over a hundred dollars. “I feel more comfortable having a professional do it.”
Kerri-Leigh sighed. “In that case, I’d recommend Sandy at Carla’s Crazy Curl. It’s about five miles down the road on Main Street. Sandy just moved back to town and is trying to establish her clientele. But she’s the best hairstylist around.”
“Is she a friend of yours?”
Kerri-Leigh paused for a moment. “Yes, she’s a good friend.”
“Thanks for the advice. Sandy at Carla’s Crazy Curl. I’ll find it.”
As Kerri-Leigh held open the door, Lauren, or rather Laurie, slipped into the darkened interior of the Long Shot. Wiping her hands on the long white shirt she wore, she took a deep breath, then bellied up to the jukebox, dropped some coins into the slot, and randomly picked number B-16. As the sounds of a somebody-done-somebody-wrong song filled the room, Laurie was faced with a disconcerting, heart-pounding awareness. The first choice she’d made by listening to the whispers of her own heart might have been a big mistake.
The idea to switch places with a stranger had been utter foolishness.
Laurie crossed her fingers and glanced at the front door. She hoped Kerri-Leigh’s brother arrived soon.
And that he was as noble as the woman had implied.
Chapter Two
Cole McAdams slammed his hand on the dashboard of the vintage truck. If Brady Cooper so much as laid a finger on his sister, he’d beat him senseless.
It was a good thing Cole had given Ben and Evie down at the Long Shot his cell phone number. It’s the only way they would have been able to track him down. He hadn’t been home since he took his daughter to the Petersons’ house to spend the day and night.
Thank God. He would have been in a real quandary if Beth had been home. A five-year-old child had no business at a bar fight.
Cole barreled down the long driveway and turned onto the county road that would take him to the Long Shot. He wasn’t about to let Brady Cooper continue to push his sister around.
What made a woman stay with a man who mistreated her? Or leave one who treated her well, for that matter?
Cole’s ex-wife had bailed out on him, and he’d been damn good to her. He would have done anything to make her and their daughter happy. But she’d hightailed it out of town and left little Beth teary-eyed and him feeling betrayed.
And drowning in debt.
Cole gripped the steering wheel tightly, as he thought about the bills that began coming in after she’d gone. Apparently, she’d applied for credit cards he hadn’t known about then run each one to the hilt before taking off. And because Cole had taken a large mortgage on the ranch several years ago to pay off a couple of foolhardy investments his father had made prior to passing away, things looked bleak.
His accountant, a conservative family friend, had suggested bankruptcy as a solution, but Cole wasn’t a quitter. He refused the well-intentioned advice. Instead, he worked out a plan using some creative financial juggling, then sold off most of the stock and some of the finest cutting horses in the state. It nearly killed him to see it all go to auction, but he’d managed to hold the creditors at bay and decrease the mortgage by half.
He had just enough cash left to keep him and Beth afloat until the next yearling auction in the spring. Cutting horses held only a certain value in Texas, where they were considered a useful commodity. But in California, wealthy professionals would pay a dear price to own a high-quality horse, and Cole had quickly cashed in on that trend.
He’d lost nearly everything except ten of his finest brood-mares he’d kept to slowly replenish his stock, including what he believed was his ace in the hole—Sugar Foot, the best little mare ever to run cattle. She was due to foal any day, and his hopes of a comeback rested upon that colt or filly.
It had been a long, hard road back from financial ruin. But Cole was determined to make it, and he wasn’t about to lose anything else. Not his ranch, and not his daughter. He had gathered most of his spare cash to pay a high-priced city lawyer a small fortune to ensure Beth remained with him.
He’d never forgive his ex-wife for leaving. Or for coming back to Tannen, thinking she deserved a relationship with the child she’d abandoned. Kerri-Leigh said the woman had changed, but Cole didn’t believe it. And even if she had, he’d never be able to trust her again. Honesty, like family loyalty, was sacred to him.
The custody fight could get ugly, the attorney had warned him. And more costly. But Cole didn’t care. His ex-wife wasn’t going to slip back into their lives as if she’d only gone to the market. Sure, she’d called him six months before to say she was sorry, but Cole wouldn’t accept her apology. Or let her speak to Beth.
He sighed. For a man who had always tried hard to do the right thing, his life was almost as messed up as Kerri-Leigh’s.
Cole spotted the entrance to the Long Shot and tensed his jaw. He turned into the dusty parking lot just as the white Expedition pulled onto the highway. Apparently, the classy blonde had decided to stop there to eat. He wondered if she had left after seeing the inside of the place, or whether Brady and his big mouth had scared her off. Well, it was for the best. A woman like her didn’t need to see the sordid side of life.
Cole parked behind Brady’s beat-up Plymouth, jumped out of the truck, and marched through the entrance. The front door slammed behind him, nearly jarring the small replica of a cowbell from its overhead perch.
Every head in the diner turned to look at Cole. Every head but Kerri-Leigh’s.
Brady slid from the booth where he’d been hunched over a beer and stood. “What’s your problem? Ain’t you got any manners?”
Cole clenched his fists at his side and narrowed his eyes. “Where is she?”
Brady snorted and nodded toward the rear of the bar, where a blonde stood by the jukebox, her back to the room.
The woman fidgeted, then slowly turned around.
When Brady saw her face, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped. “You’re not Kerri-Leigh. What in the hell are you doing in her clothes? And where is she?” Brady threw a half-empty bottle of beer against the wall. “Damn it all to hell. She just left wearin’ your clothes!”
Cole was nearly as gape-eyed as Brady when he recognized the lady from the filling station. She’d let down her hair, removed the dark glasses, and changed her clothes, but it was her, all right. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he figured the blond stranger had helped his sister escape. And from the look of fury in Brady’s bloodshot eyes, the woman had set herself up to receive a beating meant for Kerri-Leigh.
As Brady staggered toward her, she swallowed hard.
Cole shook his head, then intercepted Brady in one fluid movement.
Not intimidated, Brady stood tall and doubled up a fist. “Get out of my way, McAdams. I’m gonna find out what’s goin’ on.”
Cole grabbed a handful of Brady’s shirt and jerked him forward. “Don’t even think about touching her.”
“Or
