“Whatever happened to Cindy?’’ I said, shifting away from him.
I’d heard Jeb was involved with a girl we both knew in high school, a cheerleader and homecoming queen. I was pleased when a classmate told me she’d gained forty pounds since senior year.
Jeb took off his hat and began working the brim with his fingers. He studied the pointed toes of his boots. The way he was acting, I hoped he wasn’t going to say she was dead. I’d feel awful after the way I crowed about her putting on weight.
“I screwed up, Mace,’’ he finally said. “Cindy left me.’’
“Were you cheating on her?’’ I figured we two gals could form a support group for women Jeb had done wrong.
“No. I learned my lesson about that a long time ago, when I lost you.’’
I looked at him sideways, not sure whether to believe him. “Well, what happened?’’
“Remember how I told you at the diner that I’d borrowed money from Jim Albert?’’
I nodded.
“I couldn’t pay it back fast enough to suit him. That bastard sent men out to the ranch, and they busted the place up. Cindy was there, alone. They didn’t hurt her. But she was terrified. It happened again, and this time they knocked me around. She packed her clothes and left the next day. Said she couldn’t live like that, wondering what they’d do the next time they came.’’
Jeb looked like a little boy who’d just seen his dog hit by a truck. My heart went out to him. Then I realized owing money and losing his girlfriend gave Jeb a doubly good reason to want Jim Albert dead.
Leaning toward him, I brushed the hair out of his eyes. I wasn’t exactly faking concern. But I did have an ulterior motive. I wanted to see if I could lead Jeb to reveal anything more. I edged a bit closer again, thigh to thigh. His sweat had dried in the breeze from the fans. But he still had the salty, hard-work smell of a man who handles horses and cattle. I breathed it in, remembering the thrill I’d always gotten from watching him ride and rope.
“Do you still have that horse you were breaking when we were going together, Jeb? What was his name? The big bay, with the white blaze?’’
“Cheyenne.’’ The smile returned to Jeb’s lips. He draped an arm casually around my shoulders. “He’s getting old, but he’s still going strong. Why don’t you come out and ride with me, Mace? I’d love to see you on a horse again. I’ll never forget the sight of you barrel-racing in that white outfit with the fringe, your black hair flying from underneath a white hat. You were a sight. Just beautiful. Still are.’’
I looked at him, and the plan to work him for information flew out of my brain. The flecks in his eyes were liquid gold. He leaned down a bit to kiss me. I lifted my chin. I couldn’t wait to feel again the touch of his lips; the heat of his body.
I closed my eyes …
And heard a harsh cough. Someone was standing not two feet away, interrupting our moment with an infernal hacking. They were quite insistent. Loud, too. How rude, I thought.
Reluctantly, I put a hand on Jeb’s chest and pushed away. I opened my eyes.
There stood Detective Martinez, clearing his throat and staring cannon-ball-sized holes into Jeb and me.
A door slammed. I heard the clomp-clomp of school-principal pumps on the wooden deck between the office and the breezeway.
“What do you mean they’re Mace’s daisies, Rhonda?’’ A familiar voice boomed, scaring any wildlife within a hundred yards. “Who brought my sister daisies?’’
Martinez’s respiratory distress had already spooked me. Now, Maddie’s approach finished the job. I scooted away, like Jeb’s thigh was the campfire and mine was the marshmallow. I moved too slowly: The sight of me cozying up to my former boyfriend stopped my sister so fast that Rhonda ran into her from the rear. Clomp-clomp-smack. Maddie looked from the two of us to Martinez, the eyeglasses on her chain bouncing on her generous bust.
“I let you out of my sight for one day, Mace.’’ Maddie shook her head. “And you go and get yourself into all kind of mess with Jeb Ennis.’’
Rhonda looked uncomfortable. An only child, she was unused to the goings on of dysfunctional siblings. “I’ll just excuse myself.’’ She edged backwards toward the office. “I’ve got a mountain of paperwork.’’
It was the only time I ever envied my boss her forms in triplicate.
Jeb stood up. “Howdy, Maddie. Nice to see you, too.’’ He put his hat back on and brushed his hands along the front of his denim-covered thighs. “Even though I’m enjoying this little reunion, it’s time for me to hit the trail.’’
“Hold your horses, Cowboy.’’ Martinez’s voice was a command.
Jeb looked at him, a question on his face. Martinez took his time with the answer. He extracted a cigar from his top pocket. He sniffed it, then held it up like it was a piece of art he was inspecting for a museum. Finally, he put back the cigar and stared at Jeb.
“You’re not saddling up just yet, hombre.’’
Maddie just about licked her chops in anticipation. “That’s Carlos Martinez. He’s a police detective,’’ she said to Jeb. “Carlos, it appears you already know who Jeb Ennis is.’’
The two men looked at each other, measuring. Long and lean, Jeb might’ve had a few inches in height. But the burly detective outweighed the cowboy by at least twenty-five pounds. They stared across the breezeway like two bucks do, just before they crash antlers to see who gets to mate with the female deer. I couldn’t help but wonder if the doe ever gets her say.
“Could you ladies find something else to do for a little while?’’ Martinez spoke to us, but he never took his eyes off Jeb. “I have a few questions for Mr. Ennis. I was going to visit Ms. Bauer here, to see if she could put me in touch. But it looks like I’ve been saved the trouble of traveling all the way to Wah … Wash … Watch …’’
“Wauchula.’’ Maddie helped him out. “I believe Jeb’s cattle ranch is over in Wauchula, Carlos.’’
“Thanks, Maddie. But your sister here already filled me in with quite a bit of information on her good friend, Mr. Ennis.’’
Jeb shot me a look. I stared at the ground, too late to avoid seeing the betrayal in his eyes.
“By the way, I’m not sure what you’ve got going on here, Ms. Bauer, but you need to stay out of this investigation. I’ve told you it’s dangerous. Leave police work to professionals.’’
The superior tone in his voice propelled me to my feet.