The Delivery of Decor (Shiloh Ridge Ranch in Three Rivers #7) - Liz Isaacson Page 0,3
burned by it.
No, she told herself. You don’t.
She’d told herself that a lot when it came to Ward Glover, and every time, she hadn’t been able to convince herself.
“You want to go to dinner?” he asked.
Dot shook her curly hair over her shoulders as she drew them back, making herself taller. “Yes.”
He took one step toward her, and it almost felt menacing. “Okay,” he said. “But if we go to dinner, you have to tell me why you quasi-broke up with me three weeks ago.”
Twenty-seven days, Dot thought. That’s four weeks. But she didn’t argue with him. She searched his face, wondering how he’d take the news.
“I thought we were going to discuss the delivery of your gravel.”
“Oh, we are,” he said, giving her a smile that made her stomach quake. “Are you okay to hang out for a minute? I need to talk to my brothers for a sec.”
“Yeah, okay,” she said.
He nodded, his hand finding hers and squeezing before he walked away. That simple touch was what made Ward so extraordinary. It wasn’t the things he said, but the small, minute details he did that told her what was really on his mind.
She didn’t mean to stare after him, but she did. Her diverted attention meant she didn’t notice immediately when two women sidled up to her and paused.
“I’m Etta,” she said. “Ward’s sister.”
“Zona,” the other woman said. “His cousin.”
“Hello,” Dot said, disappointed with herself that she’d let her guard down. She’d never gotten along all that well with other women, as she’d been a tomboy and an athlete her whole life. She was taller than the average woman, and she towered above Etta but not so much Zona. She’d dated a lot throughout high school and college, but she’d made bad decision after bad decision that had taken her a long time to come to terms with. Sometimes, she wasn’t sure she’d made peace with her past, and she wasn’t sure the Lord had forgiven her.
Then, every so often, she felt utterly loved and worthy of that love from On High. In those moments, she allowed herself to date again, but eventually, the things she’d once done sneaked back into her life and caused her grief.
“Do you have a name?” Zona asked, and Dot looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.
“Yes,” she said. “Dorothy Crockett.”
“Are you going out with Ward?” Etta asked.
“Just for dinner,” Dot said. “We’re not like…going out.” She had no idea what that even meant, and as Etta cocked her head to the side and frowned, she obviously didn’t either.
Zona snapped her fingers. “You own From the Ground Up.”
Dot grinned at her. She could talk about her landscaping company forever. “Yes,” she said. “Have you used us?”
“No,” Zona said. “But my brother said you guys are great. I guess you put in a bunch of rose bushes and sod at one of our ranch houses.”
“Oh, sure,” Dot said. “I remember that. Something about relandscaping after termites?”
“That would be us,” Etta said with a smile.
“You look so much like Ida,” Dot said.
“Oh, you know Ida?” Etta asked. “We’re twins.”
“Oh, duh,” Dot said, trilling out a laugh. “I can’t believe I forgot Ida had a twin. Ward’s mentioned it too.”
“How do you know her?” Etta asked. “Did she introduce you and Ward?”
“No,” Dot said, cementing her smile in place, though she liked these two women. They weren’t firing questions at her about Ward, at least. “Ward and I went on a double-date with Ida and her husband. Turns out, I live only a couple blocks away from them.”
“Oh.” Etta looked like Dot had thrown icy water in her face. “I see.”
“Etta,” Zona said.
“I have to get back to the ranch,” she said, already walking away. “I promised Bear and Sammy I’d watch Lincoln and Stetson tonight.”
Dot watched her retreat to the couch and pick up her purse. “What did I say?” she asked quietly. “I didn’t mean to make her feel bad.”
“It’s not you,” Zona said with a sigh. “She’s going through a rough time right now, and she sometimes feels left out. That’s all.”
“I’m sure if I’d have kept dating Ward, we’d have gone out with Etta and her boyfriend. Husband. Whoever.”
Zona watched Etta gather her things and hug a few people. “She doesn’t have a boyfriend or a husband.”
“Oh.” And she was Ida’s twin. Ida, who was married and now with two babies.
Zona put her hand on her own pregnant belly, and Dot nodded to it. “When are you due?”