Dixie already had plenty of cosmetics, so she didn’t need extra samples. But she knew someone who did. “That’s just so sweet of you. And could you make them the palest colors? Cheyenne Daily is just starting to wear makeup and I thought she might enjoy them.”
“Why, of course I could.” Luanne placed a hand on her chest. “It just about broke my heart when I heard about that sweet little thang shoplifting those tampons.”
“Me too,” Raynelle chimed in. “I remember how embarrassed I was the first time my mama sent me to the store to buy feminine products for me and my two sisters. If I could’ve stuffed them under my jacket, I sure would’ve tried. When Mike Jeffries rang me up, I just about died. After that, I begged my mama to do it. But Cheyenne doesn’t have a mama. It’s just her and her daddy now.”
“Just like me and Evie after Mama passed away,” Penny Gardener said. She sat on the couch between her sister, Evie, and Sadie, the cook and housekeeper at the Gardener Ranch. She squeezed their hands. “Thankfully, I had you two to get me through puberty. After losing her grandmother, Cheyenne has no female relatives at all.”
“Yes she does,” Evie said. “She has every woman in Simple. And from now on, we all need to watch out for her and make sure she knows she has plenty of sisters to help her with whatever she needs.”
The chorus of “amen, sister!” made Dixie smile. This was a good town filled with good people. She was glad she had decided to take part in it while she was here. She set down her glass of lemonade. “I think Cheyenne would love that. And she’s not the only one who needs some extra love. Her daddy, Cal, is struggling after losing his mama. He could sure use some friends. And a job. He’s been looking in Abilene, but without any luck.”
“Logan owns auto shops in Abilene,” Evie said. “I’m sure he would hire Cal.”
“But we can’t let good folks like the Dailys move off to Abilene,” Sadie said. “Surely we can find enough work for him here.”
“My car needs a tune up and Bud hasn’t had time to get to it,” Luanne said. “I bet he would be more than happy to give that job to Cal. And I know a lot of folks who would much rather have their car worked on here, rather than drive it—or worse, have to have it towed—to a bigger town. I’ll activate the phone tree and get the word out.”
Dixie now understood why everyone bought Ten Commandment bracelets from Luanne and let her turn them into streetwalkers. She had a heart of gold.
“That would be so sweet of you,” Dixie said. “I’ll spread the word as well. But let’s make sure it doesn’t seem like charity. I get the feeling Cal Daily isn’t one who would take—”
Devlin, who had disappeared earlier with the empty pitcher, came back into the room looking upset. “Has anyone seen Boomer? I can’t find him anywhere.”
Evie tried to get up off the couch. Since she was quite pregnant, she needed assistance from her sister. “Maybe he slipped out the door when everyone was arriving.”
“I hope not,” Devlin said. “He chases after rabbits and gophers and I’m afraid he’ll get lost.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Luanne said. “Bud’s hound dogs run off all the time. And while I wish a few of them would stay gone for good, they always find their way back home.”
Devlin didn’t look convinced. She looked close to tears. “But what if he doesn’t come back?” She looked at Dixie. “Should I fill out a missing dog report?”
“You wouldn’t be the first one.” Dixie said. “But I agree with Luanne. My daddy has owned hound dogs ever since I was little and not a one ever got lost. They’re trackin’ dogs. It’s in their blood. I’m sure he’ll be back in no time.”
“Of course he will,” Luanne said. “Now come on and sit down, Devlin. I was just getting ready to pluck everyone’s eyebrows. It’s not something Mary Kay expects their consultants to do at parties. But since y’all are my close friends and I’m so good at it, I’ll be happy to make your eyebrows look exactly like mine.”
Dixie stared at Luanne’s sparse over-plucked eyebrows and almost choked on the sip of lemonade she’d just taken. She quickly recovered and jumped to her feet. “On second thought, as your deputy, it’s my duty to look for missing people . . . and missing dogs. Boomer, did you say?”
Before Devlin could answer, the rest of the women rose to their feet and volunteered to help look for poor Boomer. Obviously, no matter how big her heart was, no one wanted eyebrows like Luanne’s.
Everyone took an area to search. Devlin would look around her house. Evie around hers. And Penny and Sadie would go back to the Gardener Ranch and search. The townswomen would head back to town and get the word out there. Dixie chose to drive around between the two ranches.
She’d heard gossip that Lucas and Chester had willed each Double Diamond boy a piece of their land. Logan and Holden had built houses on theirs. Cru intended to ranch his along with the Gardener Ranch. Val was thinking about starting a kids’ summer camp. As she drove over the bumpy dirt roads, Dixie couldn’t help wondering what Lincoln would do with his. She couldn’t see him ever quitting his job and becoming a rancher. He was a lawman through and through. A sexy, drool-worthy lawman who she couldn’t stop thinking about.
She had a plethora of Texas Ranger fantasies ranging from lusty make-out sessions to extremely naughty sex scenes that included handcuffs and some role playing. And every single fantasy had one thing in common: Lincoln losing control and becoming all hot and wild. All hot and wild for her.
Except that
