The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (10 page)

“She looks like a bag lady,” Heather hissed. “No wonder she’s a thorn in my sweet aunt’s flesh.”

Nancy might be mad at her daughter. Hell, she might be ready to throw in the towel and arrange a marriage for her, but no one was going to call her daughter a bag lady. She took a step right into Heather’s personal space, narrowed her eyes, and said, “Don’t you ever call my daughter names. I can be mad at her but I’ll wipe up the streets with your ass if you say anything mean about her. I don’t care how close to God you are. And for your information, she doesn’t wear a cocktail dress to clean her beauty shop.”

“I was talking about Agnes.” Heather blanched.

“You’d best be,” Nancy said. “I’m going to buy this poor old lonesome carrot cake so we can go home and get out of this blistering heat. How much did we make today, Beulah?”

“You can have the carrot cake for half price since it’s the last item, and that will make us two hundred and ten dollars. Enough to buy twenty-one haircuts,” Beulah said. “Y’all got a list of the fellows you are giving them to?”

“Yes, we do,” Floy said.

“And Preacher Jed and Rhett Monroe are not on it, right?” Nancy said.

“You are getting almighty picky for a woman who didn’t care if her daughter married a poor old feller who pumps gas,” Heather smarted off.

“Why not Rhett Monroe? He’s got a job and he’s very nice lookin’,” Floy asked.

“You know his reputation. I want a son-in-law, not a live-in boyfriend. Rhett Monroe won’t ever settle down and get married. And good God almighty . . .” Nancy handed Beulah a five-dollar bill and went on, “Stella can’t marry a preacher. Everett would have to clean up his language and that ain’t about to happen.”

“And besides, can’t you just see Stella as the preacher’s wife.” Heather chuckled.

Nancy shot Heather a drop-graveyard-dead look, letting the hussy have the last word. If the cake tasted like freezer burn, it was still the best five dollars she ever spent just to get off that hot porch. Maybe she’d give it to Everett and tell him to mix it up with that stinky stuff he used to make fish bait.

Heather tilted her chin up a notch. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”

Nancy silently asked God nicely if she could knock a smart-ass woman who wasn’t thirty out into the dirt but the only answer she got was a loud booming, “No!” in her soul. So she raised her head and smiled at the ladies. “I’m headed to the house, where it’s air-conditioned. Everett and Preacher Jed have gone fishin’, so I intend to read a big thick romance book all evening while the air conditioner blows right down on me.”

“Your cussin’ husband is out fishin’ with our dear Jed.” Heath
er’s tone said that she was totally aghast at such horrible news.

“Strange, ain’t it?” Nancy grinned. “They’ve formed a pretty tight friendship the last few days. Jed overlooks Everett’s cussin’ and Everett says he’s a serious fisherman.”

“Our poor Jed is trying to save his soul, I’m sure. Now please tell me that you don’t read those books with naked-breasted men on the front, do you? If you do, I shall have to pray for your sinning soul. I’m sure God does not approve,” Heather said.

“Honey, what do you do when you crawl into bed with your husband? Do you have twin beds and have one of those marriages where you don’t touch each other? God made men and women different so that when they have sex they can become one flesh. And besides, he’s probably busy with much more important things than listening to prayers about what I read,” Nancy said.

Heather blushed and stammered, but intelligent words would not come out of her mouth.

“Oh, my! Oh, my!” Beulah twisted at her hankie. “Do they really put stuff like that in those books?”

Nancy laughed. “The one that’s made its way to the top of my big stack of to-be-read books is one by Grace Burrowes titled
Ethan
. I just can’t wait to get all involved with it. And yes, they describe sex in the books, Beulah. You want to borrow one, Heather? I’ve got some really descriptive ones that might help you with your marriage.”

Heather set her mouth in a firm line that said she was disappointed that a member of the Angels would read anything other than the Bible or maybe one of those inspirational-for-the-soul books. “Don’t you dare bring one of those dirty books around me.”

Nancy couldn’t back down now because she’d promised Agnes that she’d keep her informed of what was going on from inside the marriage ministry camp. But she hadn’t promised that she wouldn’t take up for Stella while she was infiltrating the enemy’s camp. No, ma’am! And Heather had better begin to understand that Nancy’s endurance level was getting mighty slim.

Looking out the window at Rhett playing with her sons, Piper wished that she could go by the ranch and tell Nancy that everything was going to be all right. She wished that she could knock some sense into Stella’s hard head about the silly fight with her mother. But since she couldn’t do either, she’d just bask in the glory of being right about Rhett and Stella.

Luke hit the back door in a blur, dashed off to the bathroom, and then came back through the kitchen on his way out. “We need three bottles of water, Mama. Playin’ baseball is tough work. I’m glad Preacher Jed went fishin’ with Mr. Baxter. Me and Tanner like Rhett better.”

Piper loaded him up with water and he dashed off again. Better than Preacher Jed, who had a halo and wings. That was quite a statement and her grandmother had told her more than once that you can’t fool kids and dogs. She bet if there was a dog or a cat or even a pet hamster, it would like Rhett Monroe, too.

But then, the kids at church literally flocked around Jed Tucker, too. Piper was amazed that one of the single women in Cadillac hadn’t already gone after him in a serious way. He was sexy, kind, sweet, and loved kids—every woman’s dream. So why wasn’t Stella interested in him?

“Oh, yeah? That damned old scandal back when she was just a teenager with the preacher’s son. We should have rallied around her and hung that boy with a length of rusty barbed wire,” she mumbled and then snorted in suppressed laughter. “Besides, Stella would never be interested in a preacher, not after that shit that went on back then.”

She carried the hot dogs out to the backyard and Rhett and the boys joined her before she could get the gas grill fired up. He took the platter from her hand and said, “Grillin’ is our job. We talked about it and since you’ve been cookin’ all day, we’ll do the hard work, won’t we, guys?”

Tanner nodded seriously. “Yes, sir. You sit right down here”—he patted the picnic table—“and we’ll do the cookin’, Mama. Rhett is going to teach us when they are just right, like the street vendors in New York City get them. We’ll help you carry out the rest of the food when the hot dogs are done.”

Piper smiled. Oh, yes, she would take a very good report back to Stella the next morning. Rhett was a good man and Stella had done well when she started seeing him, even if it was on the sly and she should have told her two best friends all the details.

“New York street vendor, huh?” She sat down and used the picnic table as a backrest.

“Oh, yes. It’s a wonderful place to visit for a few days. The guys would love it. They could see a game at Yankee Stadium and take a tour out to the Statue of Liberty, and there are Broadway plays if you like things like that,” Rhett said.

Piper smiled. “Sounds like a wonderful trip to take someday.”

“You mean a real baseball game?” Luke asked.

Rhett ruffled his hair. “Yes, I do.”

“Can we go this summer?” Luke asked.

Piper shook her head. “We’ll have to be satisfied with backyard baseball this year, guys.”

“Okaaaay,” Tanner said. “We really don’t mind, Mama, because we got Rhett right here in Cadillac and we got hot dogs just like they make and we can go fishin’ with Grandpa and if that Broadway stuff is like them singin’ movies, I wouldn’t like it, anyway.”

Rhett smiled at Piper. “Good kids you got here.”

If it had been late enough for stars to pop out, they would have paled in comparison to the flash of his grin. With that kind of charm, it was no wonder that Stella liked him. She couldn’t wait to tell her that she’d figured the whole thing out and that she approved.

C
HAPTER
S
EVEN

I
’ve been giving this a lot of thought,” Heather said from the podium in the fellowship hall where the whole Prayer Angels group had met to discuss the upcoming ball. “I will put the gents’ names into one fishbowl and the ladies’ into another. They will assemble up in the buyers’ loft and as I draw their names they will come down the steps together. The gent will lead the lady out onto the dance floor, where they will wait until everyone is on the floor, and then the music will begin a nice slow waltz and everyone will start dancing together. It’s going to be simply lovely.”

“What about Carlene and Jack? They’re engaged and they sure wouldn’t want to dance with someone else,” Beulah asked.

Heather sucked in a double lungful of air and blew it out noisily. “Okay, the ones that are formally engaged can have their names put on a ticket in a third bowl. Aunt Violet has three gorgeous crystal bowls that I can use. I’d planned on borrowing two of them, but now the third one can be used also. This is a wonderful idea. It might encourage some of those who are thinking about proposing to get on the ball before the ball.” She giggled at her own joke but everyone else just stared at her.

“And the ones who are married already but want to participate in the ball?” Floy asked.

“Maybe the third bowl can just be for all of the already taken people?” Beulah said.

“I’ll second that,” a lady said from the back of the room.

“Then write it in the minutes.” Heather nodded. “One for the unmarried gentlemen. One for the single ladies. And a third for the already taken. It’s going to be a grand sight, all the women dressed up and the men in their black ties. I’m planning to talk to the television crew from Sherman and see if they’ll come down and shoot some footage.”

Floy fiddled with her collar. “Not tuxes. There won’t be a single man who’ll come if he has to rent a tux. This is small-town Texas, not Tulsa. You’ve got to take baby steps or you’ll never get this idea to take root. You’d better not bill it as black-tie but as jacket and tie. That way they can wear a string tie or a bolo and still be dressed up. You won’t have a problem with the ladies. They’ll be glad to go buy something fancy.”

Heather flashed her new gold fingernail at Nancy. “Is Stella coming? This all started to help her. It would be a shame if she didn’t show up.”

Nancy wished she could sprout wings and fly out of the room or that she had a hand grenade in her purse. “Yes, ma’am, she will be there.”

“And Charlotte and Piper?”

“Yes, and all the girls from Bless My Bloomers and several of their customers, including the Fannin sisters, who are already shopping for fancy dresses. The ladies from Clawdy’s are all excited about a ball and Agnes is planning on coming, too, and since she’s a single woman you’ll have to put her name in that fishbowl.”

Nancy deliberately mentioned Agnes just to rile Heather.

“If she pays her fee, I can’t keep her from attending, but she’d better be on good behavior or I will have my cousin Ethan escort her right out the door. My poor sweet aunt can’t come to the ball.” Heather clucked her tongue and shook her head slowly. “Bless Aunt Violet’s soul, she will be having a knee replacement very soon and will probably be in rehab during that time. It is so nice of her to let us use her barn for our ball, though, isn’t it? Especially since this town doesn’t have anything big enough for an event like this.”

Yeah, right
, Nancy thought.
It’ll take someone bigger and meaner than your pussyfooted cousin to toss Agnes out on her ear. She’ll have him on his ass so quick he’ll wonder what hit him, so you’d do well to steer clear of her.

Beulah wrung at her hands. Evidently she’d worn out every hankie in her possession and the new order hadn’t come in yet.

Floy smiled, which was a miracle. She always looked like she had just sucked all the juice out of a lemon.

Heather went on. “Now, let’s go on to the menu. Everett has agreed to smoke all the meat for the ball and we’ll serve buffet style. We need centerpieces. Nancy? My aunt, God love her darlin’ heart, says you are the best at centerpieces.”

“I’m in charge of helping with the buffet table. Someone else can be in charge of centerpieces,” Nancy answered. “But if I could make a suggestion. What about a simple jar candle with silk rose petals around it? You could give the candles away to each couple as they leave and since they are in jars they wouldn’t drip wax on the tablecloths.”

“I like Nancy’s suggestion and second the motion to do that. I’ll be in charge of finding a good deal on jar candles and silk rose petals,” Floy said.

“Good, let’s move on to”—Heather dramatically ran her finger down the list inside her angel book lying on the podium—“volunteers for decorating. We’ll need to meet at the barn two days before to clean it up and then put up all the illusion so that it looks like a castle. I can just see it all in my mind already and it takes my breath away, it’s so beautiful. Nancy, you can be in charge of that committee.”

Nancy stood up. “I can’t. Remember, I’m on the food committee and I will be helping Everett with smoking the meat. The Fannin sisters called and volunteered to bring the rest of the food and help me cook it. I won’t have time to do any decorating. None of them cook so I’ll have to oversee every step of the side dishes, but it was very generous of them to offer to donate the food, don’t you think?”

If looks could have killed, there would have been nothing but bones and a greasy spot on the church floor where Nancy had been standing.

“The Fannin sisters are not on the committee,” Heather said through clenched teeth. “They upset Aunt Violet last year when they took the Easter egg hunt away from her. Poor dear, that’s probably the reason her knee has given out and had to be replaced. She’s been doing too much since then to show them that she’s still able to keep going. She is pushing seventy-five, you know.”

“They might not be on our committee, but they are members of our church and they are attending the ball and they want to lend a hand with the supper. They’ll be a big help in my kitchen with the preparation. And your aunt is the same age as Agnes, so that makes her every bit of eighty,” Nancy told her.

“We can always use all the volunteers that we can get.” Beu
lah spoke up. “And it’s time some of the younger ladies in the community showed up at the Angels’ meetings on Thursday night, so you might think about a membership drive after the ball is over, Heather.”

“Okay, then, Nancy is taking care of the food and nothing else,” Heather said in a whine.

Well, while we’re blessin’ hearts and God-lovin’ souls, let’s put Beu
lah in line for some of that heavenly love. If she didn’t have a hankie to wring on, maybe her energy would go to her vocal cords and backbone more often.
Nancy bit her tongue to keep the words inside her head.

“I could ask for help from Aunt Violet’s club,” Heather said. “If they saw what a great thing I’m doing, they might agree to join our prayer group on Thursdays. Thank you, Lord”—she looked up at the ceiling—“for sending that idea down through the rafters to me.”

“Why couldn’t they help? It could be a joint effort,” Nancy asked. “I’m sure that Anna Ruth and Andy and several of the other members of club will be attending the ball, so they might have some great ideas.”

“I second that,” Beulah said.

“We’ll have to have a motion before we can have a second,” Heather said.

“Then I motion that we ask the Blue Ribbon Society to lend a hand with the barbecue ball,” Beulah said.

“And I’ll second it,” Floy came in right behind her.

Nancy sat down and bit back a giggle. She’d done it. She’d refused to let anyone push her around and it felt damn fine. Now, if only God would toss a husband into Stella’s lap when a man came into her shop for a haircut, her life would be perfect.

Piper hauled a container of leftover hot dogs, buns, and all the condiments, along with a bowl of potato salad, one of baked beans, and what was left of a blackberry cobbler to the beauty shop that Tuesday morning. She didn’t notice the sign on the glass door with the big neon-green arrow pointing downward. It said, “As of July 1, Men’s Haircuts Are No Longer Available at the Yellow Rose Beauty Shop.”

She carried all the food to the back room; put the potato salad, beans, cobbler, and hot dogs in the small refrigerator; and set the buns on the table. “I had leftovers from last night so I brought them for our lunch. Lorene picked the boys up today but they’re staying for Bible school tonight at their church so they won’t be home until bedtime. And Stella, I figured it all out.”

“Figured out what?” she asked.

Piper plopped down in the chair at her station and twirled it around so that she could see her friends. “You are sleeping with Rhett. I don’t care what people say. I approve. He’s good with kids and he cooks a mean hot dog. The boys were still singing his praises this morning. Don’t tell Preacher Jed, but they said they like Rhett better than him.”

Charlotte dropped her knitting in her lap. The little pink baby hat was coming along fine. “That’s yesterday’s gossip, darlin’.”

“I’m not seeing Rhett.” Stella held up two fingers and then crossed her heart like they’d done when they were little girls. “I promise it’s not me that he’s interested in. He cooked those hot dogs for you, darlin’. I’ve barely spoken to him . . . oh, speak of the devil . . .”

Rhett’s presence filled the beauty shop with enough sexiness to set the whole shop into a hum. His shoulders stretched the white T-shirt and his biceps bulged beneath the two folds on the sleeves. The six-pack leading down to his belt buckle was as defined as if it was bare for all three women to stare at. His jeans were snug and his boots scuffed and when he smiled, the cleft in his chin deepened.

“Good mornin’. Heather and Quinn were having breakfast this mornin’ at Clawdy’s and she gave me this money order for a free haircut in here,” he said.

“Did you see the sign on our door?” Charlotte asked.

“No, ma’am.” Rhett grinned and the whole room glowed.

“Well, since you didn’t see it, I think Piper is free to do a haircut. I’ve got an appointment that should be here in five minutes and Charlotte’s first one is runnin’ late but she’ll be here . . . there she is now.” Stella smiled. “Put away the knitting and get ready to do Trixie’s hair.”

“I will torture you, Stella Joy,” Piper whispered.

Rhett headed for Piper’s chair. “I like to keep it short in the summer when I’m coaching the little boys’ ball team. It’s cooler that way and besides, it sets an example for them.”

Stella nodded and smiled sweetly.

Piper vowed revenge. She might start going to church on Thursday nights and praying with the ladies that Stella would find a husband before her birthday.

“Sorry I’m late. We had a big breakfast crew this morning. Gossip must make people hungry.” Trixie hopped up in Charlotte’s chair. “This barbecue ball and finding Stella a husband are the best things for business since the chili cook-off in the spring.”

“I didn’t know you was lookin’ for a husband. Is that what this southern Kardashian ball is all about? I heard it was to get all the women in Cadillac hitched, not just you. Heather is on some kind of Holy Grail mission about it. Quinn says any time me and Boone are going fishin’ he’d love to go just to get away from her fussin’ around about the ball and all her ideas for making Cadillac into some big fancy city.” He smiled in the mirror at the look on Piper’s face.

“What’ so funny?”

“Southern Kardashian.” She giggled. “Next thing you know the whole thing will turn into a reality television show.”

“Hush!” Stella said loudly. “If Heather even hears there’s a possibility, she’ll jump on it like a hungry dog with a ham bone and turn God into a movie producer.”

“Surely to God, they aren’t going to pray at the ball, are they? Why don’t you just pick your own husband before the ball starts and show them that you’re the boss, Stella? I got lots of friends.” Rhett chuckled.

“I’m not looking for a husband no matter what they put on the church sign and thank you for the offer to hook me up, but no, thank you. I can do my own finding, my own dating, and my own proposing if I have to,” Stella said.