Page 11 of Cowboy Stalker
It only takes me twenty minutes to grab my bag and get through the checkout process. My excitement builds with every passing mile on the road. I’m two miles outside of her place when I decide maybe I’ll stop by.
My phone rings, and I route it through my truck’s speakers. Missy’s voice comes on the line, but it’s wrong. She’s speaking in a whisper, terror evident in every word. “Someone is trying to break in.”
Chapter 5
Missy
I stare at the text message and reread it again for the thousandth time before letting out a little squeal of delight. Let me take you on a proper date tomorrow, then we’ll share dessert.
Lightning flashes, and I look up from my phone. I was thankful to leave Ernie’s Diner and beat the storm home tonight. I tap the monitoring app open to check on the outside cameras.
When I see they aren’t connected, I remember that there’s no Wi-Fi. The storm has already knocked it out.
Daisy grunts from her place on the floor. She’s on her play mat, reaching for the toys suspended on the mobile. I lean forward and push the crinkly bat, so it swings in the air. She giggles at the motion, and I make a silly face.
Then I grab my phone and debate calling Audrey Scott. She was a mail order bride who married Logan Scott. They have a baby, Paisley Jolene. Paisley is about Daisy’s age, and she has the cutest little dimples.
Audrey and I hit it off one day when I was waiting tables at Ernie’s Diner. Since then, she’s come in with Paisley several times. It’s nice to have someone around my age to talk to.
Plus, Audrey was a single mom before she married. She told me she showed up at the bus station with her baby without telling Logan. He showed up and the first thing he did was give Paisley Jolene a hug. Audrey sighed when she finished telling the story.
Her cowboy husband leaned in for a kiss right there. The two of them are so in love that it almost hurts to look at them. I wonder what it’s like to have someone who loves you so fiercely and accepts you completely.
Before she died, I would have called Shelley to chat about this stuff. No, that’s not true. Before I realized she was using drugs and had stolen my identity, I would have called her. In the final weeks before she died, we barely spoke.
“Be brave,” I tell myself as I dial. Not every person will take advantage of me. There are good people in this world. Like Ernie and Lorna and Griffin. Just thinking about him has me smiling again.
“Hello?” Audrey answers, sounding winded.
“Are you OK?” I ask as thunder rumbles.
“Mmm-hmm,” she murmurs.
“Griffin asked me out,” I blurt out.
“What? That’s amazing,” she squeals. “What did you say? What did he say? How did it happen?”
I giggle. “He asked me?—”
“I’ll be right back. This is girl stuff.” There’s a rustling sound and a soft sigh in the background. I hear her murmuring something about making it worth his while later.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call during that.” My cheeks flame. I mean, it’s obvious from the way Logan has his hands all over her when they’re in town that they’re very affectionate. But I didn’t even think about how late it is when I reached to call Audrey. I knew I wanted a girl to talk with.
She laughs, and it’s a rich sound. “Don’t worry. Logan was supposed to be at his brother’s poker game ten minutes ago. Now, tell me about this hottie who asked you out. I can too call him a hottie.” She swears under her breath. “There’s only one cowboy I’m crazy about, you big brute. Now go play with your brothers. You can remind me who I belong to later.”
There’s the sound of a door closing in the background, and she laughs softly. “Thanks for calling. Now he’s going to be insane all night long.”
“Uh, is that a good thing?”
She sighs, her tone going dreamy again like it did the day she described her wedding. “When you’re built like my cowboy with the stamina to go all night long, it’s definitely a good thing. Now, don’t hold out on me. Tell me all the details.”
Audrey and I spend the next hour discussing Griffin and the upcoming date. I finish by telling her, “I don’t even know what I’m going to wear to the date.”
“I have a couple of morning errands, but I’ll be back at the farm by noon if you want to come by tomorrow. We’re about the same size, so you can raid my closet.”
My eyes prick at her unexpected kindness. I never imagined I’d find so many kind people when I moved here. “Are you sure? That would be amazing.”
“This is what girlfriends are for. Promise to call me with the details when you get home from the date. Or you know, the morning after, if things go in that direction.”
