Daisies in the Canyon(56)

“Waylon. He’s a cousin to Nona’s husband,” Bonnie said.

“Hey, ladies. Where’s Rusty this morning?” Loretta and Nona made their way from the other side of the church to talk to them.

“He went with Cooper to deliver a prisoner somewhere,” Bonnie said. “Good morning.”

“I need my sunglasses,” Abby said.

“They got into Ezra’s moonshine last night,” Bonnie whispered.

Nona gasped. “Sweet Jesus.”

“What do you know about Ezra’s moonshine?” Loretta looked down at her short, blonde-haired daughter.

“Enough to know I don’t want to try it a second time.” Nona smiled and stuck out her hand toward Abby. “I’m Nona. You must be Abby, the oldest one of Ezra’s girls. Y’all should come to Lonesome Canyon for lunch today.”

“We are going to Amarillo to get our nails and hair done and do some shopping. You should come with us,” Shiloh said.

“I’d love to, but the in-laws are here for the day.” Nona tilted her head toward the other side of the church. “Maybe next time.”

“Sure thing. Come on by the ranch this next week if you have time,” Shiloh said.

“And y’all have an open invitation to come to Sunday dinner or come visit at Lonesome Canyon, too,” Loretta said.

“Thank you,” Bonnie said and nudged Abby.

“I’m sorry. This hangover is a bit—bitter sucker.” She smiled. “I’m pleased to meet you, Nona. Like Shiloh said, come on over and see us or come around about dinnertime any day of the week.”

Abby turned her phone back on while they walked from the church to Shiloh’s van. She had two more messages from Cooper. The first one said: Did the aliens come get the bull last night?

The second one said: Home by three.

There was another one from Rusty that said: Will take care of evening chores. Have fun in town.

She slipped her phone back in her pocket. “How far did you say it was to that café?”

“It’s at the top of the north end of the canyon. Not very far,” Bonnie said.

“You can get there in about twenty minutes,” a voice said behind them.

They all turned at once.

“Hello, I’m Waylon Stephens. I met these two last week.” A man stuck out his hand toward Abby. “You must be Ezra’s other daughter. I can tell by the eyes.”

“Abby Malloy,” she said.

His handshake was firm and his eyes kind. His dark hair feathered back and had been cut recently. No wonder Shiloh was smiling so big. He was a very handsome cowboy. Not as sexy as Cooper, but if beauty was in the eye of the beholder, then sexiness probably was also.

He dropped her hand and nodded. “All y’all will have to come over to my little spread sometime. It’s right across the road from Malloy Ranch.”

“Drop by our place. We have dinner every day at noon. Be glad to have you,” Shiloh said.

Abby heard a bit of breathlessness in Shiloh’s voice. Maybe by the end of the year, Shiloh would have something more than a ranch to keep her in the canyon.

“Hey, Waylon,” Loretta said. “You comin’ to Sunday dinner?” She and a whole group of folks had filed into the aisle behind Abby.

“Of course, he is.” Nona was hugged up to her own cowboy. “This is Travis, my husband, Abby.”

“Pleased to meet you,” she said.

Lord, did she have to meet the whole canyon before she could get out of the church? Her stomach was growling and she really, really needed to put her sunglasses on. The fluorescent lighting mixed with the sun’s rays pouring in from the windows didn’t do a thing for the remnants of a lingering headache.

“I can’t imagine having a married daughter and expecting twins at the same time,” Shiloh said.

Abby wanted to strangle Shiloh. Another conversation just meant longer in getting out of the church and to the food.

“Me, either. Fate has a wicked sense of humor,” Loretta said.

That day she wore a cute denim dress with pleats at the top and bright red buttons down the front and red cowboy boots. Her red hair was pulled up in a messy twist with curls on the top, making her look even taller.

No wonder Cooper had fallen in love with her when he was a boy. A woman who could look that good pregnant had probably been movie-star pretty at eighteen.

“Ain’t that the truth about fate,” Shiloh said. “I never expected to be here at my age trying to learn how to run a ranch.”

“From what Rusty and Cooper say, you’re all doin’ a fine job to only have been here a week. In a year, it’ll all be old hat.” Loretta smiled. “We’d best get on out of here if we’re going to have dinner before suppertime. Remember now, our door is always open.”

“Thank you,” Shiloh said.

“I can read your mind.” Bonnie poked Abby in the ribs.

“Oh, yeah, what was I thinking?”

“That Cooper said you were doin’ a good job. It made your eyes go all soft.”

“Oh, hush. You might know a little about hangovers, but you aren’t an expert on love, and besides, Rusty said it, too. Did that make your eyes go all soft?” Shiloh said.

“No, ma’am. I am not here to catch a husband and I don’t need praise from Rusty or Cooper,” Bonnie answered.