Second Chances (Nugget Romance 3) by Stacy Finz

leaning her head toward Darla.
    Better than Donna’s . “Fine. But make sure you’re only applying your conditioner from the ears down. Not on the scalp. That makes your hair dull.”
    “Really?” Emily said, and the other women gathered closer.
    “I switch my shampoo brand every six to eight months,” Pam said, clearly wanting validation.
    “That’s important,” Darla said. “Also try to use milder shampoos—something with a lot of fatty acids and protein.”
    “Darla knows everything about this stuff,” Harlee bragged.
    “The thing is,” Donna said, “we all get our hair done in Reno at a place I’ve been going to for fifteen years.”
    “I totally understand.” It was starting to look to Darla like if she wanted to make inroads in this town it would have to be with the male population. Her dad’s old clients. Basically, all that time she’d spent studying at a fancy salon would be wasted on giving ranchers and railroad workers buzz cuts.
    After they left the yoga studio, Harlee said, “Don’t get discouraged, Darla. There are other women in Nugget. Not everyone wants to travel forty-five minutes for a great stylist.”
    Darla let out a sigh. “I know. It’s just that they’re the popular girls.”
    “The popular girls?” Harlee laughed. “Where are we, in high school?”
    “You know what I mean. I’m starting to think it was a mistake coming here.” For far bigger reasons than her lack of business.
    Every day she saw Wyatt coming and going from the police station. The sight of him, so manly in his uniform, was torturous. Not to mention that she thought about him every day—of what might’ve been, but would never happen now.
    “Maybe I should’ve gotten a chair in a low-rent Sacramento salon until I built up a good clientele. Then I could’ve moved to a nicer one.”
    Harlee stopped in the middle of the square’s greenbelt and put her hands on her hips. It was colder than the North freakin’ Pole, so they both burrowed deeper into their down jackets. “You are so not giving this a chance. Businesses take time to get off the ground, Darla.”
    “Okay. Okay,” she said, knowing that it would be easier to agree with Harlee than tell her the real reason she was having second thoughts about having moved to Nugget.
    They walked the few remaining yards to the barbershop and Harlee pulled her car keys out of her purse. “You want to drive together to the open-house deal on Saturday?”
    “Sure,” Darla said. “I can’t wait to see the development. My dad says the homes are like mansions. Last time I saw the place, they were just being built and the whole town had their panties in a bunch over it.”
    “Why?” Harlee asked.
    “They were afraid Nugget was getting too built up. That it would lose its down-home charm.” Darla made a noise of exasperation. “Anyway, you’ll love Griffin, the king of hotness.”
    “I’m looking forward to it. Even the bowling.” Harlee laughed. “I haven’t been out out since I left San Francisco. I might even wear my Jimmy Choos.”
    “Well, come early and I’ll straighten your hair for you.”
    “Darla, I can’t afford you. Otherwise, I’d come in for the works. Colin is even trying to talk me into selling my Mini Cooper.”
    “The straightening is on the house, hon. And Colin is right. The car is precious, but totally impractical for the Sierra. So you and Colin hanging out a lot?” Hopefully one of them was getting some.
    “Just friends,” Harlee said, and Darla didn’t press further. She had her own man trouble to figure out.
    When she got inside the barbershop, the Nugget Mafia was there, lounging around the waiting room, drinking coffee and discussing the big topic of the day: Griffin’s open house.
    “I tell you, that boy is up to his ass in alligators,” Owen said, “between the gas station, his custom bike business, and that Sierra Heights fiasco he wasted his money on. Who’s gonna buy one of those fancy-pants houses in