crack in the window, eager to join in any game that might be played, but Kendra felt edgy. She knew there was something else Brylee wanted to say to her.
Sure enough, there was.
“I don’t think Hutch ever really got over you,” Brylee said quietly, and without malice. “I should have paid more attention to the signs—he called me by your name once or twice, for instance—but I guess I was just too crazy about him to see what was happening.”
Kendra felt another tug of sympathy, even as all the old defenses rose up inside her. “Thanks again,” she said, and climbed into her car.
Daisy whimpered in the backseat, either because she needed to squat in the grass or because she’d taken a liking to Brylee, or both, but the dog was going to have to wait. No way was Kendra going to let Daisy christen Brylee’s parking lot right in front of the woman—it might seem, well, like a symbolic gesture.
Brylee waved, watching as Kendra drove away and Kendra waved back.
Thoughts assailed her as she pulled onto the highway leading home to Parable; she heard Brylee’s words, over and over again. I don’t think Hutch ever really got over you—he called me by your name once or twice—
“Stop it,” Kendra told herself, right out loud.
Daisy whimpered again, more urgently this time.
Kendra pulled over when she came to a wide spot in the road, got out of the car, leaned into the backseat to hook Daisy’s leash to her collar and took the dog for a short walk in the grass.
By the time they were on their way again, she was starting to feel foolish for confronting Brylee with that printout at all. She’d probably overreacted.
Before pulling back onto the highway, Kendra got out her cell phone and called Joslyn.
“Were you asleep?” she asked, first thing.
Joslyn laughed. “I’m a new mother,” she said. “We don’t sleep.”
Kendra laughed, too. “Is your mom still visiting?”
“She left this morning,” Joslyn answered. “Mom was a lot of help—Callie has been, too—but it’s time things got back to normal around here. Besides, Slade and Shea are great with the baby.”
“Good,” Kendra said.
“You called to find out if I was sleeping?” Joslyn teased. “Is this about that stupid webpage? Five minutes after I hit Send, I wished I hadn’t just sprung the thing on you like that. Tara feels the same way.”
“It’s all right,” Kendra said, watching as cars and trucks zipped by on the highway. “But, yeah, that’s the reason I called. I’ve just been to see Brylee.”
“Come right over,” Joslyn commanded cheerfully. “Immediately, if not sooner. I want to hear all about it.”
“Nothing happened,” Kendra put in lamely. It wasn’t as if she and Brylee had gotten into a hair-pulling match or anything; they weren’t a pair of junior high schoolers fighting over a boy.
“Be that as it may,” Joslyn replied, “you obviously need some BFF time or you wouldn’t have called. Come over.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Kendra capitulated, grateful.
“Good,” Joslyn answered.
When Kendra and Daisy arrived at Windfall Ranch, Tara’s sports car was parked alongside the main house, next to Joslyn’s nondescript compact. Slade’s truck was nowhere in sight—maybe he’d driven his mother-in-law to the airport.
Joslyn and Tara both appeared on the back porch as Kendra got out of the car and freed Daisy from the confines of the backseat. Lucy, Tara’s dog, was on hand to greet her and the pair frolicked, overjoyed at their reunion.
Joslyn smiled and waved, but Tara looked worried.
“Have I just made a world-class fool of myself or what?” Kendra fretted as she approached the porch. By now, of course, Joslyn would have told Tara about the visit to Brylee’s office.
Tara finally smiled. “I’m not sure,” she joked. “Come inside, and we’ll figure it out over coffee and pastry.”
They all trooped into Joslyn’s recently remodeled kitchen, including Lucy and Daisy, who greeted Jasper, Slade’s dog, and were roundly snubbed by Joslyn’s cat.
Baby Trace lay in his bassinet, gurgling, his feet and hands busy as he tried to grab hold of a beam of sunlight coming in through a nearby window.
Joslyn smiled, tucked his blanket in around him, and bent to plant a smacking kiss on his downy head. “I love you, little cowboy,” she said softly.
The backs of Kendra’s eyes scalded a little, in the wake of a rush of happiness for her friend. Joslyn had built a successful software company on her own, sold it for a fortune and righted an old wrong that wasn’t even hers