If you dont go out there and speak with her, shell stop by again.
Hed lock the entrance gate off the main road.
Shell call.
He wouldnt answer the phone.
What if shes got something important to say?
If it was that important why had she waited all this time to come around? Aw, hell. He might as well get this over with. He made it halfway to the house before she noticed him. Her smile knocked him sideways, but he didnt break stride. Cassidy.
Hi, Logan. I was about to leave. I thought you werent home. Twister growled and she jumped.
Logan stomped his boot on the ground and the dog immediately quieted. At Cassidys raised eyebrow he explained. Twisters deaf. He wandered into the ranch yard a few years ago after a tornado blew through. Logan shrugged. Vet thinks the noise from the storm ruptured his eardrums.
Oh, how sad.
Is there a reason you stopped by? Logan cleared his throat and she flinched at his rudeness.
Damn. He hadnt meant to sound like an ass. His social skills were rusty, considering he mostly kept to himselfexcept for that night at Billies Roadhouse.
He blamed his behavior that day on the stupid drugstore window display in town. Who the hell put up Christmas decorations in September? Logan had snapped when hed spotted the twinkling lights on the artificial tree and the toy train that circled the base. The cozy scene had dredged up memories he wanted no part of.
To run from the recollections of that fateful day just before Christmas the previous year hed headed to the nearest honky-tonk. After three beers Bethanys memory had remained as vivid as ever and hed switched to tequila shots. When Cassidy had strolled into the bar hed been too drunk to hit the ground with his hat in three tries. No match for a pretty face and a sympathetic ear, hed hadnt objected when Cassidy had offered to drive him home. Logan shook his head as he realized she was staring at him.
I made you she glanced at the plate covered in green plastic wrap, then shoved it at him Christmas cookies.
Cookies? Theyd had sex. One time. Maybe two. All that mattered was their relationship had lasted less than twenty-four hours. He hadnt called her the next day. Or the next. Or the next day after that. And Cassidy hadnt contacted him, leading him to believe that what had happened that night between them was over. Finished. Terminated.
Done.
The plate nudged his chest like a big fat finger poking his breastbone. There was only part of one cookiea frosted reindeer head complete with antlers and a red noseleft. He gripped the dish. Christmas is three weeks away. And he intended to allow the day to pass without any fanfare.
Mom and I got a head start on our holiday baking. She laughed nervously, and her breasts jiggled. He resisted the urge to rub his eyeballs, which suddenly felt too big for their sockets.
There were a dozen cookies she glanced at the reindeer head but I gave the others to the dog, so he wouldnt attack, she said.
He acts mean, but he wont bite.
If you say so. Cassidy flashed a quick smile, showing off her pretty white teeth and full lower lip.
He really needed her to leave. When she didntIm busy. If thats all you
Wait! She stepped in front of him, blocking his getaway route. His damned foot itched again and a sense of foreboding settled in his bones like a bad case of rheumatism. He brushed past her and had almost escaped when
Logan, Im pregnant.
The heel of his boot caught the edge of the step, sending him sprawling onto the porch. The cookie plate flew from his hand, bounced off the front door, then slid to a stop under the swing. Twister vaulted over Logans body and snarfed up the broken reindeer head.
Oh, my God. Are you all right? Cassidy rushed to his side.
Shrugging off her touch, he crawled to his feet. His shins stung and his chin hurt like hell where hed banged it against the step. But the worst pain settled in his chesta tight squeezing pressure that threatened to suffocate him.
Please listen, Logan.
His legs wouldnt movehis traitorous feet had frozen in place.
Bethany mentioned to me how badly youd both wanted a child Cassidy ceased rambling and for a moment Logan believed he might catch his breath, then she continued and his lungs pinched closed again. I know how devastated you were her voice dropped to a whisper that Bethany was carrying your baby when she died.
Lack of oxygen numbed his brain and Cassidys words sounded garbled as if water had flooded his ears.
I She paused, then rushed on. Plan to keep the baby.
Unable to trust himself to say anything appropriate, he remained stone-faced. After a tense stare-down, she spun on her boot heel and trotted to the hatchback. The car sped off, leaving a cloud of dust lingering in the air and Logan with a knot the size of Texas in his chest.
DONT YOU DARE CRY.
Cassidy stopped the car at the entrance to the Bar T Ranch and rested her head against the steering wheel.
Shed put off telling Logan about the baby for three months because she didnt want to say anything until the risky first trimester was over. Shed expected the cowboy to be shocked by the news, but not soso cold. Even now the memory of his flat stare left her shaky.
Her eyes watered and this time a tear dribbled down her cheek.
Logan still mourned Bethanythe love of his life. The girl hed dated all through high school and had married after graduation. Like clockwork Bethany had scheduled a haircut once a month when Cassidy opened her salon five years ago. Not long after, Bethany had confided in Cassidy about her miscarriages. Theyd mourned each time the young woman had lost a baby and celebrated every time the home pregnancy test showed a plus sign.
What broke Cassidys heart was Bethanys teary confession that all shed ever wanted was to give Logan a child. Then when Bethany had finally succeeded in carrying a baby through the first trimester, shed been killed in a car accident on the way to a doctors appointment in Midland.
No one, no matter how pure or goodhearted, avoided lifes cruel twists and turns.
A tiny part of Cassidy had hoped for a hint of excitement from Logan. After all, hed wanted a baby for years. Youre such a fool. He wanted Bethanys babynot yours.
Well, she possessed enough enthusiasm for both of them. Cassidy would be twenty-eight in January and she had always wanted to marry and have a family. Her situation with Logan might not be ideal, but a baby was a blessing no matter how the child was conceived, and she was determined that Logans cool reaction wouldnt dampen her joy.
Lifting her foot from the brake, she drove east toward the trailer park on the outskirts of Junket where she and her mother lived. She suspected Logan wished Mr. Claus was in the business of granting do-overs. If so, hed probably ask jolly old St. Nick to erase that September night shed strolled into the bar to let her hair down after a stressful day of caring for her mother.
Billies Roadhouse was known for its live bands and big dance floor. That particular evening Cassidy had been on the hunt for a cowboy to dance with into the wee hours of the morning.
Dance withnot have sex with.
When shed spotted Logan drinking shots at the bar shed gone over to say hello. The silly, drunken grin hed flashed had put her dancing plans on the back burner. The bartender had held out Logans truck keys, assuming shed arrived to haul his inebriated carcass home. She could have said no. She could have phoned Logans friend, Fletcher, to come get him.
Dance withnot have sex with.
When shed spotted Logan drinking shots at the bar shed gone over to say hello. The silly, drunken grin hed flashed had put her dancing plans on the back burner. The bartender had held out Logans truck keys, assuming shed arrived to haul his inebriated carcass home. She could have said no. She could have phoned Logans friend, Fletcher, to come get him.
But you didnt.
Her and Logans fate had been sealed the moment shed grasped the truck keys from the bartender. Afterward, shed spent weeks making up excuses for her behavior that night.
Logan had been too drunk to drive.
Logan had needed to eat, and shed insisted on cooking him a meal.
Logan needed to sober up, so shed helped him shower.
Logan needed a babysitterin case hed vomitedso shed rested on the bed with him.
Her intent had been to slip away before dawn, but then hed called out Bethanys name in his sleep and Cassidy had woken to his hand on her breast, his eyes shimmering with grief and pain. Logan had hit rock bottom and Cassidy hadnt had the heart or willpower to turn him away.
Forcing the memories aside, she flipped on the blinker and entered the Shady Acres Trailer Park. She could count on one hand the number of shade trees throughout the twenty acre patch of flat Texas dirt. The owner of the property had invested little money in landscaping. Most of the parks tenants struggled to make their rent payment and what extra money they earned went toward food and clothing, not flowers or bushes.
Years ago Cassidys mother had planted a cherry tree in the small yard alongside their trailer. Today the tree stood twenty-five feet high and in April its pink blossoms added a touch of beauty to the stark neighborhood. Best of all, the tree provided much needed shade for the aluminum shed Cassidy used as a hair studio.
At half-past one in the afternoon the kids were in school and the neighborhood was quiet. She slowed the car as it passed over the first of two speed bumps and noticed the Millers had strung Christmas lights on their trailer. Cassidy took great pride in being the first Shady Acres tenant to decorate for Christmas. Shed made a habit of hanging her lights over Thanksgiving weekend. But her mothers temperament had been more difficult than usual this holiday and Cassidy hadnt had the energy to dig through boxes of decorations. After she parked next to the single-wide and got out of the car, her neighbor greeted her.
Hello, Cassidy.
Hi, Betty.
Bettys cousin, Alice, appeared. Sonjas been inside the whole time you were gone.
Moms frosting Christmas cookies. Well bring a dozen over later today.
The little old ladies had claimed to be related when theyd moved into the park eight years ago, but no cousins Cassidy knew held hands like her neighbors. She didnt care what kind of relationship the women had. After Cassidys mother had been officially diagnosed with Alzheimers two years ago, Betty and Alice had offered to keep an eye on Sonja when Cassidy ran errands. She owed her neighbors a debt of gratitude.
When Cassidy entered the trailer, she found her mother exactly where shed left hersitting at the card table in front of the TV. Pieces of broken cookie littered the tabletop and smears of colored frosting marred her mothers blouse.
Whos that? her mother called, gaze glued to the TV.
Its me, Mom. She approached the table and inspected the cookies. I like that one. She pointed at the snowflake coated with an inch of silver-colored sugar crystals.
I made that for you. Her mother smiled.
Mmm. Cassidy took a bite and choked on the sweetness. When her mothers attention drifted to her favorite game show, Cassidy went into the kitchen, tossed the rest of the cookie into the trash and checked the clock. She had fifteen minutes to prepare for Mrs. Wilsons hair appointment. Ill be in the salon if you need me, Mom.
Cassidy went outside to the shed, propping the doors open with potted plants. Shed saved her paychecks from a chain hair salon shed worked at in Midland for two years to buy the aluminum building and beauty-shop equipment. Then shed paid a fortune for a plumber to hook up a sink. She used extension cords and an outlet strip to plug in the hair dryers and curling irons and the two lamps shed set on end tables. Between her mothers social security checks and Cassidys income from styling hair they managed to make ends meet.
Her mother had been forced into early retirement because of health problems and so far Cassidy hadnt had to touch a dime of her mothers savingsmoney Sonja had set aside during the twenty-five years shed worked at the fertilizer factory between Junket and Midland. Cassidy would use that money to put her mother in a home when the time arrived that she needed constant care.
Mrs. Wilson pulled up in her Lincoln Town Car. Right on time, Mabel. The retired schoolteacher was never late.
Mabel set her purse on the loveseat Cassidy had found in a secondhand store the previous summer. Hows Sonja?
Moms doing well. She refrained from discussing her mothers worsening condition. If people learned how quickly Sonjas disease was progressing theyd encourage Cassidy to put her in a home sooner rather than later.
Go a little darker on the rinse, dear. I dont want the color to fade before the Smiths party on the eighteenth.
After months of pleading with the older woman to experiment with a different hair color, Cassidy had given up. Mabel insisted on using old-fashioned blue hair rinse. Cassidy draped a cape across Mabels shoulders. Hows Buford? Her husband had retired from the state highway patrol this past summer.
Hes being an ass.
Whats he gone and done now? Listening to her customers vent was part of the job. Cassidy mixed the hair color, then cleaned her trimming scissors while Mabel droned on.
Hes refusing to allow Harriet and her new husband to join us for Christmas dinner.
I thought Buford liked your sister.
Its husband number four he hates.
Harriet exchanged husbands as often as women switched lipstick colors.
Mitchells a lawyer. Mabel twisted in the chair and said, You know how much Buford hates lawyers.
Poor Buford. Hed earned a reputation of having the highest percentage of nonconvictable arrests during his tenure on the force. Cassidy changed the subject. How do you like teaching Sunday school?
Aside from a few rambunctious boys the kids are well-behaved. They need a substitute teacher for the first-grade class if youre interested.
Not right now, Mabel. Cassidy had stopped attending church months ago after her mother had stood up in front of the entire congregation and announced that if she didnt go to the bathroom right then shed pee her pants.
While Mabel chatted about the childrens holiday play, Cassidy slipped on a pair of latex gloves and worked the blue dye into Mabels hair, then set the timer for an extra ten minutes and placed a magazine in her lap. I need to check on Mom.
When Cassidy entered the trailer and peeked around the kitchen doorway, she discovered her mother fast asleep in the recliner. Relieved, Cassidy poured a glass of lemonade for her customer, then returned to the shed.
Thank you, dear. After a sip, Mabel said, I hear theres a new doctor in Midland who specializes in brain problems like your mothers.