“So what brings you to Miller’s Pointe?” she asked as soon as I was seated across from her.
“Looking for seasonal work. A friend of mine told me to try Phoxes Den.”
She shook her head, suffering through a sip from the steamy mug she held. “You’re too late for that. They’re already full.”
“I heard,” I mumbled and lifted my cup. I barely got a sip down because it was hot as damn lava but even that was enough to have my brain wired. It was strong as hell.
She noticed the reaction I attempted to curb and grinned. “Good, right? I like mine in a mug, makes it taste better. We have a full house this week and I needed something stronger than what we brew up over there. I also wanted a minute to myself before everybody was up and moving and needed me in a million places at once.”
I sensed from the smile in her voice that she wasn’t all that upset about being needed but I also didn’t miss the part about having a full house.
“That’s your place.” I motioned across the street and she nodded.
“Yep. You need a room?”
“You got one?”
She shook her head. “Unfortunately not. We get a lot of heavy traffic for Jubilee and I’m the first to sell out. But like I told you before, I might be able to help you out. I just need to get to know you a little before I offer up my solution.”
Something about this woman gave me the energy that she had a problem minding her own business, but even when minding someone else’s, it was only to help.
“What’s your name?” she asked, staring me right in the eyes.
“Ro.”
“That all that’s on your birth certificate,Ro?”
I chuckled and lifted my cup. “Eero, and no, last name’s McCall.”
Her eyes narrowed and I cursed under my breath. The recognition was there. She knew who I was and that was a problem.
“Alright then, Eero. I’m Melvina, nice to officially meet you.” She extended a hand across the table which I accepted and shook. “How long you here for?”
“Don’t know yet. Was going to push through the holiday season at Phoxes Den but now I need to figure something out.”
Her eyes dropped to my left hand then were on me again. “Nobody waiting on you for Christmas… wife, girlfriend, family?”
It wasn’t always easy to tell if a cowboy was attached. Rings got in the way pending the labor they were doing.
“Family’s back in Texas and no wife or girlfriend,” I muttered. Both topics twisted something in my chest but I pushed it down.
“What do you need to stay around for a while?”
I frowned and she matched it with a smile. “Phoxes pays good and offers housing. You don’t look like you need the money.” She looked me over and nodded. My clothes were basic but I also understood she could see I wasn’t struggling too much. “I’m guessing you’re looking for a place to lay your head, possibly some work to get lost in. You’re running from something and I’m not going to ask what but I will ask if it’sanything that can be a problem. We’re a small town and we look out for each other around here.”
“I’m not a criminal if that’s what you’re asking.” I frowned hard and she shrugged, unfazed by the assumptions.
Maybe she doesn’t know who I am.
“Criminals are only labeled because they get caught. People do bad things,harmfulthings, to themselves and the world but they go unnoticed.”
I snorted. “Neither is an issue with me.”
“Good, take your phone out.” She smiled and I did as she asked. “Type this address in.”
She rattled off the address and gave simple instructions on how to get there.
“It’s a small ranch and I can’t promise how much she can pay but I do know she can give you somewhere to lay your head. She’s got a ranch that needs a lot of repairs. There’s enough work out there to keep you busy for the next couple months if you choose to stay around that long. But if not, you could at least survive through the first of the year. I can’t imagine you’ll want to be floating around with Christmas coming up.”
