Ask Me to Stay (Honky Tonk Angels #4) Read Free Page A

see it, this is fate. We were in need and here you are. Least we can do is make it possible for you to do the work we need done.”
    “I don’t know what to say.”
    “ Yes would be good.”
    Callie smiled through the tears and Jayce was struck with just how beautiful she really was. She nodded and extended her hand across the table to Cody. “I’ll do a good job for you, Miss Sweet. I promise.”
    “It’s Cody, and I know you will.”
    “Thank you.” Callie offered Hannah her hand.
    “You’re most welcome.” Hannah stood. “Okay, so I’m going to call in our order for the week, and we’ll be ready whenever you are to go meet Mrs. Branch.”
    “Oh, no. My car!” Callie exclaimed.
    “Oh right,” Cody said. “Out of gas.”
    “Maybe I can help,” Jayce offered.
    Everyone looked at him. “I’ve got gas cans in the truck. If Billy will ride with me, I’ll fill up the car and we’ll drive it back here. Won’t take more than half an hour.”
    “Oh, I can’t let you go to all that trouble,” Callie protested.
    “Just call it a welcome to Cotton Creek from a friend.” He turned to look at her.
    When their gazes met, something punched him in the gut. Attraction? Yeah, there was a good measure of that, but it was more than just lust. It took him a second to recognize the feeling and the realization surprised him. For the first time he could remember, he was getting to play the role of hero in a minor way and help a damsel in distress. He liked it.
    “Well, thank you, Mr. Weathers.”
    “My friends call me Jayce.”
    “Thank you, Jayce.” She looked down as she spoke and the gesture intrigued him. She hadn’t seemed all that shy until now.
    Wonder what Callie William’s story was?

Chapter Two
     
    Callie brought Lily downstairs to the kitchen, put her on the floor and started preparing coffee. She knew Cody would be getting up any minute to head out to talk to her ranch hands. They’d only been at Cody’s for two weeks, but she pretty much had Cody’s schedule down pat. Honestly, she didn’t know how Cody had the energy to do all she did. Between the ranch and the bar and grill, she must put in seventy hours a week, but she never complained.
    The same thing was true with Hannah. Along with working at the bar, she also worked at her mother’s bakery, and like her sister, never complained about the amount of hours she worked. Callie had never met two harder-working or nicer women.  Every day, she gave thanks to whatever lucky star or guardian angel had her breaking down outside of Cotton Creek.
    For the last two weeks, she’d actually slept the whole night through. She felt safe here and no one would ever know how precious that feeling was. Lily had taken to Cody and Hannah like they were family and she loved Mrs. Branch, the lady who ran the daycare. The days Callie worked at the bar on the accounting, she’d drop Lily off and Lily would run to Mrs. Branch, smiling and chattering like a magpie.
    As luck would have it, Cody and Hannah’s younger sister, KC, babysat to earn extra money. Callie checked with Mrs. Sweet first to make sure it was okay when KC volunteered to babysit should Callie want to pick up some evening shifts. It worked out beautifully. The Sweets’ home was right in town, and Lily had immediately fallen in love with KC. Callie had started working Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights and on Saturday nights, when KC didn’t have plans. That left her Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday to devote to Lily.
    Hannah said her mother was relieved KC had been so eager to babysit. Stella and Billy were still a bit nervous about KC dating, even though she was seventeen. They’d made Hannah and Cody wait until they were seniors to have dates other than at school functions or have a boy over to the house. They were trying to keep KC to that restriction as well.
    Callie counted herself lucky to not only have the chance to make some extra money, but also have someone she could trust to watch