bid on new cattle. Between Perry’s experience and Seth’s sharp eye and eagerness to learn, they made a good team. We’d walked away with over fifteen-hundred new heifers for the dairy side of production.
With the auction now over and the herd moving safely across LakeView land to Fort Davis, there was no more reason for me to stay. I’d bought myself tomorrow by telling Walker that I wanted to meet with the attorney. After that, I’d be forced to head home with or without Hailey. My plan was in motion, though, if I could just get her to talk to me.
Walker yawned. “Well, I’m gonna call it a night. It’s been a long one. Should I assume you’re staying in the bunkhouse again?”
I nodded. “Every chance I get.”
He chuckled. “Whatever makes you happy big brother. Catch me in the office before you head to town tomorrow to see the lawyer, will you?”
“Sure,” I muttered as he disappeared into the house.
I waited on the porch for a few more minutes before slowly walking down to the bunkhouse. I was getting too old to sleep on the hard bunks anymore. I hadn’t done it for longer than a night or two in years. The aches in my back were worth it, though. I didn’t want to explain to Walker why I kept leaving late at night.
Driving to the bar, I followed my usual path, swinging around the back to look for Hailey’s truck first. When I saw it wasn’t there, my heart sank a little, but I knew the night was still young. It was possible I’d beaten her to work. Climbing out and making my way inside, I took my now-familiar position at the end of the bar. Natalee greeted me with a friendly smile.
“Well now, if it isn’t the big tipper. That sure was something the other night.”
I shrugged. “You can’t take it with you when you die, right? Hey, is Hailey working tonight?”
Her eyes lit up, but she shook her head. “No, she got stuck on the morning shift today. Sorry, cowboy.”
I sighed. “That’s okay. She doesn’t seem fond of me anyway. A shame too, she sure is something.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Natalee offered. “That woman is a damn saint, smart as a whip too. She got into grad school right out of high school. She was really going to make something of herself.”
“What happened?”
Natalee shifted uneasily. I could tell she wasn’t sure how much information she should share with me. It looked like I was going to hit another dead end when the woman leaned forward, looking around to make sure that no one else was able to hear us. My heart skipped with anticipation. I wanted to know everything there was about Hailey. She’d taken a place in my heart that I couldn’t deny any longer.
“She’d kill me for telling you this but fuck it. A few years back, her mom got real sick, something with her lungs after they closed that big plant up in Cellar. Huge scandal with lots of people getting sick from the chemicals they used.”
“I heard about that. Didn’t they go belly up? Tons of people got sick and died. I hear they’re still going after them in court.”
“They are, but for everyone who got sick, it was pretty much an instant thing. Hailey’s mama had to stop working, and the government has been dragging their ass on getting those people help. So, Hailey dropped out of school to take care of her mom. She works nights so she can be with her during the day.”
“Wow.” I was dumbfounded.
“Like I said, she’s a saint. I don’t know how she does it. Most nights, she’s working here then running and helping her mother. They barely get by, and now she’s worried because the treatments are working so well.”
“Isn’t that a good thing, though?”
“Sure it is, except with no outside help, it’s eating at her savings, which wasn’t much to start with. The poor woman can’t seem to catch a break.”
The pieces of Hailey’s story were starting to fall together. As Natalee disappeared to tend to other customers, I found myself falling harder for Hailey. She wasn’t just an incredibly hot bartender with a fiery temper; she was a loving and devoted daughter. It stung a little when I realized that her misfortune in life might be a blessing in mine.
I didn’t need someone to love me forever or stay with me. I only needed someone to pretend to tolerate me