Vegas Sunrise (46 page)

“I'll do that, Ruby. You take care of her, Metaxas, or you'll have me to deal with. You hear?”

“I hear you. I love this mountain. What say we buy us a mountain, sweet baby?”

“It wouldn't be the same. This is a family mountain, and as such you now have a share in it, right, Fanny?”

“What is ours is yours, Metaxas. We'll carve your name on one of the trees. That means you'll live forever on the mountain. Old Chinese proverb. That means you belong. Chue started the custom years ago. The moment this family takes you under their wing, Chue is on the mountain with his hammer and chisel.”

Metaxas beamed. “I swear, that's one of the nicest, kindest things anyone ever said to me. Thanks, Fanny.”

“Will you promise to call before you leave? I always like to know where my family is.”

“Of course we'll call. As I said, it's going to be at least a week. I'm so happy, Fanny. I wish I was a writer, so I could put into words the happiness I feel.”

“Ruby, you don't have to do that. It shows on your face, in your voice. Your happiness is oozing out of your pores. Guess that doesn't sound so poetic, huh?”

“Oh, hell, who cares. I want you to remember something, Fanny. Under no circumstances can you give back that chicken business. We're clear on that, aren't we?”

“Absolutely.”

“We're going to say good-bye and head down the mountain.”

“Ruby, what is going to happen to your plane and the one Metaxas flew into Vermont?”

“Do you want my best guess?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I think that's part of the horse-trading business. The state will get to keep them. Tell Sage and Birch I'll buy them another one.”

“Please don't, Ruby.”

“You're the boss. Be happy, Fanny.”

“You too, Ruby.”

 

Fanny's voice was groggy when she said, “Marcus, what time is it? It's still dark outside. Why are you getting up now?”

“We're in business now, Fanny. That means we have to get up with the chickens.” He slapped at her rump, laughing so hard he dropped to his knees.

Fanny rolled out of bed, laughter bubbling in her throat. “You want to hear the roosters crow. Admit it, Marcus. Okay, I'm up. I think this is going to be the ultimate challenge in our lives.”

“The best part is we're up to it. I'll put the coffee on and get our boots ready. I bought you a present when I was in town yesterday. It's one of those His and Her gifts. Actually, I got three of them. One for Jake, too. What do you think?” Marcus said tossing her a tissue-wrapped package.

“A baseball cap that says Thornton Chickens. This is great, Marcus.”

“That's not all it says. Look under the brim.”

“How sweet. It says ‘Fanny.' Jake is going to love his.”

“Gift-wise it hardly compares to the island paradise Metaxas is buying Ruby. Are you going to wear it?”

“Of course I'm going to wear it. Proudly. Jake is coming down this weekend to help. We're paying him a dollar an hour. Sage said he spent the money seven different times already. God, I love that little boy. It's hard to believe it's a week since the wedding.”

“Uh-huh. Time is money, Fanny. The chickens are waiting for us.”

“Go!”

When the bedroom door closed, Fanny dropped to her knees at the side of the bed. “Thank You, God.” She bowed her head and offered up a short prayer.

As the day wore on Fanny did her best to hide her smiles when Marcus kept saying things like, I really like this. This is great. I'm having the time of my life. I do love chickens. At four o'clock, he called time out, and said, “This sucks, Fanny. I stink and so do you. How could we have been so stupid that neither one of us cared that the help here consists of day workers who come by when the mood strikes them? Did Ruby tell you the workforce was nonexistent?”

“No. I knew that, though. We're committed, Marcus. Ruby said under no circumstances are we allowed to give back the business. This is just our first day.”

“Oh, God!”

“Don't ever offer me chicken for dinner, Marcus. I hate these creatures. There has to be a better way.”

“Yeah, you hire people to do this and we sit in the office.”

“Isn't that cheating?”

“Who cares? I say we call every agricultural school in the country and ask for resumes from their graduating class. If we throw in these goddamn boots, they'll probably knock our doors down applying for jobs. We could offer throwaway clothes for the day workers. Bonuses. Something!”

“Marcus, there isn't enough money in the world to pay someone to do this. That's why this business has stayed in the family. We can do this. I know we can.”

“I don't want to do this, Fanny. You don't either. I'm sorry I bought these hats.”

“I love mine,” Fanny said, pushing hers farther back on her head. “God, it stinks!”

“We'll have to throw away our clothes because we'll never get the smell out of them,” Marcus said.

“What time are you getting up tomorrow, honey?” Fanny asked, tongue in cheek.

“I'm not.”

“I hate to keep using the word committed, Marcus.”

“Stop saying that, Fanny, I don't want to hear it.”

“Something's wrong, Marcus.”

“You're telling me.”

“No. Watch the chickens. They're clustering.
Hovering.
”

“You said they get restless when there is a full moon. They do look kind of skittish now that you mention it.”

“We're not due for another full moon for a few weeks. We have to check for snakes or some wild animal. Even with all the protectors in place it's possible for something to slip through. Philip always played music when something like this happened. He even installed a stereo system for just this reason. I know how to work it, so you check for stray animals. Don't take too long, Marcus. The more restless the chickens get, the more prone they are to fighting.”

“Now I've heard everything. No damn wonder you can't give this business away,” Marcus muttered as he stomped his way through the pens.

Fanny slipped out of the yellow boots to enter the office. She crossed her fingers that she would remember how everything worked. She pressed buttons, turned knobs, and within minutes soft, restful, music invaded her ears. She ran to the window to see what effect it was having on the chickens. To her eye it looked like they were still clustering, still hovering near the edges of the pens. “Damn.” She turned up the volume just as the phone rang. She stretched her arms to snag the receiver, her eyes never leaving the chickens. “Yes, hello. Fanny Reed speaking. Slowly, Chue, I can't make out what you're saying. Stop, take a deep breath. Now, tell me what is wrong.”

Fanny listened, her face draining. “We'll be right there, Chue.”

“Marcus!”

“Fanny, what is wrong? Why are you looking like that? Talk to me, Fanny. What is wrong?”

“That was Chue on the phone. The mountain's on fire!”

“Jesus! Let's go!”

“What about the chickens? Call the kids, the fire department, everyone you can think of. The mountain can't burn, Marcus. It just can't.”

“Move, Fanny. Don't just stand there babbling. You know what to do. Do it!”

Fanny raced from the building, out the door and up the winding, flower-bordered walkway to the main part of the ranch. She didn't take time to appreciate the lush shrubbery, the softly whirring sprinklers, the velvet lawns and the pristine white veranda complete with padded rocking chairs and pitchers of frosty lemonade. Instead she bellowed at the top of her lungs. “Arletta! Arletta!”

Arletta Vandercomb was a vision of beauty with her perfectly made up face, her elaborate hairdo, and her costly afternoon dress that fussed and flirted about her ankles as she rose from one of the rockers.

“Mercy, Miz Reed, what is all the fuss?”

“I'll tell you what all the fuss is, Miss Vandercomb. My mountain is on fire, and I need you and your . . . ah . . . ladies to help with the chickens. It's a messy job. You probably know that. Now, Miss Vandercomb! Hustle, hustle. Time is of the essence.”

“I don't think we're equipped . . . my girls don't know the first thing . . .”

Something snapped in Fanny. “Cut the crap, Arletta. It's time those girls learn how to shake their asses doing
real
work. That means you, too. The schedule is posted on the door of the office. I'm counting on you and I'm depending on you. If you let me down, or if those chickens suffer, you'll be peddling your asses out on the highway for two bits a night. There is only one game in town, and it has my name on it. Now move it!”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Fanny glanced toward the porch to see Arletta's girls lined up against the banister, their faces full of shock. Her own face burning with shame, she snarled, “I want to see your asses wiggling down this path right now. Now means this instant, and if you don't understand what I just said, your new home is the highway.”

The mad scurry left a trail of wind that swirled around Fanny.
“Man, I love it when you kick ass, Fanny. Head for the mountain. The chickens can smell the smoke. That's why they're so restless.”

“Oh, Ash, am I going to lose the mountain?”

“I don't know, Fanny. Get going.”

“I'm going, I'm going. This is crazy, Ash. What can I do except be there? Fires are dangerous. Oh, God, how did this happen?”

“I told you years ago to post NO TRESPASSING signs. Did you listen to me? No, you did not. Somebody trespassing left a fire burning or a cigarette wasn't completely crushed out. A camper who thought his fire was out and it wasn't, which would make it an accident. The why of it doesn't matter, Fanny. It is. You have to deal with it. Make a call. You know the number. You're going to need all the water in town.”

“I'll call from the truck.”

Marcus's Jeep Cherokee was running when Fanny hopped into the passenger side of the truck. She took a moment to notice the shock on her husband's face as she reached for the phone. “What do you call those things the ladies are decked out in?”

Fanny looked over her shoulder. “Teddies, and those fancy things on their feet are feathered mules. Their perfume alone will knock the chickens out. It is what it is, Marcus. C'mon, c'mon, burn rubber,” she said, hysteria ringing in her voice.

“There is no answer, Marcus,” Fanny said, her face full of dismay. “They always answer. Sallie swore to me that there would always be a voice at the other end of the line. She swore to me, Marcus.”

“Always can't be forever, Fanny. I made all the calls. Things are under way.”

“Do you know if the houses are safe?”

“For now.”

 

Word spread faster on the Big White Way than the fire on the mountain. Loudspeakers blasted from one end of town to the other announcing the closing of all casinos and hotels in the next ninety minutes due to an impending water shortage. Accommodations to transport all guests to Reno would be complimentary.

Skeleton crews remained on duty inside the casinos as workers and management rushed to do what they could to save Sallie Thornton's mountain.

They came from everywhere once the television and radio stations carried the news. Old, young, fit, and feeble came to help.

Food, coffee, cold drinks appeared suddenly, with children rushing to hand it out to anyone who needed it.

“I have people on the way, Fanny,” Metaxas said quietly. “If we can't save your mountain, we'll replant it. Trust me, Fanny.”

Fanny started to cry, Ruby's arms around her shoulder. “It'll take a hundred years to restore the mountain. I won't be here to see it. So many people. Where did they come from? I didn't know they cared. I can't just stand here. I have to do something.”

Fanny leaned on Ruby's arm as she was about to get up from the rock she'd been sitting on. Once before she'd seen these same feet or at least she thought she had. Then they'd been encased in shiny black shoes. Now she was staring at Timberline boots and denim clad legs. She raised her eyes, her face soot streaked. “We're bringing water from everywhere, Mrs. Reed. As you can see, the fire is in the middle and spreading in every direction. Get your family off the mountain as soon as possible.”

“They're on the way down as we speak. I didn't expect . . . you shut down the whole town! To save Sallie's mountain! I don't know how to thank you.”

“Is that another way of saying you accept us?”

“I've always accepted you. It was Sallie's legacy to me. I'll find a way to make up your losses. It might take me a while, but I will do it.”

“NO!” The single word was a thunderbolt of sound. “We take our losses just the way Babylon takes theirs. Sallie looked out for us. Ash did, too, in his own way. As your husband said, sometimes you just have to give back.”

Fanny swiped at her dirty face. “Just out of curiosity, how are those riverboats doing?”

The man closest to her smiled. “You see, I knew you'd get it. Revenues couldn't be higher, thanks to you. We'll talk again when this is over.”

“I have to do something, Ruby. I can't just stand here and watch the mountain go.”

“What can you do, Fanny?”

“I can dig ditches and drag hoses. Keep your eye on my kids.”

“The hell with that idea,” Ruby snorted. “Your kids are on the mountain doing whatever they can. Besides, they are old enough to take care of themselves. Iris sent the kids along with Chue's grandchildren to town. She's working at the floor tent. I'm with you for whatever good I can do.”

“If this mountain goes, my life will never be the same. I don't t suppose that makes any sense to you.”

“It makes all the sense in the world. Come on, I want to get some use out of these ugly mountain boots. If I can sling chicken crap, I can drag a hose. I know how to work, Fanny. Like you, I'm not one of those delicate prairie flowers. Let's show these men a thing or two.”