The Trouble With Lacy Brown (13 page)

“Clint, I’m fixing to be your friend and stick my nose where maybe it shouldn’t be—” She paused when he raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgiven your mother for leaving you when you were a boy?”

Clint’s eyes dulled. “Forgive her? Lacy, I know I’m supposed to. I know God forgave me, so as a Christian I’m supposed to forgive her. But honestly, until a few days ago it never crossed my mind that I should forgive my mother for what she did.”

Lacy removed the cutting cape from his neck while praying for the words she needed. Heavy in thought, she leaned against the counter and toyed with the telephone cord.

“Forgiveness is weird in many ways,” she said quietly. “It took me a while to forgive my dad. But after I forgave him it was I who received the reward. I mean my dad couldn’t get the reward—I’ve never seen him
again and I heard a rumor that he died. But I have a peace inside me now that wasn’t there before I decided to forgive him and let it go.”

“But the other night out in the storm—you were upset about your dad stealing your mother’s dreams.”

“I still have scars left over from his leaving my mom. And I’m human. Sometimes when I’m really down I’ll sulk, and his leaving did change me and form me into the person that I am. I can’t forget that. But I forgave him. And inside I know it. But most important, God knows it even when I’m having a pity party.”

Clint studied her for a long moment and then he stood and headed toward his hat. “I can’t say that I’m made of the same character as you. This just proves once more that you’re a special lady, Lacy Brown. A special lady indeed.”

With that he laid a twenty on the counter, touched her nose with the tip of his finger, then strode out the door of Heavenly Inspirations.

A lot of inspiring she had done. The man had issues and she hadn’t helped him one bit.

T
he black night sky was wide-open, dotted with the sprinkle of stars and a mere thumbnail of a moon. Clint sat in a chair on his back patio staring into the dark heavens.

He didn’t believe her. She had good intentions, but she didn’t know what this town could do to a woman. She was too talented anyway. There were limitations to her talent here that she wouldn’t have in a city. Financially speaking, she could make five times the salary elsewhere. She would see that soon.

He wasn’t blaming her or looking down on her choices—it would just happen. He just prayed she left before he was in any deeper than he already was. Every time she spoke, he grew more intrigued by her heart. He had never been around anyone who earnestly sought out God’s will like Lacy did.

He was a Christian, but he had to admit that sometimes he felt like he was simply going through the motions. Weeks would go by, and he would realize that he hadn’t picked up his Bible except to carry it to church on Sunday morning.

That wasn’t so with Lacy. As wacky as she could be, he knew that she walked closely with God. The Bible held the answers, but he knew that many times he didn’t pick it up because he just didn’t want to. There were days when he’d go all day thinking about needing to read the Bible, and then he would intentionally pick up a ranching magazine or turn on the television. It wasn’t something he fully understood.

But he knew it was a rebellious action that stemmed from long ago.

Clint studied the stars. His mother used to study them with him. He saw her laying a blanket on the ground as she’d done when he was young. Then the three of them would lay on their backs, heads touching, and study the stars together. He remembered how once she’d told him that while they were looking up at heaven, God was looking down at them. She said He was smiling because they were looking in the right direction. It was a good memory, and for a moment he toyed with the idea of going to his office and opening the letter he’d received from her.

Lacy would have read the letter the moment it arrived in her mailbox. She had a heart that could expand
and embrace…. Closing his eyes, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Lacy could embrace forgiving her father. But he wasn’t as good a person as Lacy. Clint hardened his heart to the good memories of his mother. Though they pounded against its doors, they didn’t last long.

His mother left him, cast him off without a backward glance. And she’d done it the very summer after they’d lain on the blanket and studied the stars.

Funny the difference a year could make.

Clint’s heart was aching as he leaned forward in his chair, with his elbows on his knees, and studied the ground. It was rich and fertile for man and cattle, but not for a woman. Lacy didn’t understand yet what remote, small-town life could do to a woman. And he couldn’t forget.

And his heart couldn’t watch someone else he loved walk away again.

And the letter… It could rot in his desk.

“Okay, move those hay bales over there,” Lacy directed the two cowboys, Andrew and Bob. They were two great guys who were a part of the many who had been helping all day in the setup for tomorrow. Andrew was a dark-haired man with a funny bone and Bob was a tall, quiet loner who seemed content to help at whatever she asked. He didn’t say much, but his presence was that of a giant. The two guys were great friends and Lacy could see why. They complemented each
other like missing pieces to a puzzle. She couldn’t wait until the right women came along that would fill their hearts just as perfectly. And they were ready, too.

Bob paused beside her now, balancing a square bale on his broad shoulder as if it were a mere brick. “Miss Adela asked me if I’d be in a special booth tomorrow.”

“Oh, did she now?” Lacy smiled, leave it to Adela to know exactly the right guys for her
special
booth. The girls would be lining up for miles to buy lemonade from Bashful Bob. “And what did she tell you about her booth?”

He shifted and a faint tinge of pink crept into his cheeks. “It’s a lemonade stand to help raise more advertisement money. I told her I didn’t know anything about squeezing lemons, but she assured me the ladies wouldn’t mind. Said she thought I was the man for the job, ’cause the ladies would want to watch me learn.” His smile beamed and his dimples dug in deep. “I might be shy, but I’m no fool.”

Lacy let out a hoot.

“Why, Bob Denton, you sneaky flirt. And I was calling you Bashful Bob.”

Andrew sauntered over with a matching hay bale. “Lacy, don’t let that shy exterior fool you. Bob is a lady magnet. Why do you think I’m his friend? The only problem is finding the ladies. You’re our hero, or I guess I should say our heroine. If you can do for our love lives anything even close to the amazing stuff
you’ve worked on this town, we just might not be lonesome cowboys anymore.” He spun around on his boot heels with his empty arm flung wide. “Look at this place.”

Watching him, Lacy felt a tug at her heart. These two sweet guys were typical of the men Mule Hollow had to offer: hardworking, good-natured men who would make wonderful husbands and fantastic dads. This plan for Mule Hollow had to work. It just had to.

Bob tipped his hat. “I guess we better get a move on putting this hay where it needs to be. See you later, Lacy.”

She watched them stride away, hauling their heavy loads to their designated spots in front of the apple-green building and the periwinkle-blue one beside it. She plopped her hands on her hips and surveyed Main Street. It was looking pretty good. They had the cakewalk set up in front of Sam’s so that the cakes could have a cool place to rest while waiting to be given away. The dunkin’ booth, where a girl could step up and try and dunk a cowboy was next to the horseshoes, followed by rope tricks, then chip flinging at the end of the road. In the grassy area at the edge of town there was the three-legged race, the three-armed egg relay and a few other contests.

Tomorrow was the big day and time was running out. But everyone had their specific jobs and were busy with the last-minute details. They were all invested in this dream.

Sheri was heading up the talent committee. She and Sherri had discovered that there were quite a few singing cowboys out here on the range and they were putting them to good use at the afternoon picnic.

Norma Sue and Esther Mae were in charge of food preparation. Hank and Roy Don were legends around Mule Hollow for their chili and barbeque, so they were officially declared the cooks for the fair. Besides, it gave Sam the day off.

Adela was the official meet ’em and greet ’em host plus, she was overseeing the lemonade stand. She was also baking more cookies than Lacy had ever believed one woman could bake in a lifetime.

While everyone worked on their duties, Lacy was busy with hers as the official overseer of everything. She hadn’t slept much since Tuesday, and though she had confidence that God was in control, sometimes she had to squelch that voice of worry. This was going to work and Mule Hollow was going to begin the path of reinvention tomorrow. Bob, Andrew and so many more were counting on it—

“Penny for your thoughts.” Clint’s familiar voice from just behind her jolted her from her brooding with a shiver of excitement.

“I’ll take it,” she said, spinning around to face the man who had been on her mind every moment she let her guard down. Her spirits lifted at his nearness.

“That cheap? Must be some pretty heavy thoughts
to sell out that low.” His eyes glittered in the bright sunlight and his unshaven face gave him a dangerous persona. Upon closer inspection, he looked tired.

“My confidence is teetering,” she admitted.

“
Your confidence.
I don’t believe that for one minute. You are the gal who came blasting in here ready to take on anything.” He surprised Lacy when he reached out and draped an arm about her shoulders and hugged her. “You’ve done a great job, Lacy. Chin up. No one but you could have done remotely what you have in just a few weeks. It’s going to happen. I’m so proud of you.”

Sighing, she gave in to the temptation to sink into his side and the support he was offering her. He was strong and solid. If she let herself, she knew it wouldn’t be hard to stay in his arms forever. How much she’d missed him the past few days slammed into her. She had heard through Norma Sue that he’d been camping out all over his property trying to be in the right place at the right time to catch the rustlers who had struck again the evening she had cut his hair. She wished there was something she could do for him.

“Have you had any luck locating the cattle thieves?” she asked, pulling her feelings off her sleeve and focusing on something safer.

He released her and shook his head, watching as Andrew and Bob walked by with more hay bales on each shoulder. They tipped their hats, “Howdy, Clint. Glad you made it to the fun,” Andrew said.

“Lacy sure knows how to give a party,” added Bob.

Clint grinned. “Looks that way. You boys are doin’ a fine job.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shifted his weight to one leg before meeting her eyes.

“Haven’t had a bit of luck with the cattle rustlers.” He continued their conversation after the cowboys moved on. “The night we saw them was the last time I’ve been near them. I’m beginning to think I’m never going to see them again.”

Lacy grinned and poked him in the chest playfully. “You just need me to find them for you. Next time I’m out on one of my midnight rides, I’ll keep an eye out for them.”

Clint’s brow furrowed; his eyes hardened sternly. Not at all the reaction she was aiming for. Lacy squelched her smile. She didn’t know what to make of the glint in his eyes.

She wasn’t too sure she liked it.

When he spoke she
knew
she didn’t like it. Not one bit!

“Lacy, I have some ideas about who might be involved in this, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be driving that car of yours around late at night. You could get stranded again, and I might not be around to save you.”

“Thank you very much, but I can take care of myself, Clint Matlock,” she huffed.

“Lacy, I don’t want to argue with you but you don’t have any business out at night like that.”

“Look, Clint.” She faced him square and glared at him. And to think she had missed him! “You don’t have any reason to be telling me what I can or should be doing.” She bit her tongue to hold back on saying more. His demands disturbed her, though deep down she knew what he said had merit.

“Look, Lacy, all I’m saying is be careful. These cattle rustlers are professionals. They worry me, and I don’t want you to be the one who comes up on them and catches them by surprise. I don’t know what they might do. Brady has been doing some checking, and we have a good idea who they could be. If it is who we suspect, they have records and will not want to be caught again.”

Lacy relaxed and forced her pride aside. “Sorry, I know what you’re saying makes sense. I’m just so used to my drives that I can’t stand not going when I feel like it.”

Clint studied her for a long second. Then he reached out and touched a curl of her hair. “Tell you what, I haven’t yet ridden in that thing you call a car. So the next time you go, come get me and take me for a spin.”

Lacy didn’t like the fact that she really liked his idea. But happiness welled within her and poured out in an ear-to-ear grin. “I just might do that, cowboy.”

His lips did that slow slide into that crooked smile,
Lacy’s heart did a giddyap right into her throat. Whoa, Nellie! This was getting ridiculous. And infatuating and dangerous and fun, she was thinking, when a little red sports car whizzed by and came to a halt at Adela’s Boardinghouse.

“Wonder who that is?” Clint asked before she had a chance to voice the question.

Lacy started smiling again when a graceful woman, with long brown hair and legs to die for, stepped from the car. Every cowboy standing on Main Street had turned to watch as she straightened and glanced about the town.

Lacy sighed. “That, my friend, is Mule Hollow’s future.”

“Are you ready?”

Lacy licked her lips, grabbed hold of Clint’s waist and nodded. “We can do this,” she said, assessing the competition that stood along the starting line of the three-legged race.

Some of their competitors were J.P. and Sheri, Sheriff Brady and the elegant Ashby Templeton, who’d arrived the day before in the red sports car, a cute cowboy named Jake, Molly Popp, who’d also arrived the night before, and six other couples that included the three schoolteachers who were going to board at Adela’s. Lacy felt pure joy at the picture they all made tied together, laughing and joking while they waited for Pete
to fire the starting gun. This had so far been a glorious day.

There were people everywhere. Women had flocked to Mule Hollow from a radius of a hundred miles. Adela had been taking a poll and the reach of the ads, plus Molly’s column had penetrated deep into the heart of Texas and even a few other states. This was proof that all things were possible with the Lord’s help.

“On your mark.” Pete’s booming voice broke into Lacy’s thoughts. She tightened her grip on Clint as he pulled her closer.

“Here we go,” he said, his eyebrows knitted together in an ominous scowl. He meant business. Lacy giggled, looking up at him.

“Get set, go!”

In a roar of laughter, they were off. Guys were yelling and girls were laughing. Lacy concentrated on trying to keep her shorter stride with Clint’s longer one, but they were really mismatched and clumsy. Beside them, Brady and Ashby were much more suited and started taking an early lead.

Clint glared over their way, “Oh, no, they don’t,” he growled, and nearly started dragging Lacy with him. Lacy started laughing so hard, she wasn’t any help. Things went from bad to calamitous. In their haste, their rhythm got off. In the next instant, they were heading toward the ground in a pile of legs and arms.

Clint burst out laughing, too, as they tried to untan
gle themselves and stand again. They weren’t alone on the ground. Half the lineup had taken the same detour and it now looked like a wrestling match rather than a three legged race.