Free Chantilly’s Cowboy by Debra Kayn Page B

just get in town?”
    Florentine closed her eyes and leaned her head on her oldest sister’s shoulder. “Yup. I’ve missed you too, sis.” She sniffed. “How’s the clinic?”
    “Good. I’m even thinking about hiring another veterinarian.” Margot sat across from Chantilly beside her dad. “It’ll also give me a little more free time.”
    “Margot!” Chantilly reached across the table. “You’ve got a boyfriend, doncha?”
    “Too soon to tell.” She shook her head. “And not another word ’bout it. I don’t wanna jinx it by wishing too soon.”
    “’Bout damn time.” Stuart forked a rib onto one of the rolls he stole from Chantilly’s plate. “It’s high time you all found a man to take over my job of keeping you out of trouble. I’m getting too old to chase after you girls, especially now that Margot’s living across town and Val’s sleeping above the bar. Hell, half the time even Bisette’s out of the damn country.”
    The sisters rolled their eyes at Stuart’s old-fashioned notion that they needed men to keep them out of trouble. Between fast conversations and laughter, Chantilly managed to consume a quarter of the food on the plate. She rubbed Jack’s thigh under the table and grinned at him. He’d kept quiet during dinner, but he appeared to be caught up in the lively talk floating around him.
    “All right, girls…Jack, I’m gonna work my way through this crowd and speak to the neighbors for a while.” He threw his napkin on the table. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t forget the pies, Margot. You do your momma proud with your baking.”
    “Thanks, Daddy.” Margot leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Although you just said that so I’d bring an extra pie for you to have to yourself…I could never compete with Momma’s pies.”
    Stuart ran the back of his hand down her cheek. “Don’t you be selling yourself short. You’re a damn fine pie maker.” He patted his round stomach. “Look what you did to me.”
    Chantilly turned and pulled her legs out from under the table. “Let’s go too, Jack.”
    “Already?” Jack wiped his mouth on the napkin. “Don’t you wanna stay and dance? I mean…ain’t that what you had your heart set on?”
    “Oh, I plan on getting you to dance. You’re not getting out of it if that’s what you think.” She turned to Florentine. “Stay up for me. I wanna catch up on everything, okay?”
    Florentine nodded. “I’m gonna stick around here and help Val out until closing time. Someone needs to make sure our innocent baby sister doesn’t fall for the sweet words of a drunken yahoo.”
    “Florentine.” Stuart lowered his brows. “No fighting. I don’t feel like dragging your bee-hind out of jail tonight.”
    “Of course not, Daddy.” She winked. “I’ve changed my ways. Hell, I’m practically the sweet girl in the family now.”
    Snorts came from each one of the McDougals. Florentine laughed. “Man, it’s good to be back home.”
    Stuart walked away, shaking his head. Chantilly bounced beside Jack, her arms wrapped around his waist, and she smiled up into his eyes. “We’ll have all day with my family tomorrow. I wanna spend the rest of the evening with you, alone, doing something wild…excitin’…a little crazy.”
    Jack growled and hurried them into the bar. “You won’t find me telling you no.”
    “Tilly!”
    She glanced over and found Val motioning her over. She kissed Jack on the lips. “Let’s go say bye to Val, but if she tries to talk us into staying and helping out, you’ll need to come up with an excuse for us to get outta here.” She winked. “And don’t tell her we have plans to do some boinking or she’ll never let us leave.”
    “Boinkin’?” Jack grinned. “I won’t say a word.”
    “I thought you might like that idea.” She pulled Jack toward the counter.
    Chantilly slapped Roy Lee, Pike’s sheriff, on the back and interrupted him lifting his arm for another bite. “How’s the horses