Not just no, but hell no!” Emily popped her hands on her hips.
“But it ain’t a wild rodeo bull. It’s pretty tame,” Otis argued. “If Larry woulda helped me, I think I could’ve ridden him like a horse.”
Emily sent a dirty look toward Larry and shifted her gaze toward Otis. “And you, no amount of talkin’ will make me change my mind.”
“Okay then, how about horseback ridin’? It ain’t the same and it won’t impress the ladies, but at least I’ll be ridin’ something,” Otis asked.
Justin wasn’t a bit of help, standing over there in the corner of the ranch house, arms crossed and with one boot propped against the wall. He should’ve nipped this crazy notion in the bud when the two guys came to him with it. Some father he’d make! Whoever he married would have to wield the heavy hand while he’d be the good parent in the relationship.
Not a whole lot unlike Emily’s daddy. She could always talk him into anything, but not her mama. When Mama said no, it was definite, and a herd of wild bulls couldn’t change her mind.
“We could’ve just done it without askin’ nobody, but we gave you our word after the four-wheeler thing,” Larry said.
Justin straightened up and said, “I’ve got an idea. There’s a mechanical bull at the Rusty Spur. The bar doesn’t open until evening, but I know the owner, and she’d probably let us use old Demon if Emily would give the okay.” He looked her way and winked.
One wink and all her resolve went right out the window.
His eyes held hers without blinking. “You can even go with us to be sure that Demon don’t buck too hard. The ladies can spend some time at the ranch house, either with a movie or helping Retta pick out a color for the nursery.”
Otis begged with his eyes. Larry’s big grin and twinkling eyes said he would be so disappointed if she said no. Surely, it couldn’t hurt for them to ride the bull on a very low speed, but what if one of them fell off and broke a hip on her watch? The thought almost made her change her mind, and then the door burst open and a cold wind blew all the ladies into the ranch house.
“What are y’all doin’ in here?” Patsy asked. “Are you plannin’ something without us, Otis? Did she say y’all could ride the bull? We done told you that you couldn’t do something we can’t. I ain’t goin’ to stand on the sidelines and be a cheerleader. I’m going to ride the bull if you are.”
“Just like them to go behind our backs, ain’t it?” Bess frowned. “Well, we’re here now and we got on our jeans and boots and we’re doin’ whatever you get to do.”
Sarah raised her hand toward heaven. “Preach on, sisters.”
“We’re goin’ to ride the mechanical bull at a saloon,” Otis said.
“If Emily says yes,” Larry added.
“Yee-haw!” Patsy squealed. “I ain’t done that since we went to Billy Bob’s for my fiftieth birthday. I rode that sumbitch for eight seconds with a tequila in my free hand, and I didn’t spill a drop.”
“But only after she’d had five shots and a couple of margaritas before she mounted up.” Bess tilted her chin up defiantly. “I stayed on eight seconds, and I was sober as a judge.”
“Oh, hush!” Patsy nudged her on the arm. “I should’ve brought my cowboy hat. Can we go by the center and get it?”
“No, you can’t,” Emily said.
“Do we get to drink, since we’re in a honky-tonk?” Patsy asked.
“No, you don’t.” Emily raised her voice. “The only way I’m saying yes is if you promise you won’t drink. All of you are on meds that warn against drinking while taking them.”
All of them raised their right hands. “We promise.”
Justin was on the phone when she glanced his way. She couldn’t hear a single word he said for all the chatter and bets going on around her, but he finally nodded and gave her the thumbs-up sign.
“Okay, but only for one ride each. Justin will have to draw a map for me,” Emily said. Thank goodness the week was almost over. She shuddered to think of what they’d request next.
Justin pushed away from the wall. “I have to go pick up some supplies half a mile from the Rusty Spur. I’ll drive ahead of y’all and show you the way.”
“And afterward we can go out and eat at the Mexican place in Bowie,” Sarah said.
“Y’all want to break Retta’s heart,” Emily asked. “She put a ham in the oven and she’s making baked beans and sweet potato casserole, and she’s done all that because Larry and Patsy mentioned it being their favorite at supper last night.”
“Ride the bull and come home.” Patsy made the decision for all of them. “We can go out to eat any old time. Retta’s cookin’ is far better.”
Otis sighed. “I wish this was home.”
Larry laid a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “I’m dead serious about this. Anytime you want to rent out these bunkhouses to us, we’ll pay you what we give the center. You could make a lot of money and we’d be very happy living here. I’d even supervise any construction that you’ve got goin’ on and Otis would help on the ranch.”
“And we’d help Retta in the house and we’ll be damn fine babysitters.” Sarah clasped her hands together. “I always wanted to be a grandmother.”
Bess raised her hand. “I call first dibs on rockin’ the new baby.”
“Over my dead body,” Patsy said. “I’ll fight you for the first time.”
Justin raised an eyebrow toward Emily, as if he might actually be thinking about their proposal. He’d better not encourage them or he’d never hear the end of it.
“We’d better think about the present and see what happens in the future. Y’all get your cowboy boots on and meet us outside,” Justin finally said.
The sun was bright, but a chilly wind whipped her hair across her face as Emily headed outside. That didn’t prevent her from staring at Justin’s backside when he hurried ahead of her to open the van door. There was no justice in the universe. Making a man that fine and then turning him into a cowboy so she couldn’t have him was an unforgivable sin.
She settled into the driver’s seat. Justin stood outside the open door.
“I thought you were going to lead the way in your truck,” she said.
“I am,” he answered. “I just want you to know that we’d never bring five seventy-year-old people on the ranch permanently. But if we did, could we hire you to do the same job you are doing now?”
“Oh, no! I’ve got a job,” she said.
The Five were decked out in as much western attire as they could muster, but Otis was the only one who had a cowboy hat. They were all laughing and talking about how he had to share it.
“Ever ridden a fake bull?” Sarah asked Emily.
“One time and I stayed on the full eight seconds. But that was just to show my brothers I could do anything they could,” she answered. “Everyone strapped in and ready to go?”
“You bet we are,” Patsy said.
“Okay, let’s get on the road. I’ll lead the way.” Justin winked at Emily as he left the van.
“I brought a purse full of quarters,” Patsy said. “I’m going to plug them into the jukebox so we can dance before we leave. I ain’t been to a honky-tonk in more’n twenty years, and I’m sure goin’ to make the best of today.”
“What if you drop graveyard dead right in the middle of a dance? You damn sure ain’t no spring chicken anymore, sis.” Bess folded her arms over her chest and glared at Patsy.
“Then my prayers will be answered.” Patsy slid into the seat beside her. “I ain’t plannin’ to go out with a whimper. I’m finishin’ up this life with a bang and then I’m goin’ to slide into heaven shoutin’ at someone to open the doors. I won’t have the energy to do it myself because I done used up every bit of what the Good Lord done gave me to live every moment of my life. Remember what that preacher said when he came to the center a few weeks ago. He said we ain’t supposed to waste our talents.”
“And your talent is riding bulls?” Larry asked.
“Hell, no!” Patsy exclaimed loudly. “My talent is dancin’. You’ll see. I got lots of quarters.” She patted her purse.
“What if nobody wants to dance with you?” Bess asked.
“I don’t need a partner. I just need a pole and I bet there’s at least a support beam in that place,” Patsy teased.
As she drove behind Justin’s truck, Emily wondered how she’d go out of the world. Would it be with regrets or would she have used up all her talents? Would Patsy be waiting at the Pearly Gates to guide her into heaven?
Granny used to say that when you’re faced with a fork in the road always take the one that looks like it would make you happy and never think about the other one again. If Emily had two paths of life before her right at that moment, she wondered which one she’d take, and would there be regrets.
The Five were so excited when they saw the honky-tonk that they’d left their seats and were waiting at the door when Emily came to a stop. They hurried out of the vehicle and even beat Justin to the door and then inside the old weathered wood building.
“I hope they’re not disappointed,” Justin said as he walked beside her.
“It could be a corrugated steel building with a dirt floor and they’d be happy,” Emily said.
A tall blond woman yelled from behind the bar, “I’m Vivien and I set the rules in this place. You got to have a drink before you can conquer old Demon.”
Emily’s eyes widened and she started to say something.
“It’s just root beer,” Justin whispered. “I called Viv on the way here and told her the rules. No liquor, and Demon is tired this morning, so he’s only going to buck on slow speed.”
“I’ll have a double shot of Jack?” Otis said.
“Honey, I can spot a fake ID a mile away and there ain’t no way a one of you is over twenty-one, so it’s root beers all around. But Demon is waiting for you, and the jukebox is hungry for quarters, so you can dance after the rides. But first a drink because you got to loosen up to ride my bull.”
“She’s good,” Emily said.
“Yep, best therapist in the whole world as well as bartender. She’ll take lots and lots of secrets to her grave.”
Emily wondered how many of Justin’s secrets she’d be taking to the grave with her. Maybe the count of all the women he’d been with, along with their names?
“We’re the Fab Five,” Larry said. “This here is Patsy, Bess, Sarah, and Otis is already on a barstool.
“And I’m Larry.” He turned up the root beer and took a long gulp, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I reckon we’ll be gentlemen and let the ladies ride Demon first.”
“There’s plenty more root beers where those came from, so y’all drink up, and then we’ll wake old Demon up,” Vivien said.
Patsy took a sip and then headed toward the jukebox. “Let’s get us some music goin’. I’ve been out of honky-tonks too long. I used to get six songs for a quarter. Now I only get one. But I don’t care. I’m goin’ to put every one of these coins in this thing.”
“If you run out, I’ve got some in my pocket,” Larry said.
“Well, would you look at this? They’ve got our kind of music, Larry. There’s some of the old stuff on here. First of all, ‘Looking for Love.’”
Larry raised his bottle.
Justin held out his hand to Emily. “May I have this dance, darlin’?”
She’d danced at Christmas with a cousin or two, but it had been years since she’d two-stepped with a cowboy. The last time was at a high school dance, and it had not been a pleasant experience. The guy only danced with her because he’d lost a bet to some other kids, and that was his penance.
“I ain’t never seen her two-step, or dance at all for that matter,” Patsy said.
Emily put one hand on Justin’s shoulder and tucked the other one into his. He pulled her close and began to move around the dance floor with her. She was sure glad that two-stepping, like riding a bicycle, all came back to her because Justin was an excellent dancer.
When the song ended, he stepped back and bowed slightly to kiss her knuckles. “Thank you for the dance.”
Her voice came out in a whisper. “You must’ve had lots of practice.”
“Little bit.” He grinned.
The Fab Five applauded like they were judges on a reality TV competition.
“Okay, who’s first?” Vivien called out when the noise died down. “Demon says he’s ready to buck someone off on their ass this mornin’.”
“Me,” Patsy yelled. “I played this song special for my ride.”
“Ring of Fire” started as Larry got into the ring and helped her up on the bull.
She pointed at Otis. “Give me your hat or else that empty bottle.”
He threw his hat like a Frisbee. She caught in on the fly, looped her fingers through the rope around Demon’s neck, and held the hat up with her right hand.
“Let ’im out of the chute.” Patsy nodded at Vivien.
Vivien pushed a button and Demon started to buck. Emily held her breath. If that was a slow speed, she’d never want a single one of them to try the fastest speed. Eight seconds seemed to last three hours, and when Vivien ended the ride, Emily blew out all the air in her lungs in a whoosh.
Justin laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
“One down, four to go,” she whispered.
Bess reached for the hat. “My turn because ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ is my favorite, and that’s what is playin’ next. I’ll think about Billy Ray when he was young while I’m on the bull.”
Emily sucked in another lungful of air and covered Justin’s hand with hers. About halfway into the ride Bess almost fell off, and Emily squeezed his hand hard.
“Breathe, darlin’,” he whispered.
“I can’t,” she gasped. It wasn’t until the next four seconds had passed that she refilled her lungs. “Why did I ever agree to this?”
“Look?” Justin pointed to the dance floor, where Patsy was dancing all by herself.
“And this one is mine,” Sarah yelled. “‘Tennessee Whiskey’ is startin’ up. If I’d ever found a man who’d sing this song to me I might not be an old maid today. Give me that hat, Bess.”
“Don’t worry, honey,” Vivien said. “They’ll all make their eight seconds and live to tell the stories about it.” She pointed toward the dance floor. “And I’m guessin’ that the way Patsy is dancin’, this ain’t her first honky-tonk.”
Sarah slapped the hat down on her head, grabbed an empty bottle, and held it up the whole time she was on Demon’s back. “Yee-haw! I got this, Emily. Take a picture. The folks at the center ain’t never goin’ to believe it. They’ll be beggin’ for you to take everyone to the ranch.”
“There will never, ever be another ranch vacation,” Emily muttered as she snapped a picture.
As soon as Sarah finished her ride, she joined Patsy and Bess on the dance floor, and the three of them swayed to the next song on the jukebox. Thank God, there were only two more days of this vacation. If the Five stayed at the ranch any longer than that, Emily’s hair would turn gray.
When Otis finished up his ride, he settled his hat on his head and took a bow. “I still got it.”
Vivien led in the applause and then said, “I think it’s time for another root beer to wet the whistle. Y’all did a fine job.”
“Yes!” Patsy yelled. “Give me another beer! Emily, can we dance for thirty minutes before we go?”
She checked her watch. “That’ll be the limit.”
“Oh, oh!” Sarah pointed at the jukebox. “This one is for you and Justin. Y’all got time for one more dance.”
Justin raised an eyebrow and opened his arms.
She walked into them, and they moved together across the floor. “You know that they’re playin’ matchmaker, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, I know.” He laid his chin on the top of her head. “We might as well make them happy. I’ve never danced with a woman like you.”
“You mean a big girl?”
“No, ma’am. Besides being sexy, you’re tall enough that I don’t have to bend to put my cheek next to yours. And you know my every dance move before I even make it. I could stay on this floor with you all night.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said.
“No, ma’am, I don’t.”
She leaned back and locked eyes with him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yep, I am, and I’d like to see you again after you leave the ranch. Would you go to dinner and maybe a movie with me?”
She wanted to say no. She really did, but somehow the word wouldn’t come out of her mouth—he’d called her sexy, and he’d meant it. That deserved at least a possibility, right?
“I thought we already had a date in the cabin,” she said.
“You don’t kiss on the first date, so that one don’t count,” he teased.
“Okay, then, call me sometime and we’ll see.”
“You can depend on it, and now for the grand finale so they’ll have something to talk about.” He bent her backward and planted a scorching hot kiss on her lips.
When the kiss ended, he brought her back to a standing position. The Fab Five were staring at her with big grins on their faces, but her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.
Justin picked up his hat from the bar, settled it on his head at just the right angle, and waved as he left the bar. “I’ll see everyone at noon.”
“Why don’t you do that to me after a dance?” Sarah asked Larry.
“Because I’d pop my hip out of place, and besides one of my kisses would shoot your blood pressure so high, you’d stroke out. I don’t want to go to jail for murder.” Larry chuckled.
Emily’s knees still felt weak, so she backed up and sat on a barstool. She could fully well expect them to want to talk about that kiss on the way home, and she needed to think about how she’d answer them. Something cold touched her arm, and she jumped like she’d been burned.
“Sorry about that, sweetie. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Vivien said. “I poured you up a double shot of Jack Daniel’s. It’ll cool you down after that kiss?”
That was her favorite whiskey. Vivien had even put one cube of ice in it. How did she know exactly what Emily liked?
“I shouldn’t. I have to drive them back to the ranch.” She stared at it longingly.
“Honey, no offense meant here, but a woman your size won’t be in trouble with that much whiskey. And let me tell you a secret. I’ve been servin’ Justin Maguire drinks since before he was twenty-one. He was one of the first kids who had a fake ID that I didn’t catch. By the time I caught on, he was old enough to buy it legal. I’ve seen him drive home after a night of doin’ nothing but dancin’ the leather off his boots and only one beer in him. And then I’ve seen him talk some cute little bar bunny into going home with him. But I’ve never seen his eyes light up when they looked at any woman like they did when he danced with you.”
“But…” Emily stammered.
“He’s a good man with a big heart who makes his livin’ runnin’ his ranch. Now I ain’t runnin’ your business, but, sweetie, think about it real hard before you slam the door on an opportunity.” Vivien wiped down the already clean bar with a white cloth. “I know that man,” Vivien said. “Now you do what you want with that information. From here on, it ain’t a bit of my business, but you can trust him. I’d swear to that on my mama’s grave.”
Emily took a sip of the Jack, held it in her mouth a few seconds, and then swallowed. There wasn’t a doubt that she could trust Justin. But could she trust herself? It would be so easy to fall for him.