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“Got it,” he said in his low, bedroom voice before he turned and walked away.
It wasn’t until Decker had disappeared into the sheriff’s office that she noticed the white bakery bag sticking out of her purse.When she opened it, she discovered a muffin.
Not a cinnamon muffin, but a lemon poppy seed.
ChapterSeven
Decker spent the rest of the morning trying to stay away from the window ...and failing miserably.Like some kind of pathetic stalker, he kept going back to peek between the slats of the mini blinds and watch as Sweetie made her way around town.After stopping at Nothin’ But Muffins, she had headed next door to Hammer and Nail Hardware.She came out only a few minutes later carrying a big bag of gardening mulch.No doubt for her grandma.After she put it in the trunk of her car, she went to the bank, then the post office, and finally Crawley’s General Store.
She didn’t stay long at any place.It was obvious no one in town was welcoming her back with open arms.But that didn’t keep her from running her errands.Sweetie Holiday had never been the type of woman who let anyone stop her from doing what she wanted to do.Whether it was winning a softball tournament or the title of Miss Soybean.If she set her mind on something, she did it come hell or high water.
It looked like she had set her mind on proving to the town that she wasn’t going to let their grudge send her packing before she was ready to leave.
Around lunchtime, she stopped by Tito’s Taco truck.If anyone forgave her, it would be Tito.He had always had a soft spot for Sweetie.But he wouldn’t even come to the window to take her order, and Sweetie loved soft chicken tacos with extra hot sauce and guacamole as much as she loved lemon poppy seed muffins.
Once again, Decker had the strong urge to come to her rescue and damned if he knew why.The sooner Sweetie got it through her head she wasn’t welcome here, the sooner she would be on her way back to Nashville.Then things could get back to normal.
And Decker could stop being a damn stalker.
But even after Sweetie left town, Decker couldn’t seem to focus on work.It was a relief when the day was over and Melba came in to tell him she was heading home.
“Have a good weekend, Mel,” he said as he shut down his laptop.
“I will.It’s two-for-one baby backs and beer at the Hellhole tonight.”She glanced down.“So are you going to give my dog back?”
Decker looked down at Dixie Chick sleeping in the crook of his arm.The dog seemed to sleep as much as George.Decker got to his feet and carefully handed the dog off to Melba.Dixie woke up as soon as Melba slipped her into the doggie carrier.There was something about those furry ears and big brown eyes peeking over the edge of the carrier that tore Decker’s heart in two.
“Fine,” he grumbled as he scooped the dog back out.“I’ll take her.But only on a trial basis.”
Melba fought back a grin.“Sure.You bring her back whenever you’re ready.If you come out to my car, I’ll give you her bed, food, leash, toys, and favorite treats.”
“You have all that in your car?”He scowled as the truth hit him.“You knew I was going to take her, didn’t you?”
Melba shrugged.“Of course I did.I also know that you won’t bring her back.She’s just what two bachelors need.”
Decker wasn’t so sure.
As soon as he got home, he realized what a mistake he’d made.His yard didn’t have a fence.Which was fine for a hound dog that didn’t want to move off the front porch, but not so fine for a tiny dog who could wander away and get run over or hurt.
He was sitting in his car thinking about taking Dixie Chick back to Melba when a black Ram truck pulled in behind him.
Rome Remington was Decker’s best friend.They were two years apart in age so they hadn’t been close in high school, but grew close after Decker came home from college.Rome was a straight shooter and an all-around good man ...unlike his father, Sam, who was one of the biggest hard-asses Decker had ever met.Sam expected a lot from both his sons.The younger, Casey, let his father’s expectations roll right off his back.Rome had taken them to heart.Although after Rome’s wife had left him, Decker had noticed he wasn’t as dedicated a son as he’d once been.
“Hey, Deck!”Rome said as they both climbed out of their trucks.“I stopped by to see if you wanted to go to the Hellhole for ribs and—” He cut off when he saw Dixie Chick wiggling around in Decker’s arms.“What the hell is that?”
Decker used his elbow to close his car door as he tried to control Dixie Chick.“A huge mistake.”
Rome shook his head.“Let me guess.Melba talked you into taking another one of her foster dogs.Believe me, I understand.If she pawns any more of her dogs and cats on Casey and me, we’ll need to get a bigger ranch.Although I don’t know that this one qualifies as a dog or a cat.It looks more like a hamster with big ears.”He reached out to scratch Dixie Chick’s head, then quickly jumped back when the dog snapped at him.“Jesus!”
Decker laughed.“You scared of a little hamster, Rome?”
“Hell, yeah.That hamster has some sharp teeth.It also looks like it needs to pee.”
Decker had already figured that out, but he was nervous about setting the little dog down.“You see George?”
Rome glanced around.“No, but that dog is too lethargic to care one way or the other about a new dog being added to the pack.”He squinted at Dixie Chick.“You sure you want something that small?He looks like he could get blown away in a strong wind.”
“She.Dixie Chick.And I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to keep her.I guess that will depend on how she and George get along.”
