Chapter 5

Tuesday morning was justas bright and sunny as the day before…and the day before that. Big Bend and the surrounding area hadn't seen a lick of rain in nearly two weeks; the local foliage was starting to stress. Flowers wilted, leaves fell, and while parched and dry grass filled up most of the front lawns on the east side of town, the larger more expensive homes that sat on the west side all had sprinkler systems that kept theirs lush and green. Without a cloud in the sky there was no rain coming anytime soon, though this part of the country could be unpredictable, storms brewed over the mountains like an afterthought and the weatherman made a guess of things most days.

Scarlett pulled on her sunglasses, made sure Hank was shaded in his stroller, and headed for the park. She'd come to town for a dentist appointment and had had every intention of heading back to the ranch but made a last-minute detour.

It might have been the sunshine, or the fact that there was a breeze, and it wasn't unbearably hot. Or maybe it was the simple fact that since the Pullman birthday party, she'd been mostly on her own. Benton had taken Nora camping in the mountains, while Cal and Millie Sue were too busy having movie nights and being in love. The only good thing about them holing up at Millie's place was that Scarlett didn't have to drown in their adoration for each other.

She was happy they'd found each other again, but she sure as heck didn't need to see it up close every time they were around. It only reminded her of that big hole in her own life. One she was starting to think she'd never fill. Honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

Scarlett continued on down the sidewalk and crossed the street by the hardware store, which was next to the post office. She made a face as she walked by, thinking of David and his bald head. Which in turn made her think of Taz and her baby blue underwear. That particular thought brought a ghost of a smile to her face, and a bit of heat to her cheeks.

No way could she deny the attraction she felt for him. Hell, if she were being honest, she would admit to the fact he'd been on her mind more than he should be. Was she crazy to think there was something between them? Or, had she imagined the heat, the looks, the flirting? Was the attraction only one way? Did it matter? Shouldn't she just get on with life and forget about him?

With her baby drowsy and falling asleep she decided to keep walking…and thinking, which made her realize that any notion she had of Taz filling up that lonely hole inside her was probably foolish. He seemed settled and happy with his life. From what little she learned from Millie Sue he wasn't a one-woman kind of man. In fact, he could give Mike Paul a run for his money in that department.

"He's a player," she mumbled to herself. She'd googled him. She'd seen. When he'd been on the circuit he'd been pictured with a lot of beautiful women, and not many of them more than once. Though there'd been that actress from that show. The one with the big smile and bigger?—

"Scarlett?"

Startled from her thoughts, she pulled up. Three women sat a few feet away, near one of the picnic tables under a large oak tree. Scattered around them were blankets, toys, and sunshields for the children playing there. The woman who'd spoken looked familiar. She was barely five feet, with curly blonde hair pulled into a loose knot on top of her head. Her skin was tanned to a golden color, which made her blue eyes pop, and the smile on her heart-shaped face was welcoming. Dressed in a strapless yellow sundress, she was a little curvier than Scarlett remembered, but then again, so was Scarlett. Growing babies did that to a girl.

"Lacey Miller," Scarlett said with warmth.

"Lacey Pearson now," the woman answered, stepping forward.

Surprised, Scarlett's smile widened. "You and Johnny are still together. That's great."

"No way was I letting him go. We broke up for exactly one month when he went off to college." Lacey laughed and winked. "I heard you were back. It's all anyone is talking about after your trip to town on the weekend. Glad to see you got dressed for this one."

Scarlett sighed. "I thought I'd give them something to talk about. But I thought the conversation would be over by now."

"A woman walking down Main Street in a see-through nightgown isn't something we see every day. But you know how it is. They always move on to someone else just as quick."

"Big Bend will never change," Scarlett replied, glancing toward the other two women. She knew them as well. Donna Major and Presley Darlington. "Hey girls."

"Hey," they replied in unison.

"Do you want to join us for a bit?" Lacey asked, moving out of the way so Scarlett could maneuver her stroller over the grass.

Scarlett hesitated, a quick hello was a lot different than a sit down and catch up, but with all three of them looking at her expectantly, she felt she had no choice. She pushed Hank forward and stopped under the shade.

"You look great," Donna said, moving aside and making room at the picnic table. A tall brunette with an easy, open smile, she'd been a few years ahead of Scarlett. "How old is your son?"

"Six months."

Donna pointed to a little girl playing with a yellow block. "That's Minnie, she's nearly two. And that"—she pointed to another girl, this one laying on the closest blanket, cooing to no one in particular—"is Velvet."

"The boy in blue overalls is Walter," Presley said shyly. A quiet brunette, with the prettiest green eyes, she was a shy girl from what Scarlett remembered.

"And the boy with the mess of black curls is mine. He's almost two." Lacey looked at her son with the only kind of love a mother possessed. All consuming. "His name is Johnny, after his daddy, but we all call him Punk."

"Punk?" Scarlett asked with a grin.

Lacey threw her hands into the air. "One of Johnny's buddies came up with it and it stuck."

For the next forty minutes or so, Scarlett caught up with the women. They were easy to be around. Donna was athletic, still played fastball every Tuesday and Thursday night and taught at the local elementary school part time. Presley on the other hand was happy to spend all her time with her husband and child—save for her weekly trips to the park with the girls and their Friday nights together at the Sundowner. Lacey worked from home as a copy editor for a publishing house in New York, and with a four-year-old, was currently trying for baby number two.

"I swear Johnny has had so much sex lately, I'm afraid he's going to get bored of it all."

Donna snorted. "Men don't get bored of sex. They get bored of the same kind of sex. Trust me, you have to mix things up if you want to keep your man happy."

"Says who?" Lacey replied with a chuckle.

"Says Maddison Brinkwell. Her husband has been stepping out with one of the Simms girls."

"Angel?" Scarlett asked, joining in on the conversation.

"No," Lacey replied, a small frown on her face. "The other one, her sister, what was her name?"

"Victoria." The answer was from Presley, who looked as if she'd just opened a box of spoiled eggs. "She was inappropriate with my husband once."

"Really?" Donna sat down on the grass, cross-legged. She reached for her bag and withdrew an apple. "What did she do?"

"Why she sat down beside him like she had every right to be there and touched his leg," Presley said indignantly.

"With what?" Donna asked, giggling.

"Her hand, of course." Presley's voice rose. "Inchurch."

"What did you do?" The question came from Lacey, who leaned forward, obviously invested in the turn of conversation.

"I removed it and asked her to move to another row."

"And did she?" Donna asked.

"Well not at first, but then I pinched her."

"You pinched her," Donna repeated, eyes wide.

"I sure did," Presley replied, face lighting up with a smile. "I pinched her and grabbed her ear like she was a naughty three-year-old. Told her if she ever touched my husband again, I would tell everyone her front teeth were fake and that they had a habit of falling out on occasion. Which I know because I saw it first-hand once when she was tucking into a burrito after a night out at the Sundowner."

"You don't say," Donna murmured. "Did she move?"

"Why she moved so fast she left one of her white espadrilles behind, which I tucked into my bag. It was fun watching her wobble out of church, avoiding everyone because they all wanted to know why she only had one shoe."

"Fake teeth?" Lacey said, her expression comical.

"As fake as her boobs," Presley looked horrified. "Not that there's anything wrong with fake boobs. I know at least three ladies who have them and they're lovely."

"Who's got fake boobs?" Lacey asked, though Presley ignored the question.

"What's Angel up to these days?" Scarlett wasn't sure why she cared, and wished she hadn't asked. The Angel she remembered was a beautiful girl, with long dark hair like silk and big brown eyes. She'd been popular, had been voted most likely to win a beauty pageant or marry a millionaire. Or something like that.

"She's one of them influencers. You know, the girls that post videos of themselves." Lacey scooped an apple for herself. "She makes a lot of money from what I hear."

"She also works for Taz Pullman," Donna added, tossing her core into a bag. "Her videos are all related to the animals they rescue."

"I heard she has a thing for him," Lacey said. "Taz."

"That's because she broke up with her last boyfriend just after she started working for him," Donna said.

"That's my point." Lacey sighed and sat back. "She left poor Shane in the dust, though who can blame her? Taz Pullman is so fine, I think he'd be my hall pass."

"Hall pass?" Presley looked puzzled.

"The one man you can fu—" At Presley's horrified look, Lacey paused. "The one man you can have relations with and suffer no consequence. A one-time thing. A hall pass."

"I would never," Presley replied, indignant.

"You wouldn't," Donna said with a giggle. "But we would." She turned to Scarlett. "What about you? Have you met him?"

Scarlett considered blowing off the question but found herself answering. "A couple of times. He's pals with Millie and Cal."

"And?" Lacey asked. "Hall pass?"

"I'm not in a relationship," she answered lightly. "I don't need a hall pass."

"There's no chance for you and Hank's father?" Presley asked.

The same old bitterness and hurt punched her in the gut like always, and Scarlett wasn't sure she would be able to keep it from her voice as she answered, "Nope. He left me somewhere between Ireland and Spain. The last time I tried to get a hold of him, his number was no longer in service, and all his social media had been scrubbed." She looked down at her boy, asleep and blissfully unaware of the circumstance of his birth. "I don't even know if his last name is real, because I've searched and searched and can't find him." She glanced up at the women. "Apparently, he was already married. It was one of two things he forgot to mention."

"What was the other one?" Lacey asked, watching her closely.

"He couldn't last longer than ten minutes."

"What man can?" Donna said laughing.

"I bet Taz Pullman can go all night," Lacey replied, turning to Scarlett. "You should come out with us to the Sundowner on Friday night. We all get sitters. Our husbands have their Friday night ball game and eventually join us."

"I don't know," Scarlett replied, mulling over the idea.

"Does Hank take a bottle?"

She nodded. "I pump and he's good with it."

"Can you get a sitter?" Lacey wasn't giving up.

"Maybe?" She wasn't sure if Benton would be back with Nora, and she had no idea what Cal and Millie's plans were.

"It will be fun," Donna said. "Get a sitter and come." She handed over her cell phone and Scarlett inputted her number. "I'll add you to our group chat. We call ourselves Sexy Mamas."

"I'll think about it, but I can't promise." Scarlett got to her feet. "I'm so glad I ran into you guys. It's been…" Throat suddenly tight she had to pause.

"We know," Lacey said, giving her hug. She leaned close and whispered. "You need some adult time and there's nothing wrong with wanting it. I hope we see you on Friday."

Scarlett slowly made her way back to the truck. Hank was still sleeping and once she had him snug and secure in his car seat, she headed back to the ranch. A part of her felt guilty at the thought of leaving Hank for the night. Sure, she'd left him for a few hours in the past, but to leave him for an entire evening so that she could go out and have some fun didn't seem right somehow. And yet, she couldn't help but think it was something she needed. Not to forget she had a son, a little person she was responsible for, but to remember that she was young. To remember that she was a woman.

And so, when Friday rolled around, she spent the afternoon shaving areas that hadn't been shaved in months, and painting fingers and toes that had been bare of color for even longer. She took a long shower and spent time on her hair and makeup. The purple was nearly washed out, and her natural dark hair shone in waves she left loose, while she'd done her eyes up with shadow, and even popped on some gloss.

Cal arrived just after she fed and bathed her son. She handed him over to her brother, who was happily taking him back to Millie's for a sleepover. They'd jumped at the chance to have Hank overnight. He kissed the top of her head. "The Sundowner can get rowdy on a Friday night. Just so you know."

"I'm a big girl, Cal. Besides, I'll be traveling in a pack. I'll be safe."

"If you need anything, just give me a call."

"I'm nearly twenty-six. I'll be fine."

Her brother stepped back; Hank tucked into his arm like a big football. "You're a natural," she said. "You're going to be such a great father."

The two of them stared at each other, for a moment remembering parts of their childhood, ones that hadn't been easy.

"I'd say behave yourself, but the Scarlett I remember never did take to orders."

"I'm not that girl anymore." Did she sound wistful? Maybe.

"No," he replied softly. "You're a grown ass woman." Cal stepped outside. "See you at brunch."

She closed the door behind him and glanced at her watch. She had exactly twenty minutes to get dressed before she needed to head to town, and she had no idea what she was gong to wear. In the past this would be a problem because she was always late but tonight…

Scarlett was ready in ten.