by Ciana Stone
“Oh no, do not pull that full name shit with me. Mama can get away with it, but—hey, isn’t that Belinda Smith?”
Cody looked around to see her new guest enter, hanging onto the arm of a man Cody recognized as one of the workers on the oil site. She didn’t give a hoot who Belinda saw, but she did care where Bernice was.
“Shit. Watch the bar.” Cody hurried to the door and took Belinda’s arm. “Hey girl. Can we talk?” She didn’t give Belinda a chance to argue, she just pulled her along until they were clear of the bar area. “How’d you get here?”
“Charlie picked me up at your place.” Belinda gestured toward the man she’d entered with.
“And where’s Bernice?”
“Asleep in Charlie’s truck.”
Cody saw red. “Come with me.” This time she was none too gentle when she took Belinda’s arm and pulled her toward the door. Cody stopped beside the man, Charlie, who stood at the bar.
“Pardon me.” Cody tapped his shoulder.
“Hey.” The man smiled and then looked beyond her to Belinda. “You want beer, darlin’, or something stronger?”
“Jack and coke would hit the spot, handsome.”
“No.” Cody said, released Belinda and took Charlie’s arm. “You’re going to take me to your truck.”
“Why?”
“To get Bernice.”
“She’s okay. She’s asleep. We dosed her with Benadryl and—”
Cody felt the flush of rage heat her entire body. “Move!” She yelled at the man. “Now!”
“Okay, okay!” The man stumbled as she pushed him in the direction of the door. “Keep your pants on.”
Billy Sweet looked up as Cody marched the man through the door. “Everything okay, punkin?”
“Fine, Daddy. I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t care about the curious looks she got or the whispers from the people as they made their way outside and into the parking lot.
The man, Charlie, looked around at her. “I didn’t mean no harm, Miss Sweet. Honest to god.” He looked at Belinda, who hurried to keep up. ”Belinda said the kid would be fine once she gave her the Benadryl. She said she’d come out and check on her in a while.”
“I don’t give a fat shit what she said,” Cody snapped. “Both of you should know better than to leave a child alone in a truck.” She directed her next words at Belinda. “And why in hell would you drug her?”
“She’s been sneezing ever since we got here,” Belinda whined. “I thought it would help so I had Charlie stop at the store—”
“And just how did you hook up with Charlie?” Cody asked.
She saw the look Belinda and Charlie exchanged. “Well?” she demanded.
“We met last week when you brought Belinda and the kid to the steakhouse. I was there with some buddies,” Charlie offered and stopped beside a blue truck. “Here we are.”
He unlocked the truck and opened the door. Sure enough, Bernice was asleep on the passenger seat, curled into a little ball. With the heat being what it was, and no windows open, her hair was wet and plastered to her head and her face was flushed.
Cody picked her up. Bernice grumbled, wiggled and then went limp in Cody’s arms.
“Where’re you going?” Belinda asked when Cody headed back for the bar.
“Taking her to the office.”
“I thought you said she couldn’t stay in the office?” Belinda ran after Cody.
“Well, you didn’t give me much choice did you?” Cody didn’t care how ornery she sounded. No one should treat a child this way. She wanted to smack the living shit out of Belinda. Instead, she just marched inside the bar.
Her dad rose from his stool when she entered. “Cody, you know you can’t—“
“I know, Daddy. But I can’t take time to take her and Belinda home and Bernice needs a place to lie down, so what else can I do?”
Billy’s answer was to pull out his phone. “Stella, honey, we got a little situation over at the bar. Can you come on over? And bring KC. Thanks, sugar.”
He slid the phone into his pocket and gestured to the door. “How about we wait outside on your mama?”
“Who’s gonna watch the door?”
“I think I can handle that for you.”
Cody whirled around to see Bryson standing behind her.
“You got trouble?” He reached over and ran his hand over Bernice’s head and down her back.
Cody cut a hateful look at Belinda, who stood nearby. “We need a place for Bernice to sleep and I can’t leave and take her home, so Mama’s coming over with KC.”
Bryson nodded. “Go on with your father. I’ll watch the door.”
“No one comes in that isn’t stamped,” Billy said. “We’re maxed out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank’ye.” Billy nodded at Bryson who returned the nod and cut a look at Cody.
“Thank you,” she said and then headed outside with Bernice in her arms and her father at her side.
Belinda didn’t follow, but Cody didn’t notice right away. She was more concerned about Bernice. The child was very hot, and wearing long pants and a jacket.
“Daddy, help me get her out of this jacket.” Cody shifted Bernice in her arms.
Between the two of them, Cody and Billy removed the jacket. Cody smoothed wet hair back from Bernice’s face.
Bernice blinked several times and then looked up sleepily at Cody. “Hey Cody.”
“Hey Bernice.”
“Where we are?” Bernice looked around.
“We’re at my bar, sugar.”
“Where my mommy?”
“She’s inside.”
“I want Mommy.”
Cody looked at Billy, unsure what to do. Billy took Bernice from her. “Well now, little punkin, how about we take us a little stroll? Looky there, see how those fireflies are lighting up over there? Let’s go see if we can catch us some.”
“I like flyfires.” Bernice perked right up.
Cody put her hand on Billy’s arm. “You don’t have—”
“It’s okay sugar. Just watch out for Mama and KC.” He turned his attention to Bernice and spoke softly to her as he strolled slowly away.
Cody looked over the parking lot to the road. What the hell was wrong with Belinda to have done this? Cody didn’t know what to think or what to do. She had no doubt that her mother and KC would take care of Bernice tonight, but Cody needed more than a one night solution.
She couldn’t have Belinda pulling this kind of stunt again, but what real power did she have in the situation aside from threatening to toss Belinda out?
That thought had her cutting a look back at the bar. Maybe that was what she should do. Maybe if Belinda was threatened with homelessness, she’d straighten up. Cody would have headed into the bar at that very moment to confront Belinda had her mother not arrived.
Stella left the car engine running as she stopped in the middle of the drive. She got out of the car and KC climbed out and ran around the car to stand beside her. Billy hurried over with Bernice and was already explaining the situation by the time Cody reached them.
“I’ll take her home,” Stella said and held out her hands to Bernice. “Hey, pretty girl. I’m Stella. You want to ride with me and KC to our house and get some dinner?”
Bernice looked from Stella to Cody. “Where my mommy?”
“She’s busy right now, punkin.” Cody assured her. “But Stella is my mommy and you can go to her house and have some dinner and watch cartoons and when I finish work, I’ll come get you and take you home. Okay?”
“You take me to my mommy?”
“I sure will.”
“Okay.”
“That’s a girl.” Cody gave Bernice a kiss on the top of her head, then Billy handed Bernice to Stella.
“You drive safe, Stella Mae.”
“I will.” Stella smiled at Bernice and then looked at Cody. “You need to get this worked out, Cody Ann.”
“I will.”
“See that you do.” Stella smiled again at Bernice. “Okay, honey bun, here we go.”
Cody watched as Stella put Bernice into the back seat with KC and then got behind the wheel of her car. Billy blew her a kiss, then looked at Cody. “Take what your mama said to heart, baby girl. Get Belinda in hand.”
“I will. I’m going to find her right now. Thanks, Daddy.”
After giving Billy a quick kiss on the cheek, Cody hurried inside. Hannah started in on her the moment she entered. “Well, it’s about damn time. We have a problem in the kitchen so you’re going to have to handle the bar and help Kathy and Sheila out running orders. We’re down two servers.”
“Okay.” Cody didn’t see the point in getting pissed about Hannah’s snippy tone. She got it. They were short-handed and the place was wall-to-wall packed.
She made a mental note to talk to Cade. Since he was spending so much time getting the new spa ready to open, he’d been working far less at the bar.
It was time to talk about getting a full-time manager and maybe a couple of shift managers on the payroll, along with more kitchen and wait staff. They couldn’t keep going the way it was now.
With customers lined up at the bar and orders coming out of the kitchen, for the next two hours, Cody had no time to think about Belinda. When the dinner rush had finally slowed enough to take a breather, she looked around, intent on having a talk with Belinda.
Unfortunately, Belinda was nowhere to be seen. Cody got one of the servers to watch the bar long enough to walk outside. She hurried through the parking lot to where Belinda’s friend Charlie had parked his truck.
The truck was no longer there. Cody blew out her breath and turned, ire rising fast and hot.
It was going to be one hell of a come to Jesus talk when she found Belinda.
Chapter Four
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Cooper walk into the bar. Tonight had been one of those nights when nothing had gone right. An entire tray of pork had been dropped onto the floor in the kitchen, they’d run out of cola, the sound system had gone on the glitch and there had seemed to be far more surly drunks in the bar than normal.
Not to mention Cody being in a mood that spelled trouble.
“Hey gorgeous.” Cooper walked up to her and leaned down to graze his lips over hers. “You ready to go?”
“You have no idea.”
Hannah could tell from his smile that he thought her answer alluded to something hot, sexy and sweaty. She didn’t want to disillusion the man before they got out of the bar, but at the moment, sex was the last thing on her mind.
“Then let’s go.” He took her hand.
She looked around, spotted Cody and yelled. “I’m heading out. Talk to you tomorrow!”
Cody looked in Hannah’s direction and threw up her hand in a goodbye wave. “Okay, let’s go.” Hannah said to Cooper.
They made their way outside and got into his car. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he started the car.
“Nothing.”
“That nothing has the definite ring of something. What’s up baby? Bad day?”
Hannah looked over at him. “It was a… trying day.” She was trying not to think about it at the moment.
“That bad?”
His question had her mouth going into gear before her brain caught up. “I swear, sometimes I think this entire town is against me planning this wedding. Today Mrs. Greenwald, who owns the florist shop, said she didn’t know if she would be able to fill my order.” Hannah looked over at him. “I mean, seriously? It’s not even Labor Day. She has three months to place the order and get the flowers here so what the hell? And then there’s Cody and her dress. I can’t get her to pick anything reasonable and right now I don’t even know if she wants to be my maid of honor and—and it seems like it’s turning into a big mess.”
“I’m sure Cody will come around. She’s your sister and she wants your wedding to be perfect.”
Hannah snorted. “Cody doesn’t give a hoot in hell about weddings. Honest to god, if she fell in love today and the man proposed to her, she’d ride down to the county seat in her Wranglers and boots and get married by the judge.”
“Well, I guess we all have our way.”
“I guess so.” Hannah didn’t offer any more and the rest of the drive was spent in silence. She couldn’t help thinking about the situation with Cody and Belinda. Her sister might be stubborn as a mule and downright ornery at times, but her heart was gold and big as the sky.
Cody had taken Belinda and her child in out of kindness and now Belinda was behaving very irresponsibly. Hannah couldn’t imagine any mother drugging their child with cold medicine and locking them in a truck while she went into a bar with a man she’d just met.
Belinda was a real piece of work. Hannah remembered her as being one of the popular girls in high school. Pretty and shapely she had her pick of the cute boys. She was older than Hannah, but had hung out some with Cody. Everyone had been shocked when Belinda took off out of town the day she graduated high school. No one had heard from her since that day.
Until she’d shown up broke and homeless.
“Hannah?”
Hannah snapped to as she realized they were parked in the driveway of the house she and Pressley rented. “Oh, sorry.” She hurriedly got out.
Cooper put his arm around her as they walked up the sidewalk. Hannah unlocked the door and turned on the light switch. A lamp beside the sofa flared to life, bathing the room in warm dim light.
Hannah tossed her keys on the table beside the door, put her purse beside them and kicked off her shoes. “Want something to drink?” she asked over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen.
“A glass of wine if you have it?”
“I think we do.” She found a chilled bottle in the refrigerator, poured two glasses and returned to the sitting room. Cooper was sitting on the couch.
“Thanks.” He accepted the glass she offered. “So, about the wedding,” he said when she sat on the other end of the couch and stretched her legs toward him.
“What about it?” She took a sip of wine, then groaned and set the glass aside as he took one of her feet and started to massage it.
“I have an alternative I want to run by you.”
“An alternative to what?” She jerked her foot out of his hand and jumped up. “Oh god, you’ve changed your mind. You don’t want to get married.”
“No.”
Tears immediately filled her eyes and all the strength went out of her legs. She sank back on the couch.
“Yes. I mean no. No, that’s not what I meant.” Cooper stumbled over the words. “I do want to get married.”
“You do?”
“I do.” He reached for her hands. “I do.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I just meant that rather than all this you’re going through trying to plan things here and all of the problems you seem to be having, maybe we should think of getting married in another way.”
“What other way?”
“My father offered to give us the use of his Gulfstream. We can fly to Paris, be married there and then spend a month or two touring the world.”
“Married in Paris?” Hannah was having a hard time wrapping her mind around that. “You mean just you and me? No family or friends or…or anyone? Just us?”
“Well, yeah. I think it’d be romantic, don’t you?”
Hannah tugged her hands free to pick up her wine glass She cradled it in both hands. Taking a private jet to Paris to be married was romantic, the kind of thing you see in a movie. But she’d been envisioning her wedding day since she was nine years old and she didn’t want to let that dream die.
She also didn’t want to hurt Cooper. “I do think it’s romantic. Wildly romantic. But we’ve already spent so much on the wedding and so much work has gone into the planning and—”
“To hell with the cost. It’s just money.”
“No it’s not.” She realiz
ed she’d spoken much sharper than intended at the expression that came on his face. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer from your father, but I really do have my heart set on this wedding.”
“Well, then I guess that’s what we’ll do,” he said, then added in a testy tone, “After all, it is your wedding.”
Hannah knew she shouldn’t take the bait, but damn if she could resist. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means. You act like you’re the only one getting married here. It’s all about you and what you want and to hell with me. I’m just the groom.”
Voices rang in her head, her mama, Pressley and Liz—all of them encouraging her to just step back, take a breath and not let it get her riled up.
But it was Cody’s voice that sounded the loudest.
Oh hell no.
And it was Cody’s words Hannah latched onto. One moment she was sitting on the couch and the next she was on her feet with one hand on a hip, looking down at Cooper. She almost bit her tongue to stop the torrent of words. Almost. But stress, fatigue, and generally feeling pissy got the best of her.
It was a side of Hannah she’d never let him see.
Now even as she yelled at him, she wondered if he thought he’d made a huge mistake asking her to marry him.
*****
As she cleared the table, Cody looked up just in time to see Riggs walking through the bar. She was shocked at how her heart rate accelerated, her skin warmed and her breath quickened at the sight of him.
He saw her and a slow smile rose on his face. Her hands moved by rote while her eyes stayed glued to him as he made his way across the bar toward her. God, she loved watching him walk.
“Hey, hot stuff.” He stopped on the other side of the table, placed both hands on it and leaned down to look directly into her eyes.
“Hey yourself.” She smiled and picked up her tub of dirty glasses and trash. “Have you eaten?”
“Nope. Finished up for the day, got clean and headed on over here.”
“Then come take a seat at the bar and I’ll get you something to eat. Plate of barbecue with potato salad, coleslaw and a beer?”