Black Hills

mother talk, to be with her, with Lucy. She had let that bastard steal that from her too, those little moments of pleasure.
    That would stop.
    “Let’s have a spa day.”
    Jenna flicked a glance in the rearview. “A what?”
    “A spa day. I haven’t had a facial or a manicure since before I left for South America. Let’s figure out when we can all take a day off and book a bunch of decadent treatments at the day spa.”
    “Lucy, there’s someone in the backseat pretending to be Lil.”
    Lil leaned up, poked her mother’s shoulder. “I’m going to have Mary call and book us as soon as I check my schedule and Tansy’s, so you’d better let her know if you’ve got any day next week that doesn’t work. Otherwise, too bad for you.”
    “Somehow I believe I can clear my schedule. How about you, Lucy.”
    “I may have to shuffle a few things, but I think I can clear the decks. Won’t that be fun.” She shifted to smile back at Lil.
    “Yes. It’ll be fun.” And long overdue.
    Lil got out when they reached Lucy’s to stretch her legs and switch to the front seat. “Let me help you in with those.”
    “I bought them, I can carry them,” Lucy replied.
    At the back of the SUV, the three of them pawed through bags.
    “That’s mine,” Lucy said. “That one’s your mother’s. This one, yes, that’s mine. That one there. And, oh, my, I did go a little overboard.”
    With a laugh, Lucy kissed Jenna on the cheek. “I don’t know the last time I had so much fun. ’Night, sweetheart,” she said with a kiss for Lil. “I’m going to listen to Sam ask me why I needed another pair of shoes when I’ve only got two feet, then I’m putting these old bones in the tub.”
    “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Jenna called out, and waited until Lucy was in the house before heading down the farm road.
    “What about you? Are you looking to soak or eat?”
    “I’m thinking shoes off, feet up, and a big fat sandwich.”
    “You had a good day, and you’re going to be a beautiful maid of honor.”
    “It’s a great dress.” Sighing, Lil let her head tip back. “I haven’t done a shopping marathon like that in years. Literally years.”
    “I know it wasn’t easy for you to take a full day away like this. And now you’re planning a spa day. You’re a good friend.”
    “She’d do the same for me. Plus, great dress, fabulous shoes, and assorted other items I really had no need for.”
    “It’s more fun when you don’t need them.”
    “Too true.” Lil toyed with the new earrings she’d bought, and—like her mother and the shoes—had worn out of the store. “Why is that?”
    “Buying what you need’s the result of hard work. Buying what you don’t need’s the reward for hard work. You work hard, honey. I’m glad you took the time away. It was nice, wasn’t it, seeing how happy and excited Sueanne is? She can’t say enough about Farley.”
    “It makes you proud.”
    “It really does. It’s so satisfying when other people tell you what a good person your child is. I feel so good about it, about knowing how welcome he’s going to be in that family. You’ll be happy, too, having her living so close.”
    “You want to bet Dad and Farley ditched the chess game and spent all evening playing with plans for the house?”
    “No question. They’ll probably be sorry to see me home.”
    When they got to the gate, Jenna stopped so Lil could swipe her card, and key in her code.
    “I can’t tell you how much better I feel knowing you’ve got this security in. Almost as good as I feel knowing you’re not going home to an empty house.”
    “It’s an odd situation, having Coop here. I want him here, but at the same time I’m trying not to get used to having him here.”
    “You’re gun-shy.”
    “I really am. Part of me feels that I might be punishing him for something he did, or didn’t do, said or didn’t say, when I was twenty. I don’t want to do that. Another part of me wonders if we’re together here because of the situation, because I’m in trouble and he needs to help.”
    “Do you doubt he loves you?”
    “No. No, I don’t.”
    “But?”
    “But if I don’t hold something back, and he leaves again, I don’t know if I’d get through it.”
    “I can’t tell you what to do. Well, I could, but I won’t. I’ll just say nothing in this world comes with a guarantee. With people, with love, a promise has to be enough. When it’s enough for you, you’ll let