The Debra Dilemma (The Lone Stars Book 4) Read Free

said, “Call Sweet Louise.”
    The phone connected and then rang. He reached into his right trouser pocket and pulled out the platinum filigree wedding band that he always had with him. It should be on Debra’s finger right now, and God only knew why he’d kept it all of these years.
    Sweet Louise Harding was the mother of one of his players and a good friend. If the team had a mom, it was Sweet Louise.
    “Warren, I was just thinking about you.” Sweet Louise’s Tennessee drawl had put him at ease.
    “All good I hope.” He smiled.
    “Mostly.” She laughed. “The bad’s what makes life interesting.”
    There was an awkward pause. How did he bring up Debra?
    “You gonna tell me what you need or is this a guessing game?” Sweet Louise always got to the point. No beating around the bush for her.
    “I heard…” Suddenly his mouth was as dry as the Sahara. He swallowed a couple of times, but it didn’t help because there was nothing to swallow. He cleared his voice. “I heard you got Debra a job at Safe Place.”
    There was a full minute of silence.
    “Sweet Louise? Are you still there?” He leaned forward, —listening intently.
    “Yes.” She sighed heavily. “Why do you want to know?”
    Her voice held more than a little bit of suspicion.
    “I, um…” He picked up the bottle of water from the cup holder, unscrewed the cap, and chugged back a mouthful. He swallowed. The liquid did little to help with his dry mouth. “I wanted to make sure that she’s okay.”
    “Well now, that’s interesting.” She didn’t sound convinced. Did she know about his history with Debra?
    “Is she okay?” Getting Debra’s address and phone number weren’t going to be as easy as he’d thought.
    “So you’re the one.” Sweet Louise said. He could all but hear her nodding. “You’re the one she’s spent the better part of a decade trying to hurt.”
    What was he supposed to say to that?
    “Um…” How much did she know?
    “You need to leave Debra alone. She’s getting her life together and she doesn’t need any interference. Whatever happened is in the past, and it needs to stay there. That child has hurt enough, and I won’t have her hurt again.” Sweet Louise meant business. When she got like this, a wise man didn’t cross her.
    No one had ever accused him of being wise.
    “I don’t suppose you’d give me her address.” He matched her tone. He might not be wise, but he had tenacious down to a science.
    “Honey, is English coming out of my mouth? I said to leave her alone.” Sweet Louise took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She’s doing well if that makes you feel better.”
    “I’d still like to see—”
    “No means no. Now promise to come to dinner tomorrow night and stop asking about Debra.” He heard a tapping sound like nails drumming against a table. “I’m having lunch with her tomorrow and I’ll double check that she’s doing well. Does that make you feel better?”
    Another pause.
    Not really. “I guess.”
    The only way he’d be able to sleep tonight is if he saw her. Since he couldn’t think of another way to get her address, he’d have to wait. “Thanks for doing this for me.”
    “It’s the least I can do for my second son.” She laughed. It was throaty and deep.
    “You call everyone that.” He smiled to himself. He did think of her as his mother. Well, the mother he’d wished he’d had, since his own left a lot to be desired.
    “Don’t get in a huff, I love all of my boys equally.” She turned serious. “And when you’re ready to tell me about what you did to Debra, I’ll be ready to listen.”
    “How do you know it was me? Debra could have done something.” He tried to sound offended. She had done many bad things, but he’d started it.
    “Honey, you’re male. Those pesky mismatched chromosomes always get y’all into trouble. I’m not saying they make y’all feeble-minded, I’m just saying that sometimes they make y’all stupid.” Sweet