Dodge the Bullet (8 page)

Fred tried to keep his patience with the man
who’d promised him water. Water would make every acre of land
fertile. He wondered for the millionth time if Burwick could
deliver. But until he knew for sure, he needed to keep his cool.
But keeping calm wasn’t one of Fred Saxton’s strong suits. “We’ve
been over this before, Senator. This site offers the easiest access
for residents and provides the best views. Not to mention the fact
that we need every acre of creek front property for the higher end
lots. Now, listen,” Fred said. They could discuss landscaping over
the phone, but the face-to-face meetings were reserved for things
of a more delicate nature. “What progress have you made on the land
acquisition? Last time we talked, you assured me that land in
Hailey would be under contract within three months and I haven’t
heard about your merry widow packing up and leaving town. Tell me
you’ve got some good news, because my creditors are getting
antsy.”

“There’s been a glitch.”

“That’s what you said last time. You said
you’d take care of it.”

“Well, I thought I had it covered, but my
guy in Hailey messed up. But,” Benji said with his hands raised,
“I’ve made changes to the plan. I’m implementing them as we
speak.”

Fred moved to stand behind Benji, spoke into
the starched collar of his cotton shirt. “Senator, you’ve got one
month to get that property under contract or I’m taking matters
into my own hands.”

Benji whipped around to face him. “Now,
Fred. Don’t go getting all worked up over this. I told you I was
going to take care of it and I will. You’ve just got to be
patient.”

“I’m fresh out of patience. I’ve done my own
research. There are less than a handful of properties that would
allow us to augment the water use of a project this size. The
Woodward place is the best choice and by some accounts our only
option. I’ve given you plenty of time to wrap this up. In one month
I’ll see to it myself that she agrees to sell. And when she does,
it’ll be to me, not to you.”

“So if I don’t have her place under contract
in a month you’re cutting me out?”

“If I garner this deal on my own, you’ll
have been no use to me, Senator. And a smart businessman like
yourself knows the one who pays gets to play.” Fred turned to walk
back to his jeep and Benji grabbed his arm.

“Saxton, we had a deal.”

Benji dropped his hand when he recognized
the threat on Saxton’s face.

“One for which you haven’t delivered. I’ll
be in touch.”

###

“Hey, what are you doing?” Lyle asked Kevin.
He’d slipped away when they’d returned to the ranch from the
airport and been gone for the better part of the afternoon. Lyle
had found him near the eastern edge of the property, skipping rocks
in a spot where the water ran deep and still.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

Lyle picked up a small flat rock and watched
it skip across the water toward the farthest bank. “Mom sent me to
find you. The guy who lent her the truck is coming over. She wants
us at home to meet him.”

“My home’s in Georgia.” Kevin could feel the
anger simmering through his body. He’d never think of this place as
home or forgive his mother for dragging him away from everything he
knew and loved.

“You know what I mean,” Lyle said. “I’ve
been looking for you for awhile, so she’s probably pretty pissed by
now. We’d better get back.”

“You run off and seal your fate as her
favorite. I’ll go back to the cabin when I’m ready.”

“What do you want me to tell her, Kev?”

“I don’t really give a damn.” He turned to
search the riverbank for the perfect skipping rock. He used to skip
rocks with his dad in this spot when they’d visit in the summer.
His dad had taught him the perfect kind of rock to look for—flat
and small. He’d showed him how to throw it side arm and catapult it
across the tranquil surface. It was weird, driving back on the
property knowing his dad wouldn’t be around to throw the football,
ride ATV’s or skip rocks along the river. Kevin had learned to fish
their first summer in Colorado before the cabin was built. The
summer his dad died was when he’d promised to teach Kevin to shoot
a gun.

Being in Colorado without his dad felt like
betraying his memory. The cabin had always felt so warm and cozy,
but now it seemed to strangle the breath out of his chest. He
couldn’t stay inside for more than a few minutes before feeling an
overwhelming need to get outside. He wasn’t staying there, he knew
that for sure. He’d thought of nothing else on the plane ride but
how he’d get back to Georgia. He didn’t know how exactly, but he
was going back in a few days with Jenny no matter what his mom
said. She didn’t care about what he wanted anyway. All she cared
about was getting as far away from home and all the stuff that
reminded her of dad. All the stuff that brought him the greatest
sense of comfort. He hated his mom for making him come out here.
And as mad as he was at her, he was even madder at his dad for
leaving them alone.

He was the only kid he knew who didn’t have
a father. Lots of his friends’ parents were divorced and their dads
didn’t live with them anymore. But they still got to see them and
hang out and stuff. And Lyle didn’t count because he didn’t seem to
be upset about dad much anymore. He’d been sad at first and a
little angry, but maybe he wasn’t old enough to realize all the
things they were going to miss out on without a dad. Or maybe he
just didn’t care because he’d always been mom’s favorite, now more
than ever.

He had to find a way to convince Jenny to
take him back with her. He needed to live in Georgia and go to
school with his friends and keep seeing Jessica and just forget
about all the bad stuff that’d happened in the last two years. If
he could get Jenny on his side, she could talk mom into it because
mom always said she was a little bit afraid of her. He heard Lyle
sigh and turned to see him walk slowly back toward the cabin,
listened to the crunch of leaves and twigs under his feet and the
lonely call of a hawk in the distant sky.

###

Lyle heard gravel spray the underbelly of
his mom’s old truck as he emerged from the woods near the cabin. He
could hear his mom and aunt talking on the deck. The smell of the
clean air and woods filled his heart with memories of the laughter
and love they once shared as a family in the wide open space.
They’d always come here to escape what mom called their
unmanageable schedule at home. As crazy as it was, home had
included a father who always had a smile and time to share when he
wasn’t out of town. It also included a brother who could speak to
people without trying to make them feel stupid for trying.

Lyle had always felt free on the ranch,
kinda like Huck Finn, and he didn’t worry about school and sports
like he did at home. He thought he’d get that feeling again when
they’d gotten here, had hoped being here again would help him not
feel so sad all the time and help his brother not be so angry. But
if he thought moving here could change the way of things in his
family he’d been reminded moments ago just how wrong he’d been.

###

Dodge pulled to a stop next to his truck,
relieved to know he’d be going home in it instead of Sarah’s. Her
truck ran like a charm, but wasn’t built for anyone over six feet.
He’d just come around the hood when Sarah emerged from the
cabin.

“Lyle, come meet Dodge, sweetie” she said to
the boy who’d walked out of the woods. “Where’s your brother?”

“Hey.” Lyle stuck out his hand to shake
Dodge and looked him in the eye. “You’ve got a sweet truck, Mr.
Dodge. Sure you don’t want to keep mom’s a little while
longer?”

Dodge looked down at the kid’s friendly
face. He had a surprisingly strong handshake for an eleven-year-old
and a quality about him that put Dodge at ease. “You think your mom
would consider a trade, young man?”

Lyle’s quick smile showed a set of boyish
dimples. He knew right away Lyle would be beating the girls off
with a stick.

“I can talk her into just about anything,
Mr. Dodge. And I like your truck a heck of a lot better than
ours.”

“Call me Dodge, kid. I think my truck is
safe.” He winked at Sarah. “Your mom’s very loyal to her
clunker.”

Dodge stiffened when another woman walked
from the cabin onto the drive. She was roughly the same size and
shape as Sarah, but her hair was bright blonde and her eyes were a
dark, almost midnight blue. She had a hard look about her. He
pegged her as either a cock tease or man hater.

She cleared her throat by way of
introduction.

“Where are my manners,” Sarah said. “This is
my sister, Jenny. Jenny, A.J. Dodge.”

Jenny sauntered two steps forward and stuck
out her hand and her chest and batted her lashes. Dodge took her
outstretched hand in his own and gave Jenny the once over.

“Jenny,” Dodge said. “It’s a pleasure to
meet you.”

“Ummm,” Jenny purred. “The pleasure is all
mine, I assure you.”

He looked over at Sarah and had to fight not
smile. He recognized the look on Sarah’s face--he’d seen it a
million times on the faces of his sisters whenever a boy was
around. She was jealous. It pleased him more than it should have,
seeing Sarah sneer at her sister.

Sarah turned to Lyle. “Did you find
Kevin?”

Lyle looked at his feet and shrugged. “Yeah,
he’s skipping rocks down by the river. Said he’d be back in a
little while.”

Dodge watched disappointment wash over
Sarah’s face. He knew just what it felt like to disappoint the ones
you love the most. He wanted to comfort her. What was it about her
that brought out every protective instinct?

“It’s just as well,” she said. “He’s more
than a little angry about being here, so I don’t imagine he’d make
the best impression anyway. We’re just heading into town for
dinner, whenever Kevin decides to grace us with his presence. Would
you like to join us?”

“That’s a tempting offer, but I’ll have to
pass. I need to trailer one of my tractors over to my dad’s place.
I’m sure he’s expecting me to stay. But another time.”

“Tomorrow then, after the horses? Will you
plan to stay for dinner? I’d really like Kevin to meet you and to
properly thank you for letting us borrow your truck. It pains me to
say you were right--we never would have fit in mine.”

“Of course I was right. Do you want me to
bring more horses for Jenny and the boys?”

Sarah’s smile waffled. “Two horses should be
fine. The boys can ride after we check out the other side, if
that’s okay?”

“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be fine. I’ll see
you around noon?”

“Perfect.”

“It was nice to meet you, Lyle,” Dodge said,
and then turned to face Jenny, tipped his hat. “Jenny.”

Jenny eyed him with open appreciation.
“Dodge.”

He chuckled all the way back to his truck
and wondered how two sisters could look so much alike and be so
different.

###

It was almost dark when Kevin came back to
the cabin. He walked in as though nothing were wrong, even though
he knew his mom would be worried. When he climbed the stairs, he
found only Jenny and Lyle playing cards on the coffee table by the
indoor fireplace.

Jenny glanced over her cards and her
eyebrows rose in warning. “You’re not making a really good start
out here, you know.”

Kevin threw his jacket on the back of a
stool and shrugged. “Where’s mom?”

“Out looking for you. She’s worried and you
will
be in trouble.” She discarded an eight of clubs into a
pile on the table. Lyle picked it up with a smile.

“Gin,” Lyle said. Jenny grimaced as he
fanned out his card for her to admire. She watched Kevin sit on the
couch and pretend to look around for his iPod.

“Aren’t you even going to try to get along
with her?” Jenny asked. “She can’t be the only one who makes an
effort, Kev. You’re going to have to meet her in the middle.”

“Why are you defending her all the sudden? I
thought you understood how I felt about moving out here.”

“She’s my sister and she’s been through
enough without you throwing your anger in her face every time she
turns around. You need to cut her a break. She’s doing the best she
knows how.”

“
She’s
been through enough? What
about me? What about us?” He swung his arm around to include Lyle
into the argument. “She’s the one who insisted we move here without
even asking us if we wanted to, not that she’d care. Then she gets
mad when we aren’t overjoyed to be here. Well, tough. I’m not happy
about being here and I’m not going to pretend to be just to make
her feel better. This was her big idea and she’s going to have to
live with the consequences.”

“Are you through?” his mom asked from the
top of the stairs. Her cheeks were red from the cold.

Kevin looked up, still breathing hard from
his outburst with Jenny.

“You’re right,” she said. “I don’t care if
you don’t want to be here. It hurts me to see you upset because we
had to move, but it was my decision to make and I wouldn’t change
my mind even now. You’re going to have to get used to the idea that
this is our home and that’s all there is to it. I’m the only parent
you’ve got and I won’t tolerate you talking to me or about me like
you just did. And I won’t have you speak to Jenny that way,
either.”

“We didn’t
have
to move, mom. The
only reason we did was because you couldn’t stand to see us moving
on without you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean Lyle and I still had friends and
school and a life. Since dad died, everybody’s been keeping their
distance from you because you’re a big downer all the time. So just
because your friends couldn’t stand to hear you whine anymore you
up and move us to the middle of nowhere so we can all be miserable.
Well, I hope you’re happy because it worked--we’re miserable!”