Lone Star Nights by Justine Davis

Author:Justine Davis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781951190040
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2020-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

She hadn’t planned on it, Joey swore to herself she hadn’t. And yet, instead of doing the list of housekeeping chores she’d determinedly made for herself last night, here she was. Even telling herself she had wanted coffee didn’t justify the trip to Java Time, since she had coffee at home. Nor could she claim a need to shop; she’d already bought the present for her old college roommate whose party she was going to in San Antonio in a few days, and she had the wine for her parents—

She yanked her thoughts away from that path. But the fact remained that instead of doing laundry, instead of tidying up, instead of figuring out what was wrong with her admittedly ancient vacuum cleaner, she was out amid the Sunday afternoon tourists and visitors, walking along Main Street as if she had nothing else to do.

Above all she couldn’t rationalize the fact that she now found herself in front of the saloon, hesitating as if she were one of the small group of tourists standing there, peering through the windows. They appeared to be a family, a couple and two children, a girl who looked about twelve and a teenage boy with a rather sulky expression—something Joey suspected was endemic among the species.

“It says there was real fighting here,” the woman said, reading the small plaque beside the door.

“That Texas Revolution they all talk about?” the girl asked.

“Aw, it’s not true.” This came from the teenager, as Joey would have expected. “I’ll bet all those bullet holes are fake.”

“Why would they fight in a saloon?” the woman asked, looking puzzled.

“Because,” Joey said, seemingly unable to stop herself, “it was the only stone building there was at the time.” The quartet turned to look at her. They didn’t seem offended, merely curious, so she kept going. “It wasn’t even a town yet. There was only a trading post, a blacksmith, and this saloon. But the revolution was on, and when a contingent of Santa Anna’s army was spotted, everyone who could get here holed up inside, because it was the safest place.”

She felt a hum of awareness. She didn’t have to look to know that Slater was there, in the doorway, listening. But she looked anyway, even as she reproved herself for being so eager for the sight of him. He was leaning against the doorjamb, arms and ankles crossed, looking relaxed and ready to stay there for some time.

And luscious. Don’t forget that.

Hastily, she looked back at the small group.

“And here’s the guy who can tell you,” she said with a nod at him, “since his great times five grandfather was here for the fight. And his family has run this place ever since.”

“You were doing fine,” he said quietly, and the words warmed her inwardly.

“So, what happened?” asked the little girl eagerly; she was staring at Slater, and when Joey caught herself wondering if he could attract them even at that age, she knew how deeply in trouble she was.

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