Chapter Eleven
The ranch looked big and prosperous as they pulled under the arch with the name Powell emblazoned on it. Sierra looked over at Gage but the fun-loving guy from the night before was gone and in his place was someone…she didn’t recognize.
At his request, she’d told the team to give them two days before they joined them for filming. She thought it was the least they could do given that Gage hadn’t been home since spring. He had made the comment offhandedly but she could tell that he’d been almost dreading coming home.
As soon as he pulled his truck to a stop in front of the large ranch house, the door opened and an older woman with Gage’s blondish-brown hair ran down the porch steps toward the truck.
A huge smile lit Gage’s face as he turned off the engine and got out of the cab. He caught his mom as she ran toward him and gave her a big bear hug. Sierra could only sit there and watch with envy. Neither of her parents had ever greeted her that way. But then again she and Savanna were always with one of them. And she knew there was something broken in Gage’s family. A wound left by Marty’s death that had never healed, she suspected.
She opened her own door and carefully stepped down from the truck.
“Ma, this is Sierra Montez. She’s in charge of the PR for my sponsorship deal with Montez Denim. It was her idea to film me here on the ranch. Sierra, this is my mom, Lucinda Powell.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Powell,” Sierra said, walking over to them and offering her hand.
Mrs. Powell gave her a warm smile. “Call me Lucy—everyone does.”
“Lucy then,” she said. “I see Gage favors you.”
“That he does. He has his daddy’s eyes though.”
“How is he today?” Gage asked.
“It’s a good day. He’s out working with the boys but should be back in soon for supper. You two grab your bags so I can get you settled,” Lucy said.
She turned toward the cab but Gage nudged her aside gently. “Ma, I’m a gentleman. I’ll get Sierra’s bag.”
“I wasn’t sure,” Lucy said.
“That Gage would do it?” Sierra asked.
“That you’d let him. Some city gals like to do it themselves. Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” she said, holding up her hands.
“No, ma’am, there isn’t. But I figure if I got a big strong man like Gage willing to tote my bags for me, I’ll let him.”
“Makes him feel useful,” Lucy said with a wink.
“It does,” Sierra said with a smile knowing full well that Gage could hear them.
“Keep it up, ladies, and next time I’ll let you both do it yourselves,” Gage said.
“Not if you want any cobbler.”
“Peach?”
“Does my baby like any other kind?” Lucy asked.
“Well, then, ma’am, I’ll be carrying whatever you need me to,” Gage said as they entered the house.
The foyer was rustic but modern with hardwood floors that were polished. There was a console table set to one side with a framed picture of the ranch house over it and then on the table was a small framed portrait of Gage and his brother. Neither Lucy nor Gage paused as they entered the house and Sierra dropped back, following them both up the stairs to the second floor.
She listened to them talking quietly about his dad as she walked along the wide hallway. They passed three doors before Gage stopped. “You’re in here. This is the guest room.”
Lucy opened the door for her and she followed Gage into the room. He put her suitcase next to the dresser. “That door leads to a shared bathroom with my room.”
“If you need anything that I haven’t provided, let me know,” Lucy said. “After you get settled come on down to the back porch and we can sit a spell.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sierra said. A moment later she was alone in the guest room. She looked at the antique four-poster bed and the quilt that to her untrained eye looked handmade. She sat down on the queen-sized mattress and it was firm but comfortable as she flopped back and threw her arms out to the sides.
What was she doing here?
Gage had insisted that she come but she knew she could have gotten out of it if she’d wanted to. Instead she’d…well she wanted to be here. Wanted to try to understand why she hadn’t heard from him since Sacramento. But more than that she needed to figure out why she wanted to be here. And she did want to be here.
His mom was sweet and her smile when she looked at Gage showed her love and concern for her son. Sierra knew that she could probably figure out a little more of what was going on with Gage from his mom. But she wanted Gage to tell her when he was ready…didn’t she?
There was a knock on the door and she realized she’d been staring at the ceiling instead of unpacking.
“Yes?”
“I’m heading down. You ready?” Gage asked.
“Come in,” she said.
He opened the door and she noticed he’d taken off his Stetson and his hair was matted around the top of his head where the hatband had been. He looked…well not relaxed. Sort of tense, as if he were waiting for something. Like he had when they’d turned up the drive.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He glared over at her. “What kind of question is that?”
She almost backed down but then decided he needed someone to force him to talk. “You look tense.”
“You look sexy.”
“Don’t do that,” she said. “I can tell something is up now that you’re home and I just wanted to let you know I’m here if you want to talk.”
He nodded. “This place doesn’t feel like home to me.”
She didn’t understand that.
“Why not? I can tell you and your mom are close,” she said.
“Yeah it’s not her that I have the problem with.”
“Who is it?”
“Boy, you home?” a loud booming voice called up the stairs.
She had her answer as she watched Gage’s expression go completely neutral as he turned to open the door. “Yes, sir.”
*
Gage left Sierra in the guest room and went to the top of the stairs. He could tell by the way his father had called him boy that he knew it was Gage home and not Marty. This could be ugly. He turned back and noticed that Sierra had followed him into the hall.
“I brought a friend from Dallas, Dad. We’ll come on down so you can meet her.”
“Fine. I’ll be on the porch with your Ma after I wash up.”
He disappeared from the bottom of the stairs and Gage turned to Sierra. “I should have told you this before we got here, but my dad and I don’t get along that great.”
“You sort of mentioned it when you said that your relationship with him was complicated.”
That’s right. She had no idea about the other part. “Well, suffice it to say I’ve never lived up to his expectations. And then there is the Alzheimer’s so there are times when he might say things that don’t make any sense. He doesn’t know you so I don’t think you will have much trouble with that.”
Her expression got sad and sympathetic. “Okay. I guess this is part of the reason why you were tense. Sorry for trying to grill you about it earlier.”
He just shook his head. “It’s fine. I didn’t feel like you were pressuring me.”
He started down the stairs and heard Sierra behind him. He could remember running down the stairs trying to beat Marty to the kitchen so he could get the best pancakes in the batch.
It was a like a punch to the gut when he was here. He missed his brother more. It was like this was where he felt his presence. When he climbed on a bull there were times that he felt like Marty was with him. That his ghost was watching over him, giving him some extra strength to hold on and keep his seat when he wasn’t sure he could.
But here it was his brother and not the bull rider he felt. He hesitated on the last step, saw the dent in the wall that no amount of paint and plaster could fill in where he and Marty had been rough-housing and his brother had driven him into the wall.
He touched the indentation as he always did and then turned to see Sierra watching him. “Ma will make sure you have a good time while you’re here.”
She nodded. He didn’t want to talk. He had too much going on inside his head and he needed to get away. But his father might be angry if he didn’t show up on the back porch like he’d been told to. And then it could set him off. And Gage knew from a Skype call with his mom a few days ago that some of his dad’s confusion was turning to violence.
“Let’s go,” he said.
He led the way past his father’s den and then through the family room where Marty’s and his trophies were displayed on a large bookcase. Sierra slowed down but Gage had no interest in looking at past glories so he kept walking. There was a small hallway that led to the kitchen and then out to the back porch.
His dad wasn’t out there yet, he noted as he held the door for Sierra and let her walk past him. She smiled up at him and he realized whatever happened he was glad she was here with him.
There were six large rocking chairs that his mom had purchased at Cracker Barrel years ago. She kept them weatherproofed and had made some seat cushions for them in an all-weather canvas. He’d spent many a night out here after fighting with his dad, rocking and staring up at the night sky, wanting to get out of Oklahoma.
“Dad’s home.” He didn’t know what else to say. This was what he’d been dreading but having Sierra by his side made it easier.
“I heard,” his mom said, her voice flat. “You two take a seat. Can I get you some iced tea or lemonade?”
“Tea would be great,” Sierra said.
“Same.”
His mom got up to go inside and he and Sierra took a seat. Gage had no idea what to say. He didn’t want to delve into his past history with his dad but honestly now that he’d agreed to let Sierra and Montez Denim shoot out here, he was beginning to think he shouldn’t have.
“This is nice. I love living in downtown Dallas in my apartment but someday I think I’d like to have some land and a porch like this.”
“Yeah?” he asked. “You don’t seem the type.”
“I’ve got some country roots you know. I’m not a total city slicker,” she said. “The original Montez family were ranchers. That’s why they started making jeans.”
“I read the history when you sent me that press packet,” he said.
“You did?”
“Yes. I know it probably seemed like I just signed the contract but I wanted to know what kind of people were sponsoring me.”
“Good idea,” she said. “But you know that the AEBR had already given us the go-ahead to sponsor the rookies. It’s how they help build your name.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said. He’d been looking for an excuse to walk away from the tour before it even started. But he hadn’t found it. There was so much about the AEBR that he liked for himself. And if he’d been doing it at eighteen he knew he’d love it. But at twenty-five with the pressure from his dad…it was different.
*
“This steak is grilled exactly the way I like it,” Sierra said to Gage’s dad Lawton as the uncomfortable silence around the table grew.
“Probably the only time you’ll get it that way if you stick with Gage,” Lawton said. “He’s not interested in learning the proper way of doing things.”
“Now, Law, that’s not true at all,” Lucy said.
Gage didn’t say a word—just sat next to her quietly cutting his meat. “I’d say that Gage knows the proper way to do a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Bull riding,” Sierra said. “He’s at the top in points and there’s a good chance he’s going to win the tour.”
Gage looked over at her. She shrugged. She wasn’t going to sit here and listen to his dad malign him.
“He’ll screw it up. Did he tell you he walked away from everything when he was eighteen? Had a big-time sponsorship deal and just walked out and never looked back,” Lawton said.
“I didn’t just walk away. There was more going on than that. Don’t you remember?” Gage asked his father.
“It was a tough time,” Lucy said. “I’m still not sure how I feel about my baby riding. But you know how stubborn a man can be once he sets his mind to something.”
“I do, ma’am,” Sierra said.
“Tell us more about Montez Denim. I know you will be filming here, right?”
“Yes. We want to show how our denim fits the western lifestyle—every part of it from the ranch, to the rodeo, to a night out on the town. We’ve sponsored the rookies. There are three from Brazil and two others who had enough points to ride this year. We’re doing videos on the top three in points. Gage of course is number one.”
“For now,” Lawton grumbled. “And just so you know, he hasn’t worked the ranch in years.”
“Thank you, sir,” Sierra said. “He’s told me all about that and how he’s been working on an oil rig in Scotland.”
“Oil rig? Is that where you’ve been, boy?” his dad asked.
She glanced at Gage and he just nodded at his father. “Yes, sir. Remember Ma and I showed you those pictures of the North Atlantic.”
His dad’s brow furrowed. He just looked down at his plate and took another bite of the steak.
“Gage has promised me a property tour in the morning so I can find the best places to film,” Sierra said. “Lucy, I do love these green beans with mushrooms. You must give me the recipe.”
Though she didn’t cook and had burned soup while microwaving it one time, she was determined to keep the conversation going. No matter what. She thought that dinner with both of her parents was bad. They’d divorced years ago but still fought like they were a couple. But it was a cakewalk compared to this.
“I will. It’s one that my mama handed down to me,” Lucy said. “I think I mentioned earlier that I have a pair of Montez Denim jeans that I love. I think I bought them twenty years ago.”
“Danged woman will hang on to anything for a dog’s age,” Law said smiling over at Lucy and for the first time Sierra saw love in the older man’s eyes.
“She sure will,” Gage agreed. “Especially anger.”
Lawton laughed and nodded. “We sure know that, don’t we, boy?”
“Yes, sir.”
The conversation turned to teasing Lucy about the things she held on to. Apparently, she had a bookshelf in the family room loaded up with cassette tapes she’d purchased in the ’80s. Which turned the topic to music.
“In my opinion, there isn’t a country singer today who can touch George Jones,” Lawton said.
“I loved it when he sang with Tammy Wynette. Some of my favorite songs were recorded by those two. You know Tim McGraw and Faith Hill remind me of them—just not as tumultuous.”
“That’s for sure,” Gage said. “On the rig, I listened to a lot of Big & Rich and Blake Shelton.”
“I can’t believe a son of mine lived and worked in a foreign country,” Lawton said. “Did you like the music over there?”
“Yeah, it was okay,” Gage answered. “Their steaks aren’t as good as yours, sir.”
His dad nodded. “Damned straight. Texas thinks they raise the best beef but they ain’t got nothing on Oklahoma.”
“Spoken like a man who makes his living off beef,” Lucy said.
“I guess that makes me an expert,” he said, winking at his wife. “Now word has it you made cobbler for dessert.”
“I did,” she said, getting up to clear her plate.
Sierra did the same, taking Gage’s plate and her own and following Lucy into the kitchen.
She stood in the doorway for a second listening to the dining room, but couldn’t hear any conversation.
“Sorry about that. Those to have a tough relationship,” Lucy said, scraping the plates and then putting them in dishwasher.
“It’s okay. I just can’t stand by and let him rip into Gage when I know he’s really good at what he does.”
“I saw that. I think you’re good for him,” Lucy said. “He’s had too many years of just silently taking whatever his dad dished out.”
“Why did he?”
“He’s stubborn just like his pa. So, he’s always just worked harder and done better at everything, waiting for Law to notice,” Lucy said.
“But he never has,” Sierra said. She could tell just by the way he’d spoken tonight. Everything Gage did wasn’t quite good enough. “Was he the same with Marty?”
Lucy shook her head as she gathered dessert plates from the cabinet. “There’s ice cream in the freezer and whipped cream in the fridge. Would you mind grabbing it?”
“Not at all,” Sierra said, realizing she hadn’t answered her question about Marty.
“Law and Marty had a special bond from the time he was born. I had hoped that maybe he and Gage would sort out their relationship once he was grown but Marty’s death just made it all worse. Law said some things…well, that no man should ever say.”
Sierra didn’t need to hear anything else. She had a suspicion she could figure it out. Lucy dished up the dessert and put ice cream on two of them and whipped cream on one. “Which do you prefer?”
“Ice cream,” she said.
“Just like Gage and me,” Lucy said.
She knew it was silly but she liked that she had chosen the same as Gage and his mom. Sierra had the feeling that the close bond between mother and son was the one thing that had saved Gage all these years.