“The point is to deter people from coming, not encourage them,” Cane points out.
“Point of pride. This place should look good.”
“Our reputation will survive a dirt road.” I check inside the great room that has been cleared of all the furniture.
A raised runway that spans the length of the room is draped in red velvet. At one end, a small circle of girls is huddled around something with great interest. I wonder if it’s Birdie since I don’t see her anywhere in this mess of people. I start toward the circle only to stop short when Sterling emerges, his Stetson tilted off his forehead and a hammer in his hand. “Fixed it,” he says.
The girls let out a loud sigh of appreciation. I roll my eyes. Blake and Cane laugh. Sterling grins, but I see the strain behind it. He doffs his hat slightly and then strolls over, trying to look as calm as possible, but his gait picks up the closer he gets to us. The girls trail behind like pretty streamers floating off the end of a prom queen’s parade convertible.
“Help,” he mouths silently as he passes.
Blake and Cane laugh even harder. I clap my hands. “Ladies, Sterling has to go attend to the cattle now, and that’s no place for pretty things like you.”
One of the girls stops about three inches from the toes of my boots. She tilts her head and flashes me a set of brilliant whites. “Do you really think I’m pretty, Mr. Justice?”
“Girl, I went to school with your mama. Don’t be batting your eyelashes in my direction.”
My retort does not faze her. The girl cocks her hip and tosses a long hank of blond hair over one shoulder. “My mama is an eternal thirty-nine, but I know you’re still younger than her so unless she was held back for ten years, the only thing you two could’ve shared is the desk in kindergarten when my mama was a senior.” She purses her lips and gives all three of us a long look. “Anyway, if you’re done playing with the hags and want something fresh and juicy, give me a call.”
The blonde flounces, leaving the three of us speechless. Blake recovers first.
“I don’t remember girls in high school being like this.”
“Good thing,” Cane says faintly. “I wouldn’t have survived.”
“Do you think one of you should go and make sure Sterling isn’t eaten alive?” His Stetson is moving faster and faster.
Blake and Cane stare at each other until Blake gives in because he’s younger. “Fine, but you owe me.” He stomps off.
“My knees are watery,” Cane tells me. “These young girls scare me. They look like they’re twenty-five and act like they’ve got the experience of a Vegas showgirl.”
“What are you two doing cowering in the corner?” Birdie pops up at my elbow.
I nearly jump five feet in the air. “The hell you doing, girl, skulking around like that?”
Birdie giggles. “I watched the whole scene from over there.” She points to a curtained-off area. “I can’t believe a bunch of eighteen-year-olds have you two shaking in your actual boots.”
“Girls are scary,” Cane says. “I’m going to see if Tucker needs my help.”
“He’s watching golf.”
“He might need me to change the channel. Heard his remote is lost.” Cane scampers off, leaving me with Birdie.
“Sterling has them all in a tizzy,” Birdie shares with a mischievous smile. “They all want a taste.”
“He best keep his hands to himself.”
“He’s young and healthy. Shouldn’t you be encouraging him to date?”
“No. Sterling’s mama died when he was five. He doesn’t need more losses.”
She gives me a puzzled look. “But dating isn’t a loss. I mean, sure he could get a broken heart, but he’s young. He’d recover.” Her face grows serious. “Did something happen to you in the past?”
“Me? I’ve never dated.”
Her eyes grow wide with shock. “Never?”
“Have you?” I growl. Has someone else had his dirty paws all over my girl’s body? “What’s his name?” And address and Social Security number so I can make sure that he never touches anyone ever again.
“I’ve been in school! I haven’t had time to date!” She looks aggrieved.
I nod my head because all is right again. “Well, me either.”
“You’ve never dated?” Her voice is skeptical. “Gorgeous and rich, you’ve never had a girlfriend?”
Now it’s my turn to reassure her. “Birdie, I live an hour—by 'copter—away from the city running a multinational corporation and a thousand acres of mineral-rich land. I’ve got four cousins and a mess of staff and their families to keep fed. I have not had time for women.”
A look of smug satisfaction sweeps over her face. “Well, I guess that’s okay then.”
“Damn right it is.”
I swoop down to give her a hard kiss when a piercing screech fills the air. I lift my head and see Widow Justice careening down the hall. “It really is black!” she shouts. “I was making a metaphor but I was right all along. It’s black beneath all that gold.” She holds up her hands with pieces of rose-colored wallpaper clenched in each fist. She runs over to me and pushes me away from Birdie. “Get away from my daughter, you killer! Don’t you ever touch her again!” She shakes the torn pieces of wallpaper in Birdie’s face. “Black! Do you see? They’re going to kill you. Run away while you can!”