Page 51 of Long Past Dawn
“Thanks, Ma— err, Miss Amity,” I corrected.
The woman in front of me melted for a moment before she squeezed my arm. “Just Ma will do, Beau. Just Ma will do.”
“Okay, just Ma. We'll see you tomorrow.” The raw emotion was audible in our voices, so I winked just to keep the tears at bay.
I helped Dawn into the truck and turned the heat on to warm her. The drive to Heavenly Lane was short, but I was afraid it was too late to keep her from hurting all day tomorrow.
Dawn rested her hand on my arm in the darkness. “You probably made her year right there, Beau.”
I shrugged, keeping my eyes pinned to the dark road barely illuminated by the headlights of the truck. “I've slipped up and called Amity that before when I was younger. Tonight was just the first time she ever jumped on it.”
“She jumped on it because you made her feel secure in your relationship now. That matters. You matter. To them and me. I love you.”
I pulled the truck down the lane and parked it in front of the house. “I love you, too. So much so I'm going to carry you inside.” I jumped down from the truck and carefully lifted her into my arms. Once we were in her room, I set her on the bed and pulled off her boots. “A shower and then bed, cowgirl.”
Dawn opened the nightstand and took out her pillbox, tossing some back and swigging them down with water. “I think I'll need help in the shower tonight,” she said as she stripped off the vest in a seductive manner, her voice smokey. “Know anyone who can hold me while I soap up?”
I pulled the bolo tie from around my neck and shed my jacket, starting on the buttons of my shirt. “Darlin', I'm your man,” I promised right before I did what I'd wanted to do since I first saw her in that dress. Rip it off her.
The birds had woken me at my usual time, so I grabbed my clothes and cleaned up in the main bathroom to avoid waking Dawn. It was early, but when you’ve lived the last decade of your life getting up with the sun, that’s not going to change just because you want to sleep in one day. I was now in no man’s land. I couldn’t go back to Bison Ridge and wake Blaze and Heaven, but I didn’t want to wake Dawn either. With any luck, Tex was up and had coffee made. I’d grab a cup before I saddled up Cloudy Day and rode back to the ranch to check on the animals and the fences. What’s the saying, a cowboy’s work is never done? It was true, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I grabbed last night’s pants to find my wallet, and I encountered the letter Ash had given me. Distracted by a beautiful naked woman, I had forgotten all about it. I flipped it over a couple of times in my hand, wondering who it was from before I finally slid my finger under the flap to open it. It was probably some lame invitation to a class reunion I wasn’t the least bit interested in attending. If that were the case, Blaze probably would have mentioned it, though. Since they didn’t bring one for him and we graduated together, that would be odd.
I snuck out of Dawn’s room and into mine, where I pulled out the single sheet of paper. I unfolded it, a picture of myself at about nine or ten falling to my lap. I picked it up and stared at it for a moment before I scanned and rescanned the sheet of paper. I couldn’t make the words make sense.
“Beau,” I read aloud, hoping that would help. “My name is Travis Pollard, and I was recently released from a Dallas jail. I wanted to get this off my chest with what time I have left on this earth. I am dying of pancreatic cancer, and the doctors have given me a month to live. For that reason, I am sending this letter before I go. I’m your father, Beau. I haven’t lived a good life, and I would not have made a good father. Your momma knew that which is why she did everything she could to protect you from me. I wanted nothing to do with being a father, and you were all the better for it. That said, your mother’s death was due in part to me. The night she died, I broke in with a friend, both of us high and looking for money. I knew Samantha would give it to us just to get rid of me. What happened after we broke in was not in the cards. My friend refused to let her live, said she’d turn us into the cops. I tried to stop him, Beau. I know you won’t believe me, but I did. I’ve included the picture I took from the house that night, so you know I’m telling you the truth. I never wanted to hurt your momma. Samantha was a good, kind woman who did everything she could to help people. I am not looking for forgiveness or for a way into heaven. I am telling you this so you may find peace about her death that you haven’t had in twenty years. If I can offer you that now, I can go to the grave knowing I will suffer the fate I deserve, but you will no longer suffer from not knowing the truth. Travis.”
The letter fell to my lap, and I picked up the picture, flipping it over to see my momma’s handwriting on the back: Beau ~ fourth grade. My world tipped on its axis to see that writing again after so many years. I crumpled the paper into a ball and smashed it against my forehead. The moment I had feared my entire life had arrived. I knew who had killed my momma. Now, I had to be the man she raised me to be. I had to make it right. I had to avenge her death. An eye for an eye.
No one could save me now.
“Cece, that was amazing,” I said, washing down the pancakes and eggs with a sip of coffee. “No wonder every review mentions the food as the reason they gave the dude ranch five stars. You deserve every one of them.”
Cece grinned and wiped her mouth before she spoke. “I’ve always loved cooking, but I hated the restaurant atmosphere. I love the way the cowboys moan and groan as they enjoy a good steak after a long day. The way they wake up with anticipation to see what I’ll have on the table for their first meal. It’s invigorating and keeps me motivated to come up with new ideas. Amity has sure helped me a lot with new recipes this week.”
Amity blushed and brushed her hand at Cece. “I raised a lot of boys while feeding a lot of men. You learn how to take what you have and make new and exciting things with it. I like your idea of keeping it fresh and wholesome for the guests. Hopefully, you can use some of those new recipes I gave you to keep that going.”
“I will start incorporating them once you bring me those bags of peppers you promised,” Cece said. “You can’t get those around here.”
Tex nodded and pointed at Cece while he chewed. “I gotta travel to Duluth to get a decent bag of dried peppers. Can’t wait to try some real Texas peppers.”
Ash shook his head. “Y’all gonna burn the daylights out of your mouth and stomach. You’ll have to be careful. Wisconsin and Texas are a long way apart from each other, in distance and peppers.”
“Ask Beau. He knows,” Amity said, laughing. “Speaking of Beau, where is he? Did he head to the ranch already?”
“He wasn’t there when I was,” Tex said around the eggs in his mouth. “Jamison was looking for him, too. They have some serious problems with fences up there. I had to help them close more holes. Blaze is spitting mad. He thought he was sleeping in.”
My heart started to pound, and I lowered my fork to the plate. “That isn’t like Beau,” I said, shaking my head. “He never shirks his duties. I know he got up with the birds this morning. That was hours ago now. I thought he’d gone to the ranch.” I took my phone out and checked it, surprised when it showed the text hadn’t been sent. I held up the phone. “I texted him earlier to meet us here for breakfast. His truck was gone when I got up this morning.” I stood quickly and headed for the door. “I’m going to go check the house and see if he came back.”
Everyone followed me out the door, and we hurried toward the house, which was too far away for my liking. I wanted to run, the urgency spurring my feet forward, but at the same time, I didn’t want to alarm anyone. The fact that the text didn’t go through told me his phone was off or wherever he was, there was no service.
I burst through the back door and hurried to his room, glancing around it. Nothing looked amiss until Amity pointed at the bed. “That’s the envelope from the letter Ash gave him last night.”
I picked it up and flipped it over a couple of times. “It’s empty.”
It was Ash who noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the floor and picked it up. He uncrumpled it and started to read. The further he got into it, the more desperate his voice became. When he finished reading, we stood in shock for several minutes before everyone started to talk at once.
Tex finally whistled until everyone was silent. “Dawn, when do you think he left?”
