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“Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing?” Roy Johnson said as he took Cammie’s hand to kiss it.
“Put your filthy lips on her skin and die,” Lucky growled as he crossed the living room to the door that had just been opened to the lowest scum of the earth.
Roy stopped mid-action and allowed Cammie’s hand to fall back to her side. “Well, I see Charlene didn’t teach you how to properly greet guests,” he commented, looking over her head.
“You’re not a guest. You’re not welcome here, and don’t you dare talk about my mother while standing there in your designer suit and overpriced shoes, knowing you impregnated her and couldn’t even cough up a dollar to help her raise your child.”
“Lucky!” Cammie turned to face him, but as she caught sight of his expression, which he was sure spoke volumes, she simply lowered her eyes and fidgeted with the simple gold band on her ring finger.
“Why don’t you go rest, baby? It’s been a long day.”
Nodding meekly, obviously uncomfortable standing between the two men, she did as asked, escaping to the kitchen.
Lucky quickly stepped forward as his father prepared to take a step inside. “Anything you have to say to me can be said right here on the doorstep. You are not setting one foot inside my wife’s family home. Her people were good people. I won’t have you soiling their property.”
Roy backed up and shoved his hands into his pants pockets, but judging by the tight set of his jaw, Lucky would bet money those hands had clenched into fists.
“This doesn’t have to be ugly.”
“It already is, asshole. My whole damn life has been ugly,” Lucky replied. “You didn’t give a damn before. I see no reason you should give a damn now. How did you even find me here? I haven’t lived here long enough for my name to show up attached to the property.”
“Well, I’m sure you know that small town folks can obtain and relay information faster than any internet search engine,” Roy said, smugly. “It didn’t take very long to get your home address.”
“Did you tell them you were the jackass that abandoned me as a baby?” Lucky crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. “Aren’t you scared they’ll tell and ruin your shot at mayor?”
“I see you’ve done your research.” Roy didn’t bother to hide his disdain.
“Like I said, my mama didn’t raise no fool. I know your game now, Roy.”
“This isn’t a game, boy. This is my life.”
Lucky smiled. “I don’t care about your life, just like you never cared about mine. Like father, like son.”
Roy’s face reddened. “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. All you have to do is agree not to go to the Nebraska papers or confirm your paternity if they somehow dig it up, and it’s yours. Are you so vengeful that you’ll refuse such an offering?”
“Damn straight I am, and if you dare bother my wife in the future, you’ll be dipping into that hush money to pay for your breathing tube,” Lucky warned as he slammed the door in Roy Johnson’s face.
He turned to find Cammie standing in the hall, arms folded, blazing eyes filled with water.
“Cam?”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” A few tears spilled over. “He offered you that much money and you’re not taking it?”
Dammit. Lucky ran a hand down his face and took a deep breath. “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple!”
“Oh, really? But it’s simple to sell this house that has been in my family’s name since I was a baby, and to risk your life trying to ride a wild animal!”
“It’s not like that!” Lucky yelled, frustration getting the better of him. “If there was any other way—”
“There is another way,” Cammie yelled back. “You just slammed the door in the face of it!”
“That’s dirty money, Cammie. I won’t take it.”
“Did he get it by robbing a bank?”
“He got it by robbing me of a better childhood!”
“Whatever.” Cammie threw her hands up in the air and stormed up the stairs.
Lucky would be the first to admit he didn’t know nearly enough about women, but one thing he knew for sure, ‘Whatever’ was the kiss of death, especially when laced with as much venom as Cammie’s had just been. A man could ignore it and say goodbye forever, or he could take a deep breath and plunge into the icy waters he’d have to get through to reach his woman’s good side again.
Lucky took a deep breath and trailed after Cammie, finding her in the bedroom pulling on her long nightshirt. It was white with a little yellow chick on it. The baby bird wore glasses and held a book in its hands. Beneath it, in red letters, it said, “Smart Chick.” For some unexplainable reason, Lucky found it sexier than the tiniest, silkiest lingerie.
“What are you grinning at?”
Lucky shook his head, deciding that based on the hard set to Cammie’s mouth, this was not the time to tell her how hot she was in her silly, shapeless nightshirt. “You’re still mad.”
She stared back at him as if he’d sprouted a second head, before rolling her eyes and muttering about his genius potential.
“Cammie, I don’t expect you to understand, which is why I didn’t tell you about the money.”
“I’m your wife. Something that big you tell me about,” she advised as she fluffed the pillows on her side of the bed, punching at them angrily. “We could use that money.”
“I can win that much in Denver. I can win more than that.”
“It’s not guaranteed, Lucky. This is. If you take your father’s money—”
“No!”
Cammie jumped at the ferocity of his response and Lucky felt like a heel.
“Cam, you know I care about you and will do anything I can do to get you what you need, but you can’t ask me to take that man’s money. Doing that would be like selling my soul to the devil.”
“I’d sell my soul to the devil to help you,” she said so low he could barely hear her, but loud enough to wound him.
“It’s not that I don’t care about you, Cammie. I’m going to win the purse in Denver, and I’m going to take care of you, I promise.”
“You just don’t get it.” She sat on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. “I want you here. It’s not about the money.”
“Then why are we arguing about the money?”
“We’re not! We’re arguing because you’re choosing pride over what’s best for us!”
“What?” Lucky threw his hands up in exasperation. “I took a job I didn’t even want on my big brother’s ranch for you! I feel like a damn baby tugging on his coattails, but I’m doing it anyway so I can take care of you!”
“I’m not a child,” Cammie shouted back. “I don’t need you to take care of me. Dammit, I just need you to... to...” She turned her face away, but not before fresh tears flooded over.
“You need me to what, Cam? What do you need from me?”
“If I have to tell you, it isn’t real,” she said softly before rolling onto her side and shoving the pillow beneath her head. “I don’t want to talk anymore. I just want to sleep.”
Lucky took the pillow from his side of the bed and turned for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“The couch. I’m letting you sleep.”
Lucky left the room, the sound of Cammie sniffing back sobs tearing at his heart. They hadn’t even made it a month without him making her cry. He reached the couch and fell back onto it, burying his face in his hands. He prayed Cammie would sleep well once her tears stopped falling. He knew there was no hope of the same for him.
****
“KEEP SCRUBBING LIKE that, honey, and you’re going to put a hole in it.”
Cammie glanced up from the table she was wiping down to see Flo frowning at her as she counted out change for a customer, and straightened. Her back ached with the movement, joining with the pain already attacking her legs, but she pressed on, just as she had been pressing on every day since Lucky had left her two weeks earlier. He hadn’t even said goodbye. She’d awakened to a handwritten note explaining his absence. The most infuriating part was that in his note, he’d said he’d left for her.
“Hear from Lucky?” Flo asked as Cammie joined her behind the counter, her voice kept carefully neutral as she rolled silverware.
Cammie grabbed some napkins and started helping. “He sent me his winnings from Dallas.”
Flo’s eyebrow arched at that, but thankfully she didn’t voice the thought Cammie could see stirring around in her head. Why hasn’t he called? Oh, she supposed she could call him, but why? He was the one to leave, and without a proper goodbye at that. He could be the one to call and make amends, or better yet, come back home.
“Big winnings?” Flo finally asked, breaking the silence.
Cammie shrugged, wincing at the stiffness in her neck and shoulders. “He did good, but the purse wasn’t that large. The real money is in Denver, or at least that’s what he says.”
“Honey, I couldn’t run a diner in this town, mingle with all these ranchers and wannabe cowboy superstars, and not know about the upcoming rodeo in Denver.” She shook her head. “I can certainly understand him competing in it. It’s a big purse, and it’s not so far away. What I don’t get is why he jumped back on the circuit now to compete in those other cities. I thought he was working with his brother.”
“Chance gave him the time off. I’m sure they’re in touch frequently. Lucky doesn’t have to be there at the ranch to help him with the horse breeding.”
“I imagine it would certainly help if he was,” Flo murmured. “And shouldn’t you know for sure if they’re in touch? Doesn’t he call home and tell you what’s going on?”
Cammie pressed a hand to her belly as a wave of nausea rolled over her. “We haven’t talked about that,” she answered, not quite lying, but she felt as if she were and she hated it. Flo was like a mother. She should be able to talk to her openly and honestly about her marriage. She imagined she would be able to if her husband loved her.
Another wave of nausea rolled over her, and she took a deep breath. She’d done a lot of thinking over the time Lucky had been gone. She had no clue why he’d married her. Maybe it was guilt over the baby she now knew she wasn’t pregnant with, or maybe he simply saw his brother get married and thought he should too. Whatever his reason, it wasn’t because he loved her. His father had two hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of proof of that.
“Honey, are you all right? You look kind of green.”
Cammie wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and it came back with a sheen of cold sweat. “Yeah, I’m good. I think maybe I’m coming down with a bug.” She turned her head to find Flo studying her with narrowed eyes, head cocked to the side. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Flo grinned. “I was thinking maybe you were pregnant, but it’s probably too soon for that.”
Cammie noticed the diner in the corner swallow down the last of his cola. She quickly went to refill his glass, escaping any further conversation about pregnancy and children. She knew it was inevitable that people would eventually ask when she and Lucky were planning on having children. Heck, after their quick marriage, she was sure half the town already thought she was pregnant, Flo included. She didn’t want to field questions on that topic so soon. It was bad enough being stared at throughout church service when people should have been focusing on the sermon, not on her.
The bell over the door chimed as Delia Mayberry entered the diner. Cammie groaned as the busybody took a table that allowed her a view of the entire dining area. She was sure it was intentional.
“Sweet tea?” she asked as she approached the table, already knowing Delia’s order. Veggie salad. She ordered the same thing every visit.
“My usual,” the meddlesome woman answered. “You already know that.” She took a long moment to study Cammie, gaze lingering on her belly. “I heard Lucky headed out on the circuit after your quickie marriage. I hope things are all right.”
Cammie turned away, rolling her eyes as she walked behind the counter to fill a glass with sweet tea. Knowing Delia’s order by heart, Flo had already put it in and the salad was ready to go out.
“You want me to take it out to her?” Flo asked as she started placing the rolled silverware into a tub.
As tempted as she was to say yes, Cammie knew she would still have to deal with the woman at some point. “I got it, Flo.”
“You don’t look well,” Delia commented as Cammie set her order in front of her. She sipped the sweet tea. “The first pregnancy is always the hardest.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Cammie stated firmly, “and you can spread that fact to the masses along with the other gossip you’ve collected this week.”
Delia’s eyes widened as if surprised someone would take offense to her remark. “Now, Cammie May, there’s no sense getting upset about someone noticing. Why, you’re not even showing yet. You just look a little unwell, which is certainly understandable, given your state. I had it easy. My husband was at home, which—”
“I’m not pregnant,” Cammie repeated, placing her hand on the table as her vision went black for a moment. She thought she might have swayed, but couldn’t be sure if it was her moving or the diner. “And it’s just Cammie. Furthermore, not everyone has to be pregnant to get married, like we all know you were, but have the decency not to judge.”
Delia straightened in her seat, head held high. “You can think whatever you want to think about me, Mrs. Masters, but my husband never left my side. Where, exactly, is yours?”
“Delia, if you’re so happy with your life and marriage, why do you feel the need to meddle in everyone else’s?”
In the back of her mind, Cammie wondered why she just didn’t walk away, then realized she couldn’t. Her hand on the table was the only thing keeping her from falling right over.
“Babydoll,” Flo called out behind the counter. “Are you all right over there?”
“She looks like she’s about to throw up,” Delia answered for her. “Please go be sick somewhere away from my table,” she continued. “There’s no need to continue acting as if you’re not suffering morning sickness when everyone in town knows the only way you could have gotten Lucky Masters to marry you was to get him to knock—”
There was a loud smacking sound and Delia’s head snapped back before Cammie’s vision went black again.
This time, the darkness took her under.