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“IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT,” Marvella said to her sister, Delilah, as she held out Cissy’s farewell note. “I hope you’re happy with ru
“I didn’t run off anyone,” Delilah said with a shrug. “I lost a girl, too.”
“Not like Cissy. Cissy brought in more customers than any other hairstylist I had.”
“And it wasn’t for her ability with hair,” Delilah said. “Not that I’m partial to one of my girls more than another—they’re all daughters to me—but Ha
“I should sue you for lost business.”
Delilah sniffed. “Try it. Then you’ll have to reveal exactly what your business includes, Marvella. Nobody’s quite sure exactly what all’s going on at your salon or why you need a monster-size heated spa.”
“Massages and aromatherapy, just like the big city,” Marvella told her. “Nothing fancy. Just pretty girls and relaxation at the end of a hard day for the menfolk. Don’t make it sound so sinister.”
Delilah had her doubts that it was so i
“One of my girls said she saw a truck stop to pick up Cissy and Ha
“Sister,” Delilah said softly, “I haven’t had much to do with you since you accused me of stealing your husband. Now you’re claiming I had something to do with your best shop girl heading out. Frankly, I’m done talking to you. I can go another twenty or so years before we speak again.”
Delilah closed the door, pulling down the blind. Sighing, she walked into the kitchen where Jerry, her truck driver friend-in-need sat, his face set in sympathetic lines.
“Did you hear that?” Delilah asked.
“Every word.” He patted the chair next to him. “Sit down and let me warm your coffee.”
She did, appreciating his willingness to care for her. “You’re always here for me, Jerry. How lucky I am that you came to my shop instead of Marvella’s.”
“Naw. How lucky I am,” he said, placing the warmed-up coffee cup in front of her. “Aromatherapy gets up my nose.”
Delilah laughed. “You wouldn’t have noticed it with all the girls in skimpy outfits just waiting to fix you up.”
“Nope,” he said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. “I got little enough under my cap that I don’t need a cut often, and I can trim my own beard. But the best part of being here is the chocolate chip cookies, and the coffee.” He gave her a twinkling eye as she lifted a brow at him. “Though the company’s what really brings me back every week. Couldn’t find that across the street.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you. I needed to hear you say that.” Glancing at the note in her hand, she said, “So. I’m down a girl. I guess that’s a good thing, considering I had to cut my staff in half two months ago.”
“Heard those gals you had to let go are rocking it in Union Junction. Stopped through there last week to check on them, and every last one of them is happy in the salon they started. And the Jefferson brothers are fixing up the house for them real nice.”
Delilah nodded. “That just leaves me to figure out why Ha
“Think it was the love bug.” Jerry emptied his coffee cup.
“What love bug?”
“The one she caught for Ranger Jefferson when he was here helping Laredo ride Bloodthirsty Black last month.”
“I didn’t know she’d caught a bug,” Delilah said, surprised. “Seemed like she was totally focused on helping Katy metamorphasize into the woman-she-could-be to catch Laredo.”
Jerry shrugged. “And at some point, Ranger got under Ha
“But now Cissy’s gone and Ha
The phone rang in the kitchen, and Delilah answered it.
“Hey, Mason. Fine, everything’s fine here.” Her eyes widened as she listened, giving Jerry a stu
She hung up the phone. “Malfunction Junction’s missing two cowboys. Twins. Mason sounded like he was standing in a pot of boiling water.”
Jerry started laughing.
“It’s not fu
“DOES DELILAH KNOW you’ve gone?”
Ha
It a
“Ha
“Heard you,” she replied quickly, realizing his tone was telling her a lot, mainly that he thought she was ignoring him. “I left Delilah a note.”
The dark gaze left the road and met hers in the mirror again for the briefest of moments. “Did something happen to make you leave?”
I fell in love with you and had to get away from here knowing you didn’t feel the same about me. And did you have to kiss Cissy?
Dumb question. There wasn’t a man alive who could resist Cissy.
That didn’t mean she had to be Heartbroken Ha
His eyes hooded.
“Then I assume nothing in particular happened to make you leave.” She settled herself in her seat and stared out the window. Beside her, Archer cleared his throat.
“I didn’t leave a note. I signed my name to the pithy message Ranger left beside Mason’s plate,” he offered.
She turned to stare at him, as did Cissy. Archer shrugged. “Seemed like Ranger said everything that needed to be said.”
“I said I was going to join the military,” Ranger stated. “Did you actually read it before you John Hancocked it? Not writing your own note seems rather lazy, by the way, for a man who nearly wore his fingers out hitting the send button to Australia.”
“Easy, bro,” Archer said mildly. “Ye ol’ love life is none of thy concern.”
Ha