Easy (17 page)

Daisy walked into the trailer and shut the door behind her, putting a barrier between herself and whatever had just happened. She looked around at the lumpy couch and the stained carpet and tried to imagine Easy growing up in a similar place. She couldn’t picture it, but then he and his friends had homes with yards instead of weeds. She’d just assumed it had always been that way for him. Maybe she was just as guilty of judging appearances.

In the morning, she grabbed a quick shower (only because it was cold) and slowly got dressed. She headed out the door but couldn’t force herself to do more than take slow, deliberate steps. He’d said he’d see her today, but maybe he’d changed his mind. Maybe after he left he’d taken a walk around Vista Valley and Delay proper and decided to go back home- without her.

She paused just before the railroad tracks.
Without her
. Did she want him to take her back to Rapid City?

It didn’t matter if
she did; he hadn’t offered. Nor was he likely to, not now that he knew the truth. So why was he here? Just to apologize? Maybe he was making amends, she mused. He’d bought a bike, gotten a new prosthetic, and now that he was starting his new life, he was making up for the old one.

In the time she’d known him, Easy hadn’t been a heavy drinker. She doubted he was addicted to alcohol, but maybe depression was its own kind of addiction. You just got so used to being in the gutter that it was easier to stay there. She knew a thing or two about that.

Her mama, it seemed, had long ago given up on having anything better. Even stocking her fridge for her on-again, off-again man seemed a little more like habit than hope. Daisy had never gone down that road. She knew that once you started- and if you kept on it long enough- the way back was longer than the way through, and you just kept on going- right up until you died. She wasn’t going to own a fancy hotel or run a restaurant; she’d barely finished high school. But she’d be damned if she’d die in a dirty trailer in Delay, Nebraska.

She couldn’t blame Easy for pulling himself up, and now it seemed he was finally recovering from his own bump in the road. It was just hard to feel happy for him when she wasn’t sure why he was here. If he wanted to rub it in, then why had he admitted he’d grown u
p basically just like her? If he was here to apologize, why didn’t he just do that and leave?

As she approached the diner, her heart knocked in her chest as she saw him outside leaning up against his new bike. He remained silent as he held the door for her. She shuffled inside and grabbed her apron as he chose a stool at the counter again. She ducked her head guiltily, as Joe glared at them both.

As if to legitimize his presence, Easy said, “I’ll have steak and eggs, scrambled. With coffee.”

Daisy filled his cup, along with everyone else’s, and started her shift. When Easy finished his breakfast, he pushed the plate away and unfolded a newspaper. Daisy knew there was nothing newsworthy going on in Delay, certainly nothing of interest to a man like Jimmy, but he continued to read for the better part of the morning.

Daisy was about to take his lunch order when the bell above the door jingled. She looked over Easy’s shoulder and scowled. Matt stomped up to the counter, looking surly.

“What do you want?” Daisy asked him.

Easy looked up from his paper, first at Daisy then at Matt. Matt eyeballed him with disdain.

“Heard some asshole was in town sniffing around.”

“He’s not,” Daisy replied. “And it’s no business of yours, anyway.”

Matt ignored her and glared at Easy. “Daisy’s mine,” he declared loudly. “So you can just fuck right off
, because you don’t belong here, and you sure as shit don’t belong with her!”

Daisy watched as Easy put down the paper and got up off the stool.

“Hey!” yelled Joe. “I don’t want no trouble in here! You take it outside.”

Daisy was certain she heard the old man mutter that she wasn’t even worth it, but she was too busy staring at Matt and Easy to care.

Easy drew himself up to his full height, which was a head taller than Matt. Matt’s jaw twitched, but he didn’t back down.

“Well, you’re right about one thing,” Easy replied. “I don’t belong here. But you’re wrong about something else. Daisy isn’t yours.”

“The hell she’s not.”

“If she was,” Easy told him calmly, “you wouldn’t have left her in Sturgis. And don’t think for one second that I’ve forgotten that you hit her before you took off.” Easy’s eyes narrowed as Matt’s widened. “So, how about it,
Matt
?” he said, managing to make ‘Matt’ sound like ‘shit’. “Want to talk about this outside? I’m ready.”

It was probably a combination of Easy’s deadly calm voice and the Army Ranger tattoo prominently visible on his forearm that cause
d Matt to rethink his strategy. He mumbled something about needing to get back to work before he turned to leave.

Easy slid back onto his stool
, once Matt had left. Several other people were staring at him and Daisy. She didn’t know what to tell them or what to make of what had just happened. Deciding it wasn’t worth agonizing over, she cleared the counter and wiped it down. What had really happened? Not much, she decided. Matt had come in spoiling for a fight, not knowing who he’d be up against.

Easy had changed his mind with just a few words. Daisy reminded herself that none of those words had included claiming her for himself. He didn’t want her. He wasn’t apologizing and he still hadn’t left. Angrily
, she threw down the rag. It was busy, too busy to just confront him. Hell, if she thought Joe would let her, she’d tell Easy to meet
her
outside. As it was, she’d just have to wait until they were alone, and she could tell his ass to leave.

Easy didn’t belong here. She did, at least for now. And it was time to end whatever this was.

By the time dinner service was over, she was spoiling for a fight herself. She stalked to the door Easy was holding open for her and passed through it. The only difference was that she wasn’t about to back down. It turned out, though, that she was forced to do exactly that. When she opened her mouth to give him what for, he asked, “So, your dad took off?”

Thrown off balance, she could only stare at him. Ignoring her confusion, Easy slid his hand into hers and started walking.

“My old man took off, too. I mean my
real
old man. My mom got knocked up in high school, but he took off once he found out. Not sure why the guy I call my dad agreed to marry her, except they were young, and her old man, my grandfather, wasn’t the nicest guy in the world. Maybe he felt like saving her. I don’t know.”

“I don’t think she wanted to be saved, though. Or she was angry that she needed it or something. Because she drank a lot
, and she’d go off on a tear, yelling about the shithole we lived in and the crappy job she had to work to pay the bills. And she’d remind him that I wasn’t his.”

“I wanted to be, though. I was always trying to make him proud of me. But nothing I did was ever good enough. Not my grades or football, even though I was damn good at both. And you would think that I would have wised up, that I would have just stopped fucking trying, but I never did. Although, after a while, I didn’t want to impress him anymore.”

As they walked, Easy squinted into the setting sun that was orange against the purplish sky. “After a while, I just wanted to piss him off,” he admitted. “So, I’d be better than him, I decided. We were flat broke, no money for college. I figured I’d join the Army, and they’d pay for my education. And then I joined the Rangers, because they were elite. I had it all planned out. A few tours, a fat commission, then I’d come home and get married. To a nice, pretty girl who’d take care of my house and raise my kids and never, ever mouth off to me.”

Daisy jerked her hand again, a bit more forcefully this time. “Well, that’s not me. So, I don’t know what you thought you were doing hooking up with me in the first damn place. Because I’m not like that!”

Easy let go of her hand, but before she could get away he grabbed her shoulders. “No one is like that, Daisy. That girl, she was never real. She was never even a
person
to me! She was just like the football trophies and the medals, just another
thing
I could parade in front of my old man. I never once thought about how much I’d love her, only how much
she
would love
me
.”

“Well, you’re in luck!” Daisy shot back, pushing against his chest. “Because I don’t love you! I’m ugly, and tattooed, and mouthy. And I’m a whore, too. Just ask around! No one’s surprised. They all knew what I’d turn out to be. And you did, too. So, go back home, Turnbull. Because
this
is where I live, and you don’t want any part of it.”

His grip on her shoulders tightened
, and he pulled her in closer. Daisy fought, though, and tried to get away. “Just leave me alone!” she cried. “I don’t love you.
I don’t love you!
” she cried even as fresh, hot tears spilled down her cheeks. This fucking hypocritical bastard tracked her down just to stomp on what was left, and it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all.

He held her so close she could smell his cologne and the musk underneath that she’d always loved about him.

“
What do you want?
” she sobbed.

Instead of answering her, Easy swept her hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. “See you tomorrow, Daisy,” he told her
, and then he walked away.

Easy checked his watch as he waited outside the Silver Spoon for the third day in a row. She was either late this time or not coming. He could go to her trailer, he supposed, but that seemed a little too invasive. He’d almost given up when he caught a glimpse of her coming down the street.

“You’re not working today?” he asked her.

She shook her head, then peered at him. “I wasn’t sure how long you’d wait.”

“A long time,” he assured her. “Will you take another walk with me?” he asked her, nodding across the street. “We could go over there.”

She hesitated, then nodded
, and they crossed the road toward a small park in the middle of town. Easy took her hand again and noted with some satisfaction that she didn’t fight him this time. They sat down on a park bench at the edge of the sand playground.

“Why are you here?” she asked quietly.

“I’ve got a lot to make up for.”

She nodded. “I figured.”

“You figured what?”

“New leg, new bike, new life. Time to burn the bridge,” she added quietly.

“Time to what?”

“Nothing.”

Easy reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did he hurt you Daisy?”

“Who? Matt? No, not really. I’ve been hit harder.”

“Not Matt,” Easy replied. “The cop.”

Daisy glanced at him
for a moment and looked away. “That’s got nothing to do with you.”

“I’m asking anyway.”

“What do you want me to tell you?” she snapped. “That it was all a mistake? That I’m innocent. Think whatever you want about me. I don’t care.”

Easy leaned in and kissed her softly. His little warrior girl put on a strong front, but
he realized she wore her heart- and her soul- on her sleeve, if you gave enough of a shit to look for it. He wasn’t surprised she’d never shown him much in the way of emotion. He’d sure as shit never given
her
anything.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. “
I
care, Daisy.”

He could get down on the only knee he had left and say it louder, if he tho
ught that was what she needed, but it wasn’t. Daisy didn’t need some big gesture that was as much about the people watching as it was about her, not that there was anyone watching. They were alone, and it was his chance to be intimate with her in a way that was about more than just putting his dick inside her.

“I care, Daisy,” he repeated, because he was certain she’d never heard it before. She might have heard
I love you
, but who had said
I care
?

She broke away from him and wiped tears from her eyes. “He didn’t hurt me.”

They sat in silence while he waited for more.

“I was in a bar,” she said finally. “Pissed off because I was broke and had no way to get home. Some guy bought me a drink
, and I told him I was stuck. He asked me what I’d be willing to do for some cash.” She kicked at the dirt underneath her boot. “Here’s the part where I cement your shitty opinion of me and tell you I considered stripping. But I didn’t think I could do it, even just once. Not with a bunch of people watching.”

She laughed bitterl
y. “You’d think I wouldn’t care after Ricky Snell’s basement, but I did. And I didn’t know how many times I’d have to take my clothes off before I had enough money. I thought with sex it’d just be one time. It’d be over fast and I’d have the money I needed. I could just go home and put it behind me. So, I told him to buy me another drink.”

“We went out to the parking lot. I let him fuck me. But he stopped and took off the condom. He wanted me to suck him off, but I wouldn’t do it. We argued. He grabbed me
, and I punched him. Then he dragged me out of the car and told me he was a cop. He called someone else to cuff me. He told them I was turning tricks in the parking lot and offered to blow him.”

“But you didn’t tell anyone what really happened?”

“I did. The first guy who showed up, I told him. But all he saw was a drunk slut with too many tattoos. Trailer trash versus a cop. He didn’t believe me. Later, a lawyer came to see me and tried to talk to me, but it didn’t matter. It
doesn’t
matter.”

She turned to look at him. “I did it, Jimmy. I let some sleazy asshole stick his dick in me for a bus ticket. Nothing else matters. I’ll always know that I did it.”

Easy pulled her in close and held her against him while she cried. After a few minutes, he said, “Sometimes bad choices seem like the
only
choices. I know how that is. You looked in my box.”

She pulled away to look at him. “You have so much.”

“I do,” he agreed. “I have family that loves me, a little niece to watch grow up. But for a long time I didn’t realize it. I treated them like shit. Worst of all, I had a girl who loved me, and I treated her like shit, too.” He smoothed back her hair so he could see her face. “Can I have you again, Daisy?”

She looked up at him with clear blue eyes
, and he held his breath. Her lips parted, and he waited on a knife edge to get a glimpse into his own future.

“I’m sorry. Are we interrupting a Hallmark moment?”

Daisy gasped in surprise, and Easy let go of her. Matt had enlisted two mouth breathers to back him up. They stood behind him and tried to look menacing. Easy would have laughed if he wasn’t so damn irritated.

“I told you, Daisy’s mine.”

Easy shook his head. Matt didn’t give a shit about Daisy. It was more likely that his ego was bruised, and in a small town like this everyone had heard about it. Easy weighed the merits of explaining that if he needed two other guys to finish the job it still wouldn’t be a victory, not that they stood a chance. Two pissants and a loudmouth were hardly intimidating.

“These are shitty odds,” Easy told Matt. “You should’ve brought more guys.” He stepped forward, putting himself in front of Daisy
, just in case one of them had brought a gun. “Obviously, you were too stupid to get it the first time, so let me be perfectly clear. Daisy...
is mine
. So suck it up, boy band, because she’s leaving with me.”

“Like hell,” Matt shouted and lunged.

Easy side stepped him and swept his legs out from underneath him. He went down in the dirt, just as the other two charged. Easy pivoted and rammed his elbow into the large one’s gut. He doubled over with a grunt. The third one was still advancing. So, Easy threw a punch, catching him squarely in the face. He went down harder than Matt, blood misting from his nose.

The one he’d winded was back for more, so Easy grabbed his shoulder with one hand and made several quick jabs with the other. Somewhere around the third or fourth strike, he felt a rib crack under his knuckles.

Matt was up by now and swinging hard. He caught Easy in the back with a kidney punch. Easy stumbled a bit. Matt kept up his pursuit, but the younger man was all enthusiasm and no strategy. When his next swing missed, he over-extended himself. Easy brought his fist down hard, cracking Matt’s jaw and sending him to his knees.

“Want to go another round?”

Matt didn’t respond, and Easy turned away. A body slammed into his, but this one was small and female. She was sobbing and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Everything’s fine,” he murmured in her ear.

“I know.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because you fought for me.”

Easy pushed her away a little and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs. He grinned at her. “Is one of these guys Ricky, by any chance? If not we could go looking for him. I’m on a roll.”

She laughed through her tears and leaned in to kiss him. He lifted her to her toes and pressed his lips to hers.

“Yes,” she told him when he let go.

He knew which question she was answering.