Botie…

I hear that old truck of Nick’s coming up the drive and I finish driving the last nail in the loft ladder I just repaired. I don’t know why Nick was in such a hurry to get the repairs done around here—they have been this way for years. Nick is a frugal man if I put it nicely and downright cheap if I don’t. Most older men around here are the same way. They have lived through the lean years and were taught how to stretch a dollar. I was taught the same lessons. I have also learned the hard way that everything that is beautiful is not worth the effort. That’s one lesson I will never forget and one that I am not interested in repeating. I just wish I could forget the memories that go with that lesson.

“Nick is here, and he has some people in that old truck of his with him. I think one of them is Haddie, but I couldn’t make the other person out; they were too far away. Is this why Nick wanted us to hang around until he got here this morning?” Trask, my best friend, walks in the barn through the back door he’d been repairing.

“I don’t know why Nick wanted us here this morning. I just know he said to be here, and he would get here as soon as he could. Why would Haddie be with him?” I have heard rumors that Nick was thinking about selling this place again. I don’t believe he’ll sell this place but maybe Haddie is going to help Nick pack some of Christine’s things up. The last time I was in the house it looked exactly like Christine had left it. Her afghan still lying across the back of the sofa and her rubber boots still by the back door. I don’t know if I will ever feel the kind of love that Nick and Christine had—the same love my mom and dad have. Women these days don’t know fidelity. All they want is the next thrill or thing that glitters. I don’t think the chance at love outweighs the pain of failure.

“Dad said that he heard in town that Nick is going to sell this place to some drifter and that pissed him off. He called Nick last night and tried to purchase the property and everything that goes with it from him, but Nick shut him down. Nick knows the first thing my dad would do is bulldoze the house to the ground. I think that would kill Nick even if he didn’t own the place anymore. I hope this drifter is ready for the hell my dad will give him.” Trask and his dad have a complex relationship. Donald, his dad, is a hard man. He thinks because he has the biggest ranch in Kendall County that his word should be law and everyone else is below him. In my experience, monetary possessions can never replace a family that loves you. I know Trask loves his dad, but I also know that Trask doesn’t respect him for many reasons. In a lot of them Trask is justified in my eyes. Donald has stepped away from the work at the ranch to be able to stay in Austin and San Antonio and hob knob with the other rich ranchers while expecting Trask to do everything. His wife Skeeter expects and demands it most of the time. It is beneath them to be in our small town of Comfort, but their ranch makes their money so someone must do the work. Trask’s younger brother, Branton, has moved away from Comfort and only comes back when he needs Donald to get him out of some situation—usually having to do with money—that he has gotten himself into. Branton is the golden son that Donald and Skeeter have put all their hopes in. They think Branton will marry a celebrity or someone with more money than they have who can invest more money into the ranch, and provide bigger contacts to make their ranch world known. Instead of relying on the ranch they have built from the ground up they think they can find an easier way to get to the next level. Trask has ideas to turn the ranch into a more prosperous enterprise, but it’s a long-term commitment and not anything that would put cash into his parents’ hands immediately. His family doesn’t listen to him, only the golden boy. Trask is the son that decided to stay home and go to a community college and work his ass off for his dad and Branton went to the big-name school and was thrown out the first year. Go figure. Branton and my brother, Hawkins, have a lot in common.

“I guess it’s time for us to go and ask Nick what he has planned instead of making presumptions. We sound like the gossips in town.” Trask smiles at that. Everyone calls the ladies at the church town gossips, but we all know how anything that’s new or if something changes in the community the word spreads like a wildfire during drought season. The men in our town are as bad as the women. I walk over and put the hammer back in the old wooden toolbox. I don’t want to give Nick anything to fuss at us over. Trask and I walk out of the barn and I see Nick stopping his old truck in front of the house. I squint my eyes from the bright sun, and they adjust in time to see one of the most beautiful women I have ever been blessed to see getting out of Nick’s truck. Trask and I both look at each other and then back to the woman. We have slowed our walking towards the house. Nick may need a few minutes to show the woman around the house.

“Isn’t she something? The women around here are going to hate her. She’s the hottest thing I have seen around here since. . . well hell, ever.” I can’t argue with Trask’s observation. “Think I’ll ask her to dinner in town. I bet we could find something to occupy our time. She’ll have all the guys asking her out if she sticks around.”

“Have you thought that maybe she’s married or engaged?” I laugh at the face Trask makes.

“If she doesn’t tell then neither will I. We can keep it on the down low. In fact, that sounds like the perfect relationship to me. I get what I need and so would she. I don’t need or want a relationship and married women can’t ask for a ring the day after you bag her.” I cut my eyes to Trask. This is one of the things that Trask and I don’t agree upon. There are only a few dozen single women in Comfort close to our age. Younger women are too immature and want to party too much. Too much alcohol and five in the morning wake-up calls don’t mix. They are down for the no relationship thing for a while but then the parents or friends come into the picture and the subject of weddings always comes up. Women our age or older go from dinner and a movie straight to calling the minister. I will never be in a committed relationship again. I don’t want the heartache and a married or spoken for woman is off my radar. I won’t go there, and the way Trask talks about bagging a woman or the details of his sex life with whatever woman is disrespectful if you ask me. You can do the deed and walk away and not be disrespectful. I am a grown man but if either my mom or dad heard me talking about any woman the way Trask does, I would be getting a trip to the wood shed. One of Dad’s rules is to never disrespect any female and it’s a rule I always try to live by. It’s right up there with the rules to never strike a woman and always protect them.

“I’ll stick to the single women.” Trask doesn’t say anything to that. “There is the chance that woman just wouldn’t find you attractive. Maybe you won’t be her type.” That makes Trask laugh.

“I’m everyone’s type. Haven’t you heard the gossip? If a female has an itch that needs scratched, then I am her scratcher.” I don’t know who laughs the loudest at that one. We are still laughing when we make it to the house where Nick is pointing something out to Haddie and the mystery woman. Trask and I step up on the porch and three pairs of eyes are on us.

“What has gotten into you two? We heard that cackling before you got here. What’s so funny?” Nick asks us. Trask and I look at each other and bust out laughing.

“Nothing at all Nick. Just trying to make this day go by a little faster by poking fun at each other,” Trask says and then he turns towards the woman beside Haddie. Trask takes his hat off. “Hello beautiful. My name is Trask and,” Trask points his hat at me, “this here is my buddy Botie.” Trask is trying to blatantly flirt with the woman. Her cheeks turn a little pink, but I can see her trying to size Trask up. I take my cap off. The woman looks at me.

“Nice to meet you ma’am,” I say politely. I look the woman over and I can see that this woman is younger than I thought. I’m guessing early twenties which is much younger than Trask and myself since both of us are thirty. The youth doesn’t take away from her beauty and I must admit my jeans became a little tighter in some places looking at her tight slim body. She’s a little too thin but her ample breasts make up for that. Her ass is round and firm. I shouldn’t be noticing her assets—it’s rude to ogle—but I am a man who hasn’t been laid lately. Her hair is a dark blonde bordering on very light brown with natural red highlights and she has the biggest blue eyes I would love to get lost in. The thoughts running through my head are not ones that I have had in a long time, and I don’t know this woman or anything about her. The best thing for me to do is ignore the attraction I have for her and put distance between us.

“That’s enough Romeo,” Haddie says stepping between Trask and the woman. “Sage this is the local Romeo, in other words he’s a shameless flirt. Don’t you pay him any attention. He’s a good boy but he has broken more hearts in Kendall County than all the others combined, and he isn’t the sticking around kind.” Nick and I both laugh at that. Haddie is right, Trask has a reputation of loving and leaving. That’s putting it kindly because what Trask does has nothing to do with love and his brother, Branton, is the same way. “Boys, this is Sage and she has been staying with me at the bed-and-breakfast. She’s wanting to set down some roots and she thinks Comfort is the place to do just that.” Haddie doesn’t notice the uncomfortable look on Sage’s face. Sage is hiding something, and she doesn’t want people knowing her business. Just what I thought, another woman with secrets.

“It’s nice to meet you Sage and welcome to Comfort.” I turn towards Nick. “Nick, we just came to find out if there is anything else you need us to do before we leave. I have things to do at home, so I won’t be able to stick around all afternoon.” I can see Trask frowning at me.

“Let’s go in the house for a minute. I need to let you and Trask in on a few things that may happen if today goes like I think it will.” I can’t argue with that. Nick opens the door and walks in. Nick never locks his house unless he is going out of town for some reason. Haddie and Sage walk in behind Nick and Trask and I follow. Trask is giving me a questioning look. I guess I just sidetracked his plans. He wants the challenge of a new conquest and that conquest is Sage. I don’t need to be around to witness it. Sage hasn’t said anything, but her eyes are taking everything in and she has a look of wonderment in her eyes as if she is in awe of the place.

“Trask will you go out and get the bag behind the seat of the truck. I stuck it back there and then forgot it. It’s a light lunch for us,” Haddie asks Trask because she knows Trask would never say no to her. I think Haddie is trying to get him out of the room.

“It’ll only take a minute. I’ll be right back.” Trask goes out the door and it no sooner closes that Haddie turns to Nick.

“Are you sure you want to discuss this before it’s a done deal, Nick? You know Trask is going to go straight to Donald with anything you say in front of him and you don’t even know if you are selling to Sage yet.” What? Surely not. This wisp of a woman can’t seriously be considering buying this place.

“Do you have a husband to work this farm with you, a boyfriend, or any male help at all?” I hear the words but didn’t realize I was going to say them out loud. Think them, yes, say them no. I almost want to take them back. I know they sound condescending but there is no way Sage can be out here by herself. I see Sage straighten her back and I see the flash of anger in her eyes. Sage is beautiful but with that fiery look in her eyes she is stunning.

“It doesn’t take a man to be able to work a farm. I am very capable of learning how to do the work myself or I can hire a hand or two if I need them—either way I am sure I’ll survive.” Sage is full of sass, but sass will not run a farm on a daily basis.

“That’s true but are you ready to have farmhands bunk in your house? Because that bunk house needs a lot of work. I’m sure there are plenty of men around here that will sign up for that job, but it’s springtime and most people in these parts have more work than they can handle on their own property so even though this has been entertaining I need to get back to my own place and get my work done there.” I look at Nick and nod at him and he nods back letting me know he knows I need to leave, or am I running? Sage has this pull on me and I hate it, no, I damn well won’t let that woman pull me into her clutches. “Nick just let me know if you need me for anything else.”

“That goes for me too,” Trask says with a sappy grin on his face. He is waiting for Sage to catch his flirty smile, but she is too busy shooting daggers at me with her eyes. “I wouldn’t mind helping out if it includes a few free meals.” Now Trask is waiting for an invitation but Sage turns and grabs Haddie’s hand and they walk back toward the kitchen.

“Never known you to be a rude man towards anyone Botie. Do you have a problem with Sage because I can tell you now that I have set my mind on selling this place to her if we can come to terms. I like what I know of Sage and from what she has told Haddie and me this farm is her future. I like that idea, but I thought your family would take a liking to her. I thought Donald would be the thorn in her side just like he has been to me.” Nick looks at Trask. “No offense Trask, but your dad can be a cantankerous old cuss.”

“None taken. No one understands the pain in the ass my dad can be better than me,” Trask says with no sign of being the least bit offended by what Nick stated. I turn and face Nick head on.

“That woman has dreams in her eyes and farm living is no picnic. You are doing her a disservice by letting her think this is easy-living. I’m sure Mom will love having another female so close, but Sage needs to know that we will only be neighbors. Don’t think that I don’t know that you and Haddie were trying to match either Trask or me up with Sage this morning or you wouldn’t have us doing bullshit work. You know as well as I do that as soon as the men around here find out Sage is staying; they will be lined up for her attention. Nothing wrong with that, but I won’t be one of them, and you know how Trask is with women.” Nick has a guilty look on his face.

“Message received. Haddie just thought that you might take a liking to Sage and could give her some advice on the farm when she needs it and if one thing led to another then so be it, but I will nip the idea in the bud with Haddie. You know women, always wanting to match make but if I do sell to her, I would appreciate it if you could look in on her occasionally and give me a call if she needs anything. That girl is independent and proud; I don’t think she will be asking for help.” Nick is sincere with his request. I guess Sage has gotten to the old coot.

“I can do that, but I’m serious about getting back to work at our place.” Nick steps over to me and we shake hands and then he turns and shakes Trask’s hand and I think we’re going to get out of here without any further discussions.

“Trask, I am not a man to get in anyone’s business, but I am asking if you have an interest in Sage to proceed with care. I can’t disclose any information, but that girl has had a rough few years and she needs to be handled gently.” Trask and I look at each other and then to Nick but Nick has already turned and is walking into the kitchen. I want to go after him and ask questions, but I know if I do that then I’m asking for trouble. Trouble I don’t want or need. I think Trask is thinking the same thing.

“Let’s go see what your mom has left to eat.” Trask is always ready for a plate of my mom’s food.

“Sounds good to me.” We turn and leave the house, but Sage is still in my head.