Lone Star Nights

Della and her sister, Stella, had started working for his family when Lucky was just a kid, and the pair would make sure those guest rooms were ready. Lucky just hoped that the rooms wouldn’t be needed that long. Two nights max. He didn’t want this drawn out. Mia and the Runaway Goth Girl had been jacked around enough and needed some place permanent to stay, and this definitely didn’t qualify as permanent.

From the looks of it, Cassie had been jacked around, too.

“As soon as you’re settled into your room,” Cassie said to the girls, “we can talk. Would that be okay?”

Of course, Mia nodded right away. Mackenzie was practicing her “I suck lemons frequently” face. The thick makeup helped with that because it appeared to be cracking in places like meringue on a pie. It was amazing she’d perfected both the expression and the art of pancake makeup at such a young age.

“We gonna talk about Miss Dixie Mae?” Mia asked.

Cassie seemed a little surprised by that. “Would you like to talk about her?”

“Sure. I miss her. She was sparkly.”

Yeah, she was, and it only reminded Lucky that he had something else on his plate: grieving for Dixie Mae. He’d planned on having a date with some hundred-proof by now to help ease his pain, but booze would apparently have to wait. Although he might need a shot to get through this next hour.

“Dixie Mae die-did,” Mia said, sounding as sad about that as Lucky felt.

“Yes, she did,” Cassie confirmed. Heck, she sounded sad, as well. Lucky hoped they didn’t start crying, or there’d be several sets of wet eyes in the car. Mackenzie’s wouldn’t be one of them, he was betting. But his sure would be.

“What about you, Mackenzie?” Cassie asked. “Do you miss Dixie Mae?”

The look on her face intensified to “I suck lemons, and limes, too.”

“She misses her,” Mia said. “She just doesn’t like to say it.”

Wise words from such a little one. Too bad this package deal hadn’t included only Mia because Lucky wouldn’t have minded spending a day or two with her.

Okay, and maybe Cassie, as well.

That blasted attraction was still there, and he was positive now that it wasn’t just gas. Too bad. Because attractions like that usually got him in trouble.

“Lady Doctor?” Mia said, reaching up to tug on Cassie’s sleeve. “Will you be staying with us?”

“Yes. And call me Cassie.” She stopped. “Or maybe Miss Cassie. All right, just Cassie.”

It wasn’t a good sign that she still seemed to be waffling about what the girls should call her considering they had some whopper obstacles in front of them. Like finding the girls’ next of kin. And getting enough washcloths to remove all that makeup from Mackenzie’s face.

He parked Logan’s car right in front of the house. Like Logan, the Jag had too many bells and whistles, and it took Lucky several minutes—yes, minutes—to figure out how to pop the trunk to get to the luggage. However, before he could even step from the car, the front door of the house opened, and Della and Stella came out. Judging from the gleeful looks on their weathered faces, they were excited about the possibility of kids staying with them. Or maybe they were just excited about the possibility of Lucky being responsible for the kids.

Responsible for anything, for that matter.

“Cassandra Weatherall,” Della greeted, pulling Cassie into a hug. “You haven’t changed a drop. Well, except you’re dressing more comfortably these days. Nothing wrong with that.”

Cassie frowned when she looked down at her skirt and shoes. Something she’d done several times in the past hour. Of course, her clothes were catwalk-ready compared to Mackenzie’s.

“I was so sorry to hear of your grandmother’s passing,” Della added to Cassie. “Dixie Mae always did treat Lucky all right, so that made her all right in my book, too.”

“Thank you.” And Cassie repeated the process when Stella hugged her and offered her own condolences.

Lucky hadn’t been aware that the housekeepers would even remember Cassie since to the best of his knowledge, Cassie had never been to the house. Still, it was Spring Hill, where everybody knew everybody.

Along with everybody’s business.

By now, what had happened would be all over town—along with some embellishments to the gossip. Lucky didn’t care about that gossip when it came to himself, but he doubted Cassie would appreciate it, what with her status as a celebrity therapist.

“It’s about time you came home,” Della said, looking at him.

That was the only scolding he got because Della turned her attention to the car’s back door when it opened. She gave a big, welcoming smile when Mia stepped out. As did Stella. He could practically see the fantasy they were weaving in their heads about him, Cassie and the cute kid.

Then Mackenzie stepped out.

Della and Stella actually dropped back a little, and just as fast as their mental fantasy had come, it went. Good thing. Lucky didn’t want anybody playing matchmaker here, and Della and Stella were prone to that since they often said he didn’t choose wisely when it came to female companionship. Which he didn’t. And he intended to keep on choosing unwisely.

“Uh, I thought you were getting sisters,” Stella said. “Children sisters,” she clarified.

“They are children,” he assured her. He still intended to check Mackenzie’s birth certificate, though. “This is Mia Compton,” Lucky said pointing to her. “And that’s her sister, Mackenzie. This is Miss Della and Miss Stella. They pretty much run the place.” Something they managed to do even when Logan was there.

Della recovered from the shock before Stella did, and she managed an inkling of the smile that she’d had before her eyeballs had been widened by Mackenzie’s appearance. “Well, welcome to the McCord Ranch. I hope you feel right at home here.” She extended that to Cassie.

Then to Lucky.

It was a nice chain-yanking kind of reminder that he should come home more often. Lucky expected to hear that a lot in the next twenty-four hours. He grumbled that he wasn’t very pleased about it, but then because he knew it would make her smile, he winked at her. It worked. Stella smiled, then giggled.

“What’s with all the vehicles?” Lucky asked, hauling out the girls’ suitcases.

“Wedding stuff. Claire, Riley, Ethan and Livvy are here. Plus, Riley’s having a meeting with the horse trainers in the office. Oh, and there are two fellas from a magazine, and they’re taking some pictures and talking to Riley about an article they’re doing on Logan.”

The latter seemed to be a monthly occurrence, but maybe the other things were temporary. In other words, maybe they’d all be leaving soon.

“Riley is Lucky’s brother,” Della went on, talking to the girls now. “He’s marrying Claire, and Ethan’s her little boy. Claire’s a wedding photographer.”

Mackenzie showed no interest whatsoever, but Mia seemed to hold on to every word.

“She’s got a little boy?” Mia asked.

Della nodded, tapped Mia’s nose. “Cute as a button, just like you.”

“Right,” Mackenzie grumbled. “Because all buttons are sooooo cute.”

Since that sounded like something Lucky would have said twenty years ago, he tried not to laugh.

“Oh, and Livvy’s here,” Della added. She glanced at Cassie. “She’s Claire’s business partner.”

Livvy was also one of Lucky’s ex-lovers, and with the side glance that Cassie gave him, it seemed she’d already picked up on that. Then again, she would probably give him a side glance because she thought he’d slept with every woman in town but her. He hadn’t, but that particular gossip thread had been exaggerated at lot.

“Are they nice ladies?” Mia whispered to Lucky.

“Very nice. But they might make you eat vegetables. Is that okay?”