Her mother reached out and caressed Piper’s cheek. “Nonsense. This child is the light of my life. Come on in.”
Dallas set Piper’s bag on the old, worn-out sofa and moved to the recliner where her father sat, beer in hand, a cluster of empties on the end table beside him.
“Hi, Pops.”
Her dad turned his head and blearily focused his eyes on her face. “Well, hi, honey.” His brows drew together slowly in a frown. “Everything okay?”
She patted his arm, the horrific burn scars from the military helicopter crash rough under her fingers. Burns had covered more than half of his body. A back injury along with the burns he’d sustained had permanently disabled her father at the age of twenty.
Her mom stood faithfully by his side through years of healing and decades of alcoholism. Their family had subsisted on her father’s disability check. The saving grace was that her father had never turned mean as many alcoholics did.
Dallas leaned in and kissed her dad’s grizzled cheek, ignoring the familiar, strong smell of beer breath.
Walking into the kitchen, she found her mother pouring Piper a glass of apple juice. Knowing that finances were so limited for her parents, Dallas provided for all of Piper’s food. Her mother wouldn’t let her pay for her daughter’s daily child care, but Dallas insisted her mother accept “pocket money,” something she’d never had.
“Mom, she’s had her bath and eaten dinner, so she’s ready for bed any time you think is right.”
Her mother gave Dallas a hug. “You go on now and have fun. We’ll be fine.”
As Dallas started her car, she stared at her parents’ little rundown house. Her father was unable to do most repairs, and there was no money to hire it to be done. The roof sagged, and the house was nearly gray, so little of the white paint remained. The cracked and broken driveway resembled a patchwork quilt. The scene advertised urban poverty.
She shook her head. Never, never would she allow her life to be reduced to this. Finishing school and becoming an attorney would enable her to support her daughter in the lifestyle Piper needed and deserved. Nothing would stop her.
Dallas pulled away from the curb and drove several blocks to her small house. It was kind of rundown, too, but she wanted to be near her parents, and the rent was relatively cheap. She glanced at her watch. Damn, she was cutting it close. Cash should arrive any minute.
THE UNMISTAKABLE RUMBLE of a diesel engine came from her drive as she put last-minute touches to her makeup. She rarely fidgeted, but she was nervous as a mouse in a cat house. Soon, a loud knock sounded.
After rushing to the front hallway, she swung the door open. “Hi, Cash. Let me grab my purse. I’ll be right with you.”
She’d tried on a gazillion outfits before finally settling on a black sleeveless dress hitting halfway up her thighs and tall black heels. Her hair was pulled up at the nape of her neck, exposing her shoulders and throat. She could feel Cash’s eyes on her as she strode back into the living room, and an unfamiliar shiver of excitement ran through her.
As she locked the door, he stepped back and lifted his elbow slightly, encouraging her to take it as he escorted her to his truck. Once inside, he asked, “Any ideas where you’d like to eat?”
What a relief. The dinner would be so much easier if they ate where she felt comfortable. “Anything you don’t like?”
He shrugged. “I’m open to try new things.”
“How about Samurai of Tokyo Steakhouse?”
Looking in his rear-view mirror and pulling away from the curb, he asked, “Know how to get there?”
“Sure do. Take a left at the stop sign up there.” She relaxed into the seat and even managed to tease him about the different sushi offered at the restaurant and what it was made of. The warm spicy scent of his aftershave, along with his deft movements as he drove, had her pulse thrumming.
She pointed ahead. “See that sign there on the right? We’re here.”
He pulled in to the parking lot and got out to open her door.
As she stepped down, she said, “I was just giving you a hard time about all the sushi. There are tons of other things to eat here, too. You’ll like it.”
He grinned. “I figured with steakhouse in the name I’d make out all right.”
They were seated with another small party. There was a grill in the center of the tabletop where a chef would be cooking their meals in front of them.
Dallas gestured to the table. “What do you think?”
“I’ve heard of places like this. It’ll be fun.”
She took a deep breath. So far, so good. It was time to let go, relax, and be herself.
The waiter arrived to take their drink order and they each decided on a glass of wine.
Cash asked. “Where’s your daughter this evening?”
“With my parents. They’re just a few blocks from me. Piper stays with them while I work.”
He nodded. “She’s a lucky little girl.”
The waiter arrived with their wine, and they sipped quietly as they looked at menus.
She observed Cash out of the corner of her eye as he read. His short, clean-cut hair went well with his chiseled jaw. And with that straight nose, he obviously had never lost a serious fight, a habit some cowboys couldn’t seem to resist. She liked his impeccable dress—the starched shirt and Wranglers, silver-studded belt, and polished boots. It all said he cared about himself, and she found that attractive.
When the waiter came back to take their order, Dallas had chosen salmon sushi and hibachi calamari. Cash ordered hibachi beef. They’d finished their wine by the time the chef arrived at the table.
Cash flagged a waiter down and asked for another glass of wine for both of them.
Dallas turned to him. “Where do you live, Cash?”
“I have a ranch a ways outside of Howelton, in Haskell County. Little over
