Chapter Thirteen
Cash
The Next Morning
I spent the early morning before the sun rose getting the horses out of their stalls and into the corral to be fed and watered. Then I mucked out the stalls one by one, whistling to keep my mind occupied while the sun began to creep up on the horizon. By the time the sky was fully awake, the stalls were cleaned, and everything else in the barn was in order. I’d worked hard the day before, running the tractor over the far field and fixing some of the fence line along the rear of the property after leaving Eric’s house, so I had the time to run into town and complete some much-needed errands now that the animals were taken care of.
I jumped into my old dusty pickup and drove into town, heading for the feed store first. I picked up a few things, loading them into the back of my truck, then swung by the grocery store, as it was still too early to go by the last place on my list. I picked up several things I needed, but not as much as usual, since Hailey had taken to shopping and cooking dinner for the both of us. I’d really miss the nights we spent eating and talking together once her research was done and she went back to where she belonged in October. I almost asked her last night if she’d considered staying on a little longer to see winter in Wyoming. For research, of course. But it hadn’t seemed right to say.
I loaded the groceries into the back of the truck along with the feed and drove over to my last destination in town before I headed back out to the ranch for another seven to ten days or so. I tried to keep my trips into Jackson to once a week, but here I was in town for the second time in two days. It was enough to make a guy itchy. Too many people and too much activity for comfort. So I bought double the feed I usually would, that way I wouldn’t need to come into town at all next week. Eric laughed when I mentioned my preference for being around as few people as possible, but Hailey seemed to understand, which was odd, considering she came from such a big city. I didn’t know how she did it. Being around all those people and the bustle of such a large place would make it impossible for me to ever get comfortable. The world took all kinds, I supposed.
I pulled into the parking lot of the small bookstore just as the clerk was turning the sign in the window over from Closed to Open. I got out of the truck and left it behind without locking the doors, and strode into the bookshop.
“Mornin’, Cash,” the clerk called, sending a sunny smile my way. I’d known Lulu for the last few years, since she started in the shop. I came in here often, and everyone who worked here knew me. I always made a point to stop by and grab a few books on my way out of town. If they didn’t have what I was looking for, they were more than happy to order it, which was great, especially since I didn’t have access to a computer or the internet out at the ranch. Hailey had poked fun at me a little over that, telling me I was the youngest elderly man she’d ever met. I smiled and took her ribbing without getting offended—nothing she said could be worse than the constant jokes Eric made at my expense over my dislike of technology. I just didn’t see the need for all that mess. I was happy reading books and living off the land as much as I could. There wasn’t anything available on the World Wide Web that would make me much happier than I already was with the view of the mountains in the distance and the fresh air in my lungs.
“Howdy, Lulu,” I said as I approached the counter where she was setting up for the day. She was around 20 or so, with strawberry blonde hair she wore cut just above her shoulders and crystal blue eyes that reminded me of Hailey, but she didn’t have cute little glasses that were always sliding down her nose. For a while, she’d seemed awfully interested in Eric, but he at least had the good sense to know to steer clear of robbing cradles. We were nearly in our 30s, for crying out loud. We didn’t belong with anyone in their teens, which Lulu was at the time. Anytime I looked at her, I couldn’t see anything but a little kid.
“What can I help you find today?” she asked with another smile. She was a sweet girl and one of the few people in town that I didn’t mind having a conversation with. She loved books, which was good enough for me, and she knew when to let me be and when to engage me in a chat. That put her a little ahead of Eric, if I was being honest. That boy didn’t know when to leave me the hell alone sometimes. But Lulu could go about her business while I spent 30 solid minutes wandering the shop, looking for what to buy next.
“I was wondering if you had any books by a woman named Hailey Young,” I said and noted Lulu’s surprised expression before she remembered to be professional. I knew what she was thinking before she even said it. From everything Hailey’d said about her own writing, I knew it wasn’t my usual cup of tea, but I liked reading and would pick up a book on any subject as long as it was well-written. I was interested to see how well Hailey could put together a story, but didn’t want to put her on the spot by coming right out and asking to see what she’d come up with since arriving at the ranch. The more I thought about it, the harder it was to keep from asking. This seemed like a good way to fully satisfy my curiosity without putting her on the spot.
Lulu started tapping away on the computer behind the counter, checking the store’s inventory as she lightly chewed on her bottom lip. She sometimes wore makeup, but today wasn’t one of those days. Her face was clean and blemishless. “It looks like we have one of them, her latest. It’s called Far from the Sun and is set in Los Angeles.” She smiled up at me, her eyes shining with a familiar playful light that never did much of anything for me. When I looked at her, I saw what might as well have been a 5-year-old. She was a sweet kid, and that was all. “That’s a far cry from Jackson, Wyoming.”
“It is indeed,” I agreed. “You don’t have any of her other books?”
Lulu shook her head as she continued to tap away on her keyboard. “Not in stock. We can order them if you like. She has three others besides the one we have, which was released last year. I’ve read all of them. She’s a great writer. You really feel like you know the characters and the setting, even if you’ve never been there, which of course I haven’t! Her descriptions are beautifully written, almost poetic. She hasn’t become widely known yet, but she will. It’s only a matter of time. Any fool can see she’s just about to break out. Her writing’s just that good.”
That was certainly a relief to hear. I didn’t know what I’d do if I read her book and found it terrible. Not that I’d ever say a word about it, but my opinion of her would likely change, and that was the last thing I wanted. I had quite a bit of respect for her and her chosen profession. If I’d been fortunate enough to be born with a few creative bones in my body, I’d have tried my hand at writing as well. But my efforts were better spent running the ranch.
“What kind of fiction does she write?” I asked. I’d asked Hailey this same question over dinner one night, but her answer had been all over the place, leaving me with more questions than answers. She was a lot less direct than I was used to. Not that it was a bad thing, just different. Everything about her was different. It was refreshing and aggravating, but in a good way, if that made any sense. She kept me on my toes, always guessing at what was going on in that curly blonde head of hers.
Lulu thought on that for a moment, her eyes rising to the ceiling like the answers were up there, and she just needed to find them. All of a sudden, she was staring at me again, her lips rising into another sunny smile. “I guess the best way to describe her style is to say it’s pretty intense. She writes mostly dramatic stories with a romantic subplot.” She must’ve seen the way my nose curled, because she held up a hand and hurried to add, “Not bodice-ripping romance stories! But there’s always a romantic subplot between two strong, dynamic characters. It’s well-written and believable. She doesn’t write tons of steamy scenes that are unnecessary, just the right amount for the story. The one we have is about a guy who’s trying his best to get out of a violent gang because of the woman he loves. It’s really good, Cash. I know that’s not the usual kind of thing you read, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
I was a bit taken aback by the description of the book. You looked at Hailey—a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman no taller than about 5-foot-6 and sweet as molasses—and didn’t expect her to be writing books about gang members in Los Angeles. Those just didn’t seem like the topics that would fire up her imagination. Now I couldn’t help wondering what kind of dramatic scene unfolded in her head when she looked around the ranch. What she’d seen so far hadn’t been terribly interesting. Just a man going through daily chores and going to bed early every night. I loved Wyoming and agreed it would make a great setting for a book, but I couldn’t see a dramatic story unfolding on a ranch like mine. But Hailey seemed excited enough about whatever she had cooking in that brain of hers that I was sure she’d found a topic to fire her up.
“What’s got you interested in Hailey Young’s books?” Lulu asked, one light eyebrow raised, her fingers still resting on the keyboard.
I shrugged as I thought of a decent-sounding excuse. I wasn’t about to tell her that Hailey was staying out at my place, especially after hearing what a fan she was. I didn’t think Hailey was out here to meet and greet readers. Seemed like she wanted to keep a low profile.
“Someone in town mentioned reading a few of her books and that I might like them.” I had to hope she didn’t ask after who’d mentioned it. I’d be up a creek then. I hardly talked to anyone in town besides Eric, and everyone knew he hadn’t spent much time reading since we left school. “They’d mentioned her being a sweet lady from the city. I’m surprised at the theme of her latest book.”
Lulu put a small hand on her hip as she cocked it to the side, her expression turning critical, though she was still smiling. “Women can write edgy stuff too, Cash Ogden.”
I put up my hands in surrender, smiling sheepishly at the hard look she was giving me. “I didn’t say they couldn’t.”
She giggled and sounded even younger than she was, that critical expression just melting away. “Anyway, Hailey Young is known for her extensive research. She really dives into every aspect of her stories, spending months at a time on location and using the inspiration she finds to power her novels. She might be sweet, but she’s a damned good writer too. And I appreciate a dark story with a little romance on the side. It’s something different than a lot of the other stuff that’s being published right now.”
“Imagine if she came out to Jackson to stay at one of the ranches around here and ended up writing some dramatic, dark book about a cowboy with a drinking problem or something.”
That got Lulu laughing so hard her face turned red. She wiped at the tears in her eyes, her fingers coming away smeared with eye makeup. “She really could do something like that, and it would be amazing! Wait until you read her latest novel.” She stared at me a moment when I didn’t respond, her light eyebrows lifting slowly as her blue eyes widened. “You are buying it, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll give it a try since it comes so highly recommended.”
Now her cheeks were red for a different reason. Even though Eric had been her favorite, she still got all giggly when I came around. It tended to make me uncomfortable. She was younger than my little sister, who I still considered a baby. I’d kill a man my age who was going after Rita. She’d probably turn around and kill me right afterward, but it’d be worth it.
“You won’t regret it.”
She went to fetch the book while I waited at the counter. She rang it up, and I paid for it.
“Thanks, Lulu,” I said, tipping my cowboy hat to her the way I would to any lady I met.
“Let me know what you think. We can order the rest of her books if you like.” She flashed her sunny grin again.
“I’ll do that. Take it easy, L.”
“You too, cowboy.”
I left the shop with Hailey’s book tucked under my arm. I couldn’t wait to get started on it, though that would have to wait until the end of the day after all my chores were done, and I’d had dinner tonight with the author of the book now resting on the passenger seat of my truck. I decided not to mention reading it until after I’d finished. If it was good, we could talk about it over dinner. If not, I’d never mention it one way or the other. Shit. I’d still have to discuss it at some point with Lulu, who I knew wouldn’t let it go after the conversation we’d just had. But that wouldn’t be as bad as telling Hailey how much I’d disliked it.
Shaking my head at how damned complicated my life was all of a sudden, I started up the truck and got moving in the direction of the ranch.