MARRY ME, BAMBI CROWDER?

[ season 2 — episode 5 ]

BAMBI was restless — it was hardly her fault, though. No, it was Tim's.

Tim, who hadn't returned her calls and texts in three days. And now, Bambi was staring holes into her cell phone, wasting her Sunday on her front porch, waiting for him to call like some kind of love-sick teenager. Except she wasn't love-sick — she was just fucking annoyed.

Because Tim, for his job, had to keep his phone on him at all times, meaning he was intentionally ignoring Bambi, and that fucking hurt her feelings.

She was so annoyed that she didn't want anything to do with anyone in the Marshals service, meaning that when Raylan called her three times that morning and texted her, asking how she was doing, she ignored him. She knew it wasn't fair, but Bambi didn't want anything to do with anyone that would remind her of Tim right now.

Thankfully, a distraction soon came in the form of Doyle Bennett's police car coming down her driveway. With a frown on her face, Bambi lifted her sunglasses up and peered at the vehicle, seeing through the windshield that Mags Bennett was in the passenger side seat and Dickie was in the back. Coover was the only Bennett missing.

Bambi didn't bother to get up from her rocking chair, her mood still in a horrible place as the three of four Bennetts got out to come up to her. She at least had it in her to smile at them though, as they'd been civil family friends for all her life.

"Well, ain't this a surprise," Bambi greeted. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Well, we was just wanting to check on you, Sweetie," Mags said while sitting next to her in a matching rocking chair. "It's been a few weeks since that business with your daddy and getting shot. Wanted to make sure you're doing okay."

Doyle leaned against the railing and smiled politely at Bambie while Dickie sat on the front steps, tipping the brim of his ball cap to her.

"That's awfully sweet of you," Bambi said to the older woman. "It ain't why you're here, but sweet."

"Yeah," Mags laughed. "You was always the smart Crowder."

"Don't let Boyd and Johnny hear you," she said teasingly. Then she looked at the boys. "I got some fresh cookies cooling down on the counter if any of y'all are hungry. You'll have to get it yourself though — ain't in a good enough mood to play hostess."

"What's got you down, Bambi?" Doyle questioned.

Bambi rolled her eyes. "Men."

Mags snickered while shaking her head. "I bet you're just having to beat them suitors off with a stick."

"Well, I'm gone beat him with a stick if he don't stop ignoring me," she muttered. Then she sighed softly. "What can I do for you, Mags?"

"Well, it's come to our attention that all of your dear daddy's possessions that weren't seized by the federals went to you in his will. More specifically, some land."

It was true. Bo left behind a chunk of money for Bambi as well as a hell of a lot of land that she had no clue he owned. She had no idea what to do with the land either, as it was undeveloped and fairly useless.

"Now, Mags," Bambi hummed, crossing her arms. "You wouldn't happen to know why the mining company reached out to me with a letter a few days ago about some land, would you?"

Mags' eyes narrowed as she thought of the company Black Pike. "Well, they work mighty fast."

"They do," she nodded. "But there ain't no coal in Daddy's land. I don't understand why someone like them might want it. At least you can use it to grow if I sold it to you."

"And would you? Sell it?" Mags asked, sounding a bit too eager.

Bambi studied the older woman — she liked Mags and had a soft spot for her, but she didn't trust her as far as she could throw her. "If I was, I'd need you to be a little more honest with me about what you want it for."

"Just like you said. More land to grow on," Mags said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

But Bambi saw through it, so she just grinned and shook her head. "Naw, Mags, that ain't it. But good news — I may or may not consider selling it to you one day, but Black Pike ain't got no chance of owning that land. I ain't gone let them ruin our mountain and rivers and hollers any more than they already do."

"And can I trust your word on that? You ain't gone go selling to them?" Mags asked.

"Promise," she nodded. "There ain't a price high enough. You, however, I've got a little soft spot for. I'm sure you could change my mind on a better day when I'm in a better mood."

"So, not on a day when a boy's been standing you up?" Doyle asked with a smirk, earning a playful glare from Bambi.

"Must be a fool to be ignoring a pretty thing like you," Dickie said in a sweet tone, making his mother roll her eyes in amusement, knowing Dickie was a sucker for a pretty girl.

Doyle sighed and shook his head. "Girls ain't things, Dick. Go get some cookies or something."

Dickie repeated his order mockingly under his breath while getting up and entering the house, his limp quite noticeable. Bambi had heard rumors on how he got it but didn't dare to ask Raylan if it was true — she'd be so ashamed for life if she'd crippled a boy for life all because of a baseball game dispute, even if Dickie supposedly started it.

"Bring me one, baby," Mags called to her son as the screen door shut. Then she looked back at Bambi. "So, how's that brother of yours? That Raylan Givens came by when looking for that pervert and mentioned him. And he asked Doyle about him another time."

"He's good. Keeping his hands clean — metaphorically. Working at the mines," she told her. "Staying out of Daddy's business, from my understanding."

Mags raised a thin eyebrow. "Think it'll last?"

"No, but he'll stay outta weed," she assured her. "You know you got everyone's respect, especially ours."

"Well, I appreciate that loyalty," she nodded. Then Dickie came back out with a paper plate full of cookies, handing one to Mags. "What kind?"

"Apple with cream cheese frosting," Bambi said, grinning as Dickie shoved a whole one in his mouth, letting out a content groan as he did so.

"Oh, marry me, Bambi Crowder?" Dickie requested, causing her to giggle. He moved to get on his knees, but Doyle rolled his eyes and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back up.

"Well, depends on how this dumbass handles things," she said while lifting up her phone. Coincidentally, it rang with a call from Raylan, which she declined. "Other dumbass has been calling all day."

"Yeah, I heard you and Raylan are real close," Mags said. "Can't hardly be seen in Harlan without you there with him."

"Yeah, I've got my own personal Marshal to protect me," she said, only partly joking. "He been bothering y'all?"

"Nothin' too bad," Doyle told her. "Came by our Sunday lunch though. Made some light accusations."

Bambi just raised an unsympathetic eyebrow. "And were they true accusations?"

Mags just grinned at her, unoffened. "Well, they were a little presumptuous given how honest we are with Raylan about our business."

"Maybe he'll stop sniffing around—" Bambi cut herself off when she heard tires on gravel, looking up and seeing a familiar Town Car driving toward the house. "Oh, look. He's here to sniff around."

"Looks like we'd best be going then," Mags said, getting up from her seat as Raylan climbed out of his car, his careful gaze on the Bennetts. "And sweetie, if you ever want to hear my official offer, you know where to find me."

"I'll be keeping you in mind, Mags," Bambi said as she stood as well, hugging the woman. Then she nodded to Doyle and Dickie. "Y'all behave — tell Coover to as well."

"He'll hate he missed you," Dickie told her, leaning down to kiss her cheek, which wasn't missed by the approaching Marshal. 

Finally, Raylan reached them, looking between the four of them curiously. "Bambi, Mags," he greeted. "Doyle, Dickie. Ain't this a peculiar little gathering?"

"Well, Mags was just checking in on me," Bambi told him. "But they're heading out."

"Right, we are," Mags said, nodding to the man. "Good to see you again, Raylan."

"You too, Mags," Raylan said stiffly, watching as Mags and her two sons left for the cruiser. And Raylan kept his eyes on the car until it was completely out of sight before he turned to face Bambi. "What were they doing here?"

Bambi rolled her eyes and sat back down on the rocking chair, pulling her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. "Told you. They were checking up on me after Daddy dying. Nothing else went on."

It wasn't a complete lie, but also, Mags hadn't done anything wrong or illegal, so she figured Raylan wouldn't care about the woman wanting to buy land.

Raylan studied her for a moment to see if she was lying before letting out a sigh. "You weren't picking up your phone."

"Haven't felt like it," she mumbled. "Having a bad day."

"Why's that?" he asked with a frown, worried about her.

Bambi just shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Why are you here?"

"Well, I was worried about you with you not answering," he said, crossing his arms. "I wanted to check on you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You drove all the way here just to check on me?" she asked, feeling a bit guilty over not answering him now. "I'm sorry, Raylan. I just... I didn't feel like picking up the phone."

"So, again," Raylan said, sitting next to her. "What's wrong?"

Bambi chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before giving in. "There's this... guy," she began, leaving out Tim's name. She didn't know why she didn't want Raylan to know it was Tim. "And, well, I like him — a lot, I think. And I thought he liked me, but he's spent the last few days ignoring me. And because of his job, he has to have his phone on him, so I know I'm not being crazy."

Raylan was silent for a moment, genuinely not sure what to say. Mainly because he didn't think Tim would actually listen to him and stay away from Bambi. And he didn't expect Bambi to be so upset by it that she stopped picking up her phone.

"Maybe... maybe he's been busy?" Raylan said, not sounding very convincing.

Bambi just rolled her eyes, thinking he was clueless. "No, that ain't it," she mumbled, shutting her eyes. "God, this is what I get for thinking anyone would want something serious with me. He was fine when we were just hooking up, but he took me on a real date recently and then ghosted. It's so obvious he doesn't like me any more. But why don't he like me? Am I not smart enough or not pretty enough?"

"Now hold on," Raylan said quickly, not wanting her to bring herself down. "Bambi, you're a genius — you graduated a whole year early. And don't get me started on the other thing because you're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "I've met Winona, Raylan. She's, like, an angel or something. Maybe if I was blonde or wasn't so tall or had—"

"Bambi, shut the hell up," he huffed loudly. Raylan moved to stand in front of her, towering over her as he glared. "You are perfect, and don't doubt that for a second. I wouldn't want you blonde — you're gorgeous with your dark curls hanging down. And if anyone has a problem with your height, then that's their problem. You are breathtakingly beautiful, and all that ain't even the best part about you."

Bambi looked up at him with wide eyes, her lips parted a little bit as he showered her with compliments — it didn't matter if he meant any of it or was just pittying her. It made her heart speed up regardless.

"What's the best part?" she asked quietly.

Slowly, Raylan lowered to his knees so that he was looking her in the eye, a genuine expression on his face. "Your smile, Bambi Crowder," he told her. "When you smile—" He shook his head, a smile of his own on his face. "—I just gotta smile with you. After a long, horrible day of work, seeing your smile does more that a strong drink does to help a fella relax."

Bambi couldn't help but smile at his words, and he matched the expression.

"There it is," Raylan said, beaming. "If you ain't smilin', the world ain't right, Darlin'."

"Thanks, Raylan," she said softly.

"And you can do better than this guy," Raylan said.

"Yeah, like who?" she asked, sighing. Because before he started ignoring her, Bambi was convinced that Tim didn't have a single flaw.

The words were on the tip of his tongue — 'Like me.' It was alarming, but Raylan didn't let it show on his face.

"You'll find someone else, Bambi," Raylan said, speaking carefully. "And if anyone does you wrong, you come to me. You don't ignore my calls. Let me fix things."

"You can't fix everything, Raylan," Bambi reminded him. "Thank you for the things you said, but I think I'm going to have to live with the heartbreak a little longer. It ain't a floorboard."

"Well, I can certainly try if it means it keeps a smile on your face."

✵︎

Two days later, Bambi had never driven so fast in her life. There was an explosion out at the coal mines during one of her brother's shifts. And while she knew she couldn't get up the mountain because she didn't have security clearance, she chose to drive to Ava's house so that she'd be there when Boyd got home safe.

Because he had to come home safe. Bambi couldn't lose anyone else. She'd revalued as her father died and Johnny almost died too. God, she didn't care what shit they got up to so long as they were alive.

When she arrived, Ava was already there, pacing back and forth in front of the staircase with a piece of paper clutched in hand. But she looked up instantly when Bambi rushed inside.

"Is Boyd okay?" Bambi asked breathlessly. "There was - was an explosion at the mine."

"I'm waiting for him," she muttered. "He's up to some shit again, and I won't stand for it."

Bambi sighed and rubbed her forehead before reaching for the note. She skimmed the note that was Boyd asking Ava to make a call to an unfamiliar number at an exact time, which just confused Bambi, who handed the note back.

"Did you do it?" she asked the older woman.

"I did," Ava sighed while sitting on the stairs. Bambi came to sit on the step just above her. "No one answered."

"Well," Bambi muttered, clasping her hands together, "I think my brother has a hell of a lot of explaining to do if he ain't dead."

It was fifteen more minutes before Boyd made it home, and he was covered in coal dust as he let himself inside. And instantly, he saw the two displeased women, so he set down the bag he had in hand.

"Well, I can see by your faces you're both somewhat troubled," Boyd stated. "I can only imagine what I had to do with that."

"Call this number at exactly 6:05 P.M. Don't tell anybody," Ava recited from the note.

"Well... I admit it was terse," he said, sighing. Then he dragged a chair and brought it over, sitting across from them at the stairs. "I wrote it under some time pressure."

"Boyd, what the hell is that?" Bambi asked for Ava. "There was an explosion at the mine. That's your specialty."

"It's a favor," Boyd said simply.

"And what would have happened if I hadn't called?" Ava asked, sort of assuming the answer already.

"Well, you wouldn't be speaking to me right now, Ava," he said before looking at a hurt Bambi. "And you, Sweet Sister, would be planning yet another funeral."

"Damn it, Boyd," Ava swore. "What the hell you gone and made me a part of?"

"Just saving my life. Nothing else," he said.

"That ain't enough," Bambi said, standing up. "What the hell happened at that mine tonight?"

"Well, Bambi, I figure you two might want a drink if I'm going to be telling the god's honest truth."

So, they relocated to the kitchen. And that was where Boyd told them, over three glasses of whiskey, that some of his fellow miners enlisted him in robbing the coal company. However, their leader, by the name of Kyle, had plans to kill Boyd and have it all blamed on him. Therefore, Boyd got in their way and saved the Forman they planned to kill as well, and it ended with them all dying in an explosion.

"I don't believe they intended to let me live through the day," Boyd was saying after explaining how he'd called the house phone from his cell phone in the living room and listened in on Kyle's plan to blow him up. "Didn't think I was gonna find a way out. Part of me just felt like... lying down, letting it happen."

"No, we ain't the kind to take it lying down," Bambi said firmly.

"So you killed them instead?" Ava asked accusingly.

"Well, I gave them a choice," he argued calmly. "Now, if they hadn't have pulled that switch on me when I was down there in that hole, things would have gone down different. So the way I see it, Ava, they killed themselves, with greed and avarice."

Ava looked down at her hands. "When I called that cell, did I..."

"No," he assured her. "It allowed me to kick them out of the trailer. I put a little cash on the emulex, a little emulex on the cash, and I made sure that the blasting cap went in their packet and not mine."

After a moment, Ava just sighed. "You could have run when Raylan came by, just lit out and let the chips fall."

He grimaced. "What does it say about me that that thought never crossed my mind?"

"B, why did you agree to rob that mine in the first place?" Bambi questioned, thinking he'd moved past all this.

"Because it's what I do," he said simply. "It's who I am, Bambi... as hard as I've been trying to pretend otherwise. Everybody else seems to know that but me." Then he turned his sights on Ava. "Anyway, I came across that letter that you received from the bank."

"Boyd, I don't..." As Ava sighed in shame, Bambi looked at her in alarm.

"What letter?" she asked her.

Before Ava could or couldn't answer, Boyd kept talking. "I violated your privacy. For that transgression, I do apologize."

"So you know that they're after the house?" Ava asked, making Bambi's eyes go wide. Then Ava chuckled bitterly. "I don't suppose any of that money survived the blast?"

In response, Boyd tossed the bag he'd brought in on the chair between them. "There should be at least fifteen to twenty thousand dollars in there."

With wide eyes, Bambi and Ava reached for the bag, both going through it, seeing thin stacks of hundred dollar bills.

"That's not enough to pay it off, but enough to buy you some security for a little while," Boyd explained.

"Shit," Ava breathed out as Bambi released the bag.

And Bambi repeated her sentiments when they heard sirens coming toward the house. "Shit."

"Ava, Bambi, there's one more favor that I must ask of you both," Boyd said in a calm tone. "You can help me... Or you can refuse. Either way, I will understand. But I'm gonna need to know your answer right now."

Bambi swallowed thickly and looked from her brother's vulnerable face, to the bag of money, to the window where she could see the blue and red lights flashing, and back to Boyd.

"What do I do?" she asked in a shaky tone, feeling scared for her brother. Her brother who she'd come to care a great deal about. Her brother that she didn't want to see locked up or shot again.

"I'm gone need you to lie to Raylan Givens."