Wes stifled a smile. In her own house, Ally Monroe was a sight to behold. She'd taken the wind out of her father's anger and ignored the rest, leaving Freddie Joe to hustle his brood into the kitchen alone.
Ally laid the wisteria on the counter long enough to get a large vase from the cabinet, then put them in water and set them in a prominent place on top of the sideboard, right next to three pies.
"Looks like you've been working at this meal all day," Wes said. "It smells wonderful."
Ally beamed.
Gideon frowned.
Freddie Joe fumed.
Danny and Porter thought the man was too slick and wondered if Storm had been right.
"Please, everyone, take a seat," Ally said. Then she turned to the children. "I know you'll want to sit beside your daddy. Freddie Joe, you sit here between Toot and Booger. Loretta Lynn can help me pour tea in the glasses." Then she looked at the young girl. "Is that okay, honey?"
Glad that someone else had cooked their meal tonight, Loretta Lynn was more than happy to assist.
"Yes, ma'am. I'd be proud to help."
Freddie Joe glared at Gideon, as if waiting for him to do something, but Gideon was too stunned by Ally's defiance to do anything but sit.
Wes followed Ally to the refrigerator, then took the bin of ice out of her hands and set it on the cabinet beside Freddie Joe's girl.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.
Ally was still reeling from turning around to find him nose-to-chest close. When he'd taken the ice as if it was too heavy for her to handle, she found she'd completely lost her train of thought.
"Uh...no, all I have to do is take the food out of the warming oven and—"
"I'll do that. Show me," he said.
Now Ally was staring at him, too.
"What?" Wes asked.
"Men don't do women's work," Freddie Joe snapped.
"Where I come from, men do whatever the hell they choose, and since Ally has done all the work of cooking this meal, I choose to help put it on the table."
Freddie Joe muttered beneath his breath.
Wes turned his back on them all, then wondered if that was wise. He'd seen enough "go to hell" looks to wind up with a table knife in his back.
He took two platters of fried chicken from the oven and carried them to the table, putting one at each end of the long table.
Freddie Joe frowned. "We had fried chicken last night," he said.
Ally's face reddened, but before she could answer, Porter decided he'd heard enough. He didn't know about this Wes Holden, but he did know about Freddie Joe, and he didn't like the little bastard.
"You don't plan to stay, then?" he asked.
Freddie Joe sputtered, then glared. "That's not what I said. I was just pointing out that—"
"Who wants iced tea and who wants lemonade?" Ally asked, purposefully interrupting before a real argument ensued.
The drinks were soon sorted out, with Loretta Lynn proudly carrying the glasses to each place. By the time they were done, Wes had carried the last of the food from the oven. As if he hadn't done enough to antagonize the men, he stopped at Ally's chair and wouldn't sit down until he'd seated her.
Gideon wanted to comment, but every time he looked at Wes Holden, intuition told him to stay quiet. There was something in the way the man walked and the way he stood that said he was a force to be reckoned with. Seeing him beside Freddie Joe made Gideon horribly aware of how willing he'd been to cheat his daughter out of a true man. He was not only ashamed but embarrassed.
"The food looks fine, Ally honey...real fine."
"Why, thank you, Daddy," Ally said. "Would you give the blessing?"
"Please bow your heads," Gideon said.
And they did.
As Gideon began the ritual, Ally slipped her hand into Wes's and gave it a quick squeeze, as if to say thank-you for coming, for helping, for just being a friend.
Before he had time to think about reciprocating, she'd put both hands in her lap and bowed her head.
He had to be satisfied with the lingering warmth of her touch. Then the meal began, and Wes was forced to face the children, especially the little boy who called himself Toot.
"I like chicken legs," Toot announced.
Everyone smiled. Wes swallowed past the knot in his throat and picked up the platter of chicken. His hands were shaking, and there was a pain in his chest that hurt worse than dying, and still he made himself smile.
"My little boy liked them best, too," Wes said. "Which one looks best to you?"
Johnny Cash Detweiller pointed to the biggest, crustiest one, and then looked up at Wes with a smile that nearly ended him in front of them all.
"That would have been my pick, too," Wes said, then forked it from the platter onto Toot's plate, took a piece for himself and passed the chicken to Ally without looking up.
Freddie Joe had seen the writing on the wall. He didn't know where this man had come from, but with three kids and a receding hairline, he couldn't compete. The most he could hope to get out of this day was a home-cooked meal, and then he was back to square one.
But Toot, having decided that the chicken-man was friendly, did what all small children do—asked a question that was too hard to answer. As the food was being passed, he took a bite of the chicken leg, then looked up at Wes.
"Where's your little boy, mister? Would he like to play with me?"
Ally stifled a gasp, and all the color disappeared from Wes's face. But to his credit, he managed to answer.
"He's not here anymore, but if he was, I can promise he would have wanted to play with you."
Toot was satisfied with the answer and kept on eating, but like a cur dog sensing weakness in a foe, Freddie Joe figured the man was one of those deadbeat dads and wanted to put him in a bad light.
"So what did you do, walk out on him?" he asked.
"Freddie Joe! You don't know what you're saying!" Ally said, then turned to Wes. "I'm sorry. I should not have put you in this position, and I will understand perfectly if you want to leave."
"No, it's okay," Wes said, then made himself smile. "You don't think I'd walk out on all of this good food and company, do you?"
"What?" Freddie Joe asked. "What's the big deal? I still got my kids. What's so special about him walking out on his?"
"He didn't walk out on him," Ally said. "His son and his wife were killed in that bombing at Fort Benning last year, and you owe Wes an apology."
Freddie Joe wilted.
"Hell, man, I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose a wife, and I'm real sorry about your little boy."
Toot wasn't sure what was going on, but he was sure his daddy was in trouble and felt obligated to put it right.
He leaned over and patted Wes on the arm.
"Hey, mister...I know a joke."
There was a moment of silence around the table; then everyone laughed.
"You do, do you?" Wes said.
Not one to be outdone, Booger offered his own skills to the assembly.
"Watch this," he said as he scooped a pea onto his spoon, put it in his mouth, then snorted it out through his nose. It went flying across the table and landed on Danny's plate.
Freddie Joe froze.
Danny's face turned red; then he started to grin as Porter burst into laughter. Thankful that the tension was gone from his house, Gideon joined in the laughter. Loretta Lynn rolled her eyes, while Toot looked crestfallen. As always, his big brother had stolen his moment.
Ally looked wild-eyed at Wes, certain that he would think them all mad, but he didn't look upset. In fact, he was laughing. Breath caught in the back of Ally's throat. From the first, she'd thought Wes Holden handsome, but this was the first time she was seeing all of the man. His eyes were dancing, and his lips were turned up in pure joy.
Freddie Joe whopped his oldest boy on the side of his head.
"What?" Booger asked,
"What'd you go and do that for?" Freddie Joe said.
"'Cause Toot can't."
"I still know a joke," Toot offered.
The laughter rolled through the room again, filling Wes to overflowing. It took everything he had to get serious, although serious he had to be.
"So, Johnny Cash, tell me this good joke."
Toot beamed.
"Knock, knock." Then he patted Wes's arm. "You're 'apposed to say 'Come in.'"
Booger groaned. "See. Toot never can get 'em right. It's 'Who's there?' Toot. Not 'come in.'"
"Oh, yeah," Toot said, and looked to Wes, waiting for him to finish his part.
"Who's there?" Wes asked.
"Peanut butter," Toot said, then patted Wes again. "Now you say—"
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Toot! He knows how to do it," Booger muttered.
"Peanut butter who?" Wes said before Toot started to cry.
"Peanut butter and jelly samwich!" Toot cried, and then slapped his leg and laughed aloud.
Booger groaned as everyone laughed.
"That wasn't funny," Booger muttered.
Loretta Lynn punched him and frowned.
"That was a fine joke," Wes said, and forever became a hero in Johnny Cash Detweiller's eyes.
"I'll have another chicken leg," Toot announced.
Ally passed Wes the plate.
"I don't know if there's another leg left. Is there another piece of chicken that you like?"
"The butt," Toot announced, and pointed to a thigh.
The answer drew another round of chuckles, which Toot promptly ignored.
Later, after the meal had progressed to dessert, Freddie Joe hurried them through it and began to take his leave. He'd been humiliated enough for one day.
Ally was packing up some leftovers for the children to take with them. Gideon and his sons had retired to the living room, leaving Wes alone in the kitchen with Ally and Loretta Lynn.
"Here you go, honey," Ally said. "It'll be enough for another meal."
"I thank you," the girl said. "I'm not much of a cook."
Ally's heart went out to her. "I wasn't, either, when my mother died, but I learned."
"I'm sorry you aren't gonna be our new ma," the girl said. "I think you would have worked out just fine."
Ally's heart went out to the young girl. "I'm sorry, too," she said. "But you can't pretend something you don't feel. Do you understand?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am. That's what Mommy always said. She also said to marry someone a sight smarter than Pa."
Ally bit her lip to keep from smiling as she handed the girl the sack of food.
Loretta Lynn Detweiller sighed, then eyed Wes, who was standing at the sink washing dishes.
"Hey, mister?"
Wes turned around.
"It was a pleasure to meet you," she said.
Wes smiled. "It was a pleasure to meet you, too," he said, and realized he meant it.
At that point Freddie Joe came in, looking for his last child.
"Hurry it up, girl. The boys are already in the car."
"Miss Monroe was just giving us some leftovers, Pa."
"Thank you," Freddie Joe said, then glanced at Wes one last time. "I'm real sorry for your loss."
Wes was touched by the simple fact that he realized the man meant it.
"Thank you, and I'm sorry for yours."
Freddie Joe felt shame all over again. "I didn't mean nothin' by what I said about your boy."
"I know," Wes said, and then added, "Would you do me a favor?"
Freddie Joe shrugged. "Like what?"
"Don't ever take your kids for granted."
Embarrassed that he felt real emotion, Freddie Joe nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yeah. See you around."
And then he was gone.
Ally took the dishcloth out of Wes's hand and pushed him toward the living room.
"Go sit with the men before they completely blow a fuse."
Wes grinned. "Is my helping you that bad?"
She rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. I can promise you that you're the first man they've ever seen who lifted a hand to help a woman in the kitchen."
"Then it was high time they did," Wes muttered.