by Terri Osburn
“Are you sure I don’t look like an idiot?” Haleigh’s closet didn’t contain honky-tonk attire. Jeans would have been good, if she’d been able to find a clean pair. Though her scrubs were washed regularly, the rest of her wardrobe tended to sit in the hamper for weeks on end.
“Would you trust me already?” Jessi said for the third time. “I’ve got this.”
This was a denim jacket thrown over a casual dress that Jessi had found in the back of Haleigh’s closet. The periwinkle flowers dotting the simple beige hem played off the jacket, and thankfully, she and her best friend wore the same size shoe as Jessi had snagged a pair of cowboy boots from Abby’s closet.
They both stepped back to assess Haleigh’s reflection in the full-length mirror.
“Maybe a shorter dress,” Jessi suggested.
“This one already hits mid-thigh,” Haleigh argued, tugging on the thin material. “If I go any shorter, I’ll be arrested for indecent exposure.”
Reaching for a polka-dotted pouch, Jessi said, “Sit down on the bed so I can do your makeup.”
Haleigh obeyed the order. “I don’t see why I can’t apply some lipstick and go.”
Opening an eye shadow palette of varying shades, Jessi stared down at her canvas with an expression of pity. “I get that you’re naturally gorgeous, which is really annoying, by the way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a little effort.”
Rolling her eyes, Haleigh said, “I am not naturally gorgeous. I’m too thin, my eyes are too close together, and I have bushy eyebrows.”
“Full brows are in,” Jessi informed her as she dug in the bottom of the pouch. “Lucky for you, we have the same color eyes so my stuff will work for you, too.” Whipping out a small brush, she said, “Now close your eyes.”
“Please don’t make me look like a clown,” Haleigh said.
With a hand on her hip, the teen said, “Are you saying I look like a clown?”
Jessi’s look might be considered bold, but she’d never crossed into clown territory. At least not in the few days Haleigh had known her.
“Forget I said that.” She closed her eyes. “Make me up.”
For several minutes Haleigh followed orders to open wider and look this way or that. When the artist was satisfied with her work, she stepped back and said, “Now you’re ready.”
Walking to the mirror, Haleigh almost didn’t recognize the face staring back. Gold eye shadow made her eyes pop, her cheekbones had been contoured to perfection, and thanks to Jessi’s steady hand, Haleigh’s eyes were lined with a slight flare at the corners. She looked like a blonder, less-edgy version of her makeup artist.
“That’s amazing,” she said, turning left and right. “Where did you learn to do this?”
“YouTube,” the youngster answered. Of course.
While Haleigh continued to examine her look, Jessi said, “Not that it’s any of my business, but based on your lack of club outfits, I’m guessing you don’t go out like this very much?”
“I do not.” Haleigh spun to make sure the dress covered her bottom.
“Why not?” she asked. “You’re single and still kind of young. Why stay cooped up here when you’re not at work?”
Ignoring the kind of young part, Haleigh answered with a half-truth. “I hit my quota of club hopping a long time ago. At a certain point, you grow up and standing in a room full of rowdy strangers loses its appeal.”
“But then why are you going tonight?”
The nosy question should have annoyed her, but Haleigh had grown to like the cheerful teen and that bought the girl a pass.
“Have you ever just wanted to feel normal?” she asked. “To shut down the crap churning through your brain and pretend that your life isn’t a bowl of rotten cherries?”
Jessi sat on the bed. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced normal.”
Haleigh’s heart went out to the young woman. It wasn’t often she met someone who made her own childhood look like a Rockwell painting.
Settling onto the bed next to her, Haleigh said, “To be honest, I’m not sure I have either, but I’ve heard good things about it.”
“Funny,” Jessi said. “I’ve heard it’s pretty boring.”
Laughing at the comment, Haleigh shook her head. “Sounds like you have better sources than I do.”
“Is Cooper going to be there tonight?”
She hadn’t considered the possibility, but knew that he and Spencer were good friends. A fissure of awareness tripped up her spine at the thought of seeing him. Of dancing with him. Yet another temptation she would need to avoid if the offer arose. Close bodily contact with Cooper Ridgeway would only drag her closer to an edge she had no business walking.
“He might be,” she replied, rising to her feet. “Thanks for helping me out, Jessi. Are you sure you don’t mind being here alone this evening?”
“I have Emma,” she said, and as if on cue, the baby’s cry echoed down the hall. “Looks like I better get a bottle ready.”
As the new mother left the room, Haleigh once again checked her reflection in the mirror. The woman looking back wasn’t an alcoholic or a tragic disappointment to her mother. Now all she had to do was walk by the bar without hearing her mother’s hateful voice in her ear.
Chapter 9
The Brubaker’s crowd was still thin thanks to the early hour, though the place would be wall-to-wall bodies by eleven. Fifteen minutes after they’d arrived, Cooper noticed Lorelei watching the door. She continued to check the entrance as Spencer spun her around the dance floor. When the song ended and the couple returned to the table, the glances continued as the rest of the group was business as usual.
Curious, Cooper leaned close to Lorelei’s ear. “Expecting someone?”
She jumped, nearly dousing them both in Budweiser. “What? Me? No. I don’t know what you mean.”
Right. And a bear didn’t shit in the woods. “Is Tillman coming in here tonight?” Cooper asked. “Did you get some inside scoop you’re not sharing with the rest of us?”
Wes Tillman, once upon a time one of the most popular voices in country music, enjoyed his semi-retirement while living on the outskirts of their county and making occasional appearances at a local watering hole called the Second Chance Saloon. He’d never visited Brubaker’s as far as Cooper knew, but there wasn’t anyone else he could think of who would put that stir of anticipation on Lorelei’s face.
“How would I have an inside scoop on Wes Tillman?” she asked.
“Let’s see.” Cooper hedged. “Snow sings with him from time to time. You and Snow are as close as two fleas on a tick’s ass. I wonder how you’d know?”
Lorelei’s lips pinched. “That’s the grossest description I’ve ever heard.”
“Just fess up already.”
“No,” she answered. “I don’t know anything about Wes Tillman coming in here.”
“What’s up?” Spencer said, likely drawn by the tone of his fiancée’s voice. “We all good?”
Cooper shrugged. He’d only been teasing her. And Lorelei had been watching the door.
“No freaking way,” Lorelei muttered, ignoring the two men beside her. “I can’t believe she came.”
From his vantage point above most of the crowd, Cooper scanned the area near the entrance. At the end of the bar, he saw her. Blonde hair scattered around her shoulders. Brown eyes searching the crowd as if looking for a familiar face. His heart kicked in his chest.
She was gorgeous. And as skittish as a cornered rabbit.
Spencer spotted her, too. “I thought Haleigh didn’t like crowded bars?”
“I don’t know what she’s doing here,” Cooper said, unable to take his eyes off her.
“I invited her,” Lorelei said, snagging Cooper’s attention. She met his surprised gaze, looking very proud of herself. “Don’t just stand there,” she added with an elbow to his ribs. “Go get her.”
“Right.” Cooper set his beer on the table behind him. “I can d
o that.”
If Haleigh didn’t spot Lorelei in the next fifteen seconds, she was leaving. Though talking with Jessi had soothed the hurt from earlier, the closer she’d gotten to the club, the tighter her stomach had gotten. Two attempts to call Raquel had landed in voicemail. Hearing the familiar voice on the message had helped a bit, but in the end, Haleigh was standing in a bar facing her demons alone for the first time in several years.
Why in the hell had she thought this was a good idea?
“What can I get you?” asked a pretty brunette wearing the tightest pair of shorts Haleigh had ever seen.
Haleigh hesitated. She didn’t need a drink. She wanted one more than her next breath, but she didn’t need one. Resolved to stay the course, she said, “Water, please.” And then her mother’s glacial stare punctured her brain and Haleigh changed her order. “Make that a rum and Coke.”
“Coming right up,” the waitress replied, strolling to the bar a few feet to Haleigh’s left.
No way. She was not going to do this. If she swallowed that drink, not only would her mother win, but Haleigh would blow years of sobriety. And over what? Meredith Mitchner’s disdain? Her unreachable standards and failure to see her daughter as anything more than a paycheck and emotional punching bag?
Obviously, this had been a mistake.
If Spencer and Lorelei were there, Haleigh didn’t see them. And Carrie was shorter than she was, which meant finding her would be even more difficult. Haleigh took two steps toward the door before someone called her name.
“Haleigh Rae!” came the familiar deep voice. She spun in time to see Cooper barreling down on her, the crowd parting as if Moses himself had demanded it. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern etched in his tone.
“I’m fine,” she lied, determined to act as normal as possible. If Cooper so much as sniffed a problem, he’d roll into fix-it mode. “I didn’t know you would be here. Is it always this crowded?” she asked.
Cooper’s chuckle hit Haleigh like the first bite into a warm brownie and served as a distraction from her mounting panic. “This is nothing compared to what the place will look like in a couple hours.” Taking her hand, he said, “Here. Walk in front of me and I’ll take you over to the others.”
“But I ordered a drink,” she said, using the excuse to send him on his way so she could leave without having to explain.
“Dana!” Cooper yelled.
The brunette turned his way. “Heya, Coop.” Her smile was friendlier than Haleigh deemed necessary. “What can I do you for?”
“Bring her drink up to the table, would ya?”
With a nod, she said, “Sure. No problem.”
Great. Now she would have to explain why she couldn’t touch the glass once it arrived. Before she could find another solution, Cooper slid his body behind hers to navigate them through the room. The crowd grew thicker away from the bar, forcing Haleigh to slow down, which put their bodies in constant contact. At this rate, she was going to need a cigarette by the time they reached their destination.
When they finally arrived at a small raised area adjacent to the dance floor, Haleigh spotted Lorelei talking to Snow and Carrie, while Spencer and a man Haleigh didn’t recognize conversed behind them.
“You look great,” Lorelei said after the greetings had been exchanged. “That outfit is adorable.”
Haleigh looked down at her dress. “You think so? I didn’t know what to wear.” Speaking like a normal person was proving difficult, and not only because of the alcohol around her, as Cooper remained pressed against her back.
“It’s perfect,” Lorelei assured her. “You know everyone, right?”
In need of space, Haleigh stepped to the side only to have Cooper’s hand fall to the small of her back. She had to admit, the touch had a calming effect on her nerves. Unfortunately, Spencer called him over before she could regain total control.
“I’ll be close by,” Cooper whispered in her ear, as if he knew how much she needed his steady presence. His breath on her neck spiked her temperature, and Haleigh struggled to remember Lorelei’s question.
“I don’t know the guy talking to Spencer,” she answered, proud of her ability to still think. “Should I?” Next to Cooper, the stranger was arguably the hottest guy in the room. Haleigh doubted she’d forget having made his acquaintance.
“That’s my husband, Caleb,” Snow said, sharing the smile of a happy newlywed. “He was at the hospital when Carrie had Molly, but I’m not sure if you two met.”
“You’re a lucky girl,” Haleigh muttered before she could stop herself. “Wow. That was seriously inappropriate.”
Snow laughed. “No worries. Lorelei drools over him on a regular basis. I’m getting used to it.”
“How long are we staying?” Carrie cut in, looking even less happy to be there than Haleigh was.
Lorelei nudged the new mother. “We haven’t been here an hour yet. Molly is fine. She probably doesn’t even know you’re gone.”
Carrie looked stricken. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”
Having just left a doting mother, Haleigh had to agree with Carrie. Telling a woman that her child didn’t miss her was like kicking a puppy.
Wrapping both arms around Carrie’s shoulders, Lorelei grew serious. “Stay with me, girlfriend. You know what I meant. Granny is ecstatic to have Molly all to herself, and I’m sure your little one is being ridiculously spoiled as we speak. You deserve a little spoiling, too. Starting with a night that does not revolve around changing diapers and scheduled feedings.”
“Rosie is good with her,” Carrie conceded. “But it still feels weird.”
“Tell her, doc.” Lorelei nodded Haleigh’s way. “Tell her this is good for her.”
Three sets of eyes turned her way as if Haleigh possessed the secrets of the universe. They could not be more wrong.
“Well, I . . .” she floundered. “I mean . . . I’m not really an expert on babies or motherhood. My specialty is more before they emerge.”
“I knew it.” Carrie pulled away from Lorelei. “I never should have left her.”
“I didn’t say that!” Haleigh backpedaled. Reaching for a more supportive answer, she said, “It’s good for babies to learn a little independence. To experience new social situations and interact with people other than their parents.”
“Really?”
Haleigh had no idea since she’d totally made the facts up.
“Yes. Of course. And it’s good for you, too. Think of it as recharging your battery. A happy, fulfilled mother means a happier baby.” That had to be from a parenting magazine somewhere. “It’s been scientifically proven,” she added.
The bomb appeared to be defused. “That makes sense, I guess,” Carrie mumbled. “Thanks for the reassurance, Dr. Mitchner.”
Feeling as if she’d just lied to a child, Haleigh felt the familiar mantle of guilt settle heavily on her shoulders. She prayed the waitress would forget about her drink.
“Where’s my dance partner?” Spencer barked as he wrapped his arms around his fiancée. “I came here to dance, woman. It’s time to get your pretty little butt on the floor.”
“I second that,” Caleb said, then corrected himself. “About my woman’s butt, of course.”
Lorelei rolled her eyes as Spencer pulled her toward the twirling dancers. As if unable to resist, Caleb planted a hot kiss on his wife before all but carrying her to the floor. A task easily accomplished considering his impressive bulk and her diminutive size.
“What do you say?” Cooper asked, nodding after the others. “You up for a spin or two?”
Panic assailed her. If memory served, done correctly dancing could be as arousing as a good bout of foreplay. Haleigh could not handle this much temptation in one night. “I’m not sure I remember how,” she said.
“Come on,” Carrie encouraged. “It’s good for straitlaced doctors to experience new social situations and to interact with people other than their patients.”
The gleam
in the woman’s eye took Haleigh by surprise. “I wasn’t born yesterday,” the younger woman said. “But I do appreciate your efforts. Now do yourself a favor and give Cooper a dance.”
Green eyes met hers and Haleigh knew she couldn’t turn him down. At least there was no liquor on the dance floor. She could smell an amaretto sour nearby and the scent was making her mouth water.
“I might step on you,” she said.
“So long as I don’t step on you we should be all right.”
Slipping her hand into his, Haleigh followed Cooper to the floor with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Without hesitating, he squeezed between a pair of dancers and had her shuffling backward in a Texas two-step without missing a beat. Running on instinct, Haleigh fit her body against his as her left hand slid up his neck to nestle in the dark curls that tickled his collar. When Cooper pressed her right hand over his heart, she couldn’t help but notice the kick in his pulse.
By the time they made a full turn around the floor, Haleigh stopped worrying about her footwork and focused on the man holding her tight. Despite the fact that Haleigh was far from perfect, Cooper still liked her. Thank goodness someone did.
Chapter 10
Cooper had died and gone to heaven. And if Haleigh didn’t stop playing with his hair she was going to find herself horizontal by the end of the song. Not that he’d mind the change in position, but the other dancers might take issue with a couple compromising their dance floor.
“What brought you out tonight?” he asked. Certain she’d been on the verge of making a break for it when he’d reached her near the bar, he’d half expected her to make some excuse even after he’d caught her.
“Lorelei invited me.”
“Hal,” he said, lifting her face with one finger beneath her chin. “You’ve been back in town for six months and never stepped foot through those doors.” As she bit the inside of her cheek, he said, “I saw your face before I called your name. Why don’t you tell me what’s chasing you.”
