Tacoma Falls: Home and Heart

The past

Mary

When you grow up on a ranch, it smells quite ripe with the horse shit. Most city slickers aren't fans of a ranch or a farm for that reason. They prefer a flowery smell over nature's fragrance. It didn't bother me any. It's not like you roll around it constantly.

Now, the whole situation with Gilroy smelled riper than fresh horse shit. Gilroy couldn't handle Rhett Shaw challenging him on the Gilroy's legitimacy about his cows. Gilroy would have to confess the truth about Rhett's claims. Would you want to admit the truth if it hurt you financially?

I needed to get home so I could shower and wash last night's antics off of me. Patsy dropped me off at home so the bicycle didn't get wind of Beau and me together. I entered the kitchen to Ma and Pa sitting at the kitchen island having iced tea.

"Look at what the horse dragged in," Pa said.

Ma shook her head and rolled her eyes. "How was your night, Mary?"

"Do you really need to ask? I'm sure Papaw filled Pa in about last night," I said.

"Your papaw deduced what happened. He figured you would fill in the blanks," Pa said.

"Can I shower and wash last night off before we talk?"

"Yeah. Go on and get."

I nodded and ran upstairs to my bedroom to grab a change of clothes. After setting the temp on the shower, I climbed in and stood underneath the waterfall. Everything has been chaotic in the past few weeks.

My mind whirled with information overload. The heat from the water eased my tensed muscles. I hadn't realized how tense I had become with everything happening.

I scrubbed my hair and body to wash away my drunken antics from last night. But my mind couldn't erase the anguish in Beau's face.

I finished my shower, dried off, and dressed in comfy clothes. I strolled into the kitchen toward the counter where my folks sat. "Did Papaw tell you about what's going on with Gene Gilroy?"

"Yep. Your papaw filed a formal complaint against Gene Gilroy," Pa said.

"Beau and his brothers aren't handling it well." I leaned on the counter with my palms.

"I didn't think they would after what Pa told me. Have you gotten past your anger towards Beau?"

"I didn't like Dixie kissing Beau and him not pushing her away. But I understand why now. He and his brothers thought they could get Dixie and Cassie to spill about Amber."

"Now, the boys should know better than to trust a bicycle and its squeaky training wheel. It gives you nothing but trouble when you can eliminate the squeaking."

I couldn't help the smile plastered on my face while Ma giggled. Pa didn't mince words and was wise to people's actions in Tacoma Falls.

"So, what's Payton going to do?" Ma asked Pa.

"The livestock agency launched a full-scale investigation into Gene Gilroy. Gus is meeting with Sheriff Tate, Judge Heart, and Merl regarding Harvey and a few others taking money from Gene under the guise of donations," Pa said.

"This whole situation is a big mess." Ma shook her head in disbelief.

"Greed will do that to a person. They see dollar signs and don't care who they step on to get it. It's wrong on so many levels."

While Ma and Pa discussed the situation, my mind drifted to Amber and her situation. We had to tread carefully with the bicycle and training wheel. If they caught wind of our plan, it wouldn't bode well for Amber.