“You know I’ll help.” Maggie reached into the carrier and rubbed the dog’s ears. “And when it comes time to place them, I won’t leave you high and dry either.” She offered Lexi a broad smile. “I even brought lunch to bribe you. Mom sent over her famous fried chicken, hash brown casserole, and peach cobbler.”
“Sold!” Lexi gave Maggie a high five. “Drive around to the kennels. Sam is back there. I’m sure he’ll fall in love with them. He can get them settled, and we’ll give them a good look over after we enjoy your mama’s most thoughtful and scrumptious lunch. Meet me in my office. I’ve got a fresh pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge.”
“Back in a few.”
Lexi wasn’t mad about today’s rescue. Anger at whoever had done that to the poor dog, and the pups simmered low and steady deep in her gut, but she didn’t mind taking the animals in and giving them the care and attention they deserved. She headed to her office in the main barn.
Settling down at her desk, she scooped up the tarot card spread she’d been studying during a break when word of the newest foal had called her to the barn. The cards had belonged to Mammaw, and whenever Lexi shuffled them and dealt the spreads, it was almost as if her grandmother was right there with her, a hand on her shoulder, pointing out the cards and either crowing with glee or groaning about what the symbols foretold. They had shared this love of tarot, and more often than not, the cards never lied. Sometimes the meanings were a little unclear, but once they happened, it was easy to see the symbols’ advice and warnings had been accurate.
“What’s Mammaw got to say today?” Maggie asked as she lumbered into the room with a cooler so large she had to turn sideways to get through the door.
Lexi hurried over and grabbed one of the cooler’s handles, and together, they toted it to the table in front of the large picture window overlooking the training paddock. “Holy crap. Did your mom pack enough for the entire crew?”
Maggie laughed as she opened the lid. “Well, you know she did. There’s probably not a chicken left in Kentucky. She fried them all. And this isn’t the only cooler. There’s another in the truck. I told Sam to get it and pass the food around to everyone working today.”
Lexi leaned over the chest and breathed in the mouthwatering aroma of spicy fried chicken, rich, cheesy hash brown casserole, and buttery sweet peach cobbler. “We’ll need a nap after eating all this.”
“You shouldn’t need a nap. You left the Sanderson’s party pretty early last night. You should be well-rested.” Maggie set the food on the table without taking her gaze from Lexi. “I take it that it’s over with Robert? You didn’t look happy when you left.”
“Well, it was never reallyonwith Robert, now was it? It was just sort of hanging there. Kind of like a hair in a biscuit.” Lexi went to the cabinet behind her desk and retrieved paper plates, napkins, and utensils. “He suggested,again,that another surgery might just do the trick.”
“What—he considers you his art project or something just because he’s a plastic surgeon?”
“Apparently.” Lexi really felt no ill will toward Robert. That was the problem. She felt nothing toward him at all. “He wasn’t too keen on the fact that I am done with surgeries.” She touched the grid of scars that started at the outer corner of her right eye, spilled across her right cheek, and ended on her throat just below her chin. Past surgeries to replace shattered bone and repair muscle had helped some, but nothing would ever make her flawless, and with Mammaw’s love and guidance, she had accepted that a long time ago. Makeup, if caked thick enough, filled in the hills and valleys, but it felt like a cloying mask that would crack if she smiled. She was what she was. Some folks couldn’t get past her scars. She struggled to maintain the mindset that was their problem and not hers. “So, yes—Robert and I are officially over now with no bad feelings either way.”
“Well, no bad feelings are good. I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well, the way you say it, there were no good feelings to begin with.” Maggie fished out a drumstick and put it on Lexi’s plate. “Here. Your favorite.”
“I kind of want to dig into the cobbler first.” Lexi couldn’t resist a wicked grin. “Life is short. Eat dessert first—you know?”
“You don’t happen to have any ice cream in that fridge of yours, do you?”
“Afraid not. But I did promise you some tea. Just made it this morning.” Lexi filled two glasses with ice, then poured the already cold sweet tea into them. “Lemon or mint today?”
“Lemon, please. Save the mint for derby day.”
“That’s in May, remember? This is June.”
“That’s also because I don’t like mint, remember?”
Lexi snorted a laugh. “Ah, yes. I forgot. Sorry.”
“So—” Maggie settled into a chair, propped her elbows on the table, and tucked into a crispy chicken thigh. “What did Mammaw have to say today? In the cards?”
After fishing several of the choicest dumpling-like pieces of crust out of the peach cobbler, Lexi sat in the chair opposite Maggie. “She knows I’m restless and keeps telling me it’s time for a change.”
“That reminds me.” Maggie pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped on its screen. “Have you seen this new dating app? It’s with tarot cards. Watch.” After tapping the deck on the screen, Maggie shook her head. “I keep getting a different spread of three cards and different guys, so I can’t imagine it being very accurate. Some aren’t so bad. But some…” She shuddered. “You try it, and see if it’s just me or if the app really works and aligns with what Mammaw says.”
Lexi shoved an overly large bite of pie into her mouth, then took the phone and tapped on the card deck on the screen. One card appeared: the death card. “Upright death card. End of cycle, beginnings, change, metamorphosis. That’s what Mammaw’s cards keep telling me, and I have to admit, I’m ready.”
“See what guy you get.” Maggie rummaged through the cooler, found a couple of chicken wings, placed one on her plate and one on Lexi’s.
Lexi frowned. No guy appeared after she tapped on the link. Just a grayed-out silhouette with a big red question mark overlaid on top of it. She handed the phone back to Maggie. “What’s that supposed to mean? Did they run out of men or something?”
The girl frowned. “That’s weird. I’ve never seen that before.” She shrugged. “Probably just a crappy app. I’ll uninstall it and stick to your Mammaw cards and regular dating apps.” She tore off a chunk of chicken and popped it into her mouth. “But that card you drew makes sense. You said you’d been all wound up lately…kind of like you need to be talked off a ledge. Are you feeling any better?”
