We only needed a few more months, and Beverly could have filed free and clear of any push back from Howard. Now, I’m afraid, there will be lots of contesting on Howard’s part, if there’s anything to contest.
The way she looked at him…
I could see the initial appeal. A man in a suit, although a bit outdated. His shoes were shined to hide scuff marks. His collar was yellowed, but the tips were still starched. He didn’t appear as put together as he wanted to look, but he still polished up nicely. A piece of coal spiffed up to masquerade as a diamond. I’d never seen the appeal of a suit before, but some women go for that glitter and gleam. Give me my shit-kickers any day, and I’m happy.
“I need to call Janice,” I say. “I don’t trust Howard. I have to figure out how to get those horses off the land.” This prompts me to think of my business partner. “I need to get over to The Fugitive.”
“What you doing at that biker hotel?” Vernon questions.
“My partner is there.”
Vernon shakes his head, disapproving but with a chuckle. “Man, you are mixed up in more manure than I can spread.”
“It ain’t like that,” I admit, falling into a drawl to follow his. My partner is legitimate. Rich as a Rockefeller but not as flashy about it. Reaching for my phone, I press the starred contact.
“Janice,” I greet her. “Howard’s back.”
“I know,” she states, and my brows rise as I sit up straighter. Vernon falls forward in his seat, his feet hitting the ground as he sits up, and Tower presses off his thighs. “Hannah called about an hour ago.”
“Are they okay? What did she say?”
“She didn’t offer much other than to say her father had returned.”
Her father has returned. The prodigal dad. Will they break out the fatted calf and throw a party for him? My mockery mixes with jealousy. I care about Hannah, even if I’m not her kin.
“What else did she say?”
“She wants to meet with us tomorrow. The conversation was brief as there was lots of yelling in the background.” The comment raises the hairs on the back of my neck, but before I can speak, Janice continues. “Jedd, you need to stay away from there. You could do Beverly more harm than good if you show up.”
I don’t like the sound of that, not one bit. “Are they in danger?” My eyes meet Vernon’s, whose hands clutch at the armrest on either side of him. “Should we go back there?”
“Want me to send Grizz and Kerr?” Vernon says, and I miss Janice’s response.
“Vernon’s offering to send the boys. Should I call the sheriff?”
“Jedd, unfortunately, you can’t report domestic violence for verbal altercations. That would be considered domestic disturbance, and who are they disturbing? Plus, Howard doesn’t have a history of hurting Beverly, just striking her with hurtful words.” Janice pauses, and my heart speeds up.
“If he lays a finger on her—”
“You’ll stay away from him or land yourself in jail and be no good to Beverly.” The comment sobers me.
“I can’t sit here and do nothing.” I exhale, swiping at my forehead with the end of my hook.
“You’re going to have to, Jedd. Beverly’s only choice is to make a choice, and we can’t proceed until we see her. Tomorrow.”
Twenty-four hours, on top of the twenty-four I’ve already missed out on by being in Knoxville? I don’t think so. I can’t be without her for so long, and she needs me to prove I’m there for her.
“Janice, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to go over there. I need you to make sure Beverly is okay.” My blood accelerates, flowing like a rapid river through my veins as anxiety grips me. Even if Howard doesn’t touch Beverly, he could undo her with a few words. She’s got the sword tongue to duel back with him, but will she use it, or will she give in to his crushing comments?
“I’m not going anywhere near Howard, Jedd. And you aren’t either. Just give it a day.”
“That’s too long,” I snap, and Tower and Vernon both sit up straighter, eyeing each other before glancing back at me. I shift the phone to my claw and swipe at my face, whipping off my cap and slamming it on my knee.
“You really love her, don’t you, Jedd?”
“Yes,” I reply, speaking too loud but adamant again. “Yes, I really do.”
Another hour and a half later, I’m sitting in The Watershed. Todd Ryder is present as is his best friend, Big Poppy, whose real name no one speaks, and by the grace of God, Nathan’s here, too.
Tower drove despite the fact six beers didn’t seem to faze me. The anger coursing through my bloodstream burns off all possibility of copping a heavy buzz. Still, I couldn’t sit still at Vernon’s while he stayed behind and called Grizz to head to the Townsen’s farm.
“I’ll just have him play it off like he was stopping by to see Hannah. It isn’t so far-fetched,” Vernon assured me before I left.
“I have to get those horses out of there.” My eyes meet Big Poppy’s over the table, and he nods to agree but doesn’t offer a solution. For a moment, I feel like we’re a strategy planning committee of sorts. Large men, despite the thinness of Tower, hunched around a small table with a bottle of heavy stuff in the center and shot glasses all around. The cavalry without a plan or mounts.
“What do you think he’ll do?” Todd asks.
“I have no idea.” Howard was raised on a farm, but that doesn’t mean he’s an animal lover. Dollar signs seem to be his mission. Though it’d be a hard sell since he doesn’t hold the papers on those horses.
“I called Naomi,” Nathan tells me; his voice hopeful it will make me feel better. “I hate to send her there alone even though I don’t know this Howard character. She called me back to tell me she went to get Scotia.”
“Scotia Simmons?” Todd chuckles after dragging out her name.
“She’s their sister,” I clarify, and Todd laughs again.
“I’d wondered why she was at your wedding,” he addresses Nathan. “Course, she stood at the back and left as it ended.” He continues to laugh, but I’m not finding any humor.
“I don’t think Scotia’s gonna let old Howard get away with anything,” Nathan remarks.
“What makes you so certain?” I hadn’t seen Scotia more than a handful of times during the months I’d been at the farm, and each interaction had been almost as unpleasant as the previous one. Her disdain for her sisters, as well as most everyone, was apparent in every comment, every glance, and every stance. I don’t know why she bothered to remain in Green Valley if she disliked so many people, but then again, her popularity on the food chain keeps her near the top. Anywhere else and she’d be eaten alive. Scotia is as judgmental as they come, and moreover, all that judgment stems from her own insecurity. I’ve never seen a woman wear so much confidence and use so many layers of makeup to hide the very vulnerable woman underneath.
“Because Scotia Simmons has a serious set of kahunas,” Nathan teases, cupping his hand with invisible balls.
“Her husband might have liked that about her,” Todd adds, and Big Poppy snorts. I don’t have time to question what he means.