Hell, Yeah by Carolyn Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

eat very well.
    She suddenly felt even more antsy than when she realized Travis was sitting in the living room. She wanted to rush back to the safety of the Honky Tonk. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a tall rocky cliff with a hurricane approaching. The wind was whipping around her in a frantic frenzy and she couldn’t move for fear of falling. But she couldn’t think of a single reason to run out right in the middle of a meal.
    Dessert would be served and then there’d be coffee in the living room and the football game. Jezzy had gone to a lot of trouble to make the day special and Cathy couldn’t be rude and disrespectful. She started running down a list of excuses why she needed to go home right after the final field goal was kicked or touchdown was made so she wouldn’t have to stay for supper too.
    Jezzy pushed back her chair. “Looks like everyone is finished. I’ll take away the dirty dishes if you’ll bring in the cake, Sally.”
    Cathy gasped when she saw the cake. “My grandmother made cakes like that for Christmas dinner. I haven’t had one in years. I’m having two pieces if it puts forty pounds on my rear end and thighs.”
    The feeling that she was about to be engulfed by a hurricane passed and her appetite returned. The cake was every bit as good as the ones she had as a child, so she decided Travis could live another day.
    “Y’all come on in the living room where it’s more comfortable. We can have our coffee in there and watch the pre-game show. Anyone want to put five dollars in the pot? I’m betting the Cowboys whip that sorry West Coast team by ten points,” Leroy said.
    “Could I put in an order for a cup of hot tea? And I’ll put five in that the Cowboys whip them by at least two touchdowns,” Travis said.
    Cathy frowned. Travis Henry didn’t look like the tea drinking type to her. Beer, yes. Sweet tea, yes. But what did she know about the man? He might not even be a real cowboy. Maybe it was a weekend disguise and he wore three-piece suits to work like Amos did.
    “Of course,” Jezzy said.
    “Make that two, then. Would you have green tea?” Angel asked.
    “Yes, we do. Sally likes a whole array of teas. Personally I used to wonder how in the devil she woke up in the morning without coffee until she brewed me a cup of black tea. It was strong enough to fry the eyeballs of out of the devil’s mother-in-law. Sally, will you help me make coffee and tea? We’ll bring the rest of the cake to the living room with the pretzels to nibble on while we root for the Cowboys.”
    Leroy pushed his chair back and led the way. “Pre-game show starts in ten minutes. So when are you going to start with the soil samples?” he asked as he led the way into the living room.
    A built-in cherry entertainment center with a flat screen television in the center covered the north wall of the living room. It was flanked on two sides and across the top with bookcases stuffed with fat mystery novels, paperback romances, cookbooks, and a full set of ancient encyclopedias. An overstuffed light brown, buttery soft leather sofa with matching loveseats on each end made a U-shaped conversation group with a coffee table in the center. Leroy sat on one end of the sofa with Merle on the other end. Cathy and Angel sat on the loveseat to his right and Travis on the one to his left.
    Travis leaned forward and asked, “Jezzy does have full mineral rights ownership of the land, doesn’t she? Her two cousins will have to be talked to if she doesn’t.”
    “Oh, yes, she bought it all and at a horrible high price. Made sure she owned it all the way to hell, as she said when she signed the papers that day. She didn’t want them to ever come back on her for even a plate full of calf fries.” Leroy laughed.
    Angel touched Cathy’s arm. “What are you frowning about?”
    Cathy put on her best fake smile. “I was just thinking.”
    Angel lowered her voice. “You were frowning and you were looking right at