Royal Trouble (28 page)

"It's not your fault that he's untrustworthy," Leigh Ann told her softly, with sympathy squeezing her heart.

"That's easy for you to say, you're beautiful," the mousy one said then clamped a hand over her mouth and ducked her head.

"I work at it, and you can too.  We just have to find the right look for you that plays up your strengths," Leigh Ann told her, then offered, "I'll help you." 

She didn't have anything better to do with her time.  This woman could be very attractive, with a few changes on the outside.  Her hair was shapeless, but it was shiny and healthy looking, her eyes were a rich whiskey brown color, and with a little eye makeup they would be gorgeous.  Her most striking feature of all was her full mouth, that would look fabulous with a little color applied.

"You're already beautiful on the inside, we just need to make the outside match."

"You could work on me all year, and I'd still be the same plain Jane that I was when we married," she said flustered.

"Nonsense," Leigh Ann told her firmly.  "Besides, you don't need a man who is only interested in your outward beauty.  You need to make changes for yourself, not him."

"That's right!" Lou Ellen piped in, then leaned back in her chair.  "Screw him, we'll get you fixed up and find someone worthy of you, instead of that jackass."

"But--" Allison stuttered.

"No buts, Allison Rooks.  And we're trading in those frumpy clothes of yours and buying you a whole new wardrobe.  He
owes
it to you." 

It seemed like Lou Ellen was on a roll, and would stop at nothing to transform her friend.  And why did the woman's last name sound so familiar to Leigh Ann?  She thought about it a minute then remembered hearing on the news that Texas State Senator Leland Rooks was in Amarillo for a few days
visiting family
. 

He must be this woman's husband and unease floated through Leigh Ann.  That smarmy man wasn't only having an affair, he had a harem, and if some of the rumblings she'd heard on the news and elsewhere were correct, he was also into some under the table dealings that had him in hot water. 

This woman
needed
her help, and if Allison Rooks got the notion, she needed to get away from that husband of hers.  Should she have that urge, Leigh Ann was going to make sure she was prepared for battle, and her new life.

Excitement shot though Leigh Ann and she wiped her mouth, then put her napkin beside her plate.  Helping this woman find herself from a fashion style and beauty standpoint was something Leigh Ann could do in her sleep.  How many fellow contestants had she helped with hair and wardrobe decisions behind her mother's back during her pageant days?  Tons of them, because it had been fun, and she felt useful.  She hadn't cared if they wound up winning ahead of her, and some of them did, but her mother would have if she found out.

Her eyes met Allison's and she saw fear and indecision in their warm depths.  "Stop worrying, Allison, this is going to be fun!" Leigh Ann told her infusing enthusiasm into her voice, hoping it would be contagious and the woman would get excited too.

"If you're sure..." Allison said, her skin a little paler than it had been.

Lou Ellen huffed a frustrated sigh, then told her friend as she scraped her chair back to stand, "I'm sure of one thing, and that is you are going to teach that scalliwag husband of yours a lesson, Miss."

With a groan, Allison stood up too, then Leigh Ann followed them out of the dining area toward the spa.  She hoped she wasn't biting off more than she could chew.  What she could really use was a facial and massage herself.  Maybe it would settle her nerves.  But she needed to help this woman first. 

Men who cheated on their wives, and women who did the same made her angry.  If they didn't intend on staying with the person they married, being faithful to them, then dammit, they shouldn't have married them in the first place.  Or they should divorce them before they decided to cheat.  Like her mother should have done with her dad.  Trudy Baker thought her daughter was blind, if she believed Leigh Ann didn't know about her midnight meetings with those men, when they traveled for her pageants.  She had never told a soul though, not her sister and not her dad.  They would have been devastated.

Like her sister said, people have choices and a lot of women made the wrong one when choosing people to trust.  Leigh Ann was definitely guilty of that.  Because she had blind faith in people, she had trusted Wes Jepson not to hurt her, to give her a chance, and that turned out to be a stupid move.  Not only had he jumped to conclusions about her, and used her, he had accused her of harming his son. 

That hurt worst of all. 

She would never hurt the lonely little boy who used jokes to hide his loneliness, and connect with people.  He pretended to be a happy little boy, appeared to the world to be well-adjusted and perfectly fine, but Leigh Ann recognized that he craved attention, and that was his way of getting it.  He missed his mother, and Wes as much as he tried, was just not going to fill that hole inside of him.

Unless Wes Jepson allowed himself to heal, let his heart lead him to love, and not his preconception that every beautiful woman was like his ex-wife, he would be alone, or unhappy for the rest of his life.  Trey would never have a mother, and would be the same. 

Even though she had hurt him, he needed to forgive his ex-wife to forget about her.  Not think that every beautiful woman he met was like her.  Or expect that a less attractive woman would be a better fit in his life.  That was a stupid conclusion to make, just like a few of the ones he had made about her.

Emotion piled up in her throat and pushed to be released, but Leigh Ann swallowed it back down.  She was going to miss both of them, but she would survive.  Leigh Ann had survived worse in her life, her mother.  It was time for her to move on and claim her own independence.  That is what she needed to focus on, not a man or the hurt he had inflicted upon her.  She didn't have time to worry about 'what ifs' where Wes Jepson was concerned.

But first, she was going to do something fun.  Give Allison Rooks a makeover that would knock her husband's socks off, boost her self-confidence, and maybe lift Leigh Ann's spirits in the process.

Four hours later, Allison sat with her back to the mirror, while the salon manager, Sadie, applied her eye makeup.  So far, her hair had been cut to a sleek chin-length bob that spotlighted her full mouth, and Sadie had added auburn highlights that made her eyes pop like topazes in her oval face.  They hadn't let Allison see the transformation yet, and Leigh Ann was excited and impatient to see what she would think.

"Good, God almighty," Lou Ellen said breathlessly, her hand at her throat.

"What?" Allison squeaked and tried to turn in the chair to see herself in the mirror.

"Just sit still," Sadie said and cleaned up the mascara smudge the brush had left.

"I'm so nervous," Allison admitted with a tremble in her voice.  "Leland will probably have a fit."

"Screw, Leland and the horse he rode in on," Lou Ellen said with a snort.  "You look amazing Allie...better than I've ever seen you look.  He will be floored!  Now, you need the attitude to go with your new red hair."

Allison moaned and closed her eyes.  "My hair is red?"

"Auburn," Leigh Ann corrected and shot a warning look at Lou Ellen.

"Same difference," Lou Ellen grumbled and crossed her arms over her ample chest.  "It looks beautiful, and you better keep it this way."

"All right ladies," Sadie said standing to pat the side of her teased up blonde hair, a big smile playing on her perfectly drawn red lips.  "Meet the new Allison Rooks."  With that she spun the salon chair toward the mirror, and a collective gasp sounded, then absolute silence, as Allison's eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect coral-glossed O.

"Wow, is that me?" Allison asked breathlessly while she ran her fingers over the tips of her silky hair, and her eyelids made two slow dips over her rich brown eyes.

"It's you darlin', and we're not done yet.  Tomorrow we go shopping!" Lou Ellen said effusively clapping her hands together.  "Isn't that right, Leigh Ann?"

The calculating look in Lou Ellen's eyes sent unease skittering along Leigh Ann's spine.  She had agreed to this though, had started the ball rolling, and it looked like Lou Ellen was picking up that ball and running with it.  Toward what goal, Leigh Ann didn't know, but the woman was a little over the top in her enthusiasm.

"I love to shop," Leigh Ann replied, her voice not quite as enthusiastic.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It was eight-thirty at night, by the time Leigh Ann and the two ladies dragged their tired butts back up into the big white ranch truck, after piling their purchases into the back seat.  Leigh Ann had bought a pair of low-heeled sandals to change into an hour into their shopping spree, because she wouldn't have been able to keep up with Lou Ellen otherwise.  Her feet were still throbbing though, so she pushed the straps off of her heels and sighed.

"I think my credit card is melted," Allison said with a nervous giggle as she slid up into the truck and shut the door.

"I'm fricking starving," Lou Ellen chirped.  "Blow on it, so you can buy me dinner for helping you today."

"You should buy me dinner," Allison returned, her voice lighter than Leigh Ann had ever heard it.  She almost sounded...happy.  "What you did today amounted to torture, some friend you are."

"Well, you have to suffer to be beautiful, cupcake," Lou Ellen quipped with a chuckle.  "Now, feed me!"

"When I was staying in town, I found a nice little Italian place...ya'll want to go there?" Leigh Ann asked.

"I love, Italian, and Italian men!" Lou Ellen hooted.  "Swarthy, sexy and they know how to cook.  What more could a woman want?"

Allison snorted, and argued, "They smell like garlic and most of them have bellies that testify to their cooking skills."

Leigh Ann was pleased with the volley of words between the women.  It seemed like Allison was coming out of her shell, and enjoying it.  That made her feel like her efforts today hadn't been wasted.  A sense of pride filled her as she shoved the key in the ignition and cranked the truck, listening and laughing as the two women continued their playful argument while she drove.

Lou Ellen stopped midsentence as Leigh Ann pulled into the restaurant parking lot and turned off the truck.  "Hey, I have an idea..."

"Your ideas always get us into trouble, Lou Ellen," Allison said with a huffed breath.

"I love trouble, sugar...you've known me thirty years, you should know that!"

"Yeah, but I am the one who always seems to pay for your ideas..." Allison retorted.

"Let's have a girl's night out.  It's been years!  After dinner, we'll check into a hotel near a bar, and then go try out your new look...take it for a test drive!"

Leigh Ann's feet felt like they swelled up another size, and wanted to explode.  She was worn out, but couldn't make herself say no, because that
would
probably do Allison a world of good.  It would also give her a reason to avoid confronting her mother just yet.  One more night's reprieve, time to shore up her courage for the storm that was brewing. 

But Leigh Ann couldn't afford a hotel room.

"That does sound like fun, but I can't afford a hotel right now," she admitted hating to quash Lou Ellen's excitement.

"What's to afford?  I've got us covered, this is my treat," Lou Ellen told them with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand.

It would probably be fun, and it would go a long way to restoring Allison's confidence most likely, so how could Leigh Ann refuse?  It would also give her a chance to decompress and relax, forget about Wes Jepson.

"That sounds like fun then, and thank you.  So, do ya'll just want to find a hotel and eat dinner there after we change?"   Since it was so late, that would probably be quicker than eating at the Italian Restaurant.

Thank goodness Leigh Ann had bought a few things she found on the sale rack too, that would give her something to wear tonight.  She knew she shouldn't buy anything, couldn't really afford to buy anything, but the two last season dresses had been so cheap and cute, she couldn't resist.  The mood she was in, she had needed a little splurge.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Lou Ellen told her.

Leigh Ann slumped forward, put the keys into the ignition and cranked the truck again.  She drove them up and down the strip a few times, then after much discussion, they settled on a hotel near a bar that played loud retro music.  The place was hopping, but seemed to have more suits than cowboys inside.  They decided that would fit better with Allison's new classic, but sexy look, than a country bar.  And the men would be closer to the women's age.

Conveniently, they found a quaint and private boutique hotel within stumbling distance of the bar.  Leigh Ann was afraid private might come in handy tonight.  A stock broker and a Senator's wife weren't exactly low-profile women.  With Allison's newfound confidence, and Lou Ellen's goading, Leigh Ann was afraid things could get out of hand really fast, if she didn't watch out for them. 

She did not want to be the cause of any drama in Allison's life, because she had instigated this makeover.  That kind of publicity would not be good for the R & R Ranch and her sister would kill her...maybe even lose another job because of her.  Leigh Ann was not going to let that happen.

Leigh Ann got out of the truck, they gathered their bags from the back of the truck then went inside to check in.  Two hours later, after they had eaten room service hamburgers, drank a bottle of wine, and taken turns in the bathroom they were ready to go out.  The wine was Lou Ellen's idea, a pre-party warm up she said, something to loosen Allison up.  Leigh Ann had just pretended to sip on her wine, and they had emptied the rest of the bottle.  She figured they were plenty loose now.

The edgy excitement buzzing between her two new friends worried her greatly.  As the hours had passed, and Allison's confidence grew, it seemed her anger did as well.  Lou Ellen seemed determined to feed that anger too, as much as Leigh Ann tried to defuse it.