The Cowboys Heart 1 by Helen Evans

suppose I could
call the police, but I’m not sure what they could do knowing I hadn’t been
harmed.
    Sighing, I pushed the thoughts from my mind and returned to
the dishes. But my thoughts wouldn’t settle. What if the Jennings became
violent? What if they attacked Jamie or me? My hands started to shake, and I
dropped a plate to the floor, shattering it.
    “Damn it.” I jumped back, out of the way.
    “If you hate the dishes that much, buy new ones. You don’t
have to destroy them,” Jamie said as he came in from the side door.
    “Lock that door behind you,” I said, fear still niggling at
my mind. “And I’m not destroying them. I dropped it.” I gathered the broom and
dustpan and cleaned up the mess.
    “So, Mom.” Jamie leaned up against the counter, hands shoved
deep into his pockets. “Dean is having some guys over this weekend, and he
invited me.”
    I raised a brow, a small smile tugging at my lips. “And you
want to go?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I know some of the guys, and
they’re cool.”
    “Okay.” I dumped the broken glass into the trash. “Who is
going to be there? What will you be doing?”
    Jamie groaned and rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. Darren.
Brett. Chad, I think. And we’ll just be hanging out.”
    I studied him for a moment, wondering if he was telling me
the truth. I hated being skeptical of my own son, but he’d lost my trust more
than once, so now I had to be that mom, the one who asked too many questions,
was too involved.
    “And you swear to me you’re going to be staying at Dean’s
house?”
    “God.” He shoved off the counter. “Yes, Mom. I promise we’ll
stay at Dean’s house. It’s not like we can go anywhere.”
    I bit the inside of my cheek to hide my victorious smile.
Dean and his mother lived on a rundown farm on the other side of town. It was a
good two miles to the nearest neighbor and six miles to town. None of the boys
were old enough to drive, and I knew how much Jamie hated to walk anywhere. My
concerns were assuaged.
    “Yeah, I don’t care if you go. You’ll ride the bus over and
stay the night?”
    “It’s not a sleepover,” he grumbled.
    “Oh. So you won’t be staying the night? Then how are you
getting home?”
    He scrunched up his face in annoyance and shook his head.
“I’m staying the night, but it’s not a sleepover. Guys don’t have sleepovers.
That’s a girl thing.”
    “Ah,” I said, nodding in understanding. “Gotcha.”
    “But yeah, I’ll ride the bus. Can you come get me on
Saturday?”
    I smiled. “Just tell me what time.”
    “Cool. I’ll call and let you know.” He grabbed a banana from
the fruit bowl. “Thanks, Mom.” He kissed my cheek and disappeared upstairs.
    It made me feel good to know he was making friends and
settling in around here. Maybe he’d stop hating me so much now if he developed
some sort of social life. I hummed his favorite childhood lullaby as I finished
up the evening household chores. Checking to make sure all the doors and
windows were locked, I headed upstairs, intent on climbing into bed and reading
for a while before falling asleep. It’d been far too long since I’d been able
to really relax and enjoy a book. For the first time since my divorce and the
shock of my grandmother’s death, I felt at peace, like things truly would work
out.
    ***
    I stretched out on the blanket and
let the sun warm my face. Today was the day I’d been waiting for – my picnic
date with Hudson. We’d rode to a secluded corner of my property and set out a
blanket. I’d packed enough food for a small army, but I’d been so afraid I
wouldn’t pack enough or that I’d pack something he hated, so I went with the,
‘more is better’ philosophy.
    “I can see the top of the tree from the hayloft in an old
barn I no longer use,” Hudson said, breaking their spell of silence.
    “Uh-oh.” She laughed. “Do I need to worry about you spying
on me?”
    He grinned, his dimples tempting me with