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Ugh! Driving in Dallas was something I definitely hadn’t missed. It had been months since I had been in traffic anywhere near this congested. The craziest it ever got in Sweetwater Springs was when Jimmy Don rear-ended Otis Blankenship’s chicken truck in the middle of town. Traffic backed up all four ways at the flashing red light while everybody tried to round up the chickens that were making a run for it before they were headed back to death row. I blinked a couple of times and squeezed my eyes together to focus. I looked over at Hunt and he seemed to be taking it in stride.
“I always hated driving in from Buckhead when we lived here. These drivers make me crazy.” I sucked in a quick breath as an SUV cut us off without warning.
“Relax, I’m fine with it. I got so used to driving in it every day, it really doesn’t stress me out anymore. Although, I do admit, I sure don’t miss it.” He looked over and smiled at me. The one with that killer dimple.
“How long have I slept? I thought we’d be getting close to your parents’ house by now.” I flipped down the mirror on the sun visor to check my sleep-smudged eye makeup.
“A couple of hours. You crashed about Little Rock. You didn’t snore too loudly,” he laughed. Seeing the look of horror on my face he quickly added, “but you looked like an angel while doing it.”
“Very funny.” Mortified, I checked for drool in the corners of my mouth. I reached into my bag and retrieving my cosmetics pouch, began to touch up my splotchy makeup.
“Glory, you’re not stressed over meeting Mom and Dad, are you?”
“Of course not,” I lied. In reality, my guts were turning like a homemade ice cream freezer. The electric kind that doesn’t stop when your arm gets tired. “It’s just been a long time since I had to ‘meet the parents.’” I smiled.
“When Mom was sick a couple months ago, Dad and I spent a lot of time together. I told him so much about you. The doctors advised us not to discuss anything with Mom that might upset her during that time, so I haven’t said as much to her.”
“Upset her?” My phobia had just been validated. “I thought you said they were looking forward to meeting me! You told me that she’s a strong-minded woman and fiercely protective of her ‘guys’, but should I be worried?”
“They are both very excited to meet you. Let’s just say, you’ll know right up front where you stand with her. She doesn’t mince words. She’s just a southern-to-the-core, Texas lady. Did I ever tell you that she is a former Miss Texas?”
“What? No, but that certainly doesn’t help my anxiety right now! I can’t believe you never mentioned that!”
“Yeah, she won the year before she and Dad got married. She’s had to learn to be tough over the years with Dad and me both in law enforcement. I have mentioned you on the phone several times and I’m sure everything will be fine.” He grinned.
Great. I was already terrified his mother would hate me and felt like I might be sick at any minute. My nerves were getting the best of me and I frantically dug around in my purse for some breath mints.
“Are you nervous about meeting with Dad’s friend tomorrow? Are you ready to move forward with this?” Hunt said, still keeping his eyes on the road.
“I think so. It’s a scary step to take, but I’m tired of living with secrets. Especially when those secrets could lead us closer to justice for Dave. I don’t want his killer to live another day of freedom because I was too afraid to speak up for him.”
After several turns, the traffic thinned, and I realized we were headed back out of the city again. I watched as civilization turned to fence-lined pastures, barns, and flat landscapes.
Since our only choices in transportation were my old Honda and Hunt’s pristine, completely restored 1966 Ford Mustang, we had opted to make the trip in his department-issued truck. Hunt slowed the truck and turned into a drive taking us under a towering arch that read Lonestar Ranch. Taking in the sight of the sprawling stone estate was doing nothing to slow my heart rate back to normal.
“My word. The police retirement fund must be better off than I thought.”
He laughed. “This isn’t police money. This is cattle money. My mom’s family owns one of the largest cattle ranches in this half of the state.” He slowed and turned into a circular drive flanked by beautifully manicured landscaping. In the center of the circle was a fountain, its central feature a star with water shooting from each point. Below the star was an L and two C’s stacked on top of one another.
“Excuse the gaudy fountain,” he laughed. “Not sure that turned out exactly like my mom envisioned. The company is Lonestar Cattle Company, so it was supposed to be a replica of our cattle brand, but I think it turned out looking more like a Christmas tree.”
He pulled to a stop. I took one last look in the mirror, trying to fluff up that flat spot on the back of my hair you get while sleeping in a car. Giving up, I flipped the mirror up, took a big breath, and slid out of the truck. By the time we got the bags out of the truck, the front door swung open and the welcoming committee burst forth. Hunt’s dad and mom were knocked out of the way by two huge Airedales bounding toward us at warp speed.
“Brace yourself!” Hunt screamed, just two seconds too late. The force of the dogs colliding with us, knocked me back a step and I tripped over the luggage Hunt had just set on the ground. I grabbed for the truck door handle but missed. Stumbling backward, I ended up flat on my wide backside in the middle of the fountain pool. I must have looked like a drenched gift under a squatty, spraying Christmas tree.
“Jesse! Frank! Get off her!” Hunt yelled as the two dogs licked the water off my face. Grabbing them both by their collars, he guided them out of the pool where they proceeded to shake gallons of water onto every piece of luggage we brought.
“Honey, are you alright? I’m so sorry!” He held out his hand to pull me up out of the water, desperately trying to suppress a laugh that was about to bust his britches.
I swiped my dripping, board-straight hair out of my eyes and glared up at him. “Don’t you dare laugh, Hunt Walker.” Despite my less-than-svelte body, now with the added weight of soaking wet jeans, he easily pulled me to my feet and out of the water. I looked up as his parents were already down the front steps and making a beeline toward us. This is not how I had planned on meeting his beauty queen mother!
I guess I had envisioned his mom as a frail, little old purple-haired lady on a walker or something after her heart problems, but what I watched in agonizingly slow motion was a beautiful woman gliding toward me with her arms outstretched. She grabbed me in a huge hug, obviously taking no thought to the fact that she was getting soaking wet in the process. She took a step back and looked me over, top to bottom, then looked over at Hunt.
“Oh, Hunter, she’s everything you said she was.” Looking back at me, she smiled a beautiful smile and her blue eyes lit up, just like her son’s. “Come inside, honey, and let’s get you changed into something dry. The boys will get the bags.”
She wrapped her slender arm around my shoulder, hugging me to her and we headed into the house, leaving the guys behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see Hunt give me a grin and a wink. I had a feeling he had been having a little too much fun watching me squirm about meeting his Mom.
“Follow me and let’s get you settled into your room. I know you’ll feel better when you can get out of those wet clothes.” She led the way toward a beautiful staircase.
“Are you okay to be climbing the stairs? I’ll be happy to find it, if you can just point me in the right direction.” I was worried she might overdo with company coming in.
“Oh, I’m fine. My doctor said the stairs were good exercise for me a few times a day. I’m being extra careful not to overdo.” She smiled back at me as we started the trek to the second-floor bedrooms.
“Mom, you take it easy, okay?” Hunt said, catching up with us on the stairs.
She turned and gave him a patient smile that screamed, If we didn’t have company, I’d be giving you what for.
Hunt’s dad wrangled the dogs through the door and shut it behind him. Hearing Hunt’s protective question to his mom, he joined us on the stairs. “Son, I learned years ago that giving your mother unsolicited advice was not in my best interest. You’d do best to bite your tongue. She’s going to do exactly what she thinks needs to be done and no amount of talk is going to stop her.” He smiled up at his wife and gave her a wink.
We reached the top of the stairs. “Hunt, you’re in your old room and I thought Glory would love the blue room.” She nodded toward a door just down the short hall to the left then turned back to me. “It’s my favorite bedroom in the house, except for mine, of course. The furniture in here belonged to my parents.”
“I was an interior designer for many years in this area before I retired and moved to Alabama.” I watched as she opened the door to the bedroom and then followed her inside. “This is stunning, Mrs. Walker. It really is.” My eyes took in the calming blue hue on the walls and luxurious bedding in soft linen neutrals. The shams were trimmed with an open whipstitch and monogrammed with a “W”. I ran my hand along the antique headboard and turned back to see her beaming such a genuine, loving smile, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Please, call me Jenny.”