Life After Wife (15 page)

Not once had Sophie been to a therapist. Aunt Maud had had to drag the story out of her, and right there in the kitchen she’d told Elijah the whole thing without batting an eye. She’d actually told him more than she’d even told Kate and Fancy. What in the devil had gotten into her?

“Did you take the money?” Elijah asked.

She shook her head and the towel fell off. Her hair hung in tight little ringlets, water droplets hanging inside the curls like dew drops on red roses. “There was this enormous insurance
policy that quadrupled if he was killed on an airplane. I didn’t want or need their hush money. Aunt Maud rescued me and brought me here. It’s home, Elijah, and I meant it when I said I’d buy your half.” She sat down at the table and reached into the chip bag.

He laid a hand on her arm. “I know you did. And I was serious about buying you out. We had a big farm out in West Texas. Even split nine ways, I’ve got the money to do it; plus, I lived simply for the past twenty years, so there’s my military savings. But I’ve got to be honest, Sophie. I like having a partner. Uncle Jesse used to say that a ranch needs a woman. I expect it does, but it doesn’t have to be a wife, does it?”

His touch on her arm felt as if he was branding it with hot steam. She was sure there would be a hand-shaped burn print when he removed it, but there wasn’t. So he wasn’t interested in anything permanent other than friendship. She could do that…as long as he kept his kisses to himself.

They hit the ground running the next morning. The smell of smoked ribs filled the air when they walked out the back door together: Sophie in her mint-green T-shirt with the rhinestone outline of a longhorn bull on the back, her green cowboy boots, and a fresh pair of starched jeans. Elijah wore a white shirt, starched jeans, and his boots had been polished to a shine.

They were dragged off into two different directions the moment the early-bird buyers spotted Elijah and Tillman saw Sophie. She was soon knee-deep supervising the waiting staff
and being nice to everyone. Her smile was more genuine that day and didn’t hurt her cheeks nearly so badly.

“I’m doing ribs, brisket, and we’ve got coleslaw and potato salad to put out on the table. Until lunchtime, I’ve got cold roast beef and barbecued pulled pork on the tables for the early birds to make sandwiches. Did I forget anything?” Tillman asked.

“Sounds like you’ve got it under control. Keep the soda pop iced down in the tubs and the sweet tea and lemonade pitchers full, and we’ll be all right. It’s going to be another scorcher, and they’ll be thirsty all the time,” Sophie answered.

“From the looks of the crowd, I’d say we’re going to have a bumper-crop sale this year. Your aunt Maud would have fought you on the extra expense, but it’s going to bring in a heck of a profit,” Tillman said.

Sophie nodded. “You are right. I’ve never seen so many buyers.”

“Y’all was lucky that the fire didn’t shut you down.”

Sophie wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “I was scared stiff for a while there. I thought for sure we were going up in blazes, but the firebreak plus those big buckets of water the helicopters dropped put an end to it. Still, it burned right up to three sides of us.”

“Hard work and luck,” Tillman said.

“Hey, girl,” Kate yelled and waved from across the yard.

Hart had let her out, and he was driving the trailer on out to the pens where he’d unload his stock for the sale. Several men were already walking in that direction to see what new cattle were arriving.

“Mercy, but that smells wonderful. When’s it going to be ready?” Kate asked.

“Noon. But if you are hungry there’s food in the barn.” Sophie looped her arm in Kate’s.

“I’m always hungry.”

Sophie pulled her toward the big open doors. “And hunger always makes you cranky. So come on and we’ll find something to eat. I didn’t have time for breakfast.”

“So did he kiss you again?” Kate whispered as they walked away from Tillman.

Sophie blushed crimson. “No! But I think we might be friends. He’s not interested in marriage, Kate. It’s not like it was with you and Hart. Y’all had so much heat between you that a person sunburned just standing close to you. With me and Elijah, it’s barely tolerance. But it could develop into friendship in time. I’m tired of fighting him for the ranch already, so I’m going to buy a trailer and put it on the backside, over by the other section line road, so I can come and go as I please. I’ve already got a spot picked out.”

“Make him get the trailer or build a house. You were here first,” Kate said.

“Actually, I want to be the one to move out. I think it’ll be good for me. I went from my parents’ house to a dorm room and then into marriage. I’ve never had my very own place like you did in Louisiana and Fancy did down in Florida,” Sophie said.

Kate stopped in front of the long table and sighed. “This all looks so good, I don’t know where to start. When we have our next sale, I’m going to make Hart do it like this. You’ll tell me how much percentage it ups the profits?”

Sophie handed her a plate. “Sure I will. And much as I hate to give a point to Elijah, it was his idea. We’ve had more buyers out here looking around than we ever did before. And
I think it’s because of the food and drinks. Oh, and maybe the notepads and pens.”

“What?” Kate filled her plate to overflowing with two big sandwiches and barbecue chips.

“Elijah got this bright idea to order ballpoint pens and notepads with the ranch logo on them so the buyers could make notes about what cattle they were interested in buying,” she explained.

“The man is a genius. If you don’t kiss him again, you are an idiot, and I don’t have to be the borderline fool anymore.” Kate headed to a table, her long black hair swinging down her back. She’d dressed in shorts, cowboy boots, and a Western-cut shirt, and she looked every bit the part of a rancher’s wife. No one would ever guess that she had a degree in criminal justice and had been a fantastic detective down in New Iberia, Louisiana.

Sophie finished preparing a pulled pork sandwich and carried it to the table. Kate was making noises that said the food was good and nodding her head at Sophie. “How long in advance do I have to book Tillman?” she asked between bites.

“I have no idea. He was able to bring his crew out here for the whole three days on a day’s notice, but we’ve had him down to work the sale party for a year. You might want to talk to him if you really want him to do your sale next spring. I’m tellin’ you, he’s good. Yesterday he made shish kebabs and called it finger food,” Sophie answered.

“What’s on for supper?” Kate asked.

“Same thing. Ribs and brisket from noon until they shut it down at ten tonight. Then tomorrow he’s setting up for dinner with hamburgers during the sale. After that his crew, plus our three new hired hands, are going to power wash the
floors and set up tables for the party tomorrow night. He’s making all of the regular barbecue-type foods for supper plus grilled shrimp, T-bone steaks, and some fancy kinds of desserts,” Sophie said.

“Wow! I’m getting my name on the calendar soon as I get finished. But first, tell me about this Elijah friendship thing,” Kate said.

“He’s easy to talk to,” Sophie said.

“Something that pretty would be.”

“You think he’s good-lookin’?”

“Are you stone-cold blind, woman?” Kate gasped.

Maybe I am. Maybe I’ve had too much pain in my heart and it’s made me blind,
Sophie thought.

“Is Fancy coming with Theron?” She changed the subject.

“No, she doesn’t want to get the baby or Tina out in this heat. But she’ll be at the party tomorrow night. I made her promise to keep her housekeeper and babysitter there all night and get out. She hasn’t left the baby yet, so it’s going to be a tough time for her. We’ll have to rally round and convince her that it’s OK,” Kate said.

Sophie nodded, but her thoughts stayed on Kate’s comment about her being blind. Was Elijah trying to tell her that he was interested when he kissed her, or had it just been a fluke thing? Something that happened in the moment and then he regretted it, so that’s why he said that about a ranch needing a woman but not necessarily a wife.

“Well, it don’t need a man. Me and Aunt Maud proved that,” she mumbled.

“What?” Kate asked.

Sophie explained what Elijah had said and where her thoughts had been. After all, there was precious little in her
life that Kate didn’t already know, and what she didn’t, she’d bug the dickens out of Sophie until she got it.

Kate listened, alternately shaking her head and nodding. “Way I see it is that you two got a lot of baggage between you to get rid of. You don’t have to hurry. You got time.”

“Well, thank you for that. Does it mean I don’t have to go out on dates every Friday and Saturday night?” Sophie asked.

“Oh, no, it don’t mean that at all. Either you go out with Elijah, or we’re going to fix you up. It’s time you crawled out of that black hole you been livin’ in and get out into the world again,” Kate said.

The day ended just like it began: in a whirlwind of preparation for the sale the next day. It was midnight when Sophie finally crawled into bed. She figured she’d be asleep when her head hit the pillow, but one of the songs she heard played that day kept running through her mind like it was on a continuous loop. Lee Ann Womack singing “I Hope You Dance.”

She hummed the song but couldn’t remember all the lyrics, and it was driving her stark-raving mad. Finally she turned on the light, picked up her iPod, and found the song.

A dam let loose in her soul, and she wept as she listened to Lee Ann sing words that cut the chains from her heart. The lyrics said that she hoped love would never leave the listener empty-handed. When she said that whenever one door closed she hoped another opened, and asked the listener to promise to give faith a fighting chance, Sophie put her hands over her eyes and sobbed.

Lee Ann sang about never fearing the mountains in the distance and never settling for the path of least resistance. She mentioned that living meant taking chances, and loving might be a big mistake but it was worth making.

“Is it?” Sophie pulled two tissues from the box on the nightstand and blew her nose.

She hummed along with tears still streaming down her face as Lee Ann ended the song by saying that when someone got the chance to sit it out or dance, she hoped she danced.

Sophie wept through a dozen more tissues and fell asleep with a burden lifted from her soul. It was the first time she’d cried since the day the policeman came to her door with the news that her cheating husband had died in a plane crash.

The rude alarm clock awoke Sophie at six o’clock from a dream she didn’t want to leave. It was aggravating when she sat up and opened her eyes that she could only remember it was about Elijah. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what they were doing or where they were in the dream.

Rattling pots and pans in the kitchen said he was already up. It was Saturday and…

“Sale day!” She squeaked and jumped out of bed, forgetting about dreams, tears, and Lee Ann Womack’s song. Sale day was the single most important day on a ranch, and the sale this year was doubly important. The buyers would see a solid, unified front between the partnership and that the ranch had survived the fire.