Trouble In Dixie by Becky McGraw Page A

told her, "I had another
idea. You've saved all that damned money you won rodeoing, and
added a heap to it this weekend. Why don't we look for some
property, and train and sell cutters together? We could get a good
stud, and a couple of mares, and build from there."
     
    "I was saving that money to live on when I
quit the rodeo, when I retired," Katie told her, but the idea
percolated in her brain, and then took root. With a smile, she told
her sister impulsively, "Let's do it."
     
    Karlie let out a whoop, and the tattoo
artist jumped and almost dropped his gun, and they both apologized
and then giggled.
     
    The tattoo took longer than expected, but it
was perfect, when they walked out of the shop, arm and arm, happy
and identical again. When they got back to Bowie, they went to the
Blue Bird to get some lunch. It was past lunch time, so they didn't
have any trouble finding a table. Katie ordered a BLT with fries
and Karlie got a chicken salad. Katie felt better than she had in a
week, and managed to eat the whole sandwich, and half the
fries.
     
    "Glad you're eating, Kate," someone said
behind her, then Gabe walked past her and slid into the booth
beside his wife. "You feeling better?" he asked with his blue eyes
filled with concern.
     
    "Yeah, Karlie dragged me out of my funk,"
she said with a chuckle.
     
    "Bout damned time too," he said and huffed
out a breath.
     
    "I'm sorry if I've been trouble, Gabe," she
said mildly, and stabbed a fry into the glob of ketchup on her
plate.
     
    "You haven't been any trouble, Katie, we
were just worried about you," he said sincerely.
     
    "Thanks for saying that, but I know I've
been a royal pain in the ass," she told him and pinned him with her
eyes, "Admit it."
     
    He snorted, and said, "Well, not a roya--"
then his breath whooshed out of him when Karlie elbowed him in the
ribs. He chuckled and shoved her back playfully, then leaned in to
give her a tender kiss.
     
    Katie looked down at her plate, as her heart
tweaked and sadness filled her again, but she fought it back, along
with the hopelessness that would never know that kind of love and
connection in her life.
     
    "What the hell is that!" Gabe shouted then
stood up to look down at Karlie, pointing toward her hip. Katie's
heart surged up into her throat and she swallowed it back down
along with the french fry that had lodged in her throat.
     
    "It's a tattoo...look," she said then pulled
down the waistband of her shorts, so he could see it.
     
    "Holy, shit, sugar..." he said, then shook
his head and huffed out a breath, before he sat back down beside
her.
     
    "If you be good, I might let you lick it,"
she said then leaned over to lick his earlobe.
     
    "Mmm..." he murmured and turned his face to
find her lips again for a scorching kiss. "I'm always good, sugar,"
he said in a low sexy drawl.
     
    Katie threw down her napkin and got up,
"I'll be back," she said and headed toward the bathroom. Her
stomach didn't feel so good, and she thought she might have
overdone it with the greasy fries. When she got inside the
bathroom, she quickly ran for a stall and lost her lunch.
     
    She hovered over the toilet for a minute
trying to get her stomach to settle, then she went and rinsed her
mouth and splashed her face. Katie had never had a weak stomach
before, she hoped she hadn't caught the flu or something. She felt
her forehead and it was clammy, but cool. She wiped under eyes, and
washed her hands, then walked back to the table, and sat down.
     
    "You okay, sis? You look pale," Karlie told
her.
     
    "I'm fine...just a little indigestion...I
probably shouldn't have eaten so many fries," she said with a
forced smile.
     
    "Karlie tells me you two are going to start
a cutter operation...I think that's a fantastic idea. I told her
about some property I saw for sale over on the road by Cassie and
Luke's place the other day. There's an old line shack on it that
could probably be remodeled pretty easily for living quarters, and
a big