Lucky's Choice
Page 44

 Shade, Lucky, and Lily got out. There was no way to avoid them. It wouldn’t have bothered her not speaking to Lucky, but she couldn’t bring herself to be rude to Lily and Shade.
 “Hi, Lily, Shade.”
 “Hi, Willa,” Lily responded while Shade gave her a nod.
 “Willa.”
 “Lucky,” she returned his greeting without looking at him.
 The three didn’t move on, and Willa was forced to introduce Travis.
 Lily’s eyes didn’t budge from the tall Texan, who was wearing faded jeans, scuffed boots, a T-shirt, and a cowboy hat.
 “Where are you from?”
 “Tyler, Texas, ma’am.”
 Lily’s eyes widened.
 “He owns a ranch where the children will be moving with him in a couple of weeks. He’s staying with me and the children until they leave,” Willa explained.
 “In your house?”
 Lucky’s sharp question had Travis raising a brow in his direction.
 “Yes. That way, he can get to know the kids better, and it won’t be as traumatic when they leave.” Willa was angry at herself for caring that he might get the wrong impression of Travis staying with her.
 “Do you have horses?” Lily asked, breaking the tense silence.
 “Wouldn’t be called a ranch if I didn’t.”
 “We need to hurry, Lily. We don’t want to leave John alone for long with Raci babysitting.”
 “It was nice—” Lily was tugged away before she could finish her sentence.
 Willa started to push the buggy forward, but was blocked by Lucky.
 “If you need any help packing their things, I could come by.”
 “No, thanks. Travis and I have it under control.” Willa shoved the buggy forward, leaving Lucky to decide whether to get run over or move. Wisely, he moved out of the way, walking into the store.
 Travis helped her buckle the girls into their car seats then load the groceries into the van before opening the passenger door for her then getting in on the driver’s side. As he pulled out of the parking lot, Willa saw Lucky staring out the window of the grocery store.
 “He an old boyfriend?”
 “No,” Willa choked out.
 “Want me to go back and punch him for you?”
 Willa had to think about it for a minute then decided the good, Christian girl couldn’t see Lucky get hurt.
 “You think it would be that easy?” she teased.
 “Ma’am, I chase criminals for a living, so he would be a piece of cake. No pun intended.”
 Willa laughed, thankful he was sticking around for a while. He was good company, and while she still missed Lucky, at least Travis had kept her from moping around all day. By the time Travis left, she probably wouldn’t miss Lucky anymore. Unconsciously, she crossed her fingers in her lap.
 * * *
 Willa placed the cake carefully into the cake box just as the doorbell rang. Closing the box, she hurried to her door.
 “Hi, Douglas. Come on in.”
 “The cake’s ready? I can come back later if it isn’t.”
 “I just finished.” Willa shut the door, motioning him toward the kitchen. “How are Angus and Myrtle doing this afternoon?”
 “They’re so excited. I told Myrtle to take an extra blood pressure pill and gave Angus a beer. Their daughter is visiting and bringing her kids, and it has them excited. Myrtle said thanks for fitting her in on short notice.”
 “They’ve been keeping you busy?”
 “Myrtle always finds something to keep me busy.” Douglas was the older couple’s handyman, and he kept an eye on them since their children all lived out of town.
 Willa pointed at the pink box on the counter. “Would you like a cup of coffee before you go?”
 She didn’t give him time to answer, going behind the counter to pour him a cup.
 “I really don’t have the time.”
 Willa turned to glance over her shoulder as Douglas started to reach into his back pocket.
 “No charge. It’s my present to them.”
 “They gave me the money…” Again, he reached for his back pocket.
 “Then you can give it back.” She gave him an unconsciously sad smile. “Are you sure you can’t stay for coffee? I could use the company.”
 Douglas opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a scratching at the back door.
 “Excuse me.” Willa opened the back door, letting Ria inside.
 The dog sniffed the air and began growling.
 “Halt.”
 Ria sat down on her haunches without taking her eyes off her.
 “Did you just call her off?” Douglas’s eyes narrowed on the dog.
 “Yes. Isn’t she smart?”
 He stared at the dog warily, taking a seat at her counter. “I’ll take that coffee.”
 “I’m glad.” Willa placed the coffee in front of him.
 “When did you get a dog? You didn’t have one the last time I stopped by and picked up Angus’s and Myrtle’s anniversary cake.”
 “I’ve only had her a few weeks.” Willa poured herself a cup of coffee then, standing on the opposite side of the counter, facing Douglas.
 “Pretty dog,” he stated, taking a drink of his coffee.
 Tears blurred her vision, but Willa blinked to get rid of them.
 “Are you all right?” The man sat stupefied as she burst into tears.
 “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start crying. I have to give Ria back to Lucky, and my kids are going out to dinner tonight with their uncle.” Willa began to cry harder. “They really like him.”
 “That isn’t a good thing?” He set his cup down on the counter.
 “It is.” Willa nodded her head, crying harder. “I want them to like him, but I don’t want to lose them, either. He’s going to take them back to Tyler, Texas with him next week. I thought it would take longer, like maybe six months.” Willa brushed the tears away from her cheeks.
 “Where are they now?” Douglas glanced around the kitchen, as if hoping someone would rescue him.
 “Travis, their uncle, took Caroline and Chrissy to the park.” The tears began again. “I tried to get him to stay here with them and play, but he thought it would be a good idea to spend some alone time with them.”
 “I bet he did,” Douglas muttered. “Your upcoming wedding will give you something—” His coffee cup paused halfway to his mouth when a sob escaped Willa’s mouth.
 She waved her empty ring finger in front of his face. “I’m not engaged anymore.”
 “I’m sorry to hear that.”
 “Don’t be. He’s a jerk…” Willa began hiccupping while tearing a paper towel off the roll. Then she wiped her face, finally catching her breath.
 Seeing the expression on his face, she began laughing.
 “I’m so sorry, Douglas. I didn’t mean to fall apart in front of you. Here.” Willa turned to the side of her counter, easily putting together a cupcake box and slipping a cupcake inside. “I hope this makes up for all the crying.” She gave him a sweet smile that had him pausing as he stood.