“How so?”
“Well, I don’t see no harm in tellin’. Josie ain’t too careful with her bandanas and sometimes the signals get wrong. Just funny, I guess. I ain’t never done nothin’ with her, just hear about it. Guess she got kicked out of the stable and tack room by Wembley. Now she’s set up right in the bunkhouse linen closet.” Jeb laughed again. “Good place, ’cause Wembley don’t go there.”
“Thank you, Jeb,” said James.
Jeb scratched his scraggly beard and said, “No crime to it. Right, boss?”
“No crime telling the truth,” James said. He reached to shake the horse trainer’s gnarled hand. “We are disappointed to learn about the linen closet. Just isn’t how we like to run our horse center.”
“Seems a hard thing to keep down when you got a willin’ girl,” said Jeb. Mary looked at James, raised her eyebrows and nodded as she and James left Jeb to his work.
“Guess you were right. Seems Josie is back in business.”
“We need one more witness.”
Just then Capp walked up. Mary showed him the bandanas. Capp looked at the pieces of cloth for a moment, sighed loudly. “I wasn’t honest last night.” Pointing to the bandanas he said, “I know about those bandanas, about the linen closet, the stable and the tack room. I’ve been foolin’ with her since she started. Seems she took a liking to me. I was her first,” said Capp. “She never charged me. I sure am feelin’ bad about it. Told my dad. He took me down pretty good.”
“Capp, you have an important position here. I don’t know why you would do such a thing. Things are going to change. Josie will be leaving soon,” Mary said. “Why, if you weren’t Wil’s son, you’d be gone too.”
“Mary, please don’t say such a thing,” interrupted James. “We will write some rules, Capp. It will make it easier for you to stay out of trouble and for Wil to enforce the rules,” said James.
Before Capp turned to leave, Mary said, “Maizie won’t be seeing you anymore.” There was no doubting her resolve, her eyes said it all.
“Yes ma’am. I’m truly sorry. But I didn’t do nothing wrong.” Mary caught James nodding his head in response, necessitating her to conclude, “Seems you aren’t the only one that feels that way. But I see plenty wrong with it.”
Chapter 18
The Leaving
Leon ushered Josie into Mary’s office. Josie, gripping a piece of paper, took a seat in the chair across from Mary’s orderly desk. Mary put down her pen and looked up. “Good morning, Josie. Thank you for coming.” Josie didn’t answer; she only stared at Mary.
“Josie, do you have a list of things you do to make Glidewell a better place?”
“Hard for me to go give myself compliments. Seems too prideful.” Josie handed the small piece of paper to Mary.
“Guess that’s why your list is so short.”
“Guess it is.” Mary held Josie’s short list in her hand. After reading it quickly, she looked up and said, “I see here you feel you do all your work.”
“Oh yes, Mrs. Glidewell.”
“I have heard no complaints about your housekeeping or your laundering. Thank you for doing all your work.” Josie shoulders relaxed and her face softened for the first time since the interview started. However, Mary had more to say. “Is the linen closet alcove part of all your work?”
“Yes, it is. I keep all my areas clean and tidy.”
“Then how is it the area was not clean and tidy today?”
Josie hesitated. “I was just about to clean and organize in there, when you came in.”
Mary looked down at the small piece of paper in her hand. “I see here you are friendly to all people who work at the backside.”
“I do believe that is enough, Mrs. Glidewell. I would think that would be a real good employee, what I do,” Josie said with a hint of irritation. Mary unlocked and opened the small drawer above the kneehole of her desk. She pulled out the two bandanas. Josie straightened her back and waited.
“I think it would be wise to tell me what you know. If you tell me the truth, I may be more inclined to write you a better reference.” Josie still wasn’t talking as she nervously wrung her hands. She began to dislike Mary.
“Josie, tell me why you did what you did at the backside. Sometimes we do things for reasons and that helps others understand.”
Josie looked up at Mary and could see there was no escaping her fate. “I did it because of Capp.”
“What do you mean you did it because of Capp?”
“He’d come when he saw the green bandana. He would play with me and soon others came too. But I only love Capp. We’ll probably get married.”
Mary looked at Josie with a hint of sympathy in her eyes. “Josie, when a man truly loves a woman, he respects her. He doesn’t fool around with a woman he loves and talk about her with other men. The escapades in stall twenty, the tack room, and the linen closet are common knowledge. Men are talking. And I would venture to guess, so is Capp.”
“But he does love me. I know it. He was different from the others. He wouldn’t talk about me.”
“Josie, Capp is sorry he got involved with you. Does that sound like a man who is in love with you?”
Josie’s hardened expression began to crumble and she broke into tears. Mary handed her a hankie and left the room while Josie sobbed. When Mary returned, she sat back down at her desk, allowing Josie to compose herself. Finding paper and pen, she began to write. “What’s that?” Josie asked.
“It’s your letter of recommendation. I will read it to you if you like.”
“Why you writin’ that?” There was panic in Josie’s voice.
“I have to let you go, Josie, as you bring discord to our ranch.”
“I didn’t do
