“Camille…” Will said, sounding surprised. “I…we…didn’t expect you home so early. You usually work late on Friday evenings.”
“Usually is such a misunderstood word, isn’t it, Will?”
She crossed the few steps to where they were standing and extended her hand to the flustered younger woman. “Hello. I’m Camille, Will’s housemate. And your name is?”
The buxom blond with her make-up now smudged, ignored the proffered hand and quickly bent over to pick up her shoes. “I’d better be going. It’s getting late and you have to be at work early tomorrow, right, Will? Isn’t that what you told me?”
Camille said nothing but raised an eyebrow in Will’s direction, waiting for his response to that statement. When he said nothing, she decided to alleviate the awkwardness and agree. “Yes, Will is a good employee. He always likes to be punctual when it comes to his employment.”
Will walked toward the front door, almost pushing the woman in front of him, while quickly calling a cab. They waited in the front hall and unfortunately spoke in such low voices, Camille couldn’t overhear the conversation. It was okay. She really didn’t care what they were saying anyway.
When Will came back into the room, Camille was sitting in the recliner with her shoes kicked off. She offered her take on his evening. “Dinner…one-hundred bucks, wine…fifty bucks, cab…thirty bucks…but the expression on your face when I walked in…priceless.”
Will was not amused. “Camille, you are unbelievable. You can wreck any and all of my dates without even trying, it seems.”
He flopped down on the couch and stretched out. “Yes, the evening was expensive and now it is money down the drain.”
“In other words, you spent all that cash and didn’t even get her into bed…is that what you’re telling me? Maybe you should have spent a bit more and rented a nice hotel room. You can’t blame me for coming home. I do live here, you know.”
“No. That’s not what I meant. I met Lorna several months ago and we seemed to click. She’s involved with stocks and bonds and money trading in California. She was in town for a convention and a friend introduced us. I thought perhaps she could help me find a position with the firm she works for. I told her I was thinking of changing jobs. I didn’t exactly tell her I was unemployed at the moment.”
“So ask her out again and don’t bring her here this time.”
“She’s going home tomorrow morning. I’ll probably never see her again.”
They were both silent for a while. Finally, Camille spoke.
“Do you remember Allie, my assistant editor? You met her last year at the Christmas party. She’s beautiful, lots of fun, witty and single, and the best part is I think she has a crush on you.”
Will perked up a bit but then asked, “And she’s like twenty, right?”
Camille laughed. “No, she is not. I believe she is thirty-five. That’s perfect for a good-looking fifty-year-old man like you. Why don’t I set you up with her? You could forget about your ‘Lorna’ from California.” She paused for a minute, then continued, “That sounds like a song title or something, doesn’t it?”
“Go to bed, Camille. You’ve had too much wine tonight. I’d love to take advantage of that fact but I won’t since I’m pretty sure I’d get shot or knifed or poisoned or something equally lethal.”
“Yes, of course…especially since I don’t own a gun or a knife. Although, there is that bottle of arsenic I keep for just such occasions.”
As she climbed the stairs, she told him. “I have something I need to talk to you about in the morning, Will.”
CHAPTER 8
THE TWO DAYS spent in the mountains with his horses and the wildlife were idyllic and passed too quickly, in Jace’s opinion. If it was possible, he would spend the rest of his days there and never go home but that was, of course, improbable and impossible. He never saw himself as the hermit type, but in the last few years, he was becoming more and more reclusive. It wasn’t a good thing and he knew it, but there didn’t seem to be anyone or anything that interested him. He had enough psychology courses in college to recognize growing depression and the devastating effects it can have on a person.
As he saddled the horses, he spoke to himself and to them, “It’s a good thing you two are here with me. Otherwise, I’d be talking to myself and then I would really be in trouble.” He laughed at his own joke, finished packing and called the dog. “Is everything ready, Jake? I’ve cleaned camp, got our little bit of garbage with me, packed our few supplies for the trip home and have a thermos of coffee. Okay, fellas, let’s roll…no, let’s ride. We’ll take it nice and slow and enjoy this last trip with you, Jasper.”
Jace knew the fact that he would be surrendering his horse was definitely adding to his despair. They had been together for years and it would be akin to cutting off his arm. It helped to know that Cal Frasier was a man of his word and would never re-sell Jasper. If he were still a praying man, he would ask God to provide some way to fund the long trip to Texas. He still had some resources but didn’t want to use his last bit of funds to make a non-paying trip.
He hadn’t turned his phone on in the two days he was gone but as he got closer to home, he did and although he usually didn’t have many e-mails, his inbox seemed to be overflowing with messages. “What the heck?’ he muttered aloud. “I don’t recognize any of these names.”
He opened a fe
w and read the messages. They all seemed to be from females who wanted him to contact them. His account must have been hacked. Great.
When Jace walked into The Branding Iron he was pelted with a chorus of greetings.
“Hey, look who’s back,” Ken called out. “The wandering cowboy.”
Ralph, another regular, hailed him with the news they had all taken good care of the bar in his absence.