Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Daisy asked as she climbed out.
“New Mexico,” Tildy replied, shutting the door behind her.
Daisy raised an eyebrow. “New Mexico? Not even Mexico Mexico?”
Tildy grinned. “The woman who raised me lives there. I haven’t seen her in a while. And Hawk doesn’t mind.”
“Wasn’t planning on letting her leave the hotel room much anyway,” he told both of them. “Desert seems as good a place as any with a view.”
Tildy giggled and slapped his arm. When they entered the house, Daisy saw a blur of white streaking down the stairs. The Sullivan’s cat clawed her way up Hawk’s leg. Daisy winced in empathy, but the man didn’t even flinch. The cat nestled into the crook of his arm and purred loudly.
“I don’t know how a deaf cat always seems to know we’re here,” Tildy told Daisy. “But she always does.”
“She smells him,” Caleb replied from across the room.
Hawk flipped him off as he sat down.
Daisy noticed Easy sitting in an armchair, but only spared him a furtive glance. She didn’t really know where she stood with him.
“So?” Abby prompted. “Did you get the dress?”
Tildy beamed and nodded. “It’s amazing!”
“Totally agree. You’ll look great in it.”
“I feel like I need more time,” Tildy said, then caught her breath as everyone looked at her. “To plan!” she clarified. “I mean everything’s ready, the food, the flowers, the invitations... Oh!” She whirled on Daisy and grabbed her arm. “I sent out the invitations before you came to town. You’re coming, right?”
“Um...” Daisy blinked at her. “To your wedding? I don’t... I mean, I don’t even know when it is or-”
“It’s in two weeks. And you don’t need a date or anything.”
Without meaning to, Daisy glanced at Easy, who immediately looked away. Well, there was an answer of sorts about where they stood.
Tildy seemed to realize her mistake and hurriedly tried to fix it. “I-”
“I don’t have a dress,” said Daisy, interrupting her before things got any worse. “And I can’t really afford one,” she added.
Daisy had never been to a wedding, but it stood to reason that if it was being held at a fancy hotel, a fancy dress was required, and that would cost about as much as she’d earned so far.
“We’re about the same size,” Tildy pointed out. “You can borrow one of mine.”
That only left the matter of a gift. Daisy sighed inwardly and vowed to figure out something. “Okay.”
Tildy hugged her tightly, then pulled her into the next room. “Teach me how to win at poker,” she said. “Abby and Sarah have tried.”
“No luck?” Daisy asked.
Tildy made a face and shook her head.
“Here, sit next to me,” Daisy said, and pulled out two chairs.
Shooter grimaced as he sat down. “I thought we said no more women.”
“We always say that,” Tex reminded him. “But they’re so damn cute...”
Shooter grunted and shuffled the cards.
Tildy reached out and ran her fingers over Daisy’s arm. Daisy grinned at her and leaned closer and whispered loudly, “I don’t swing that way.”
Tildy blushed and took her hand away. “I was just looking!” she insisted. “You have so many. Why?”
“Tildy,” Hawk warned.
Daisy waved her hand at him. “It’s fine.” She held out her right arm so Tildy could get a better look. “My daddy left before I was born and it was always just me and mama. She works nights at the processing plant, always has, and sleeps during the day. She could never afford a babysitter, so I had to be real quiet. She’d put me in front of the TV with some paper and some crayons. I knew I’d get a belt if I made any noise, so I just drew. All day long.”
Tildy’s face fell and she withdrew a little bit. “My mom... my mom was like that,” she half-whispered.
Daisy nodded patted the girl’s arm. “Take away the money and we’re all the same,” she said. “Everyone’s got problems, not all the same ones, but everybody’s got them. Anyway, when I got older, I started staying after school to work in the art room where they had more than just crayons. I had a teacher who thought I had talent, which was better than my mama who never thought I was good for much of anything at all. And when I turned sixteen, I got my first one.” She pointed to a small dove on her forearm.
“I loved it,” she told Tildy. “It hurt like hell, but it was worth it. I could see, right there, plain as day, that I was worth something, that I had something no one else in Delay had- talent. And they could see it, too. Now, anyone who looks at it knows I’ve got something special about me.”
Tildy wrinkled her nose. “But they don’t know,” she pointed out. “I mean, you could’ve just had someone else draw them and put them on.”