Lone Star Blessings. Bonnie K. Winn

watched them, remembering the light, easy play they’d shared with Alyssa’s grandparents. But now the visits were one-sided. Shelley’s parents drove down from Dallas, but he and Alyssa hadn’t been out of Rosewood in the last two years.

      Kate picked up the plate of brisket, offering it to him. “It really is delicious. Somebody told me that Michael Carlson cooks it over a low fire for hours and hours. I’m not that much of a meat eater, but this just melts in your mouth.”

      His gaze dropped to her lips as she spoke. They seemed to be curved in a perpetual smile. Well, at least since they’d sat down to lunch. He easily remembered how well she could frown. Still, he couldn’t miss the tint of some sort of pinkish gloss on her full lips.

      At that thought, he straightened up so quickly that he brushed her arm again. His tie felt as though it was made of shrinking elastic, tightening around his neck. “Warm for this time of year, isn’t it?”

      Kate tilted her head. “I’ve only visited here before, so I don’t really know, but it seems about right to me.”

      “She’s used to the heat and humidity in Houston,” Marvin explained. “It’s like being in a twenty-four hour sauna.”

      Tucker glanced back at Kate. “So you are from the city.”

      “Born and bred.”

      He waited, but she didn’t add any details. Picking at the food on his plate, he hoped they wouldn’t have to stay too long at the lunch. He glanced over at his daughter. Alyssa was all smiles.

      And she’d sure taken to Kate.

      Something was different about the woman, but he couldn’t put his finger on the change. Same fiery green eyes, pale skin, auburn hair…maybe that was it—she didn’t have her hair scrunched into a ponytail. Instead it was loose, falling past her shoulders in waves.

      Pretending interest in his brisket, he snuck another look. With her coloring, he expected a sprinkling of freckles, but he didn’t see any. Maybe she was a hothouse flower who kept inside all the time. She laughed just then at something Alyssa said, throwing back her head, exposing the slim column of her throat. It, too, appeared flawless.

      “Tucker, it’s been a month of Sundays!” Old man Carruthers stopped by the table. “Well, more than that, I think. Good to see you back where you belong.”

      Tucker stood to shake his hand. Albert Carruthers had been Tucker’s Sunday school teacher when he was in junior high school. Despite his feelings about church now, Tucker knew Mr. Carruthers only meant well.

      “You doing all right, sir?”

      “Just getting old, Tuck.” He lifted his cane. “But I’m not letting it slow me down.”

      Remembering the older man’s endless energy when he was younger, Tucker grinned and lightly touched the cane. “Don’t be vaulting any fences. Mrs. Carruthers’ll have your hide.”

      Albert chuckled. “You’re right about that.” Reaching up, he patted Tucker’s shoulder. “Don’t be a stranger. I’ve missed you.”

      Tucker would have liked to reassure his old friend, but he couldn’t lie to him.

      When Mr. Carruthers left to stroll toward his wife, Tucker sat down.

      Kate looked at him curiously. “Sounds like you’re the prodigal son.”

      He clenched his jaw, aware of his daughter’s close proximity. “Do you think you’ve been in town long enough to judge that?”

      Kate had the kind of face that didn’t hide what she was thinking. And he saw curiosity turn to puzzled concern. “I just noticed a lot of people surprised to…” She glanced at Alyssa and apparently had a flash of good sense. “This is all new to me. Nice, but new.” Picking up a cup of punch, she averted her face.

      Tucker felt the brush of her shoulder as she fidgeted. She put down the plastic cup, fiddled with her fork, then straightened out her paper napkin. “So, anyone ready for dessert?”

      Marvin and Alyssa looked down at their nearly full plates.

      Tucker studied Kate.

      Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who wanted to bolt.

      That afternoon, Marvin whistled as he sat in front of the large window in the living room. Since Seth had removed the barrier to the entry, he could maneuver easily without help. As he watched the day dwindle toward its end, couples strolled down the street, some hand in hand. Young parents pushed strollers and children shrieked as they let off the last remnants of energy.

      Kate brought him a glass of iced tea. “I’ll have to remember to buy some more lemons.”

      “This is one of my favorite things on Sunday.” He pointed out the window. “Reminds me of when I was a kid…when it wasn’t so frantic in Houston. It just got too big too fast.”

      “Pace is slower here,” she agreed. “I keep forgetting I don’t have to rush somewhere every day and plan, so that I can avoid traffic and lines.”

      “I had enough of both.” Marvin shook his head. “Didn’t like feeling I was always running, never catching up. Pace here suits me better.”

      “Are you hungry? It’s getting close to dinner time.”

      Marvin shrugged. “A little, maybe. That was a big lunch.”

      Kate watched as an older couple strolled by. “Looks like they’ve been together forever.”

      “The Hills? About fifty years.”

      “Incredible. That’s what? Two-thirds of their lives?”

      “Sounds about right. Katie, you haven’t even mentioned Derek.”

      She’d dreaded this conversation. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

      “Has he called since you’ve been here?”

      “We’ve got lasagna and baked ham left. You choose. When all the good stuff’s gone, you’ll be stuck with my cooking, which you know is terrible. That or sandwiches.” She fluffed the pillows on the couch. “Then again, maybe I’ll just get take-out from the café so I don’t poison you.”

      “Did you argue about coming here to take care of me?”

      She sighed. “He wasn’t who I thought he was.”

      “I assume that’s a figurative reference.”

      “Maybe I didn’t want to see the real Derek.”

      “This is because of me. Katie, I won’t let you ruin your life—”

      “Dad, coming here just opened my eyes. And I’m glad. What if I’d stumbled into marriage, then found out? It hurts, but it’s better to know.”

      He sighed. “Confession—ever since I moved here, I’ve hoped that someday you would, too. Now I’ve trapped you.”

      “You can’t trap somebody who volunteers. Face it, you couldn’t have kept me away.”

      “So much like your mother. Stubborn, kind, seeing the best in people.”

      There were days when Kate missed her mother so badly it was as though she’d just barely died, instead of twenty-five years ago. Blinking away the tears, she looked at the floor. “So, lasagna or ham?”

      “She’d be proud of you, Katie.”

      “We can make sandwiches out of the ham, so let’s have lasagna. I do know how to warm up stuff in the microwave. But no promises about not burning it. I usually make TV dinners because they have the instructions right on the package.”

      “Katie?”

      “Yes, Dad?”

      “Love you.”

      “Yeah.