Carl waited until Jared had left the room and held out a hand. “Keys to the Jeep, and don’t give me no lip!” he growled.
Steve arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Now, little brother!”
He glared at him, fished in his pocket, snorted and thrust out his hand.
“OK. Steve. Lucy. Let’s go – now!” he hissed.
~ ~ ~
He ordered Steve in the back, and Lucy up front. She turned in her seat. “You missed the turnoff!” Carl didn’t respond.
Steve tightened his jaw and leaned forward. “What the hell are you doing? This is my fuckin’ Jeep! If I’d known, you weren’t taking us home…!”
“Shut up, Steve, and enjoy the ride!” he interjected.
Lucy opened her mouth. Carl shot her a look of warning. “Not this time, Luce! I’ve had it with you two!”
~ ~ ~
Carl parked by Cross Lake and shut off the engine. He got out, slammed the door and pointed. “Now. I’m going to the café, and I’m gonna have my supper. When I come back, I want this fixed, little brother.”
Lucy folded her arms and snorted. “There’s nothing to fix!”
Steve got out of the Jeep and glanced over his shoulder. “That ain’t no joke!”
Carl forced his breath out and shook his head. “Come on you two! Lucy, stop hiding behind Jared’s loincloth and face the facts. You can keep running from my brother all you want, but we know it’s a lie! In the beginning, you might’ve been in love with Jared, but please, grow up!”
Her lips parted. Steve slowly walked around the Jeep. “What are you getting at, Carl?”
He turned and started walking. “Do what I said. Settle this!” he threw over his shoulder.
Steve charged Carl and knocked him to the ground. The keys landed a few feet behind them. Carl punched him in the jaw. Steve fell and scrambled for his keys; Carl grabbed his foot and yanked him back.
Lucy watched in horror, unsure of what to do.
Carl got to his feet and retrieved the keys. “Give me my fuckin’ keys, Carl!”
He glowered at him and drew his hand back. “You want ’em? Go get ’em!”
Bewildered, Steve listened as his keys hit the water, several feet off the bank. He growled, charged Carl again and slammed his back against the Jeep, knocking the wind out of him. Carl got back to his feet and challenged Steve. “Do you feel better now?”
“You threw my goddamn keys in the fuckin’ lake, you bastard! I’m gonna beat the shit outta you!” Steve was wearing down. He made another dive for Carl, who jumped out of the way. One more blow to his already split, and bleeding lip and Steve sprawled face down onto the rough ground. The sharp white rocks ripped into his face. Blood dripped down his right cheek.
Carl glanced at Lucy. He touched the back of his hand to the corner of his mouth and spat blood on the ground. “I meant what I said. I don’t care whose Jeep it is. If you haven’t settled this by the time I get back, you’re both walkin’ home!”
They watched Carl’s silhouette disappear as he stepped into the café. “Well this is peachy,” Steve growled. “I don’t know what he expects us to fix.”
“I’m calling a taxi!” Lucy said and took out her phone. “What! This is not happening!”
Steve tested his jaw; it hurt. He glanced over his shoulder. “What is it?”
“Can I use your phone? I wanna call a taxi, and my freakin’ battery is dead. I guess it was all the videos I took at the coliseum.”
Steve sighed and reached into his front pocket. “Sure, soon as I call a wrecker and,” he broke off.
Lucy’s eyes widened. “What is it?”
------------
Carl sat at his usual table, next to the jukebox. He scanned through the songs. Sure enough, the cafe was one of the places Jared had distributed their new CD. He selected it, and Sara and Jared started singing. He smiled and sat down.
A young waitress approached with a pad and pen in her hand. “What can I getcha?”
“Tell Jane, I’ll have my usual.”
She fidgeted with the end of her apron. “Um, what do I tell her your name is?”
“Tell her Raging Storm, she’ll know who I am.”
“The country rock band who performed at the coliseum tonight? Hang on – you’re Carl. You play lead – right?”
He chuckled and grimaced; his lip hurt. “Yeah, that’s me. Look, honey, I’m a little past starved.”
“Oh! Yeah, sure, sorry. Um, Carl?” He pressed a paper napkin to his lip and glanced up. “Could I have your autograph? I just loved it when you sung ‘Ten Rounds’.”
“Sure,” he nodded and scribbled something on a napkin. She stared at it with a broad grin. “Ah, sugar, my burger?”
“Oh, right, sorry,” she blushed. “I’ll give her your order. Thanks again, Carl,” she said elatedly.
~ ~ ~
Jane skipped two orders and started his burger. By the time she’d finished grilling the onions and jalapeno peppers, the meat was done. The waitress reached for the plate. “Not this one,” Jane said and took it and a damp cloth to Carl’s table. “Who’s driving tonight? You or Steve? Speaking of, where is he?” She set the plate of food in front of him.
Carl smirked. “Battling it out with Luce, over by the pier.” He picked up his burger. “Now if I can get my mouth around this.”
She grimaced and turned his face, from side to side. “Looks like they’re not the only ones battling it out. What in the hell happened to you? Have a fight with a northbound train headed south?”
He smirked again and cautiously bit into his burger. “A little brotherly persuasion.”
Jane patted his shoulder. “Looks like it was more than a little. Enjoy your burger, if you can,” she laughed.
------------
Steve stared at his phone. “It’s cracked!” he groaned. “The sorry SOB threw my fuckin’ keys in the lake and busted my freakin’ phone!” He drew his hand back.
“Wait! I,” Lucy sighed deeply as she heard it hit the lake, “could’ve used your battery in mine! Steve!”
“How?”
She held out a hand. “Remember? We bought the same phones.” She laughed.
His eyes widened. “Oh shit! I forgot!” He started chuckling. Soon they were both laughing. “Luce, I don’t wanna fight anymore. I know you don’t love me, but I still love you, and I don’t wanna lose your friendship. You were right about one thing. I’ve always been there for you, and I always will be. I’m sorry, I acted like such a heel last night.”
She didn’t respond. We have the same cell phones. We like the same music. We enjoy each other’s company. I didn’t cry myself to sleep last night because of Jared. He wasn’t the one who haunted my dreams. “I’m, sorry. That’s not enough.”
“What?” Steve frowned. “My apology wasn’t good enough? What else can I say? I said I was a heel. I made an ass outta myself, especially when I got home. Picking a fight with part of the kitchen and trying to drown your memory from the bottom of a bottle wasn’t the answer.”
She turned and studied his eyes. “That wasn’t what I meant.” She leaned against him.
He rested his hands on her hips and stared into her blue eyes. “Honey, if this is your idea of a joke, if you’re teasing me, you need to stop before I do something else stupid.”
Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck. “Like this?” She whispered and kissed him.
Steve wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.
~ ~ ~
Carl grinned and focused on the ground. “Um, if you two aren’t done battling it out, I could always go back and have another piece of Jane’s apple pie.”
Steve and Lucy turned. “Christ, Carl! You scared the shit outta me. Let me borrow your phone.”
“Where’s yours?”
Lucy chuckled. Steve glanced at her. “It’s kinda doing the backstroke with my keys.”
Carl smirked. “So is this settled?”
“Yeah, it’s settled,” he smiled. “Thanks, Bro.”
Carl smirked again and tossed him the keys. “Good. We can go now.”
Steve frowned at his hand. He looked back at Carl. “How did you? I heard them hit! You were at the….”
“Toss them on the ground again,” he interjected.
Steve studied his eyes and tossed them at Carl’s feet.
He drew his hand back. Again there was a splash. Carl’s face paled. “Um, Steve, um – oops! Sorry, buddy. It slipped off my pinkie.”
“Carl I’m gonna strangle you!” he groaned and leaned toward him.
Lucy fought to keep a straight face. She snickered. Steve turned. When he looked at her, she lost it. Steve whirled again.
Carl twirled Steve’s keys on his index finger. “Two in one night, man you’re gullible!” He tossed the keys.
Steve pulled Lucy into his arms and kissed her. He smirked and tossed them back. “You drive. I’m riding in back with Luce.”
He started the Jeep and looked in the rearview mirror. “And what am I supposed to do while I watch you maul her in the back seat?”
Steve smirked again. “Find another girl. This one’s mine,” he said and kissed her again.
------------
Bleary eyed, Sara blinked at the time on her phone. “Jared, why are you waking me up at 4:30 in the morning?” She groaned and rolled over.
He rolled her back and started tickling her. Sara giggled and kicked at him, but he wouldn’t give up. “Because, we’re going somewhere, and I wanna get an early start. Now get out of bed, get a shower, get dressed, and stop giving me a hard time,” he called out from the bathroom as he brushed his teeth.
Still half-asleep, she mechanically sat on the side of the bed. “Couldn’t we wait until after breakfast or a little later, like, oh, I don’t know, daylight maybe?” She grumbled, slid on her bathrobe and headed for the shower. She reached for her hairclip.
Jared kissed her on the back of the neck, and down her shoulders. “We’ll get something to eat on the way. You concentrate on getting ready. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
Sara turned on the shower and let it run while she brushed her teeth. She stepped under the hot water, hoping it would finish bringing her to her senses. She was wrong. It had the opposite effect; she wanted to crawl back into her soft, warm bed. She was still exhausted from last night’s show, and the emotional episode which had followed.
~ ~ ~
When she got back in the bedroom, her clothes were draped across the foot of the bed. She smiled and wondered how he got all this out before he went downstairs, without making a sound. She still wasn’t thinking clearly when she did her hair in a French braid and weaved a ribbon in it. She sprayed on some perfume and went downstairs.
~ ~ ~
Jared was outside, securing his bike to a small trailer hitched to his BMW. He looked up as Sara approached. “Ready to go?”
She couldn’t believe how awake and alert he was this early in the morning. She was doing well, remembering how to walk and breathe at the same time. She yawned and got into the car. “Where are we going?”
He started the engine. “It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” she dubiously prompted. “Jared, at five in the morning, I’d prefer to sleep, not be surprised. Can I go back to sleep now?”
He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I’ll wake you when I stop for breakfast.” He turned the radio to a classical station. “Put your seat down and go back to sleep. I thought we’d have breakfast around eight. Is that alright with you?”
“Sure,” she mumbled.
~ ~ ~
Jared gently shook her. “Angel, we’re here. Time for breakfast.”
She peered out the window. Nothing looked familiar. “Where are we?”
He opened the passenger door. “Hudson Oaks. Come on, I’m starving!”
Sara blinked a couple of times, yawned and read the name on the restaurant window. R&K Café? Where in the heck is that? “Do they serve intravenous breakfast here?”
Jared laughed and guided her to the door. A girl in her late teens spoke and led them to a booth in the corner. They ordered breakfast and waited. It still hadn’t dawned on Sara where they were or where they were going. A cup of coffee in front of her slowly brought her to life. She breathed in its aroma.
“Have a nice nap?”
She nodded. “Sorry. I don’t function well at five in the morning.”
He eyed her over the top of his cup. “I’ve been getting up early for a long time, especially when I have a long way to travel.” He waited for a reaction.
“You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”
“Well,” he drew out, “we’re in Hudson Oaks, Texas now.”
“And that’s supposed to mean something to me?”
“Our next stop is Midland,” he grinned. “I thought we’d have lunch there.”
Sara forced her breath out. She was tired of his guessing games. The cognitive part of her brain hadn’t caught up with her yet. It was still back home, in Shreveport, asleep. “Jared, where are we going?”
“I’ll make you a deal. After Midland, if you haven’t figured it out, I’ll tell you, OK?”
“Fine,” she said, perturbed. “I’m going to the restroom. Don’t wait for me. Go ahead and eat.”
~ ~ ~
The food was on the table, when she got back. Jared watched her pick at her eggs, with curious eyes. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“So-so,” Sara said and put a bite in her mouth. Jared waited for her reaction. “They’re not bad,” she said. “I was expecting powdered eggs. I’ve learned, through experience, most fast food restaurants use them because they’re cheaper.”
“Not when you’re with me, sweetheart,” he laughed. “It’s gonna be real, or I’m not eating it.”
She finished the eggs and nibbled on the toast. “So you’ve eaten here before?”
“Many times,” he grinned, hoping she picked up the clue. She didn’t; her brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders yet.
~ ~ ~
They got back into the car. “You said we had a long way to go, do you want me to drive some?”
“No.” He pulled back onto the I-20. “I’m good for a while longer. Besides, it seems I’m the only one who knows where we’re going.”
“Only because you won’t tell me,” Sara grumbled.
He laughed, changed the radio to a country station, and they were off again.
“Jared, can we talk about something?”
“Sure – what?”
“What did you think of my parents – honestly?”
“They’re, OK, I guess. Your Dad and I will get along fine. Your mother, well, that might take some doing, but she’ll come around. She really doesn’t like me, does she?”
“Gee! Did it show? I did warn you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not used to someone like her. We live in an age of change and variety. No offense intended, but if she doesn’t lighten up on some of her ‘issues’, she’s in for a bumpy ride.”
“There’s something else you need to know about her. She’s not opposed to manipulating things in her favor.”
“Surely, she wouldn’t lie to you.”
Sara arched an eyebrow. “Wanna bet?”
He blew air between his lips. “Why’s she so...?”
“Set in her ways?” Sara prompted. “Once you figure it out, tell me. I’ve been trying to since I turned thirteen. She was the reason I broke up with my last boyfriend, but….”
He took her hand. “He was an idiot,” he interjected. “She wouldn’t have run me off. She won’t run me off.” He lifted her hand to his lips.
“I hope not,” she smiled.
Jared glanced at her sidelong. “I know she won’t.”
~ ~ ~
For five hours, Sara watched the scenery blur past, hoping something would give her a clue as to where they were going. So far, nothing had. She probably should’ve suspected something when Phoenix started showing up on the overhead signs, but she hadn’t paid them much attention. Since Jared didn’t need his satnav that hadn’t helped either.
They stopped for an hour in Midland and headed on. Sara turned in her seat. “So what’s our next stop?”
“I thought we’d spend the night in El Paso, and leave out again in the morning. I don’t feel like driving all night,” he said. “Especially when there are ways I’d rather spend my nights, like making love to you.”
“Good heavens, Jared! Where are we going, Las Vegas?”
“No,” he said slowly. “Not quite that far.” He smiled and concentrated on driving.
“Fine!” She leaned her seat back again. “If you’re gonna make me play twenty questions, I’m going back to sleep.” Jared laughed. Sara didn’t plan on sleeping, but he didn’t need to know. When she wanted to, she could be as difficult as him.
He pulled into the parking lot at a Holiday Inn, off I-10. Sara waited in the car while he paid for a room. Not knowing he’d packed their bags, including laptops and guitars, Sara was a little uneasy. “Jared, what am I gonna… change into?”
“Well, you could change into nothing,” he said, being silly. “But it would be more convenient and settling for the locals if you wore clothes.” He grinned and he held the door.
Sara took his hand. A man with a luggage cart stopped near the trunk of the car. “Excuse me a second.” Jared kissed her and approached the back of the car.
Sara arched an eyebrow. Luggage? I don’t remember packing before we left Shreveport.
Jared slung the leather carryall and their laptop case straps over one shoulder, put a free arm around her waist and led her inside. Sara frowned, working things out in her head. Leaving Shreveport at five in the morning, driving due west and already in El Paso, Jared’s cute little smiles, and evasive clues. Where could we be going?
He paid the valet. They were finally alone in their room. He put their things in the bathroom. He smiled. “So,” he drew out, “any idea where we’re going, yet?”
Sara’s face lit. “We’re going back, aren’t we?” she squealed and jumped into his arms. “We’re going back to Arizona!” Catching him off guard, Jared lost his balance, and they fell on the bed.
He rolled on top of her and smiled. “I can’t put anything over on you. Honestly, Sara, I can’t believe it took you this long to figure it out.” He kissed her.
“I knew we were coming back, but I didn’t know it would be this soon.”
“After what happened with your mother last night, this seemed like a good time. The gig was over, and you needed cheering up. I know you love it there, so.…”
“Have you told them?” she interjected. “Do they know we’re coming?”
“I’ll call them in the morning. They won’t mind, though. I think Mother was sad to see us leave, especially you. She really likes you, and so does Myra. Plus,” he said and traced the outline of her lips with an index finger, “we’ve got some investigating and research to do. But,” he kissed her again, “I’m not gonna think about it right now, or, when we first get there. We’re gonna have some fun and this time, we won’t be on a set schedule. I’ve still got plenty of time off from the clinic.”
“You know, every time you take me down there, you’re taking a risk.”
“How so?”
“Well, as much as I like it, you might not be able to convince me to go back to Shreveport.”
Jared sighed. “We better look for a place in Arizona. We could always use it as a vacation home. The other alternative is to con Dad outta some land, and build another house,” he said with a gleam of mischievousness in his eye. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to draw up my own house plans and build it myself. You could help. That way, your kitchen would be the way you want it.”
“What about Wisteria Hall?”
“We’ll use it when we visit your mother,” he grimaced, “or Lucy or Steve or Carl.”
“What about the clinic?”
“I’ll have no problem starting a new practice in Arizona,” he laughed. “My friend, Alan Standing Deer, has been trying to get me to go into partnership with him for a while. I’m sure we can work something out. Besides, there’s the band. Who knows where that’s gonna take us? I’m betting Myra has spread our new CD all over the place. We might get down there this time, and be completely overtaken by the paparazzi,” he said seriously.
“Yeah – right,” she snorted.
“Sara, I love you. If you wanna be a star, I’ll be the heaven you set yourself in. I don’t need fame and fortune. I have everything I’ve ever wanted, right here in my arms.” He stared into her eyes and covered her mouth with his.
After a few breathless moments, Jared undressed her. He took her hand, led her to the bed and turned the covers back with one hand. He scooped her up, laid her on the bed and crawled in next to her, pulling her close. Though they were supposed to be resting, Sara didn’t think they’d be doing any for quite a while.
~ ~ ~
She woke the next morning to muffled voices. Jared’s voice was a loud whisper as he stood and peered out the thick drapes of their room.
“So, Dad spoke to The Council? I suppose it’s to be expected, but I don’t see how it gives him the right to,” he broke off and listened. He still didn’t know she was awake. She was pretending to sleep, eavesdropping, hoping to find out if he were keeping anything from her.
There was a knock. “Hold on a minute,” he said. Sara heard him lay the phone on the table by the window. “Put it over there. My fiancée is still sleeping, and I’d rather you didn’t wake her.”
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
“No, that’s all, thank you.”
Sara heard what sounded like someone scratching on a piece of paper and the almost silent closing of the door.
Jared retrieved his phone. “OK – sorry. I’m back. Yeah, it was room service. I wanna leave, right after breakfast.” He laughed. “Oh yes, she’s excited alright. I might as well start looking for a place down there. Well, I thought about that, but I didn’t know how Dad would feel. At least I know we have the option, but, I’d still have to find us a place to stay. You know, Mother,” he hesitated, “I think Sara wants to get married in Arizona. I don’t care. If I knew she wasn’t kidding, I’d marry her on Mother’s Mountain,” he chuckled. “Yes, you heard me right. No, of course not. I love Sara so much, I’d do it if I knew she wanted to.”
Sara narrowed her eyes and strained to hear the conversation. She smiled inwardly and pressed her lips into a thin line so Jared wouldn’t see.
“Oh, no – no doubts. She’s the one for me. Not, at all. I told you, I don’t care about that. Oh, I’ve already taken care of it – we’re safe. I’m a doctor, remember? No, I haven’t told her, and I see no reason to do so as long as there’s no possibility she could get,” he broke off again. “That’s where modern medicine comes in. It takes away the possibility.”
She stopped listening for a while and concentrated on what he’d said. It was obvious; he was discussing their intimate relationship with the other person, he could trust, his mother. Sara was mildly annoyed, but reminded herself Jared and his mother shared a different relationship than she and her mother did. Jared and Nadine’s was more open and honest. Sara envied them.
It seemed Jared didn’t want to get her pregnant because he was afraid she might not survive the birth of their child. It wasn’t that he didn’t want children as she’d feared; it was more fear than anything else. This made her feel a little better but more curious than ever to know why he felt that way. Sara’s mind wandered back to the conversation she and Myra had shared on the subject.
‘Look, Myra. If there are other sketches, which I haven’t seen, I’m not asking you to show them to me. All I wanna know is, are there more sketches’.
‘Yes, but, if you wanna know more, you’ll have to ask Jared.’
He prepared to end the conversation; Sara was pulled from her silent reverie. She yawned and stretched, pretending to wake. He glanced across at her, smiled and held up a finger. He stopped whispering. “Listen, Mother, I gotta go. We’ll see you soon. Yes, she’s awake now. I will.” He held his hand over the microphone. “Mother sends her love. She’s excited we’re coming back so soon. She already has our room ready.” He smiled and finished his call. “Sara sends her love too. I know, Mother. I will. We love you too.” He put his phone down and crawled on top of her.
“Morning, angel.” He kissed her. “Hungry?”
Sara smirked. “I could be.”
“I meant for food, silly,” he laughed. “Breakfast is waiting for you.”
“Have you eaten?”
“No, I was waiting for you. I’ve showered, dressed and packed, apart from a few things I thought you might need. Once you’ve decided on your clothes, you can pack the rest.” He sat at the table, ready to eat.
Sara slid to the side of the bed and wrapped the sheet around her. Jared grinned. She wasn’t embarrassed for him to see her. It was only a reflex. “I’ll go take a shower. We can eat and be on our way,” Sara said and fastened her hair on top with an alligator clip.
“Make it a fast one. The food’s getting cold. I hate cold scrambled eggs!”
Sara turned on the shower and stepped under the hot water. “I will!”
Ten minutes later, she was dressed. “Wow! You’re fast.”
She laughed. “You have no idea.” She kissed him, and they sat down to breakfast.
~ ~ ~
Sara waited in the car while Jared paid the hotel bill. Despite her trying not to think about it, the subject of Jared’s other sketches and the strange name, Dine'é Kay-Yah haunted her.
She had to find a way of asking him, without him finding out she knew about the other sketches. Unless George Thundercloud’s book was wrong, how could she tell him, she knew he wasn’t Navajo? How could she bring up the subject without making him suspicious? She guessed she’d have to wait until an opportunity presented itself. With her, a way always presented itself, though, it wasn’t always the right one.