Page 17 of Cowboy Stalker
As soon as I answer, she peppers me with questions. “What’s going on? Are you okay? I heard your place got broken into. It’s horrible. Do you need anything? How is Daisy? What can I do?”
The flood of questions puts a lump in my throat. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend I could rely on. The people of Courage County are becoming more than a community to me. They’re becoming my family.
“How do you know?” I ask the first question that pops into my mind.
Audrey chuckles and says, “This is life in a small town. You can’t swat a fly without everybody knowing about it. Do you still want to come over this afternoon? What can I do for you?”
I glance at him. He’s been listening to our conversation. He shakes his head. I’m disappointed, but I understand that right now his priority is keeping me and Daisy safe. So, I tell Audrey, “I can’t right now.”
She is quiet for a second, then she says, “I get it. He’s trying to protect you. Well, what if I bring some clothes over for you to try on? We can still make a girl’s day of it.”
I look at him again, and this time he gives me a thumbs up. I let her know it’s a go, and she says she’ll be over after lunch.
I hang up and let loose with a little squeal. “She’s coming over. I have a friend again.”
Something flickers on his face, maybe sadness and grief for me, but he covers it with a smile and says, “Yes, you do, sweet girl. Life is going to get a lot better from now on.”
He makes me breakfast, feeding me pancakes and eggs before he says he has to go meet up with Luke.
Even though he’s going, he tells me that Russell is still on the porch and that many of the ranch hands are patrolling the grounds. “We have a net set up. If anyone tries to slip through, we’ll know it. But if you think of anything I should know or you get scared, you can always call me.”
I give him my best brave smile and push on his chest, “Go and catch those cow-tipping teenagers.”
Then I lean up on my tiptoes and press a gentle kiss on his lips. After he leaves, I get a call from Lorna. I spend half an hour reassuring her that I’m fine before promising her that I will call her if I need anything.
The afternoon passes quickly. I alternate between playing with Daisy and watching daytime TV. I wanted to read the parenting book I’ve been reading, but my tablet is another thing I accidentally left behind at the rental.
Audrey arrives at noon. She’s brought food from Ernie’s Diner. She gives me a big hug, crushing me against her the moment she sees me. “I was so scared when I heard.”
“I’m OK now. Daisy is, too,” I reassure her.
“Logan called Griffin this morning. He and all of his brothers are willing to do whatever it takes to help you. You’re not alone anymore.”
I’m too overwhelmed to know what to say to that. I gesture to the bag of food. “Is there anything on the menu Lorna didn’t include?”
Audrey chuckles. “She did seem to put one of everything in here, including milkshakes.”
We eat lunch together, trading stories and gossip. Then Audrey shows me all of the clothes that she brought.
I try on nine different outfits until we settle on a vintage dress that’s blue-checked with a sweetheart neckline and puffy petal sleeves. It stops above my knees, and I love the way it swishes when I move my hips.
“I have the shoes for that,” Audrey tells me, producing white kitten heels. They’re open-toed, so our next activity is doing mani-pedis while we watch a raunchy rom-com that we both spend the entire time talking through.
By the time Aunt Dorothy arrives home from a long day of chores on the farm, I have been waxed, plucked, tweezed, and polished. Audrey even took the time to do my makeup and my hair. She’s made me feel pampered in the best way.
“I have to go. Logan will get cranky if he doesn’t have his dessert,” she tells me and Aunt Dorothy.
I frown. “You said you left him dinner to heat in the fridge when you left this afternoon.”
She giggles, her cheeks going pink. “I said I left him dinner. I didn’t say anything about his dessert.”
Dorothy cackles and shoos her away. “You go on. I got her now.”
After making me promise to call her first thing tomorrow morning, Audrey leaves with little Paisley Jolene.
Dorothy steps back to admire Audrey’s work and manages to hold onto Daisy, who is squirming in her arms. I think she’s getting close to the crawling stage. She loves to push up on her hands and knees during tummy time. “You look absolutely beautiful. But I think the dress is missing one thing.”
I look down, frowning. I could have sworn Audrey thought of everything. She even had a slip in my size. I’m wearing it now, the material soft and silky against my thighs.
