Texas! Lucky

Devon reacted as though she'd been goosed. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you've been known to skip without giving prior notice."

"Well, she's here and that's the important thing," Chase said, intervening when Tanya gouged him in the ribs with her elbow. "We're all very glad that you agreed to clear Lucky, Ms. Haines. At no small expense to yourself.

"Because you're married and all." Sage, who had remained blessedly silent, could restrain herself no longer. "You sure don't look like what I thought one of Lucky's pickups would."

"Sage!"

"I didn't mean to be rude, Mother. I know you're as surprised as I am that she's not wearing dragon-green eyeshadow and fishnet stockings. I like your suit, by the way," she said, smiling at Devon guilelessly.

"Th-thank you," Devon stammered.

Having wanted to agitate Devon himself a few moments ago, Lucky now wanted to throttle his little sister for being so rude. Devon's cheeks were flushed and her eyes abnormally bright, but her lips looked pale beneath her pearly beige lipstick.

Tanya threw her a lifeline. "How long have you been a journalist, Ms. Haines?"

"Going on five years," Devon replied, giving Tanya a grateful smile. "Ever since I graduated from college. I started out writing obits and fillers for a smaller newspaper in South Texas before getting the job in Dallas."

"I read your columns faithfully. They're very interesting."

"Tactfully put," she said with a soft laugh. "Sometimes my readers take issue with me."

"I don't always agree with your opinion," Tanya admitted with a smile, "but you always give me food for thought."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Do you write at home, or do you go to the newspaper offices every day?" Sage wanted to know.

"Where do you get your ideas?" Chase asked.

"Y'all hush and let Ms. Haines eat her lunch," Laurie said, then disobeyed her own order and asked, "Do you use one of those word processors?"

Devon laughed. "I don't mind the questions. Really. I enjoy talking about my work."

She answered their questions in turn.

Lucky was interested in her answers himself, but tried not to let his interest show as he ate chicken salad that he didn't even taste.

/> His family was treating her like the Queen of Sheba. Hell, he was the one in trouble, not her. Why weren't they giving her the third degree about sleeping with strangers the way they'd given him?

Even as he posed these disgruntled questions to himself, he knew that if any of them breathed a disparaging word to her, he'd jump right down their throats in her defense.

"Who called Pat?" Laurie asked. She had parted the curtains and was looking through the window over the sink at the approaching patrol car.

"I didn't," Lucky said. "I thought we were going to wait until after lunch, Chase."

"So did I. I didn't call him."

Chase left his chair and moved to stand beside his mother at the window. "He's alone. The agents aren't with him." He had the back door opened before Pat even reached it. The sheriff stepped into the kitchen and removed his hat and sunglasses.

"Hi, everybody." Nodding down at the table, he added, "Sorry to interrupt your lunch."

"Please join us, Pat," Laurie said. "There's plenty."

"I can't, but thanks."

"Something to drink?"