wanted to. And a week ago he’d been invited to take Karl’s place at poker night.
Cole was a decent poker player, but the way Cal Sawyer, one of Karl’s oldest friends, and Mike had exchanged looks when he’d agreed to play made him think that he was a bird about to be plucked. At least it would get him out of the house and off the farm for a while. He followed the directions to Mike’s house and Mike’s wife, Elaine, greeted him at the door, obviously going out as he was coming in.
“I just get in the way,” she said with an amused smile.
“Meaning that she’s heard our stories so many times, she prefers to take refuge elsewhere,” Cal said.
“So it’s just the three of us?”
“Dylan’s supposed to stop by, but he got held up,” Mike said, referring to his nephew. “He’ll be here within the hour.”
Cole hoped he still had some money within an hour. Cal shuffled the cards as if he was about to do an elaborate magic trick. Cole half expected him to fan them across the table and then flip them over in one smooth move.
“Beer?” Mike asked.
“You bet.” Cole took his seat, glad that he’d brought only twenty dollars to lose.
“I saw that you bought grain yesterday,” Mike said as he handed Cole a longneck. “Are you getting livestock?”
“Bringing some calves in from the ranch. Two leppies and one rejected twin that Jancey hasn’t been able to graft onto another cow.”
Cal gave a shudder. “Better you than me.” He began firing the cards around the table with deadly accuracy.
“My sister has a soft spot for orphans.” And usually that wasn’t a problem, but without Cole there to intercede, Miranda was keeping Jancey busy to the point that she was having trouble keeping up with the feedings.
“Karl’s not really set up for livestock, is he?” Mike asked, picking up the cards as they landed in front of him.
“His fences are all falling apart and his corrals are little more than a memory, if that’s what you mean.”
“Yeah. Pretty much. When I moved to town and had to find homes for my livestock, he wasn’t a lot of help.”
Cal smiled at Cole. “It’s because of Marlene, you know.”
“Marlene?” A woman had soured Karl on cattle?
Mike nodded. “His ma’s milk cow. I guess she kicked him whenever she got a chance, slapped him in the face with her tail if he didn’t have it properly pinned to the side. She hated him—”
“And he hated her,” Cal added. “But his mother kept him milking until he left home. Even the nicer cow after Marlene hated him. Maybe it’s a chemical thing. Maybe he has a scent…or something…that cows instinctively dislike.”
Mike looked as if he wanted to roll his eyes at the theory. “Whatever the reason, he doesn’t keep livestock. He drew the line at goats, too.”
Cole glanced at his cards and managed not to frown. “But he cowboyed on our ranch when he was a young guy.”
“He was in charge of the remuda. The horses. He likes horses but never had a mind to own one.”
“Except for Taylor’s horse,” Mike murmured as he stared at his hand. Carefully he set one card on the table in front of him. Cole looked at his single pair of sevens and debated.
“That’s right,” Cal said, slapping four cards down. “Paid through the nose for a horse she rode for two months a year.”
“Sounds like he indulged her,” Cole said. She certainly showed signs of being well indulged. He laid down all but the pair, then picked up the hodgepodge of useless cards Cal dealt him. Okay. Pair of sevens it is.
“Let’s just say that if Taylor wanted it, and Karl and Becky could afford it, Taylor got it,” Mike murmured, his focus on his cards.
“But look at her now—living in the bunkhouse until she gets back on her feet,” Cal said brightly as he tossed five chips onto the table. “She’s scrappy, that one.”
Scrappy wasn’t a word Cole would use to describe Taylor, but he kept his opinion to himself. He pushed forward a stack of chips. “Raise.” He figured with these guys, he’d literally better go big or go home. So he had a pair of wimpy sevens. Bluffing was part of the game.
Mike tossed some chips onto the table, and then Cal leaned toward Cole, who instantly wondered if the old cardsharp was trying to see his hand. “What will you do if Karl comes back to the ranch? Raise.” He matched the raise and added another five chips. Mike laid down his cards.
“Keep him away from the cows, I guess.” Cole studied his cards. This didn’t feel right.
Cal shook his head. “I mean with Taylor in the bunkhouse and all?”
Cole shrugged carelessly and matched Cal’s bet. “I think she’ll get a job and move before too long. I call.”
There was a knock on the front door, and before anyone could move, Mike’s nephew, Dylan Culver, came in. “Started without me, I see.” He took off his coat and then grinned at Cole. “Got any money left?”
“He has plenty of money…for now,” Cal said, slapping down three kings and pulling in the pot.
Dylan gave a snort as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge, then sat. He rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles. “I’m ready to be fleeced.”
Cal rolled his eyes and passed the deck to Mike. “Hey…you said you were going to have to get someone new to help out at the store. Maybe Taylor, if she can’t find anything else.”
Dylan and Cole instantly looked at one another, and Cole saw that Dylan’s thoughts were the same as his own. Fat freaking chance.
Mike coughed. “Uh, yeah.” He stretched his mouth into a tactful smile and started dealing.
“Taylor never really fit in with the locals,” Dylan said when Cal gave him a “what?” look. “She had bigger and better things planned than a life in the Eagle Valley.” He picked up his cards before saying under his breath, in a voice that only Cole could hear, “And she wasn’t shy about sharing that sentiment.”
* * *
“THEY’LL LET ME know on Tuesday.” Taylor handed Carolyn her drink. “It’s a big step down, but I can work my way back up. It sounded as if that’s what they expect me to do.”
Carolyn gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she picked up her espresso. “If you were going to settle, I wish you’d done it in Seattle.”
Taylor didn’t agree. What would it be like not to head out with Carolyn on their famous shopping expeditions? Or meet for drinks or dinner once a week? If she had to take a step down in pay, she was glad she wasn’t in the city she loved. This way she could pay her penance, then return to Seattle and resume her former existence—only this time with more savings and the sad knowledge that
