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Sighing, they got up, too. Mel reached for the glossy flyer on the table, but Vidalia grabbed it first. “I’ll just keep this. Night, girls.”
* * *
Vidalia had no idea what kind of demon possessed her, but after closing time, she found herself once again, parked outside the Long Branch. This time, though, she pulled right on into the parking lot and sat there in plain sight, staring at the impressive face of the place.
The concealing tent had vanished sometime during the day today, and she’d spotted those glossy posters hanging on telephone poles and sign posts all the way here.
Bobby had done a great job. The front entrance had four glossy log pillars that supported a huge sign that read Long Branch Saloon. The lettering managed to be both rustic and fancy at the same time. Rustic, because it looked as if it had been burned into the wood with a cattle brand. Fancy, because the first letter of each word was kind of swirly.
It looked great. And with those signs all over town, she figured there was no longer any point in hiding what was going on beneath the tarp. Still, she’d expected more. Maybe a little fanfare, the high school marching band, the town supervisor—Big Falls was too small for a mayor—and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Something like that.
No one was awake in there. The place was dark, and she was sitting here like some kind of midnight creeper, spying on a long ago lover and wondering if he really believed that nothing had happened between them that night. Or if he had come back here to find out the truth, once and for all. The secret she’d been keeping all these years.
A secret she’d never had any right to keep.
A light came on inside just as she decided to drive quietly away. The front door opened. No point hiding now. She opened her door and got out of the pickup, landing light and easy on the ground as he came toward her. But when she got the courage to look up, it wasn’t Bobby Joe’s eyes she found blinking at her. Similar ones, for sure, but not his.
“You’re her,” he said. “You’re Vidalia Brand.”
She blinked in surprise. “Well, I sure was last I checked. How do you know?”
He lowered his head, nodding slow. “My father’s...mentioned your name once or twice. And then of course, there’s the poster.”
“You’re one of Bobby’s boys?” she asked, because it wasn’t right, the rush of pleasure coursing through her at knowing Bobby Joe had spoken of her...once or twice. “I’d have guessed that in another second or two. You’ve got those same blue eyes.”
“Jason,” he said, extending a big hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Brand.”
“You can call me Vidalia,” she said. “I had no idea you were in town.”
“I only just arrived. Dad didn’t tell me...any of us...what he was up to. At least, not until I’d already tracked him down on my own.”
Something was wrong with the young man. He looked downright troubled.
“My brothers will be here tomorrow,” he said. “Dad sent an email after I left asking us all to be here for the grand opening. I think we’re supposed to play outlaws or something.”
She smiled. “You’ve gotta admit, he’s very good at this,” she said, looking at the saloon.
“Is that why you’re here in the middle of the night?” he asked. “To get a look at it, now that it’s uncovered?”
She didn’t say yes or no. “I own the OK Corral, other end of town. We only just closed for the night, or I wouldn’t be creeping around in the wee hours.”
“Dad’s not here,” he said.
She nodded. “That’s okay. I didn’t expect he’d be up at this hour, even if he was....” Then she frowned. “Where on earth can he be at this hour?”
“Said he couldn’t sleep. Wanted to go see the falls this town is named after. Said he hadn’t been out there since he’d been back.”
She nodded slow, but she was starting to get a little worried feeling running up her spine. “Does he normally summon all his sons to an opening of a new saloon?”
“Never. But then again, he usually resells them before they open, turning a healthy profit in the process.”
She tipped her head to one side. “Why do you think this time is different?”
He looked her right in the eyes, opened his mouth like he was about to say something, then closed it again and looked past her at the sky. “You’d have to ask him that, ma’am.”
“All right, I will.” Was that a tear glimmering in Jason McIntyre’s eye? What in the hay was going on with this clan? “It was nice meeting you, Jason. Once your brothers arrive, I’d like to have you all over for a meal.”
“Why?” he asked. Flat out, blunt, no bull with this one.
