The James Gang Ch. 03

"He's a little prick, is what he is! A money-grubbing little prick!" Christina exclaimed.

Megan didn't make a comment, feeling it inappropriate to agree or disagree with her statement. The rest of the journey to the ranch was made in silence. Christina looked and smiled as she remembered her former hometown.

Arriving at the ranch, Maria came out to help carry in Christina's luggage. The two women hugged each like they were old friends. Megan assumed Christina must have known her before she came to work for Clint as his housekeeper. The two spoke in fluent Spanish and smiled alot so their conversation must have been friendly.

"Which room do you wish to stay in?" Maria asked.

"How about the bedroom next to the master." Christina suggested.

"That is Ms. Reynolds and Trey's room." Maria blurted out without thinking.

"My! My! Trey has been wonderful, hasn't he!" Christina exclaimed, grinning at Megan.

"Well, put me in the master bedroom, Maria. I'm sure Clint won't mind." She added.

"I'd like to freshen up a bit and then go see Clint." Christina remarked. "Will you drive me?"

"Sure. I'd be happy to." Megan responded.

While Maria had let the cat out of the bag, Christina seemed to have accepted the breaking news pretty well. Megan felt she'd still have some quick explaining to do eventually. Any mother would want to know who her son was sleeping with.

Christina fixed her makeup and hair before changing into a stylish western dress accentuated with white lace. Her tall, calf-high tan boots clicked as she and Megan descended the circular stairway.

"I see ole Clint still keeps the fountains flowing." The woman remarked. "He hated them when I first had them built."

"We only shut them off at night. Other than that, they're always running." Megan replied, smiling. "They really add alot to this home."

Standing in the foyer before leaving, Christina hesitated briefly.

"You think I look alright?" She asked. "Maybe I should change into something else."

"You look fine Ms. James. I'm sure Clint will love what you're wearing." Megan responded, complimenting her.

At the hospital, Christina and Megan paused just outside Clint's room. The woman took several deep breaths before entering.

"Well, here goes." She muttered.

"I'll wait out here so you two can talk. It'll give you a chance to make an entrance." Megan suggested.

"No way! I'm not going in there alone, not after two years." Christina responded. "We may need you as a referee."

The two women slowly entered Clint's hospital room. Christina took Megan's hand, squeezing it firmly in hers. Clint's face beamed seeing his ex-wife for the first time after a lengthy absence. Putting out both arms for her, she rushed to his bed, releasing her grip on Megan's hand. Embracing her, Clint murmured something in her ear after kissing her. Her eyes teared as she slipped from his embrace. Taking a tissue from her purse she attempted to compose herself.

"How're you feeling, Mr. James?" Megan quickly asked to draw away his attention for Christina.

"I'm doing much better. Much better now that Christina's here." Clint answered, smiling.

"Come and sit with me." He requested, patting the safety railing.

Megan sat on the bed with Clint, trying to keep him distracted, giving Christina a little more time to compose herself. She wasn't handling the situation as well as Megan thought she would. Her strong and dominant façade had failed her.

Clint asked about the ranch and how things were going with recovering the stolen horses. Asking about Trey, he never mentioned Collin. Megan answered all of his questions in a positive nature to keep his spirits up.

Christina lowered the railing on her side of Clint's bed and sat down alongside him. Her long, slender fingers brushed lightly over his chest. Clint put his hand at her waist, squeezing it lightly.

"I should go and let you two talk." Megan suggested. "I'm sure you've got alot of catching-up to do."

Giving Christina her cell phone number, Megan slipped out of the room. Driving out to the ranch on Spider Road, she spotted Trey's truck sitting up by the barn. Trey was cleaning out several of the stalls and putting down fresh bedding when she walked in. His smile warmed her when their eyes met.

"I just left your mother at the hospital." Megan announced.

"How's she doing? How'd she take seeing Dad?" Trey quickly inquired, his smile turning to a more serious look.

"She looks great. She broke down a little seeing your father in his condition but she's handling it pretty well."

"Be nice if she'd come back to the ranch." Trey remarked. "Even better if they'd get remarried. But, that's asking for way too much, I know."

"Mind telling me why she left in the first place? Or is that too personal?" Megan asked.

"They fought constantly about me!" Trey exclaimed, gritting his teeth. "It was always a fight about me!"

Megan waited for Trey to go into greater details but he didn't say another word. Instead, he went back to cleaning the stalls, working furiously as he took his anger out on the shovel.

"I'm going back to the main ranch. Your mother's going to call me when she's ready for me to pick her up." Megan stated. "You need anything?"

Trey ignored her question. He never even so much as looked her way. His anger seemed to be growing. Megan decided it best to leave before they got into an argument.

Driving back to the ranch, Megan felt there was much more to Clint and Christina's decision to go their separate ways than just Trey. It wasn't her place to pry but she hoped Christina would confide in her as they became closer.

It was late afternoon when Christina phoned from the hospital. Megan drove into town to pick her up and bring her back to the Rockin J. Christina was waiting for her near the entrance. Getting into the Suburban, she had to fabricate a smile to cover her worry and anger.

"Take me to Collin's real estate office, will ya?" She asked.

"Sure." Megan replied. "How's Clint doing?"

"He's sleeping." Christina answered. "He'll be alright once I get him back to the ranch."

Megan pulled out of the medical center driving towards Collin's office located in the heart of an upscale business district. Pulling up to the front of the building, Christina opened her door before Megan got the SUV completely stopped.

"You better come in with me!" She exclaimed.

Megan had to rush to catch up to the woman. Entering the office, Christina rushed up to the receptionist. Before the young girl had a chance to say anything, Christina showed her anger.

"I wanna see Collin and I wanna see his ass right now!" She shouted.

"I'm sorry but he's busy with some clientele right at the present." The girl murmured in fear.

"I'll bet the fuck he is!" Christina exclaimed, proceeding towards a closed door.

As she was about to reach for the doorknob, Collin opened the door from his side. Megan could barely see an elderly couple sitting in front of the man's desk.

"Mom! What are you doing here!" Collin exclaimed, stunned.

Christina's response came in the form of a hard slap across the face that dropped him to his knees. The harsh slap could have dropped a horse to its knees for that matter! Collin didn't move except to cover his reddened face with his hand to protect himself.

"OUT! I WANT YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE BY THE END OF THE FUCKIN' DAY!" Christina roared. "YOU HEAR ME?"

Megan jumped back as the woman appeared to be about to kick the young man while she had him on his knees. A small trickle of blood dropped beneath Collin's hand onto his dark blue sport shirt. Christina's slap was sufficient enough to break the tender skin on Collin's lips.

As Megan and Christina exited the office, Megan looked back seeing Collin still kneeling in the doorway, almost as if he were paralyzed with fear. The receptionist was hiding behind her desk fearing retaliation from the infuriated woman.

"I could use a good stiff drink!" Christina exclaimed as she got back into the Suburban. "Let's hit one of the bars along the outskirts of town."

"Are you alright, Ms. James?" Megan inquired, speaking softly.

"Much better now!" Christina responded, smiling and shaking her right hand as if to cool it.

Sitting in a booth at a quiet and almost deserted little tavern, Christina wrapped her swollen right hand around a tall glass filled with crushed ice. In her other hand she grasped a double scotch, drinking it down like it was water. Catching the bartender's eye, she raised her empty glass.

"May as well bring two this time Bud, save yourself some shoe leather!" She exclaimed. "And, another beer for Megan too!"

Megan had yet to finish her first beer as she sipped on it slowly, remembering she had to do the driving.

"You think Collin will move out without causing alot of trouble?" Megan murmured.

"Yeah. He better anyway. He knows I'll call my brother on his ass if he doesn't." Christina replied.

"He's the sheriff of Taos County, or did you already know that?" She added before Megan could ask.

"No. I didn't know that." Megan responded.

Putting two and two together, she figured that might be why the sheriff's department hadn't tried to help Clint catch the thieves and recover the stolen horses. It was more of a family dispute over the divorce than a matter of being shorthanded.

"Tell me about you and Trey." Christina blatantly stated. "I wanna hear what you've got to say."

"Well….Trey and I have been working together…we've been trying to…" Megan stammered.

"Not that. Clint told me about the stolen horses." Christina interrupted. "I wanna know about how you feel about my son."

"Oh." Megan muttered. "Well…………..I think alot of your son. He's just……I feel he's just a little young for me and………….."

"Fuck the age difference!" Christina exclaimed, taking a gulp of her drink. "He's twenty-one and you're twenty-what, six?"

Megan nodded her head acknowledging the woman's correct guess. Lighting up a cigarette, her hands trembled. Christina reached for Megan's cigarettes and lighter.

"I see we share a love of something else." She muttered, lighting up a cigarette.

"I'm seven years younger than Clint." She said. "Age never stopped us from loving each other."

"You do love Trey don't you?" She asked. "I can see it in your eyes."

Megan nodded her head, her hands trembling so much she couldn't hold onto her cigarette.

"I don't want him to know." Megan mumbled. "I can't let it him know how I feel about him."

"Why?" Christina inquired, speaking softly. "Are you afraid he doesn't love you?"

"I think he does." Megan murmured, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know……maybe."

"Clint proposed to me on our first date." Christina stated, grinning. "And, I said yes right off. It was the best thing I ever did. It was also the worse."

"Whatta you mean?" Megan asked.

"Marrying Clint was the best thing I've ever done but it only brought about Collin." Christina replied. "And, he's the worse thing I could have done."

"But, it also brought about Trey." Megan remarked.

Christina didn't respond to the remark. She looked off in the distance, taking a deep breath.

"Clint's not Trey's father." The woman stated. "A man named Cole Eastman is Trey's biological father. He used to work for us as ranch foreman."

Megan was stunned! Christina went on to tell her about an affair she'd had with the man while Clint was away on an extended business trip in Montana. Clint had been neglecting her sexually, his interest were more on the business and ranching. It was an accidental pregnancy. Clint wanted her to put the baby up for adoption but she threatened to leave him if he forced her to give the baby away.

"Are you sure Trey's not Clint's son?" Megan inquired, wanting to hear more.

"Clint had a vasectomy shortly after Collin was born." Christina answered. "One boy to carry on the James' family name was all he ever wanted."

"Trey got the James' family name only because of me, not from Clint." She added.

"Does Trey's real father know about him? Where's he at now?" Megan asked.

"Oh, he knows about me having his son." Christina replied. "He left shortly after I got pregnant for some ranch up in Wyoming. That's the last I heard of him. Hard telling where he is now."

"Did you love this Cole guy?" Megan questioned.

"I loved him but I was still in love with Clint." She answered. "Cole was just the Right Now guy. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I think so." Megan muttered, listening intently to the woman's every word.

"Cole fathered another child besides Trey while he worked at the Rocking J." Christina continued. "Maria's also Cole's. Her mother worked as our housekeeper at the time."

"Woohoo!" Megan exclaimed, lighting up another cigarette. "There was alot of hanky-panky going on back then, wasn't there!"

"Horses weren't the only ones getting bred!" Christina exclaimed, laughing. "But we were all getting the real thing……..not artificially inseminated."

Her remark got Megan laughing as the two continued their talk about Clint and the Rockin J. It was dusk when the two women left the tavern. Christina was still fairly steady on feet as she made her way to the Suburban. Megan lost count as to how many drinks the woman had consumed.

Christina James was a hard drinker, fast talker and a chain smoker with a right hand that could probably bring any animal to their knees. Megan was enthralled with her.

"You want me to drive?" She asked, laughing. "You've had two beers."

"I'll drive." Megan responded, grinning at the woman. "We can always call your brother if we get stopped on the way home."

Megan wheeled the SUV into the courtyard at the house, making the short trip without incident.

"What you and I talked about today has to stay just between the two of us!" Christina said. "I don't want you to ever mention a word we said to anyone, not to Trey and not to Maria."

"I promise." Megan responded, putting her hand over Christina's. "It's something we'll share just between the two of us."

It was after 7pm before Trey drove into the courtyard at the Rockin J. Megan met him at the door with a kiss that seemed to slightly embarrass him.

"Careful! Mom might see us!" He murmured, smiling.

"Your mother knows we're sharing a room." Megan responded. "She knows all about us."

"She's cool with it?" Trey exclaimed with a surprise look on her face.

"There's that boy of mine!" Christina shouted, running towards them as they stood in the foyer.

Putting their arms around each other, they hugged for a lengthy time. Neither wanted to let go of the other. Christina's face streamed tears and makeup onto Trey's workshirt as he embraced her tightly.

"It's good to have you home, Mom." Trey muttered, fighting off tears.

"It's good to be back." Christina spoke softly. "Just wish it were under more pleasant circumstances."

Trey asked his mother about her visit with his father. He was pleased to hear his father was doing better and the two had spent the better part of the day together. The worry lines in his handsome face seemed to disappear.

Collin's silver Mercedes sped into the courtyard, coming to a screeching halt in front of the house. He wasn't alone. The auburn-haired Elaine was with him. Rushing past them standing in the foyer, Megan noticed Collin's lower lip swollen and discolored. He and the woman rushed up the circular stairway to the second floor.

"What's that all about?" Trey inquired, looking at his mother.

"Collin's finally moving out." Christina replied with a coy smile. "I took him out in the first round."

Trey didn't understand what she was referring to but he didn't ask her to go into details. Megan, Trey and Christina sat out on the terrace while Collin and his girlfriend packed up his belongings.

"Clint told me you two were working on catching these horse thieves and recovering the stolen horses." Christina stated.

Megan waved her hand in the air to get Christina to stop talking. Her eyes quickly looked towards Trey. Seeing the disappointed look on his face, she immediately figured out that Collin was the chief suspect.

"Oh God!" She murmured. "He's still stealing from his father!"

Waiting till after Collin and Elaine left the house, Trey and Megan reviewed with Christina what the two of them were trying to accomplish.

"I'll call Brock in the morning and get him involved." Christina stated. "Family differences or not, he's the damn sheriff so he should be doing his job."

"I don't think its wise to get the sheriff's department involved." Megan remarked. "I'm not sure but there's a possibility someone on the force could be involved. If that's the case, he could be tipped off."

"Not Brock!" Christina exclaimed. "He's as honest as the day is long."

"Maybe not your brother but one or more of his deputies." Megan surmised. "With no one trying to help in the past and this mystery airplane, I've got suspicions there's alot more going on than any of us is aware of."

"Mystery airplane?" Christina exclaimed. "What airplane?"

Megan told her about Clint purchasing an airplane for Collin and paying six-hundred thousand dollars in cash for it. She also told Christina that Clint's accounting firm did nothing to stop the transaction and that she had taken the Rockin J's business away from them.

"We should be heading out to the ranch in case they pick tonight to steal more horses." Trey suggested.

"I don't think anything's going to happen tonight. Collin's too busy settling in somewhere to be out stealing horses or whatever else he's up to." Megan responded. "But all this could drive him to retaliation. We've got to be careful."

After a good night's sleep in their own bed, Trey rushed out to the ranch on Spider Road to check on the horses. He phoned back to let Megan know everything was secure and none of the horses were missing. Her assumptions had been right. Maybe their luck was changing!

While Christina spent most of the day with Clint at the medical center, Megan continued reviewing the Rockin J's financial records. More and more she saw alot of wasteful spending even though the bottom line was still well into the black.

"Think of how much the James' family could be making if only they'd spend their money more wisely." Megan kept thinking. "There's more work here than I can possibly handle. Maybe Christina can give me a hand with this mess."

That evening after sunset, Trey and Megan went out to the ranch east of Taos and set up for the ambush. Megan checked over her Glock handgun and Remington 12 gauge magnum shotgun, making sure they were ready in case they needed them. Trey paced up and down the wide aisleway between the stalls checking on the horses.

"Princess alright." Megan inquired, trying to get him to calm down.

"Yeah, she's fine." Trey replied. "You kinda like her don't ya?"

"Yes. I do." Megan responded. "She's fun to ride."

Just as Trey was about to speak, a small aircraft flew low and directly over the barn.

"Wow, he's close!" Trey exclaimed.

"The plane!" Megan shouted. "That was a plane!"

Handing Trey the shotgun, Megan tucked the handgun inside the waistband of her jeans and grabbed the binoculars she'd taken from Clint's office.

"Let's go!" She exclaimed. "This may be it!"

The two ran out of the barn looking towards the north. The airplane was making a long slow banking turn to make another flyover. Megan and Trey ran towards a cluster of trees close to the fence line to seek cover.

Looking up, they saw the plane's landing lights come on as it dropped in altitude to just above the top of the trees east of them. The plane's speed decreased drastically as it crossed over the road and made a dusty landing in a wide ravine a few hundred yards or so north of the barn. Trey and Megan's hearts were both pounding in their chests.