Sunrise Ranch - Carolyn Brown Page 0,25

A tall blond woman, she was so thin that Bonnie used to tell her to put rocks in her pockets to keep a strong wind from blowing her away. She looked every one of her fifty-three years, but then she lived on cigarettes, coffee, booze, and an occasional joint or two.

Vivien opened up her arms, and Bonnie walked into them.

“I don’t need or want to be rescued,” she said. “Mama meet Rusty. Rusty, this is my mother, Vivien Malloy.”

“I’ll stick around until tomorrow and maybe you’ll change your mind.” Vivien took in the house and surrounding area in one sweeping glance. “This place ain’t changed since you was a baby.”

Vivien released her daughter from the hug. “You don’t have to live like this another day, darlin’. I’ve changed my mind about you staying here to get his worthless piece of dirt. I want you to take whatever the money is offered in the will and go with me to California. If this old truck won’t make it, we’ll stop and get another one or finish the trip on the bus.”

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest and stepped in front of the door. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Vivien looked rougher than usual. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair hung in limp strings. She reeked of whiskey and marijuana and smelled like she hadn’t had a bath in a week.

“Have you been drinking and driving again?”

“Yep, but I didn’t get caught, so it’s all right,” Vivien giggled. “And yes, I had a joint or two to relax me on the long drive, and now I’m coming down off it. You know what that means—munchies. What’s in the kitchen?”

“We haven’t had breakfast yet, and we’ll be glad to have you join us. We were about to make cinnamon toast and fry up some ham to go with it. The coffee is ready. You ladies can have a cup and visit while I get the food ready. Come on in and make yourself at home.” Rusty held the door open.

“So, you’re Rusty,” Vivien said as she pushed her way inside. “I need to clean up a bit. Don’t worry about me. I still remember where everything is located in this godforsaken place.”

“In my wildest imagination I can’t see Ezra married to her,” Rusty whispered as he got down a loaf of bread and began to slather butter on each piece.

Bonnie got a slice of ham out of the refrigerator. “Her favorite men have been bikers who stick around for a few weeks or maybe even a couple of months and then they get into a big fight and we usually wind up moving somewhere else.”

“And even after you got out of school, you moved with her?” Rusty asked.

Bonnie nodded. “I hold down a job better than she does, so she needed me.”

“That’s called an enabler.” Rusty shook a mixture of cinnamon and sugar over the buttered bread and slid it into the oven.

“Well, well, ain’t this cozy?” Vivien arrived back in the kitchen. “I don’t remember Ezra ever helping me cook a damn thing. You sure ain’t related to him in anyway, Rusty.”

She wore a pair of Bonnie’s newest jeans, one of her shirts, and she’d changed out her ratty sneakers for Bonnie’s cowboy boots.

“You are welcome to take my things without asking,” Bonnie said in a saccharine tone.

“Thank you.” Vivien poured herself a mug of coffee and added three heaping spoonfuls of sugar. “I knew you wouldn’t mind. We’ll be traveling together anyway and sharing hotel rooms, so it’s not like you won’t get them back.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Bonnie reaffirmed. “Why are you going to California? You’ve always stuck around Kentucky and east Texas.”

“About two months ago, Big Ben came into the bar where I’ve been working since you left Kentucky. We hit it off.” Vivien shrugged. “And then he cheated on me. I’ve always wanted to see the ocean, and you talked about it when you was a kid, so I sold everything I had and headed this way. With what you’ll get, surely, we can get out there and rent us a trailer. We can always find a job as bartenders. Come on, Bonnie, have some sense. This damned ranch ruined my life. Don’t let it tear yours up too.”

Bonnie sat down at the table beside her mother and laid a hand on Vivien’s arm. “Mama, you need to slow down. Why don’t you stay a few days here with me and forget about California?”

Vivien jerked her arm free.