Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(21)

Allie nodded curtly. “Well, thank you so much for that. Now I don’t have to make up excuses not to come to the meetings every week, and I can stay home with my wild cowboy and do things that would make your eyes roll around in your heads. I’m going back to work. Y’all have a right nice day.” Allie disappeared into the back room again.

“You have decided what about my girls?” Katy stepped out of the shadows. Her tone was colder than water dripping off icicles, and if that wasn’t steam blowing out her mother’s ears, Lizzy would clean the house for six months without a single whiny word.

Martha tilted her head up. “It has nothing to do with you. When they get grown, we realize we can’t control them but they do have to be accountable for their sins.”

Before Katy could form a sentence, Toby swaggered into the café. His faded blue T-shirt that advertised a rodeo from three years before stretched across his broad chest and his worn work jeans that perfectly hugged his butt.

“Hey, Lizzy, I need a few more fence posts. I thought the store opened at eight,” he said.

“It does and I’m on my way back over there right now. You can walk with me. Want Nadine to pour us up a cup of coffee or a sweet tea to go?”

Martha sighed.

Dora June gasped.

Henrietta and Ruby glanced his way and then looked up at the ceiling. Maybe they were praying that he’d drop dead right there between table number four and the checkout counter. If so, God wasn’t listening that day.

“Your biggest takeout cup of sweet tea would be great, Nadine. Tearing up that mesquite is thirsty work, and Herman is getting ahead of us.” Toby threw an arm around Lizzy’s shoulders and pulled her close.

“Back to my girls.” Katy glared at all four women.

“You heard us,” Ruby said.

“One of those cowboys over at the Lucky Penny is my son-in-law. The other is dating my daughter, so consider this a verbal resignation from my post as president. I will bring all the books to church on Sunday and y’all can do whatever you want. I will not be a part of this ugliness,” Katy said.

“What is going on here?” Toby whispered.

“They’re ousting me and Allie from their ladies’ group at church and Mama just resigned. They know they’ve stepped in it because Mama does a hell of a lot for the church,” she said.

“You don’t need to do that,” Ruby said.

“It’s done.” Katy held up a palm to stop any more comments. “I’m going back to work like Allie did. See you at lunchtime, Lizzy. Don’t work too hard, Toby.”

“Because of me and Blake?” Toby asked.

“Yes, it is.” Dora June took a step forward. “We thought you’d give up and be gone by now. You all have reputations that preceded you into our community. It does look like y’all might succeed at the Lucky Penny. But it is our business who is allowed into our church organization.”

Lucy got between Toby and Dora June. She shook her head slowly from side to side as if she couldn’t believe what the woman had said. “Y’all need to pull your heads out of your asses and use them for thinkin’ rather than condemnation. It’s going to take five of you to do Katy’s job at the church, not to mention what all she gives in money to keep the church going.”

Nadine handed Lizzy two tall takeout cups of sweet tea. “These are on the house, Lizzy. I’m so sorry about all this.”

“Not me. It gives me more time to spend with Toby. Y’all all have a great day, now. Lucy, are you coming with us?”

“No, I’m stayin’ right here. I’m not nearly finished with what I got to say.”

Toby waited until they were out on the sidewalk to explode. “That is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. This isn’t the cave days. I’m glad we’re out of there before them old gals start pullin’ hair and scratchin’ at each other’s eyes. That was even worse than some bar fights I’ve seen. You sure you want to go on with this?”

“More than ever. Those old hens are not about to tell me what I can or cannot do with my life. Let them stew. If they sit in hot water long enough, it might even soften them up a little bit. Let’s go get those fence posts.”



Big black storm clouds gathered in the southwest, blotting out the sun on their journey up tornado alley. The radio weatherman said that the temperatures would drop slightly by midnight because of the rain blowing in but that by morning it would all be over and the sun would be out again.

Lizzy had gotten out of her truck and was on the first porch step when she noticed Toby sitting on the swing, a beer in his hand and another one opened and sitting on the table beside him.

“Thought you might like something cold this evening. It looks like rain and feels like a tornado even though we are supposed to be past that season,” he said.

She sat down on the swing beside him and took the extra beer from his hand. While the first cold sip slid down her throat, she kicked off her boots and drew her legs up on the swing. Toby picked up her feet and spun her around so that they were laying in his lap. With cold hands he massaged her right foot, his fingertips digging into all the right places to make her groan.

“Feel good?” he asked.

“You can’t imagine. You have until midnight to stop.”