Page 4 of Don't Trust the Cowboy

“That’s bullshit, Billy. That girl’s got what nobody else will have.”

I give him a look, like he’s fucking around with me, even though I know that he’s dead fucking serious, and it pisses me off, because I don’t know where he’s going with this. “Like what? A nice rack?”

The warning look gets my attention. “Billy, that girl is hungry. She didn’t have to come all the way over here just to introduce herself. She could have waited for you to call, or she could have called you herself.”

“So what? And what makes you think she’s so goddamn hungry, man? How do I know that she’s not going to ditch me for her part-time gig, just like goddamn Trixie did?”

Her car hasn’t pulled away yet. It’s chugging, struggling to stay alive, and it looks like she’s making a phone call, oblivious to the fact that we’re just a car length behind her. “Open your eyes, Billy.” He says, pointing to her car. “She’s driving a pale of shit, she was just about to cry, her folks are dead, and if you look real closely, what do you see in the back seat, brother?”

I sigh, growing tired, wanting him to get to the point, so we can take off, before it looks like we’re stalking her. “What, what am I looking at, man, fuck!”

Cassidy points at the clothes, sleeping bag, and pillow in the back, not set up like she’s going camping, no. I swallow. My heart starts to pound. My voice is a whisper when I say. “Fuck...she’s living in her fucking car.”

Chapter 2

Piper

Myblousehasastain on it that I only notice as I drive away from the ranch. Thankfully, there’s a thrift store in town, and I was able to grab some things suitable for an interview. I took a load to the laundromat a couple of hours ago, but I must have forgotten to wash this. I try to convince myself that that’s the reason why Mr. Barnes seemed hesitant to meet with me. But I know better. I’ve been told that he’s a real pill and to steer clear of him, but at this point, I haven’t got much of a choice.

The house went into foreclosure after my parents were killed in a car accident a few months ago. I wasn’t terribly close with either of them, which is why I chose to go to school in another state, and a scholarship paid most of my way. Daddy was hopping mad when I left Copper Cove, but I felt like if I didn’t, that I’d disappear. I’m sorry that they’re gone, but if it weren’t for my aunt in Dallas, where I went to school, I just don’t know where I’d be. She’s the one that got me through my awkward teenage years, when my folks ignored me, and pretended that my problems didn’t exist. Those that they knew about, anyway.

Aunt Kay tried to help as much as she could, but I can’t ask for more of her. Plus, I’ve always done things on my own, and I prefer it that way. If she knew half of what I’ve been going through, she’d be so upset. Like the part where the house is gone. Sold to another family for half of what it’s worth, not that it was worth much to begin with. Mama and daddy never kept it up. The shingles were shabby, the windows were in bad need of replacing, the floor tiles were all dog-eared and the paint was faded and peeling in spots. That’s also part of the reason why I needed to leave home. Strict, unfair rules, and a lot of things that I don’t care to get into, all rolled into a house not fit for a vagrant.

So, here I am, Piper Charlton, of no fixed address. How did I apply for a job, you ask? I’m using my aunt’s address, if you’re wondering. Why did I come back to Copper Cove, and not stay with my aunt? Well, I already told you part of it. I don’t want to burden my poor aunt. The other part is the very cool job opportunity that popped up in Copper Cove, right around the time when I needed one most, after the house sold. My folks left me nothing, and my scholarship ran out last semester. The remaining courses can be done online and at night, and this nighttime job, doing exactly what I’ve been studying for, could not have come my way at a better time.

The problem is, the job pays for my schooling and some necessities, but nothing else. I can’t afford rent, and if I can get a day job, I’ll be able to afford a place to hang my hat in no time. This is only temporary. It’s only been a month or so of sleeping in my car, showering at truck stops, and eating at a cheap diner. Not a big deal. I’ve been through way worse, but I’m not getting into that right now. This is a stepping stone. I’m moving on to bigger and better things. Way more than my folks wanted me to have. Way more than I ever dreamed I’d have. At one point or another, I’m sure that everyone has done something that they’re not particularly proud of to get by, like a rite of passage, and that’s what my life is right now. Nothing that can’t be fixed in short order.

But the word is around town that this Billy Barnes guy is bad news. Unfortunately, it’s the only job that I can take in town, because it’s tough to get hired when you’re not finished you’re schooling yet. Even in Copper Cove. Plus, everyone else in town knows me or my folks, and I can’t stand the goddamn pitying look on their faces. I’ve had to fight back the urge to punch someone a few times. At least Billy Barnes and I have never been acquainted until today. The look on his face said that he’s not at all impressed by me. Not even with me showing up personally to follow up on my resume.

I’ll try again if that’s what it takes. I’m not one to give up. I’ve come this far. Mama and daddy never believed that I’d make it through school. They said that I wasn’t cut out for that, but they were wrong. Despite my grades in high school, they never believed in me. Probably because they never made it past ninth grade. Part of me thinks that they were jealous. Daddy worked as a courier, and mama answered phones part time for the church. How they managed to buy this house is beyond me, but I heard that it was through some inheritance daddy got when his daddy died.

I go visit my aunt every day without fail. We’re very close. Closer than I’ve been with anyone. She never married and never had any kids, so she’s got me, and I’ve got her. Aunt Kay doesn’t drive. She’s blind. And she can’t work, either, save for the sewing jobs that she does for the hospital. Her blindness came from the diabetes that she’s had since birth, and it wasn’t until she was in her forties that it happened. Before that, she was also an accountant, and yes, you guessed it, that’s where I got my passion from. Aunt Kay loves to help me with homework and assignments. Numbers are our thing. But truthfully, that’s how come I can get away with using her address, because I check her mail for her daily.

This is also why I can’t burden her with my problems. I’d love to live with her, and I do take care of her, but she’s a lot like me, I suppose. Despite her blindness, she’s very independent, doing all the cooking, cleaning, and she even has a neighbor take her to run errands. I take her to the doctor, though, but that’s only because I don’t like him. I think he’s the reason she lost her vision, but she denies that. Aside from the diabetes, she’s very healthy, and she looks after herself well. Kay walks daily, and she has an exercise bike, she eats well, and I swear if she can find some way, she’ll work again one day.

Kay doesn’t know about the house foreclosing, either. There’s a lot that I don’t tell her. She worries a lot. And that almost always affects her health. I’d hate to be the cause of her getting sicker. Truthfully, it doesn’t help either of us. We only have each other. As far as she’s concerned, I’m still in school full-time, working part-time, and I’ve only got another semester left, before I can start fresh. As I drive away from the ranch, I start to wonder if perseverance will serve here. And I also wonder if it’s better to catch Mr. Barnes when his brother isn’t with him. Being an only child, I never understood that siblings can be annoying, until I saw my boss’s two kids fighting incessantly.

I make up my mind to go to the library and get some homework done, using their computer and internet, and then I’ll go back to the ranch later, after work, maybe after dusk, when his workday is over. It’s a risk, but at least then his other interview will be over, and I can put on the charm, without his brother there. I’ll take that gamble. What have I got to lose? By the look of that ranch, he needs my help. I heard from a few people in town, that his last assistant left him without notice, and he’s behind in paying his bills, and while I didn’t see the inside of the house, the outside looks like he’s in terrible need of help. There’s a newer house being built next to the older one, but I’ve heard that it’s been a long time coming, and the builders are lax.

After I take a quick run into Dallas, to check on Kay, I head back into Copper Cove, with a fresh change of clothes, using my aunt’s bathroom as a change room, and I pull up to the ranch. Mr. Barnes is sitting on his porch, sipping tea, looking tired and disheveled. His eyes are fixed on a loose floorboard when I exit the car. It looks like he’s in another world, as he didn’t even notice me pulling up to the house. “Good evening.” I say to him conversationally. He’s too tired to look surprised, but he nods all the same.

“Good evening.”

“You didn’t call me, so I thought that I would just pop by. I know that’s unconventional.” He doesn’t say much. He doesn’t even seem to care that I’m here. “You look like you had a rough day.”

He scoffs, shaking his head. “You could say that. My interview didn’t show up, one of my builders walked out on me, my one brother that’s talking to me, now isn’t talking to me, and I’m too goddamn tired to cook something, so I’m drinking tea for supper.”

I walk back to my car, expecting him to ask where the hell I’m going, but he doesn’t. As I open the cooler in the back seat, I pick up the sandwich that I’m saving for tomorrow, and bring it to him. It’s wrapped in tin foil and cellophane, and he looks at me first, before taking it. “What’s this?”

“Turkey on rye. It’s delicious. I was saving it for lunch tomorrow, but you look like you need it more than I do.”

He shakes his head, but ultimately, he unwraps it, takes a bite, and offers me the second half of it. I lift a hand. “It’s okay. I ate dinner already.”

“Yeah? Where’d you eat. What’s your secret.” He asks, like there’s some hidden food source in town that he doesn’t know about.

“Betty’s. Great food at a great price. They know me by name there. She says that she’d offer me a job there, but all her positions are full.”

“I never eat out.”

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