We sit in silence. Then, he starts going at it with the questions. That’s a big field, he points out. How long is it? Can he go into the barn? How many horses do I own? Can he have a horse with a long mane and tail? What are the mountains called, especially the great big one in the distance? That’s Sovereign Mountain, I tell him. I’ll take you out there real soon. He says that’s fine, but why can’t we go today? And can he ride in the back of the truck? That one, I go ahead and give him a firm no. He pushes out his lower lip but recovers at light speed.
“I like my room upstairs. Can I keep it?” he asks.
“Yeah, reckon you can,” I say.
It’s like being in the ring, just one after another. It’s a relief when Della steps outside. Then, I forget all about whether I’m doing a good job answering Landis’ questions, because the prettiest girl in the world is right here.
She’s glowing in her white sundress with little purple flowers. It’s like looking right into the sun.
I open my mouth to say something inappropriate, but then I remember Landis is right there, and I need to start watching my words. Instead, I get up and hold out my hand. She gives me a shy smile.
“You ready?” she says.
“More than ready,” I say. “Come on. Let’s go before you change your mind.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
JENSEN
She doesn’t change her mind.
She marries me in the courthouse in South Platte that afternoon. Then, we go down to the diner to get Landis some ice cream. He’s chattering a mile a minute about anything and everything he can think of. Della answers him, her arm around his shoulders. Her hand in mine is tight, like she never wants to let go.
I thought today might feel like the aftermath of a disaster, but it doesn’t. It feels like waking up after a long nightmare and remembering I’m safe. The relief is overwhelming.
That night, after Landis is fast asleep with his new stuffed fox tucked under his arm, I take her into the bedroom and lock the door. It isn’t like in the loft, or even our first time together. It’s quiet, no words spoken, no need for them. We undress each other, and I lay her on her back, kissing her mouth until her body blossoms, opening for me.
In the dark, I fuck her as my wife for the first time.
The next morning, I get up and take my truck down to Ryder Ranch. I didn’t realize it until late last night, but Chicken has been living out there this entire time. When I pull into the drive, there heis, sitting on the porch like he never moved. I get out and whistle, but he just stares at me, eyes unfocused.
“Goddamn,” I say, putting my hands on my hips.
“About time.”
I turn to find Deacon striding out of the barn, wiping his hands on a grease rag. “I thought you were never going to pick up your dog.”
“Sorry, I was out of town,” I say.
He pauses next to me, looking me from head to foot. “What happened to you? You look like somebody hit you in the face with a brick.”
“I went back to Kentucky.”
“You did? Why?”
Everything comes pouring out, in the simplest of terms. I tell him about meeting Della at the stockyards, that Brothers had sent him, about Leland and Landis. He listens, brow lowered like he’s really absorbing it. At the end, he whistles low.
“Damn. So you’re married now,” he says. “You got a kid.”
I nod. “Yeah, that’s how it shook out.”
He looks like he wants to say something.
“You good?” I ask.
He rubs the back of his neck. “Listen, do you remember a while back when I needed to talk to Brothers Boyd about killing some guy who had fucked my wife years ago?”
“What?”
