Stevie poured two mugs full of coffee. “Sugar, cream, or both? And, honey, there’s no such thing as bad chocolate, unless it’s burned fudge, and then it goes beyond bad and becomes a sin.”
“Just black, and you are so right about chocolate.” Mia sunk down on the end of the sofa and sat cross-legged. “I couldn’t sleep so I got up real early and got the computer work caught up for Poppa and made breakfast for the family.”
Stevie carried the coffee to the living area and set the mugs on the coffee table. “We just finished a big meal, so I’m going to wait a little while on a cookie,” she said. “I had trouble sleeping last night too. I’d like to blame it on the fact that I had such a long nap yesterday, but I would be lying to myself.”
“Uncle Cody?” Mia raised a dark eyebrow.
“Yes, and no,” Stevie answered, not sure if she wanted to take Mia into her confidence. “Who kept you awake?”
“I’ll show you mine if you promise to show me yours.” Mia picked up her coffee and held it in her hands. “I like the way it warms my hands and smells as much as I like the flavor.”
“Me too,” Stevie said. “You go first. Who have you been worrying about and why?”
“I made a big, huge, colossal mistake a year ago. I was the lucky one of at least three different women. I didn’t have Ricky’s baby, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t just as taken in by him as the other two girls,” Mia said.
“Is he back in town and wanting to see you again?” Stevie asked.
“No,” Mia said, and shook her head, “and if he was, I might be tempted to thump on him a little bit. But…it’s hard to explain…” she stammered. “I probably shouldn’t talk to you about this. Promise you won’t tell Mama and Daddy. I just need a sounding board, and you’re here, and—”
“And it’s easier to talk to a stranger than to your folks about whatever this is, right?” Stevie asked.
“Yes, only I don’t feel like you’re really a stranger. You kind of fit in with the family, and I bet you had some of the same problems I did when you were my age. Were you a bit of a misfit, what with being almost six feet tall, and I bet you liked animals more than people most of the time, right?” Mia set her coffee on the table and opened the package of cookies. “I need chocolate.”
“I didn’t make friends well in high school or in college,” Stevie admitted. “I wish I would have had one of those BFF girls in my life to talk to, but I didn’t, so I hit the books hard, and tried to forget a certain young man who broke up with me and broke my heart.”
“Was it with Uncle Cody?” Mia asked.
“Yes, it was, but you were telling me your story.” Stevie urged her on with a smile.
“I’m over Ricky,” Mia said, “but I don’t trust myself. He paid attention to me and told me I was beautiful, and even talked me into a tattoo. I learned later that three of us in this county alone have the same tat, like he was marking his harem. There’s no telling how many more there will be before he’s done.”
“That’s his problem, not yours,” Stevie said. “Let me see the tat.”
Mia shifted her position and pulled up her shirt to show a rose on the small of her back. “Justine has one just like it, and a girl over in Bonham. They both have babies with him.”
“As long as you think about Ricky and consider that tattoo as his mark, he has power over you. You can’t change him, but you can change the way you view that beautiful rose. Start to think of it as a warning to never let a guy sweet-talk you into doing something you know in your heart is wrong again,” Stevie advised her.
“I like that,” she said. “Now, for the reason I can’t sleep. I met this really sweet guy at the feed store. He’s working there part-time and taking online courses just like me to get an agribusiness degree.”
“Do his folks own a ranch around here?” Stevie asked.
“No, but his grandpa does. He came down here from Colorado to help out when his grandma died last summer,” Mia said. “Do you know Beau Martin?”
“Kin to Vernon Martin, who owns Bois D’Arc Ranch?” Stevie asked.
Mia nodded. “That’s Beau’s grandpa.”
A picture of Vernon flashed in Stevie’s head. He was about six feet four inches tall and had a big smile and kind eyes. Here lately, when she was called out to his ranch, he’d talked about his grandson being such a good boy to come stay with him, and how much he missed his wife. “The Martins are good, solid ranching people in this area. Why are you worried?”
“Everyone in town knows that I messed up real bad,” Mia answered. “I don’t want Beau to…” she stammered, “to think I’m a slut, or his granddad to…” She frowned. “Be ashamed of the girl Beau is dating. There, I said it.”
“Don’t do that to yourself,” Stevie said. “Don’t let one mistake with Ricky define who you are.”
“But what if Beau thinks I’m just a pushover like I was with Ricky? What if I am?”
“Ask him,” Stevie said.
“Just be blunt like that?” Mia asked.
“I was every bit that straightforward and honest with Cody last night, so yes, ma’am, just be up front and honest and ask him about it.”
“I’ve only ever been with Ricky, and you know how that turned out.” Mia almost blushed. “I fell over backward for him and let him control my life for months.”
“Then don’t do that again.” Stevie wondered if she would have fallen over backward for Cody when she was Mia’s age. Would she have given up her dreams of being a vet to support him through medical school? “Be yourself. Be totally honest and agree to a date or two with him when we get rid of all this snow. If you like him, then invite him to Sunday dinner. You can figure out what kind of guy he is by how he reacts to your family.”
Mia dipped a cookie in her coffee. “Ricky wouldn’t ever even come in and let me introduce him to my folks, and Beau and I've already talked on the phone and went on a couple of drives together. Matter of fact, we’ve been talking every night, and he texts me several times a day, I do like him, and I want to see what Mama thinks of him, but what if he refuses to…” Mia sighed. “What if he’s just trying to butter me up for sex?”
“Don’t do what I’ve done and let a good guy slip out of your life because you are judging him by someone else’s actions,” Stevie said.
“What if I invited him to dinner, and he says he doesn’t want to meet my folks?” Mia asked.
“Then tell him to get lost,” Stevie said. “He can come to Sunday dinner, or he can go find another young woman to flirt with.”
Mia nodded. “I knew you’d be the one to talk to. Now, I guess I should tell Mama and the rest of the folks.”
“That would be a good idea, for sure.” Stevie picked up her first cookie.
“Time for you to need chocolate too?” Mia asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Stevie answered, “and it wasn’t your uncle Cody who kept me awake last night, but I did dream about him. It wasn’t the first time either, and it all started more than twenty years ago.”