“Funny, but it sure seemed that way when I was sitting behind bars. Not one person in this town believed in my innocence.”
She had wanted to.
But how could she? If she believed in Jaxon’s innocence, then that would mean her daddy was wrong in arresting him.
Sheriff Gentry didn’t make mistakes.
“Maybe because you weren’t innocent. You just got off on a technicality.”
Something entered his eyes. Something that looked an awful lot like hurt. But she had to be mistaken. Nothing she could say would hurt Jaxon Hennessy. This was confirmed when he dropped his hand from her chin and held it over his heart as he laughed.
“I’m totally wounded that the wide-eyed girl who was completely infatuated with me now thinks I’m a big bad criminal.” All humor left his eyes. “Which proves what I’ve always known about the people of this town. Y’all don’t care about the truth. Y’all just want good gossip.”
“What’s going on here?”
Her grandmother’s voice had Tully springing up like a Jack-in-the-Box, sending cheese globs and Eggos flying off the plate once again . . . this time, straight at Jaxon who had also stood. A glob of pimento cheese stuck to his shirt and Eggos covered his pristine boots.
Birdie grunted. “Well, that’s one way to make sure no one tries our cookin’. Now quit hiding in the kitchen, Jaxon, and come chat with folks.”
“Sorry, ma’am, but my brothers and I need to get going. Thanks for the . . .” Jaxon scraped the glob of cheese off his shirt and flung it at the plate Tully still held. “Food.” He turned and headed out of the kitchen.
Once he was gone, her grandmother looked at her. “What was that all about, Tallulah Grace?”
Tully pulled her gaze away from the doorway Jaxon had disappeared through and crouched down to clean up the mess for the second time. “Nothing. I dropped the plate of Eggos and Jaxon was helping me clean up.”
“It didn’t look like you were cleaning when I came in. It looked like you were having an intense conversation.” There was concern in Birdie’s voice. “I hope you didn’t take what I said in the car as anything more than your old granny being sassy. The Hennessy boys might be as good looking as sin, but any woman with half a brain knows to steer clear of them.”
Tully finished cleaning up the Eggos and stood. “I know that, Birdie. Believe me, what you saw was completely innocent. I would never be interested in Jaxon Hennessy.”
Birdie studied her for a long moment before she nodded. “Good. A new deputy sheriff goes with a Hennessy about as well as processed pimento cheese goes with frozen Eggos.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Jaxon assumed Billy Jones’s law office would be crowded with people for the reading of Rosie’s will. His mama had been a bad mama, but she’d been a damn good boss. Jaxon figured she’d want to reward her most loyal employees for sticking by her side and helping her with her beloved bar.
But surprisingly, there wasn’t one bar manager, bartender, server, or bouncer waiting inside Billy’s office when Jaxon and his brothers walked in. He thought they were just running late, until, after shaking their hands and greeting them, Billy sat down behind his cluttered desk and picked up a stack of paper.
“Let’s get to it then.” He nudged up his glasses and started reading.
Jaxon cut him off. “Excuse me, Mr. Jones. But no one else is coming?”
Billy glanced up from the will and tipped his balding head. “Why would anyone else be coming? Besides your sister—who you told me couldn’t be here—y’all are the only beneficiaries of your mama’s will . . . besides the extra stipulation. Which I’ll get to later.”
The brothers exchanged glances before Jaxon nodded. “Sorry. Continue.”
Billy cleared his throat and went back to reading the will while Jaxon sat there puzzled. They were the only beneficiaries of their mama’s will? This had to be another one of Rosie’s jokes. Just like the angel perched on her headstone. In a few minutes, Billy would get to the punch line where he told them that Rosie didn’t have a cent to her name and both the house and the land it and Honky Tonk Heaven sat on were so heavily mortgaged the bank would get everything.
Although Jaxon would be surprised if that were the case. Rosie had always been a good money manager. So maybe the joke was that they’d each get a dollar and the rest would go to some charity.
But that didn’t make sense either. Rosie had always believed that charity started at home . . . or at Honky Tonk Heaven. If she had spare money, it would go right back into the bar.
Jaxon was so busy trying to figure out what his mama had been thinking he wasn’t paying attention to Billy.
But Dawson and Huck were.
Both his brothers sat straight up in their chairs as Dawson cut in. “Read that last part again, Billy.”
Billy glanced up from the will. “What part?”
