Tacoma Falls: Homeland

Girls' night

Morgan

When Mary and Amber arrived, Hank pecked my cheek before leaving to help his daddy.

"Hank doesn't need to be PG, for our sake," Amber said, sitting on the couch with a case of beer next to her feet.

Mary set the pies on the coffee table, grabbed a slice, and sat down. "Hank is being respectful until Morgan's divorce becomes final."

"I thought you're divorce became final when you signed the papers?" Amber asked me.

I sat in a chair with a slice of pizza. "It becomes final in less than six months. The law calls it a separation period if the couple changes their mind."

"Are you changing your mind?" Mary asked.

"Hell, no! I wasted too much time on that slimy toad."

"Good because Hank will treat you right, unlike that good-for-nothing Beau." Mary tore a piece of pizza off and chewed aggressively.

"What happened between you and Beau? Amber wouldn't tell me?"

"I thought Beau liked me. He said all the right things until I caught Dixie dressed only in his shirt at his place."

I furrowed my brows. "What?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Mary cracked open a beer and took a swig of it.

There is more to this story than Mary is telling me. I was so busy with Rodney that I didn't know the entire story of what happened between Mary and Beau. Amber wasn't talking, either.

"I hear Rusty got handsy with you," Mary told Amber.

"I can handle Rusty." Amber shrugged.

"It better not happen again. I got a rope with Rusty's name on it." Mary grinned.

"Don't worry. I got it covered." Amber winked.

Why was my gut screaming at me about my two best friends?

*******
Hank

I arrived at Pa's to help with the horse. I wasn't expecting to see Uncle Sawyer standing at the corral with Pa. "Uncle Sawyer?"

Uncle Sawyer turned and smiled. "Hey, Hank."

I walked over and hugged him. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah, it's been a while. I came to give your pa a hand for the showcase."

"No, you came because Pa ordered you home," Pa said.

"That too."

I chuckled.

Uncle Sawyer would help with the horses while we trotted them around and showed them off. He owns a ranch with cattle instead of horses. Papaw wasn't happy when Sawyer traded horses for cows.

"What's this I hear you've been shacking up with that Sullivan girl?" Sawyer asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Hank isn't shacking up with anybody. He's been helping Josephine's daughter. Stop making something out of nothing," Pa told Sawyer.

"Says the man that couldn't wait to jump on Harper the first chance he got."

"Harp is none of your concern. Who told you Hank was shacking up with Morgan?"

"Cass."

"I swear our baby sister is worse than the gossip mill." Pa shook his head.

"Cass has ears all over. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't hear anything. It's not like you're forthcoming with information."