Willow Smoke (76 page)

“What?”
Daisy
pushed
away
from
the
door
and
stepped
over
to
button
the
column
of
tiny
buttons
going
down
the
back
of
Angie’s
dress.

Angie
turned
her
head.
“Thanks.
That
you’ll
agree
to be my sister-in-law, silly.
Isn’t
that
what
all
of
this
is
about?”

A
tiny
button
slipped
through
Daisy’s
fingers.
She
scowled.
She
tried
again. Having
secured
it
in
its
loop,
she
moved
on
to
the
next
and
finally
commented, “Can’t
we
just
go
out
and
enjoy
each
other’s
company?
Why
does
it
always
have
to come
down
to
marriage,
kids
and
forever?”

Angie
shrugged.
“Maybe
because
Nick
is
aware
of
a
time
clock
ticking
that
you’re
not. It’s okay to have fun, Daisy. I’m not condemning you for
that—not hardly. Not me. But you’ve got to know Nick wants more than that.”

Daisy
glanced
at
Angie’s
image
in
the
mirror
and
nodded.

“So you’re not ready to
really commit, nor are you ready to let him go yet.”

“Something
like
that.”

“Thanks
for
doing
my
buttons,”
Angie
said,
sitting
back
down
before
the
mirror.
She
picked
up
a
brush
and
began
running
it
through
her
hair.
The
woman’s
eyes
smoldered;
it
was
the
only
sign
that
the
outgoing,
congenial
Angie
Underwood
was
angry.

“I’ve never seen my
brother so in
love.
He’s
besotted.
Any
other
woman
who
pulled
a
stunt
like
you
did
by
walking
out
on
him
would
have
been
left
in
his
dust.
He’d
never
give
her
a
second
thought.”

“I
didn’t
exactly
walk
out
on
him,”
Daisy
protested. “I only stayed with him for a
short time because of an emergency. I
never
agreed
to
live
with
him.
And
how
do
you
know
he
loves
me
so
much?
He’s
been
married
and
with
many
women
before
me.”

Angie
smiled
into
the
mirror.
Her
flashpoint
of
anger
had
apparently
subsided.
“But
not
since
you.
You
want
to
know
about
his
first
wife
and
the
other
women?
His
wife
was
much
more
interested
in
Nick
than
he
was
in
her,
but
she
came
around
at
the
right
time.
Nick
was
feeling
the
need
to be
a
family
man.
Only
Ashley
wasn’t
too
excited
about
motherhood
once
they
were
married.

“She
wasn’t
a
bad
woman,
I
don’t
mean
that,
but
she
saw
Nick
as
a
way
up
the
business
and
social
ladder.
Much
more
than
a
husband
and
a
father,
and
I
expect
as
a
lover.
As
to
other
women,
Nick
hasn’t
had
a
relationship
that
I
know
of
that
lasted more than two months. And I doubt
there
was
anyone
for
two
or
three
years
before
you
arrived
on
the
scene.
No,
my
brother
doesn’t
dispense
love
like
it’s
a
freebie
in
a
grocery
store.”

“I
didn’t
think
he
did,”
Daisy
retorted.
But
Angie’s
words
left
her
more
confused
than
ever.
If
there
had
been
so
few
women
that
Nick
had
cared
for,
how
did
that
explain
her?

“So
do
you
love
him?”

Daisy
wanted
to
ignore
the
bug-eyed,
curious
woman in the mirror, but she
couldn’t.
“You
don’t
give
up,
do
you?”

“No. It’s a family
trait. So do you?”

“What?”

“Do
you
love
him?”

Daisy
sat
down
on
a
stool
beside
Angie.
She
wanted
to
collapse.
She
shook
her
head.
“I
don’t
honestly
know.
I
don’t
know
how
I
would
know.”

Angie
applied
rouge
to
her
cheeks.
“Well,
do
you
think
a
lot
about
him
when
he’s
not
with
you?”

Daisy
nodded.

“Do
you
miss
him
when
you’re
alone
in
your
bed
at
night?”
Daisy
nodded.

“Does
he
make
you
laugh?”
Daisy
nodded.

“Do
you
get
goose
bumps
when
I
ask
you
if
you
love
him?”

Daisy
lifted
her
arm
and
Angie
stared
at the
rows
of
small
pimpled
bumps.
Laughing
softly,
Angie
said,
“Daisy
Matthews,
like
it or not, I’d say you’re in love.”

“But
it
can’t
go
where
he
wants
it
to
go.”

“Where
you
want
it
to
go?”

Daisy
let
out
a
repressed
sigh.
“Maybe.”

“Because
of
your
brother-in-law?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe
he’ll
take
Nick
more
seriously
now,
after
the
escapade
at
the
hospital.”

Daisy shuddered. “That’s
what I’m afraid of.”

- o -

Nick
sat
in
a
box
overlooking
the
finish
line.
Thelma
chattered
her
nervousness
while
Tom
rested
his
eyes.
They
had
a
chance
to claim a filly in the fifth race. Nick
worried
about
what
Thelma
might
do
if
they
lost
the
claim.

Leaning
forward,
Nick
rested
his
chin
on
his
hands
and
stared
at
the
tall
blonde
in
tight
jeans,
maroon
shirt,
and
ball
cap
stepping
out
on
to
the
track
and
snapping
a
lead
rope
to
the
number
three
horse
in
the
first
race
of
the
day.
Daisy
exchanged
a
few
words
with
the
jockey
and
then
led
the
gelding
back
toward
the
barn.
It
had
run
a
decent
third.