Another update of this ff story. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback!
C.J. woke up every morning before the sun did and jumped into a warm shower to get going, even before she could lay her hands on a cup of dark coffee. After fixing her own breakfast of scrambled eggs and either grits or roasted potatoes, she left the house to head off to the barn to saddle up Karma, often taking a thermos of iced tea and a couple of sandwiches to get her through the day. The days of her uncle rising up before her ended when he had fallen off his horse and then got stepped on by it, breaking his leg. It never grew back quite straight, leaving him with a limp and an addiction to pain medication that had lingered even after a trip to a rehab center. He might get up later in the morning to get to work but until then, he slept dead to the world and his workload was left on her shoulders. Not that she couldn't handle it, as long as she worked as hard as she did then her uncle would keep his job and their house. As for what would happen when she left for law school, Matt had already promised her that he planned to hire several more ranch hands on his father's behalf.
After spending time with Matt at the corral last night, she had gone back into the house and found her uncle passed out in his chair in front of the television. She had picked up the worn blanket at the end of the couch and draped it over his form while he slept, before heading to her own bed ready for sleep.
Now this morning, she had grabbed her things and had gone out to fetch her horse, passing Matt on the way to the barn. He had been dressed in his usual working outfit and looked none the worse for wear after his night carousing at the Wranglers, working on some worn fencing near the corral where they had stood the night before. She had pondered his invitation to go road tripping with him before they both set off in separate directions to begin the next chapters of their lives and looking at him again, she didn't see how she could pass it up. After all, it would be quite a while before their paths crossed again and maybe he needed to get away from this place as much as she did and kick back for a while before life got serious again.
As if he read her mind, he looked up at her and smiled.
"Good morning C.J."
She walked over to him, slipping her work gloves on her hands.
"Back at you," she said, "You sticking close to home base today?"
"I just got some fencing to patch up here and then I'm going to be finishing some repairs on that cabin," he said.
"The one where the new hand's staying," C.J. said, "That is, when you and your father hire him."
Matt rested against the fencing.
"Daddy's out of the country," he said, "So he left it up to me and I've got a couple guys coming in tomorrow for the job."
She nodded.
"And I'll need something from you in writing that you promise not to seduce the one I do hire at least not the first week."
Now she frowned at him and put her hands on her hips.
"Houston, are you going to hold that against me forever," she said, "As if you're one to talk, considering how you've kept yourself busy since you got back from Rice."
He shrugged.
"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration," he said.
She laughed.
"How much of one," she said, "How many women are there left in Wild Fork that haven't enjoyed your better side?"
He just threw her that look and returned to the fencing.
"You got back pretty late last night," C.J. pointed out, "and you did look a bit tuckered out. Who was your favor of the week? If we wait long enough, she'll show up here."
"Yeah well, I ran into a couple of old friends at the Wranglers before I left," Matt said, scratching his jaw, "That went pretty well."
She raised her brows at him but he didn't have anything else to say about that so she decided to just go ahead with her busy day.
"How's your eye," he asked.
She touched it and decided it had reached the point where it looked worse than it felt.
"Better, the ice yesterday helped thanks."
He nodded.
"Any time," he said, "We'll just have to make sure there isn't a next time."
She just stared at him.
"You know I can't let them push me around," she said, quietly, "I have to be able to push back if it comes to that or I'm no good here."
He stroked a tendril of hair off of her face, knowing that despite the protective streak that ran through him when it came to her, that she was right about having to be tough in this corner of the world. But at least in several weeks, she'd be leaving this life behind her for a while and pursuing the dream she had worked so hard for since he had known her. And he knew he would miss her an awful lot.
She felt suddenly unable to look at him.
"I guess I'd better move some of those bales in the barn before I take off," she said, walking to the stack of alfalfa, which filled the morning air with its sweetness.
Of course, C.J. could never smell alfalfa without thinking about when she hooked up with her first boyfriend, Cord inside a stall in the barn when both of them were supposed to be at the barbecue celebrating Texas' Independence Day when she'd been 17. Her uncle had been looking for her when he noticed she hadn't been around for a while and Matt had covered for her when he bumped into her and Cord leaving the barn their arms around each other before heading back to the festivities separately. She had expected him to give her a time about it but he hadn't done that.
Shaking her head, she picked up a bale, hoisting it on her shoulder, wondering if he would be heading back to the Wrangler later on to shoot more pool and make the most of his remaining time as a free man. She had gone there several times to meet up with local guys who would buy her drinks but then didn't seem to want to do much more than that even when she had been willing. When she asked them to dance, they would make up some excuse and then walk away. Puzzled, she had chalked it off to not being eye candy like Delia and Scarlett who attracted men to them like bees to honey. So she had stopped going after a while and had retreated back to the ranch, thinking she would make up for lost time the few minutes here and there she would have free for a social life in Boston.
Now turning her thoughts away from her somewhat checkered history with men, she sighed as she brushed her hair off of her face and watched Matt working on the fence, his capable hands gripping the edge of the boards while he lined them up to nail them together. She had spent so many hours on most of the cool mornings leading to hot summer days just like this one, working alongside the friend she thought she knew better than herself. But at moments like this one, she thought that a platonic friendship like theirs was so overrated. The way his jeans sculpted his muscular build and the way his strong hands traced over the fencing, she could imagine them caressing something else. Like her before she wrapped her arms around him. She shook her head at where her mind took her this morning and kept it focused on the hay and on her list of chores for the day.
Matt looked at C.J. while she took the final bale of hay into the barn before returning to his own work. He should have stopped tending to the fence and gone over and helped her but he knew if he had done that, she would have refused his assistance and then got on him for thinking less of her than being the hardest worker on the ranch. She had to be the way her uncle drove her and she attacked her school studies with equal ferocity, trying to fill something missing inside her like the fact that she had grown up without her parents after death had claimed them. She had spent little time concerning herself with after school activities and social events and she held on to her dream of being a big time criminal attorney to make up for missing all that. Sometimes he felt that it consumed her whole life in a way nothing had quite held his own for that long. She certainly kept herself very busy from the time the sun hit the valley in the morning with its promise to the time it set at night.
During the entire time he had known her, she had never complained about having to work so hard, without much time off. Except for the two weeks she spent in bed after being bitten by an irate rattler while herding some stray calves back to the herd. Matt had found her on the ground not too long after and had lifted her carefully up on his horse before riding back to the ranch, his horse kicking up grass and dirt clods the whole way. They hadn't known for a while if she would make it and he had spent time praying in the hospital chapel when he hadn't been keeping vigil at her bedside. They all should have known better, that nothing certainly not a snake could ever keep a vibrant force like C.J. down for long.
"What are you thinking about, "a feminine voice said behind him.
He turned around and saw the object of his thoughts standing there with her arms folded looking at him intently.
"You done loading the hay?"
She snorted.
"What do you think," she said, "You've been watching me. Probably to make sure I didn't let one strand of precious alfalfa hit the ground."
He shrugged.
"The market's going up," he said, "We have to make every bale count."
"Don't worry about it," she said, "It's all stacked up nice and neatly in the barn."
With that, she sauntered into the barn to gather her horse so that she could go check on the steers again. This time, by herself without any ranch hands to help her. She paused looking back at Matt who had finished nailing a piece of wood and looked at it critically.
"Hey Houston…"
He looked up at her.
"Hey yourself," he said, "What's up, I thought you and Karma would be taking off across the meadow by now."
She kicked the toe of one of her boots in the dirt.
"I'm going out to check on those steers…"
"And you think you might need an extra hand to help you with any heavy lifting," he finished.
She nodded.
"If you have the time," she said.
"For you, I'll always have the time," he said, "I'll drop on by when I'm finished here."
She threw one last smile at him before heading back to the barn. He looked at her shapely form, her shirt tucked into a pair of worn jeans, walk away for a while before remembering he had a fence to finish fixing.
C.J. looked out over at the steers who just stood there grazing and this time she hoped that she was alone. Ever since that run in with Clyde the previous day, she had visions of him flashing in front of her, the quiet fury on his face, the alcohol on his breath and his hands all over her. The rational side of her that would make a great lawyer someday reminded her that the former ranch hand wouldn't dare show his face again after the warning that Matt had given him. She would like to think that the ass whipping she had given him and fact that now he knew she was armed would deter him but she also knew that this corner of the country bred chauvinism, along with cattle. And the ideal that women were to be seen, but not heard and when they weren't in the kitchen or in the bedroom, then there really wasn't much use for them.
She and her friends used to joke about it while hanging out at the diner in town but they all felt it, just like they felt the humidity that haunted the region during the summer months. Oppressive, sometimes smothering but there was no alleviating it and certainly no escaping it but if you stayed around long enough you learned to ignore it even as it remained in the background waiting for a moment of weakness. And she knew from her first few weeks in this remote corner of Texas, that if she ever felt weak, she couldn't ever dare show it.
She reined in her horse and decided to go after the half dozen steers and move them on over to a pasture which still held onto patches of greenness, while the sun baked the land around it. Bordering that plot was a small stream that could get a whole lot bigger during the summer monsoons but for most of the year, it bubbled while etching itself deeper in the muddy banks where the roots of the trees clung tenaciously. On some hot afternoons, she retreated to the shady patch of land by the stream and taking off her boots and socks, stuck her feet into the chilly water, closing her eyes as it soothed her tired feet. And on fewer afternoons, she would lie back on the grass, close her eyes and imagine herself miles away. Picturing what it would be like to travel to Boston and study at Harvard School of Law, hole up in the law library for hours with only coffee and a pile of books to keep her company. Attending seminars given by top attorneys and legal scholars that she had only read about and maybe going to social gatherings in a much more relaxed atmosphere inside stylishly decorated homes from a different era and the conversations that would take place.
In several weeks, she would be entering into a world, far different from her own.
It all sounded so damn perfect except for one thing. Matt would be stationed in the military someplace else probably thousands of miles and half the world away. With a new century, a new millennium having just begun, the nation was not at war with any other country but she knew that could change at any time. And whenever she remembered that, she felt fear that anything bad would happen to her best friend. Of course these days she never told him how she felt about his military enlistment, figuring he had enough on his mind already without her fussing over him.
The steers just looked up at her, their jaws chewing grass and when she and Karma moved towards them, they stood their ground until Karma lowered her head and neighed in that way of hers that made it clear who was boss. Surely enough, the steers decided that they were done with brunch and moved along to where C.J. directed them to go.
Matt finished the fencing and went to the barn to get Ruckus out of his stall and saddled up to go help C.J. with the steers if she needed him. On his way, he ran into one of his father's most experienced ranch hands, Bo who looked at him funny.
"Houston, I heard some rumors about you firing one of the ranch hands yesterday," he said, "You know that makes us short-handed."
Matt just looked at the older man.
"Business decision," he said, "He wasn't keeping his mind where it belonged, on the job."
Bo shrugged.
"I heard it had to do with C.J.," he said, "Did she just cost us another one?"
Matt sighed.
"I know what you're thinking and you'd better stop thinking like that," he said, "He refused to take orders from her and he really needed to learn some manners."
Bo looked confused.
"Did she really pull a gun on him and try to shoot him?"
Matt narrowed his eyes.
"Where are you picking this all up," he said, "Or should I even ask."
"Lamar and I stopped by the Wrangler," Bo said, "And we ran into him and Dylan and they told some wild story about C.J. going after Clyde with a shotgun."
"A lot less firepower than a shotgun," Matt said, "But it was self-defense and I had some words with Dylan last night about his friend."
Bo frowned.
"He didn't mention that part."
Matt didn't guess that the ranch hand would but he hoped that his message had gotten across to him. He would hate to reduce the labor force of a fellow rancher by one but he meant it when he had warned Dylan to stay away from C.J.
"No I would think he wouldn't," Matt said, "but I don't expect Clyde to make a return visit."
Bo hesitated.
"Look I like her too and she works harder than my old mule did…but she's a bit more spirited and a lot more stubborn."
Matt bit back a smile.
"That's part of what makes her…C.J., Bo," he said, "the woman we all know and care about and who would take a bullet for anyone of us without asking."
Bo looked at the ground for a moment.
"Okay then," he said, "But if we can just keep this new hire of yours too busy to mess with her until she leaves for school…"
Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Listen Bo, is there any reason why you came looking for me," he said, "I've already had responses to the ad I placed for a new hand and I've got to saddle up and go out and help C.J. with some steers."
Bo hesitated.
"Your uncle called," he said, "He wants you to have dinner with him tonight. Since you and Will are joining the army in a few weeks."
Matt knew his uncle had no qualms about his son joining the armed forces to serve his country, given his own extensive background but Matt also knew that his uncle had lived most of his life in the shadows involved in some shadowy organization or branch of the government. He wasn't sure of its name or its purpose or exactly what his uncle had been doing, he just knew that Roy hadn't been given a golden handshake form of retirement when he had walked away from it, an older man. Most of Matt's life, his uncle had barely spent any time in Wild Fork, living on the edges watching his own family age and try to survive while living with him in some strange form of half-life. And whenever he had been gone, mostly disappearing into the night, Aunt Flo's eyes had lost their light and his father became quieter. He knew now that each time Roy had gone off on one of his assignments, his absence served as a reminder that he had chosen his country over his loved ones and they had resented him for it while pretending otherwise to preserve the illusion of a happy family.
"Will's still not back from his last vacation," Matt noted, "He's been having a lot of fun according to the last post card I received."
"I think he wants you to look after him Houston," Bo said, "You know how Will is when he grabs hold of something."
"He never quits no matter what," Matt finished, "Usually he's been the one who's looked after me. He's older than am."
And Will had protected Matt many times when they had been smaller. It took Matt until just after puberty to grow into his lanky frame and his cousin who had always been built like the linebacker he would become had looked out for him. And when C.J. had come into their lives, she had looked out for the both of them.
The first time any kid tried to pick a fight with her on the playground which happened during her first day at school, she made short work of him with a few deft blows of her fists and no one ever made fun of her again for being the niece of a ranch foreman who had no parents left. The three of them became close friends during the years they had spent growing up together.
Matt didn't know what his uncle wanted to talk to him about but he had always forged a relationship with his father's only sibling because despite the turmoil within his family, it still meant everything to him.
"After I get done today, I'll head on over to his ranch."
Matt knew whatever his uncle had to discuss with him, it was probably important but he had a day filled with work ahead of him and so he relegated everything else to the back of his mind. After saddling Ruckus, he headed on out to where he thought C.J. would be heading with the steers. He knew that she was more than capable of handling any ranch chore she faced but after the escapade of the previous day, he worried about her being off on the sprawling ranch by herself.
She had gotten one of those cell phones that his father had ordered but reception out near the neighboring hills often proved sporadic. As he rode across the land that would one day belong to him, he noticed its beauty even during the time of year, when the sun burnt away most of the canopy of wild flowers, filling every shade of the rainbow into all but memories. He looked ahead to the line of trees which lined Snake Creek which still had a healthy current this time of year. Matt had spent hours sitting by the creek to escape the hot sun sometimes with C.J. while they talked about everything and nothing with each other, comfortable enough around each other so that no topic was taboo. As he passed by, he saw a few head of steer grazing and a horse tied up to a tree which looked an awful lot like Karma. He rode on over and slid off of his horse, tying him close to hers and headed down the bank to the stream.
She sat there with her booths resting beside her and her body weight resting on her hands placed behind her. He walked over to join her and she heard his approach, because she flashed a smile at him before he sat down next to her, their shoulders brushing in a way they were accustomed.
"Damn it's hot," C.J. said after a moment, dipping her feet back in the coolness of the water.
He took off his boots and socks and joined her, closing his eyes as the water swirled around his feet and minnows nibbled at them, before darting off for better fare.
"The rains will ease it up a bit, at least for a little while," he said.
C.J. chuckled.
"The nights might be cooler but it will be even more humid," she said, "Still I like the way the air smells after it rains."
Matt did too, the way the scents of the flora weighed heavily in the breeze and mingled with the mixture of damp earth, and ozone charged air. You could close your eyes and draw a breath and know exactly where you stood. But as impressive as the monsoons proved to be, there were storms and then there were storms like the woman sitting next to him.
He looked at her sideways as he stared out across the stream.
"It's so beautiful here even on days like this," Matt said, "Sometimes I think too beautiful to leave."
"You're not having second thoughts," she asked, "Besides, you'll fulfill your obligation to preserve the freedoms of this country and then Will and you will return back home and this land's not going anywhere."
He hesitated.
"What about you?"
His questioned waited in the air, for an answer and she felt that but didn't rush her words. She wouldn't, not even for him.
"I don't know Houston," she said, "Maybe I'll come back if my uncle needs me…Maybe I'll stay in Boston and get work there…And there's always California."
She and Matt had often talked about the golden state, the land of dreams and opportunities, what some people who didn't know better called the Promised Land, which everyone with any sense knew was in Texas. Still, they had often idly wondered what it would be like to relocate there so Matt could start his business. With her at his side, he would continue with his dreaming. But she begged off, reminding him that her heart remained in criminal law and that would be the focus of her studies and her professional life once she finished Harvard.
"I might go out West," Matt mused, "I've got some ideas of what kind of business I'd like to start, to prove that I can make it on my own without my daddy's help or his money."
"You can do anything you want Houston," she said, "You just need to figure out what it is that you really want to do. Maybe while you're in the military…"
Matt didn't want to think about that major shift approaching right now.
"You know Will was the one who really wanted to sign up," he said, "He talked me into it."
She looked up at him startled.
"Houston, why would you go into the military for the next several years if it's not what you really want?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"I didn't say I didn't want to do it," he said, "I do…I made the decision once I thought about it. It'll be a good experience."
"It could be very dangerous," she added, "but I promised I wouldn't remind you of that."
He heard the tinge of concern in her voice, though her eyes hid it from him. Without thinking, he reached over to stroke her hair off of her face. And she let him, closing her eyes for a brief instant as his finger brushed her soft skin until she shook her hair and shot him one of her smiles. Then she reached into the stream with her fingers and splashed water on his face.
Ice cold water, which jolted him into action.
"Ms Parsons, you're going to be real sorry you did that," he said, returning the favor by splashing her back until a water fight threatened.
C.J. loved their water fights, because that's where she bested him when it came to more physical contests. And afterward, they would lie back for a while, forgetting everything else, until the sun dried their clothes.
She ducked as he splashed her and got him back. Now she thought he would reach into the stream to splash more water her way but instead he grabbed her shoulders and pressed her to the earth to stop her from gaining a chance to attack him again. She looked up at him surprised and tried to push him off but he grabbed her hands and rendered them useless. Laughing at him, she tried to maneuver herself out from his hold but ended up drawing him closer to her. A lot closer
Then everything around them just stopped.
She thought she could hear a heart beating and she felt his breath on her face, while he gazed into her eyes and she saw something there…that made her think that he was going to step over the boundaries that had governed their friendship and kiss her. And she realized then how much she him to do that. How much she wanted to feel his lips brush her own just before owning them while they lay together by the stream. She tried to read his eyes but too much lay there to sort out and she became distracted when his fingers ran through her hair, brushing her forehead. Her heart quickened in her chest and she struggled to breathe.
"Houston…"
That seemed to break the spell between them and she saw conflict flash in his eyes and he removed himself from where he had been rolling over on his back. They both remained silent for a while.
C.J. finally broke it.
"You can relax Houston," she said, "I'm not going to seduce you or anything like that. I know better."
They rolled toward each other.
"What does that mean," he asked.
"You and I, we might be best friends but we're very different," she said, "Different backgrounds, different tastes. I'm not saying it wouldn't be fun…maybe great but it wouldn't work."
He appeared to think about that.
"That's not what your body said a moment ago," he pointed out.
She didn't miss a beat but then she rarely did.
"That's not what yours said either," she said, "and it's more obvious with guys."
Matt sucked in his breath, remembering her candor with just about every subject.
"You're…blunt."
She sat up and shrugged.
"Is that something that you didn't know," she asked.
"No but…"
"Look I know I have this reputation for cowboys but you're safe with me," she said, "We're just wouldn't work out and with you…we're just better off as friends."
He nodded.
"Okay…friend," he said, "Let's get back to figuring out what to do with those steers, okay?"
They both set about to do just that, filing this latest episode of their lives neatly away with the rest.
Matt drove to his uncle's ranch after he showered and changed at the ranch house after he and C.J. had moved the steers to another pasture with enough greenery to keep them happy for a week or two. They had chatted amiably enough while working and on the ride back before they went off in their separate directions. She to meet with Alexis and Dianna at the diner and he, to have dinner with his uncle.
The drive was scenic enough but Matt's thoughts remained on that afternoon and what had happened between him and C.J. at the stream. She had been just so damn irresistible sitting there right next to him and when the water had soaked her shirt enough to outline her generous…curves, his playful nature had been replaced by something else. He had meant to kiss her, to probe her mouth with his own, gently tasting her but when he looked at her, he just stopped, transfixed. Not a state he usually found himself when in such close proximity to a woman but C.J. wasn't just another woman to him.
He turned into the long drive leading to Roy's spread past the pastures where horses grazed and he saw a couple of hands leading horses by their shanks down the dirt path which paralleled the road.
His uncle met him at the front entrance and after Matt parked his truck, he met up with him and they walked into the house to enjoy a before dinner drink in his uncle's study. Pictures lined the walls of members of the Houston family tree but very few of them actually included his uncle but judging from some of the expressions on the faces of those in the pictures, including Flo and Will, he must have been the photographer.
"It's always good to see you Uncle Roy," Matt said, sitting down with a Scotch, "but why did you need to invite me here?"
Roy sighed.
"I'll get to that later," he said, "How's are things going on the ranch with Bill gone?"
"It's been running smooth as silk," Matt said, "I've got a couple more hands to hire before I head off with Will to Basic."
"Sounds good," Roy said, "C.J. will be heading off to law school soon too."
Matt nodded.
"A couple days before I leave," he said, "She's really excited about going."
Roy smiled.
"She's going to do great there," he said, "And it will give her another chance to leave this town behind her."
"You make Wild Fork sound like a bad place."
"It used to be a much better place to raise a family," Roy said, "Especially if you weren't around much but lately, things have really changed and I think C.J. feels that more keenly."
"One of the hands attacked her yesterday when she asked him to help her with the steers," Matt said, "By the time I got there; she had him at gunpoint and ready to run off."
"Good job," Roy said, "She's never been one to look for a fight but she has to defend herself."
"I understand that," Matt said, "I wish it didn't have to be that way."
Roy shrugged.
"That's the way things are unfortunately," he said, "But whereas it might break some people, in others it just strengthens their resolve."
C.J. sat with her two closest friends in Wild Fork while the three of them ate some barbecue plates and sipped sweet tea. The three of them had been thick as thieves for years and she knew that although her friends were happy for her, they would miss her when she had left them for the next chapter in her life.
"You'll keep in touch won't you," Alexis said, eating a forkful of burnt potatoes, "You won't forget about us here."
C.J. rolled her eyes.
"Of course I will," she said, "You're my best friends."
The two of them looked at each other then at her. After all, she was the one who was getting out of here, while they remained tied to the town which they had lived in their entire lives.
"You're going to be so busy studying and going to parties you won't have any time to think about what you left behind here."
C.J. sighed.
"I'm not going to have hardly any time for partying," she said, "Law school's tough and it keeps you busy."
"What about guys," Alexis said, "I heard they got a lot of them even in Boston."
C.J. sipped her tea.
"I'm hoping if I have time they're better than the ones here."
Dianna looked up.
"Speaking of which, I ran into that guy you used to hang with, Dylan," she said.
C.J.'s eyes narrowed suddenly.
"He's back in town," she said, "I haven't seen him…since he left."
Alexis shot a look at Dianna.
"He's definitely back," she said, "He's working at a nearby ranch and already making the rounds."
C.J. looked at her plate.
"I ran into one of his friends yesterday," she said.
Dianna looked at her closer.
"Is that where you got the eye," she asked.
"It's a long story," C.J. said, "Let's just say his friends aren't any nicer than he is."
Alexis nodded.
"Maybe that explains the run in he had with Matt at the Wrangler last night," she said.
C.J.'s brows rose.
"Run in?"
Alexis paused to see if she remembered it right from one of the other waitresses.
"Matt threatened him over something," Alexis said, "That's all I heard but Dylan scrambled out of there."
Now C.J. felt confused.
"They barely know each other."
Alexis clasped her hands.
"Well Matt definitely got some point across to him," she said, "So he knew him well enough."
C.J. shook her head.
"Sometimes I just can't figure him out," she said.
Alexis laughed.
"What's there to figure out," she said, "He's a guy in a town filled with them and in a few weeks from now, you'll both be making tracks out of here and putting us all in your rear view mirror."
They continued talking but C.J. found herself thinking about Matt and how he had threatened her ex-boyfriend.
Matt sat over some barbecue at his uncle's house where they had taken their meal out to the back porch which oversaw Roy's horse farm. His wife was out of town visiting an ill sister and Roy had been putting most of his time into getting a batch of yearlings ready for the sale ring. He had even invited C.J. to help him out and she had spent a day with him and his other hands deciding which ones to keep and which ones to put up for sale.
After they enjoyed their meal, Matt cut to the chase.
"So what did you want to tell me uncle," he asked, looking at him.
The older man studied him back and then took a deep breath.
"You know what I did for a living don't you," he asked finally after refreshing their glasses with scotch from the decanter.
"I understand bits and pieces of it," Matt said, carefully, "I know you weren't a traveling salesman."
Roy smiled and looked over at his nephew who had grown up so quickly, mostly while he had been gone.
"I worked for the Company, which is an even more covert agency than the CIA," he said, "In fact, that agency often consulted mine for assistance on deep cover operatives."
"Okay so you were a…spy then," Matt said, "Which doesn't exactly surprise me."
Roy sighed again.
"It required unquestionable commitment and loyalty to my country," he said, "Often over my own family."
"Uncle Roy, I'm not judging you," Matt said, "I'm not my father."
Roy looked away a moment and Matt saw a pain that perhaps had lived longer than he had flash through his uncle's eyes.
"I missed seeing my son grow up into a fine young man," Roy said, "I missed time with my wife. Your father never approved of my career choice."
Matt nodded, remembering some arguments behind the two he had overheard as a child, even considering how discrete the two men had been at keeping their differences of opinion under wraps until that final estrangement.
"So you are a spy," he said, "That still doesn't explain why you invited me to dinner, does it?"
Roy studied him again and Matt knew it was serious.
"What is it," he pressed.
"I've been out of service for quite a few years Matlock," he said, "but I still have connections and even in so-called peace time the world is a dangerous place."
"Meaning…"
"You and my son will be going into the military for the next several years of your life and the world can change from a decision made in a split second."
Matt furrowed his brow.
"I know that Uncle Roy," he said, "I know the risks of the decision I made and Will does too."
Roy smiled at him.
"Of course you do," he said, "What I'm saying boy is just be ready for anything and remember to come back safely when you're through. You could wake up one day and find out that you're in the middle of a war."
"I plan to do that," Matt said, "And Will and I will do just fine. We won't be assigned together but we'll keep in touch."
Roy nodded and returned to his dinner, dismissing the topic. But it remained in Matt's mind quite a while longer.
Life was about to change in a big way, in ways he couldn't begin to anticipate.