The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(52)

“I thought you liked Jed.”

“I do, but you know what they say about preacher’s kids. They’re the orneriest kids that ever lived and I want a sweet little grandbaby, not a hellion. I done already raised one red-haired spitfire and that’s enough,” Nancy told her.

Stella could tell that the incident from her sophomore year passed through Nancy’s head but she didn’t mention it. Back when the rumors started and Stella came home crying about the way she’d been treated at school, Nancy had told her to hold her head up high and not let anyone take her dignity. And then she’d said that they would forget what happened and never mention that boy’s name again.



Rhett had traded his signature tight-fitting jeans for loose khaki shorts, his cowboy boots for sandals, and his western-cut shirt for a three-button knit the same color as his dark-brown eyes. He kept up with two Frisbees flying at him from Luke and Tanner, laughing and joking with them the whole time.

Piper sat in a lawn chair and watched. She’d worn cutoff jean shorts, a flowing gauze shirt with swirls of bright blue and hot pink, and flip-flops that evening. She was glad for the shade trees in Nancy and Everett’s backyard and the cool breeze that barely ruffled the tree leaves.

Charlotte brought a couple of those church fans out of her purse and handed one to Piper. “When I was a little girl, I wondered why they put Jesus on one side of these things and a funeral home advertisement on the other side. Sitting out here in this god-awful heat I’ve figured it out.”

“It’s to remind you that if you haven’t done something about your soul by the time you die, you’re goin’ somewhere seven times hotter than this, right?” Piper asked.

Charlotte stirred the air with the fan. “You got it. There’s Stella. Looks like she and Nancy made up.”

“Now how do you know that? Stella is by herself,” Piper asked.

“It’s the look on her face. She doesn’t look like she could chew up railroad ties and spit out Tinkertoys. She absolutely looks happy,” Charlotte answered.

“I hope you are right. Praise the Lord, and I mean that from the depths of my heart. I hate it when they argue. I love them both,” Piper said.

“Hey, you boys ready to do some serious ice-cream makin’?” Everett called out.

Both boys dropped their Frisbees and ran toward the back of the yard with Rhett right behind them. He shot a wink toward Piper on the way and high color filled her cheeks.

Stella and Nancy each pulled a chair close to Piper and Charlotte, creating a semicircle. Before anyone could say a word, Everett yelled, “We’re puttin’ on music to turn the crank by. We’re listenin’ to Collin Raye here first.”

“My Kind of Girl” reverberated off the trees and Boone grabbed Charlotte by the hand and danced around the yard with her while singing at the top of his lungs. The lyrics said that he asked her if she’d like some music and she asked if he had any Merle, and that’s when he knew she was his kind of girl.

Charlotte was hot and breathless when the song ended and Boone returned her to her chair, kissed her on the tip of her nose, and bowed deeply. “Thank you for the dance, ma’am.” He went back to the fish-frying kettle.

“My pleasure.” Charlotte giggled as they locked eyes. “Now please tell me that you two are right again and promise us that this won’t never happen again.” She looked at Stella.

“We’re okay,” Nancy answered. “You got a good man there. It’s in the eyes.”

“For real? What do you look for?” Piper asked.

“If you can’t see to the bottom of his soul, then walk away,” Nancy said.

Rhett crossed the yard and held out his hand to Piper. “May I have this dance, ma’am?”

She stood up and he slipped his arm around her waist for a two-step to “Love, Me.” Collin sang about reading a note that his grandma wrote back in 1923. The lyrics said that if he got there before she did not to give up on him, that he wouldn’t let her down and it was signed, “Love, me.”

Rhett whispered, “If I get there before you do, I’ll wait for you, Piper. I’m not in a hurry and I’m not rushing you, but I like the way I feel when I’m near you. Like Collin is singing, I won’t give up, because this feels right.”

Piper’s pulse raced and her heart skipped a beat or two. She nodded and whispered back, “I really don’t even know what to say other than to tell you that it feels right to me, too.”

He drew her closer and buried his face in her hair, brushing a hidden kiss across her forehead. “That’s enough for today.”

He returned her to her seat, bent, and kissed her fingertips before he jogged back to take a turn cranking the ice-cream maker.

“Oh, my! You must’ve stepped in front of Stella and my prayers hit you,” Nancy said. “That boy’s eyes say it all.”

“And now for some Restless Heart and then we’ll listen to some George Jones,” Everett said.

“Everett loves company. We should’ve had a dozen kids, but God only gave us Stella,” Nancy said.

“He loves people almost as much as he does fishin’ and country music,” Stella said.

Everett came across the yard and held his hand out to Nancy. “What do you say, Mama? Shall we show these kids how it’s done?”