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“Is that why you’re a fuckin’ pile of bones?”
Humiliation swamped the old man’s face. “Pretty much. There are a few places lenient about letting me in, but most don’t want to look at me.”
“This is about the sorriest excuse for a town that I’ve ever seen.” Ace knew all too well how it felt to be marginalized and discounted as a person.
Ryder shook his head. “It makes me wonder if you were really intoxicated or if they just wanted you out of sight.”
“If I had money, I’d have used it for food not booze. I have pancreatitis, and alcohol makes me double over in pain.”
Ace cursed under his breath. “Those stupid fuckers think they’re so damned clever.”
Ryder’s head came up sharply. “What are you talking about, brother?”
“It’s all too easy to make someone like our friend Earnest disappear from their wholesome little town.” Glancing at Earnest, he continued. “They arrest you on some trumped-up charge and toss you in the county jail for a few weeks. Once your case gets heard, they ship you off to some privatized state prison, and those places don’t care if you’re homeless, guilty, or innocent, ‘cause they get paid either way. It’s a win for everybody but you.”
Ryder’s fist clinched into a tight fist. “Fucking hell, I never thought of that.”
The waitress stopped by with their coffee and some ice water. She left a little bowl of creamers and a carafe of coffee, just like Ryder had asked. She’d clearly had a chance to recover from her encounter with the big, surely biker and even managed an embarrassed smile. “What would you gentlemen like to eat?”
“I want a cheeseburger, no bun, and green salad.”
Ace chuffed out a laugh. “Give me the same, only with a bun and fries.” Turning to Earnest, he asked, “You up for a burger or do you prefer a sandwich or something.”
“They do a real nice chicken dinner here with homemade biscuits.”
Looking up at the woman, Ace stated blandly, “My friend will have your chicken dinner with all the trimmings.”
Scribbling it all down on her little pad, she mumbled anxiously, “Coming right up.”
Ryder eyed the woman suspiciously. “I don’t think you’re gonna be able to make it in this town, Earnest. Even if they drop the charges, it’ll probably keep happening until they get rid of you.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame, ‘cause I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
“Until your court hearing comes up, you are my new shadow.”
“Say what?”
“I shelled out ten grand, so you are going to your hearing.”
“Of course I am. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Ace queried quietly, “What’s holding you to this place?”
“My wife and I landed here about thirty years ago. We ended up losing our farm, and she passed about seven years later.”
“Let me guess, you just gave up.”
“I worked hard all my life, but after she left me, I kept thinkin’ God would take me too.” Pressing his lips together for a brief moment, he let out a stuttering breath. “As you can see, he never did.”
Their food landed, but Ryder just kept right on talking. “You need a change of scenery. Your case is on the docket for thirteen days from now. How about you trade this cold-ass town in for someplace where people look out for each other.”
Shoveling food into his face like there was no tomorrow, the older man spoke with his mouth full. “That sounds real good to me. Would you happen to know of a place like that, ‘cause I sure as hell don’t.”
“We got our own little corner of South Dakota. Don’t you worry about a thing. We’ll see that you have a little room of your own and three squares a day. The women around our place do a nice hot breakfast every morning, and they usually cook out in the evenings.”
“Thirteen days of not sleeping on the ground sounds good.”
“It’s the least I can do for the man who saved my life.”
