Arizona Wants Me

By David and Linda Broughton

Arizona Campbell is a young woman, out in the world for the first time on her own. She may find her long lost grandmother, then again, the world may have other ideas. A simple country girl, she's not wise in the ways of the world, but she knows how to shoot, and hit where she aims, that might be enough to see her through. She may be related to the world renowned Annie Oakley, only time will tell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David and Linda Broughton
• Release date: Nov 22, 2010
• ISBN: 9781458061492

David and Linda Broughton

The love of my life, Linda, is deceased. There will be a few more books by us, since more are written, they are not edited yet. In her honor I will try to get them edited and out to the public, but it's not easy for me. I have a new writing partner now, as well as a partner in life. No it will never be the same, nor should it. To those that review my books. I would greatly appreciate it if you actually READ the entire book before you write the review. Skimming it and posting a review just minutes after you buy it doesn't give a full understanding of the work. One person did this with "Grumpy Old Spy" and totally missed the entire story, and got what they did catch all wrong. I don't appreciate that. If you're not going to do an honest assessment after reading the entire book, don't bother to review it at all. In fact, if that person would contact me, I'll give them their money back for the book, providing they pull the cheap shot review.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Just as the young woman tosses the last plastic bag of clothes in the back seat, the screen door slams open, a scratchy, angry voice bellows, Arizona, come back here, right now. Where do you think you're going?

The slender auburn-haired girl slams her car door shut, but doesn't start the engine yet. Any place where they won't call me Arizona.

That's your name, you'll be called by that anywhere you go. The ruddy-faced beer-bellied man moves closer to the car.

You were an idiot to name me that, I'm leaving, and I'm going to change my name, and that includes my last name. I want nothing more to do with you. Keep on drinkin' and whorin' maybe you'll finally get what you deserve, you rat bastard.

Don't you dare talk to me that way, you'll do as I damn well tell you.

"No, I won't, not ever again. I'm eighteen as of yesterday, as if you'd remember. You can't tell me what to do anymore."

How will you survive, you can't have much money, that old wreck of a car won't get you far.

"You didn't steal all of my money. I don't have to go far, just away from you."

I'll teach you not to talk to me like that, you little bitch, you're just like your worthless mother. Bill Campbell takes a few more steps toward the car.

You ain't gonna touch me ever again! Arizona pulls a pistol out from under the seat. Try it you bastard, I'll kill you where you stand.

Bill freezes in his tracks. He's stunned by the presence of the pistol. It takes him a few seconds to get any words out. Where the hell did you get hold of that big pistol? You don't know how to use one.

Yes I do, Danni taught me. At this range I won't miss. Now back the hell up.

Or what? I'm unarmed, you can't shoot an unarmed man, relative or not, and get away with it.

The county sheriff will probably give me an award for putting you down like the rabid dog you are. No matter what he does, I'd rather rot in prison than stay here one moment longer.

Big talk for a little worthless bitch, you're just like your mother was.

You killed her, you bastard. You wrecked the car 'cuz you were drunk like usual. Arizona turns the key, firing up the engine that Danni helped her tune so well.

Bill takes a step forward, he tries to reach for her too early, giving away his intentions. Arizona points the pistol down. Boom, she fires the pistol, the bullet puts a big hole in his foot, he falls to the ground screaming. Arizona blocks out the screams with the sound of flying gravel and roaring engine as she puts the pedal to the metal, spinning tires, then rocketing down the driveway.

Damn, I only meant to shoot near his feet to make him back up. Now I'll really be in trouble. What do I do now? Danni will know. I wouldn't want a warrant following me around. That old gal is dang smart, and tough as nails. I guess she'd have to be, to stick it out here in Montana with her husband long dead.

Chapter 2

"That's right, George. Self defense, just like ya figured. Yeah, I gave it to her just yesterday fer her birthday. You don't know how much abuse she's taken from that bastard. All right, yeah, maybe you should send somebody out there to see that he doesn't bleed to death. His blood is probably ninety-proof anyway, maybe by now it's a hunnert and eighty-proof. Thanks George, drop around for supper when ya can."

Arizona feels a sense of relief, as the heavy iron cage she saw in her mind disintegrates. Danni hangs up the phone then turns to her, The sheriff ain't a gonna fret it none, honey. I figure ya coulda killed that bastard and not much would be said.

I didn't mean to shoot his foot, but I wasn't going to let him get hold of me ever again.

Ya done right, honey. Thing is, now whatcha gonna do?

Arizona looks at the gray-haired, leathery skinned, muscular woman that's been like a grandmother, mother, father and grandfather to her. Arizona has a puzzled expression on her face, I really don't have a clue. It ain't like I could go off to college or somethin'. I barely got my high school diploma, and had to get that by mail since I couldn't go to the ceremony, I had to work that day, and couldn't afford to miss it. Now that job is gone, the place closed up. I've got a little money in the bank, a few hundred dollars, but that's not gonna do much.

I kin getcha some more money, though I ain't rich, I'm okay, with Ralphie's trust fund money and what the ranch makes, I do all right. I kin let ya have a few thousand, but that won't do much without a plan.

Arizona looks around, not really looking at the kitchen with its old fashioned hearth, ceramic tile floors and many solid pine cabinets. The kitchen fits Danni, it's as dated as she is, if not more so. This kitchen is more home to Arizona than that dump she had to share with that no good bum that wasn't any father, a drunken sot that bullied and beat her. He even tried to rape her a couple of times. Fortunately for Arizona, he was drunk enough that getting away from him wasn't that difficult. She looks back to Danni, "I don't want to stay in Montana any more, I'll miss you, but that's all I'll miss.

Don't be hangin' round here fer this old bird. Honey, I'm old as the hills, I prolly ain't got much time left, but who knows. Ya oughta go see if you can find some of your mom's kinfolk.

I don't have the foggiest idea where to look. I don't remember her ever mentioning any of them.

I don't know if your grandparents on her side is still kickin' but I think I got an old letter from them I never did get to your ma. She'd have the letters sent here so that asshole wouldn't get them. After supper, I'll go dig around ta see if I can find it. I never opened it, didn't figure it was my place.

You remember where it came from?

Arizona, of course, why do ya think your momma named you that? You're no good bum of a father always hated that. I don't rightly know, but I kinda figure ya ain't really his, he ain't the bull that sired ya, though he was married to your mom when ya was foaled. Least ways they was livin' in the same house, I ain't never seen no marriage certificate.

Somethin' I always wondered, is why my momma ever took up with such a man?

"He wasn't always like that, though he weren't much good. He used to be handsome and had a way with the ladies … he still thinks he does. I 'magine she fell for his line of bull, or maybe she knowed she was pregnant and wanted to be married bad enough to marry that bastard."

You really think I might not be his blood?

Ain't no way for me ta know fer sure, but I figure that's bout right. Just so ya know, your momma was plannin' on leavin' that bastard. She wasn't stupid enough to put up with it forever. Fact is, I figure they was arguin' bout it in the car when they crashed. If you hadn't been with me, you'd prolly been dead too. Why that … that … I can't call him anything but a damn bastard… why he survived with only a busted leg, I'll never know. Dint ever seem right to me.

I never thought it was right either. The wreck wasn't that bad, so I've been told. How she got her neck broke, I've always wondered. Didn't that seem strange to you?

Danni leans back in her chair, Not at the time, but now that I consider it agin, yeah it does seem strange. Stranger things have happened in car wrecks though, in them days nobody round these parts used seat belts, I don't think that pickup they was in had any.

I don't suppose we'll ever know the truth of that. Let's get some supper on, I'm starved.

Sure, I gots some nice steaks thawed out. You wanna grill 'em outside?

Sure, why not? Might as well enjoy the nice weather, Lord knows we don't get a whole lot of it.

That's a fact, the summers seem shorter every dang year.

Chapter 3

Danni pushes some cobwebs out of the way, standing at the entrance to the attic. She shines the flashlight on an old steamer trunk. Here, Zoni, hold the light. I think that letter is in that old trunk over there.

Great, we've already been through the cellar, I hope it's here.

I know it is, somewhere.

Danni opens the trunk, then coughs lightly as the dust rises in the air. She fans her hand in front of her face as she squats down to look inside the trunk. Shine the light a little more over this way. Danni pulls out something wrapped in oilcloth. She unwraps it carefully, it's an old photo album. I think I stuck it in here, with some old pictures. Lets take this down to the kitchen, that flashlight ain't nuff fer lookin at this.

Won't hurt my feelin's none to get out of Spider City.

Most spiders is good things, they keep the other bugs down. Some is a problem, sure, and I don't want their old cobwebs in the parts of the house I use. In here, I generally let them be.

Ain't you worried you'll get them bad kind?

Honey, I don't hardly ever come in here, they seem to know if they gets in the other parts of the house they's in trouble. Careful on them rickety old stairs, they's older than I am, I think. This is a hell of a well-built house, but I don't mess with upkeep on parts I don't use much. Them outside walls is what they's callin' rammed earth these days. Back when this house was built, there wasn't much round here to use to build it, so they used the dirt. Makes for a warm house in the winter … careful on that third step, it's a bit loose. This here house will prolly last a long time, longer than me. I tells ya that, cuz one day it's yours, iffin ya want it.

I hope that day is a long ways off, cuz right now, I don't want to be anywhere round here.

I unnerstand that. Get me a cup of Joe, will ya? We'll sit down here at this old kitchen table to look through this album. Lots of pictures of your momma in here.

Good, I don't have any.

You can take what ones ya want, just leave an old gal a few to keep the memory alive.

I think when we go to town to get that money out of the bank, we'll have copies made. I wouldn't want to travel with the originals.

Danni nods, That's darn smart thinkin'.

Danni sits down at the table, while Arizona gets them each a cup of coffee from the big, old-fashioned percolator that Danni always has at the ready. Arizona sits down in the chair beside Danni, as she opens the album. The front of the album contains black and white pictures of Danni and Ralph, back in their younger days. Danni, or Danielle as she was known then, was quite a good-looking woman in those days. Ralph was a handsome man in the cowboy-wear typical of the area. Arizona asks, Where did you and Ralph meet? It seems unlikely you met around here.

Zoni, in all this time, ya ain't figured out I ain't from round these parts 'riginally? I is from down Leeziana way. Been here a long time, but I a sure dint start out round here. I was a slingin' hash in a diner in Leesville, not far from Fort Polk. Ralphie was a stationed there then, he was from Texas 'riginally. He'd come into the diner nearly every weekend, he 'ventually got round to askin' me fer a date. We dated 'bout a month, on weekends. His hitch was bout up, he asked me to marry him as soon as it was. We went to Texas to git hitched, since my folks was killed in a hurricane. We lived there in Texas for a while, then he got left this place by some uncle. We come here and made a go of it. It sure weren't easy back then.

Arizona nods her head, It's harder now, I figure, if you was just startin' out. Things is so high these days, I don't know how people is gonna keep on livin.

I do okay, we gots plenty beef, and I can veggies all summer, like my momma once said, git all you can and can all you git.

Ain't many folks do their own cannin' these days.

Folks got spoiled and lazy. I must admit, I tend to buy more ready made stuff than I used to.

Yeah, people that was raised up on it don't know no different.

I reckon not. Lets see what else is in this thing, we is supposed to be lookin fer somethin. Not just shootin the breeze. Danni turns the pages rather quickly only scanning to see if there are any pictures of Arizona's mother, Nellie. About halfway through the album, there starts to be pictures of Nellie, as a young woman, here and there, mixed with pictures of Ralph and Danni, sometimes the three of them. None of that rat bastard are in the book, but there are a few that have obviously been trimmed to cut somebody out.

Arizona can't get over how pretty her mother was then, and how happy she looked in most of the photos. What little she remembers of her mother, she doesn't remember seeing her smiling and happy. But then she was just a very young girl when the crash took her mother away. She doesn't have many memories of her mother at all.

They go slower through the album now. When they get to the second from last page, there is not one but two unopened letters addressed to her mother, in care of Danielle Davis, Danni's actual married name. Danni hands them to Zoni carefully. The envelopes are yellowed with age. The postmarks are about a week apart, May 5th, and May 11th, just a day shy of a week apart. Arizona looks at the return address, it's the Bryerson's, some place in Tucson, Arizona.

Zoni uses a paring knife to open the May 5th letter. It's not a long letter, but it tells her a lot in a few sentences:

Nellie girl,

I'll be sending you one last bit of money soon, to come home on. Make good on it this time. Bring the baby, so that bum won't have any hold on you. I'm getting things ready for you here, I can't get to the bank today, your daddy is out in the oil fields somewhere, I'll have to wait until he comes home, might be a week, you know how he is about that wildcatting. I think he's over in Texas somewhere this time. Here's a couple of fifties to see you through until then. Love you honey. Hurry home once you get the money for the plane tickets.

Love, Mom.

Tears form, unbidden, as Arizona holds the two still crisp fifties in her hands, little hearts are drawn on the corners. Carefully, she lays the bills, letter and envelope on the table. Her hands are shaking as she takes the tissue Danni offers, without a word between them. Zoni pleads, Danni, my hands are shaking too much, open the other letter please.

"Sure, honey. This letter is thicker, but is mostly hundred dollar bills. The letter says:

Nellie, get a couple of plane tickets for you and the baby, wherever the nearest airport is. I couldn't figure out where that was, or I would have sent the tickets to the airport for you. There should be plenty for that and traveling money here. See you soon,

Love, Mom and Dad.

Tears are rolling heavily now, Arizona knows that her mother died on May the third, just days before the first letter arrived. Had she gotten them, maybe she'd still be alive and she and Arizona would be living in Tucson or someplace like that. This all seems strange to Arizona, she never knew a thing about her grandparents, on either side.

When the tears are abated, Danni goes into the other room. She brings out one more letter. This letter is type written from an attorney in Tucson. She reads it to Zoni:

"Mrs. Davis,

Please be advised that all efforts of the Bryerson's to gain custody of the minor child known as Arizona Campbell have failed. The Bryerson's are devastated, they could not gain visitation rights. Mrs. Bryerson asked that you look out for the child to the best of your abilities. When she is of age, or should anything happen to Mr. Campbell, please contact this office.

Kindest regards,

Milton Timberlake, attorney at law.

The tears are going full bore again, Danni hands some more tissues to Zoni, and uses one herself. Danni, why didn't you tell me any of this before now?

It slipped my mind until now. I lost my Ralphie not long after that, I put the letters away and never thought 'bout them agin until now. Sorry bout, that, sweetie.

I wish I'd known. I'd have run to them long before now. I can't figure out why that bastard didn't let me go to them. He never loved me.

He's the spiteful sort, they didn't cotton to him, and he never forgot it. Course, it ain't like it cost him no lawyer's fees or nothin', the laws was pretty plain then, the legal parent had the rights, and no state judge would hand over a kid to people in another state without good cause. At that time, there was no cause to think he wouldn't do right by you, nothin they could prove, anyways.

"It would have made a difference to me knowin there was somebody out there that did want me."

Sorry girl, I shoulda let you know long before now. By the time you was old enough to unnerstan, it just slipped my mind.

I know you didn't mean to forget, Danni. You've been nothing but kind to me. I was always more at home here than with that bastard. I wonder if this law firm still exists, it might be a place to start looking.

I reckon when you gets to someplace that gots them comp ya puter things, and that spider web stuff, you can find out.

I don't know much about them, they had some at the high school in town, but I never learned nothin' bout 'em.

Danni takes her coffee cup to the sink, I hear tell on the TV that it's all a lot of folks do these days. I doan know nothin bout 'em either. When we go to town tomorrow, we'll see what we can find out. Maybe my banker will know how to help.

I would think so. Don't banks do lots of stuff that way now?

Danni rinses the cup, I spose so, I never bothered with it.

Livin out here away from everything can be nice, but I reckon it has its drawbacks.

Danni shrugs, Iffin ya likes all that city stuff, yeah I spose so.

We should get to bed, it's late, we should be up early in the morning, it's a long drive into town.

Danni looks at the kitchen clock, It sure is late. We need to figure out how you is gonna travel, too. A plane would get you there quick, but what would you do when you got there?

I'll drive, I think. I've never seen anything of the country, I'd like to.

"We'll have to fix you up with something better to go in, in that case. That old heap runs good now, but it is old, I wouldn't want ya takin it for that long of a trip."

Zoni nods, thinks a moment, then asks, We don't have to decide right away, I can stay here with you for a while, can't I?

Iffin ya want, but I reckon ya should get to travelin pretty soon, if ya gonna, this nice weather ain't a gonna stay round long.

That's a fact. My room still ready for me as always?

Of course. Gather this stuff up. Let me get you something to put it in. Danni sorts through some things on her desk in a corner of the kitchen, then hands a manila envelope to Zoni.

They sit in silence for a bit, then head to their beds, not an unusual thing, Arizona has spent many nights in this house, warm by the fire, and love.

Chapter 4

All tolled, with the money from her grandparent's she's never met, Danni's couple of thousand, and her few hundred, Arizona now has five thousand seven hundred dollars … seven hundred in cash, the five thousand in travelers checks, just to make it safer than carrying that much in cash. As they leave the bank, Danni tells her, I got some extra cash, let's go find you a vehicle that will make the trip, and hopefully be decent on gas.

I don't feel right asking you to do any more for me. My old car will be fine, we've got it running well.

No, trust me, it's got too many years and miles on it. If it did make the trip without mechanical troubles, that big V-8 would suck down every penny in gas in no time at all. You can sell it to me, I'll keep it going and maybe rework it in my spare time.

You can do that much?

Honey, livin' on a ranch all these years, I've learned to do bout anythin' I set my mind to.

Zoni believes this to be true, she's been amazed at what Danni can do. There are only four car lots in this town, you really think they'll have something that's good on gas and not be too expensive?

Danni shrugs, Don't know 'til we look, do we?

I spose not. They climb into Danni's big four-wheel drive truck. What do you think we should get, Danni?

One of them small vans, or maybe a little pickup, with a little camper thing on back, depends on what we can find.

Won't a camper make it eat gas and be tricky to drive?

Not a big camper, just an insulated shell, maybe we'll get ya one of those camp style potty chairs with the plastic bags … havin' a place to go potty while ya on the road can be a godsend.

I've never been very far, I wouldn't know.

Danni nods, "That's right, the only road trip ya ever made, ya was a baby. I reckon we should get ya one of them things that tells ya where ya at and how to get where ya goin.

A map?

Danni smiles, I forget, you don't watch TV or nothin'. It's kinda like a map, but 'lectronic. Gee Pee Ass or some such thing. They make 'em so you can carry them around with ya. Gots a voice tells ya where to turn and all.

I don't think I'd know how to use one.

Danni shrugs, They sposed to be made so alls ya hafta do is talk to it.

That's strange, talkin' to a machine?

I see on the TV people do it all the time in the cities. They gots all kinds of strange things like that these days. Stuff that was science fiction when I was ya age.

Zoni tosses one of Danni's favorite sayings back at her, Lets not put the cart before the horse. We need to go see that guy the banker told us about to find somethin about my grandparents or that lawyer.

I ain't noticed much fore now, but you talks like an old geezer like me, not like most young folks.

Zoni shrugs, How many young folks you know?

I gots several young fellers on the ranch, but then they's all been raised round here too, so they ain't all that much different. I guess we is kinda backward round here compared to the rest of the world.

"I don't know, what would I know, I've never been anywhere else."

Danni nods, That's exactly why you need to go see some of the world. Iffin ya wanna come back, fine, but ya gots to know what's out there.

I spose so. There's Harry Abram's lot, lets see what he's got.

Iffin he's got anythin that will work, I'd rather do business with him, least ways when he screws me, I enjoy it.

That's more than I need to know. Danni just