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a real sheepish look on her face. “I don’t think they’re all bad. Dixon’s a good man, otherwise I wouldn’t give him the time of day. If I find out he’s not, then he’s gonna rue the day he ever crossed my path.”
    Most women who uttered threats like that were just talking, but with Mayrene, it was probably the truth. Wanda Nell knew her friend well, and Mayrene never made idle threats.
    â€œI just hope for your sake he’s as good a man as you think he is,” Wanda Nell said. “You deserve a good one.”
    â€œDon’t we all, honey, don’t we all,” Mayrene said, grinning. She got up. “I’m going home and let you get some sleep.”
    Wanda Nell nodded, sagging a little against the couch. “I’m not gonna argue with you.”
    â€œI’ll lock the door behind me,” Mayrene said. “You just get on to bed.”
    The trailer was suddenly too quiet once Mayrene was gone. Without her daughters and grandson nearby, Wanda Nell felt oddly dislocated. She so rarely spent time alone in the trailer, the situation unnerved her a little bit.
    Shaking away this unaccustomed twinge of nerves, Wanda Nell got up from the couch and went down the hall to her bedroom. Stripping off her clothes and slipping into bed in her bra and panties, she pulled the covers around her and made herself comfortable. Grimacing, she sat up and reached for the alarm clock. Sure as she didn’t set it, she’d oversleep.
    That task accomplished, she snuggled down in bed and willed herself to relax. For a few minutes, all she could think about was what Mayrene had told her about Travis Blakeley. She hadn’t been looking forward to this bachelor party to begin with, and now she really didn’t want to work it. She wasn’t sure she wanted anything to do with a man like that.
    She shouldn’t be quick to judge, she knew, but the story Mayrene had told her was pretty compelling. Too many coincidences for there not to be some truth to it. Yawning, she made another effort to banish these thoughts so she could sleep.
    When the alarm sounded at four-thirty, Wanda Nell came out of a deep sleep. She had been dreaming about a girl trapped in a burning house, and the images from the dream lingered in her mind while she struggled to wake up completely. She sat up and shut off the alarm clock.
    For a few minutes she stayed in bed, the covers bunched up around her. The dream had frightened her, and she couldn’t seem to shake it.
    The phone rang, startling her. Reaching out a trembling hand, she picked up the phone from her bedside table.
    â€œHello.”
    â€œHey, darling, it’s me.” Jack Pemberton’s voice, warm and comforting, brought her back to reality. “I was just calling to make sure you were up. I know you hate to oversleep.”
    â€œThanks, sweetie,” she said, smiling. Jack was thoughtful and caring, always doing little things to show how he felt about her. “I remembered to set the alarm, but getting a phone call from you is a lot better.”
    â€œGlad to oblige,” Jack said. “I just wish…well, you know.” His voice trailed off.
    â€œI know,” Wanda Nell said, her voice soft. She wished it, too, and maybe one of these days he wouldn’t have to call her on the phone to wake her up.
    â€œAre you coming by for supper tonight?” Wanda Nell said after a brief pause. “If you are, I’ll make sure to save you some apple pie.”
    Jack groaned into the phone. “Honey, I’m gonna be about as big as the broad side of a barn if you keep on feeding me like that.”
    Wanda Nell laughed. Jack did sometimes eat a lot, but he more than compensated for it by regular exercise. He had a lean, fit body and…well, she’d better not go down that road. Thinking like that led her into visualizing too many distracting images. She laughed again softly, this time at