Mason's Daughter

Mason's Daughter Read Free

Book: Mason's Daughter Read Free
Author: Cynthia J Stone
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kitchen chair and mentally retrace my steps from the time Colton appeared in the greenhouse. Nothing convinces me I didn’t carry Jack’s book to the kitchen, unless . . .
    When I was a young girl, a family friend comforted me by promising my mother would become my guardian angel after she died. For years I awaited an epiphany. Maybe she finally chose today. Either that, or Colton was trying to hide it when I came downstairs.
    No, the water droplets must be tears. Mine? I don’t remember crying. No matter. I grasp the book and run out the kitchen door.
    The car door stands open, as if waiting for my return. Had I forgotten to close it or . . .? Now is not the time to get carried away. I climb into the front seat and turn the key in the ignition. Jack’s book with its troublesome contents lies on the passenger seat. My stomach flutters, and I rev the engine while it’s still in neutral.
    Do this for Colton.
    I take off down the street. At the edge of downtown, my speed drops to the legal limit. By the time I reach Mason Boulevard, Big Jack’s truck hasn’t moved. I pull into the adjacent lot and park three spaces over.
    While I rely on him to recognize every name and number in Jack’s book, I worry I might start a fire I can’t put out. At home in private, Jack often accused his father of acting overbearing to the extreme. But because Big Jack owns the corner gas station, the feed store, and the sporting goods outlet, he occupies a unique position to gather all the gossip and unofficial news. Everyone, from locals and rurals to folks merely passing through town, becomes acquainted with Big Jack and vice versa.
    My late mother-in-law would have given me even more help. No one in Mason’s Crossing knew more about folks than Trixie Edwards, past chair of the school board and in the choir at the First Methodist Church.
    From the entrance, I catch sight of Big Jack in his usual booth. His attention is buried in The Central Texas Journal . As I slide into the seat opposite, I nod at Lois, our favorite waitress, to bring more coffee.
    “Good morning.”
    “Whaaat?” Big Jack lowers his newspaper and glares at me for a split second before his face softens into a friendly smile. “Oh, hi, Sally-Girl.”
    I like it when he uses his affectionate nickname for me. “What’s up with the world today?” Flinging my hair over my shoulder, I try to adopt the persona of a lost tourist.
    “After that idiot President Ford pardoned Nixon last September, I thought Congress should hang ‘em both.” His mouth stretches into a grin. “But now the Big Three have been sentenced–”
    “I can see you’re worried sick about them. Which three?”
    “Ehrlichman, Haldeman, and Mitchell are going to jail.”
    “For how long?”
    “Not long enough, the sorry sons of bitches.”
    “Still, it’s nice to have some . . . resolution.” I sip my coffee.
    Big Jack emits a ‘hmmmm’ while he shuffles his paper. He doesn’t cover his face, but he wants to get back to the article. It would be easier to navigate a field of landmines than capture his attention, but I have no choice except to move forward or else give up.
    “Speaking of resolution, your help would be really valuable with something.” I finger the appointment book tucked under my arm and out of his sight.
    The newspaper crackles as he folds it and lays it to one side. “You bet, Sally-Girl.” He pulls his checkbook out of his back pocket. “Is Colton causing trouble again? Just tell me how much you need.”
    I had made it a rule that Jack and I would never ask for financial assistance from our parents, not even for Colton. Jack’s older sisters soon regretted accepting their father’s generosity after they learned it always came with strings attached.
    “Colton’s fine.”
    “What is it, then?”
    “I found something, um, of Jack’s that I want you to see.” I smile and try to come across like a student asking her teacher for an explanation. His return

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