A Side Order of Deception Page 3

  “Oh, Gus...” I started to say.

  “It’s a lucky hat, Mercy,” Gracie said as she put it on my head. “I don’t lend it out very often, but all the girls who wear it always do real well.”

  “Are you sure, Gracie? I don’t want Gus to make you feel like you have to.”

  “Oh, now, girl, I don’t pay any attention to Gus after 22 years of living with him. I want you to wear my hat and win yourself a spot in the big show.”

  Well, one of my hamsters was named Gracie, so I guess it must be a sign.

  “Thank you. It fits perfectly.” I slid up the bead to tighten the string under my chin so it wouldn’t fly off. “Gus...Gracie, I’d better go and talk to my horse before I ride, since I haven’t seen Maybelle in a few weeks. She belongs to my pastor.”

  “You go on ahead, Mercy. When I call your name, just ride her out to the staging area. Jessie is there. Oh – and watch out for the horse patties. They kind of blend in with the green clay mud around here.”

  Maybelle was already saddled and in a good mood, it seemed.

  “Hey, girl, are you ready for some real rodeo action? I won’t take you too hard around the turns, but I’m pretty sure we can beat those other cowgirls. What do you say? Should we win this thing?”

  I got on her back and trotted slowly out of the stable. She felt like she had some fire in her belly and could hardly wait to run. We watched the girl on the course finish her last turn around the barrels, and then Gus called my name. The girl already in the starting area would go next.

  “Okay. Let’s watch how she does it now, Maybelle.” I explained the course to the horse, as if she was going to understand me. “Okay, see those three barrels? Watch the horse go around the first barrel. Stay close and tight, and then gallop hard to the second...another right turn, all the way around...now fast to the barrel way down there. This time we’ll go around it to our left...and then, as fast as you can, all the way back to the starting line.”

  We heard a loud “Oooohhh!” from the sparse crowd in the grandstand, and I looked over to the other side of the big field, where the bronco trials were going on. A cowboy had fallen off his horse, and the clowns were out there pulling him up.

  “Don’t get any ideas, Maybelle. You’re not supposed to buck me off, you know.”

  The girl before me looked good as she galloped back across the starting line to a smattering of applause.

  “Let’s go, girl.”

  Jessie looked at my number and checked her clipboard.

  “Mercy Howard and Maybelle?”

  “That’s us!”

  “Have you two ridden this course together before?”

  “No, ma’am. It’s been ten years for me, and this is Maybelle’s first rodeo. But I know which side of the barrels to go on.”

  “Go ahead and trot her through the course one time. Just make sure she doesn’t break into a canter. Any three-step gaits or all four hooves off the ground, and you’ll be disqualified. Go ahead, now.”

  She gave Maybelle a little swat, and we headed for the first barrel and then the others. I think that settled her down, and she snorted now, which sounded like it meant she was ready.

  They announced my name over the big PA, and immediately I heard a loud shriek.

  “Oooh! Mercy! Go girl!”

  It was Babs. Ruby must have brought them over a little early so she wouldn’t miss the calf roping.

  The gun sounded, and Maybelle took off like a champ for the first barrel. She was a little tentative around the turn, but I didn’t want her to fall or lose her footing, so I didn’t push it. She sped swiftly to the second turn and was around the barrel in a flash. We dashed to the third barrel, which is a little bit farther, and this time we had to go around it in the other direction. She negotiated it pretty well. When she headed for home, I thought I was going to lose Gracie’s hat. She got right into a full gallop, and it sounded like the whole crowd was cheering as she took it home.

  I looked up at the scoreboard, waiting for them to post our time. We were second on the leader board with only six riders to go. We would be in the top ten for sure.

  “You got us into the finals next week, Maybelle! Way to go, girl!”

  My celebration with Maybelle was short-lived, as the entire crowd in the grandstand stood and cheered loudly. They were facing the other end of the field as a cowboy in one of the bronco pens waved a tall black hat at his cheering fans. I missed the muffled announcement of his name and trotted over to Gus.

  “What’s all the excitement about, Gus?”

  He and Grace were looking across the field and clapping too.

  “They just announced, Harry Drench!” Grace said excitedly.

  I handed her back her lucky hat and thanked her. “Harry who?”

  Gus kind of chuckled and looked at me. “You might call him the new Bluegrass Buckaroo, Mercy. He rides the bulls and broncos, and he’s a roper too. He had a real good summer on the Southwestern circuit. Won top honors in Tulsa, San Antonio, and Santa Fe. But he grew up in Kentucky, not far from Frankfurt.”

  “Wow. So, he’s kind of the top celebrity of the rodeo, I guess. He must draw a lot of people here.”

  “Yep...him and that new Sheriff feller. He’s coming out of retirement to ride the broncs. Drench will probably win the all-around, but he’ll have a hard time winning the bronco event.”

  “Sheriff Feller? Is he from a nearby county?”

  “He’s from right here in McClean County, Mercy. That Sheriff Brody Hayes fella. Was the king of the rodeo in Oklahoma and Colorado ten years ago or so. Then he joined the military and became a Navy Seal. Still a young guy, just 38, so I expect he’s still got what it takes. He’s up next, after Harry Drench.”

  Well, I’ll be hogtied and hornswoggled.

  Chapter Four

  I handed Maybelle off to the pastor and joined the girls in the grandstand bleachers.

  “Way to go, Mercy!” Babs hollered, squeezing me a little too tightly. “I had a sneaking suspicion you had something up your sleeve, so I brought the girls over here a little bit early. And sure enough...!”

  “So, you’re a real cowgirl, huh, Mercy?” Ruby said as I sat between her and Babs. Dolores was just coming back with a cardboard tray of beverages. “What other hidden talents do you have that you’re not telling me about?”

  “Pistols and horses are about it for me, Ruby. But I can strum the guitar a little bit, while you sing and do electric guitar solos.”

  “Make room for an old woman,” Dolores said, squeezing in between Babs and me. “I’ve got two iced teas and two lemonades. Mercy, you get first pick, since you’re the rodeo star among us.”

  I grabbed a lemonade just as the announcement came:

  “And next, riding No Mercy, it’s Brody Hayes.”

  “I’m not so sure about that, Delores,” I said as I stood to applaud.

  “Hey,” Babs said, “He’s got the same name as the Sheriff.”

  “Oh, my,” Delores said, paying very close attention now, “he drew the meanest horse in the bunch!”

  The crowd stood and cheered even more loudly for Brody than they did for Harry Drench, as he waved his light tan hat from the back of No Mercy, behind the wooden gate.

  “Hey! That is your Brody, Mercy!” Babs said, jumping with excitement.

  “It sure is.” Did she say the meanest horse in the bunch? My heart was in my throat.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off the gate as I waited for the starting buzzer with fear and excitement. It was only a few seconds before the gate opened, but it seemed like an eternity. Everything moved in slow motion once the gate opened and Brody came out on the back of the bucking animal. He held onto the rope with his left hand, with his right hand held high, bouncing in unison with the horse’s moves.

  I felt like I was right there on the dancing beast with him. I could see the horse’s feet reach to the left while he was in the air. He’s going to turn, Brody...lean left! Brody’s instincts were perfect. He
seemed to be inside the horse’s head, anticipating its every move as he leaned and twisted perfectly throughout the rough ride.

  It seemed like forever until the buzzer sounded again, signaling the end of his eight-second ride. No Mercy continued to spin and buck, trying to throw Brody off, as the riders galloped out to get him. I didn’t realize it until I heard myself exhale loudly that I hadn’t breathed since before he started his ride. I felt a tug at my arm and heard a voice calling my name as the crowd exploded.

  “Mercy...Mercy...Mercy!”

  It was Ruby. She put her arm around my waist and took my lemonade as Babs commanded, “Relax. Sit. Breathe!”

  I sat and opened my hand. My nails pressed hard into the ball of my hand, and my fingers were white. I did my best to fake it.

  “Pretty good ride, wasn’t it?”

  “It was amazing, Mercy, but did you even see it?” Ruby asked. “You didn’t blink, breathe, or move a muscle. I thought you had gone catatonic.”

  “Oh, pshhh. I was just watching intently.”

  “Mmhm.”

  “Well, here comes Romeo and his lady,” Delores said, motioning toward Junior and Liberty. They were walking along the front row not far below us.

  “Junior!” I stood up, hollered, and waved at them. “Liberty!”

  They spotted us and started up the steps in the aisle next to us.

  “They’re holding hands,” I said. “That’s a good sign.”

  “It’s probably more action than either one of them has gotten in years,” Delores said. “Look at their faces. They look like zombies, too nervous to talk. That means they’re really attracted to each other.”

  They really did look pale and uptight, so I tried to settle them down.

  “Hey, you guys! Sit down, sit down!” We slid down to make room for them. Their eyes were wide and they were silent as they sat next to Babs on the end. Ruby and I just looked at each other.

  This side of the grandstand was starting to fill up now for the calf-roping trials and the other side was thinning out after the broncos. The bull riding would start over there in an hour. I texted Brody to let him know where we were sitting, but I didn’t let on that we saw him ride. I said we were just sitting down for the calf roping. I told the other girls not to let on that we knew his secret.

  “Look at those two.” Delores gave me an elbow and looked at the two lovebirds. Junior and Liberty were just sitting there looking into each other’s eyes, still holding hands.

  Deloris whispered something to Babs, and then Bab’s whispered to Junior. He looked at her with fear in his eyes, and Babs nodded and gave him a little push toward Liberty. He took a breath for courage and then leaned in and gave his date a short kiss on the lips.

  She didn’t know how to react at first, and we were all waiting on tenterhooks to see what would happen after this bold move. Gradually her blank stare at Junior turned to a smile and she began a girlish giggle. The she hugged his neck and pulled him in for a little longer kiss. Ruby, Babs, and I were looking at each other, still unsure of what was going on. Then Liberty started telling Junior a spirited story, sometimes touching his knee or shoulder, and gesturing with her hands and arms. And Junior was totally engaged, answering with his own take on her stories, which got more laughter from her. The ice had been broken.

  “Good idea, Deloris,” I said to her as she kept her eyes on the field, waiting for the first roper to come out.

  “Now we’ll never get them to shut up. But something had to be done to break that awkward sexual tension between those two romantically deprived sacks of raging hormones. They’ll be fine now.”

  “Where’s your dad and the others, Junior?” Babs asked him, when he and Liberty finally took a breath.

  “I think he and Dimitri took Miss Chambers to win some Teddy bears at the shooting gallery games, and Smoke went to the food building. Madame DuChayne wanted to go there too.”

  “Oh! That’s good,” Babs said, quite pleased that Jake wasn’t with the attractive fortune teller.

  “Where’s Red?” Deloris asked with a tone of concern.

  “Ah, he just wandered off by himself to look around at the animals and stuff. He said he’d meet us here at noon or so.”

  It was already almost one o’clock.

  “Got room for one more?”

  The shadow of a tall man with a cowboy hat fell on me from behind.

  “Brody! You found us.” I stood and gave him a casual kiss, though I really wanted to plant a big one on him. I was really proud of my macho man, and happy that he came away from his bronco ride in one piece. The girls were all playing along by ignoring him, as I had asked them to do.

  Ruby slid down to make room for Brody next to me, as the crowd around us gave him a smattering of applause.

  “Seems like the people of McClean County love their Sheriff, Brody.” He kissed my cheek as he sat.

  “Well, there are a lot of strong believers in law and order around here, I guess.”

  “Mmhm. Did you get everything done that you needed to do before you met us here?”

  “Um...yup. Yeah. All taken care of. Sheriff business, you know.”

  “You’re such a dedicated man. But I guess there’s no mercy for those in public service.”

  He looked at me, not sure yet if I was on to him and his ride on No Mercy. Then I tilted my head and gave him a mischievous smile. I tried to make my eyes twinkle and imagined that they really did.

  He took in a slow breath, and let it out with a sound of slight exasperation. “Looks like I’m busted. I figured you might see me when I saw your name on the leader board for the cowgirls. I’m proud of you, Mercy.”

  I kissed his cheek. “I guess we’re both busted.” But I couldn’t hold back my excitement for him, and I socked his arm lightly with my fist. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a rodeo king and that you were going to ride today, Brody!” I slid really close and put my hands around his strong arm.

  “Probably the same reason you didn’t tell me. I...I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of you if I couldn’t do it anymore, Mercy. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this.”

  “You could never embarrass me,” I said, burrowing my face in his shoulder. “And you were amazing!”

  “I was, wasn’t I?”

  He wasn’t bragging. He was just proud of himself after taking a big risk and having a ride that went really well. He knew he could still ride with the best of them. He pulled my head next to his and whispered.

  “I’ve still got it, babe...thanks to you.”

  “It was all you, Brody. You rode like the champion you are.”

  “No, Mercy.” He sat up, with his hand on my shoulder now and then rubbed my arm. “As soon as I drew that horse, No Mercy, I knew I was going to be all right. It was a sign that my Mercy would be with me. And you know, it was like I could feel you with me, guiding me, the whole way. There was even a moment when I swear I could hear you inside my head telling me to lean left, so I did. He would have thrown me if I hadn’t leaned into his quick turn, but I had to stay on for you.”

  What? No...it couldn’t be, could it? He didn’t really hear my thoughts. I chalked it up to coincidence, but it still gave me a warm feeling and a sense of our deepening connection. I was in his heart and mind during his entire ride.

  “Well, I was rooting for you the whole way, Brody. You’ve got the instincts of a real rodeo cowboy.” My heart was bursting with pride. “Now you’ve got to beat Harry Drench in the finals next week.”

  “He’s a real good rider, Mercy...still in his prime.”

  “So are you, cowboy.” I pushed up the brim of his tan hat. “That’s why you’ve got the sexiest cowgirl in McClean County hanging on your arm right now, Sheriff Hayes.” I

  He kissed my cheek. “I’m one lucky cowboy.”

  “Oh, for Petey’s sake,” Deloris groused. “I feel like I’ve got a syrupy romance movie playing on both sides of me. I love you more...No, I love you m
ore. Well, gag me with a spoon and kiss my britches. Now, where on earth is Red? Doesn’t anyone else care about our friend? He’s been weak and using his oxygen all week, and now he’s off by himself in the heat. He should have been here an hour ago.”

  I had never seen Deloris get so emotional, though she tried to disguise her concern as anger. She had a point, and now I was worried too.

  “We should go look for him, Brody.”

  “I’ll call the paramedics at the firefighters’ booth,” he said, pulling out his cell phone. “Maybe they’ve got him.”

  Junior stood up and started waving. “Hey, Red...Red! We’re up here!”

  We all let out a sigh of relief, and Deloris pulled a tissue from her beehive and dabbed her eyes.

  “What are you looking at, Mercy? The wind just blew some dust in my eyes, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure that's all?”

  “Nonsense. He’s a sweet man, and he cares about me. But I don’t care a lick about that crazy old fart, at least not the way you’re talking about. I just don’t want to see any harm come to a life-long friend.”

  Red bounced up the steps with no oxygen tank in sight and a big grin on his face. He was clean-shaven, wearing his toupee, and carrying a stuffed pink giraffe that was almost bigger than he was.

  “Hidee-ho, boys and girls! Make room for Daddy!”

  Liberty, Jake, and Babs stood up so he could squeeze by them and sit next to Deloris. He laid the pink giraffe across her lap, and the neck was on Ruby, Brody and me. He kissed her on the cheek, and she wiped it off.

  “A little gift for my girl!” Red said proudly.

  “You know I hate pink,” she said, stroking the fur on the huge stuffed animal, still a little misty-eyed.

  “Well, I know you say you hate just about everything, heh heh, but I know you collect giraffes, so when I saw this one, I had to win it for you baby.”

  She punched him in the arm. “My name isn’t baby. And the giraffe figurines I collect are an inch or three inches tall, and a few of them are about a foot. But this isn’t going to fit on my shelves, you crazy old fool.”