Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(20)

She flipped on the lights and adjusted the thermostat, went to her office to take the day’s start-up money from the safe, and noticed that all five women had gathered ’round her checkout counter. The sorry hussies could at least try to find something on the sale rack, couldn’t they?

She busied herself with loading the cash register with bills and change from the bag. “What can I do for you girls today?”

“We’ve had an executive committee meeting at the church,” Dora June said in her most authoritative tone.

“Whoa! Hold your horses,” Lucy protested loudly. “I’m not here with this bunch of self-righteous women, Lizzy. I came to stand in your corner.”

“You aren’t part of the ladies’ executive committee at church anyway,” Dora June said.

“No and I don’t want to be if you’re going to play God and meddle where you ain’t got no business,” Lucy said.

“Spit it out. What have you ladies decided? Are you going with me to the honky-tonk to be sure I don’t get too drunk to drive home?” Lizzy asked.

Martha and Ruby sputtered so badly that Lizzy thought she should rustle up a couple of bibs to keep them from spitting all over the fronts of their shirts. Henrietta, the fourth woman, gave Lizzy a severe dose of stink eye, meant to fry her on the spot.

“Don’t you get sassy with me, young lady!” Dora June’s famous finger waggled in front of Lizzy’s face. “We are here to tell you that we’ve canceled your membership to the Ladies Auxiliary. You are not welcome at the meetings and you will not be a voting member anymore.”

“All because I went for ice cream with Toby? Or is there another reason?” Lizzy asked.

“We should have done this back when Allie was all but living with Blake. We know what went on in that house. She was caught in there wearing nothing but his robe that one evening and we know when that baby is due and they sure won’t be married nine months, either.” Dora June’s voice lowered like she was saying dirty words. “And we ain’t puttin’ up with it a second time. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, means we got our heads in the sand. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, but we aim to protect the integrity of our organization.”

“We had high hopes for you.” Ruby sighed. “Even after Mitch didn’t marry you because of …well, you know…we hoped you would settle down with another preacher.”

Lizzy could feel the steamy heat of anger whooshing through her ears. She wondered for a split second if it was visible as it shot from the sides of her head or if it really made a whistling noise like a freight train.

“And Mama?” Lizzy asked. “Y’all going to throw her to the curb? What about Allie? She married the father of her baby. Y’all going to take her down to the river and drown her sorry butt for sinning or just haul her out in the middle of the road and stone her to death?”

“The only thing your mama has done wrong is failing to control two of her daughters. We can’t punish her for your sins,” Henrietta answered.

“I expect one of you better get ready to put on the president’s crown because Katy won’t stand for this crap,” Lucy said.

“Are you going to ban me from church, too?” Lizzy grinned.

“No, there is a possibility that you might see the error of your ways, repent, and still yet find a godly man to take care of you,” Martha answered.

“Mitch broke me from looking for another godly man, Dora June. All I’m doing is dating Toby. Allie married his brother so are you going to tell my sister that she’s been excommunicated from our community church or shall I? She’s working down at Nadine’s today, building shelving in her pantry, but I can sure tell her if you don’t want to,” Lizzy said coldly.

“We are going there next,” Ruby said.

“Sweet Jesus!” Lizzy said from clenched teeth. “There’s more adultery going on in Dry Creek than in a soap opera and lots of pure old hot sex without the benefit of a marriage license. I’m surprised y’all got enough women to even keep your self-righteous club going.”

“Me, too,” Lucy piped up. “From the looks of things, I’d say there’s barely enough even now to put on a funeral dinner.”

“You best be careful, Lucy Hudson,” Dora June said tersely. “We’ll be leaving now.”

Lucy slipped back between the display shelves and pulled the phone from her pocket, called Katy, and told her to hang a sign on the door and meet her at Nadine’s in five minutes. “I’m going with you.” Lizzy could not believe this was happening in the modern world.

They paraded down the old wooden sidewalk, heads held high and determination on their faces. Mary Jo greeted the church ladies with a smile until she saw Lucy and Lizzy right behind them and Katy bringing up the rear.

“Something going on here?” she asked.

“Where is Allie? We’ve come to talk to her,” Dora June said loudly.

“Hey, Allie, you’ve got company,” Mary Jo yelled loudly.

Wearing cargo pants and a faded orange T-shirt, work boots, and carrying a hammer, Allie peeked over the top of the swinging doors into the kitchen. “What’s going on? Y’all need to put your name on the list for a job?”

Dora June took a step forward and delivered the news. The wide grin that spread across Allie’s face told Lizzy that her sister wasn’t going to deliver a speech hot enough to melt the paint right off the wall, or throw the hammer at Dora June’s head, either. Lizzy sighed. It wasn’t fair for them to get away with this whole thing without a single black eye, even if they were old women set in their ways.