Rodeo Blues (10 page)

"A man who likes to get down to business,"
Jhett said with a nod and pushed back his expensive brown cowboy
hat. Looked brand new, as did the snakeskin boots he wore. "Good,"
Jhett added and his pretense of a smile dropped. "Let me just say
it to you straight. You better stay away from Jolie Lockhart while
you're here. You have no claims to her."

"I don't think Jolie would like being thought
of as an item to claim. She's funny like that."

"You were always a wiseacre weren't you, Tye?
Just stay away from
my gal
."

"Your gal?" Tye's eyebrows rose in
surprise.

Jhett took a deep breath, inflating his
chest. "That's right. We're planning on getting married."

"Is that so?" He guessed last night's news of
Jolie and his nuptials hadn't spread through town yet. He'd take
great pleasure in being the first to let Jhett in on the
secret.

"Yep. So I would appreciate it if you'd leave
Jolie be," Jhett continued his long-winded demands. "I don't like
to see her unhappy."

"You want to see Jolie happy? Should have
been at Big Bob's Saloon last night," he casually said.

Jhett blinked as if he were trying to
decipher Tye's angle. When he couldn't figure it out, he said,
"Just another Lady's Night, same as every Thursday." His shoulder
lifted in a shrug and his nostrils flared as his gaze wavered over
him in an
I'm-sizing-you-up
moment. "Jolie
never goes to those things," he added.

"So of course you don't either," Tye said.
Jhett and his gambling had turned into a full time job, so he was
probably posting a bet in the next town over for some event or
other.

"I don't make it a habit to hang out where my
gal isn't going to be," he snapped. "Besides, what difference does
it make if I was there or not? Get to your point, Casper. If'n
there is one. You're boring me." He faked a yawn.

"Jolie was there at Big Bob's Saloon. Must
have changed her mind on going once she knew I was in town. Got
ourselves hitched too."

"What…no… To each other?" Jhett sputtered,
his expression worthy of a snapshot moment.

Tye forced his twitching lips not to indulge
in a full out grin. "Yes, to each other," he confirmed his claim,
"and I would appreciate it if you'd stop coveting my wife. If you
recall, there's a commandment about such things."

"Well, I never— I don't believe you."

"Then you haven't been listening to your
Bible studies." How he kept a straight face, he'd never know. It
took Jhett an extra second to realize he was messing with him, but
when he did, Jhett's hatred for him shone brighter than ever
through his narrowed eyes of contempt.

"I'll speak to Jolie myself," he hissed as if
he were sure he could prove his claim a boldface lie.

"You do that. While you're at it, send her my
love."

Jhett's hands balled into fists and his face
turned a nice crimson color, flaming from his neck up to his
hairline. "Why you—"

"Watch it, Jhett. I don't want to fight you,
but mark my words, I will. And if you haven't noticed, I'm not the
scrawny teen you and your buddies liked to use as a punching bag
just for the fun of it." He hadn't been all that scrawny, but Jhett
usually had two or three others with him when he decided to
teach him a lesson –
as he liked to say
right before his buddies held his arms and Jhett tried to rearrange
his face.

Jhett's gaze slid over him again, and not in
a complimentary way, but this time coming to the conclusion he
might not be able to beat him without back up. "Well, well...
you're a tough guy now, aren't ya?" Jhett did another once over,
this time his face puckered as if he smelled something offensive
and needed to take it to the garbage.

"I can hold my own…" He shrugged. "Guess
without your buds, you can't take a swing at me." He wouldn't throw
the first punch, but God, if the man so much as touched him, he'd
let him have it good.

Jhett settled on pointing his finger at him.
"Watch it, Tye Casper. You don't belong here anymore – not that you
ever did."

He pursed his lips and tried his best to let
the insult slide off him. "It's been real nice catching up with
you," he said and purposely turned his back on him. Tye half
expected Jhett to jump him, but like most bullies, he was nothing
without his gang for support.

A few seconds later, he chanced a look over
his shoulder to see Jhett shoving past a group of teens, "Get out
of my way," he said and didn't slow his long strides as he clipped
one of the guys in the group. The teen yelled a few obscenities,
but Jhett didn't look back. He was on a mission now, one called
Jolie Lockhart. His long strides were heading straight to the
fairgrounds and Tye could only guess, but he'd bet it was to
Jolie's booth. He should have rethought his words, but Jhett always
seemed to bring out the worst in him, and the last time they butted
heads, they'd almost had the same identical conversation. Only he
hadn't been so lucky back then.

Funny no matter how many good things happened
in his life, the bad times always reared their ugly head and tried
to overshadow them. He could dredge up those days in a blink of an
eye – Jhett terrorizing him while his buddies helped. One night in
particular really got under his craw.

After prom, he'd dropped Jolie off at home
with a smile on his face and dreams for a future that would never
come to be…

Jhett and his friends were waiting for him
when he arrived at home. His father had been passed out inside and
was oblivious to his son getting the bejesus beat out of him.

"What do you want?" Tye eyed the three boys
flanking Jhett, all football players with more brawn than brains.
By the smell of them, they'd been having a private party with Jack
Daniels.

"I want you to stay away from Jolie Lockhart,
that's what," Jhett said, his words drawn out as if his tongue had
been stung by a bee and had swollen twice its size. "She's my gal,"
he spat.

"Seems she doesn't know you laid claims on
her, Jhett, since she went with me to the dance."

"Why you piece of scum. You're trailer trash,
trying to live it high with someone out of your class. You need to
be taught a lesson."

"What? And you think you're going to do it?"
Tye chuckled and realized only too late he probably shouldn't have
laughed when he stood outnumbered. His gaze shifted to Sean
Partridge and Gunner Boggs standing behind Jhett with attitudes to
match their thick biceps.

Jhett swung his fist, but Tye saw it coming
and ducked. Jhett whirled around hitting air and his friends
chuckled until Jhett threw them a lethal glare.

"Don't just stand there," he ordered. "Grab
him."

"Crap," Tye breathed, knowing he wouldn't
have a chance if the others joined in. He took a swing at Jhett. It
would probably be the only one he'd get. He heard the crack as he
made contact with Jhett's nose, who then screamed like a little
girl, high pitch and hysterical, until anger took hold. Blood
spurted everywhere, making Jhett madder than a hornet, searching to
sting someone's hide.

Tye put up a good fight, but three against
one didn't give him much of a chance – a black eye, bloodied lip,
and two cracked ribs later, he figured he got off light. The
beating hurt less than the words did. He believed he didn't deserve
Jolie. The beating only reinforced what he already knew in his
heart.

Yeah, some memories of Skeeter Blue weren't
so grand.

Chapter Fourteen

Jolie placed the bills in the cash box and
handed the bag to the customer.

"Jhett Reeves is heading our way," Whisper
said with a nudge.

She followed Whisper's line of vision and
frowned.

Whisper clicked her tongue. "My, oh my, he
doesn't look none too pleased, does he?"

His lips were pursed and his brows were
knitted together as if they were trying to kiss. Not a flattering
sight for Jhett Reeves and normally he wasn't a bad looking guy.
Finally, he reached them at the booth with no
how-do-you-do
or anything of the sort in greeting.

"Are you seeing that no good trailer trash
again?" he blurted out, making a couple at the booth turn their
heads toward them in surprise.

"Do you mind lowering your voice?" she
hissed. "You're scaring the customers."

He glanced at the couple and seemed to
realize they weren't alone. "Pardon the interruption," he said and
nodded toward them with a dip of his head. He then turned his
attention on her once more, while Whisper stepped around her to
take care of the customers.

"Did you forget he dumped you?" he asked and
leaned near her in an attempt of a whisper, but didn't quite
succeed. "Did you forget how you cried your eyes out over him?"

Jolie remained calm when all she wanted to do
was punch Jhett's arrogant face for calling Tye
no good trailer
trash
. Two seconds flat. Yep, amazing how fast she could go
from being a mature woman one minute, and then acting like the
teenager who would punch anyone who said an unkind word about Tye
Casper.

"Well?" Jhett demanded to know.

"Not that it's any of your concern… Tye and I
are… letting the past stay in the past. We were kids last we spoke,
and why dredge up old news when we could get to know each other as
adults."
Yeah, jumping into bed seemed the best
place to start. Very adult-like.
She cleared her throat and
shifted her weight to her other foot. "Besides, what Tye and I had
is ancient history. Things have changed."

"Is that so?" His nostrils flared. "He's no
good for you, Jolie. Did you know he's spreading a rumor you two
got hitched last night?"

"He told you that?"
Not that
she believed she could keep the marriage a secret…
"Don't
worry about what he said." She waved him off with a chuckle.

Jhett's cool gaze slid over her with disdain.
"Fool woman, he'll only bring you down. You don't date or marry
beneath you. Didn't your daddy ever set you straight?"

God, the man could make her see red. "Money
doesn't mean squat to me."

"It should. You can't live on kisses and
hopes."

She forced herself not to roll her eyes.
"Listen," she began only to be sidetracked when she caught sight of
Mayor Dirkly with his large brim cowboy hat. He strode toward their
way, but when his gaze locked with hers, he did a great imitation
of a deer caught in the headlights.

"Excuse me," she said to Jhett and strode
around the booth.

Mayor Dirkly whirled around and nearly
sprinted in the opposite direction, looking over his shoulder as if
he believed she'd chase him down.

Jolie frowned at his odd behavior.
What
the heck was going on with him?
"You can run, but you can't
hide, Mayor Dirkly," she murmured under her breath.

"What did you say?" Jhett asked as he came to
stand by her.

For a moment, she'd forgotten about him. So
much for hoping he'd take her advice and leave her alone.
"Nothing."

He didn't miss a beat as he babbled on about
relationships and other such nonsense. "I thought we were dating,"
he said.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a
headache coming on. "When were we ever dating?" she interrupted
him.

"I asked you out, didn't I?" he sputtered
with indignation.

"I don't recall saying yes, and asking
doesn't constitute dating."

"You would have said yes," he insisted.

She placed her hands on her hips. "What is it
with you cowboys thinking I'm going to fall at your feet?"

"Who else thinks so?"

"Never you mind. Now get, Jhett. I have a
booth to run here and it's not a dating service."

"We aren't finished," he said as he turned on
his heel. The man always had to have the last word.

Oh, he was right there. They weren't finished
because they never got started. She refrained from saying so,
letting him fade into the crowd. "Good riddance," she said beneath
her breath as she went back to join Whisper in the booth.

"Now I get what you were saying about Jhett
babbling on so," Whisper said as she fanned herself from the heat.
"Why didn't you just say you were married to Tye?" she asked.
"Would have shut the man up right then and there."

"'Cause this marriage isn't sticking. As soon
as I get a hold of Mayor Dirkly, that is."

"So your husband doesn't have a say?"

She glanced at Whisper. "We're discussing it
at dinner." He was taking her out. She would bring it up then –
again. Just because he was taking her out, it didn't mean it was a
real date or anything. She had to eat. He had to eat. It was two
adults sitting down having a meal and discussing what they needed
to do to set things right.

"Dinner, is it?" Whisper wagged her eyebrows.
"Will there be dessert too?"