Page 33 of The Cowboy's Downfall
“There’s my mom and dad,” Nora said.
Josh and Pam Harvey spotted her, too, then started toward them. Josh was a big man, and in a camo jacket and jeans, he looked as country as his wife looked all business. He owned his own company—something in financial securities, Shauna thought—so looks were deceiving. This was his chance to see for himself that Taryn had a good family, despite the reputation she was building.
Except he radiated displeasure. His wife, trailing him, looked worried. Shauna’s smile faded. Her first thought was that someone had died. Nora had younger brothers and sisters. Maybe there had been an accident.
He ignored Shauna and Taryn and zeroed in on his daughter. “Go get in the car.”
Nora’s face fell. “My things are at—” she began uncertainly.
He cut her off. “Get in the car. Now.”
She scrambled to do as she was told, tripping hastily down the street in her high heels, with him riding herd. Pam stayed behind, no doubt to explain.
“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” Shauna asked her, concerned.
Pam’s face was a picture of conflicting motherly emotions. “I understand you meant well, and I’m sure the girls had a good time. But you can’t blame Josh for being upset. Our seventeen-year-old daughter looks like a prostitute. This isn’t how decent girls in Grand dress.”
Decent girls? What was she implying?
Then Shauna remembered the Mayhem’s Private Moments high school excursion and decided it was best not to raise a question when opposing counsel had a response already prepared.
“I had no idea,” she said, feeling both helpless and guilty. She’d wanted to help Taryn fit in. She hadn’t realized there was a dress code for what the girls in Grand wore outside of school. And she’d taken them to a family restaurant, not a nightclub.
“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll smooth things over with Josh. I’ll collect Nora’s things tomorrow.”
Pam dashed off after her husband and daughter.
Taryn had the good sense to remain quiet for once. Until they got in the car.
She flung herself into the passenger seat and slammed the car door. “I thought Nora’s mother was kind of drip. Turns out she’s boomer.”
Shauna didn’t know what a drip was, but she understood boomer. She might have tried too hard to be the former tonight, but since she wasn’t Taryn’s mother, boomer wasn’t the right thing for her to be either.
She did know that she wasn’t going to try to make her little sister conform to someone else’s ideal. Not when it came to her clothes. Not when it came to her hobbies. Not when there were bigger battles to fight.
Like Remi, and her lies about Nix.
She’d tackle those problems later though, when the timing was better. And maybe when she had something other than a lecture to deliver that wouldn’t be well received.
Right now, some positive sisterly reinforcement was needed. Taryn really liked Nora and hadn’t meant to get her in trouble. She’d tried to do something nice by lending her a dress that looked good on her.
“I think you and Nora looked really pretty,” she said. “It’s not you. Grand can be pretty vanilla.”
“Cheugy.” Taryn expressed her opinion of Shauna’s attempt to be lit, then gave her a thin, grudging smile. “But thanks.”
Chapter Ten
Shauna
Shauna had oncegone to see a burlesque ballet in Las Vegas where the showgirls used duct tape to cover their vaginas. She was willing to bet that the duct tape was a lot more comfortable than these string panties. She couldn’t imagine surviving a full workday in them.
She did like the way they looked when she checked herself out in the mirror, although she debated returning the matching bra to the dresser drawer. It was barely seven o’clock, so she had an hour to decide. Taryn had left for the ranch more than an hour ago, and Shauna had been dithering around ever since.
She was applying eyeliner when someone rang the front doorbell.
Her hand stalled. He was early. She wasn’t ready. And she hadn’t expected him to come to the front door. She’d assumed he’d use the one off the kitchen. What if the neighbors saw him?
She dropped the thin brush and jammed her arms in the sleeves of her robe. The only thing worse than him standing on display on her front doorstep would be someone seeing her answer the door in these panties. She tied the sash of her robe as she rushed down the hall. She threw the front door open. Except, it wasn’t Nix waiting for her.
