Megan's Hero (The Callahans of Texas Book #3): A Novel by Sharon Gillenwater Page B

anything else you need?” asked Jenna. “Maybe something that was blown away? I’d be glad to pick it up for you.”
    “No, thanks. I’m good. I just need the iron pills and a hair pick. Mine was sucked out of my purse.”
    “I have one at home you can have. I tried a curly perm last summer, but I didn’t like it all that well. Nate didn’t either, though he was kind enough not to tell me until after it had grown out.” Jenna made a face. “But Zach thought it looked funny, like a clown’s hair, and he let me know right away.”
    “Who’s Zach?” Megan put the bottle of supplements the doctor had recommended in the small top basket of the cart.
    “Our little boy. He’s three and a half, but even last year he talked a lot and didn’t hold back his opinions.”
    “I don’t know any toddlers who do.” Not that she was well acquainted with many little kids. There had been a couple in her apartment building and one of her clients had a two-year-old. “I don’t think tact is an inborn trait.”
    “There are a few in my three- and four-year-old Sunday school class that make me wonder on occasion, but I think mostly they’re just shy. They don’t blurt out what they’re thinking like some of the other children, but if it’s one-on-one, they say whatever comes to mind.”
    They moved around to the next aisle past the shampoo and stopped in front of the display of brushes, combs, and other hair accessories. There were two styles of hair picks. Either would cost almost four dollars with tax, making it a luxury she really couldn’t afford.
    I hate this! Megan glanced at Jenna’s smooth, layered hairstyle. “If you’re sure you don’t need the one you have at home, I’ll go with it.”
    “It’s yours. I need to get some Goldfish for Zach and taco chips and salsa for Nate.” Jenna nodded to her left. “They’re over a few aisles. I have to get a big box of crackers and a couple of bags of chips because they’ll wind up sharing both. I’ve never seen two guys have as much fun eating a snack together.”
    There were several people in the snack aisle, including one of Jenna’s friends, a young woman about the same age. “Lindsey, this is our friend Megan Smith from Austin.”
    Lindsey glanced at the bruises on Megan’s arms, shifted slightly, putting her back to the others in the aisle, and mouthed “tornado?”
    Jenna nodded. “Megan, this is Lindsey Moore, one of my best friends. You’ll see a lot of her. Her fiancé, Dalton Renfro, has been living on the ranch while he rebuilt the home he lost in the fire.”
    Megan and Lindsey exchanged greetings, even as Megan considered the way Jenna had introduced her. She hadn’t missed the fact that a couple of other women had moved nearer as soon as Lindsey stopped to talk to Jenna. Under the guise of deciding between potato chips and cheese puffs, they were obviously eavesdropping. She wondered if, like Lindsey, they’d heard about what had happened to her. Or maybe people in this small town wanted to know everything about the Callahans.
    Megan appreciated Jenna’s discretion in simply calling her a friend, though she used it in the loosest sense of the word. Mentioning Austin gave the busybodies a snippet of info so they would conclude that she was visiting the Callahans without really saying so.
    “Is Dalton still moving tomorrow?” asked Jenna.
    “Yes. He and Chance are doing the final walk-through this afternoon, but Dalton has already checked everything.” Lindsey smiled proudly. “Since he basically built the first house himself, he knows what problems to look for.”
    “Chance and his crew don’t make many mistakes.”
    “The only things he’s found were a few nicks in the paint and one missing outlet cover.”
    “I know he’ll be glad to get back to his own place, but we’ve enjoyed having him at the ranch.” Jenna looked at Megan. “He was in the same class as Chance and Nate. They’ve been good friends forever.”
    Megan