The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(73)

He slowly shook his head. “Neither one, but only by the grace of God. I was tested for everything before I met you and I’m clean, and there are no children. I should have told you before, but I was afraid I’d lose you and I’m not sure my heart could keep beating if I didn’t have you in my life. But that barbecue thing is getting close and I want to give you the opportunity to—”

She laid a finger across his lips. “I don’t want to end our marriage. I love you, Jed. And you didn’t get a saint, either. I’m glad you fessed up, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Can we please bury the past and go on with our lives?”

“No one has ever accepted me like you have, Stella,” he whispered. “I’ve been living in fear that you’d tell me you couldn’t stay with me since I have that much baggage.”

“And I lived in fear that you’d tell me to hit the road when I told you about the scandal in Cadillac, so we’re even. Now kiss me and let’s don’t waste any more of this night.”

“I can do that,” he said.

His lips closed over hers and she finally let go of the past and looked forward to the future.





CHAPTER NINETEEN

It’s almost time for Stella’s birthday,” Charlotte commented as she checked her appointment book.

“I can’t believe that my boys will be home soon. Lorene has been wonderful to let them call every day, sometimes several times,” Piper said.

“I truly believe that Lorene loves those boys.” Butterflies fluttered around in Stella’s stomach. By her birthday, everyone would know that she was married. The thought of being a preacher’s wife would be scary even if she’d had a halo and wings, and Stella Baxter had neither. Marriage alone was a sobering venture and being a preacher’s wife . . . well, that added an extra dimension, then throw in the fact that she still hadn’t found a way to get her hands on a pregnancy test. Since she hadn’t had any more nausea since that day, she forgot about it sometimes for a whole hour, but then something like Charlotte’s knitting would remind her.

Piper grabbed the broom and dustpan. “Blasted crickets. Little demons are worse this year than they’ve ever been. And Stella, there never was a question about Luke and Tanner being all right with Gene’s folks. It was me that would have gone to pieces and turned into an alcoholic if you hadn’t let me move into your house while they are gone. Oh, and they’ve offered to keep them the night of the barbecue ball. They’re going to take them to the waterslide in Wichita Falls that day, spend the night in a hotel, and the next day they’re going to a movie. It’s their little vacation with the boys.” Charlotte carried a basket of white towels to the front and they all started folding. “It wasn’t a matter of letting us move into her house. She couldn’t do a thing about it.”

“Hey, y’all know you are welcome anytime, just like I know if a sumbitch ghost of a preacher’s son that drinks too much beer invades my house, I can go pack my suitcase and be welcome at your homes,” Stella said.

The bell rang and a stranger looked around, taking stock of the beauty shop. She was one of those delicate women with near-transparent skin, dishwater-blonde hair, and blue eyes, which now darted from one of the three friends to the others. “Hello, I have an appointment for a shampoo and comb-out with Piper. I wasn’t expecting three of you.”

“I’m Piper. This way to the shampoo chair. You are”—Piper ran a finger down the page in her book—“Katy, right? I don’t think you’ve been here before.”

“My first time.” She almost smiled. “Alma Grace Magee said that I should come see you.”

Piper whipped a cape around the woman and touched the foot pedal that leaned the chair back. “She is so sweet. I’ll have to thank her for the recommendation. You’ve got lovely thick hair.”

“Thank you. Sometimes I wish the powers that be would have given me less hair and more height, though. I go to the same church that Rick does and got to know Alma Grace when they started dating. We all love her,” Katy said.

“This is virgin hair, isn’t it?”

Katy smiled. “Yes, ma’am. No dyes for me. I’m much too busy to keep up with all that. I’ve got two little boys and a full-time job. You have children?”

“Two boys, twins. They keep me in line pretty good. They’re with their dad for his two weeks’ summer visit right now and though they get to call home often, I feel like my world isn’t right,” Piper said.

“I’m a single mom, too, but my husband hardly ever sees the boys. He said that he’d think about having them come visit when they were both fully potty trained.” Katy’s tone went from warm to icy. “At least your ex is a good man who loves his boys.”

“Yeah, right.” Charlotte stuffed towels into the cabinet above the shampoo sink.

“He has them for his summer visit, right?” Katy asked.

“Yes, he does,” Piper said.

“And his name is?” Katy asked.

Piper’s Spidey senses went into the red danger zone. Who was this woman and why was she fishing?

“Gene Stephens.”

“Small world. His mama goes to my church, too,” Katy said.

Piper rinsed Katy’s hair and then poured in the conditioner. “It’s a small world especially around this part of Texas. If you aren’t kin to someone, then one of your relatives knows someone who is, and if the gossip isn’t juicy enough when it gets started, believe me, it will be by the time it filters down to the last person to hear it.”