important one being his daughter.â
âI understand why youâd have this over-the-top reaction. Kimmie doesnât have a dad, and youâve got to be both mother and father to her.â
âThatâs all true. But Iâve come to terms with it.â She ignored her friendâs raised eyebrow. âPart of coming to terms with it is knowing my limitations. I bought Riley Dixon to fulfill the father role for the weekend. How was I to know that heâs a macho jerk who breaks his promises? In my book, that makes him a Fred The Flake clone.â Abby huffed out a breath that lifted her bangs off her forehead. âLike all men, Riley Dixon is ducking his obligations.â
âNot all men are that way.â
âNo? Couldnât prove it by me.â
âLet me rephrase. Not all men are flakes. Just the ones you meet.â
âWhy is that? Iâm a high school librarian. Every day I deal with kids who donât return books, donât turn in assignments and just generally donât do what theyâre supposed to do. Itâs my job to mold them into capable, dependable, efficient, honest adults. Admittedly, Iâve only been doing this for a little over three years, but Iâvehad students come back and say Iâve made a difference in their lives. So is it just bad karma that Iâm surrounded by irresponsible, dishonest men? Am I a flake magnet? Should I roll over and let Mr. Macho walk all over me? What recourse do generally law-abiding people have when someone doesnât live up to their obligation?â
âDid you or did you not say he offered to reimburse you?â
âHe did.â
âSo take the money and hire one of those mounted police guys. I hear theyâre quite impressive in their tight trousers and red coats. The hats are a little funny-looking, though.â
One corner of Abbyâs mouth twitched in amusement. âTexas is a little far from the Canadian border to make that a viable solution.â
âToo bad,â Jamie sighed. âWhat about a Texas Ranger? The hats are better, and theyâre right in our own backyard.â
âThatâs law enforcement, not nature guide.â
âTheyâre hot, too.â
Abby stared at her. âMaybe you need to go home and take a cold shower.â
âI donât want to go home,â she said, an odd look on her face.
Instantly alert, Abby stopped pacing. âIs something wrong, Jamie?â
âNo.â She shrugged.
âDo you want to talk about it?â Abby asked. âDoes it have anything to do with the guy your parents bought you at the auction?â
A smile curved up the corners of Jamieâs mouth. âYeah. A little. Iâm dealing with it. No big deal.â
Abby had learned that if her friend didnât want to talk about something, nothing could drag it out of her. So they might as well go back to the problem at hand. âOkay. Letâs come up with some really creative grounds for suing Riley Dixon.â Abby was glad when her words produced a laugh.
âSo you refuse to let him reimburse you and just camp out with Kimmie in your new backyard and take her to the park for a walk?â
âNo can do,â Abby said. âNot authentic enough for The Bluebonnets. Itâs gotta be real. At least one night living off the land. With dirt and no flushing toilets. Microwave bad, fire good,â she said in her best caveman voice.
Jamie laughed. âThat seems pretty extreme.â
âDonât tell Kimmie that. Sheâs got her heart set on getting all her badges. You know her. When she gets something in her head, sheâs going to do it. And come hell or high water, sheâll get it perfect. I keep telling myself that determination is a good quality in an adult.â
âThereâs got to be another way.â
âI donât want to find another way. I had it all figured out and paid