Page 95 of Risking it for the Cowboy

Daisy Thompson, you are cordially invited to Nacogdoches Elementary’s 18th annual Fall Daddy-Daughter Dance to kick off the new school year, it read.

Daisy stared at the picture, and Charlie saw her deflate. Saw her bite her lip and hang her head, letting it drop in her lap. She didn’t need to read to know what the picture meant.

“Hey, sweet girl.” She brushed back Daisy’s wisps. “I’m so sorry.”

That familiar guilt ate through her, gnawing at her resolve, compelling her to buy a hundred chickens if she had to, or find a living unicorn, when Daisy’s head popped up, blue eyes suddenly bright.

“What if I ask T. Rex to take me?”

Charlie’s breath caught. Yes! She quickly stomped the brakes. Was this too soon? Something told her the man who kept showing up for Daisy would jump at the chance. And yet, it was clear Daisy was getting attached. Charlie was getting attached.

Don’t break my little girl’s heart.

I think you mean, don’t break yours.

Her heart pinched as she put her SUV in reverse, because he’d never promised not to break either.

So much was up in the air. So much was at stake. What was she supposed to do? Daisy was still hopeful, so willing to hang her heart on a man’s smile.

She took a deep breath. Why was taking a chance so hard? She nodded, her heart betraying her logic.

“Okay.”

She pulled into the post office parking lot, hurried into the lobby, and retrieved her letter.

Charlie read the return address.

Her lawyer? She glanced at Daisy, busy restacking the customs forms on the counter, and looked back down at the envelope, tearing it open with increasing trepidation. Nothing good about Jason ever came from these letters … her temporary restraining order against Jason was dissolved?

Already?

How had his attorney pushed this through so quickly? She shivered, Jason’s intention clear. He didn’t want it in the way. He never did. He had this grand illusion he’d remarry her and was never going to let that go. How could any judge look at what Jason was doing and rule in such a way?

She closed her eyes. This was too much. All of it was too much. No … she exhaled. Tyler was going to help her now. Thaddeus was in her corner, rooting for her. He was right, and so far, he’d been nothing but an honest, hard-working guy so different from his stage persona.

She’d known Jason would do this. She couldn’t let Jason win.

“Are we going, Momma?” Daisy asked, and Charlie pasted a smile on her face, nodding.

“Yup, let’s hit the road.”

They were still going to be early, though, she thought, as Daisy took her hand to skip back to the Rover. That inkling from earlier leaked in. No, he was receiving an important delivery of some sort. He’d said they’d be bored if they got there before dinnertime but that was okay. She had her articles to mark and scan, and she could easily do that on his porch in the fresh air while Daisy played on the playset.

They’d simply wait for him to finish up—

Her phone dinged with a notification.

A social media tag? She opened it. She never used her social media. She only kept it to follow botany pages and be part of the university alumni page. There weren’t any events coming up. Except as she tapped the app, there, right at the top, was a notification. She tapped it.

A post on … McClintock’s Alumni?

A grainy, mid-concert photo of her from two weeks ago, split next to a screen shot of an old news article featuring a beauty pageant winner in a strapless evening gown, in mid blow of a kiss to the audience.

Bright green eyes and long, blond hair, sparkling tiara, and a damning headline.

“Shamed contestant forced to pay back scholarship after divorce from band frontman. Custody battle ensues.”

Her pulse kicked up.