was early in Texas, and Queenie, being a musician, was not much of a morning person. Something had to be wrong.
The first words out of her mouth were, "Ace! Get your skinny ass home!"
"Howdy to you, too, Miss Q. What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing much," she said, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "Daddy is driving me nuts. The next Boot Camp is a fuckin' mess. And our new neighbor is a pompous ass."
"That's all?"
She snorted. "What more do you want? I'm also on my period, if you really have to know."
That was definitely too much information. "Thanks for that, sis. Let’s go through the issues one at a time, okay?"
"Yeah. Well, the new neighbor, Will Mazie, wants an easement over a corner of the ranch so he can get to the river and run a pipeline. He's building a bass pond and planned to get water from there. Daddy is draggin' his feet on it. He doesn't want to say no and possibly start a feud, and he also doesn't want to give his okay."
"Alright. I presume that Mazie is willing to pay for the lease of the property?"
"Yeah, and he offered to let Daddy fish for bass there anytime he likes."
"That's not much of an incentive. We fish on the river."
"No. I don't know what Daddy's problem is. Maybe you can figure it out."
Ace sighed. Their father was a taciturn fellow when he wanted to be. If he didn't like Mazie's request, it might all be motivated by a simple dislike of the man for some mysterious reason. "I'll talk to him after I get home. What else?"
She went on to tell him that two of the speakers for the next corporate bonding Boot Camp had cancelled and now she was scrambling to fill the gaps. Ace gave her the information about the speaker's bureau he sometimes used.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome, Q. Anything else?"
"Yeah. Back to Mazie. He's a jerk."
Queenie often made judgments like that. "Oh? What did he do?"
"He's bein' very persistent about the easement. I told him to back off and wait 'till you got back, but the asshole won't let up." She paused.
"What is it?"
"Well, I sort of got in his face—I was havin' a rotten day. He actually threatened me."
Alarm bells went off in Ace's mind. He'd give that guy a big black eye if he hurt Queenie. "How'd he threaten you?"
"He said I should mind my manners or he'd take me over his knee! Can you believe it?"
"Q..."
"What a toad!"
"Q, Dad used to spank Mama sometimes."
"Yeah, well. That was Mama. I'm not her."
"Hmm. No, you're not, but I’d hardly say the man was makin' a mortal threat. It's not like you've never been spanked before."
"Not since Mama died twenty years ago! I shoulda known you'd take the man's side."
Ace frowned, though his sister couldn't see it. From the tone of her voice, she probably did deserve a spanking. Queenie had a mouth on her. "You can be mighty exasperatin' at times, Q."
"You should talk. When are you comin' home?"
"I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow afternoon."
"How's the bagel business?"
"I don't think it's gonna go the eight seconds."
She chucked. "You can't resist the bull ridin' parlance. Once a rider, always a rider."
Right about now, he'd rather be riding a 2,000 pound bull.
"Are there weevils in the bagel flour or somethin'?
He chuckled. "No, nothin' like that. It's a clean place and their product seems okay. But their management is shifty. I'm gonna meet with their CFO this mornin' and talk about their financin' and then meet with the CEO this afternoon to tie the flappin' parts down. I'll know by then."
"Better you'n me, big brother."
"Yeah, well...I need to get saddled up and outta here, sis. Try to hang on for another couple'a days."
"I'll be here for a few more weeks, even after you get back. The goddamned band is on a summer hiatus."
"Meanin' that your guitar player is bein' an ass again."
"Pretty much. I'll see you when you get home. Love you, cowboy."
"Love you, too, Q."
* * *
Gabby pressed the disconnect button on her phone, then sat there looking at the device for a few minutes. She'd done it. She'd given
The first words out of her mouth were, "Ace! Get your skinny ass home!"
"Howdy to you, too, Miss Q. What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing much," she said, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "Daddy is driving me nuts. The next Boot Camp is a fuckin' mess. And our new neighbor is a pompous ass."
"That's all?"
She snorted. "What more do you want? I'm also on my period, if you really have to know."
That was definitely too much information. "Thanks for that, sis. Let’s go through the issues one at a time, okay?"
"Yeah. Well, the new neighbor, Will Mazie, wants an easement over a corner of the ranch so he can get to the river and run a pipeline. He's building a bass pond and planned to get water from there. Daddy is draggin' his feet on it. He doesn't want to say no and possibly start a feud, and he also doesn't want to give his okay."
"Alright. I presume that Mazie is willing to pay for the lease of the property?"
"Yeah, and he offered to let Daddy fish for bass there anytime he likes."
"That's not much of an incentive. We fish on the river."
"No. I don't know what Daddy's problem is. Maybe you can figure it out."
Ace sighed. Their father was a taciturn fellow when he wanted to be. If he didn't like Mazie's request, it might all be motivated by a simple dislike of the man for some mysterious reason. "I'll talk to him after I get home. What else?"
She went on to tell him that two of the speakers for the next corporate bonding Boot Camp had cancelled and now she was scrambling to fill the gaps. Ace gave her the information about the speaker's bureau he sometimes used.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome, Q. Anything else?"
"Yeah. Back to Mazie. He's a jerk."
Queenie often made judgments like that. "Oh? What did he do?"
"He's bein' very persistent about the easement. I told him to back off and wait 'till you got back, but the asshole won't let up." She paused.
"What is it?"
"Well, I sort of got in his face—I was havin' a rotten day. He actually threatened me."
Alarm bells went off in Ace's mind. He'd give that guy a big black eye if he hurt Queenie. "How'd he threaten you?"
"He said I should mind my manners or he'd take me over his knee! Can you believe it?"
"Q..."
"What a toad!"
"Q, Dad used to spank Mama sometimes."
"Yeah, well. That was Mama. I'm not her."
"Hmm. No, you're not, but I’d hardly say the man was makin' a mortal threat. It's not like you've never been spanked before."
"Not since Mama died twenty years ago! I shoulda known you'd take the man's side."
Ace frowned, though his sister couldn't see it. From the tone of her voice, she probably did deserve a spanking. Queenie had a mouth on her. "You can be mighty exasperatin' at times, Q."
"You should talk. When are you comin' home?"
"I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow afternoon."
"How's the bagel business?"
"I don't think it's gonna go the eight seconds."
She chucked. "You can't resist the bull ridin' parlance. Once a rider, always a rider."
Right about now, he'd rather be riding a 2,000 pound bull.
"Are there weevils in the bagel flour or somethin'?
He chuckled. "No, nothin' like that. It's a clean place and their product seems okay. But their management is shifty. I'm gonna meet with their CFO this mornin' and talk about their financin' and then meet with the CEO this afternoon to tie the flappin' parts down. I'll know by then."
"Better you'n me, big brother."
"Yeah, well...I need to get saddled up and outta here, sis. Try to hang on for another couple'a days."
"I'll be here for a few more weeks, even after you get back. The goddamned band is on a summer hiatus."
"Meanin' that your guitar player is bein' an ass again."
"Pretty much. I'll see you when you get home. Love you, cowboy."
"Love you, too, Q."
* * *
Gabby pressed the disconnect button on her phone, then sat there looking at the device for a few minutes. She'd done it. She'd given
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