Thankfully, after five more minutes of eardrum-splitting tunes, the band took its first
break and the jukebox took over in much lower decibels.
More people drifted in as the hour neared ten. So far Reed hadnt found a dark-haired man with a cut on his head. Then again, most men wore cowboy hats. At least half a dozen had black hair, some long, some short. Reed ruled out the short hair. The length hed seen on the barb had been at least two inches and straight. Which ruled out the buzz-cut young cowboys two-stepping around the wooden dance floor.
Several Hispanic men crowded around a table at the opposite end of the bar from Reed, all guzzling beer and watching the dancers and other bar patrons.
At least three of the five had longish straight black hair. One had gray hair and the other had his hair cut in a short buzz. Of the three with long hair, two wore cowboy hats.
How to get them out of their hats. Reed bided his time.
Can I get you another beer? Catalina Garcia leaned over the empty table next to him and lifted empty bottles onto her tray, a healthy amount of cleavage on display.
No, thanks. Hed been nursing the same beer since he arrived. It had gone flat and warm, but he wasnt there to drink.
Mona tells me she hired you out at her place.
Yes, maam.
Monas a really nice girl, she said as if commenting on the weather, while she wiped the table with a wet washrag. When she was done, she turned to him. Dont do anything to hurt her, will you? Shes got enough going on in her life.
She hired me to help her, not hurt her. Reeds brows drew together. What exactly do you mean?
The serious look shed just given him changed into a twisted smile. Youre not exactly hard to look at, you know. With that she flounced away, her bottom twitching back and forth like an open invitation.
An invitation Reed wasnt accepting. Nor was he interested in Mona as anything other than his boss. The end.
Mind if I join you?
Reed stiffened. He knew that voice and hed never welcomed the sound. As a matter of fact, I do. He didnt turn to look at his father, but a chair scraped and the older man sat next to him anyway.
Ive been trying to talk to you for the past six months, but there never seems to be the right time or place.
So why bother? Reed lifted the warm beer and downed the last drops. A long silence stretched between them as the jukebox switched from a lively tune to a cry-in-my-beer song. All the old anger and hurt of his teen years had mellowed into an even stronger indifference for the man whod never treated him like a son. Now he looked across the table at the weathered, retired rancher, whod almost lost his wife and immediately afterward sold his ranch. Property that had been in his family for a century. William Bryson wasnt as intimidating as hed been twenty years ago. He just looked old and tired.
The graying man rested his elbows on the table and laced his fingers. Im a stubborn man.
Agreed.
A stubborn fool, the man continued without looking up. But one thing is for certain, Ive always loved your mother more than anything. It took her almost dying to realize how unfair Ive been to you all your life and how hard it was on her.
A lone fiddle picked up the tune on the Jukebox song and played a plaintive melody, accentuating the anguish in his fathers voice.
Reed shifted uncomfortably and leaned forward to stand.
Dont go. I have to get this out. I have a confession to make.
Its a little late for confessions. Reed continued his upward movement, but his fathers hand gripped his forearm and held him.
Its not just my confession. Its something your mother wanted me to tell you as well. She just doesnt have the strength to right now.
Had it only been his father, Reed would have left. Instead he sat back in his seat. Go ahead.
Your mother and I dated for two years before we were married.
And I was born nine months later. Ive heard this story.
Not quite nine months, he said in a whisper. What you dont know is that she was pregnant when we got married. His father looked up, his gaze colliding with Reeds. With another mans baby.
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