Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(45)

“We’re here for a straight answer. Did Henrietta break her vow and make a phone call for you?” Dora June glared at Lizzy.

“What makes you think that she did?”

“We heard some news to that effect,” Ruby said.

“And if she did?”

Dora June crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Lizzy. “Then we will excommunicate her from the ladies’ group.”

“Shit. Whatever happened to spreading Christian kindness? We were stuck down there in a ditch. She showed up and we asked for help. Why would you treat your good friend like that? Y’all have all three been friends for years and were friends with my granny before her mind got bad. I can’t believe the way you are acting. Before long there won’t be enough women to make up a club. Come on, lay down your heavy burden of hate and stop this shit,” Lizzy said.

“Did Henrietta call Blake?” Dora June asked again, this time through clenched teeth.

“I was not in the car with Henrietta. What she did or did not do is between her and God and really not a damn bit of your business.” Lizzy picked up the black kitten and held it close to her chest. It stared up at her with bright blue eyes and purred when she started to pet it.

“I hate cats,” Ruby said.

“I love them,” Lizzy said coldly.

“That’s all you’re going to tell us about Henrietta?” Dora June snapped.

“That’s all I can tell you. If she was a Good Samaritan, I hope God puts an extra jewel in her crown. If she didn’t call, then that’s on her. If y’all want to throw her out of the ladies’ group, then tell her she’s welcome at Audrey’s on Wednesday nights for supper. That way she won’t be lonely while y’all are down at the church getting your weekly dose of self-righteousness.”

Dora June shook her finger at Lizzy. “You are an abomination unto the Lord.”

“Maybe so but I’ll talk to him tonight about it and we’ll work out my problems. I don’t need your help, but I did need Henrietta’s yesterday morning. And if she made a simple call, then I’ll be glad to thank her.” Lizzy put the kitten in the basket with the others. When she straightened up the women were on their way out the door and Blake Shelton’s voice singing, “I Still Got a Finger,” filtered down through the hole in the roof.

Lizzy shook her fanny to the beat of the music and held her hands above her head to keep from using her tallest finger to show Dora June and Ruby what she thought of them. After all, they had been her grandmother’s friends and she should respect that part of their past. Besides, there was hope that they would see the light at the end of the tunnel before the train hit them head on.

“This music is pretty dang good,” she told Stormy. “Nothing against Conway. He’s a king in my books, but I do love some Blake Shelton.”

When the song ended, she slipped out the back door and walked all the way to the other side of the alley so she could see what was going on up there on the roof. She was amazed at the sight. It looked like a whole crew of gangly monkeys crawling around on her roof. No wonder it was so noisy inside the store.

“What do you think?” Allie climbed down the ladder with a nail gun in her hand.

“I think you’ll have it done today at that rate. Where’d those kids come from?”

“Deke rounded up a dozen of them to help take care of this job and the one I’ve got lined up next,” Allie said.

“And that would be Herman’s new hay barn, right?”

Allie put the tool away in the back of her truck and pulled out another one. “Battery needs recharging. I’ll take it into the store and plug it up soon as I take this one up to Deke. And yes, it is Herman’s new barn. That’s all I’ve got on the docket right now so after that’s done I’m going to start on my own house. It needs painting on the outside and some wood replaced around a few windows.”

“I won’t worry so much about you since you’ve got help. Come on in the shop. Deke can run the crew and we’ll have a soda. You can play with the kittens and…” Lizzy paused.

“And what?” Allie eyed her.

“I need to talk and I’m scared.”

Allie yelled up from the bottom of the ladder. “Deke, send one of the boys down to get this. I’m going into the store for a little while.”

He gave her a thumbs-up sign and tapped a kid on the shoulder.

Allie looped her arm in Lizzy’s and together they tiptoed around the debris and twisted metal still lying everywhere between the alley and the store. “It looks like to me, if the tornado wanted to chew all this up, it could take it to a landfill somewhere and spit it out. Doesn’t seem fair that it tears it up and leaves it layin’ right here. Please tell me you haven’t been talking to Mitch and y’all are getting back together.”

“He’s married,” Lizzy said.

“No, he’s not. He will be over July Fourth weekend but not yet. He and that woman aren’t really married yet. Lucy told me that she won’t marry him until her daddy can perform the ceremony and her mama can be at the wedding. Mitch’s mama spread that rumor about him getting married so folks wouldn’t think he and that woman were living together.”

Lizzy went straight to her office, opened the refrigerator, and took out two cans of soda. She ran one over her forehead before she carried them to the counter where Allie sat on the floor with all four kittens in her lap.