Pappy and Uncle Ben decided to stay home instead of going into Little Bend to play poker that night, so Ben started a fire in the main room fireplace and it was agreed we'd play amongst ourselves. Now the first thing I did was clear up just what kind of game it was gonna be – again, regular poker or Maverick poker. After some discussion, everyone finally agreed that we would play the game honestly. Pappy seemed intrigued by the fact that I had beaten Bret regularly while we were at the river, and I think he wanted a straightforward chance to find out just what kind of a winning ride I was on.
Lily Mae made a fresh pot of coffee and joined us in front of the fire, deciding to knit Melody a blanket of her very own so that she'd be nice and warm should she choose to sleep somewhere other than my bed. I figured once I was gone the cat would find a 'substitute human' to spend her time with, but whatever made Lily Mae happy made me happy, too. Once everything was set up we began, and it didn't take long before I was back at it again. I have no idea why the poker gods or Lady Luck had smiled on me, but I wasn't gonna argue with them.
Beating Bret was nothing out of the ordinary – not to say that I always beat him. We were evenly matched – and we split winning against the other one fairly equally. Beating Ben was more difficult – not impossible, just more challenging. He and Pappy were a cut above anybody we regularly played against. Beating Pappy – that was impossible when we were young, but over the years it had happened on more than one occasion. Tonight I was on fire, and everything seemed to come my way. Pappy couldn't even out bluff me – and he darned sure tried. I hadn't been on a tear like this since – well, since the poker games in my head in Las Cruces.
Yeah, I remembered all of it. Poker games with the 'boys' – Aiden, Lee, Mayor Miguel, Hank, Sheriff Hamilton and Billy. Breakfasts at Sugars – with Jancy and Sugar herself. Clint teachin' the little ones to ride. And finally Evy – beautiful, soulful Evy. The way she fit in my arms. The feeling of her body next to mine. The taste of her lips. The way we loved each other.
We played all evening and well into the morning. When we were done, I had it all – every poker chip and anything else we'd used. Pappy just sat there shaking his head. "What's gotten into you, boy?" he asked me.
"Darned if I know, Pappy. I been that way for a while."
"Yeah, ever since we got him back," Bret informed them. "Hmmm, maybe . . . "
"Don't you even think that," Lily Mae cut in.
I yawned, and Uncle Ben quickly followed. "I'm worn out," I declared. "I'm goin to bed. Melody, you comin' with me?" She got up and stretched, yawned and 'Brrrrrrruuuppped' the way she always does. "Goodnight, Uncle Ben, Pappy, Brother Bret. And goodnight to you too, Lily Mae. I'll see you all tomorrow – today. Later."
I left and climbed the stairs, back to the spare room rather than my normal room, the place where I'd died. I wasn't quite ready to sleep in that bed yet. Melody followed me and jumped up on the mattress, finding herself a spot and curling up in a ball. She watched as I undressed and got ready to sleep, and finally closed her eyes as I slipped under the sheet. "Pleasant dreams, little girl," I wished her as I closed my own eyes. It wasn't the river, but I could still hear the cicadas outside, and I quickly drifted off.
XXXXXXXX
I was driving the buggy, and it was springtime. Evy was in the seat beside me, with a bundle wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. Billy bounced in the back seat, the way he always did when we came home from church; he couldn't wait to get back to the ranch and Grandpa Bill. Evy's Pa tried to go with us as often as possible, but most days it was just too difficult for him to get out of bed. We'd had Isabelle Josephine christened this morning, and he'd wanted desperately to be there, but he'd come down with a cold two days ago and just couldn't make it.
"Settle down back there, Billy," I heard Evy tell our oldest, who was rapidly approaching his third birthday. The boy sat still for about thirty seconds and then started fidgeting all over again. He had enough energy for two little boys, and sometimes I thought there was two of him. Bella protested the ruts and holes we drove over on the road, and Evy turned her attention back to our beautiful little girl. I say beautiful but of course I'm prejudiced. Billy had his Uncle Bret's black hair and his mother's black eyes, but Bella was a blonde angel with bright blue eyes."Are you all ready for your first riding lesson?" I asked my son, who stuck his head next to my shoulder and giggled.
"Betcha, daddy!" he laughed, and I laughed with him. Tenora was gonna take care of Miss Bella while Evy and me put the boy on his very first pony. I'm not sure who was the most excited – Billy, his mother, or me. Clint, longtime employee of the Maverick/Sunday Ranch, would be there to take over the lesson if one of us got too 'parenty'.
Evy was crooning a lullaby to Bella, and I was enchanted with the sight and sound of my girls. "How did I ever get so lucky?" I asked out loud, and the question caused my wife to smile.
"Faster, daddy, faster! Gotta see Mooney!" That was the pony we'd found for Billy, nearly six months ago, and my baby boy had been fascinated ever since we brought the little grey man home. He was almost beside himself with joy that he'd actually get to sit on Mooney today.
"Can't go much faster, son. We have to be careful with your Mother and sister, remember?"
"Oh, sure." He'd adopted my habit of answering 'sure' to anything that required a 'yes' or 'no' answer. "Careful with Bella. Must protect sistuh!"
Evy and I exchanged looks, both of us smiling and content. I didn't see how life could get any better than it already was.
I woke up slowly, unlike the way I woke from most of my dreams, with Melody playing pitty-pat on my nose. I lay in bed for a few minutes and savored the slice of imaginary world that I'd just experienced, then swung my legs around and sat up. I knew it wasn't real, and it only served to reinforce my conviction to head to Las Cruces later in the week.
There was a soft knock at my door and I slid back under the sheets as I answered, "Come in, Lily Mae!"
She entered with a plate of sardines, and Melody's eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Had these forever," she told me as she set it down on the floor. The cat was there instantly. "Next time you go into town you can pick up some more, and I'll make sure she gets 'em once in a while. And anything else you can think of that she might eat. Just so I've got it here."
"So you don't think there'll be a problem with her stayin' here?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from Lily Mae herself.
"Are you kiddin'? Did you see those two grown men on the floor with her yesterday? She's got a home as long as she wants it. Speakin' of those two – they're downstairs eatin' breakfast. Git yourself dressed and git down there."
"What about Bret?"
"I'm goin' to roust him out in a bit. And try eatin' somethin', instead of just drinkin' coffee. You finally look like you're not gonna pass out from hunger – see that ya keep it that way."
"Yes, mother," I told her, and Lily was laughing as she closed the door behind her. I got dressed in a hurry – I hadn't had eggs in over a month, and I knew Lily had plenty of good food just waitin' downstairs. I didn't know what else she had waitin' down there, though, as I pulled my boots on and headed for the kitchen. It was definitely somebody I wasn't expecting.