on but a big smile.
"Excuse me," she said the second time it happened.
"Small kitchen," he said hoarsely. If she touched him again he was going to have to take a cold shower before supper time.
She and Chigger carried the dinnerware out to the deck and set places on the glass-topped table surrounded by four chairs.
"Might as well have a seat. No, not there. You can't see Jarod from that angle. Pull your chair around here beside me. That way we can watch them," Chigger said.
"Chigger, for the last time. We are not compatible. He's a rancher—"
"And you are a vet who loves animals. What better combination? Hell, you could dress up as a nurse in one of them little short sexy things from Victoria's Secret and he could be your horse and—"
Daisy stuck her fingers in her ears. "Shut up or I'm leaving," she hissed. God Almighty, didn't Chigger understand she didn't need a bit of help in creating a scenario with Jarod? And she sure didn't need sexual props. One king-sized bed and candlelight was plenty.
"He sees me as a bartender and that's what I am more than a vet tech, which is not a full-fledged vet at all," Daisy said.
"You're a vet to all the folks around here. You bring that black bag of yours and do as good a job as any certified vet so don't give me that shit."
The tinny ringtone of "I Love This Bar" came from the living room loud and clear.
"Well, shit. I forgot to prowl through your purse and turn that damn thing off. Tell whoever it is that you don't have a vehicle and no one is driving you out to any ranch to pull a calf. Besides, you are wearing my sundress and you can't ruin it." Chigger kept talking the whole time Daisy rushed into the house and fished the phone from her purse.
"Hello," she said.
"Daisy, this is Cathy. I was about to hang up or leave a message."
"What's going on? Are you all right?"
"No," Cathy said.
"Talk to me," Daisy said.
"It got ugly last night. His name is Brad and he…"
"You have my permission to kill him. Want me to send the shotgun by FedEx?"
Jarod and Jim Bob stopped what they were doing and stared.
She covered the mouthpiece of the phone and whispered, "My cousin and her boyfriend. I'll explain later," Daisy explained and turned her attention back to the phone. "What are you going to do?"
"He's gone. He's not moving back in here," Cathy said.
"I can always use a damn good bartender at the Honky Tonk."
Cathy's heavy sigh came through the phone. "Thanks. I hate to leave Mena. It's home and my other job is here."
"Home is where you hang your hat, girl. Keep me posted."
She flipped her phone shut and turned to find Jarod and Jim Bob still staring.
"What?" she said.
"Someone going to get killed?" Jarod asked.
She perched on a barstool. "If I had my way about it I'd order up a backhoe for the Mena, Arkansas, cemetery today."
"And?" Jarod asked.
"Not that it's a bit of your business, but here's the story. Daddy was in the service and had an army buddy from Cherokee, North Carolina, where Momma lived. So he went home with the friend for a weekend and met Momma. Love at first sight and all that. They got married after a quick courtship and he moved her to Mena where he intended to come back to once he got out of the service. She got pregnant on their wedding night and he got killed a month later. So Granny moved from Cherokee to Mena to take care of Momma, who refused to leave the place where he was buried."
"God, that's sweet," Chigger said from the doorway.
"It was until I was about six months old and she found a new boyfriend," Daisy said. "Daddy had one brother who had a daughter, Cathy. We're only a few weeks apart in age and Mena's not a big place so we were pretty good friends. We usually meet in Dallas once a year for a couple of days and catch up on everything. That's who just
"Excuse me," she said the second time it happened.
"Small kitchen," he said hoarsely. If she touched him again he was going to have to take a cold shower before supper time.
She and Chigger carried the dinnerware out to the deck and set places on the glass-topped table surrounded by four chairs.
"Might as well have a seat. No, not there. You can't see Jarod from that angle. Pull your chair around here beside me. That way we can watch them," Chigger said.
"Chigger, for the last time. We are not compatible. He's a rancher—"
"And you are a vet who loves animals. What better combination? Hell, you could dress up as a nurse in one of them little short sexy things from Victoria's Secret and he could be your horse and—"
Daisy stuck her fingers in her ears. "Shut up or I'm leaving," she hissed. God Almighty, didn't Chigger understand she didn't need a bit of help in creating a scenario with Jarod? And she sure didn't need sexual props. One king-sized bed and candlelight was plenty.
"He sees me as a bartender and that's what I am more than a vet tech, which is not a full-fledged vet at all," Daisy said.
"You're a vet to all the folks around here. You bring that black bag of yours and do as good a job as any certified vet so don't give me that shit."
The tinny ringtone of "I Love This Bar" came from the living room loud and clear.
"Well, shit. I forgot to prowl through your purse and turn that damn thing off. Tell whoever it is that you don't have a vehicle and no one is driving you out to any ranch to pull a calf. Besides, you are wearing my sundress and you can't ruin it." Chigger kept talking the whole time Daisy rushed into the house and fished the phone from her purse.
"Hello," she said.
"Daisy, this is Cathy. I was about to hang up or leave a message."
"What's going on? Are you all right?"
"No," Cathy said.
"Talk to me," Daisy said.
"It got ugly last night. His name is Brad and he…"
"You have my permission to kill him. Want me to send the shotgun by FedEx?"
Jarod and Jim Bob stopped what they were doing and stared.
She covered the mouthpiece of the phone and whispered, "My cousin and her boyfriend. I'll explain later," Daisy explained and turned her attention back to the phone. "What are you going to do?"
"He's gone. He's not moving back in here," Cathy said.
"I can always use a damn good bartender at the Honky Tonk."
Cathy's heavy sigh came through the phone. "Thanks. I hate to leave Mena. It's home and my other job is here."
"Home is where you hang your hat, girl. Keep me posted."
She flipped her phone shut and turned to find Jarod and Jim Bob still staring.
"What?" she said.
"Someone going to get killed?" Jarod asked.
She perched on a barstool. "If I had my way about it I'd order up a backhoe for the Mena, Arkansas, cemetery today."
"And?" Jarod asked.
"Not that it's a bit of your business, but here's the story. Daddy was in the service and had an army buddy from Cherokee, North Carolina, where Momma lived. So he went home with the friend for a weekend and met Momma. Love at first sight and all that. They got married after a quick courtship and he moved her to Mena where he intended to come back to once he got out of the service. She got pregnant on their wedding night and he got killed a month later. So Granny moved from Cherokee to Mena to take care of Momma, who refused to leave the place where he was buried."
"God, that's sweet," Chigger said from the doorway.
"It was until I was about six months old and she found a new boyfriend," Daisy said. "Daddy had one brother who had a daughter, Cathy. We're only a few weeks apart in age and Mena's not a big place so we were pretty good friends. We usually meet in Dallas once a year for a couple of days and catch up on everything. That's who just
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