“We don’t want to. Isn’t she pretty?”
Her eyes traveled down the body of the large dog. “Yes, she is.”
“Can we keep her?” Caroline lisped.
“No!” Willa lowered her shrill voice. “She must have gotten away from her owner. I’ll call Animal Control.” As soon as the words out of her mouth, she realized it was Sunday, and the town didn’t have the funds to employ someone to pick up strays on the weekend. Thinking quickly, she took out her cell phone and called the sheriff’s office, and the dispatcher promised to send someone immediately.
Willa carefully walked closer to the children and dog until she was within touching distance. Then she took each girl’s hand, tugging them away from the dangerous-looking dog. The dog whined when she stepped back, placing the girls behind her back.
She was at her back door when Charlie and Leanne came outside. The little boy stopped then ran forward before she could stop him. Leanne went slower, not wanting to appear as excited.
“Where did she come from?” Charlie asked in awe.
“I don’t know. Come back here.”
Charlie reached out to pat the dog, ruffling his fur.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Willa warned.
“Why not? He’s friendly.”
Willa was about to push the girls inside when Knox opened her side gate.
“Thank God you’re here,” Willa said in relief. She hadn’t known who to protect first.
“What’s up?”
Willa waved her hand at the massive dog. “I don’t know how he got in my backyard, and Animal Control is closed today.”
Knox went to the dog, sticking out his hand to be sniffed, and the dog licked his hand after a few moments.
“How is Sissy adjusting?” Willa took advantage of the opportunity to ask about her former foster child as he petted the dog. She had an appointment with Diamond later this week, and she was going to use the opportunity to ask for information since Flora refused to give her any news on the girl, citing privacy guidelines. However, this gave her a chance to keep her appointment strictly business.
“Good. She’s spending time with Sex Piston and her crew.”
“That must be fun for her.”
“I don’t know about that,” Knox said. “She thought making fun of Diamond’s doomsday prepping was hilarious until Sex Piston heard her. Now she’s trying to survive working in Sex Piston’s beauty shop part-time.”
Willa could imagine the biker women making toast of Sissy if she showed them her teenage angst.
“She seems pretty friendly.” Knox said, drawing her attention back to the dog. His hand went to the collar Willa hadn’t noticed. “Her name is Ria.”
“Does it say who to call?”
“No, but if she belongs to someone, they usually call the dog shelter. It will be tomorrow before we can find her owner if she belongs to someone.”
“Of course she belongs to someone, or she wouldn’t have a collar,” Willa reasoned.
“Not if the owner couldn’t take care of her anymore. Sometimes, they let them loose, hoping they’ll find a new home. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to get rid of her.”
“I don’t have any place to keep her. I guess I could chain her up at the dog shelter. They’ll find her when they open in the morning.”
“Let her stay tonight,” Charlie begged.
Willa didn’t even think twice. “She may be dangerous. I can’t take the chance with the children.”
“I can test her and see if you want. I’ve had several dogs, and we have a K-9 on the force.”
Willa didn’t want to keep the dog, regardless, but the children made it hard to say no.
They stood around as Knox gave the dog a series of commands that she followed. Even Willa could see the dog was well trained.
“I’ll be right back,” Knox said before disappearing to the front of her house then coming back with a bag of dog food.
“I keep an extra bag in my car for Bane when his handler works double shifts.”
Willa watched as Knox fed the dog out of his hand.
“You have a bowl?”
Leanne ran inside the house, returning with one of her fine china bowls that had been from when her mother was married. Willa didn’t chastise her, watching closely as Knox filled the bowl with dog food then sat it down in front of the dog. He took the bowl away after the dog ate a few bites, and the dog sat down on it haunches, wagging its tail.
“I’m no expert, but I think she’ll be fine around the kids.” Knox’s hand smoothed over the dog’s head. “You can drop her off at the shelter in the morning,” Knox reminded her.
“Please, can we keep Ria tonight?” Charlie moved closer to the dog as if Willa would snatch her away.
“I suppose one day won’t make a difference,” Willa relented.
“Yay!” the children all yelled.
“We are not keeping her, though,” Willa said firmly.
“I’d say she’s housebroken. She won’t be too much trouble. The shelter’s pretty full right now. I had to call them Friday on a hoarder. She’ll have to be put down if they don’t find her a home.” Knox wasn’t helping.
Willa shot him a glance as the children began crying, begging her to let the dog stay. Charlie and Leanne glared at her like she was a monster.
“She can stay for a few days until I can find her a new home.” Willa caved in to the children’s cries.
“I’m glad that’s settled. Anything else I can do for you, Willa?”
“No, I think you’ve done enough,” Willa said reproachfully.
Knox gave her a grin, and Willa thought she caught sight of a tongue ring before he caught her staring. He gave her a wink before leaving. Willa blushed when she remembered Diamond’s words from the night before.
“Wait, what about my cat? Is she going to eat it?”
Knox’s lips twitched. “The cat give you those scratches on your arms?”
“Yes, she doesn’t like me, but she likes the kids. Will the dog eat her?”
“If you’re lucky.”
Willa looked at him aghast, not finding the imminent death of her cat funny.
“The dog won’t bother the cat.”
“You’re sure?”
The cat under discussion wandered languidly across the yard as they talked. When the dog bounded over to the feline, Willa waited for the cat to run or Ria to use the cat as a toothpick. Then the dog lowered his head to sniff the cat, and the feline retaliated by viciously swatting the dog on the nose. The dog took a step backward, whining.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Give me a call if you want me to take the cat to the shelter.”
Willa waited until he was a few feet away before muttering, “Jerk face.”
Knox came to a stop, turning back to face her. “Did you say anything?”
“I said have a nice day.”
* * *
Lucky was waiting for Knox when he arrived back at his office.
“She keep Ria?”
“What the fuck do you think? After I told her what you told me to say about putting the dog to sleep, the kids bawled. Made me feel like shit.”
Lucky grinned. The massive brother hid that he had a weakness for kids and squirrels, but Lucky was more than aware of it.
“How did you talk Colt out of Ria?”
“I gave him twenty thousand for her. According to him, the dog has the most protective instincts of any dog he’s trained.”
“You buy Willa a cheap engagement ring that all the women are bitching about and then buy her a twenty-thousand-dollar dog trained to be a K-9, and she doesn’t even know you bought it for her protection?”
“Yeah.”
“Shade’s right; you are a dumbass.”
Chapter 16
Willa stared down at the engagement ring on her finger, twisting it around and around. She felt like the smile pasted on her face wo
uld break, and her friends would know she was a big, fat fake.
“How about this one?” The elegant saleswoman held up a beautiful white gown with elaborate beading.
“I wanted something plainer, and it’s too puffy.” Willa regretted letting Beth and Lily talk her into this fiasco. “We’re getting married at the courthouse. Do you have a dress that isn’t so formal?”
The woman nodded, lowering the dress. “I’ll be right back.”
“Willa, even if you’re getting married at the courthouse, you still want to feel like a bride.” Lily placed a hand on her arm. “Do you see the one on the mannequin? It’s beautiful.”
“It’s too small.” She had seen the dress the moment she had entered the store. If she was really getting married, she would have tried to shove her body into the small size, but her engagement wasn’t real.
“They may have it in your size. We could at least ask,” Beth prodded.
The saleslady returned, carrying a plain white dress that was exactly what she had asked for.
Willa stood. There was no way to fight the inevitable; she was going to have to try it on.
“I’ll put it in the dressing room for you.”
“Thank you.” Willa began to follow her.
“Wait, she wants to try this dress on, too.” Lily had gone to the mannequin and was touching the filmy material.
“We have another out back. I’ll just grab it and put it in the dressing room also.”
“Don’t bother; it won’t fit.” Willa tried to stop the women from taking over, but it was useless.
“Don’t worry; we have it in a larger size.”
Willa couldn’t come up with another excuse, finding herself in the dressing room with the door closed and the two dresses hanging from the hook.
She tried on the short one first. It was exactly what she had been searching for. It wasn’t expensive, and she planned to give it to the church store after her engagement to Lucky ended.
When she walked outside, coming to a stop in front of Lily and Beth’s chairs, both women gave her encouraging smiles.
“It’s very pretty.”
Beth nodded at her sister’s comment. “It’s perfect for a courthouse wedding.”
“Yes, it is,” Lily agreed unhappily. “Will you at least try on the other dress?”
“I shouldn’t.” Willa hesitated, seeing the disappointment in their expressions. Sighing, Willa gave in to them. “I’ll try it on.”
Their faces became expectant as Willa went back into the dressing room.
“This is a really, really bad idea.”
“Did you say something?” the saleswoman asked from outside the door.
“I said I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Take your time. If you need any help, let me know.”
“Can you get me out of here?” Willa prayed silently, taking the dress off the hanger and carefully sliding it over her head.
It went on much easier than she expected. Willa turned to face the mirror, her breath catching in her throat.
“This isn’t fair.”
The dressing room door opened, and the saleswoman zipped her up.
“Let’s show your friends.” She gave Willa’s hand a tight squeeze, leading her into the other room.
Lily and Beth both blinked back emotional tears.
“That’s it!” Beth jumped up, hugging her.
Willa stared at herself in the mirror as a veil was placed on her head.
“How much is it?” Willa croaked.
“Fifteen hundred.”
“It’s too expensive. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
Lily stood, stopping her from leaving. “It’s Beth’s and my gift to you. Willa, the dress was made for you.” Lily kissed her on the cheek, hugging her close.
“I can’t accept—”
“Oh, yes, you can,” Lily stopped her. “You’ve given us and the clubhouse enough cakes and candy to pay for the dress. Please, Willa, we both want you to have something special. You deserve a beautiful day.”
“It’s too much.” Willa shook her head.
“I have an idea. If you don’t feel comfortable wearing this one to the courthouse, you buy the other white dress to wear. Then wear this one to the reception at the church,” Lily reasoned.
“We’re not taking no for an answer. We’re buying the dress, and you can wear which one you want Saturday.” Beth motioned for the saleswoman who was exuberant at selling two dresses.
Willa stood as she was fitted then went back to the dressing room to put her clothes back on. She should go back outside and tell the women no then go home.
Willa returned to the front of the store with every intention of following through with her decision, but found Lily and Beth both waiting by the front door.
“We have to hurry, or you’re going to miss your appointment with Sex Piston.”
Beth and Lily both went outside.
Willa caught up with them at her van. “What appointment?”
“Don’t you remember? Sex Piston made a hair appointment for you at her shop during your bachelorette party.”
“I don’t remember that. I’ll call and cancel. I told Evie I would be gone an hour. I can’t leave her babysitting while I get my hair done.”
“She already knows.” Lily opened the van door, climbing into the back, and Beth sat down in the passenger seat.
“This is going to be bad,” Willa muttered, getting in behind the steering wheel.
“What did you say?” Beth’s curious eyes stared at her as she started the van.
“This is going to be fun.”
* * *
Lucky disconnected the call. If Train called him one more time, he was going to drive to Ohio and kick his ass. Shade had won the bet, and none of the other brothers wanted to leave town. He also hadn’t talked to Willa about the club, fulfilling his own side of the bet. He needed to tell her before Sissy did; leaving her without the information made Willa vulnerable.
He punched in Willa’s number, and it took several rings before she answered.
“Hello?”
“We need to have a talk. Are you doing anything tonight?”
“I’m busy tonight. How about tomorrow? We could meet at my house at one. Leanne and Charlie will be at school, and the girls will be taking a nap.”
“I’ll see you then.”
“All right.”
Lucky hung up, already dreading the meeting. Willa was too innocent to understand the sexual side of the club. Worse still, she was going to be disgusted and angry that Sissy had found out. It was a good thing their engagement wasn’t for real, because he had a feeling she was going to throw that cheap-ass ring at him.
When his cell phone rang again, he promised himself, if it was Train again, he was going to change his fucking number. Looking at the caller ID, however, he saw it was Knox.
“What’s up, brother?”
“I have some good news. One of the investigators found the kids’ relative, and he’s flying in from Texas. I’m going to meet his plane in Lexington in the morning. We’ll be in Treepoint by noon.”
“He’s willing to take the kids?”
“Yes, he owns a ranch and has a housekeeper. I checked him out, and the state will, too, before they give him custody of the children, but I don’t see a problem. He’s a bounty hunter who works his ranch until he’s called out on a job. He said he’ll take a couple of months off to get them settled before he goes back to work. He’s used to catching felons on the run and has staff working on his ranch, so he doesn’t think the kids are going to give him any trouble. Your ass is off the line.”
“Willa’s going to take it hard. She’s grown attached to them.”
“I agree. You want to tell her before I bring him by to meet them?”
“I’m meeting her tomorrow at one. Give me an hour to tell her.”
“Will do. What about you? You still going to
keep your bet with Shade?”
“Yes, I made the bet, and I’m going to keep it. Besides, I don’t trust Sissy. She’ll find a way to hurt Willa.”
“I’ll see you around two.”
Lucky set the cell phone down before he was tempted to break it like he had the last one. He sat down on his chair, expecting to feel relief that the engagement would be broken, and Willa’s conscience would be off the line for caring for the children. Instead, he was hurting so badly it was everything he could do not to find out where Willa was and go to her, check into the nearest motel, and show her exactly how he felt about her. He buried his head in his hands, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He couldn’t listen to his heart and take the chance Willa would be hurt. He would tell Willa tomorrow. He would also check out the relative himself. It should only take a couple of days, and then he could finally tell Train he could come home as soon as he found a new pastor to take over.
Everyone would be happier in the long run—everyone but him.
Chapter 17
“You’re early,” Willa stated, opening the door at Lucky’s knock. Her hand went to Ria’s head as the dog sat down next to her.
“I wanted to get it over with,” Lucky stated coldly.
Her smile slipped when she saw the grim look on his face, and she opened the door wider for him to come inside. He walked into the living room then waited for her to join him, but her footsteps lagged. She could tell whatever he was going to tell her was bad.
Yesterday had been one of the best days of her life, losing herself with Beth and Lily by pretending for a short time that Lucky would marry her, help her keep the children, and in time fall in love with her. Miracles happen every day, so it could happen, she had told herself while Sex Piston had worked on her hair.
“Bitch, who’s been working on your hair?”
“I’ve gone to a couple of different beauty shops, and I experimented with color myself a few times,” Willa apologized, brushing her hair away from her face.
Sex Piston ran her hands through her long hair, surveying it critically.
“Can you fix it?”
“I can try. I’m good, but some of it’s going to have to be cut. It’s all different lengths from you going short too long.”