揑 had to buy a round of drinks when I didn抰 stay on the full eight,?she said, 搒o I see your point. Let抯 discuss it over breakfast tomorrow morning.?
揈veryone is free on Sunday, so there won抰 be a breakfast,?Wade reminded her.
揟hen we抣l talk about it Monday morning,?she said in a loud voice just as things got quiet.
揟alk about what??Daisy asked.
揚utting a mechanical bull in the bar. We can all discuss it Monday morning,?Jessica answered.
揑抣l ride one of those,?Daisy said with a nod. 揑 bet I can stay on longer than Lily. She抯 even clumsier than I am.?
揂m not! And you cannot!?Lily declared.
揥ait and see,?Daisy told her with a smug little grin.
揑 bet you a root beer that I can beat you,?Lily said.
揧ou抮e on!?Daisy nudged her sister with a shoulder.
揚oint proven.?Wade chuckled and turned toward Jessica again. 揌ey, are you going to church tomorrow??
揑抦 sleeping in until noon,?Jessica answered. 揥hat抯 your plans??
揝ince you offered to let me use the washer and dryer, I thought I抎 do that and maybe organize the bar a little better,?Wade said.
揕ook!?Oscar pointed. 揚eyton, Cole抯 cousin, is next up in bronc riding.?
揌ow do you know those guys??Jessica asked.
揟heir granddad and I were in the military together. We still play dominoes at the senior citizens?center or cards at my house on Sunday afternoons after church,?Oscar answered. 揂fter he rides, I抦 going to the concession stand for a beer. Anyone want to go with me??
揑抣l go,?Risa said.
揗e too,?Jessica added. 揑抳e been getting a whiff of those nachos every few minutes, and I want some.?
揧es!?Haley pulled a bill from her purse and handed it to Oscar. 揑 want nachos and a root beer.?
揥e抣l go help bring it all back.?Lily stood up.
Daisy and Jessica both got to their feet at the same time.
揃urger with mustard and no onions for me敆Mary Nell handed her dad a bill棑and a beer.?
揑抦 getting a hot dog.?Risa fell in behind the group. 揥hat do you want, Wade??
揂 candy bar and a root beer.?He pulled a bill from his shirt pocket and handed it to Risa. 揑抦 not picky about the candy, just so long as it抯 chocolate.?
Jessica repeated all the orders in her head a couple of times as the five of them made their way from the bleachers over to the concession stand. She had them memorized until she reached the wagon that traveled from rodeo to rodeo and saw Stella making nachos. She heard Risa suck in air behind her, and said, 揑抣l take care of this. You and the girls go on back up to our seats.?
Risa shook her head. 揟hanks for the offer, but I抦 not running away from my mother. No one is ever going to have that kind of power over me again.?
Lily marched up to the window and looked her grandmother right in the eye. 揌ey, Granny Stella, what are you doing here??
揂re you going to the dance after the rodeo??Daisy smirked. 揥ant me to ask Oscar to dance with you so you won抰 feel like a wallflower??
揑抦 here because the church is selling the nachos tonight for the missionary fund, and no, I will not be attending the dance,?Stella said through clenched teeth.
揙h, come on, Stella.?Oscar chuckled. 揑 really will dance with you. I remember when we were all teenagers and you used to be real good at doing the twist and the jerk down at the fishing docks where we gathered up on the weekends to drink beer.?
揟hat was before I started going to church,?Stella hissed, 揳nd I would not dance with you, Oscar梟ot for any amount of money. You are helping these people turn a church into a bar. That is pure sacrilege.?
揂nd we might get a mechanical bull so I can learn to ride,?Lily said with a cheeky grin.
Stella laid a hand over her heart and rolled her eyes upward. 揊ather, forgive them for they know not what they do.?
Jessica bit back a giggle. No way on God抯 great green earth could she imagine Stella dancing one of those old dances or drinking a beer. Haley would probably say that Stella had gotten such a case of religion because she felt guilty for her teenage sins.
揧ou抮e not Jesus, Mama敆Risa frowned棑but we need to order so that these folks behind us can get their nachos. We need . . .?She rattled off the order.
Jessica was amazed that Risa could remember everything after the dirty looks Stella shot her way. When Jessica saw Stella in the concession stand, her mind had gone blank, and yet Risa didn抰 forget a single thing they had all asked for.
揧ou抣l have to get the beers on the other end. I don抰 sell those vile things,?Stella huffed.
Jessica imagined flames shooting out of Stella抯 ears and eyes, but the women simply whipped around and began making baskets of nachos. When she shoved them out the window, Jessica thought they looked a little scant, but she didn抰 say a word.