Best Kept Secrets(20)
I swear to God I didn't mean to. You know how it's said
that all cats look gray in the dark? Well, damned if it ain't
true of horses, too. 'Specially if you've got a pint of Four
Roses sloshing around in yore gut." He smiled, revealing
that what few teeth he had remaining were black with decay.
Angus wasn't amused. "You're wrong, Pasty. That isn't
what I was going to say. What I was going to say is that
you're fired."
Junior shot up out of the leather love seat. "Dad!" Angus
shot him a hard look that quelled any further interference.
Pasty's face turned pale. "You cain't mean that, Angus.
I've been here nigh on thirty years."
"You'll get fair severance pay--a damned sight more than
you deserve."
"But . . . but--"
"You put a colt into a paddock with ten high-strung fillies.
What if he'd mounted one of them? That one from Argentina
was in there. Any idea what that horse is worth, Pasty--over
half a million. If she'd been injured or come in foal by that
randy colt. . ." Angus blew out a gust of air. "Jesus, I can't
even bear to think about the mess that would've put us in.
If one of the other hands hadn't caught your mistake, I could
have been out millions, and the reputation of this ranch would
have been shot to hell."
Pasty swallowed with difficulty. "Give me one more
chance, Angus. I swear--"
"I've heard this speech before. Clear your stuff out of the
bunkhouse and drop by the office at the end of the week. I'll
have the bookkeeper draft you a check."
"Angus--"
"Good-bye and good luck, Pasty."
The old cowboy glanced plaintively at Junior, but knew
before looking that there would be no help coming from that
quarter. Junior kept his eyes lowered. Eventually Pasty left
the room, tracking mud with each step.
When they heard the front door close, Junior got up and
headed for the refrigerator built into the paneling. "I didn't
know you were going to fire him," he said resentfully.
"No reason you should."
He carried a beer to his father and twisted off the cap of
another for himself. "Was it necessary? Couldn't you have
yelled at him some, taken away some of his responsibilities,
docked his pay? For crissake, Dad, what's an old guy like
that gonna do?"
"He should have thought of that before he put the colt in
that pasture. Now, let's drop it. I didn't enjoy doing it. He's
been around here a long time."
"He made a mistake."
' 'Worse, he got caught!'' Angus shouted. "If you're gonna
run this business, boy, you gotta grow steel balls. The job
isn't always fun, you know. There's more to it than taking
clients out to fancy dinners and flirting with their wives and
daughters." Angus took a swig of beer. "Now, let's talk
about Celina's girl."
Junior, resigned to accepting Pasty's harsh punishment,
even if he didn't agree with it, dropped into an easy chair
and sipped at his bottle of beer. "She went to see Joe,
huh?"
"Yeah, and notice that she didn't waste any time doing
it, either. Joe's jittery as hell. He's afraid his spotless tenure
as judge is about to be flushed down the toilet."
"What did Alexandra want with him?"
"She asked some questions about why he rushed up Gooney
Bud's incompetency hearing. Reede came to Joe's rescue,
which was a smart move on his part."
"Reede?"
"Never asleep at the switch, is he?" Angus removed his
boots and dropped them over the padded arm of his chair.
They hit the floor with a heavy thud. He had gout, and his
big toe was giving him trouble. He massaged it thoughtfully
while looking at his son. "What did you think of the girl?"
'I tend to agree with Joe. She's a threat. She thinks one
of us killed Celina, and she's bound and determined to find
out who.''
"She struck me that way, too."
"Of course, she's got nothing on any of us."
"Of course."
Junior looked at his father warily. "She's sharp."
"As a tack."
"And no slouch in the looks department."
Father and son shared a bawdy laugh. "Yeah, she is good-lookin',"
Angus said. "But then, so was her mama."
Junior's smile faded. "Yes, she was."
"Still miss her, don't you?" Angus shrewdly studied his
son.
"Sometimes."
Angus sighed. "I don't suppose you can lose a close friend
like that without it having a lasting effect on you. You
wouldn't be human, otherwise. But it's foolish of you to pine