God bless America and a free market system where everyone had the right to charge whatever she wanted. That thought brought her full circle to Henry and his will. As much as she liked to dream about her own salon, she seriously doubted hed left her money. Probably her gift was something he would know she didnt want.

As Delaney carefully picked her way across Huckleberry Creek, the two dogs jumped in and splashed her with icy water. Henry had probably left her a gag gift. Something to torture her for a long time. Something like two unruly Weimaraners.

Downtown Truly boasted two grocery stores, three restaurants, four bars, and one recently installed traffic light. The Valley View Drive-In had been closed for five years due to lack of business, and one of only two beauty salons, Glorias: A Cut Above, had closed the month before due to Glorias unexpected demise. The three-hundred-pound woman had suffered a massive heart attack while giving Mrs. Hillard a shampoo and set. Poor Mrs. Hillard still had nightmares.

The old courthouse was located next to the police station and forestry service building. Three churches competed for souls, Mormon, Catholic, and born-again Christian. The new hospital had been built next to the combination elementary and middle school, but the most celebrated establishment in town, Morts Bar, was in the older section of Truly, on Main between Value Hardware and the Panda Restaurant.

Morts was more than a place to get tanked. It was an institution, famous for its cold Coors and array of antlers. Deer, elk, antelope, and moose decorated the wall above the bar, their magnificent racks adorned with bright panties. Bikinis. Briefs. Thongs. All colors, all signed and dated by the donor drunk. A few years back, the owner had nailed a jack-o-lope head next to the moose, but no respectable woman, drunk or sober, wanted her panties hanging from something as goofy-looking as a jack-o-lope. The head had been quickly moved to the back room to hang above the pinball machine.

Delaney had never been in Morts. Shed been too young ten years ago. Now as she sipped margaritas in a booth toward the back, she wondered at the attraction. Except for the wall above the bar, Morts was like a hundred other bars in a hundred other small towns. The lights were dim, the jukebox was constant, and the smell of tobacco and beer permeated everything. The dress was casual, and Delaney felt perfectly at home in a pair of jeans and a Mossimo T-shirt.

“Did you ever donate your undies? she asked Lisa, who sat across the blue vinyl booth. Within minutes of meeting her old friend, the two had fallen into easy conversation, as if theyd never been apart.

“Not that I recall, she answered, her green eyes alight with humor. Lisas easy smile and laughter had been what had drawn the two together in the fourth grade. Lisa had been carefree, her brunette hair always in a scraggly ponytail. Delaney had been uptight, her blond hair perfectly curled. Lisa had been a free spirit. Delaney had been a spirit longing to be free. Theyd loved the same music and movies, and theyd loved to argue like sisters for hours. The two had balanced each other out.

After Lisa had graduated from high school, shed received her degree in interior design. Shed lived in Boise for eight years, employed at a design firm where shed done all the work and received none of the credit. Two years ago shed quit and moved back to Truly. Now, thanks to computers and modems, she operated a busy design business from her home.

Delaneys gaze took in her friends pretty face and disheveled ponytail. Lisa was smart and attractive, but Delaney still had the better hair. If she were staying in town longer, shed grab her friend and cut her hair to accent her eyes, then maybe brush a few light streaks around her face.

“Your mother tells me youre a makeup artist down in Scottsdale. She said you have celebrity clients.

Delaney wasnt surprised by her mothers embellishment and took a sip of her margarita. Gwen hated Delaneys career, perhaps because it reminded her mother of their life before Henry—the life Delaney had never been allowed to talk about, when Gwen had styled hair for dancers on the Vegas strip. But Delaney was nothing like her mother. She loved working in a salon. It had taken years to finally discover her niche. She loved the tactile sensations, the smell of Paul Mitchell, and the gratification of a pleased client. And it didnt hurt that she was extremely good. “Im a hairstylist in a salon in Scottsdale, but I live in Phoenix, she said and licked the salt from her top lip. “I love it, but my mother is embarrassed by what I do for a living. Youd think I was a hooker or something. She shrugged. “I dont do makeup because of the hours, but I did trim Ed McMahons hair once.

“Youre a beautician? Lisa laughed. “This is too good. Helen Markham has a salon over on Fireweed Lane.

“Youre kidding? I saw Helen yesterday. Her hair looked like shit.

“I didnt say she was any good at it.

“Well, I am, Delaney said, having found something at last that she was a lot better at than her old rival.

A waitress approached and set two more margaritas on the table. “That gentleman over there, the woman said, pointing toward the bar, “bought you two another round.

Delaney glanced at the man she recognized as one of Henrys friends. “Tell him thank you, she said and watched as the waitress left. She hadnt bought a drink since shed stepped foot in Morts. Men she vaguely remembered from her youth kept a steady supply of booze coming to her table. She was on her third, and if she werent careful, shed be drunk in no time.

“Remember when you caught Helen and Tommy doing it in the back of his mothers Vista Cruiser? Lisa asked, beginning to look a little glassy-eyed.

“Of course I remember. Hed told me he was going to the drive-in with some friends. She drained one glass and reached for the third. “I decided to surprise him. And I did.

Lisa laughed and downed her drink. “That was so funny.

Delaneys laughter joined her friends. “Not at the time though. Having Helen Schnupp, of all girls, steal my first boyfriend sucked.

“Yeah, but she did you a favor. Tommy has turned into a real bum. He only works long enough to collect unemployment. He has two kids, and Helen supports them most of the time.

“How does he look? Delaney asked, cutting to the important stuff.

“Still good-lookin.

“Damn. Shed hoped for a report of a receding hairline at the very least. “Who was that friend of Tommys? Do you remember? He always wore that John Deere baseball cap, and you had a mad crush on him.

A frown appeared between Lisas brows. “Jim Bushyhead.

Delaney snapped her fingers. “Thats right. You dated him for a while, but he dumped you for that girl with the mustache and big boobs.

“Tina Uberanga. She was Basque and Italian . . . poor thing.

“I remember you were madly in love with him for a long time after he dumped you.

“No, I wasnt.

“Yes, you were. We used to have to drive by his house at least five times a day.

“No way.

Two more drinks appeared, provided by another of Henrys associates. Delaney waved her thanks and turned back to her friend. They resumed their gossip over a steady stream of free margaritas. At nine-thirty Delaney glanced at her watch. Shed lost count of her drinks, and her cheeks were beginning to feel a little numb. “I dont suppose Truly has a taxi service these days. If she cut herself off now, shed have over three hours to sober up before the bar closed and she had to drive home.

“Nope. We finally got a gas station with a mini-mart. But it closes at eleven. She pointed a finger at Delaney and said, “You dont know how lucky you are to live in a city with a Circle K. You cant just grab a box of Ding Dongs or a burrito at two in the morning around here.