Walk The Line (The Dawson Brothers Book 6)

by Ali Parker

  “It really has, and it sure makes the time drag by. I’d really rather be busy,” I said, with my hand out on the table. We were sitting side by side across from the nail technicians working on our nails.

  We had been at work all day but there wasn’t much to do. Restocking and ordering items and samples was all there was to do. I spent most of the day looking through catalogs of new furniture designs. It was a fairly simple day, but long, so we decided to get our nails done after work.

  “We don’t have any clients coming in for the rest of the week. I have one coming next week, but nothing until then,” Whitney said.

  “What are you getting at?” I asked, looking over at her.

  “I’m just thinking there’s a reason we don’t get a lot of clients at Patton Designs. There are just too many design companies here. There are at least five companies in our part of the city, and that doesn’t even count individual designers working from home.”

  “Yeah, you have a point. I think I would do things differently if it were my shop.”

  “Yeah, I have those thoughts sometimes myself.”

  “What color were you thinking?” the technician asked.

  “I think maybe a deep red this time,” I said.

  “Alright,” she replied, pulling out a bottle of nail polish and holding it up. I nodded my approval. I usually didn’t get red, but I was feeling a little adventurous. Ever since I got all dressed up and wore Whitney’s cowgirl clothes I’d been feeling a little different. Adventurous might be the right word for it.

  “So, what should we do tomorrow? There are no clients lined up, so we’ll probably be done with the day around three or so,” Whitney said.

  “I don’t know.”

  “We could go shopping. I need a few new dresses,” Whitney said.

  “Yeah, we could do that, though I’d prefer to have some work,” I said.

  “Of course you would. All work and no play all the time,” she teased me.

  “Yeah, well that’s just who I am. I can’t change that.”

  “You need to learn to live a little, Lydia. Life will just pass you by if you don’t.”

  Ping. Ping. My phone went off, and I pulled one hand away from the nail technician.

  “Don’t mess up my work,” she said.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just email,” I said. Then touching the screen, I opened up the email. “It’s from Janet.”

  “Of course it is. Emails from the boss even after work is kind of her thing,” Whitney said.

  “I don’t mind so much. I kind of like working all the time. A busy mind is a good thing,” I said.

  “Well, what does it say?”

  “Oh yay! I have a meeting tomorrow for a possible new client. Finally,” I said.

  “Any details?

  “Just that her name is Abigail and she is looking to redo a country style home. Just basic stuff, refreshing her home that hasn’t been updated in years, while keeping it in the country style. That should be interesting.”

  “Well, that will definitely be different than the city offices and apartments you’ve been doing,” she said.

  “Yeah, I can’t wait. I look forward to the challenge of something new. Janet said she’s going to email me some photos of the house so I can get some ideas flowing.” I took my hand away from the phone and gave it back to the nail technician so she could finish.

  After our nails were done we both made our way home. I lived in the same neighborhood as work by design. I liked being close, and it was convenient to go by the office for samples when I needed to, while Whitney lived in the downtown area. She liked to be where the action was and that fit her personality perfectly.

  When I got home, I was excited to get right to work so I had a quick grilled chicken salad for dinner while I looked over the photos Janet had sent me. It was a good country house. A standard Victorian with a wraparound porch. Inside, it looked like it hadn’t been updated since the forties, but it looked like there were also a lot of important antiques. I was guessing the client would want to keep at least some of those and I would need to work around them. I pulled out sample fabrics for different curtains I thought would go well and let in a lot of light. I also pulled paint samples as I knew that the rooms would likely need new coats of paint.

  I worked late into the night, later than usual, but I was afraid to go to sleep. Every time I went to bed I would dream about that damn cowboy from the dance hall, and I didn’t want to face that again. But I also knew I needed a good night’s sleep so I would be at my best for the meeting, though it wasn’t until four in the afternoon. So, I would just sleep in a bit and go in later, fully prepared for the meeting. I took a hot bath and relaxed, then I went to sleep.

  7

  Connor Dawson

  “Connor, what are you still doing out here? Get your ass inside and take a shower. We need to leave in thirty minutes,” Abi said, coming over to my side as I pitched a forkful of hay into a stable stall. Sunshine was grateful for it and began to eat.

  “Alright, alright. I’m going,” I said, putting the pitchfork on the wall.

  “Why do I always gotta remind you boys to keep time? I feel like a darn alarm clock sometimes,” Abi muttered to herself, as she walked out of the stable. She was ready to go, wearing a nice dress that she normally wore to church. Her long black hair was in a braid and she wore a white headband.

  Pulling off my sweaty t-shirt, I jogged toward the house. I ran inside and got to the bottom of the stairs, where I was met with much fanfare.

  “Don’t forget to make yourself all nice and pretty for the interior designer,” Dylan said, as I walked in.

  “Yes, she’s probably some old spinster that is going to want to spend a lot of time with you,” Wyatt added.

  “Shut up,” I said, running up the stairs as I shook my head. I was usually the one dishing out the shit to them, and I didn’t like being the receiver of it. I was the one to make wisecracks and jokes, but I hadn’t been myself lately. Not since I met that cowgirl at the dancehall.

  I jumped in the shower and quickly got washed and dried. I didn’t need to make a fuss over my looks. Throwing on some Wranglers, I grabbed a green snap button shirt and pulled on my boots.

  “Connor, hurry up,” Abi shouted up from the bottom of the stairs. “You’re going to make us late.”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming!” I shouted back down at her. Snatching up my white straw cowboy hat, I crammed it on my head and ran down the stairs to the living room.

  “Alright, I’m ready!”

  Dylan and Wyatt began clapping. “Well, he shore looks all pretty for his big city appointment, doesn’t he now?” Dylan said.

  “Yeah, he does. We should squirt him with some of Abi’s perfume,” Wyatt added.

  “All right, all right. I get it. This isn’t exactly a tough project, and I’m sure you boys won’t mind pitching in on the rest of my chores,” I said.

  “Don’t listen to them. Let’s just get going. I don’t want you to have to drive like a maniac just to get us there. Plus, I don’t want to be all stressed out and mad at you,” Abi said.

  “Fine, let’s get going” I said, grabbing the keys to my truck. Dylan and Wyatt began clapping and shouting after us, teasing me as long as they could. I rolled my eyes at them as we walked out onto the porch and down to my truck. Once we were in my truck I looked over at Abi, and saw that she had a big grin on her face. It touched me deep down because I really did like seeing her happy. Seeing her smile like that made taking the teasing worthwhile. I remembered Dylan saying that she just wanted to spend time with me and I was glad we were making this trip. Seeing her so happy at the prospect of spending time with me warmed my heart, plus she didn’t give me near as much shit as my brothers. I was suddenly looking forward to this trip.

  “I am so excited about this. Do you think we can stop somewhere in the city and have an early dinner after the meeting? It’s been months since I’ve been in the city,” she said, very excited as
I turned my truck around in the driveway and begin to drive out toward the cattle guard.

  “Sure, I don’t see why not. I’m always hungry.”

  “Great. I’ll pull up the directions to the interior design place,” she said, pulling out her phone.

  “Thank you. That will help get us there on time.”

  “I’m so glad we’re doing this, Connor. It will be a fun project,” she said.

  “Yes, I think so. Just you and me, kid!” I said, smiling at her.

  Soon we were on the main road going through town, and in no time had made our way to the interstate that would lead us into the city. It felt good to take to the road. I hadn’t done this in a long time, though I had been telling the guys we should start going out in the city, but they never listened. It was good to relax and put on some miles.

  “Hey Connor, I’m worried about Dylan,” Abi said, just out of the blue.

  “You are? Why?”

  “He’s been very reckless lately. The fight y’all had at the dance hall, everyone’s talking about it. They all say that Dylan started it and that he’s just a hot head.”

  “Well, I was there and I can tell you that’s not true. Dylan didn’t start it, Willie did. In fact, he started it before we even went into the dance hall, and Dylan kept his cool. After a few beers, it escalated, as it always does. But you don’t need to worry about him, he’s just going through a phase. We all did when we were that age, you just don’t remember cause you were younger and in high school dealing with high school stuff. You weren’t going to the dance hall with us, so you didn’t see the way the rest of us were.”

  “No, but I was there when the sheriff would come to tell Father about your antics. But you’re right, maybe I shouldn’t be worried. There’s just something to his recklessness that seems a little bit dangerous sometimes. I’m glad he’s not the one doing this project with me, because I know I’d end up on my own. He would never stick to it,” she said.

  “I don’t like hearing you talk about your brother like that. We’re supposed to be supportive of each other, even though we give each other crap all the time. But I’m glad you told me. Don’t worry about him, I’ll keep an eye on him and set him straight. I already had a talk with him.”

  “You did? So you’re worried about him, too. You must be or you wouldn’t have had that talk with him,” she said.

  “Yeah, I guess there is some truth to that,” I said.

  I knew why she was worried, but I didn’t want to agree with her. I didn’t want her to have to worry about her brother getting in trouble. Not at her age. She already had a lot on her plate. Being the only sister, see had taken on a lot of traditional womanly responsibilities. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to be a mother hen for Dylan, or any of us. Not over something serious. I wanted her to know that I would take care of it and watch over him, so she didn’t have that weight on her shoulders.

  We continued driving and Abi turned on some good country music. The Texas landscape rolled out in front of us. Grand fields and the blue sky coming down to touch the green and yellow pastures. I had been wrong to resist doing this project. It was nice to get away and get into the city, even if just for a few hours with Abi. It had been a long time since I’d been in the city as well. We didn‘t go into the city very often, except for business. We were all so busy, we’d forgotten about just going to the city for fun. One of the reasons that I had been urging my brothers to go to a bar in the city with me was to try something new, and hopefully to meet new women in the process.

  As we drove, the country landscape began to give way to the city. First, just a few scattered buildings, then more and more, until we were in the city. Our exit came up and we were working our way toward the company. Before I knew it we were pulling into the parking lot of Patton Designs.

  “Hello, my name is Abigail. We have an appointment today,” Abi said, after we had walked in the front door. The young woman standing there looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t place her. Still, I felt like I had seen her somewhere before.

  “Yes, of course. Come in, Abigail, it’s really nice to meet you. My name is Whitney,” the woman said, looking first at Abigail, and then at me.

  “My name is Connor. Abi and I are doing this redecorating project together at our family home,” I said.

  “Very pleased to meet you, Connor,” she said with a smile. “You’ll be meeting with Lydia Myers, the designer assigned to your project. If you’ll have a seat here, I’ll head back and get her.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” I said.

  “Thank you,” Abi said.

  We both sat down and waited. I looked around the office, thinking it wasn’t so bad. This wasn’t exactly girly, and based on the photos on the wall, they did a lot of corporate work. The pictures revealed newly decorated office spaces, mostly masculine.

  “Abigail, so nice to meet you. My name is Lydia Myers,” We heard the voice before we saw the woman coming from the back. Abigail and I both stood up, ready to shake her hand. But as the woman in the smart business suit and black stiletto heels came toward us, she stopped dead in her tracks. So did I. Her dark green eyes grew wide and her mouth parted.

  “You?” She asked, looking at me.

  I smiled, “Howdy ma’am,” I said.

  Standing in front of me was the woman of my dreams, literally. Ever since she had slapped me at the dance hall, I had been having dreams about her. She looked just as beautiful as she did that night, only very different. This time her platinum blond hair was in a bun. Instead of cowboy boots and a blue jean skirt, she wore a dark grey business suit with a pencil skirt and black stiletto heels. She still looked absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.

  Abi stood there, confused, first looking at me, and then at the woman. She had no idea what was going on. She elbowed me to get my attention. Maybe this would be a very fun project after all.

  8

  Lydia Myers

  “Your clients are here,” Whitney said, coming into my office.

  “Thank you, I’ll be right out.”

  “The guy is really cute. He’s a very tall cowboy,” Whitney said, giving me a wink.

  “I don’t think I need to be flirting with my client’s boyfriend or husband, and neither should you. That would be very disrespectful, no matter how cute he is,” I said.

  “Well, see for yourself,” she said, walking out and heading for her office.

  Standing up, I went to the mirror on my wall to straighten my hair and make sure I didn’t have lipstick on my teeth. Then I headed out to the front waiting area. The moment I saw who the clients were, I stopped in my tracks and couldn’t contain my shock.

  The cowboy that had kissed me at the dance hall—that I couldn’t stop thinking about—was standing right in front of me. How could this be? It was absolutely impossible. All he did was give me that sheepish grin one more time and called me ma’am—just as he did that night.

  Finally, I broke out of my frozen state and looked at the woman next to him. She looked young. I smiled at her and could see that she was very confused, as she looked at me and then over at the cowboy. She knew that something was going on but she didn’t know what. I was mortified. Was this his girlfriend? Or even worse, his wife? Had he been such a scoundrel that he had flirted with other women and even kissed one, me? My face turned bright red.

  “You two know each other?” she finally asked.

  “Oh no, not really,” I said, not knowing quite what to say. I couldn‘t exactly tell his wife—my new client—that her husband had kissed me only a few days before.

  “No, we have not been properly introduced. My name is Connor Dawson,” he said, putting his hand out to me. I had no choice but to shake his hand.

  “I am Abigail Dawson, and I’m very excited to get started,” the girl said. That was it, they were married, and I was mortified. This wasn’t good, and I was going to have to tell them I couldn’t take them on as clients. I would have to hand them of
f to Whitney, or they would have to go somewhere else. Janet would not be happy about this, and neither was I.

  “So, I have a lot to talk about and to ask you. So are we taking a seat here?” the young woman asked.

  “No, sorry about that. Please come back into my office,” I said. I looked at the cowboy, Connor, and he was still giving me that big grin. What a jerk, I thought. He was still being flirtatious, right in front of his wife.

  I turned and led them to my office, where I might as well give them the bad news. I couldn’t take them on as clients, but I should at least tell them in the privacy of my office. First, I needed to think of a lie as to why I couldn‘t take them on. Maybe I could give them a few ideas, then tell them Whitney would be the project manager. All of these thoughts were going through my head at the speed of light.

  He looked just as cute as I remembered. Whitney was right, a very tall and good-looking cowboy. The green shirt that he wore brought out the color of his light green eyes. His rolled up sleeves showed me his tattoos, and he looked very tough, especially with his white straw cowboy hat. But I couldn’t be thinking about those things, not right now. His wife was right there in front of me, and I was an awful person for even thinking of him as attractive, especially while she was here in the room.

  “Please, have a seat,” I said, pointing to two chairs. I walked around to the back and sat behind my desk, not knowing exactly what to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Connor still smiling at me.

  “Well, why don’t we get started? I’ve seen some photos, but why don’t you tell me what you’re wanting to achieve? Once you tell me what you’re looking for, I can tell you what this company can do and whether we are a good fit for your project,” I said, already prepping them for the fact that I was going to hand them off to a colleague.

  “All right, you see our house is very outdated,” she said. “There are a few things I think we can do to update it a bit, but still keep that country charm. Our father is very specific about keeping a few things the same, so we’ll have to work around that.”