Page 29

Someday, Nicole, I’d like some grandchildren of the human variety.

She usually countered that unsubtle request with an offer to go pick up some guy at the Last Stand Saloon. A while back, her mother would have retorted she could do a lot worse than Slater Highwater, but now it was obvious that he and Joey were such a perfect match that no one could imagine either of them with anyone else.

She gave herself an inward shake. “His aunt says he’s doing better since they’ve come to Last Stand than he has since his mother was killed.”

Barbara Baylor nodded as if not at all surprised. “This is a good place. By the way”—Nic tensed, because that phrase from her mother usually signaled an incoming salvo—“I ran into Lily and Shane Highwater in town this morning.”

“With the baby, I’m sure?” she asked dryly, figuring they’d be back to that.

“Of course.” Her mother’s smile widened. “That man is going to be a wonderful father. But Lily mentioned she drove Jackson Thorpe to Fredericksburg yesterday, to pick up a rental car.”

Nic blinked. “Lily did?”

“Slater called her, since he knew she had planned to go to the library there anyway, to look at some historical documents for a piece she’s writing.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say, so said nothing.

“Don’t you see what that means?” her mother asked, sounding as impatient as she ever got, which wasn’t much. If her accident had taught her nothing else, it was patience.

“No, what?”

“If he’s renting a car, they’re staying. For a while at least.”

“Oh.” Now she felt silly, because that was all she could come up with.

“And,” her mother added, “she said he agreed to let her tell Mr. Diaz why he was here, which of course will activate the grapevine.”

She blinked as the image of the feedstore owner formed in her mind. He told Lily to tell the biggest gossip in town? That surprised her, but she supposed it shouldn’t have. She’d been foolish to think he truly wanted a low profile here. He was a Hollywood star. Of course he wanted the word out, so he—

“Lily, of course, made it clear to him that he needed to include the reason Jackson was here, for the sake of his little boy, and for everyone to back off and let them alone. Or at least treat them like anyone else in town. And you know not even Samuel Diaz is going to cross Lily Highwater.”

She couldn’t help it, she laughed. “No, he wouldn’t. Lily would write a profile of him that would run him out of town in embarrassment. Not to mention Shane would want a word or two with him.”

“Exactly.” Her mother gave her a sideways look. “So, when is he coming back?”

“Want to be sure you’re here?” she teased.

“It will give me something to talk about at the next Daughters of LS meeting,” Mom said, and she was grinning.

Emotion flooded Nic, that this strong, indomitable woman was her mother. “I love you, Mom. And I really don’t know if he’s coming back. I hope so, for Jeremy’s sake. It was good for him.”

“I love you, too, Nicky.” The grin flashed again, lighting up warm brown eyes. “Just let me know when you do find out, okay?”

“What if Jeremy’s coming with his aunt again?”

“Still let me know. She sounds like someone I’d like to meet.”

Nic nodded. “I really like her.”

“Good enough for me. It’s the one you don’t like I disagree with.”

“Yeah, well,” Nic muttered. “I’m rethinking that. He really does love that boy.”

“And you thought he wasn’t capable of that?”

“I thought he was an actor.”

“Even in his personal life?”