Dallas took a sip of wine and let it settle in her mouth. Meet his mother? She never even met Piper’s father’s parents, and they were together almost two years. But, then, look how well that turned out. This meant that Ethan had told his mom about her. Huh. That was kind of awesome. “I’d love to meet your mother. Dinner sounds wonderful.”
“Great! I’ll send a car for you so you can enjoy wine at dinner and, as you know, the nanny service is at your disposal.”
Ten minutes later, her phone rang again. “Cash, hi, how are you?”
“Thinking about you.”
A warm flush spread through her as she imagined him on the huge leather sofa with soft antique lighting lending a cozy touch. “Are you now? That’s nice.”
“I’m disappointed I can’t be with you and Piper this weekend. I need to haul some cattle to the auction.” He paused. “However, Jesse called this afternoon to ask if I wanted to go to The Cowboy Saturday night. I know you’ll be busy as hell, but at least I’ll see you.”
“Wonderful, and I’ll come sit at your table during my break.” She never, ever did that, but Cash had proven he was worth breaking her rules for. To her surprise, she found she was missing him. Like, really missing him. Since when had that started?
“It’s a date then. Or, whatever. So, if you have a minute, tell me how you’ve been.”
She didn’t want to hang up either. As she went through her day and asked about his, she leaned back, closing her eyes and loving the sound of his deep voice. By the time he wound down, she was almost asleep.
He finished up. “So, that was my day. Nothing like yours. Things here are busy, but pretty laid back.”
She opened her eyes and said groggily, “But good. It’s a wonderful life.”
He was quiet for a while. “Well, yeah, I think so.” He sighed and said with a smile in his voice, “You sound like you’re ready to fall asleep. I’ll let you go, and see you Saturday.”
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, Dallas slammed the door on her car and raced for The Cowboy’s front door. She was ten minutes late, and she was never late. Slapping open the saloon doors, she jogged to the bar. If anything, she needed to be here early. One of the top Red Dirt bands was featured on stage that night, and the place would be packed. Now she had to scramble like hell to get set up.
Today had been a nightmare. After lunch, water had started spewing from the ice maker on the door of her refrigerator. She dragged it out from the wall only to find there was no way to turn the water off. Putting in a frantic call to her dad, she learned there should be a valve under her sink to turn it off. By the time she accomplished that, the water was an inch deep on her kitchen floor. It had taken every towel in the house before the floor was clear of water.
She put in a huge load to wash. Hoping to add a second load before leaving for work, she stopped by the laundry room on her way out the door. Her towels were sitting in a full tub of water. The damn washer was broken. Disgusted and ready to cry, she loaded Piper in the car and headed to her parents’ house.
She shook her head and glanced at the stage. Of course, a Red Dirt band was playing tonight. Though she loved the music, it made the crowds crazy. The beginning of a headache throbbed in her temples, and she dreaded the start of the loud music.
Where was she going to find the money to repair both of her appliances? What if her washer couldn’t be fixed? Things like this brought home how hard it was to be a single parent. She had no one to turn to—nobody to help her when she had setbacks. This, like the other crises that happened to her, reinforced her intense drive to return to law school. She would not spend the rest of her life broke and scared. The heat of tears formed behind her eyes and she scrubbed her hand across them. Tears solved nothing.
“You okay, Dallas?”
Without turning around, she said to her boss, “Sure, I think I’m getting a headache, is all. I’m fine.” Taking a deep breath, she slid into her routine. This job would make her dream come true, and it had to be her focus tonight.
The band started playing and the loud pounding music pierced her ears, lancing through her head. Her headache ratcheted up.
A handsome cowboy leaned on her bar in the lull before the place got really crowded. “Hey, Dallas, why is that pretty face of yours frowning?”
“Is it? I should watch that. This headache is a beast, and the music isn’t helping. How are you, Doug? Do you want a beer?”
“Sure, I’ll take one. I’m much better now that I’m here with my favorite girl. What’s it going to take to make you go out with me? I’m not giving up.”
Dallas grinned and handed him his beer.
He held on to her hand a moment too long, and said, “Keep the change, sweetheart.”
She laughed. “You’re a flirt. Good thing you’re harmless.”
He put on a wounded look, hand over his heart. “Harmless? I beg your pardon? I’ll have you know the women in Wichita Falls are all begging for my attention!”
As she turned to her next customer, she rubbed her forehead. Her headache might actually be better. Doug always perked her up on her long weekend shifts, and he was such a nice guy. She always wondered why he came in alone every week. He danced with unaccompanied women and flirted like crazy, sometimes leaving early with one woman or another. She sighed. He must not have found the right one yet.
A half-hour later, the place was
