The Patriot Girl by Toni Lynn Cloutier Page B

her pink polished nail. “I’ll take what I can get.”
    “Cute. But that’s not what I meant.” She opened the back door of her car and pulled out the white cowboy hat he’d left behind at the robbery. “Duke asked me to give this to you.”
    Dustin placed the hat on her head. “You keep it. Maybe it’ll be as lucky for our business deal as it was during the robbery.”
    She adjusted the oversized Stetson on her head. “Thank you. I’ll cherish this forever.” Along with that kiss.
    “Do you have a business card?”
    Fishing through her purse, she pulled out a white card. “Here you go. I’m at the bank until four. So Friday…seven o’clock again? That gives you two full days to review the contract.”
    “Okay.” He stared at the card.
    “Dustin, are you okay?” She lifted his chin with her fingertips. His skin paled and she could tell his smile was forced. “What is it?”
    He shrugged. “Nothing.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you Friday at No Bulls.”
    “Sure.” She drove away with a sad feeling in her gut. Something had changed his attitude in a matter of a minute. Could he be having second thoughts on sealing this business deal after all?

Chapter Five
    MaKayla let the screen door slam shut behind her as she followed Alex into her parents’ home.
    “Dad? Mother?”
    The memories in this old house had always been a comfort. Each room had its own unique scent. The smell of fresh flowers and cinnamon in her mother’s kitchen hadn’t changed. The yellow walls and dark wooden counters always made her feel as though she’d stepped into the center of a sunflower.
    “Mother?” The back of a flowered robe was visible between the center island and the cabinets above. “Alex is here to say goodbye.”
    “Come on in.” Peggy Hall crinkled a bag of pretzels closed—her father’s favorite snack while watching reruns of All in the Family every evening. If he couldn’t find it on a television station, he watched the DVD version.
    Her mother stepped toward her, handing her a bowl. “Take this to your father, please.” She handed MaKayla a can of beer from the refrigerator behind her. “For Daddy too.”
    Peggy embraced Alex. “Oh, honey. I can’t believe Saturday’s the big day. Are you all packed, and has the car been looked at?”
    “Just a few more things to gather. The car’s all set.”
    Peggy looked at MaKayla. “Did Jodi and Duke like their anniversary gift Sunday?”
    “Yes. They leave tomorrow morning. They were all set to leave for Kentucky on Tuesday. Duke was able to get the extra days off, as I was pretty sure he would be able to.”
    “Of course he was.”
    MaKayla removed a pretzel stick from the bowl and took a small bite. “Jodi’s upset because she won’t be here to say goodbye to Alex on Saturday. I promised her I’d call to let her know when he arrives in Kentucky.”
    She turned down the narrow hallway, leaving Alex alone with her mother. She smiled as the sound of her father’s laughter drew nearer. Listening to Archie Bunker while napping on her father’s lap had become routine every weekend when she was a child.
    She rushed past his view of the television and handed him the bowl. Kissing the top of his head, she placed his drink on the wooden table beside him.
    “Hey, Dad.”
    “Hi, Mackey. Thanks.” David placed his hand inside the bowl. “Sit.”
    She sat on the lavender sofa beside him. “I bet you’ve seen every episode twenty times.”
    “They don’t make TV like this anymore, Mackey. The world has no more sense of humor for this stuff.” He placed several pretzels between his lips. “They’d get sued now for hurting someone’s feelings.”
    MaKayla worried about all the junk food her father ate and its effect on his health. He’d lost both his parents to heart attacks when they were not much older than his sixty-five years.
    Signs of his getting older were showing. There might not be a cure for balding hair, but he