Dorothy Garlock - [Route 66] (14 page)

Tilting his head so that he could see her profile, he studied the lines of her face. Brady felt that he was a fairly good judge of character, and he couldn’t, for the life of him, associate her with the description her father had given him. It just wasn’t possible.

He saw the trembling of her lips just before she turned to glare at him. “Stop looking at me!”

“I like looking at you. You’re pretty.”

“Yeah. Sure. You think I’ll be an easy tumble after what Elmer said. Well, because I let you kiss me doesn’t mean it’ll go any further.”

“We kissed each other. Remember?”

“I remember, and that’s the end of it.”

“I’m not asking for more.”

“Thank you.” She turned her face away, but not before he saw the moisture in her eyes.

“You can ride the rest of the way with me and Punkie if you want. I’d appreciate the help.”

“You don’t need my help. Grace will help with Anna Marie.”

“Even so. You’ve got a place with me if you want it.”

“And you’d expect payment. How? On my back?” She bit the words out angrily.

He didn’t reply. A strained minute passed before she looked at him. He had turned away from her, but she could see the muscle flex in his cheek as he clenched his teeth.

“Brady? I’m sorry,” she said in an agonized whisper, and placed her hand on his arm. “Please—I’m sorry.”

He looked at her then. His eyes were shadowed by the thick, stubby lashes, but the set of his mouth told her that he was not pleased.

“You’d best be careful, Margie, that some of Elmer’s cynicism doesn’t rub off on you.”

“Oh, Lord! You’re right. I can’t let that happen. But it’s so hard when he says … those things.” Her eyes were torn away from his face when Anna Marie ran to her and threw herself in her arms.

“Margie! I haven’t seen you all day. Can I give you a hug?”

“There’s nothing in the world I want more than a hug from you right now.” She wrapped her arms around the child, closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet, innocent smell. “I’ve missed you.”

“I ’bout know the rest of my ABCs.”

“Forevermore! When did all of this happen?”

“While I was riding with Aunt Grace. She likes me.”

“I’m not a bit surprised at that.”

“Do you like me?” Anna Marie’s arms were tight around her neck.

“More than you know.” Margie glanced at Brady and found him gazing at her. She hugged the child and closed her eyes as her mind went back to when she had asked her granny why her daddy didn’t like her.

He likes you, honey, He just doesn’t know how to show it.
That had satisfied her for a while, but later she had known differently.

Margie opened her eyes to see Brady still watching her. One long leg was stretched out, the other bent at the knee, his arms resting on it. She pulled her eyes away from his quiet face and tickled Anna Marie’s nose with the end of her braid. The child giggled happily and hid her face against Margie’s shoulder.

“Can I ride with you tomorrow? I’ll sing my ABCs.”

“Ah … I don’t know, honey. We’ll have to talk that over with your uncle.”

“Can I, Uncle Brady? Please. I’ll be nice.”

“I’m feeling left out, Punkie. It’s my turn to have you ride with me. I want to hear the songs you’ve learned and hear you sing the ABCs.”

“Maybe Margie can ride with us. Can you, Margie?”

“I don’t know about that either, Punkie,” she said, using Brady’s pet name for his niece. “Look now, Rusty has the guitar, and Mr. Putman is going to play the fiddle.”

“All right, folks.” Alvin’s booming voice reached out over the campground. “Let’s sing a few hymns. We’ll start out with ‘The Old Rugged Cross.’ I think everyone knows that one. If anyone has a favorite, holler it out.”

Alvin waved the bow of the fiddle like a baton. He and Grace started the singing, and as soon as the crowd gathered around the campfire joined in, he played the tune on the fiddle. Rusty picked chords on the guitar.

When the song ended, they sang “Shall We Gather at the River” and “In the Sweet Bye and Bye.” Then someone suggested “Red River Valley.” Alvin passed the fiddle to Rusty, then pulled Grace up beside him, and they sang the ballad in harmony.

When they finished, Jody called out, “Sing a cowboy song, Rusty.”

“Which one?” he asked, and he and his father changed instruments again.

“How about ‘Strawberry Roan’?”

Rusty sat down and casually let his hand drop to Mona’s shoulder to make sure she was still beside him. The touch was noticed only by his mother. When he began to strum the strings of the guitar with slender, knowing fingers, all conversation ceased. He lifted his head and flashed a sudden bright smile around the circle and began to sing.

“Oh, that strawberry roan, oh, that strawberry roan
,

He goes up in the east, comes down in the west
,

To stay in his middle, I’m doin’ my best
,

Stay on that strawberry roan, stay on.

Stay on that strawberry roan!”

Rusty was a natural entertainer. His voice had a husky throb that drifted gently on the night breeze. The crowd was enthralled. When he finished the song, they clapped and shouted, “More, more!”

“All right.” Rusty was smiling. There was no doubt that he was enjoying himself immensely. “How about ‘The Cowboy’s Lament’? It’s got a lot of verses, if you can put up with them.” Laughter followed his words, and he began the sad song.

“As I walked down the streets of Laredo
,

As I walked out in Laredo one day
,

I spied a poor cowboy wrapped up in white linen
,

Wrapped up in white linen as cold as the clay.”

Even the excited children were quiet as Rusty sang verse after verse of the sad song about a cowboy who had done wrong. When he finished, they were silent for a few seconds, then clapped their appreciation.

Chapter 10

R
USTY HAS AN AMAZING MEMORY
,” Margie said. “Imagine being able to play the violin and the guitar without being able to see them.”

Brady grinned. “I think he has a crush on Mona.”

“Goodness. I hope that she’ll be kind to him if she can’t return his affection.”

“She seems to be taken with him.”

“I hate to think of what Sugar would say to that.” Margie snuggled the sleeping child close to her.

“Because he’s blind?” There was resentment in the softly spoken words.

“She calls him a dummy.”

“Dummy? He’s got more brains in his little finger than she’s got in that head of hers.”

“Maybe, but it’s a pretty head. You have to admit to that.”

“Mrs. Luker is a different breed of cat.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s like an alley cat. She’ll never be satisfied with one man. My guess is that she’s using Foley to get to California and will dump him as soon as they get there.”

“He seems to be completely in love with her.”

“She’s got him bamboozled, all right. He’ll wake up and find himself alone, broke and depending on his kids in his old age.” Brady moved to take Anna Marie from Margie’s lap. “Punkie’s asleep. I’ll lay her down here on the blanket.”

“No. Let me hold her.” Margie pulled Anna Marie’s dress down over her thin little legs and cuddled the warm, trusting little body. “I hope her aunt will love her and give her a good home.”

“I’ll not leave her until I’m sure she’ll be all right.” He turned his face away, but not before Margie saw that his eyes were bleak and bitter.

“Is the aunt married?”

“She was. I don’t know if they’re still together. Brian said something about her husband being a fly-by-night.”

“A child needs a mother and a father.”

“My brother doted on her, but she never had much of a mother. Becky was the most selfish, self-centered person I’ve ever known.” His eyes had turned hard. There was not a flicker of kindness in their depths.

“Elmer never had any use for me. I was lucky to have my grandmother.”

“Have you noticed how Punkie’s always asking people if they like her? I suspect that Becky told her many times that she didn’t even like her.”

“How could she have been so cruel?”

“When Punkie was just a little tot, Becky got mad at her for some little thing and told her that she hated her. Brian slapped Becky then. And he loved that woman with every breath in his body.” He bit out the words, low, husky, angrily.

Margie turned questioning eyes to him, but he was looking toward the campfire. At the memory of Anna Marie’s mother, he had bristled like an enraged porcupine. He turned to Margie, and their eyes clung for a breathless moment. Strange sensations went zigzagging along her nerves.

“Poor little thing,” she said almost to herself.

The campfire was dying down and the gathering breaking up. Folks were picking up their sleeping children and calling to those who had been too excited to sit still.

“Don’t look so worried. I’ll bring Alvin over,” Brady said as he saw the expression of anxiety move over her face when she lost sight of the man she had come to talk to. His voice was sincere and had almost the same tone he used when talking to Anna Marie. He got to his feet and walked away.

Margie hadn’t realized how comforting Brady’s presence was until he left her sitting alone on the blanket holding the child. Grace was saying good-bye and wishing the other travelers good luck, her voice friendly as she called out that she hoped to see them again on down the line. Mona helped Rusty put the instruments in the cases, and Jody folded Grace’s canvas chair and took it to the truck.

“I’ll take Punkie.” Brady was back beside her. “Alvin will come over to my car.”

He lifted the child from her arms, stood and reached to help her up. She was grateful for the strong hand. Her legs were trembly from sitting so long. After regaining her balance, she released his hand and followed him to his car.

“She should have her little face and hands washed before she’s put to bed.” Margie watched as Brady removed the child’s shoes and stockings.

“I’ve been washing her in the morning. I’m going to have to find a place soon to wash her clothes.”

“Margie?” Alvin’s voice came from behind her. “You wanted to see me?”

As Margie turned, Brady closed the car door and moved away. She called to him, “Brady, you don’t have to go. What I have to say isn’t confidential.”

“If you’re sure.” He moved close. His hand found hers behind her back, and he interlaced her fingers with his.

“I’m sure. Mr. Putman, I traveled this road as far as Sayre, Oklahoma, last summer. Just this side of Sayre, at Andy’s Garage, is where the man I had hired to take me to California stole my money and ran off and left me. The people there took me in and helped me get part of my money back—enough to get home. Andy had a nice campground, and when I was there, he even lent washtubs to people who needed to do their washing.” Margie explained about Andy selling the garage and that it was probably called Deke’s Garage now. “Deke is a funny little man, but oh so nice.”

“Our map suggests we go on to Texola.”

“Oh, well …” Disappointment slumped her shoulders. “Will you at least pull in there so I can say hello?”

“Elmer wouldn’t stop if you asked him?”

“Heavens no. If he thought it was what I wanted, he wouldn’t stop if he was out of gas.”

“Ride with me tomorrow,” Brady said. “We’ll stop so you can see your friends.”

“I can’t!” she exclaimed fearfully. “If I do, he might not let me back in the truck, even to get my things.”

“Dammit to hell,” Brady swore, then spoke to Alvin. “Would it not be worth a short day to have a place to wash?”

Alvin removed his hat and scratched his head. “Grace is anxious to wash and tidy up the truck. All right,” he said after a few moments of silence. “If there’s room for the four of us, we’ll stop at the garage. It might be that Foley can get some work done on his radiator. It’ll have to be done before we cross the desert.”

“Oh, thank you.” In her excitement Margie squeezed Brady’s hand tightly.

“Do you know what has caused the change in Elmer? When I first met him, he wasn’t this disagreeable.” Alvin slapped his old felt hat back on his head.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know him very well. He’s always been … ah … distant with me. But he had friends back in Conway and was congenial with his customers at the icehouse.”

“Maybe it’s the strain of the trip, and he’ll get into the swing of things in a day or so.”

“Don’t count on it, Mr. Putman,” Margie said sadly.

“Well, good night. I doubt that we’ll get an early start. We’ll have to wait for Foley and his ‘bride’ to get back.” Alvin walked off into the darkness, leaving Margie alone with Brady.

“I’m so glad we’ll stop at Deke’s. Thank you for speaking up. Deke will tell you that I didn’t take Ernie’s money.”

“You don’t have to prove that to me.”

“Yes, I do. I can’t bear for someone to think I’m a thief and a … loose woman. There’s nothing I can do about the last, but I can at least prove that I’m not a thief.”

He turned her toward him and tipped up her chin with his thumb. She lowered her lids and refused to look at him.

“Look at me. You’ve hardly glanced at me all evening. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were ashamed of something.”

“I’m not!” She lifted a rebellious face to glare at him.

“Then hold up your head and act like it. You’ll be stepped on if you’re lying down but not if you’re standing up looking folks in the eye.”

“You think I’m silly for wanting to see Hollywood.”

“I’ve not said that.”

“Elmer does. He sneers every time I look at a movie magazine.”

“I’m not Elmer.”

His eyes searched her face. His thumbs beneath her chin refused to allow her to lower it. Suddenly he smiled. A pulse began to flutter lightly in her throat. His expression grew tender, and he reached to brush a lock of hair from her face. His hand cupped her cheek, then moved down her arm to grasp her hand and pull her around to the other side of the car.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to kiss you again.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re pretty and sweet and … I want to.”