Amy chuckled. "That may be the first time tough Dustin Starr has been called a coward. From all I've heard, he's a hero in this town."
"I didn't say he was a coward."
"You kind of did, and Daniel has mentioned it too. If Dusty is avoiding you and his feelings for you, then he's a big chicken."
Lindsey could see Amy's point. In truth, she'd been a chicken too in her efforts to avoid him. "At least he's not hiding now. He asked me to take him truck shopping after Daniel told him he was tied up with you, and as you already know, he helped me paint a room at my house last night."
"And had supper with you." Amy flashed a proud grin.
"How in the world do you know about that?" Lindsey felt certain she must have hidden cameras in her house like some strange reality show, and the whole town was watching online.
"Shirley mentioned Dusty didn't eat with her, so she assumed he had supper at your place."
Lindsey shook her head. "What am I going to do with her?"
"Nothing you can do. Just know that when you decided to date Dusty, nothing is sacred. He's a Texas icon, and beloved son of the town. You might as well be dating Brad Pitt."
"I'm pretty sure he's married."
"Nope, I don't think so, but I can't keep up with those Hollywood stars. It's hard enough keeping up with the Starrs around here."
"Ha-ha. Very funny." Lindsey slipped into the driver's seat.
Amy grabbed the door so Lindsey couldn't close it. She leaned in. "Daniel has talked a lot about Dusty and told me about the past you two have. Let me encourage you to keep your heart open. You just don't know what wonderful things God may have planned for you."
Amy closed the door and headed back into her shop. Lindsey sat there, thinking about what she said. Years ago she'd thought sure that it was God's will for her to marry Dusty, once they were old enough. Then her whole world had gone haywire.
As much as was possible, she'd put Dusty from her mind for a long while. But everything changed when he returned. No matter how hard she'd tried to quit loving him, she'd never been able to. Could that be because God wanted them together?
She hoped that was true, because she could no longer deny that she wanted Dustin Starr in her life.
Chapter Six
On Sunday after the church service, Daniel and Amy joined Dusty and Gramma at the ranch for dinner. Dusty had hoped Lindsey would join them too, but she already had a chicken in the Crock-Pot and planned to spend the day working on her quilt.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of roast and tasted as good as it smelled. At his request, Gramma slid the butter dish toward Dusty. He slathered some of the creamy goodness on a hot roll and glanced around the room.
"Good roast." Daniel shoved another bite of meat into his mouth.
"Dusty fixed most of it," Gramma said. "He put the roast in the oven and peeled and mashed the potatoes for me."
"That was nice of you." Amy smiled at him. "I think it's fair that the man helps with the kitchen duties."
Daniel's eyebrows shot up, making Dusty chuckle. "I guess I'd better get you an apron for a wedding present, bro."
"We'll be eating lots of burnt food if I have to cook." Daniel stared at Amy. "Now, grilling—that's another thing."
Silverware clinked as they all enjoyed the meal. Dusty took a drink of his tea then cleared his throat. "I talked with Gramma about painting the kitchen." He was glad that she'd been excited about the idea. He looked at her. "Have you thought any more about what color you want it painted? I'd like to start on it this week."
"It's hard to imagine it being anything but yellow, since it's been that way so long, but I'm ready for a change. I think I'd like it to be a light color. Not white but maybe an off-white. Lightish tan. Or maybe even a soft green."
"You could come to town and pick out some paint samples at the hardware store after your nap," Daniel offered.
Gramma shook her head as she slid a piece of roast onto her fork. "Burt's coming over this evening, so I thought I'd bake some banana bread. Would you mind getting some samples, Dusty? I'm not overly picky."
"Of course I don't mind." With the easier topic settled, he needed to broach the subject of her moving, but he didn't know how. She'd lived in this house for decades. He and his brothers had grown up here, and he knew she was far more sentimental than he was. If things between her and Burt were moving faster, he might not say anything. If Gramma married again, that sure would ease his concerns for her.
Gramma tapped his arm. "Did you happen to remember that Lindsey's birthday is in two weeks?"
He paused his knife in midair, not surprised at her change in topics—just the direction she'd taken. "Actually, I am aware of it."
"I think we should have a party for her." Gramma beamed.
Amy smiled. "That's a wonderful idea. Daniel mentioned that she has no family to give her one."
"Just don't make it a surprise," Daniel said. "Somehow I don't think she'd like that."
Dusty scooped some mashed potatoes on his fork, remembering what Lindsey had said about her father leaving on her birthday. A small party might actually take her mind off that sad event and cheer her up. "Dan's right. Lindsey is a planner and wouldn't appreciate a surprise party. If we do one, I think it should only be the five of us."
"But what about some of her old school friends?" Amy looked at Dan then Dusty. "Hasn't she stayed in contact with any of them?"
"I'm pretty sure most of them have moved away." Daniel snagged a second roll. "She probably has friends at church, but I don't know who they are." He looked at Amy.
She shook her head. "I don't either."
"Even if it's only the four of us giving the party, I think it would please her." Gramma glanced at the calendar on the wall. "Her birthday is on the Saturday after next. Are y'all free to do it then?"
Amy and Daniel both tugged out their phones and glanced at their calendars.
Shirley shook her head.
Dusty smiled. He didn't miss having to use a phone to keep track of appointments one bit. "I do believe I'm free."
Dan chuckled. "These days, you're almost always free."
"Now don't pick on your brother," Gramma said. "It's not his fault that bull landed on his leg and kicked him in the head."
"We were talking about Lindsey, not me." Dusty cut another slice of roast. "Just let me be the one to tell her about the party."
"I don't know Lindsey well, but if I were her, I'd appreciate a small gathering." Amy tapped her lips. "I'd be happy to bake the cake and whatever else you need."
"That would be wonderful, dear. Would you mind getting my recipe box for me?"
"Of course not." Amy rose and went to the counter, retrieved Gramma's recipe box, then sat again.
"We'll have pan-fried chicken," Gramma said. "You can't find decent fried chicken in restaurants these days. Those deep fryers can't compete with a cast iron skillet."
Amy dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "I can come over early and help prepare the meal. Frying chicken might be difficult with you still using a walker. Besides, I'd like to learn how to make your chicken. It's delicious."
Gramma nodded. "I'd appreciate the help, and I'm happy to share my recipe."
"Lindsey likes strawberry cake." Dusty remembered the first year Lindsey's mom made her one. After one bite, Linds declared it her favorite and had requested it every year—at least until their separation.
"I do believe I have her mama's recipe somewhere in here." Shirley rummaged through the recipe cards. "I remember eating it one year and begging her for it." Gramma tugged her napkin from her lap and started to get up but stopped suddenly and looked around. "You know, now that I've thought of it some more, I'd like my kitchen painted a light blue."
"Blue?" Daniel wrinkled his nose. "In the kitchen?"
"Yes, sir. Don't you know it's the new up-and-coming color on the fix-it-up channels on television?"
"No, I didn't." Daniel rolled his eyes at Dusty. "Won't that look lovely wi
th her avocado green appliances?" he said in a sarcastic tone.
Gramma glanced at her stove. "Well, I've been thinking about replacing those."
Daniel straightened. "Are you sure you want to invest that much money in the place, if you might be leaving soon?"
"Leaving? What are you talking about?" Gramma stared at him.
Daniel's gaze shot to Dusty's, and he shrugged. "You haven't talked to her about…you know?"
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Talked to me about what?"
Amy rose. "I…um…will be back in a moment." She turned and hurried from the room.
"Chicken!" Daniel hollered after her. He looked at Dusty again. "You're one too."
He lifted his chin. "I didn't notice you mentioning it to her."
Gramma banged her spoon on the table. "Mention what to me? Stop all of this bickerin' and tell me what you're talking about."
Daniel ducked his head for a moment, and since he was the oldest by four whole minutes, Dusty gladly let him break the news.
"We've been talking—Dusty and me—and we think that you'd be better off living in an assisted living facility where you have someone nearby in case you fall or need help."
Gramma's mouth dropped open, but nothing came out.
"You've fallen twice lately, and ended up in the hospital once."
"That wasn't my fault. The stairs broke."
Daniel shot Dusty a frustrated glance. "I realize that, but you're getting older, and it's not safe for you to live alone in this big house."
"I'm not alone. Dusty's here." She begged him with her eyes to stand up for her.
But he had to be honest and do what he felt was the best thing for her, even if it hurt. "I'm here now, but I won't always be. I'm thinking of rejoining the rodeo."
Three gasps filled the room. Amy stepped in from the hall where she must have been eavesdropping. Daniel's eyes widened, as did Gramma's.
"You can't be serious." His brother shook his head. "The doctor said you might not survive another encounter with a bull."
Dusty held his hands up. "Hold on. I didn't say I was going back to bull riding, just attending the rodeo."
"Oh." Amy dropped into her chair.
Dan rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, why didn't you say so?"
"You didn't give me a chance." He realized the focus was now off Gramma and onto him. "The rodeo will be in Dallas, starting next weekend, for seven days. I'm going to talk to some of the men behind the scenes and see if there might be a job for me somewhere—something less life-threatening than riding bulls."
"If you go on tour again, what will happen to your relationship with Lindsey?" Amy asked.
"Nothing." He hoped. "Things are going well between us, and I'm going to do my best to keep them that way. But I have to have a job. Lindsey understands that, and I don't know what else to do besides rodeo."
"If you'd listened to me, you'd have a degree to fall back on."
Dusty scowled at his brother. "Well, I don't, but I do have a championship buckle and a good reputation, and those count for something in this business. I have to believe there will be someone who'd be willing to hire me to work for them."
Daniel scratched his jaw. "That may be true, but you sure won't make much money working as a crewman."
"I know."
Gramma pushed up from her chair and reached for her walker. "God will show him what to do. In the meantime, I'm having a party for Lindsey, and I'm staying put in my house. And that's final." She stared down each of them, Amy included, then pushing her walker, she fled the room.
Quiet reigned as they stared at one another.
"You should have told her sooner. Then she would have had time to process the idea." Daniel quirked his mouth to one side.
Dusty grabbed a roll and lobbed it at his brother, hitting him square on the cheek. "The same goes for you."
His twin snatched it up and drew back, but Amy yanked the bread from his grip. "Oh, no you don't. You're both too old for food fights. And you should be ashamed of yourselves, trying to put Shirley in a home for old folks. She's perfectly fine here." She turned and trotted out of the kitchen.
Dusty watched his brother's mouth, tensing then relaxing as he wrestled over a thought. Finally, Dan looked at him. "You should have told her."
Dusty pushed back his chair. "I tried, but I never could figure out how to start. She loves this house. How can I tell her she has to leave?"
"Well, I managed."
"Yeah, and look what happened." He rose and headed for the door, frustrated that his brother had upset Gramma and Amy. What had once sounded like a good idea—something that would benefit Gramma—no longer did. Why had he thought his grandma would be happy somewhere else? This house had been her home for decades.
"Hey," Daniel hollered. "I'm not doing these dishes alone."
#
"I really appreciate you driving me to Texarkana to pick up my truck." Dusty smiled across the seat at Lindsey.
"I could argue that you're the one who's driving." She waved her hand toward the steering wheel.
"True. But you know what I meant." He reached over and clutched her hand, holding on to it.
"I'm surprised your truck arrived so quickly."
"Me too. Another Texas dealership had one on hold for a man, but his financing didn't go through. I'm sorry for him but happy for me. I'm ready to have wheels again."
"What?" She chuckled. "You don't want to drive Shirley's old sedan?"
"Not if I can help it. Driving that might ruin my reputation—what's left of it anyway. And besides, I barely fit in it."
Lindsey laid back against the head rest, smiling. She looked so relaxed today that he hated to bring up the subject of the party, but he'd promised Gramma he'd tell her. Dusty cleared his throat, drawing her gaze. He checked the road ahead, then flicked his eyes toward her. "Gramma has been making plans."
"What kind of plans?"
"She wants to hold a birthday party for you."
"Was that really her idea or yours?"
"Hers. Honest. She brought up the topic at Sunday dinner."
Lindsey's blue eyes widened. "How does she even remember when it is?"
Dusty shrugged. "She's probably got it written down in one of those datebooks of hers. I talked her into keeping it only family."
"I appreciate that, but I don't know about a party. I don't like being the center of attention, especially in a large group. I'll leave that for you."
"It's really just supper—with a cake for dessert. You wouldn't want to disappoint Gramma, would you?"
He felt her hand tremble and glanced her way.
"No. It's just that I haven't really celebrated since that day."
The day her dad left. "Then it's far past time you did."
"I suppose you're right."
He smiled, concentrating on the road as he drove into Texarkana's city limits. It was funny how he never minded being the one everybody was looking at—except for the times when he got bucked off and failed to make an eight-second ride. Maybe that came from being the middle brother of three and always vying for attention. He knew he wasn't as smart at book learning as Daniel, so he'd tried hard to make his mark in sports and bull riding. If Luke had been a few years older, he would have been a formidable opponent. He wondered where Luke was and what he was doing. He missed his younger brother and wished he'd come home.
"So, when is this party?"
It took a moment to shift gears from his thoughts of family. "Uh…she wants to fix you supper on your birthday, and since it's next Saturday, you'll be off work. Is that good for you? No other plans?"
She shook her head but kept her focus on the passing buildings. "Nope. No plans."
"Then it looks like we're throwing a shindig."
She shot a frantic look his way. "You said it was family—no one else, right?"
"No one other than Amy, and she's almost family. I told Gramma you probably wouldn't feel comfortable i
n a big gathering."
"Thanks. It's not that I don't like being around people—I love people. But I don't like having everyone looking at me."
"I promise—family only." He pulled into the dealership lot and parked.
Lindsey pointed to a row of vehicles lining the front windows. A shiny ocean blue Silverado sat there. "Look, I bet that's your truck. I love that color." She unsnapped her seatbelt. "I'm so glad you didn't get red or black like most cowboys do."
He turned in the seat and winked. "Haven't you noticed? I'm not your average cowboy."
"Oh, I've known that for a long time."
He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm glad, because I've had my eye on you for as long as I can remember."
The smile she rewarded him with warmed him inside and gave him hope for the future with her that he'd dreamed of. He opened the door, excited that he'd reached another goal—buying his first brand new vehicle.
Thirty minutes later, he walked outside with his title and new keys in hand. He jingled them in the air, grinning widely. Then he escorted Lindsey to her SUV, opened the door, and helped her in.
"So…are we going to caravan home?" She stuck her key in the ignition.
"Actually, I have to go to Dallas."
Her gaze zipped back to his. "Dallas? Is that what the bag in my back seat is for?"
He nodded. He'd dreaded telling her and shouldn't have put it off. "I'm going to the rodeo in Dallas to talk to some of my friends and see if I can decide what I want to do with the rest of my life."
"And you didn't think that was important enough to tell me?" She crossed her arms and stared out the front window.
"Sorry. I should have mentioned it sooner, but I only decided to go yesterday. I'll be gone a few days. A week at the most." When she didn't look at him, he wrapped his hand around hers. "I promise I'll be back, Linds. This is just a quick trip. Nothing could keep me from coming back to you."
A tiny smile tugged at her lips. "It's all right. I always knew you'd go back, but I didn't expect it would be this soon." She turned in the seat to face him and touched his shoulder. "Please promise me you won't get on another bull."
The Bull Rider's Bride Page 6