The Cowboy Next Door Read Free Page A

dinner. You can do the dishes.”
    â€œThey have a grocery store in this town?” Corry’s question drew Lacey out of thoughts that had turned toward how she’d miss this place, her first home in Gibson.
    â€œYes, they have a store. Do you need something?”
    â€œCig…”
    â€œNo, you won’t smoke in my house or around Rachel.”
    â€œFine. Get me some chocolate.”
    Lacey stopped at the door. “I’m going to get formula and diapers for the baby. I’ll think about the chocolate.”
    As she walked out the door, Lacey took a deep breath. She couldn’t do this. She stopped next to her car and tried to think of what she couldn’t do. The list was long. She couldn’t deal with her sister, or moving, or starting over again.
    But she couldn’t mistreat Corry.
    If she was going to have faith, and if she was ever going to show Corry that God had changed her life, then she had to be the person she claimed to be. She had to do more than talk about being a Christian.
    She shoved her keys back into her purse and walked down the driveway. A memory flashed into her mind, ruining what should have been a relaxing walk. Jay’s face, looking at her and her sister as if the two were the same person.

Chapter Two
    J ay finished his last report, on the accident he’d worked after leaving Lacey’s sister at the diner. He signed his name and walked into his boss’s office. Chief Johnson looked it over and slid it into the tray on his desk.
    â€œDo you think the sister is going to cause problems?” Chief Johnson pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
    â€œOf course she will.”
    â€œWhy? Because she has a record? She could be like Lacey, really looking for a place to start over.”
    â€œI don’t know that much about Lacey. But I’m pretty sure about her sister.”
    â€œOkay, then. Make sure you patrol past Lacey’s place a few times every shift. I’ll let the other guys know.” The Chief put his glasses back on. “I guess you’ve got more work to do when you get home?”
    â€œIt’s Wednesday and Dad schedules his surgeries for today. I’ve got to get home and feed.”
    â€œTomorrow’s your day off. I’ll see you Friday.”
    â€œFriday.” Jay nodded and walked out, fishing his keys out of his pocket as he walked.
    He had to stop by the feed store on his way home, for the fly spray they’d ordered for him. At least he didn’t have to worry about dinner.
    His mom always cooked dinner for him on Wednesdays. She liked having him home again, especially with his brother and sister so far away. His sister lived in Georgia with her husband and new baby. His brother was in the navy.
    It should have been an easy day to walk off the job, but it wasn’t. As he climbed into his truck he was still remembering the look on Lacey’s face when she watched her sister get out of the back of his car.
    He knew what it was like to have everything change in just a moment. Life happened that way. A person could feel like they have it all under control, everything planned, and then suddenly, a complete change of plans.
    A year ago he really had thought that by now he’d be married and living in his new home with a wife and maybe a baby of his own on the way.
    Instead he was back in Gibson and Cindy was on her way to California. She’d been smarter than him; she’d realized three years of dating didn’t equal love. And he was still living in the past, in love with a memory.
    As he passed the store, he saw his mom’s car parked at an angle, between the lines and a little too far back into the street. He smiled, because that was his mom. She lived her life inside the lines, but couldn’t drive or park between them.
    Other than the parking problem, they were a lot alike.
    He drove to the end of the block, then decided to go back. She typically