Rori and Jackson: The Sons of Dusty Walker (6 page)

“Ah, go on.” Marliss waved her hands to shoo him away. “It’s
not just our jobs, it’s our pleasure.”

Jackson felt the kindness all the way into his heart. “Ms.
Marliss, if your husband wasn’t standin’ right here, I’d give you a kiss.”

Lou smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll close my eyes.”

They laughed, and Jackson bussed Marliss on the cheek and
walked out the back door onto the driveway. This town, these people. They grew
on a guy.

Jackson’s footsteps slowed as he remembered his next stop.
Rori, and the boxes of his things waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.
Damn. How did he get himself into these kinds of shitty situations?

****

Sapphire stepped off the plane wearing jeans and boots, a
colorful blouse and a purple shawl. She looked like she’d gone half-country,
half-hippy. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re
here.”

The pilot walked past them and loaded Sapphire’s bags into
the back of Jackson’s work truck next to the boxes of his things he’d picked up
at Rori’s.

She smiled, joy written in every crease of her face. “I’m so
glad you want me to share your new life with you.” Patting his cheek, she
looked behind him. “Where’s this lady who’s captured your attention so
completely?”

“At her office. We’ll stop there on the way to the house.
She’s had some customers who’ve needed emergency service from her.” It was
true, but not the whole story.

Sapphire slid into the passenger seat of the truck.
“Amazing, isn’t it? That you’ve been spending time with a woman who does
computering
for a living?”

He laughed as he shut the truck door and walked around the
front of the vehicle to the driver’s side. “Somebody said opposites attract.”
He started the engine. “Can’t get much more opposite, I guess.”

“I can see it in your eyes.” His mother spoke softly. “There’s
something special between you two.”

“There is. I just worry…” He didn’t want to bring up the
subject of the split he and Rori had agreed to. He didn’t want that looming
over his time with his mother. He drove away from the airport, toward town.

“What is it that concerns you?” She waited a few seconds.
“Your father’s blood running through your veins?”

He glanced at her. She’d never talked about this before.
“Maybe.”

“You’ve been wandering and searching, honey. Now that you’ve
seen the full extent of your father’s actions and their impact on those who
loved him, you’re questioning whether your feelings are real, or if they’re
just a reaction to the shock of all this.” She gestured widely with her hand.

“I’ve been having nightmares.” The words just blurted out of
him.

“Dreams are your subconscious arguing with your conscious.”

He wasn’t sure what that meant, and he hadn’t gotten enough
sleep to be able to concentrate on an explanation from his mom. “I can’t figure
it out. I’m glad to leave town, but I miss it when I’m gone. Is that crazy?”

Sapphire stayed quiet for a while. “No, I think it’s just
that you have a big adjustment to make.” She turned in her seat to face him.
“You have a lot of new responsibilities here. The company, your brothers, your
dad’s property, and your girl, Rori.”

“Are you saying I’m running from my responsibilities?” He’d
never thought of them as a burden.

“No, you’re not the type to hide from anything. I just think
you’ve been thrust so deep into everything, you haven’t had time to consider
how drastically your life is changing.” She shrugged. “So you go off to rodeo,
and come visit me, and do the business trips like you used to with your dad.
It’s your way of easing into this new life of yours.”

The woman knew him so well, it made him laugh. “Are you sure
you’re not psychic?”

She smiled. “No, not a speck of that, son.” Sapphire
squeezed his hand and released it. “But I do know what a responsible person you
have always been. You wouldn’t even consider letting any of your obligations
slide, and would never turn away from a hard day’s work.”

“But I ran away from you a decade ago, and have been playing
rodeo cowboy ever since.” The words gave him shocking insight into how he
viewed his own character. And it was not a pretty sight.

“You’ve worked harder at rodeo than you have at anything
else you’ve tackled. You’ve made a success out of that career, honey. Look at
what you’ve accomplished.”

He did have a room full of prizes—everything from belt
buckles to saddles—filling up the extra bedroom at their house in Bandon.

She tipped her head forward to catch his eye. “Now that
you’ve become a hot commodity in the rodeo world, maybe it’s time to ease away
while you’re on top, and mostly unbroken.” With a smile she tapped his elbow,
the one he’d dislocated a year ago. “Maybe it’s time to focus on new ventures?”

Damn if that didn’t hit home, too. How did she drill right
to the core of his problems? “By
new
, you mean more adult-type work.”

She tsked. “No, I—”

“It’s okay, Mom. I agree with you.” He’d been using the
rodeo as a way of escaping. But what was he running from? And why?

They pulled up in front of Cyber Wise, so he tabled the
conversation.

“Ah, I see the lovely Rori.” His mom opened her door and
slid out of the truck as he walked around the front of the vehicle.

Rori came out of the shop and walked toward them. She held
out her hand, but Sapphire pulled her in for a long hug. Rori’s smile lit her
face. She moved back but kept her hands on his mom’s forearms. “It’s so nice to
meet you. You’ve raised an amazing son.”

Jackson’s brows shot up. That was a very nice thing to say.
He wished he’d thought of saying something like that to her parents. But did
Rori mean it?

A group of four people milled around inside her store.
Jackson gestured. “You have customers?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Rori’s words held real regret. “They had a
lightning strike and need a system right away.”

Sapphire looked at Rori and went silent for a long while.

“Mom?”

She glanced at Jackson, her eyes narrowed, then back at
Rori. “We’ll have time to talk. Just the two of us.”

Jackson wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. “Ah, Mom,
Rori’s not going—”

“I’d love that.” Rori smiled at him, but no happiness showed
in her eyes. “I’ll be out to the trailer by six, as we talked about.” She held
up a hand. “Promise.”

They had discussed it, but that was before the breakup. The
time out? Their days apart? What the heck was this separation? “I’ll come and
get you, if you’d like.” That way, he’d be able to talk to Rori, both trips.

“No, thank you. I really need to get back here early and put
in some long hours.” She walked toward the door to Cyber Wise. “Besides, you
two have a lot to catch up on. I’ll see you tonight.” She waved and stepped
into her store.

Sapphire turned toward him, then looked down the street.
“Well, it looks like you and I do have a lot to talk about, honey.”

He cleared his throat. “We do?” She’d noticed the tension
between him and Rori?

“For now, do you want to show me where you work?”

“You want to see the office?” Jackson hadn’t imagined she
would want to see anything of Dusty’s.

“I do. I want to see his office, his house, meet his other
sons, and if it’s okay…visit his grave.”

That made him blink a few times. “Really?”

“You haven’t been there, have you.”

He shook his head as he opened her truck door. “No. I just
haven’t…” He hadn’t needed another reminder that he’d lost his dad. Or was it
that he was afraid he’d start yelling at the remains of the man who’d played
such a bizarre trick on four innocent women and their sons?

“We’ll take it one step at a time, okay?” She squeezed his
hand and slid into the truck.

****

That evening at the cute double-wide mobile home on the
perfect piece of land on Osprey Lake, Rori and Sapphire sat on furniture on the
temporary brick patio Jackson had commissioned and watched him standing on the
shore, casting into the weeds.

The warm day had turned into a perfect evening as the sun
slid close to the horizon across the lake. Jackson told them he’d had only
mentioned to Marliss and Lou that his mother was coming to town, and they’d
gone all out, preparing and delivering a meal that Sapphire had declared the
best salmon she’d ever eaten, washed down with pitchers of Marliss’s famous
drink concoctions.

Sapphire held a glass of mint mojito, and Rori sipped from her
margarita. “He loves fishing.” Rori watched as he cast for the hundredth time
into the lake.

“He always has. His father taught him.” Jackson’s mother
sighed. “Dusty taught him a lot of things, and not all of them good.”

Rori set down her glass. “I wondered about that. Jackson
mentioned that he worries he’ll turn out like his father in the…um…romance
department.”

Sapphire shook her head. “That’s not possible.” She took
Rori’s hand. The woman liked to touch, and it had been strange at first, but
now Rori sort of liked the connection. “My son has so much to give, so much
heart, that it would be impossible for him to hurt anyone. For any reason.”

She loved hearing that, but the woman’s words held an edge,
as if there was more to the story. “To be honest, Sapphire, I’m worried that he
found me at a time in his life when he needed someone. Anyone. With so much
going on, was it just convenience that had him connecting with me?”

The woman slid her hand off Rori’s. “You’re very
perceptive.” She stared out across the lake. “I’ve wondered that, too. You know
Jackson’s story. His fear of turning out like his father has had him running
with the rodeo, still living at home with me, never seeking any connection that
would last longer than a night or two.”

Rori knew all that, but hearing it from his mother made it
seem far too real. And insurmountable.

“I worried that my boy had used you as a crutch to get
through all this. But Rori?” She turned her sapphire gaze toward her. “I’ve
never seen him so intent on anything before. He truly adores you. I know that
because of the way he talks about you, and is genuinely content with what he
has with you.”

Rori shook her head. He’d just admitted, the night before,
that he was having doubts. “But what about the nightmares? And this temporary
house?” She swallowed back her fear. “Don’t those things mean he’s having
second thoughts?”

“This is all uncharted waters for him. I don’t know what
will come next.” Sapphire closed her eyes for a few seconds. “I’d hoped he
would be ready for life in one place before he
had
to quit rodeo. I’ve
prayed that he’d settle down and stop risking his life every weekend.”

Rori stared at Jackson, who turned and waved as if he knew
he was the sole topic of conversation. “He’s at a crossroads.”

“He is. He’s running in both worlds full-time. Can he
continue to do that without sacrificing one or the other?”

The breath left Rori, and she had a hard time sucking in a
new one. He was at a crossroads, he didn’t know where to turn, and if he wasn’t
careful, things could fall apart for him. With her, and with his rodeoing,
maybe even with the company and his brothers.

“Sapphire, I…” Tears formed behind her eyes. “I want to help
him adjust, but I don’t know how to do that without making him too dependent on
me. Artificially dependent.”

She leaned forward and took Rori into a sideways hug.
“You’re so sharp, hon. Be patient. Trust your heart. And give him some room to
think. He may not be technically brilliant like you, but he’s a smart man.” She
sat back, holding Rori’s hand. “He’ll choose which life he needs to live, and
you’ll know which one that is by the look in his eyes.”

Brushing a tear off her cheek, Rori nodded. “But I don’t
want to lose him.” She’d be lost without Jackson. The thought scared her to the
point of chest pains.

“He’s been an aimless soul since he was fifteen. Rodeo is
his passion, and he’s committed all his energies to it. All this…” She gestured
around the lake. “It could become home to him.” Sapphire squeezed her hand. “Or
he could wake up one morning and realize this dream of living in Red Creek was
all an overblown reaction to the repercussions of his father’s death.”

Rori knew Sapphire was only being honest, and no one knew
Jackson like his mother did, but it was difficult to hear the truth. “Just tell
me I have nothing to worry about? Please?”

Sapphire picked up her glass and tapped it to Rori’s. “We’ll
send out positive energy to the universe that you’ll have nothing to worry
about, and the two of you will have your happily ever after.”

Rori took a sip, then choked on it. “I don’t know what I’d
do without him.”

They stared at Jackson as he reeled in a nice-sized fish.

“I lost him that day when he was fifteen.” Sapphire wiped a
tear off her cheek. “I pray that he will find himself, and then find a life
here.” She gestured for Rori to go to Jackson. “You’re his anchor, my dear.
Keep him steady.” She got up and walked into the house.

Anchor? Hadn’t Rori just thought of herself as an anchor in
a bad way? Dragging him down. Maybe Sapphire was right, and Jackson needed an
anchor to hold him steady long enough for him to see that what he had right
here was the best of everything he could ever want. Family, a thriving company,
and a woman who loved him with every beat of her heart.

Rori stood and slipped around the back of the trailer,
wiping tears from her cheek. She slid into her car and started the engine, her
lights hitting the trailer.

Sapphire stood looking out at her. Jackson’s mother knew
something was wrong between Rori and him. The woman might be Rori’s last hope.

At noon three days later, Jackson drove Sapphire down main
street Red Creek toward the airport. He hated to see her go, but she had
classes to teach and pots to fire back in Bandon. “Mom, tell me honestly. What
do you think of Rori?”

“Honey, you sound like a little boy again, talking about a
girl in school.”

“You avoiding my question?” Didn’t she like Rori?

“No. I’m just being nostalgic. I have a right to be.” She
put her hand on his shoulder. “You’ve stepped up here, taking on the
responsibilities of Dusty’s company, choosing a piece of land for your own, and
finding a lovely woman to share it with.”

He’d taken on a lot, while trying to keep his life in Oregon
with her, and competing in the rodeo on weekends. He was stretching everything
too thin, and something was bound to snap and whip back, hurting someone. Was
that where the nightmares were coming from? He’d had another one last night,
and Mom had knocked on his bedroom door, asking if he was okay.

“I’m just not sure of anything right now.” He was racing at
full speed and hadn’t taken the time to just sit down and plan for the future.
Was that intentional on his part? Was he afraid of getting it all wrong?

“Rori is a good woman. She has a big heart, most of it
earmarked for you, honey. When you consider your blessings, know that she’s
right on top of the list.”

“So you
do
like her?” Mom hadn’t spoken of Rori since
the night at the trailer when she had talked with her as he was fishing, then
Rori had raced out of the driveway without saying goodbye to him. Sapphire had
probably—no, she’d surely noticed that, and was giving Jackson plenty of room
to work it out for himself. Just like she’d done a hundred times when he was
younger. She was an amazing parent that way, and had taught him to make his own
decisions. But this time, this life-changing decision, had him lost and wanting
advice.

“Yes, I do like her. I like the two of you together, too.”
Sapphire slid her palm from his arm. “Your brothers are amazing men, too.
You’re lucky.”

“They are good guys, mostly.” He chuckled. Jackson and all
his brothers had supper with Sapphire two nights before in Dusty’s house, and
his mom had enjoyed every minute of it, including the tour of the big place. A
few times, she’d even gotten weepy, but he understood how much she loved Dusty
Walker, despite his flaws.

The day before, he’d brought Sapphire with him to Kansas
City, to the architect who was designing the three versions of his house for
him. Mom had approved of every one of them, and had been supportive and
affirming about his idea to surprise Rori with them, but she advised him to do
it soon. That bothered him some. More than just some, it made him nervous that
he may feel pressure to make a decision before he was ready. That he’d choose an
option he’d come to regret someday.

“The cemetery visit.” He just shrugged. It had never
happened. Jackson was not ready for that yet. Someday, but just not yet. Mom
had understood, and had relegated it to the top of the list for her next visit.

“You should do that alone, son. It’s going to be a time when
you’ll see where your life will lead you.”

“Aw, Mom. Now you’re making me all creeped out.” He tried to
make the words lighten the mood, but they came out sad.

“You’ll be fine.” They reached the airport and the pilot
opened the hatch and lowered the steps. “I’ll be fine.” She let tears flow.
“Even though I’ll miss you.”

He pulled her close and let his own eyes water. “I’ll be
home in a couple weeks. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, honey.” She pulled back and kissed his cheek.
“Now, am I going to get that fancy crab claw appetizer on this flight, like I
did on the way out here?”

He laughed through the blur in his eyes. “If not, you just
have the pilot stop at a grocery store and pick up some.”

“That’ll work.” She opened her door and slid out, Jackson
grabbed her bags and handed them to the pilot with his thanks.

“I will see you very soon, my wonderful son.”

“Very soon, Mom. And thank you. Your being here…I know it
was difficult, but I needed you with me in this new place. I feel more grounded
now. Like I have a real purpose.”

She blinked a few times. “You don’t know how happy I am to
hear that.” She took his wrist in her hand. “Jackson, I like Rori for you. I’ve
said it a dozen times, but you two together are a little bit of magic.”

“I know.” But did Rori feel the same way after he’d been so
indecisive? Would she look at him as a flight risk, both now and sometime in
the future when, for instance, they had three or four kids? She might not be
willing to take that risk. “I’ll remember what you said.” He kissed her cheek
and helped her up the steps. “I love you.” They hugged one more time, then he
trotted down the stairs and waited for the plane to take off, waving as the
wheels left the ground.

A part of him went with her. He loved that woman so much. He
wanted to be closer to her. But then, Rori was here, and he could barely take a
breath without thinking of her. His brothers were here, his company was here.

Still, he felt the call of the rodeo. He had to make time,
evenings and weekends, for Red Creek. If he chose to settle down here
permanently, how did he expect to continue rodeoing and find opportunities to
see his mother? She’d told him he had some choices to make. He jumped into the
truck and fired up the engine. He needed to make them right now.

****

Three days later, Rori still hadn’t seen or heard from
Jackson. Her days and nights were filled with work, busily trying to find a
competent computer engineer to work in her new KC shop, and making constant
trips to the front windows to look for her cowboy. Nothing.

She’d poured out her mistakes to Lexie, Kit, and Zoe one
night over a couple bottles of wine in her living room, but all their advice
didn’t give her the courage to approach him. What if he said it was over? What
if there was nothing left in him that could let him forgive her?

While she was sitting at the worktable at the back of Cyber
Wise, her phone rang. Lexie’s number.

“Hi.” Rori sounded lethargic, even to her own ears.

“It’s her. She’s back. That woman.”

Rori stood. “What? Where?”

“She just got a coffee and is walking your way.”

Running to the front windows, she pressed her face to the
glass to look down the street. “What does she look like?”

“Tall and blonde. Long hair, and a cup of coffee in her hand.”

Rori nearly smiled. Nearly.

“Oh, her name is Louisa, and she’s carrying a long cardboard
tube. I tried to get info out of her, but she shut me down.”

“How’d you get her name?”

“Uh…” Lexie chuckled. “I picked up a marker and a paper cup,
and asked her for her name. Even though she was the only person in the shop.”

Rori laughed, then caught sight of the woman. “Got her. I’ll
call you back.”

“You’d better.” Lexie hung up.

Pulling her keys from her pocket, Rori flipped the sign to
Closed
and stepped outside just as the woman reached the store. “Hi.” Rori locked the
door. “Beautiful day.”

The woman carried a big cardboard tube with closed ends. “It
is lovely.” She kept walking.

“Are you heading to Cubby’s?” Rori fell into step beside
her. “I was going there, if you’d like to join me for lunch.”

The woman looked surprised. “Such a…
friendly
town.
I’ve already eaten, but thank you.” She smiled and picked up her pace.

“Oh, are you Louisa?” Rori made it sound like an
afterthought. “Jackson Walker mentioned you. I’m Rori Hughes, a contract
employee with his company.” She was running on and on at the mouth in her
nervousness.

Louisa stopped and stared at Rori. “Jackson mentioned me to
you?” She narrowed her gaze. “He told you about our highly classified project?”

Rori’s eyes widened. “Yes, that one.” She looked at the tube
in Louisa’s hand.

“So you know…” The woman stepped closer, looking around as
if checking for eavesdroppers. “The fate of the entire nation rests solely on
the complete secrecy of the documents in this tube.”

That was totally unexpected. “Really?” How could mineral
rights determine…

The woman laughed. “Sorry, Rori. I couldn’t resist.” She
walked backward a couple steps. “Jackson warned me that this is a very small
town, and someone might have spotted him and me together. So he warned me that
if a beautiful raven-haired goddess with sky-blue eyes tried to get information
from me, I had to deflect her questions.” She laughed and turned away,
continuing on her way down the block. “Nice try, though,” Louisa called over
her shoulder.

Rori realized her mouth hung open. Then her face heated, and
she quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside her shop. She’d just made a
total ass of herself. Watching out the window, Rori saw Louisa walk into the D.
Walker Mineral building. And now, Jackson would be hearing about it as well.
“Perfect. Just fricking perfect.”

****

Jackson laughed as Louisa told him the story of
“unexpectedly” running into Rori, ending with, “Poor girl, I felt bad teasing
her.”

He shook his head. “She deserved it. But I wonder who told
her…” Small towns. He was just glad to know that Rori still had enough feelings
left for him to confront Louisa and try to get information out of her. “I won’t
keep her in suspense much longer.”

On the desk in front of him, the three versions of the house
plans were spread out, pinned down at the corners with rocks he’d found sitting
on a shelf in the corner of the office. Rocks that Dusty had collected over the
years. Fitting that they would hold down the plans for Jackson’s future.

“She’s going to love each of these houses.” Louisa looked at
the drawing of the infinity pool at the front of the modern home. “I have a
feeling we’ll be picking and choosing parts of each of these to meld into the
perfect home for you two.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Louisa smiled at him. “And again, I can send you these in
electronic form.” She tapped the paper. “I know you liked them printed out, but
I would bet your Miss Rori would love to see them on a computer, and in 3D.”

He let out a single chuckle. “You’re probably right about
that. Sure, send them over, and I’ll let her get them off the computer.”

Louisa winked. “Consider it done.”

He held out his hand. “Thank you for taking care of all the
tests yourself, too. I really want to break ground before the first frost.”

She shook his hand. “That’s a tight timeline, but we’ll give
it our best shot. Soil samples came back with no problems, and we’ve got the
go-ahead to build on the land. I’ll be in touch when the contractor comes back with
his estimates.” She left to head back to Kansas City.

After a last look at the three drawings, he rolled them up
and put them back into the tube. How long did Rori need to cool down and think
things through? A week? Two weeks? He didn’t want to wait that long, but if he
had to, he would. How would he know when she was ready? That she wouldn’t slam
the door in his face? Lock him out permanently?

He needed advice. No, he needed to clear his mind and set
his soul right. Like his mom said, the symbolism of a grave was not for the
deceased, but for the living, and it was long past time he made the trip to
Dusty’s grave.

With a hand-drawn map from Abby, Jackson found the cemetery.
It sat on a hill next to an ancient-looking church that shared a pastor with the
church one town over. The place was silent as the proverbial graveyard. It was
surrounded by fields planted with winter wheat, he’d have to come back in the
spring or summer to see the fields full of tall wheat stalks.

He parked on the road and walked in, listening to the birds
chirping and the wind blowing softly through the sweet-smelling, newly mown
grass.

Abby had said he couldn’t miss his father’s grave; a large,
maroon granite headstone at the top of the hill. Jackson visored his hand over
his eyes and looked around the area. He spotted it right away and headed up the
hill, his steps growing slower as he went.

The ground around the big marker was empty, a low fence
outlined a huge area. Did Dad own all the plots here? He’d have to ask the
attorney. It seemed strange to imagine being buried here, but if he stayed in
Red Creek…
If?
Was he that much of a flight risk right now? Probably.

With Rori kicking him out of their apartment, and the stress
of everything coming down on him right now, he just wanted to get away. He’d
registered for a rodeo, and he could be on a plane to Texas tomorrow, and leave
this town and all its demands behind for a little while. At least, that’s what
he’d been telling himself. Just one more rodeo, one more flight out of Red Creek
before he had to grow up and make a decision.

“Hell, you’re focusing on everything but what’s right in
front of you.” He stepped closer to the tombstone. Engraved with the name
Walker at the top, it gave his breath a pause for a few seconds.

This was where Dad was buried.

He sat on his heels by the stone, feeling the weight of this
moment heavy on his shoulders. The man he’d loved, and who’d loved him, was no
longer alive.

Above Dusty’s wife Theresa’s name was an engraved tennis
racket, and above Dusty’s, a crossed pick and shovel. Interesting choices. It
had their birth dates, followed by the date they’d both been killed in the auto
accident, but nothing extra, no final last words to tell who these people were.

Jackson laid his hand flat on the ground at the head of his
father’s grave. “Dad.” It took him a second to go on. He could almost feel his
dad’s presence, and let that emotion swirl through him. “I was mad at you when
I found out about my brothers. Mad that you created all of us the way you did, and
mad that you kept us from each other. But now, I can sympathize with what you
were feeling, and I can see how that made you do what you did.”