Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(68)

“You ain’t no fun at all,” Laney said with a pout.

“You were at one time. I remember that morning-after breakfast. Whoa! You look familiar.” Lisa eyed Lizzy like she was checking her for head lice or warts. “She looks like that woman that had Blake buffaloed. Remember that morning, Laney, when the grandmother showed up wearing that crazy outfit?”

“I’m her sister,” Lizzy said. “And she and Blake are married.”

“Well, shit! I wanted a chance at that cowboy.” Lisa sighed.

Laney giggled. “It was one wild weekend, wasn’t it? So Deke, you want to go home with us?”

“Naw, if Toby isn’t going, I’ll take a rain check. Y’all have fun. Y’all visitin’ someone here?” Deke asked.

Lizzy could have cut his tongue out with a rusty butter knife. She wanted to get away from the twins, not stand there and catch up with them.

“Our great aunt Myrtle is in here and it was our Sunday to drop by. Thank God she was sleeping so we didn’t have to stay. We came. We saw. We are going shopping if we can’t talk you two handsome cowboys into going home with us,” Lisa said.

“Didn’t you hear him? I am his girlfriend,” Lizzy finally said.

“Who cares? You can come along, too, and we’ll make it an orgy.” Laney winked.

“What did you mean, Deke? When you first came in from the rain you said this woman would hold him to something? What’s going on here?” Lisa asked.

“Nothing,” Deke answered. “I reckon we’d better get on down the hall to see Lizzy’s granny.”

“If you change your mind anytime between now and midnight.” A pen appeared out of nowhere and Laney wrote on Deke’s hand. “That is my cell number and we are always ready to party with you cowboys. Give me an hour after you call and I’ll be sure the ingredients are in the house for tomorrow morning’s breakfast.”

Lisa pushed a button above the light switch and an attendant came around the corner to poke in the exit code for that day. The fact that they could run through the rain on slick concrete in those high-heeled shoes left Lizzy completely speechless.

“I’m sorry,” Toby said.

“For what? Y’all ain’t really dating. Lizzy is a good sport and no one would have even known…Oh. My. God!” Deke slumped down into an overstuffed chair in the lobby. “Pretend is over and you are dating, aren’t you? That’s the only thing that would keep you from taking those two up on an afternoon of fun and games.”

“Yes, we are,” Toby said.

“And if you tell anyone, especially Allie, I will make sure they never find your body or bones,” Lizzy said.

“Dammit! I lost a good bar buddy.” Deke stood up, shoulders slumped in a grown-man pout. “Let’s go see your granny, Lizzy. You know she wouldn’t like this idea one bit. She wasn’t a bit happy with Allie for marryin’ Blake.”

“I’m dating him, not marrying him,” Lizzy said.



Black garbage sacks were stacked up at the foot of Irene’s bed. She was sitting in the middle of a bare mattress encased in a plastic protective cover. “It’s about damn time y’all got here. I called the moving company hours ago. You just can’t get good help this day and age. I swear to God, I’d send you on your way if I didn’t need you to take me home so bad.”

“Granny, I’m Lizzy, not the moving company.” Lizzy moved to the side of the bed and tried to hug her grandmother.

“Don’t you touch me, woman. I’ll scream and the prison guards will come and throw you in a dungeon,” Irene yelled. “You are here to take me home, not hugging me and trying to talk me into staying. I’ve served my time for falling in love with Walter and it’s time to get out of this prison.”

“Granny, let’s visit for a little while first.” Lizzy bit her lip to keep from weeping. Life was so unfair. Her grandmother had been such a force before the dementia. Walter had lived on the Lucky Penny more than thirty years ago, and evidently she’d fallen in love with him. Whether it went beyond a crush and flirtation, no one knew. But today her granny thought she’d been sentenced to prison for whatever happened.

“Take me home, please.” Irene’s blank eyes captured Lizzy’s as she begged.

“Lizzy, it’s not possible,” Deke whispered.

“Only for a day or two so she won’t feel like this,” Lizzy said softly.

“Talk where I can hear you,” Irene demanded.

“Let’s talk about this outside,” Toby said.

“Irene, do you remember me?” Deke pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed. “I’m Deke. I help Allie with her construction jobs and own a little spread in Dry Creek and do some rodeo touring. Remember?”

Toby looped his arm through Lizzy’s and led her out into the hallway.

“Hell, no, I have never met any of you. You are here to take me home. Where is Dry Creek? I live at Audrey’s Place,” Irene said.

Tears streamed down Lizzy’s face and Toby held her close to his chest. “Your mama told you that this happens. Is this the first time you’ve seen it?”

She nodded.

“Lizzy, you can’t take her home. She doesn’t even know where home is. Tomorrow she won’t even remember this,” Toby said.