Free End Zone: Texas Titans 2 by Cheryl Douglas Page A

masking his amusement. “That doesn’t
mean I’ve taken pleasure in big society events the way they all have.”
    Kristen felt as though she was being left
out of the loop. She had no idea who Nancy’s family was or whether she would
even recognize her maiden name. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m a bit confused.”
    “Lancaster,” Matt said. “My granddaddy was
the mayor before he started Lancaster Funeral Homes.”
    “Oh my goodness,” Kristen said. Nancy’s
family was known across the country. They had dozens of funeral homes, and to
her knowledge, the business remained in the family still. “I had no idea.”
    Nancy wrinkled her nose. “I can’t say the
business ever appealed to me.” She nodded to a colorful botanical piece on the
wall. “I’d much rather celebrate life than death.”
    “I can’t say I disagree with you.” Kristin
thought Matt’s mother seemed so easy-going and down to earth, in spite of her
privileged upbringing.
    “At any rate, my family has always enjoyed
making the society pages. They’ve diversified their interests a lot in recent
years, and that means stepping out into the social scene and rubbing elbows
with the rich and snooty.” She giggled like a school girl. “It’s all rather
silly if you ask me, but as long as they help raise money for good causes, I
guess it’s worth it.”
    Kristen had planned a lot of the events
Nancy was referring to, but she didn’t take offense. She often wondered how
anyone in their right mind could pay that much to attend one of her
soirées.
    “I’m sure our party is nothing compared to
some of the events you’ve taken on, Kristen.” Matt disarmed her with a flash of
perfect white teeth. “But I’d consider it a personal favor.” He winked at her
when his mother’s back was turned. “I’d owe you big time.”
    If that kiss last night was any indication
of how he intended to repay his debt, Kristen would gladly clear the decks to
plan his party. “You know I’d love to help you out—”
    “As would I,” Nancy said, nudging Kristen.
“So can we put the poor boy out of misery and tell him we’ll do it already?”
    Nancy looked so much like a mischievous
pixie that Kristen couldn’t help but laugh. She had no doubt working with
Matt’s mother would be entertaining to say the least.
    “I’ll tell you what,” Matt said when
Kristen failed to respond to his mother’s gentle ribbing. “As an incentive,
pick any original in the store, on me.”
    Kristen gaped at him. He couldn’t be
serious. From what she had seen, the smaller studies started at two thousand
dollars with the larger pieces ranging between ten and fifteen thousand. “I
couldn’t. I mean, my fee isn’t nearly—”
    “Of course you could.” Nancy slipped her
arm through Kristen’s and led her toward a landscape she’d gushed over as soon
as she walked through the door.
    The piece had a small white cottage in the
distance with wildflowers meandering around a drawbridge that led to a small
pond. Kristen had fallen in love with it... until she saw the price tag of
twelve thousand dollars.
    “If there’s one thing I enjoy, it’s
spending my son’s hard-earned money,” Nancy said, winking at Matt. “You liked
this one, didn’t you?”
    “I love it, but it’s too much. I couldn’t
possibly accept this as payment for my services.”
    “Who said anything about payment for your
services?” Matt asked, propping one elbow on the tall desk. “I said this was an
incentive to take on the project. You’ll still be paid your normal fee to plan
the party.”
    “But that’s ridiculous.” Kristen feared his
mother may get the impression she was trying to take advantage of Matt’s
generosity. “I couldn’t possibly…” She became so flustered, she ran out of
words.
    While Kristen was trying to protest, Matt
inched her aside and took the piece off the wall. “Wrap it up and send me the
bill, Ma,” he said, carrying the painting to a small room