One Last Sunset (The Long Ranch Series Book 1) (16 page)

Epilogue

Sunny ran his thumb over the top of Melody’s hand as they walked up the aisle. She looked breathtaking with her face made up in autumn colors and the tight mermaid style dress. It too was autumnal with a deep burgundy and slick to everything, including his touch. They stood in line to accept congratulations that had nothing to do with them and seemed stupid to him, but it was his best friend’s wedding, so sacrifices would have to be made.

He leaned over to kiss Melody’s exposed shoulder when there was a break in the greetings for the wedding party. “Wanna run away to Vegas?”

She giggled. “Only if you want to face my mother’s wrath.”

“I’ll pass.” He smiled back at her.

“I am the first Long girl you know.”

“It may shut down the county when we get married.”

“I don’t remember you asking me,” she challenged as she looked at him.

“One doesn’t just ask a Long woman for her hand in marriage, there are steps and layers involved.”

“That’s the same bullshit you told me when we started dating.”

“I think we’re done,” Betsy said as she turned to them in her satin wedding dress with brocade along the high neck. “Wanna head to the reception?”

They loaded up in the limo and Melody kept her eye on Sunny.

“This isn’t the time,” he mouthed. “It’s their day.”

“I know.” She sighed. Her fingers intertwined with his as they rode through the city.

It’d be years before the gas company would even begin to cover the damages they’d caused. Conrad had been found, but it was too late. The animals had gotten to him. Until Melody woke up, no one had thought to look out at the ranch. They’d believed the stories Julio had told them when they came to the ranch. Mel’s car had been found stripped in El Paso on some side street a month after she’d woken up.

When they arrived at the reception, Nessa ran to Sunny and jumped in his arms. Clay and he switched living quarters after Sunny made the cabin livable and Nessa had become his best little girl. He didn’t mind. It had him closer to Melody, though she was still living at her home.

Carrying Nessa through the ballroom, he saw Henry wave him over. “Step one,” he whispered softly in Melody’s ear before kissing her behind her ear on her neck.

“Hey Uncle Henry.” Nessa smiled. “You dance wif me after Sunny?”

“Of course.” Henry smiled as he stood. “But I need you to take off and get me three bottles of bubbles.”

Sunny put Nessa down and she took off, her little sparkle dress shoes catching the light and shooting rainbows as she ran.

“Yes sir,” Sunshine said, looking Henry in the eye.

“I’ve talked with the guys and we’ve agreed to sell you that part of the ranch.” Henry pulled out a folded piece of paper. “It’s going to be a beautiful place to build a home.”

“Only because of the woman I plan to have living in it.”

The Last One to Know

Book Two of The Long Ranch Series

Chapter One

“Savannah. Savannah,” Curt called.

She kept her face toward the street and held up her pack of cigarettes as if they were a stop sign.

“Savannah, this guy wants to talk to you.”

She turned to see her balding manager in his standard white button down short sleeve shirt and khakis. Beside him was another middle aged man in a three piece suit. Not really the Discount Mart’s usual customers. Too bad. He was handsome for an old dude. “I’m on my smoke break,” she said when they approached as she tapped her pack and removed a cigarette. “Who’s the suit?” she asked with the cigarette between her lips.

“Gareth Cook,” the man said, extending his hand. “I’m a lawyer downtown.”

Savannah looked at him and flicked her lighter. “You need something, Curt?” she asked.

“Be back inside in five minutes or consider yourself fired.”

Savannah doused the flame and took her cigarette out of her mouth. “I’m supposed to finish a cigarette in five minutes?” She looked to the lawyer. “That seem feasible?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

The man didn’t seem to understand her humor…then again, most didn’t.

“Five minutes, Savannah,” Curt called and walked back into the store.

“You might want to light it if you’re planning on getting back in time.”

“I don’t smoke.” She placed the cigarette back into the pack. “But they give smokers twice the number of breaks. All I have to do is say I’m going to kill the next customer if I don’t get a smoke break.”

“Smart.”

“What’s up, Gareth? Why have you traveled to the part of Dallas where people only wear a suit in a coffin?”

“My law office was contacted by one in El Paso,” he said, and she turned her head to watch the street traffic again. “I’m sorry to bring you this news. Your father has passed.”

“You know my father?” she asked absently. “Because I sure don’t.”

“I don’t, but the law firm in El Paso did. He set up a will with them naming you as the beneficiary.”

Savannah turned to Gareth as she pushed her self up off the picnic table she’d been sitting on. “Wrong girl.”

“Savannah Georgio,” he said with certainty. “Mother’s name is Katia.”

“I’ve never met my father, even if this guy thought he was my dad I’m not really in the mood to drive to El Paso for a big screen TV and stack of old photo albums.”

“Lawyers are expensive. We aren’t really on the top of America’s philanthropy list.” The lawyer reached in his pocket and pulled out his card. “We don’t track people down for TV’s. Whatever this guy had it must be a lot. I’ve been authorized to buy you a bus ticket to Tender Root, New Mexico.”

“Tender what? What happened to El Paso?”

“Tender Root’s a bit small. I assume having a bastard living in Dallas wasn’t something he wanted getting out.”

“Don’t you lawyers have to keep quiet?”

“We’re not perfect.”

“Savannah,” Curt barked from the front door of the Discount Mart.

“My dad just died. Give me a minute.”

“Right, like you have a father,” Curt groaned. “Clean out your locker, you’re fired.”

Savannah turned to the lawyer and crossed her arms. “Can you give me gas money instead of a ticket?” she asked. Yanks could always let her punch in early and she could get better tips. “I do have a car.”

“I can look into it, but they really need you to get there sooner rather than later. There’s some contention over the will.” The lawyer looked at the store. “Did you want me to talk to your boss?”

“I got eight bucks an hour to listen to people complain because the off brand DVD player won’t work. Thank you, no.”

“Then you have nothing to stay here for, might as well head to Tender Root.”

Savannah put her
prop
cigarettes into her purse and sighed. “Did you miss the eight bucks an hour part of my liberation speech?” She stretched and removed the binder holding her midnight colored hair in a bun. It tumbled down her back and she used her fingers to clear away the tangles. “Unlike you, I live in the real world where you need three jobs to survive.” Taking off her blue smock, she removed the black nametag and tossed it in her purse.

“I’m sure money is involved in the will. Could be enough to let you quit a job or two.”

“The type of jobs I work don’t give time off.” Savannah dug through her purse for her keys and gave the Discount Mart a salute. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she removed the polo she was wearing to reveal a body hugging camisole with the back strategically cut out.

“Don’t you need to clean out your locker?”

“Locker?” She laughed. “Lockers are for people who invest themselves in jobs. I would never leave a part of me in a place like that.” Walking to her beat up
Caprice
she heard the man trying to catch up with her.

“Look, I don’t get paid unless you show up there.”

“What’s the finder’s fee?” she asked.

The lawyer screwed his face and clucked his tongue.

“That high, huh?”

“Let’s just say you aren’t exactly hard to find and I round up my billable hours.”

“Gareth, you’re a man after my own heart. Give me half and I’ll wander to Tender Root.”

“I’ll get you gas money, a fourth now, and a fourth when you show up in Tender Root.”

“You actually put a modicum of trust in me. That rarely happens.” Savannah got to thinking that few days drive wouldn’t be too bad if her car could make it. Besides, she was curious about this man who called himself her dad. “All I have to do is check in with the lawyer in El Paso?”

“Yep, you might not even have to go to Tender Root, but I think you’ll need to stay there for a day or two.”

Looking at her backseat already set up as a bed for those nights when she only had a few hours between jobs made her sigh. “Give me the money.”

* * * *

“How’s my boy getting on?” Darla asked as she brought Clayton Long his burger basket and set Sunshine Parker’s down at the empty seat.

“Why not ask him?” Clay asked. “He’ll be back from the bathroom in a minute.”

“You and I both know he wouldn’t want to stress out his mama.”

“Sunny’s great. Walt and Tina love having him there. Uncle Henry just loves knowing he’s sleeping by himself.”

Clay smiled as he thought about how Sunshine Parker had recently taken up with his cousin Melody, which wouldn’t have been a problem if he’d been forthright with his intentions. He’d taken the coward’s way about it, but the Long clan can be a bit intimidating, so he wasn’t about to chastise the man.

“I’m so happy he found someone as good as Melody to be with,” Darla said. “She’s got a strong streak that I know will put him in his place, mixed with a lady that is always so elegant.”

“I guess so,” Clay said as he squirted ketchup in the corner of his basket. “To me, she’s still Smelly Mellie.”

“You boys,” Darla chided while smacking Clay’s arm.

“How’s Race doing?” Clay asked. It had been almost five months since Darla’s husband had been fired from the Long Ranch. Since Clay hadn’t had a day in his twenty four years where the man hadn’t been on the ranch, he missed him. Even if he was a drunk son of a bitch.

“Fine for now. That whole Federated Gas thing isn’t setting too well with the workers.”

“It shouldn’t,” Sunny snapped as he took his seat at the table. “Those ass…bastards almost killed Mel.”

“Now, how do you know that man had anything to do with it?”

“Because I’m not a fool.”

“Are you calling me one?”

“No mama, I’d never do that.” Sunny took the top bun off his burger and squirted ketchup and mustard on it. “I just find it convenient that my father works for the people poisoning the town’s water supply and killing off the ranches.”

“He just started there, he didn’t know what had been done in the past. And they are cleaning up the damage.”

“Only because they got caught,” Sunny snarled. “Which is one more thing than that damn Julio got.”

Clay reminded himself to back off about that. Julio had after all, almost killed Melody and did succeed in killing Conrad Winston, his boss. Since the murder, Julio had been on the run and Conrad’s ranch was in limbo. Although his brother and sister came back to help manage it, they were just placeholders. At least that’s what Morgan, his sister, had told him.

“Your father had nothing to do with that,” Darla said with a hint of pride that exemplified all that was wrong in Sunny’s life.

If it hadn’t been for the Long’s who knows what kind of asshole he’d of grown up to be.

Sunny Scoffed. “Last I knew, the cooks on the Death Star didn’t plan on blowing up planets, but you have to choose who you work for in life.”

“Bringing out your inner geek,” Clay teased. “Does Mel know about this side of you?”

“Who do you think made me watch a
Star Wars
marathon last weekend?”

“That girl needs to heal…and quick.” Clay took a bite of his burger and a flash of light entered the Hard Root. He turned to see the outline of a very nice figure as the sun surrounded a woman he was sure couldn’t be from the area. He knew most of the eligible women in Tender Root and this figure did not belong…

Scratch that, it belonged—and was long overdue to walk in here.

When the door closed and lighting in the windowless bar took over, he was able to make out the alabaster goddess in the doorway. With thick bow lips and midnight colored hair cascading down past her shoulders, he couldn’t help but gape. Not the most attractive way to stare as he put down his burger and watched as she walked to the bar.

Placing one foot on the rung around the base of the bar, she leaned on the brass that wrapped around the top.

Darla had the privilege of speaking to the stranger, and Clay tried to come up with a reason to approach the bar.

“I’m out of ketchup,” Sunny said as he tossed the almost full bottle onto the table next to them. “Why don’t you see if my mom has more?”

“This is why you will always be one of the Longs,” Clay said, slapping Sunny’s knee and putting on his cowboy hat to make an official approach.

She was wearing a set of Chuck’s, cut off shorts that let a bit of her ass peek out, and a tank top. On her fingers, he noticed a set of rings, but not on any important fingers. Her purse was big and bulky, almost to the point of being a backpack in his mind. She’d plopped it on the bar top.

“…That’s how you get there,” Darla continued. “You want some food before you head out there? It’s quite a drive.”

“I could used something.” The woman dug through her purse and found a few dollars.

“How about I get your lunch?” Clay offered. “You seem new in town.”

“I’m not Scarlett O’Hara, I tend to run from kindness when it comes from strangers.”

“Things happen,” Clay said and turned his attention to Darla. “I need more ketchup.”

“I just filled the ketchup bottles.”

“My bad.” He took the bottle from the bar and headed back to the table, but gave a quick turn to the woman. “By the way…it was Blanche not Scarlett. Learn your Southern ladies when you come into a western bar.”

“Shot down that quick.” Sunny laughed when he got back to the table. “You need to work on your approach.”

“Well, she hasn’t been in love with me since she was five,” Clay snipped at his friend.

“It was closer to nine. Can’t help it that woman fall in love with me at first sight.”

“If that was true why don’t you see if you can get her number?”

“I’m not suicidal.”

“Chicken?”

“This is a set up. I go over there, work my cowboy charm and she starts drooling, next thing you know, I wake up with Melody standing over me ready to clip my manhood.” Sunny popped a few fries in his mouth. “I’ll pass.”

“She only has one good arm right now,” Clay teased as he stretched out his long legs. “I’m sure she couldn’t do much with just the left hand.”

“You’d be surprised.” Sunny raised his eyebrow.

Clay decided he didn’t want to get that into his cousin’s sex life, anyway.

“Excuse me,” the stranger said. “Darla said you weren’t some creepy sex fiend.”

“When did I lose that reputation?” he asked Sunny who covered his lips to hide the laugh. “I crafted that persona over the last few years.”

The woman’s lip quirked up and he tried to not pat himself on the back for breaking the ice queen’s demeanor. He hadn’t had to be so reserved with a girl since college…and college sucked.

“I’m Savannah, by the way.”

“Clay,” he said, extending his hand after he wiped it clean. “This is Sunshine.”

“What are you two? Strippers?” Savannah asked as she ran her eyes up and down Clay’s body.

“Only for the right woman,” he purred.