Leah said.
Debra and Leah were twin sisters, born in Goodnight, Texas, and looked the same up
until Debra had four kids. Now she was twenty pounds heavier than her sister who’d
opted for a career instead of a family. Leah kept her brown hair dyed a rich chestnut.
Debra let the tendency toward early graying shine right on through. Leah worked as
an economics professor at the college in Conway and lived in a gated community on
the south side of town in a new modern home. Debra still lived on the ranch where
Jimmy Clark took her as a bride almost thirty years before. And Leah knew all about
Lucas and the relationship that had budded over the Internet. Debra didn’t even know
that Lucas existed.
“I’ll handle it,” Natalie said.
“You’d better tell her pretty soon, girl. She’s going to know something isn’t right
and I’ll be the one in the crosshairs.”
Natalie giggled. “And she don’t waste ammo.”
“Never has before, so I don’t expect her to start now. So now tell me about him. Is
he as handsome as you thought?”
Natalie swallowed hard. “Yes, he is.”
She told Leah the whole story about him coming home and finding her with a pistol
in her hand and how he had reacted to Joshua. When she hung up, it seemed like she’d
talked for an hour, but the clock said it had only been a few minutes.
She wasn’t sure about the dinner schedule on Cedar Hill compared to the one at her
father’s ranch, but at a quarter to noon, Jack, Grady, and Lucas all pushed inside
the house. Evidently, they did things the same way her family did. Breakfast by six
in the morning. Dinner at noon. Supper at six in the evening.
“Man, this place smells good,” Grady said. “Is that yeast bread I smell?”
“Pot roast isn’t worth much if you haven’t got hot bread to eat with it.” She smiled.
“Give us a few minutes to get washed up,” Jack said.
When they took their places around the table, Grady and Jack’s hair had been combed
back and their faces were shiny clean. Lucas’s big hands were still semi-wet like
he’d washed them well and barely touched the towel. He looked at the dinner table
like he could hardly believe all the food in front of him.
Joshua was content in the portable swing she’d set up close to the table. Everything
fascinated him and he brought out his big toothless grin when he heard male voices.
“If the click of the swing is bothersome…” she started.
“Hey, that ain’t nothing to complain about,” Grady butted in. “Kind of nice to have
a baby in the house again. We ain’t had that since Lucas was little. They’ve sure
enough come up with fancy things since then. When he was that size, we ate dinner
with him sittin’ on Jack’s or my knee.”
“He going to be smart.” Jack helped his plate and passed bowls to Lucas. “You can
tell by his bright eyes. I bet he’s walkin’ a long time before he’s a year old.”
“I see a pound cake back there on the cabinet,” Grady said.
Jack nudged Lucas with his elbow. “Had a dinner like this since you left home?”
Lucas shook his head and piled potatoes and carrots on his plate. “No, and I’m hungry.”
“You eat all that, you won’t have room for pound cake and peaches,” Jack teased.
“That means I get his cake, right?” Grady asked.
“You got that pistol handy, Natalie?” Lucas asked.
“Keep it ready,” she answered.
“Anyone touches my cake, you shoot to kill.”
He had no idea that he had just handed her the moon, the stars, and maybe even the
sun. The man that had comforted her after Drew’s death and who’d carried on an Internet
relationship with her was back.
“Momma taught me not to waste ammo. I could just break their arms,” she said.
Jack threw back his head and guffawed. “If that didn’t sound just like Hazel.”
“Well, thank you,” Natalie said. “I didn’t get to know her, but what little time we
visited, I got the
Debra and Leah were twin sisters, born in Goodnight, Texas, and looked the same up
until Debra had four kids. Now she was twenty pounds heavier than her sister who’d
opted for a career instead of a family. Leah kept her brown hair dyed a rich chestnut.
Debra let the tendency toward early graying shine right on through. Leah worked as
an economics professor at the college in Conway and lived in a gated community on
the south side of town in a new modern home. Debra still lived on the ranch where
Jimmy Clark took her as a bride almost thirty years before. And Leah knew all about
Lucas and the relationship that had budded over the Internet. Debra didn’t even know
that Lucas existed.
“I’ll handle it,” Natalie said.
“You’d better tell her pretty soon, girl. She’s going to know something isn’t right
and I’ll be the one in the crosshairs.”
Natalie giggled. “And she don’t waste ammo.”
“Never has before, so I don’t expect her to start now. So now tell me about him. Is
he as handsome as you thought?”
Natalie swallowed hard. “Yes, he is.”
She told Leah the whole story about him coming home and finding her with a pistol
in her hand and how he had reacted to Joshua. When she hung up, it seemed like she’d
talked for an hour, but the clock said it had only been a few minutes.
She wasn’t sure about the dinner schedule on Cedar Hill compared to the one at her
father’s ranch, but at a quarter to noon, Jack, Grady, and Lucas all pushed inside
the house. Evidently, they did things the same way her family did. Breakfast by six
in the morning. Dinner at noon. Supper at six in the evening.
“Man, this place smells good,” Grady said. “Is that yeast bread I smell?”
“Pot roast isn’t worth much if you haven’t got hot bread to eat with it.” She smiled.
“Give us a few minutes to get washed up,” Jack said.
When they took their places around the table, Grady and Jack’s hair had been combed
back and their faces were shiny clean. Lucas’s big hands were still semi-wet like
he’d washed them well and barely touched the towel. He looked at the dinner table
like he could hardly believe all the food in front of him.
Joshua was content in the portable swing she’d set up close to the table. Everything
fascinated him and he brought out his big toothless grin when he heard male voices.
“If the click of the swing is bothersome…” she started.
“Hey, that ain’t nothing to complain about,” Grady butted in. “Kind of nice to have
a baby in the house again. We ain’t had that since Lucas was little. They’ve sure
enough come up with fancy things since then. When he was that size, we ate dinner
with him sittin’ on Jack’s or my knee.”
“He going to be smart.” Jack helped his plate and passed bowls to Lucas. “You can
tell by his bright eyes. I bet he’s walkin’ a long time before he’s a year old.”
“I see a pound cake back there on the cabinet,” Grady said.
Jack nudged Lucas with his elbow. “Had a dinner like this since you left home?”
Lucas shook his head and piled potatoes and carrots on his plate. “No, and I’m hungry.”
“You eat all that, you won’t have room for pound cake and peaches,” Jack teased.
“That means I get his cake, right?” Grady asked.
“You got that pistol handy, Natalie?” Lucas asked.
“Keep it ready,” she answered.
“Anyone touches my cake, you shoot to kill.”
He had no idea that he had just handed her the moon, the stars, and maybe even the
sun. The man that had comforted her after Drew’s death and who’d carried on an Internet
relationship with her was back.
“Momma taught me not to waste ammo. I could just break their arms,” she said.
Jack threw back his head and guffawed. “If that didn’t sound just like Hazel.”
“Well, thank you,” Natalie said. “I didn’t get to know her, but what little time we
visited, I got the
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