“I’ve been thinking about the ranch is all,” said Opal. To change the subject, she said, “Why aren’t you dancing with your hubby?”
“You know perfectly well why I’m not. Damn fool is drunk again.”
“What about Roy?”
“What about him?”
“Are you still seeing him on the side?”
She shrugged. “When I get a chance. I got to have some good time in my life.”
Tillie was tall, thin, and smoked too much. She could use the money she’d get when Opal was gone, if the ranch were sold off and the proceeds split among the relations. At least, her relations were still talking to her. Sometimes they didn’t talk to each other. Tillie was smart, but her life was hard. Ranch life was always hard. As Henry used to say, “I’ve been a gambler all my life. I’m a rancher.”
The climate in Harney Valley was harsh and unpredictable. The high altitude made for a short growing season. Some ranchers were owned by the banks, and beef and hay prices were often too low when selling or too high when buying or feeding. It was a rare breed that stayed with ranching full time. The family ranch was a dying institution. That’s what worried Opal. The younger ones didn’t seem to have the grit it took anymore to make a go of ranching. They moved away to the city looking for the jobs this small community couldn’t provide.
Tillie said, “Where’d you go, Aunt Opal? You seem to get lost more and more these days.”
Opal frowned. “You notice, too. I worry even myself.”
“You shouldn’t be throwing big wing dings like this,” said Tillie. “You’re getting up there. You need to take it easy. Retire. Get some of the nephews to run things around here.”
There’s the problem, thought Opal. “Who would you suggest out of all the nephews? They have jobs and their own problems or their own ranches to run.”
Tillie shook her head. “You’re right about that. I wish my Howie was better suited but he likes the bottle better than anything else.”
Fiona took her glass of wine, walked out the open front door, and stood on the covered porch, breathing the cool night air. She took a careful sip of wine. Should she be jealous of Suzie? She knew she was leading Jake on maybe a little. It was obvious how he felt. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to jump back into a one-on-one, not after her disastrous relationship with Rob Calloway. In hindsight it was sheer stupidity to get carried away with Rob, but at the time her hormones were spiraling out of control and had taken up residence in her brain. That was long ago and far away, or so it seemed now. But she still had a hollow feeling where her heart was, which made her dance away from commitment. Maybe she wasn’t the settling down kind. There were so many people yet to meet, places to go, experiences to live.
She sighed. Things were not going as she had envisioned. The bunk house was a mess. Opal was stalling on the house re-design. Maybe she didn’t have the money. Maybe it had been a fabrication to lure her out here. Maybe Jake had pressured Opal to get her to come. There were too many maybes. This country had its attractions though. She liked the big, wide openness of it. She should explore and enjoy it while she could. And what about those murders?
She went back inside, drawn by the sound of music starting again. An ensemble of guitar players and fiddlers had struck up a tune. This one had a loping cadence which put her in mind of the old west and a cowboy meandering along a dusty trail. It fit this country. Couples did the two-step around the dance floor. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who was singing. Jake. Jake Manyhorses was strumming a guitar and singing in a mellow, baritone voice. Something about his easy stance and the way he closed his eyes when he came to the chorus told her a lot about this man. He had passion, a passion for life and living it that she had seldom seen in anyone. She watched, mesmerized. The two other guitar players harmonized at the chorus. A stand up bass kept the beat, and the fiddler played a solo. When the song was over she clapped along with the others.
Jake looked her way and winked. The group played a few more songs, one a lively instrumental that featured Jake finger picking the guitar. Fiona had no idea the man had such musical talent.
When the set was over he walked over to her.
“I’m very impressed,” she said with a smile framing the words.
“At last.” He grinned like a happy puppy.
“No, really. You sounded great. Where did you learn to play and sing like that?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been around musicians all my life. That’s what you do when you don’t have TV or other stuff. You sit around with your buddies and play songs. I fill in sometimes with the worship team at church.
“You go to church?”
He laughed. “Sure, doesn’t everyone? I don’t go very often. It’s too hard to get away from ranching.” He shrugged. “I enjoy playing gospel hymns.”
“I’m learning a lot of things about you that I didn’t know before.”
“We haven’t known each other that long. This is get-to-know-each-other time. I sure am glad I impressed you. I thought I never would.”
She laughed. “Would you like to walk me home and sing another song?”
“You bet.”
They said good night to Opal and everyone they saw on their way to the door. Where did all these people come from? Looking out from Opal’s front porch there wasn’t a house in sight.
Some of the men clapped Jake on the back.
“Way to go, Jake,” said one.
“Lucky man,” said another.
She got the feeling they thought something was going on between them. What was going on anyway? She wished she didn’t feel so conflicted.
“What’s this about ghosts?” asked Jake when they had cleared the house and were on the dusty, dirt track that led to her fashionable address.
“Rosemary and Esme swear the bunk house is haunted.”
“Don’t listen to them. That was years ago. Opal had the place exorcised so there shouldn’t be any problem. She called in the Catholic priest in town who performed the ceremony.”
“You’re kidding,” she said, stopping to look at him.
“No, I’m not kidding. She really did and after that there weren’t any more problems with ghost sightings.”
“That’s a relief. I’m not partial to ghosts.” Exorcism was extreme in her book, but if it did the job, who was she to object?
“Do you know Hank Little?” she asked as they resumed their trek.
“They told you about Hank Little?”
The path took an uphill turn and with the evening of dancing her new Tony Llama boots started to pinch. How did anyone ever find these things comfortable?
“They did,” she said, trying not to limp.
“You don’t want to mess with that fellow. He’s a smooth talker and mean. I wouldn’t trust him.”
“His wives shouldn’t have either.”
Jake stopped and turned to her. “Stay away from him, okay? If he crosses your path, run the other way.”
He looked so serious that she had to agree. “Sure, I’ll stay away from him.”
“Good. Anyway, how’ve you been?”
“Decent. I’ve been decent. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Too long. Why didn’t you come when you said you were going to?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Things got busy. I went out to Australia for vacation like I said I would.”
“You didn’t take me.”
“No. I needed time to think after the fiasco back in Virginia. You made your feelings clear. I wasn’t sure about mine.”
“But you came. I’m glad you did. It’s good to see you.”
She studied his face. The planes of it were stark and strong. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Jake attractive, it was more she didn’t know what she wanted. “It’s good to see you, too. I wasn’t sure I’d come. But work slowed down so I thought now was the time to get the job done for Opal. I’ll admit I was curious about life here. It’s different.”