CHAPTER 15 #2
She had no idea when school ended but thought there’d be enough time to make another batch. This time she would roll the dough into smaller balls and space them apart so they wouldn’t touch.
A knock sounded at the door, prompting Poppy to bark.
Is school already out?
She opened the door to find Clayton on the other side, carrying a basket like Little Red Riding Hood.
“I guess this makes me the big bad wolf,” she said, glancing behind him. “Where are the girls? ”
“They went to change out of their school clothes,” he said. “They’re riding their bikes down here.”
“What’s in the basket?” She stood on her tiptoes and peeked inside.
“Momma made her famous chocolate chip cookies.”
“Clayton!” she cried.
“What?” he asked, his eyes widening.
She motioned for him to enter and pointed to the mess in the kitchen. “I baked cookies for the girls, but the first batch didn’t turn out.”
“Didn’t turn out?” Clayton inspected the cookie sheet cooling on the rack. “Looks like they got real friendly in the oven.”
“Thanks, Captain Obvious.”
“Haven’t you made cookies before?”
“No, actually, I haven’t.” She attempted to lift the giant cookie with a spatula but it shattered into a million pieces.
Clayton chuckled, the deep sound grating against her last nerve. He plucked a broken piece off the tray and popped it into his mouth. “Not bad, actually. Could use a little less . . . burn.”
“Shut up, Clayton.”
“Look here,” he said, yanking the dish towel from the basket. “Nobody’s going to know the difference. We pass these off as yours, and it’ll be our little secret.”
Jamie wasn’t in the habit of lying to small children, but she wouldn’t have time to make a new batch. Anyway, it was his idea to lie to them, and she was just going along with it.
“You put up the picture,” Clayton said, pointing at the fridge.
She’d secured the girls’ drawing with a nashville sounds magnet, one that had already been on the fridge. “Yes, I did.”
The front door swung open and the girls dashed inside .
“Hi, Miss Jamie!” Charlotte said, breathing heavily. “We rode here super fast!”
“Girls,” Clayton said, holding out the basket. “Miss Jamie baked you cookies—chocolate chip, your favorite.”
They each grabbed a cookie and took a bite.
“Wow!” Emily said with chocolate stuck to her top lip. “These are better than Granny’s.”
Clayton grinned and nodded. “Now, don’t go telling her that.”
“Where’s Poppy?” Charlotte asked, reaching her hand inside the basket again.
“Where is Poppy?” Jamie scanned the room. “Poppy Rose . . .” She turned to Clayton. “Where’s Duke?”
“He’s at my brother’s house.”
“Poppy!” Jamie called again, her voice sharp with panic. She spun in place, eyes darting around the room. Her chest tightened and she looked at Clayton. “Did you let her out?”
Clayton ran a hand through his hair, glancing toward the entryway. “Not that I know of.” He moved toward the hall, scanning the floor. “She couldn’t have gone too far, now.”
Jamie barely heard him. Her pulse hammered as she rushed to the door, yanking it open. A gust of cool air hit her face. “Poppy!” she shouted.
Silence.
Her heart lurched. No sound of tiny paws. No jingling collar. Just emptiness stretching beyond the porch. She spun back to Clayton, her breath shallow. “We have to find her. Now.”
Clayton grabbed his jacket, his expression shifting. “I’m on it.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Jamie,” Emily said. “We’ll help you find her. ”
The girls hopped on their bikes and called the dog’s name. Clayton let out a sharp whistle, fingers hooked in his mouth. Jamie winced, clapping her hands over her ears.
“Let’s head over to Nolan’s,” Clayton suggested.
“Poppy’s never been there,” Jamie huffed, lowering her voice. “I can’t believe you let my dog out.”
“There’s no telling what happened.” Clayton’s long legs covered one stride for every two of hers. “Maybe she went looking for Duke.”
“I doubt it.” Jamie shook her head, striving to keep pace with him. “She has better taste than that.”
The twins pedaled down the dirt road as Jamie and Clayton called the dog’s name every few seconds.
No answer. When they reached Nolan’s house the girls barely slowed down, dropping their bikes in the yard before dashing inside.
Moments later they burst back outside, jumping up and down, their excitement unmistakable.
“Poppy’s in here!” Charlotte said. “Come quick!”
“Oh my God!” Jamie instantly feared the worst. If anything happened to her dog she would never forgive Clayton. Poppy was the first being to love her unconditionally.
She ran into the house and found Nolan holding her dog.
“Poppy Rose!” she exclaimed, gently prying her from Nolan’s grasp. “Are you okay?” She examined her body for cuts or scratches while the dog licked her face, tail wagging enthusiastically.
“I called you,” Nolan said to his brother as he stepped inside the house, “but your phone went straight to voicemail.”
“Do you get a signal out here?” Jamie checked her phone and saw the 5G working. “Is anything wrong with Poppy?” she asked the vet desperately .
Nolan chuckled. “No, nothing’s wrong.” He pointed at Duke, who was curled up beside an identical Labrador Retriever. “She’s pregnant. I’d estimate about two or three weeks along, based on the pregnancy test I gave her.”
“What?” Jamie asked, bewildered. It must have been an immaculate conception since she was sure she’d been spayed. “What do you mean she’s pregnant? She hasn’t been—” She glared at Duke and pursed her lips. “I’m going to kill you, Clayton.”
Jamie said goodbye to the girls and stormed out of the house, too angry at Clayton to see straight.
In just a week her life had spiraled into chaos—Derrick was fake-dating someone barely out of high school, her perfect poodle was having puppies with the dumbest dog on the planet, and somehow she had a number-one country song with Old Hickory.
Could her life get any worse?
She power-walked back to Clayton’s house, cradling Poppy against her chest like a lifeline. Her heart pounded in time with her hurried steps, her mind a storm of anger, humiliation, and disappointment.
The second she stepped inside she made a beeline for the phone. Forget waiting. Forget cooling off. She needed out. She grabbed the landline and punched in Ruth’s number with sharp, stabbing jabs.
Her pulse hammered as the dial tone rang in her ear. Pick up, pick up, pick up.
She couldn’t stay here another second. Not with him.
Not in a place that smelled like him, where his voice still lingered in the air.
She needed to be anywhere but here—preferably in Shorty’s condominium, curled up on the couch, shoveling popcorn into her mouth while people with too much hair product made bad decisions on reality dating shows.
“What’s up, boss?” Ruth answered, her tone cheerful.
“Don’t call me that.” Jamie’s voice came out tight .
“I’m just messing with you, James.” Ruth laughed, chewing her gum. “How’s the ranch?”
“Call me an Uber. Now.”
A pause. Then, “Uh . . . sure. Where to?”
“Shorty’s.” Jamie pressed her fingers to her temple. “I’ll explain everything when I get there.”
Jamie collected her toiletries from the bathroom and looked into the mirror.
She hadn’t worn any makeup since arriving in Franklin, but she couldn’t risk looking bad if some paparazzo snapped her picture.
She skipped the base coat and applied eyeliner, mascara, blush, and lipstick.
She removed her topknot, flipped her hair upside down to add some volume, and shook it out.
She tossed her head back and shrieked, “Holy shit!”
“Sorry!” Clayton said, standing behind her. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Well, you did.”
He pointed to the mirror. “It’s Jamie Keaton!”
“What do you want?” she quipped.
“Real sorry about Duke.” He dipped his head, letting the silence settle for a second before looking back up, a slow grin spreading. “But hey, darlin’, we’re going to be grandparents!”
“I love that for you,” she snapped, arms crossed tight.
“Look, I didn’t know Poppy wasn’t spayed.”
“Neither did I.” She continued, “I rescued her from a shelter and I assumed they’d done it. I mean, she never gets her period.” She turned around and placed her hands on her hips. “Why isn’t Duke fixed?”
“He will be after this. Nolan said big dogs ought to wait a year.”
“Duke’s a puppy who’s going to have puppies? ”
“He’s turning one this month,” he said, following her out of the bathroom. “The girls can hardly wait. They got their hearts set on taking one of the puppies—if that’s all right?”
“Fine by me.” Jamie folded the pile of clothes she’d left on the bed. “They can take all of them as far as I’m concerned.”
“Duke’s their first dog and they’re crazy about him.” He continued, “Tammy never did want a dog in the house when she lived here.”
“Why not?” she asked, deliberately avoiding his gaze. “Is she allergic or something?”
“She doesn’t like them.”
Jamie scoffed. “Who doesn’t like dogs?”
Clayton’s ex-wife sounded like a real gem.
He exhaled sharply and pointed at her suitcase resting on the bed. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” She yanked the zipper closed with more force than necessary.
“You’re leaving because of this?” His voice edged toward disbelief.
She let out a dry, humorless laugh. “No, Clayton.” She turned to face him, hands planted on her hips. “I need to finish my album. I can’t stay here forever playing Little House on the Prairie.”
“What about those threats?” Clayton asked, his voice tight with concern.
Jamie sighed, shoving another shirt into her already overstuffed suitcase. “I’m not worried about it.”
“Well I am.”
She yanked the zipper closed. “I can take care of myself.” Straightening, she glanced at him. “Thanks for letting me crash here, but I’m not about to let Derrick get the better of me.”
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. ”
She frowned. “What?”
“Fitzgerald,” he said with a shake of his head. “Look, I’ll own up to kissing you on New Year’s, and maybe he’s trying to get even.”
Her hands stilled on the suitcase handle. “You think Derrick’s behind this?”
“I’m saying it’s a possibility.”
She exhaled sharply, rolling both suitcases toward the door. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder, her voice quieter, firmer. “And don’t ever kiss me again.”