Page 60 of Reckoning with the Cowboy
She burst into tears at the sound of her sister’s voice, her relief overwhelming her. She’d been so worried about Amy Sue, especially after realizing that Shane had tampered with the wine. “Are you…married?”
“No. I couldn’t go through with it even before I realized he was lying. If I ever get married, I want my sister to officiate, not some old man in a dingy wedding chapel in Las Vegas without you there.”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say that,” Josie said as she dried her eyes. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
“You were right about everything.”
“I wish I wasn’t,” Josie said and realized that darkness she’d felt suffocating her and the town had lifted. Shane was gone. Her sister was safe. She was safe. “Do you want me to come out to the farmhouse?”
She feared her sister would say no after the awful arguments they’d had. “Could you pick up ice cream?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
It felt as if there was something in the air making the people of Dry Gulch, Montana, happier than Josie had ever seen them. Or maybe it was just her own feelings of relief since she no longer saw dark clouds on the horizon. She felt as if she could breathe again.
Her sister had bounced back from her bad romance quicker than Josie had thought she would. The day Josie had gone out to the farmhouse with several quarts of their favorite ice cream and a six-pack of beer, they’d built a fire in the pit out back and talked. After a couple of beers each, Amy Sue had burned Shane’s letters.
It was as if the fire had released the spell the man had placed on her.
“You saw him coming after me, didn’t you?” Amy Sue said quietly as the fire popped and sparks rose, glowing in the darkness overhead before burning out.
“I saw someone coming who was more dangerous than Roger Grimes,” she said, staring into the flames.
“I’ve always made fun of your…gift, as Nana used to call it. I was jealous that you had one more thing to share with our grandmother that I didn’t.”
“It’s not a gift,” Josie said. “It’s a curse. I hate it. I would love to wake up in the morning and not see anything, be totally oblivious to anything bad coming. That would be a gift. What makes it worse is that I can’t see as clearly as our grandmother could see things. All I usually see is darkness closing in until I come face-to-face with it.”
“I’m sorry I’ve given you such a hard time about it,” her sister said.
Josie had smiled over at her and helped them both to another beer before throwing more wood on the fire. They were silent for a long time, listening to the music of the warm night.
“I loved the idea of Shane Wagner,” her sister said after a while. She had leaned back to stare up at the stars. “I hate that he played on my vulnerabilities to work his way into my heart. He knew exactly what to say and do to win me over.”
“He was a born con artist,” Josie said. “He would have fooled anyone.”
Her sister laughed. “Not you.” She pushed herself up on one elbow. “Did I ruin your weekend with Cordell? If so, I’m sorry.”
“No, it actually brought us closer together. Cordell’s been trying to prove to me that he’s a changed man. I saw that changed man and I like what I see.”
Amy Sue laughed. “You are always so cautious.”
Josie laughed with her. “I haven’t always been. I fell for Cordell when we were teens because he was Dry Gulch’s bad boy. It’s just been hard to wrap my mind around the change in him.”
“You liked him as the bad boy and you weren’t sure about your feelings for the changed Cordell,” her sister said. “I can see that. But I suspect that bad boy is still in him.” She chuckled. “You just have to bring it out.”
Josie had found herself smiling as she reached for her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “I never want anything or anyone to come between you and me again.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about it. I’ve given up on finding love— Why are you laughing?”
“Now that you say you’ve stopped looking, I wouldn’t be surprised if it snuck up on you when you least expect it.”
* * *
The upcoming grand openingof the new and improved Dry Gulch Hotel was the talk of the town. Max couldn’t believe all the work his brother had done to bring the hotel back to its earlier glory. At one time, the town had sported a hot mineral swimming pool behind the hotel that had brought in people from around the world. If Cordell had his way, it would again.
While his gunshot wound had healed, he often felt a twinge for no apparent reason, making it a constant reminder. But today, he tried not to think about anything but his brother’s success. The town had taken pride in what Cordell had done as if they’d swung the hammer and wielded the paintbrushes.
Max had noticed more people freshening up their property. At first people had been skeptical about Cordell reopening the hotel. But not anymore. Everyone seemed excited, as if Dry Gulch was coming back to life. As usual, Cordell had started something and this time hopefully it wouldn’t land him in jail.
