Paxton called just as they were finishing Sunday dinner and told Hud that a dozen cows were out on the road. “Evidently, all this rain has left those old rotted fence posts easy to push over. There’s about four of them down on the ground. Reckon you could get on back here and help me get them back inside the pasture?” he asked.
“I’m on my way,” Hud said and ended the call. “Ladies, I hate to eat and run, but Pax needs my help right away.”
“Get on out of here.” Luna waved him away. “But before you leave, don’t make plans for Wednesday night. We’re all three goin’ square-dancin’ down at the VFW. I saw an ad for it in the newspaper this mornin’, and they said everyone was invited. So put on your dancin’ boots, and we’ll go have us a good time. That is if Wilbur don’t call between now and then.”
“If he does, we’ll let you know,” Rose told him.
“Thanks,” Hud said as he disappeared out of the kitchen.
At least the rain had slacked off to a slow drizzle when he got back to the ranch that afternoon. He made another dash through the house to change into work clothes and boots and called Paxton on his way back to the truck to see exactly where he should go.
“I’m at the back side of the ranch on the far side of Canyon Creek,” Paxton answered. “I’ve got them herded up together, but the old cow in the lead won’t budge, so the whole lot of them are being stubborn. Bring Red with you. Maybe he can get them moving.”
When he whistled, the dog came running and barely slowed down enough to jump onto the passenger’s seat.
“We’re both on the way,” Hud said.
When he reached Paxton’s truck, he pulled over beside it and opened the door. Red bailed out and headed right for the cows. He went to the lead heifer and barked at her. She didn’t take even a half step, so he nipped at her heels. That set her in motion, and she headed into the narrow strip of land between the fence and the creek. The herd rolled their eyes and bellowed, but they followed her until they were all crammed up in a huddle, still afraid to step into the rolling creek waters. Finally, Red got them moving single file toward a small bridge up the creek a ways.
“Well, we got them going, but getting that old cow to cross the footbridge might be another thing,” Paxton said.
“Let’s get this fence patched,” Hud told him. “They could live on this little piece of dirt until the water recedes. How do you figure they got across anyway?”
“They either came over before the water got deep or one of them led the herd across the bridge.” Paxton got what they needed out of his truck.
“It’ll seem strange to be working with just me and Maverick,” Paxton said as he tossed one of the old rotted fence posts off to the side. “The four of us have been a team for a decade now.”
Hud drove a metal post where the old one had been. “We’d try to talk you into staying if it would do any good.”
“Can’t stay, now.” Paxton grinned. “Emily and the family have a big surprise going-away party for me tonight at her place. I can’t disappoint her.”
“How’d you know about that?” Hud asked. “I don’t talk in my sleep, do I?”
“Nope.” Paxton kicked another post out of the way. “I hate goodbyes, so I was going to slip away this morning. Then Tag came by. He had to let the cat out of the bag so I’d stay for the party. Ain’t no way I’m going to disappoint Emily and Justin after all they’ve done for us.”
Hud understood Paxton completely, because he’d been dreading telling his roommate and best friend goodbye the next morning too. However, the strip of land separating the creek from the road seemed to strike a nerve in Hud’s thoughts.
“This strip of land is a little oasis between the past, with all the raging water, and the future, which is the road out there,” he said.
“When did you become a philosopher?” Paxton asked.
“Since Rose showed up in Bowie, I guess.” He set another metal post and moved on down to the next place. “I’m happy on my ranch, but I wonder about Rose. Where will the future road take her?”
“That’s pretty deep thinkin’ for us old cowboys.” Paxton got out the barbed wire and started stretching it from post to post. “But I reckon it’ll be up to her. You gettin’ serious about that woman?”
“I can see it going that way if she doesn’t leave in a few weeks.” Hud followed along behind him with another row of wire.
“Well, would you look at that?” Paxton pointed across the creek where the whole herd of cows had their heads bent, getting drinks from the creek.
Red ran up and down the creek, yipping at Hud. Finally, he jumped in and started paddling to their side. The current took him downstream a little ways, but when he reached the grassy shore, he bounded back to Paxton and Hud, shook water all over them, and then barked at the cows across the creek.
Hud rubbed the dog’s ears and said, “I don’t know how you got them across that little bridge but you did good, old boy.”
“You might want to put up a gate so they don’t come across it during high water times,” Paxton told Hud.
“Great idea,” Hud agreed.
“Now, what do we do with the rest of the afternoon?” Paxton asked.
“How about we get into some dry clothing, grab a couple of beers, and watch some Sunday afternoon football until it’s time to go for your surprise party,” Hud suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Paxton said. “Meet you at the barn, and we’ll get the feeding chores done early so we won’t have to do them in the dark after my party. Come on, Red. You can go with me. Might be the last time we get to see each other for a while.”
Hud had been so wrapped up in Rose that he hadn’t really thought about Paxton leaving until that moment. For the first time in his life, starting tomorrow, he would be living alone. He’d lived in the big ranch house on his folks’ ranch until he was eighteen, and then he and Tag had moved out into the bunkhouse on the Rockin’ B Ranch. They had declared that they wanted to be grown-ups, but in actuality, what they really wanted was to be free to go to bars and bring women home with them. Then when they moved to Sunset, they’d lived in the house together until Tag moved out into the little cabin over on Longhorn Canyon and wound up getting married. After that, he still had Paxton in the house. Now it would be empty except for him and Red.
When he and Tag had lived in the bunkhouse, and then again in the little two-bedroom ranch house with Maverick and Paxton, he’d sworn that he would give his right arm for some peace and quiet. Now that it was coming tomorrow morning, he wasn’t so sure he was ready for it.
He didn’t even realize he’d gone past the turn to the ranch until he was almost to Sunset. “Dammit!” he muttered as he turned the truck around and headed back. When he topped the hill, he saw the most beautiful rainbow he’d ever laid eyes on. He pulled over to the side of the road and called Rose.
“Need some help with those ornery cows?” she asked.
“Go outside and look to the east,” he told her. “There’s a gorgeous rainbow.”
He could hear the front door opening and then her gasp. “Oh. My. Goodness! It’s so bright and beautiful,” she said.
Her reaction made him feel like he’d just laid the moon at her feet. “I thought you might like that. Glad I got your number so I could show it to you.”
“Me too,” Rose said. “I wish we could be standing together at the end of the rainbow.”
“So we could find the pot of gold together?” he asked.
“No, so we could discover what was there together,” she replied. “It might be answers to all our questions instead of a pot of gold.”
“Wouldn’t that be great?” Hud caught a movement in his peripheral vision and turned to look to his right. Paxton had pulled up beside him and was motioning for him to roll down his window.
“It’s starting to fade. I’ve got to go get Aunt Luna and show it to her,” Rose said.
“Talk to you later,” Hud told her as he hit a button and the passenger-side window started moving downward.
“Got trouble?” Paxton asked.
“No, I just pulled over to look at that rainbow,” Hud told him.
“Awww, that’s romantic,” Paxton teased.
“If that’s the case, maybe you should write a poem about it and send it to Alana,” Hud shot back.
“Now, you’re gettin’ downright mean. I bet I can beat you home, and if there’s only one beer, I’m not goin’ to share it.” Paxton rolled up his window and left a long black streak on the wet road.
Hud chuckled and followed along behind him at the speed limit. He wasn’t worried about losing the race, and he knew there was a whole six-pack of beer in the fridge because he’d put it there the day before.
Getting the cows back onto ranch property, repairing the fence, and then doing all the chores had taken Paxton and Hud longer than they’d thought it would. They listened to the kickoff of a football game as they got dressed for Paxton’s surprise party. Hud had known about it all week, and his job was to deliver Paxton when Emily called to tell him that it was time.
He’d just gotten his boots on and was combing his hair when his cell rang. Expecting it to be Emily, he answered, “Timing is just right.”
“For what?” Rose asked.
“To talk to you,” he answered. “What’s up?”
“Aunt Luna is depressed because Uncle Wilbur hasn’t called,” she said. “I was wondering if you could come over and play a game of dominoes with us to cheer her up.”
“I’d love to, but this is Paxton’s last night here, and my sister is giving him a going-away party.” He bit back a groan.
This was the first time she’d called him, and the only time she’d asked for his help—every other time he’d helped her out had been nothing but coincidence. “But, hey, why don’t you join us at the party? Y’all can be my plus two. It’s nothing formal. Just a buffet supper and some visiting with Paxton, since he’s leaving tomorrow morning.”
“Are you sure?” Rose asked. “I don’t want to crash a family gathering.”
“I’m positive,” he said. “Remember how to get to the ranch?”
“Yes,” she answered. “But…”
“It’s the first right on the road after you turn off from Sunset. My ranch is the second one, so if you get as far as the Canyon Creek, then turn around and go back a quarter mile. No, I’ve got a better idea. Y’all come here to my ranch, and we’ll go together”—he looked at the clock beside his bed—“say in about thirty minutes.”
“If you’re absolutely sure,” she said. “Aunt Luna would probably love a party and being around people right now.”
“I’m positive,” he assured her, again.
“Thanks, Hud. We’ll be there.” She ended the call.
His phone rang as soon as he’d gotten it tucked into his hip pocket. Emily’s picture popped up, and he groaned as he answered it. “We’re runnin’ a little behind. Had to fix a broke-down fence and…”
Emily giggled. “That’s what I’m calling to tell you. We’re doin’ the same over here. I should’ve planned it for six, but we’ll be ready right after five thirty. Will that work?”
“Perfectly, sis.” He smiled. “And can I bring a couple of guests?”
“Rose?” Emily asked.
“And her aunt,” he answered.
“Sure,” Emily agreed. “The more the merrier, and I’ve been wanting to catch up with Rose anyway. I remember her being at our school in Tulia when I was a senior and she was either a freshman or sophomore. It’ll be fun to catch up. Claire says her aunt is a hoot. See you soon, and don’t forget that you’re down to bring a case of beer.”
He had forgotten—totally—and he sure didn’t have time to run back into town, but if he could catch Rose and Luna in time, maybe they’d be willing to stop by a convenience store for him. He made the call, and waited through three rings, four rings, and finally on the fifth one, Rose answered.
“I have a huge favor to ask,” he said. “Have you left town yet?”
“No, we’re just pulling out of the driveway,” she said.
“My only job was to pick up a case of beer and I forgot,” he said. “Could you—”
“What kind? Bottles or cans?” She butted in before he could finish.
“Cans are fine. Could you get Coors out of the cooler so they’re already cold?” he replied.
“Do you need ice too?” she asked.
He hadn’t thought of that. “Good idea. Why don’t you get a bag, just in case.”
“No problem.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
“See you soon!” she trilled.
The call ended, and he shoved the phone into his hip pocket.
When he opened his bedroom door, Paxton was just coming out into the hallway. Hud could see boxes stacked everywhere. Some were still open, but several were taped shut.
“You reckon you’ll be able to get all those in your truck?” Hud asked.
“I think so,” Paxton said. “I’ve got the whole backseat, plus the extra one in the front, unless you want to send Red with me.”
“Naw.” Hud grinned. “I’ll need him here to keep me company. When you get over there in the flat country, you won’t have all these mesquite trees to hide behind. I reckon in six months, Alana will have lassoed you and dragged you to the altar.”
“I bet you a hundred dollars you are standin’ in front of a preacher before I am,” Paxton countered.
Hud stuck out his hand. “You’re on, and you can pay me right after y’all get married.”
They shook on it, and Paxton headed toward the door.
“Not yet,” Hud said. “They’re not ready over at Emily’s, and Rose is bringing the beer that I forgot to get. I invited her and Luna to the party.”
Paxton chuckled, then laughed and then roared. “I’m going to spend my hundred dollars buying beers for everyone in the honky-tonk. I’m definitely going to be the last bachelor among us for sure.”
“We’ll see about that,” Hud told him, but he figured it might be the best hundred dollars he’d ever spend if Paxton was right.
* * *
Rose dashed into the convenience store, bought a case of Coors, a six-pack of Bud Light, and a bag of ice. She tipped the young guy behind the checkout counter when he carried it all out to her car for her.
“Just how big is this party?” Aunt Luna asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’m kind of guessing that there’ll be about a dozen people there, and I know that you are partial to Bud Light, so I got that six-pack for us,” she said as she drove south to Sunset.
Luna turned on the radio and sang the words she knew to an old country music tune by Waylon and Willie called “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
When the song ended, Luna glanced over at Rose. “You know you could marry a doctor or a lawyer instead of a cowboy. You’re a smart girl.”
“So are you, and you married a carnie.” Rose turned off the road and headed east toward the ranch.
“But I wanted excitement and adventure,” Luna argued.
Rose mentally relived the excitement of the rainbow phone call. “You think that being in a relationship with a cowboy wouldn’t be an adventure?”
“I’m thinkin’ about you, darlin’,” Luna told her. “The way you’ve traveled around the world and had a new life at each duty station. Can you imagine being tied down to a ranch and dealing with small-town politics? It’d be kinda like eternity with cows, calves, and a man who comes home every night smelling like bullshit and has hay all up in his hair.”
Rose pulled into the lane leading back to the ranch. The next song on the radio was Travis Tritt’s “Where Corn Don’t Grow.”
“This is more my song,” Rose said. “I couldn’t wait to get out of the commune and get to see the big cities, and now that I’ve been away so long, I kind of miss some of it. I liked living in the country. It was just those rigid rules that drove me crazy.”
“Just be sure that you know how deep the water is before you jump in with both feet.” Luna pointed toward the small house. “That’s cute as a button.”
“I know,” Rose agreed. “And a cowboy comes with it.”
“Two cowboys.” Luna nodded toward the house where two men were coming out of the house.
“That’s Paxton. He’s leaving tomorrow to go back to West Texas, so the party is for him tonight,” Rose explained.
“If I don’t hear from Wilbur right soon, I might follow that one out to the panhandle,” Luna giggled. “Look at the way he fills out them jeans, and that swagger. All he’d have to do is wink, and a woman would fall backward on the bed and pull him down on top of her.”
“Aunt Luna!” Rose scolded.
“Truth is truth, no matter how much bullshit you spread on top of it,” Luna told her. “And that cowboy that’s been givin’ your heart a hard time don’t come in far behind him for looks.”
Far behind him? Rose thought. The sun hasn’t come up on a day that Paxton Callahan could outdo Hud Baker for sexiness.
Hud crossed the yard and tapped on the window. She rolled it down. He propped his elbows on the edge of the window and leaned into the car just slightly. The woodsy scent of his cologne and his lips that close sent her senses reeling.
“Y’all want to ride with me or follow me?” he asked.
“We’ll just follow. That way, we’ll have our car there when it’s time to leave,” Rose said. “You got a cooler to put the beer and ice into?”
“I forgot that. I’ll go back in and get it,” he said and then yelled at Paxton, “Don’t go in until I get there.”
Paxton gave him a thumbs-up and then got into his truck. Hud jogged back to the house and brought out a big red and white cooler. He carried it to the back of her car and opened the back door. He dumped all the cans into the cooler and then added the bag of ice. “That should keep them cold. I can’t thank you enough for picking all this up for me.”
“No problem.” Rose watched him lift the heavy cooler up as if it weighed two pounds. She couldn’t see his biceps under the suede jacket, but she had no doubt that they were bulging. Hudson Baker was a real cowboy, and he got his muscles from hard work on the ranch, not from a set of weights in a gym. He didn’t just put on cowboy boots on Saturday night to go to the honky-tonk—no, sir, he wore them all week, no matter if he was shoveling bullshit, as Aunt Luna would say, or if he was sitting on a church pew.
Luna laid a hand over her heart. “I don’t know if I can survive so much testosterone in one place. I’m used to old men sitting out on the trailer park picnic table. It would take all four of them to pick up that cooler, and they would have to call out two more to lift it over the top of that pickup bed.”
“You’re funny,” Rose said. “Do they play chess?”
“Oh, hell no!” Luna shook her head. “Honey, they relive the carnie days. Just about all the folks in the park are our old carnival friends. I’m startin’ to miss them pretty bad.”
Rose patted her shoulder. “I bet that he’s getting pretty lonesome to see you.”
“I hope so,” Luna sighed. “But for now get this buggy turned around and follow that cowboy. I’m thirsty for one of them Bud Lights.”
They were at the other ranch in only a couple of minutes. Rose parked right beside Hud. She and Luna got out of the car and followed him onto the porch. Paxton hung back, like he was listening to a song on the radio. Emily came to the door and motioned them inside.
“We’re so glad y’all could come with Hud,” she said. “We’ve been dyin’ to get to spend some time with you, Rose. I remember you from the year you were in Tulia, but I didn’t know that you were friends with Alana until Maverick’s wedding.”
“How did you know Alana?” Rose asked.
“We were the kids growin’ up on ranches in the same area, so we saw each other at all the functions—parties, stock sales, you name it.” Emily led the way into the living room. “Put that cooler in the dining room at the end of the table, Hud. I’ll introduce Luna and Rose to everyone.” She pointed over to a tall cowboy with light brown hair, steely blue eyes, and a square jaw. “This is my husband, Justin. The guy beside him is his brother, Cade.”
Believing that the two men were brothers was no problem. Cade’s eyes were a little lighter and he might have been an inch or two taller, but they had the same face shape and both were tall.
“The lady sitting on the end of the sofa with the baby is Cade’s wife, Retta, and the baby is Annie.” Rose could tell that Retta, even though she was sitting down, was tall. Her chestnut-colored hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and her big brown eyes glittered with happiness.
“I heard that you’ve met Levi and Claire, and Dixie and Sally,” Emily said, bypassing the next four folks in the room, “and that you sat beside Tag and Nikki in church this morning. That’s everyone, except Paxton, who’ll be coming in any minute. He thinks it’s bad luck to not finish listening to a song on the radio.” Emily smiled. “Everyone, this is Rose O’Malley and her aunt Luna. Luna is Miz Molly’s sister, one of the other ladies on the tour with our Fab Five.”
As if on cue, Paxton came in the door and yelled, “Hey, Emily, Hud said you needed to see me before I left?”
“In the living room,” Emily called out.
Hud slipped inside and crossed the room to stand beside Rose. When Paxton entered the room, everyone there yelled, “Surprise!”
“Whose birthday is it?” Paxton asked.
“It’s your going-away supper.” Emily pointed toward a banner with We’ll Miss You written in glitter with a set of twinkling Christmas lights around it. “We couldn’t let you leave us without throwing a party.”
Leaving without a party—the thought stuck in Rose’s mind. When she’d left the commune to go to the army, there had been no party. Her father rode to work with another guy that morning, and her mother had driven her into town. Normally, the women only got away from the commune once a month for necessary items they couldn’t supply themselves—like feminine items or maybe quilting fabric if they could afford it.
She wondered what kind of concession her mother had made for the privilege of taking her to the recruiter’s office that day.
“This is too much,” Paxton said. “Y’all know I hate goodbyes. You’re liable to see me cry over all this.”
“Well, don’t start boo-hooing right now,” Hud said. “Emily’s been cooking all your favorites all day, so what do you say we kick this party off with food, and since it’s your party, you can even go first. Just leave a little rigatoni for me, please.”
“And don’t go too hard on those hot yeast rolls.” Claire stood up with the help of a hand from her husband. “I’ve been craving them for a week.”
“Now this is a party,” Luna whispered to Rose and then leaned around to look up at Hud. “Thank you for inviting us.”
“My pleasure.” Hud took Rose’s hand in his. “Let me show you where the food and drinks are, and don’t be shy. My sister cooks for an army.”
“That comes from dealing with three big strapping brothers my whole life,” Emily said. “We didn’t even start breakfast if we didn’t have three dozen eggs in the house.”
“And two pounds of sausage,” Tag added as he picked up a plate at the end of the buffet line. “And you should see Hud put away pancakes. He can put the Hulk to shame.”
That word, goodbye, had stuck in Rose’s mind. It wouldn’t be long until she had to leave Texas and make the trip to Kentucky. Just thinking about leaving Hud put a lump in her throat.