Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“Just two mini donuts? That’s all you eat?”
Magnolia finished savoring her second donut before opening her eyes and looking at the man seated at the table across from her.
He looked like a cowboy wet dream in his plaid western shirt with the sleeves cuffed on his muscled forearms, his wheat-colored hair finger-combed back from his forehead and curling around his perfectly shaped ears, and his honey-gold eyes reflecting the sunlight coming in through the windows.
Right now, those eyes seemed to be pinned to her mouth. She licked her lips to make sure she’d gotten all the cinnamon and sugar off them before answering his question.
“Two is plenty.” When he continued to stare at her mouth, she grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser and carefully wiped it. “Did I get it all?”
He blinked. “Uhh . . . yeah. You got it.” He lifted his cup of black coffee and took a deep sip before setting it back down. “Plenty? These donuts are about a fourth of the size of a regular one. And if it’s the calories you’re worried about, you shouldn’t be. You’re skinny as a stick.”
There was nothing that warmed a woman’s heart more than being called skinny. “You think I’m skinny?”
He reached out to her hand resting on the table, his fingers manacling her wrist in a tight grip that caused her pulse to spike . . . including the one between her legs.
“Yes, I think you’re skinny.” Still holding her wrist, he picked up a donut from his plate and held it out. “One more donut isn’t going to change that. Go on, Maggie May. It’s obvious you love them.”
She did love them. And she wanted another one in a bad way.
Which was why she refused it.
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
He studied her for a long moment before he released her.
“Suit yourself.” He popped the donut into his mouth and immediately closed his eyes and moaned.
Her pulse spiked again as she watched the look of pure pleasure play out on his handsome features.
Cinnamon and sugar sparkled on his bottom lip and the desire to kiss it off was much stronger than her desire for a donut.
When he opened his eyes, he must have read that desire because a heat entered those golden orbs. It simmered for a long, sexually tense moment before he looked away and cleared his throat.
“Jaxon came by this morning. I guess Tully was worried I did something to upset you last night. And she was right.” He looked back at her. “I’m sorry for bringing up your mama. I didn’t mean to make you cry, Maggie May.”
“You didn’t make me cry. I mean I was upset, but not in a bad way.
After you brought up her dancing, I remembered her holding me in her arms and dancing me around.
I don’t know if it’s real or not. But it’s there.
” She reached out and covered his hand with hers.
She knew the A-Sisters were watching and gossip would spread.
But she didn’t care. “And I have you to thank for it.”
He stared down at her hand. “That’s not all Jaxon was worried about. He wants me to stay away from you.” He lifted his gaze. “It’s probably a good idea.”
It was a good idea. Dawson Hennessy took up way too much space in her head. But whether it was a good idea or not, she couldn’t bring herself to go along with him. Nor could she seem to remove her hand from his.
“And what about finding out who’s contesting the will? I think today proved that you need my help. If I hadn’t shown up, you would have been tossed out into the street donutless.”
A grin tipped up the corners of his mouth. “You did sail in the door like Avenging Barbie. Are you going to take on the entire town for me?”
She lifted her chin. “If need be.” Just so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea, she added. “For Tully. I’ll do anything to save Honky Tonk Heaven for Tully.”
His smile faded. “Of course. For Tully.” He paused. “Jaxon will be pissed if he finds out.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Or I should say when he finds out. With the way the A-Sisters are crowded behind the counter whispering, it won’t be long before news of our morning donuts is all over town.”
“Afraid of a little gossip?”
“Not hardly.”
“Well, neither am I. And I’ll explain to Tully that I’m not some weak damsel who’s going to fall for a pretty face. We’re friends. Just friends.”
A tiny voice in her head screamed a warning that he wasn’t friend material. Not when he was so tempting. But she didn’t listen to that voice. If she could resist mini cinnamon and sugar donuts, she could resist a blond-hair bad boy with whiskey-splashed eyes.
She got up and unhooked her purse from the back of the chair. “Now you better get those donuts to Poppy. Then swing by the bookstore and pick me up. We have an errand to run.”
He stood and grabbed the tray he’d placed on the table behind them and started putting their dishes on it. “An errand? Doing what?”
“Seeing if we can get the list of the people who took food to your mama before she passed away.”
Magnolia had hoped Cadee Stockton would stop by the bookstore so she could ask her about the list of volunteers. But it had been close to a week since the A-Sisters had told Cadee about the new dinosaur book and Cadee hadn’t shown up yet.
Magnolia figured taking her son the book was a good enough excuse for visiting on a Sunday afternoon. When Dawson picked her up thirty minutes later at the bookstore, she had the book placed in a colorful gift bag along with a cute dinosaur bookmark.
She had seen Dawson’s old truck before, but she hadn’t paid that much attention to it until today.
When he hopped out to hold open the door for her, she took note of the dents, faded paint, and rust. The inside was in as bad condition as the outside.
It was as clean and neat as his bedroom, but the bench seat was torn and the dashboard cracked.
“I thought you restored trucks.” She realized how rude that sounded and quickly backpedaled. “Not that this truck isn’t nice.”
He laughed. “You’re a horrible liar, Maggie May. And I do restore trucks. I just haven’t gotten around to mine.”
Magnolia couldn’t help wondering if it had to do with time or putting his needs at the bottom of his to-do list. After seeing Jaxon’s truck Dawson had restored, she thought it was the latter.
“So where are we headed?” he asked as soon as they were on their way.
“Stockton Ranch. And please don’t tell me you drew a penis on their front window.”
“Nope.” He easily shifted gears with no grinding whatsoever. “No penis.”
But as it turned out, Dawson had done something to piss off the Stocktons. As soon as they parked in the circular driveway of the beautiful two-story brick house, the front door flew open and two men stepped out.
Two angry looking men.
Magnolia didn’t remember them, but she’d heard plenty of gossip about the Stockton brothers from the townsfolk.
Unlike the Hennessys, Cooper and Callum had been the golden boys of Promise Springs.
Star players for the high school football and baseball teams and hardworking cowboys who volunteered at the church and were friends with everyone in town.
Except, apparently, Dawson.
They stood on the top porch step, broad shoulder to broad shoulder, glaring down at Dawson as he got out of the truck like he was a rat that just crawled out of the sewer. Hoping to defuse things before they turned ugly, Magnolia quickly jumped out of the truck.
“Hey, y’all! Beautiful mornin’, isn’t it?
I’m Magnolia Hastings. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Otis Hastings’ great niece.
I’m taking over at the bookstore while he’s recovering from double knee replacement surgery.
” She held up the gift bag. “When the A-Sisters told me about your cute nephew, I thought I’d bring him the new dinosaur book I got in.
” She glanced around. “But now I’m thinking I should have brought a book about horses. ”
The tallest of the two brothers finally pulled his gaze away from Dawson and turned his attention to her. The expression in his blue eyes softened. Marginally.
“That’s real nice of you. Camden loves dinosaurs as much as he loves horses.”
“Great!” She hesitated. “So, is he here? Or maybe his mama?”
The other brother spoke, never taking his eyes off Dawson. “Cadee and Cam are out riding.”
“Well, maybe if you told us where they were riding, we could—”
The bigger brother came down the steps. “I’ll make sure Cam gets it.”
With no choice, Magnolia handed over the bag. “Of course. And make sure to tell Camden that there are plenty more at the store. In fact, this week, we’re having a sale on dino books.” They weren’t, but they would be.
“I’ll tell him.” Hooking the bag on his arm, he took off his cowboy hat and held out a hand. “Cooper Stockton. And that’s my brother Callum.”
“Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand and glanced at Dawson. “And I guess you know Dawson Hennessy.”
Dawson lifted a hand. “Hey, Coop. Cal.”
Neither brother acknowledged him.
“Well . . .” She smiled brightly. “I guess we’ll just be going. Be sure to tell Cadee about the sale.”
Once she and Dawson had left the brothers in the rearview mirror, she turned to him. “Okay, what did you do to the Stocktons?”
“Me and Cooper got into a couple times. Or it could have more to do with Cadee.”
Magnolia didn’t have to ask what had happened between him and Cadee. She already knew from town gossip that Dawson had broken more than a few hearts.
“Well, that explains why her brothers acted so protective.” She glanced out the window. “Maybe we should drive around and look for her.”
“She’s not out riding.”
She turned to him. “What makes you think that?”
“I saw her peeking out one of the upstairs windows.”
“But why would she hide from us?”
“I don’t have a—shit!” He threw an arm out and pressed Magnolia back in the seat as he slammed on the brakes. There was a thump and she stared out the windshield to see what they’d hit as the truck came to a dust-spitting stop.
“Stay here,” Dawson instructed as he jumped out.
She didn’t listen, but she wished she had. When she came around the front of his truck, she found Dawson kneeling by a large pile of black and brindle fur.
“Oh my God! You hit a dog? Is it . . .?” She couldn’t even say the word.
Dawson tugged his T-shirt off and wrapped it around the huge dog before lifting him into his arms. “Not yet, but we need to get him to the vet. You drive.”
It was a jerky ride to the vet hospital on the edge of town, but Dawson didn’t say a word. He was too concerned about the dog he cradled in his arms. It looked like a mix between a German Shepherd and a Great Dane. Goat heads and debris littered his thick, dark fur.
As soon as she parked in front of the hospital, she jumped out and hurried around to open the door for Dawson.
When they stepped into the lobby, a woman in paw print scrubs came out from behind the reception counter and instructed Dawson to follow her.
Magnolia remained at the front desk and gave the other woman sitting behind the counter all the information she had.
Which wasn’t much.
“It just ran out in front of our truck. I don’t know where it came from. I’m assuming it belongs to the Stocktons since we were on their ranch.”
The woman shook her head. “I’m well acquainted with the Stocktons’ pets, and I’ve never seen that dog before. With the condition of his coat, I’d say he’s a stray. But I’ll call just to be sure.”
As it turned out, the dog didn’t belong to the Stocktons. Although they did say they’d been having trouble with a chicken thief they’d assumed was a coyote.
Once the woman had gotten all the information, she led Magnolia to an examining room. Through the tiny window in the door, she saw Dawson sitting in a chair with his arms resting on his knees and his head in his hands. He straightened when she opened the door and stepped in.
“They took him for x-rays.”
She nodded and took the chair next to him. They sat there for a few minutes saying nothing before he spoke.
“I should have been paying closer attention.”
She placed a hand on his leg. “I didn’t see him either, Dawson. The grass was too tall on the side of the road. It was an accident.”
He snorted and ran a hand over his face. “Yeah. My life just seems to be one big accident.”
The veterinarian came in a few minutes later. His grim face didn’t bode well.
“His back femur bone is crushed beyond repair. If we’re going to save him, we’ll need to do surgery to remove the leg.”
Dawson stood. “Then why are you here instead of doing the surgery?”
“He’s a stray, Mr. Hennessy,” the vet said.
“No tag or chip was found on him. I realize you feel badly about hitting him, but unless you’re willing to take on the financial responsibility and care of the dog, I plan to put him down.
The chances of him surviving the surgery are slim, and even if he does survive, it’s not likely that someone will want to adopt a three-legged dog. ”
Magnolia got to her feet. “But you can’t put him down. Uncle Otis doesn’t allow pets in the bookstore, but I’m sure I can find him another home.”
“One who will be willing to pay for an expensive surgery?”
She was about to say she’d pay for it, regardless of her low bank balance, when Dawson spoke.
“Do the surgery. I’ll pay for it.”
The vet nodded. “Leave your info with Georgette, and I’ll call you once he’s in recovery and let you know how it went.”
Once they were back in the truck, Magnolia glanced over at Dawson. His hair was mussed, his T-shirt dirty and covered in dog hair, and his features as hard as they’d been the first time he’d walked into the bookstore.
Back then, she’d just thought Dawson Hennessy was grumpy.
Now she knew the stern face was just a mask to hide the caring heart beneath.
She waited until he’d pulled out of the animal hospital before she spoke. “What do you think of the name of Wilbur?”
He glanced over at her. “Wilbur?”
She smiled. “He’s not a pig, but I just know he and my spider, Charlotte, are going to be best friends.”