Cecily wasn’t showing her face in town and Janie told me she was doing what she needed to do in Elk but otherwise keeping a low profile. Rumor had it she was terrified.
I didn’t have it in me to relish this. They had kids. This stuff was not nice and although they’d brought it on themselves and arguably deserved it, their daughters didn’t.
I also didn’t know who did it. It could be Gray’s uncles but it also could be anybody. No one believed Buddy didn’t back Pete, everybody respected Gray and the filling in of the blanks from Casey about what Buddy did to Gray and me was spread far and wide, this, I knew, was by the Brothers Cody. Unfortunately, this wasn’t felonious so no charges could be lodged. But this also didn’t sit well with Mustangians as a whole.
So it could be anyone.
Further, I didn’t relish it because Buddy was not the kind of man to put his tail between his legs, sell his house and slink off to the next county, never to be seen again.
He was the kind of man who would want payback.
Considering what he’d already done, this could mean anything and after it was achieved, if Gray and I remained standing, Gray wouldn’t be able to control his fury.
I did not see good things.
So now I was doing the dishes and baking a cake and my man was in town picking up nails or something to continue working on the barn. Sonny was out there and I heard a hammer pounding. I also knew one of Jeb Sharp’s boys was at the mouth of the lane. I knew it because, it was a long way, but I could see the pickup sitting there. I also knew it because Gray would not leave me alone unless he knew Sonny and that pickup were there with me.
So he left me alone.
Therefore with this backup, I was surprised to hear a vehicle approaching and when I turned my head to look out the side window I was further surprised to see the SUV heading down the lane without the pickup following it. An SUV heading down the lane wasn’t a surprise, the fact I’d never seen that particular one, though, was.
I shoved the last dish in the dishwasher, closed the door, dried my hands and headed out of the kitchen, down the hall and out the front door. I was standing on the porch when the SUV stopped and parked. I noted Sonny coming into view, his eyes on the SUV but he didn’t approach. I didn’t know if that was strange or not.
Then I watched as a woman got out.
Her hair used to be blonde, you could still see traces of it, but now it was turning an attractive blend of white, silver with hints of light gray. It was wild and she, rightfully, regardless of her age, kept it long and left it free. Its waves and curls tumbled down her shoulders and back and, except for the fading color, it reminded me of mine.
She wore jeans, a blouse that was way cool, managing to be very feminine and attractive but still practical. She had a pair of scuffed, old cowboy boots on her feet. I placed her in her fifties, I’d say early fifties but I couldn’t tell. She had great skin, lovely features, was fit but not slim, rounded and she was clearly lucky with genes. It could be she hid her age or it could be she always would naturally.
She looked at me, turned her head to take in Sonny then she looked back at me and started my way. She didn’t come to the steps but instead approached the side of the porch where she stopped three feet away, her eyes, the entire way, never leaving me.
“You don’t know me,” she started, telling me something I knew before I could get out a greeting. “I’m Eleanor Cody.”
My breath clean left me as I stared at Gray’s mother.
I’d never seen her, never even seen a picture of her, she was wiped clean from Chez Cody. And I’d never seen this woman in town, I would have remembered her. This wasn’t surprising because, regardless of all that happened, I’d spent approximately four whole months in Mustang. I’d seen and met a lot of people but I hadn’t seen and met everybody.
I forced myself to breathe at the same time my mind ticked over ways to play this.
I started by introducing myself. “I’m Ivey Larue.”
A small smile played at her mouth and her brown eyes twinkled briefly as she replied, “I know.”
Of course, everyone did. Being who she was, she would too.
I looked at her then looked at Sonny who hadn’t moved, didn’t look like he intended to approach but also didn’t look like he intended to retreat.
Keeping an eye on things.
My eyes went back to Eleanor Cody.
“Would you like to come in?” I offered and that got me another small smile, this one with no twinkle but a hint of sadness and a shake of the head.
“Don’t see Gray’s truck, reckon he’s not here,” she answered. “Reckon, he comes home, he won’t want me in his house.”