’s the most infamous of all the Hamilton men.”
“Oh, why is that?”
“He was the star football player. He was valedictorian of his high school graduating class. He was a volunteer fireman. He was scouted by people in Hollywood. He used to do rodeo. Why, he’s just out there.”
“I didn’t realize he was so accomplished.”
“Yeah. And he used to date Miss Montana.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Actually, scratch that, she was Miss Teen Montana.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. She wanted to marry him, but he wasn’t fixing to get married.”
“Oh.” I knew I shouldn’t be gossiping about Chet or his family, but this was information I wasn’t going to get from anywhere else.
“Yeah. Well, don’t tell anyone I told you because I don’t like to be called a gossip.”
“Of course,” I agreed, though she was obviously a huge gossip.
“Well, he was dating Anna Maria—you know, Ms. Teen Montana.”
“Okay.”
“She was called that because I guess her parents went to Anna Maria Island in Florida. You know it?”
“I can’t say that I do. No.”
“Well, yeah. I guess they went there and they got pregnant with her then. So they decided let’s call her Anna Maria.”
“Okay…” I was starting to wonder how long was this story going to take.
“Well, anyways, Anna Maria fell for Chet, because why wouldn’t she? He’s tall. He’s hunky. He’s got those big blue eyes. Sheesh. When he bats those big blues of his, all the women swoon.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” I nodded in agreement.
“Well, Anna Maria told him that her daddy was fixing to marry her off to someone from Colorado that owns some big ranch.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Well, that wasn’t true. Anna Maria’s daddy didn’t have contacts like that, though supposedly, there was an oil baron in Texas that was interested in her. But he was like sixty years old, and Anna Maria was not about to marry him.”
“And what does this have to do with Chet?”
“I’m getting there. Well, Anna Maria was trying to trap Chet. Though I guess we don’t use those words anymore. Anyways, she told him she was on the pill so that he wouldn’t use a condom. Well, I guess. I don’t know exactly the story because I wasn’t there, you know? But she tried to tell Chet she got pregnant and well, she wasn’t pregnant, and Amelia Hamilton found out and she was not happy.”
“So his girlfriend pretended she was pregnant to get him to marry her?”
“Yup. And everyone was in town when it happened. And he said to her, ‘Anna Maria, I am not marrying you. I do not want to date you. I am never getting married. I do not want kids. I have six brothers. They will have plenty of babies, and I will be a good uncle.’”
I remembered what Chet had said about me and Eloise. I guess it wasn’t personal. That didn’t really make me feel better though.
“Well, yeah. I don’t even know how I got onto this subject.” The sales assistant laughed.
“I think because I told you I was staying with the Hamiltons.”
“Oh, yeah. They’re good people. They’re very good people. Now that Flint, he is by far the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my life. Is he single, too?”
“I can’t say that I spend much time with Flint, sorry.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I guess you’re just working for them, then?”
“Yeah. Kinda.” I wasn’t going to elaborate anymore. This girl didn’t know how to mind her own business.”
“Well, if you are looking for a job and you want one that pays well, you definitely head over to St. Roses. You ain’t gonna find nothing here in Horseshoe Valley, unfortunately. Maybe when things pick up, but not right now.”
“Well, thank you. I guess that’s my next stop.”