“That okay with you?” he asked.
“I would say we don’t have much choice,” said Austin with a shrug, and though his words were straightforward, the look in his eyes told Clay that Austin wasn’t surprised their journey was turning out like this.
“I don’t snore,” said Clay. “Promise.”
Austin looked at him then, a mild smile playing across his mouth. Again, like before, the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he laughed a little bit and said, “I’ve been told that I do, alas.”
With an echoing laugh, Clay handed over his credit card, holding his breath as the clerk ran it through and handed him a receipt to sign. Then she handed him a slip of paper to write his make of vehicle and license plate.
When Clay handed all of this back to her, sliding it across the glass-topped counter, he let out a whoosh as he took back his credit card. She gave him an actual key on a metal ring with an orange plastic tab that said in faded gold letters:Ault Motel - A Hideaway on the Highway.
“I think there’s twenty-five dollars left on this thing,” Clay said, tucking his credit card in his wallet, which he put in his back pocket.
“The ranch will reimburse you, right?” asked Austin. When Clay nodded, he said, “I’ll cover dinner then, so you won’t max out your card.”
“Hey, thanks.” It all felt a little brighter then, despite the rain. “I need to call Leland. Better do that now and get it over with.”
Together they carried the suitcases to Room Seven, where Clay looked at the double bed in the small room and shook his head.
“At least it’s out of the rain,” said Austin as he tucked the two suitcases in the corner. “And now I need to call Mona, as there’s a message from her.”
“Okay,” said Clay. “I’ll give you some privacy while I call Leland.”
“But it’s raining.”
“Eh.” Clay shrugged this off. “I’ll stay under the walkway where I’ll be pacing to ease my nerves.”
“That bad?”
“Only in my head,” said Clay. “It’s just that Leland runs a tight ship and I hate falling short of his expectations.”
Clay stepped out of the room, closing the door most of the way shut, as Austin had the key and he didn’t want to get locked out. Then, taking a breath, he scrolled through his contacts to Leland’s number, and thumbed the green button.
While the phone rang, he looked out through the rain, which was layering the parking lot with long shiny sheets in a slow, almost meditative way. Which helped to calm him a little. Leland wasn’t the firing type of guy, anyway.
“This is Leland Tate,” came Leland’s voice on the other end of the line.
“Hey, it’s Clay.”
“Yes, Clay,” said Leland. “How are the roads? It’s raining hard here, so we’re going to have to move story time indoors, which pleases no one, especially Bill, who is quite displeased about it.”
“Uh.” Clay stopped to blow out a breath, knowing it was best to be straightforward with Leland. “We’re in Ault. We’re kind of stuck because Ladybelle blew something in her engine and then the highway patrol came and then the tow truck driver and now Austin and I are at the Ault Motel because the garage isn’t open on Sunday.”
“I see.” Leland’s voice came across the phone as it always did, level, steady, though Clay could almost hear Leland’s brain ticking as he put all the pieces together. “Is everyone safe? Anyone get hurt? Do you know what’s wrong with Ladybelle?”
“Yes, no, and no,” said Clay. “Look, I’m really sorry. I could hear something in her engine this past week, but figured it was just regular wear and tear, not that something was going to break.”
“And I’m sorry,” said Leland. “If you’re on company business, I should have let you take my truck, which is the company truck, really.” Then after a pause he asked, in his way, as always, putting responsibility where he felt it needed to be, “What’s your plan?”
“Well, tomorrow the garage will tell us what’s wrong and then we go from there,” said Clay. “There wasn’t any smoke, so it can’t be anything too disastrous. Hopefully, we’ll be able to pick it up tomorrow and be home by dinner.”
“And how’s Austin?” asked Leland. “This isn’t the best way to introduce him to how the ranch works.”
“He seems like a good guy just going along to get along,” said Clay. “Listen, Leland, this is all my fault. I know it’s important that we hired this accountant—”
“Clay.”
Clay stopped talking.
