by Becky McGraw
Surprise flitted over Roxanne's face and she lifted a brow. "Really? You're going to stay and face the piper?"
Leigh Ann understood why her sister didn't believe her. Running was Leigh Ann's specialty. All her life, that was the only way she could get some space from her mother's oppressive love. She needed to learn to find that space by standing up to her mother and telling her to butt out. That was going to start right now.
With a lift of her chin Leigh Ann met Roxanne's gray eyes evenly. "Yes, Really. She's come to the wrong place to mess with the wrong woman this time. I'm done."
Done with her mother, done with Lester Fallon and done with Wes Jepson. They all had better give her a wide berth, because if they didn't they were going to meet a new Leigh Ann Baker. One she doubted they would recognize.
Roxanne threw back her head and let out a backwoods yell that left Leigh Ann's ears ringing. When she looked back at her, Roxanne was grinning broadly. "I think hell just froze over and the demons are ice skating."
A smile wiggled at the corner of Leigh Ann's lips and she finally released it, along with the long held fear of the demon that was her mother. She could do this, would do this, and knew the only way she was going to reclaim her life was if she stuck to her guns. Her mother wanted to stay at the ranch? She wanted an adventure? Maybe between her and Rocky they could give her an adventure she would never forget. And get her the hell out of here quickly.
"I think we need to have a little talk with Tara and the ladies at the spa, and make sure they realize mother is allergic to almond oil. It would be terrible if they accidentally used that on her during her spa treatments," she said sweetly with a sweep of her eyelashes, then asked, "And what was that horse's name that should be substantial enough to carry Lester around during the trail ride?"
Rocky snorted and her lips quivered, as she replied, "Titan?" That was the horse that Roxanne had put Terri on when she first arrived at the R & R as a joke. That story had become urban legend around the ranch. As did Terri's retribution for it.
"Oh, yeah, that's the one. And we need to round up some menthol from the spa, I think your trail cook's special liniment is missing that to make it super effective for the saddle sores Lester's going to have. His fat ass hasn't been on a horse in decades."
"Oh, sister...I never knew you had it in you," Rocky said with a short bark of laughter that turned into a guffaw, before she said with admiration in her eyes, "Maybe we are related after all."
"I learned from the best, ma'am. I still haven't forgotten the lessons you taught me growing up." Frogs in her bed, thorny stickers in her underwear drawer, only scratched the surface of the revenge her sister was capable of. "It won't kill them, just make them wish they were dead, and maybe give them incentive to get the hell out of here."
The next morning, Leigh Ann practically whistled as she walked into the dining room, dressed in a bright yellow sundress and heels, with her hair and makeup done. It felt damned good to be herself again, not trying to be someone she wasn't to play a part she wasn't suited to play. Leigh Ann was not a country girl, a vet assistant, or a damned whipping post for a sour, jaded vet whose ex-wife had hurt him.
From now on, she was going to be herself. Never again would she hide herself from the world to be accepted. If anyone didn't like it, they could kiss her lily white ass. That was her new mantra, and it felt damned good.
Of course, since it was before noon, her mother was not in the dining room when she walked in and the conversation stopped. It was past breakfast time though, so the only two people in the room were women in terry-cloth monogrammed robes that said they were visitors for the spa adventure. As she walked toward the far side of the table to sit across from them, Leigh Ann smiled widely and said, "Morning, ya'll. Did you sleep well?"
Taking her chair, she put her napkin in her lap, then reached for the serving spoon in the scrambled eggs on a platter in the center between them.
"Slept like a baby. That massage I had yesterday was amazing," one of them related with a friendly smile.
"I'm having one today," Leigh Ann said then chewed a bite off the end of a slice of crisp bacon. "Tara is so good, I'll probably be in a massage coma afterwards."
"I'm having a facial," the other woman informed shyly then stared at her hands.
Unlike her friend whose dark blonde hair was curled and fluffed around her shoulders, the smaller woman's mousy brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and her face bare of makeup. Leigh Ann guessed that both women were probably mid forties, but the quieter one definitely looked older.
One of the women just brimmed with confidence and spirit, the other one was slightly slumped down in the chair and had her chin tucked, her body language telling anyone who looked that she felt self-conscious and out of place. The woman looked sad and downtrodden, like she had given up hope or something.
Since Leigh Ann was just brimming with confidence this morning, she had some to spare. Maybe she could make some new friends of the ladies, and help the quiet one.
"So, what do you ladies do?" she asked conversationally.
"I'm a stock broker," the more assertive of the two told her. "I work at a firm in Dallas, and needed a break before I went over the deep end. So, here I am."
The mousy woman met her eyes, but didn't respond until she had chewed her food thoroughly and washed it down with a long sip of orange juice. "I work at home, my husband is a Senator."
"Your husband is a jerk is what he is..." the bolder woman inserted.
"Are ya'll friends?" Leigh Ann asked curiously, because the women seemed close, had to be close for her friend to say something like that.
"Sorority sisters," the mousy one explained, and her cheeks flushed.
Leigh Ann nodded and took a sip of her juice, but almost choked when the other woman said, "Her husband is a Senator who can't seem to keep his pants up. I think I'm going to buy him suspenders for Christmas."
"Lou Ellen, please," the mousy woman pleaded putting a hand on her friend's arm.
"I'm not saying anything that isn't true, Allison."
"True or not, it's my fault he doesn't want me anymore...I've let myself go," the woman named Allison protested. "He's a good man, an important man."
Lou Ellen harrumphed, then poked her fork into a piece of sausage on her plate forcefully, before biting off the end. Leigh Ann imagined that's what she would like to do to the man who was hurting her friend.
"It's not your fault that he's untrustworthy," Leigh Ann told her softly, with sympathy squeezing her heart.
"That's easy for you to say, you're beautiful," the mousy one said then clamped a hand over her mouth and ducked her head.
"I work at it, and you can too. We just have to find the right look for you that plays up your strengths," Leigh Ann told her, then offered, "I'll help you."
She didn't have anything better to do with her time. This woman could be very attractive, with a few changes on the outside. Her hair was shapeless, but it was shiny and healthy looking, her eyes were a rich whiskey brown color, and with a little eye makeup they would be gorgeous. Her most striking feature of all was her full mouth, that would look fabulous with a little color applied.
"You're already beautiful on the inside, we just need to make the outside match."
"You could work on me all year, and I'd still be the same plain Jane that I was when we married," she said flustered.
"Nonsense," Leigh Ann told her firmly. "Besides, you don't need a man who is only interested in your outward beauty. You need to make changes for yourself, not him."
"That's right!" Lou Ellen piped in, then leaned back in her chair. "Screw him, we'll get you fixed up and find someone worthy of you, instead of that jackass."
"But--" Allison stuttered.
"No buts, Allison Rooks. And we're trading in those frumpy clothes of yours and buying you a whole new wardrobe. He owes it to you."
It seemed like Lou Ellen was on a roll, and would stop at nothing to transform her friend. And why di
d the woman's last name sound so familiar to Leigh Ann? She thought about it a minute then remembered hearing on the news that Texas State Senator Leland Rooks was in Amarillo for a few days visiting family.
He must be this woman's husband and unease floated through Leigh Ann. That smarmy man wasn't only having an affair, he had a harem, and if some of the rumblings she'd heard on the news and elsewhere were correct, he was also into some under the table dealings that had him in hot water.
This woman needed her help, and if Allison Rooks got the notion, she needed to get away from that husband of hers. Should she have that urge, Leigh Ann was going to make sure she was prepared for battle, and her new life.
Excitement shot though Leigh Ann and she wiped her mouth, then put her napkin beside her plate. Helping this woman find herself from a fashion style and beauty standpoint was something Leigh Ann could do in her sleep. How many fellow contestants had she helped with hair and wardrobe decisions behind her mother's back during her pageant days? Tons of them, because it had been fun, and she felt useful. She hadn't cared if they wound up winning ahead of her, and some of them did, but her mother would have if she found out.
Her eyes met Allison's and she saw fear and indecision in their warm depths. "Stop worrying, Allison, this is going to be fun!" Leigh Ann told her infusing enthusiasm into her voice, hoping it would be contagious and the woman would get excited too.
"If you're sure..." Allison said, her skin a little paler than it had been.
Lou Ellen huffed a frustrated sigh, then told her friend as she scraped her chair back to stand, "I'm sure of one thing, and that is you are going to teach that scalliwag husband of yours a lesson, Miss."
With a groan, Allison stood up too, then Leigh Ann followed them out of the dining area toward the spa. She hoped she wasn't biting off more than she could chew. What she could really use was a facial and massage herself. Maybe it would settle her nerves. But she needed to help this woman first.
Men who cheated on their wives, and women who did the same made her angry. If they didn't intend on staying with the person they married, being faithful to them, then dammit, they shouldn't have married them in the first place. Or they should divorce them before they decided to cheat. Like her mother should have done with her dad. Trudy Baker thought her daughter was blind, if she believed Leigh Ann didn't know about her midnight meetings with those men, when they traveled for her pageants. She had never told a soul though, not her sister and not her dad. They would have been devastated.
Like her sister said, people have choices and a lot of women made the wrong one when choosing people to trust. Leigh Ann was definitely guilty of that. Because she had blind faith in people, she had trusted Wes Jepson not to hurt her, to give her a chance, and that turned out to be a stupid move. Not only had he jumped to conclusions about her, and used her, he had accused her of harming his son.
That hurt worst of all.
She would never hurt the lonely little boy who used jokes to hide his loneliness, and connect with people. He pretended to be a happy little boy, appeared to the world to be well-adjusted and perfectly fine, but Leigh Ann recognized that he craved attention, and that was his way of getting it. He missed his mother, and Wes as much as he tried, was just not going to fill that hole inside of him.
Unless Wes Jepson allowed himself to heal, let his heart lead him to love, and not his preconception that every beautiful woman was like his ex-wife, he would be alone, or unhappy for the rest of his life. Trey would never have a mother, and would be the same.
Even though she had hurt him, he needed to forgive his ex-wife to forget about her. Not think that every beautiful woman he met was like her. Or expect that a less attractive woman would be a better fit in his life. That was a stupid conclusion to make, just like a few of the ones he had made about her.
Emotion piled up in her throat and pushed to be released, but Leigh Ann swallowed it back down. She was going to miss both of them, but she would survive. Leigh Ann had survived worse in her life, her mother. It was time for her to move on and claim her own independence. That is what she needed to focus on, not a man or the hurt he had inflicted upon her. She didn't have time to worry about 'what ifs' where Wes Jepson was concerned.
But first, she was going to do something fun. Give Allison Rooks a makeover that would knock her husband's socks off, boost her self-confidence, and maybe lift Leigh Ann's spirits in the process.
Four hours later, Allison sat with her back to the mirror, while the salon manager, Sadie, applied her eye makeup. So far, her hair had been cut to a sleek chin-length bob that spotlighted her full mouth, and Sadie had added auburn highlights that made her eyes pop like topazes in her oval face. They hadn't let Allison see the transformation yet, and Leigh Ann was excited and impatient to see what she would think.
"Good, God almighty," Lou Ellen said breathlessly, her hand at her throat.
"What?" Allison squeaked and tried to turn in the chair to see herself in the mirror.
"Just sit still," Sadie said and cleaned up the mascara smudge the brush had left.
"I'm so nervous," Allison admitted with a tremble in her voice. "Leland will probably have a fit."
"Screw, Leland and the horse he rode in on," Lou Ellen said with a snort. "You look amazing Allie...better than I've ever seen you look. He will be floored! Now, you need the attitude to go with your new red hair."
Allison moaned and closed her eyes. "My hair is red?"
"Auburn," Leigh Ann corrected and shot a warning look at Lou Ellen.
"Same difference," Lou Ellen grumbled and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "It looks beautiful, and you better keep it this way."
"All right ladies," Sadie said standing to pat the side of her teased up blonde hair, a big smile playing on her perfectly drawn red lips. "Meet the new Allison Rooks." With that she spun the salon chair toward the mirror, and a collective gasp sounded, then absolute silence, as Allison's eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect coral-glossed O.
"Wow, is that me?" Allison asked breathlessly while she ran her fingers over the tips of her silky hair, and her eyelids made two slow dips over her rich brown eyes.
"It's you darlin', and we're not done yet. Tomorrow we go shopping!" Lou Ellen said effusively clapping her hands together. "Isn't that right, Leigh Ann?"
The calculating look in Lou Ellen's eyes sent unease skittering along Leigh Ann's spine. She had agreed to this though, had started the ball rolling, and it looked like Lou Ellen was picking up that ball and running with it. Toward what goal, Leigh Ann didn't know, but the woman was a little over the top in her enthusiasm.
"I love to shop," Leigh Ann replied, her voice not quite as enthusiastic.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It was eight-thirty at night, by the time Leigh Ann and the two ladies dragged their tired butts back up into the big white ranch truck, after piling their purchases into the back seat. Leigh Ann had bought a pair of low-heeled sandals to change into an hour into their shopping spree, because she wouldn't have been able to keep up with Lou Ellen otherwise. Her feet were still throbbing though, so she pushed the straps off of her heels and sighed.
"I think my credit card is melted," Allison said with a nervous giggle as she slid up into the truck and shut the door.
"I'm fricking starving," Lou Ellen chirped. "Blow on it, so you can buy me dinner for helping you today."
"You should buy me dinner," Allison returned, her voice lighter than Leigh Ann had ever heard it. She almost sounded...happy. "What you did today amounted to torture, some friend you are."
"Well, you have to suffer to be beautiful, cupcake," Lou Ellen quipped with a chuckle. "Now, feed me!"
"When I was staying in town, I found a nice little Italian place...ya'll want to go there?" Leigh Ann asked.
"I love, Italian, and Italian men!" Lou Ellen hooted. "Swarthy, sexy and they know how to cook. What more could a woman want?"
Allison snorted, and argued, "They smell like garlic and most of
them have bellies that testify to their cooking skills."
Leigh Ann was pleased with the volley of words between the women. It seemed like Allison was coming out of her shell, and enjoying it. That made her feel like her efforts today hadn't been wasted. A sense of pride filled her as she shoved the key in the ignition and cranked the truck, listening and laughing as the two women continued their playful argument while she drove.
Lou Ellen stopped midsentence as Leigh Ann pulled into the restaurant parking lot and turned off the truck. "Hey, I have an idea..."
"Your ideas always get us into trouble, Lou Ellen," Allison said with a huffed breath.
"I love trouble, sugar...you've known me thirty years, you should know that!"
"Yeah, but I am the one who always seems to pay for your ideas..." Allison retorted.
"Let's have a girl's night out. It's been years! After dinner, we'll check into a hotel near a bar, and then go try out your new look...take it for a test drive!"
Leigh Ann's feet felt like they swelled up another size, and wanted to explode. She was worn out, but couldn't make herself say no, because that would probably do Allison a world of good. It would also give her a reason to avoid confronting her mother just yet. One more night's reprieve, time to shore up her courage for the storm that was brewing.
But Leigh Ann couldn't afford a hotel room.
"That does sound like fun, but I can't afford a hotel right now," she admitted hating to quash Lou Ellen's excitement.
"What's to afford? I've got us covered, this is my treat," Lou Ellen told them with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand.
It would probably be fun, and it would go a long way to restoring Allison's confidence most likely, so how could Leigh Ann refuse? It would also give her a chance to decompress and relax, forget about Wes Jepson.
"That sounds like fun then, and thank you. So, do ya'll just want to find a hotel and eat dinner there after we change?" Since it was so late, that would probably be quicker than eating at the Italian Restaurant.
