The Bootlegger’s Legacy by Ted Clifton Page B

was a wonderful night. They headed back to enjoy a little loving time and some heavy sleeping.

Mesilla, New Mexico / Las Cruces, New Mexico
    Pat woke up feeling amazingly good. Sally was probably going to be the cause of his demise, but as of right now she made him feel twenty years younger. He knew this couldn’t be anything but a fling, but he still didn’t want it to end. Lingering in his mind were all of the reasons this was wrong, not only for him but for Sally and Bugs and Mike—Jeez, who was it right for? Knowing all of that gave him pause—but then Sally came in from the veranda and took his breath away. She was beautiful, smiling, young, and alive like no one he’d ever known—it was so exhilarating to be with her.
    “Good morning, beautiful.”
    “Well, good morning to you sleepyhead. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to get up before noon or not.” Sally smiled, enjoying teasing him as she twirled her skirt and sashayed around the room.
    “I tell you what, I feel much better than I would have thought after the day we had yesterday. I want to thank you again for a wonderful day—and night.”
    “Aren’t you sweet? I think this New Mexico air agrees with you, Pat.”
    “I think you agree with me.”
    Her smile lit the room as she approached him with a playfully seductive set of dance steps. After a little snuggling, Pat decided he needed to redirect his attention to the things he had to get done that day. He would play with Sally later. Gently easing Sally into one of the chairs in the room, he gave her his schedule for the morning. “Headed into Cruces to meet with Emerson. My guess is that it will take about two hours. After that I’m going to drop by to meet with a new attorney I’m hiring to deal with some business stuff down here for me. So, probably be back by one or so if you want to get a late lunch around that time?”
    “That’s perfect, Pat. How long are we going to stay in Las Cruces?”
    “I think I can finish everything today, so we’d head back tomorrow morning. I’m going to meet one of my associates from Texas in Oklahoma City on Friday, so I’ll need to get back. I told you it would be a short trip.”
    “No, that’s fine, I was just wondering. I kind of like flying in, doing stuff, and then flying out—like we’re big shots.”
    “Hey, I
am
a big shot!”
    “Really Pat, give me a break.”
    He loved the way she never let him take himself too seriously. Pat really wanted to cancel his meeting with Emerson and stay and play, but duty called. He called Emerson and asked to be picked up in front of the hotel in about thirty minutes. Sally gave him a quick peck and said she was going to sun a little on the veranda—maybe even have a siesta.
    After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Pat got a cup of coffee and walked outside. He really did like it here—something about the air, the mountains, and the friendly people just made it feel comfortable to him.
    Emerson was right on time. Pat got in and they headed into downtown to the little office where Blue Devils Development was located. The office included a reception area, two offices, a conference room, and a storage room with a bathroom. They settled into the conference room, which was furnished in a no-nonsense style—just a work table and serviceable chairs—no wasted money here. Pat liked that approach to business.
    “Jim, we’ve only worked together a short while, and so far you’ve done well. You seem to have a real knack for this record-keeping stuff. Also, your dealings with my friends in Juarez have been smooth, and they’ve said very good things about you.” They actually hadn’t said much, but Pat was feeling generous. “Coordinating the shipments from El Paso into Oklahoma has gone without a hitch for the nine months you’ve been overseeing things. All in all, I would say you deserve a promotion.”
    Jim looked pleased, although Pat still had a problem reading exactly what he was