Honky Tonk Hearts Volume 2 Read online

  “Move it, Bo.” The dog retreated at Chase’s command. “I can make him get in the back seat.” His words held more confidence than his tone.

  She opened the door and squeezed inside. “It’s okay. I like dogs.”

  Starting the engine, he smiled at her over the recumbent dog that had draped head and shoulders across her lap. “That’s good, because Bo seems to like you.”

  She stroked the short, mottled brown fur. “I really do appreciate the ride.”

  “I’m pleased to have the company.”

  Pulling out onto the highway, he picked up speed. Wind whipped through the open windows, and Honor breathed in the scent of grass baking under the unrelenting Texas sun. The road stretched before them, a straight line of black tarmac bisecting the flat prairie.

  “So, you and Andee were friends in college?”

  She nodded. “Have been ever since. We went to Brown together back in another lifetime.”

  He snorted. “Couldn’t have been that long ago. You look like you graduated yesterday. If I hazarded a guess, I’d say you aren’t legal to drink.”

  “I’m twenty-eight!”

  He turned to stare before returning his attention to the road. “You don’t look it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s a curse. No one takes me seriously.”

  “Must be the freckles.” He gave her a humoring glance before changing the subject. “Brown…isn’t that an Ivy League school?”

  “It is.” When she didn’t elaborate, the silence stretched.

  “You’re a regular chatterbox,” he drawled.

  Her hands clenched in the dog’s fur. “I don’t like talking about myself.”

  “Fair enough. As I don’t have the same inhibitions, we can talk about me for the next forty-five minutes. Redemption’s just a hop, skip, and a jump down the road.”

  Honor smiled, entertained by his sunny nature in spite of herself. “Odd name for a town.”

  “The first Herbert Longtree founded Redemption back in the late eighteen hundreds. Rumor has it he had a lot of redeeming to do.”

  She raised a brow. “There’s more than one?”

  “Our current mayor is Herbert the fourth.”

  “Seems a little unoriginal. What did the first one do?”

  “Made a bushel of money in oil down near Galveston, then whacked his business partner and headed west with the money and his partner’s wife. Course it looked like an accident, so no one ever proved he did it.”

  “What a great story, murder, greed, and forbidden love.”

  “Old Herb was a real piece of work.”

  “You don’t admire a man who would do anything for love?”

  He snorted. “Seems like it would have been easier to find another woman.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Just trade in the old car for a new model at the first sign of trouble?”

  Turning, he gave her a perplexed frown. “Are we still talking about Redemption?”

  “Never mind. You own a ranch?”

  “The Circle P is a family business. Granddad, Pop, and I run it together. My sister, Jenna, is moving out after her wedding at the end of the month.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  He tilted back his open weave straw hat. Dark blond hair with a hint of a curl brushed his shirt collar. “I suppose it is. We get on each other’s nerves occasionally, but for the most part we manage just fine.”

  “Your mom—”

  “Dead,” he said abruptly.

  Having obviously hit a sore spot, she backed off and searched for a new topic. “Andee and Davis are friends of yours?”

  He nodded. “Davis is the best vet this side of Amarillo, and Andee, well, she’s a sweetheart. I’d be willing to bet every soul who enters the Sunrise Café leaves cheered by a conversation with her.”

  Staring out the window, she frowned at the endless prairie. “Let’s hope I don’t kill her business. I don’t have Andee’s gift for gab.”

  Chase reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. The imprint of his fingers on her bare skin tingled like a brand.

  “I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Soon as word gets out, you’ll draw the locals like bees to honey.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ve never heard that line before.”

  “I can see I have an uphill battle ahead. Charming you won’t be an easy task.”

  Leaning her head against the high vinyl seatback, she avoided his smiling eyes. “More like impossible, so don’t bother trying.”

  His lips firmed. “Is it me in particular, or are you always this friendly?”

  She didn’t answer immediately. Stroking the dog’s silky coat, she spent a moment composing her thoughts. “I’m sure you’re a whole lot of fun. You’re handsome and entertaining.” She let out a breath. “You’re probably a firecracker in bed to boot.”

  He coughed and shot her a wide-eyed glance.

  “But I’m not in the market for a fling with a good-looking cowboy.”

  “Why not?”

  “Huh?”

  “What happened to put you off men?”

  “Life happened. I plan to work for Andee for a couple of months and get my ducks in a row before moving on. I’m pretty sure—make that one hundred percent positive—getting involved with you would complicate the equation, and I’m no math whiz.”

  “What are you a whiz at, besides putting men in their place?”

  She laughed, and her pissy mood evaporated. “Medieval literature, yoga, and checkers.”

  His lips twitched. “Anything else?”

  “My bacon and spinach quiche won first prize at our local fair and made the contest judge cry with joy.”

  “You’re going to have to do better than that. In Texas, we don’t cry over quiche.”

  She couldn’t hold back a smile. “I can carry a tune.”

  “Now you’re talking. Thursdays are karaoke night at the Lonesome Steer. We can sing a duet.”

  She huffed out a breath. “You don’t look slow. I told you—”

  He held up his hand. “Don’t give me an answer now. I’ll check back once you’re settled in.”

  “You do that, but my answer will be the same.”

  The lingering look he gave her heated her blood past the comfort level. She jerked her gaze away. When he returned his attention to the road, she studied him out of the corner of her eye. His strong jaw boasted a hint of scruff, as if he hadn’t bothered shaving, and faint lines radiated from his eyes. A bump marred the perfection of his nose. Had he broken it playing football or in a fall from a horse? She wouldn’t ask. The less she knew about Chase Paladin the better.

  “Almost there.”

  “Hmmm?”

  He lifted his hand from the steering wheel and pointed. “Home sweet home, darlin’. Redemption, Texas, straight ahead.”

  Chapter Two

  The Sunrise Café sat on the east edge of town next to Wilson Brothers Feed Store. Across the street the movie theater marquee advertised a romantic comedy Honor had seen in Atlanta months before, back when she and Scott—she clamped down on the memory before it could take hold. She wouldn’t revisit the past. Her present was the white clapboard building with sunny yellow trim, a flagstone walkway, and flower beds bursting with May blooms.

  Chase parked on the street and let the engine idle. “I’d come in with you, but Muffin’s been cooped up back there long enough. I left Wichita Falls well before sunup.”

  “We certainly don’t want to upset Muffin.” She turned to face him, wondering at the hollow feeling in her chest. Two hours ago she hadn’t known Chase Paladin existed. She didn’t need him or any other man to bolster her sagging spirits, to ease her dread of the unknown. Surely Andee was waiting for her inside the café, ready to enfold her in a warm welcome.

  His steady green gaze never wavered and darkened to emerald as he reached for the keys. “Aw hell, what’re a few more minutes?”

  She grabbed his hand. “Don’t be silly. You’ve done more than enough by g
iving me a ride.” He turned his hand over and squeezed her fingers. Warmth spread through her, and the new kid on the playground feeling dissolved. “Anyway, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  “You can count on it.”

  His drawl slid across her senses like melted butter on toast. Pushing Bo off her lap, Honor opened the door and hopped down from the high seat. Her flip flops slapped against the pitted sidewalk. Reaching into the pickup bed, she grabbed her duffle bag and lifted it over the side before giving the truck door a thump. “Thanks, Chase.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He tipped his hat, flashed a killer smile, and eased out onto the street.

  Her traitorous heart beat a rapid tattoo, and she scowled after the retreating trailer. Chase Paladin was a lightning rod in an open field. The town was undoubtedly littered with women who’d strayed too close and gotten singed as a result. She would not be his next victim.

  Raising a hand to shield her eyes against the midday sun, she studied her surroundings. Redemption wasn’t much to look at. Main Street, though not actually deserted, felt that way beneath the vast blue Texan sky. Two tall, beefy men with light brown hair talked and gestured in front of the feed store next door. Past it sat an old blue and white Victorian house with a sign posted in the yard, probably a bed and breakfast, and beyond that a saloon. A scrawny, black-haired preteen came around the side of the movie theater, gave her a curious look, then took off down the street at a run. She briefly wondered why the boy wasn’t in school.

  Squaring her shoulders, she headed up the flagstone path to the café. Taking a breath, she pushed open the door. Bells jingled overhead. The hum of conversation ceased as she stepped inside. Squares of navy and white linoleum stretched to the bar counter along the back wall where a row of curious strangers sat on stainless steel stools topped with denim covered seats. Booths upholstered in the same denim occupied the front of the restaurant. The smell of burgers and chili permeated the air.

  A high pitched squeal drew her attention to the swinging doorway into the kitchen. Andee, arms loaded with plates, gave a second shriek, dropped the dishes on the nearest empty table, and ran toward her. With a blue-flowered maternity top billowing over the enormous mound of her abdomen, she looked like a sheet caught in the wind.

  Honor embraced her friend and swayed from side to side. “You’re so—”

  Pulling away, Andee grinned, hazel eyes dancing in her pixie face. “Monstrously huge? Ready to explode?”

  She held her old roommate at arm’s length and eyed her from the top of her auburn curls downward. “I was thinking adorably round.”

  “Ha! Adorable nothing. I’m fat, fat, fat! If this baby doesn’t come soon, I’m going to...” Her voice trailed off, and her lip curled down.

  Honor couldn’t hide a smile. “Going to what?”

  Andee let out an exasperated sigh. “Wait a little longer, I suppose.”

  “When are you due?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “And you’re still working!” Her voice rose. “I’m so sorry. I would have been here sooner, but I ran into a few complications.”

  “Work is the only thing keeping me sane. If I had to sit around the house doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs and peeing every five seconds—” She shuddered.

  Over Andee’s shoulder, Honor watched a middle aged man wearing overalls slide out of a booth, collect the discarded lunch plates, and pass them around to his companions. “Uh, your customers are waiting on themselves.”

  “Glad to hear it. I’ve trained the locals well. At this point, they’re used to fending for themselves every time I waddle off to the ladies’ room.”

  Her imperturbability touched Honor’s heart, melting some of the ice that had encased it since her grandfather’s death. “You haven’t changed one bit.”

  “Me? What about you? You don’t look a day older than when we graduated.” She frowned. “And Lord knows you have every reason to after what you’ve been through. I’m sorry about your grandfather. If you’d called sooner, I would have come to the service.”

  She drew the toe of her flip flop along a seam in the tile. “I know you would have.”

  Andee’s eyes narrowed. “Please tell me your mother showed up for the funeral. I swear, if that woman—”

  “She put in a brief appearance, so there’s no reason to get your protective tail feathers in a knot. As soon as the minister said the final prayer, she scampered back to Florida. I think there’s trouble in paradise with husband number five.” She glanced sideways at the openly staring customers and lowered her voice. “We seem to be the center of attention.”

  “Of course we are. It’s not often a gorgeous woman shows up in Redemption toting baggage.” She fisted her hands on her hips and eyed the pink duffle bag. “Literally and figuratively. I’m not letting you off the hook, Honey. I plan to drag the whole sorry story out of you before the day is over.” Without waiting for an answer, she turned to face the room. “Everyone, this is my good friend, Honor Jackson. She’ll be stepping in to help at the café as soon as this little fellow makes his appearance.” She patted her bulging belly.

  “Little nothing,” an elderly man with a network of wrinkles crisscrossing his leathery face and twinkling moss colored eyes sputtered over his soup bowl. “Odds are you’re giving birth to a linebacker.”

  “You’re a riot, Elwood.”

  The name niggled at Honor’s memory, but with more important things at hand, she gave up trying to figure it out and touched Andee’s arm. “Show me where to put my bag, and I can get to work.”

  “We’ll take it upstairs.” She led the way through the kitchen, breezing past a big silver grill and a stainless steel refrigerator.

  Following in her wake, Honor nodded at a middle aged woman with short gray hair lowering sliced potatoes into a deep fryer.

  “Marge, this is Honor Jackson. Marge Hinkle is my right hand around here,” Andee said.

  “Nice to meet you, Marge.”

  “Likewise. The boss told me plenty about you.”

  Honor grinned. “All lies I’m sure.”

  Her friend pushed open a screen door next to a sink loaded with dishes and glanced over her shoulder. “There’ll be plenty of time for chit chat once the lunch rush is over. We’ll be right back, Marge.”

  A set of wooden stairs led up the backside of the building and stopped at a small landing in front of a Dutch door. Huffing a bit, Andee pulled a ring of keys from her apron pocket, unlocked it, and pushed it open. “Voila,” she said with a flip of her wrist. “Your new home.”

  Honor stepped inside and glanced around the open, sunny room. The space was furnished with a daybed spread with a green and yellow quilt, a pine desk and bookshelf loaded with a couple dozen paperbacks, an ancient console TV, and white Venetian blinds at the high windows overlooking the street. A small table and chairs and a galley kitchen occupied the far corner next to a door she assumed led to a bathroom.

  “It’s not very big,” Andee said in an apologetic tone.

  Honor’s throat tightened. “It’s perfect, far more than I expected. I was imagining a pull out couch in your den until I could find a short term rental.”

  “I’m hoping you’ll stick around longer than that. As it turns out, your timing is perfect. Our tenant decided he needed more space and moved out last week. Marge and I spruced the place up and added a few homey touches. I figured you’d be traveling light.”

  She dropped the duffle bag on the oatmeal Berber carpet. “This is it.”

  Andee frowned. “Surely you have more luggage in your car.”

  She stared at the colored flecks in the carpeting. “I don’t exactly have a car. My old bug died outside Memphis. The mechanic said it had a cracked engine block and replacing it would cost a whole lot more than the car was worth.”

  Andee plopped down on the daybed and stared. “I don’t understand. How did you—”

  “Hitchhiked.”

  “Oh, Honey.”

  The
room closed in around her. She couldn’t draw air through the constriction in her throat. Pressing a hand to her chest, she forced out words. “It wasn’t so bad.”

  “I don’t imagine you had a problem getting rides, but still! You could have been picked up by an axe murderer. Why didn’t you shop for a new car or grab a flight to Amarillo.”

  “Finances are a bit tight right now.” Her voice cracked. “Could we talk about this later?”

  Heaving herself off the bed, Andee crossed the room and wrapped her in a close embrace. Squeezing back tears, Honor held on.

  “You’re not alone, Honey, not anymore.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I’ll deal with the lunch customers, and then we’ll talk. Marge is probably ready to flay my hide by now.”

  Some of her tension eased. She dashed her hand across her cheeks and sniffed. “Marge doesn’t look like she ruffles easily.”

  “Maybe not. Why don’t you rest for a while, and I’ll come up as soon as the café clears out.”

  “Nope, I’m here to help, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Andee’s hazel eyes held a wealth of sympathy and understanding. “All right then, let’s put you to work.”

  ****

  Chase pulled up next to the corral and cut the engine. He sat for a minute, soaking in his surroundings: the ring of metal on metal from the open doors of the big red barn, Jenna’s chickens flapping around their coop, the ripple of muscle beneath the silky brown coat of his favorite mare as she trotted up to the fence to stare at him; he’d only been gone overnight, but it seemed longer.

  His father walked through the barn doors and raised a hand in greeting. He wore a tan checked shirt, faded jeans, and dusty boots. Beneath his hat, his blue eyes squinted against the midday sun, and a smile turned up the corners of his lips. “Did you get the bull?”

  Chase stepped down from the truck, waited for Bo to leap to the ground, and slammed the door. “Hey, Pop. It took some doing, but we finally agreed on a price. Miss Evangeline is a champion haggler.”

  “She’s famous for it.” Roy Paladin rounded the back of the trailer and released the catch on the doors. “Let’s take a look.”

  Muffin stomped and snorted, kicking out a hind foot, apparently resenting the intrusion into his domain.