Chapter Twenty-One

Several times during the day, Lila had to set down what she was working on in the kitchen and head out back to baste the roasting hog and check on the fire. It was hot work, and she was wiping the sweat off her brow while heading back to the door when she noticed she wasn't alone.

An old man sat on a milk can beside the back door of the hall, a small hunk of wood in one hand, a pocket knife in the other. "Might wanna lif' 'er up iffn ya don' wan' 'er to dry out."

Lila blinked, trying to make sense of the man's deep country accent.

The old man turned his head and spit, a dark stream of chewing tobacco juice spattering the ground. "I kin hep ya iffn ya wan'."

Lila nodded her head and the old man followed her back to the hog, helping her adjust the height of the pig over the coals.

"Yup, ya got 'er now." The old man turned, spit, and headed back to his perch on the milk can. Lila hurried inside.

"Was old Cooter bothering you?" Mrs. Wheaton asked when Lila entered the kitchen.

"No, he helped me out, actually." Old Cooter? That was a funny name...and oddly familiar. Lila was distracted when Mrs. Wheaton looked at the clock and let out a little cry.

"We better get the grease on if we're gonna get that chicken fried in time."

The next few hours passed as quickly as the first ones did, and before Lila realized it, the sun was starting to set. Chucky had returned with some helpers, who were busy taking down the hog so that the meat could be pulled off it.

The kitchen door swung open, and an attractive woman with straight blond hair came in. "You must be Lila," she said with a friendly smile as she leaned against the counter. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Darlene."

"Hello," Lila said, giving her a nod to apologize for not shaking her hand, as she was deep into prepping the pork. Although she thought it strange that the woman was so interested in meeting the out of town caterer, she didn't give it much thought when Darlene rolled up her sleeves and dug in to help her.

"We got the decorations all up," the woman said over her shoulder to Mrs. Wheaton. "The old grange looks better than it ever has."

"Cain't wait to see it," Mrs. Wheaton replied. "Them high school kids make it over here yet? They're supposed to lay out the food and fixins for us."

"Not yet," Darlene responded. "They should be here any minute, though."

Before long teenagers spilled into the kitchen, and Lila was thankful that Mrs. Wheaton was there to take charge. She had the youngsters carrying out plates and silverware, then, when informed that the crowd was starting to gather, they brought out plates of steaming food.

Lila was kept busy making sure all the platters were arranged as nicely as possible. There was roast pork, fried chicken, baked catfish, fresh bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, a medley of vegetables, salads and slaw, and plenty of fruit pies. When the last plate left the kitchen, Lila gave a weak smile and wiped the sweat from her brow.

Now they just have to like the food.

Lila had to admit, she was a tad anxious over the meal. She'd expected to create her usual luxury fare, but the visit to the farm, coupled with Mrs. Wheaton's inspirational cooking and cookbooks, had led Lila to make a more authentically southern menu with a subtle gourmet twist. Now she just hoped she'd pulled it off.

She could hear the noises picking up from the hall and busied herself doing clean up to avoid dwelling on her anxiety. "Leave all that be," Mrs. Wheaton said with a hand on her shoulder. "Come on out. You don't want to miss the ceremony."

The Grange Hall had been transformed during the hours Lila had spent in the kitchen. The ceiling was strung with twinkling white lights, wreaths were hung on several of the walls, as well as several quilts. Poinsettias in red and white adorned tables that had been covered in red cloth tablecloths and were now covered with plates of steaming food. The hall was festive and the atmosphere lively, the whole town seemingly crammed into one room.

"Over here, dear," Mrs. Wheaton said near her ear and led her to the table where Jake and Tony had already taken seats. On the bench across from the men were Ruth Anne and Chucky, and beside Ruth Anne was the blond Darlene.

"Sit a spell," Ruth Anne said when they arrived at the table. "I know ya'll are tired after cookin' up this feast."

Lila grinned and sat, sighing in appreciation as some of the ache disappeared from her feet.

"This food is delicious, Miss Lila," Chucky said around a mouthful of pork. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you been cookin' southern all your life."

Lila laughed. "I'm glad you said that. I was worried."

"No reason to worry," Jake said after swallowing a bite of fried chicken. "You did a great job."

"We expected no less," Tony added.

Lila swelled with pride, taking a moment to catch her breath and allowing her eyes to roam over the hall. She was glad to see many happy faces. Then the old man who'd helped her with the hog ambled over, a can of beer having taken the place of his whittling supplies but his lower lip still bulging with tobacco.

"Best spread Trouble Holler ever seen," Cooter said with a whistle when he reached them. "Reckon no one's fixin' to go home hungry tonight."

Lila swallowed at his words. Trouble Holler? Then a booming sound from the stage drew her attention. A podium was stationed before a large decorated Christmas tree, and a balding gentleman in a heavy sweater knit with snowflakes was tapping the microphone.

Lila's eyes skittered to the chair beside the podium and everything clicked into place at once, making her heart sputter in her chest.

Sitting in the chair, one leg crossed perpendicular over the other, sat Alex Drake.

She couldn't believe it.

For two seconds.

Then things started to make sense.

She'd known something was rotten in Denmark--er, Tennessee--since she'd read the offer. Although it would have been easier to believe it was Brice and Janna's help that landed her the offer, a sliver of her had admitted that Alex was capable of trickery, even if she hadn't thought he'd put in the effort. Not for her.

And let's not forget that I never bothered to ask the name of the town. Obviously a huge oversight on her part. But she didn't remember ever passing any signs with the name. Although she hadn't been out of the rooming house much.

Her eyes passed to Tony and Jake who were both staring straight at her. They knew. It had been a set up all along, of course. No wonder they'd kept her sheltered. They didn't want her to find out exactly what was going on. That meant no trips to the store, no nighttime walks. Her face was frozen, a polite smile sitting there as she turned her head toward the rest of the table's inhabitants.

The picture at Ruth Ann's. That's right, she'd thought the boy had looked familiar. A young Alex Drake had stared back at her and she hadn't recognized him. And Darlene, the blond to Ruth Anne's right. She remembered the story Alex had told her about the muddy dress and had to hold in a groan.

"Sumfin wrong?" Cooter asked, pointing toward her plate. "You ain't eatin'."

Of course, Cooter was the name of the man who'd given Alex the hand-carved bow. How had she forgotten that? She'd been so worried about getting the meal ready, about doing her job and not screwing up this time, that she'd let the wool be pulled over her eyes.

She felt his gaze on her and she turned, her wide eyes meeting his silver ones. Then the man at the podium began to speak and her gaze was torn away.

"Thank ya'll for comin' tonight. I ain't gonna talk yer ears off, so don't worry. I just wanted to say thanks to Mr. Alex Drake for sponsoring this event tonight, and payin' for all this delicious food. Let's give Alex a hand."

The crowd roared its approval and Alex stood. Lila shivered, unable to stop herself from admiring his athletic grace as he took the podium. He was dressed in black slacks and a simple white shirt, unbuttoned at the top to show a hint of wiry black hair. Damn him for looking so good.

"Thanks ya'll," Alex said when he'd reached the microphone. "But I can't take credit for cookin' the food. That goes to our own Mrs. Wheaton, and the lovely Lila Johnstone. Stand up so they can see you, ladies."

Mrs. Wheaton stood and waved, then realized that Lila hadn't moved and all but pulled her up by her arm. Lila blushed, nodding her head, then quickly retaking her seat.

"I wanted to host this event tonight to say thank you to the community that was such a large part of my formative years. Although I've been gone for too long, not much has changed here in Trouble Hollow, and for that I'm grateful." Alex gave the crowd a devilish smile. "You might not have the polish of the big city, but you've got heart, and that's what I want to celebrate tonight."

Alex turned to the man in the snowdrop sweater who'd taken the seat he vacated. "Mr. Mayor, I've got a gift for the Hollow, to keep its heart beating strong." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper which he handed toward the mayor. "I've written a check for 1.5 million dollars, for Trouble Hollow to use for repairing roads, fixing up the school, and getting a clinic started so our folks don't have to drive into Knoxville to get good medical care. And whatever other needs you might have. From me to you, Trouble Hollow. Thank you."

The applause was deafening, and Lila wasn't surprised to see the crowd leap to its feet to roar out its approval. The mayor retook the podium, shock on his red face. "This is more than we ever expected, Alex," he said, his expression giving truth to the words. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Another round of earsplitting applause and whistles as Alex and the mayor shook hands.

Then the mayor bent over the microphone with a smile. "Now, if ya'll are done eatin', let's get these tables moved so we can dance!"

There was a flurry of activity as tables and benches were pushed to the sides of the hall, and a small band took the stage. Lila lost sight of Alex in the commotion and considered ducking into the kitchen and maybe out the back door.

This was unexpected. And yet not. She'd known something wasn't right about the offer from the beginning, but the opportunity of regaining a foothold for her business had driven her to ignore the warning signs. She'd been all but oblivious the entire time she'd been in Trouble Hollow, so focused on making a good impression with her talents that she'd never even noticed she was in Alex Drake's home town. And now he was here, and she couldn't catch her breath.

Damn him! She'd told him it was over, had ripped up his check and moved out of the city he probably owned a chunk of. Apparently that hadn't stopped him from secretly hiring her and luring her to the backwoods of Tennessee.

Lila didn't understand his motives. He was an engaged man, wasn't he?

Maybe not, her mind responded. Remember today's date? She did, suddenly. It was supposed to be the date of his wedding to Alana Morgan. And yet he was here, passing out a gigantic check to his hometown.

Perhaps they'd pushed the wedding back. She had left him in a lurch, abandoning the catering job without much time to find a replacement. Still...

The band started to play, and many of the town's inhabitants found their way to the cleared space that was quickly becoming a dance floor. Lila once again eyed the door, and thinking her companions distracted, she took a step toward it before a familiar voice coming from behind stopped her.

"Hey there, cupcake."

Lila closed her eyes, trying to slow down the furious beat of her heart before she turned to face him.

"Mr. Drake, what a surprise."

A light shone in his silver eyes, and a wide smile graced his handsome features. It was a different smile than the ones he'd shown her before. A relaxed smile. A comfortable smile.

Alex nodded toward Mrs. Wheaton who had a huge grin on her wrinkled face. He shook hands with Tony and Jake, and waved toward his sisters, who were wearing smiles almost as wide as Mrs. Wheaton's. Then his fingers latched onto Lila's arm and he pulled her a short distance away.

"Glad you could make it," his husky voice drawled.

Lila tried to ignore the heat that suffused her body, blaming it on righteous indignation. "Personally I can't believe I fell for this." She bristled as his grip tightened on her arm and tugged away. "I must say, you had to have jumped through a lot of hoops to make this happen. But setting up a fake foundation, hiring a couple of guys to cart me around and keep me cooped up so that I didn't realize what you were doing. I'd almost be impressed, if I weren't so angry."

Alex's grin faltered. "The foundation isn't fake. I set it up several years ago to help out struggling towns in Appalachia." He swung his head toward the gentlemen nearby who were studiously looking in the opposite direction. "I borrowed Tony from Brice, he's Masterson's assistant, and he insisted on bringing his new boyfriend along. As for luring you here under false pretenses, though, I'd have to say I'm guilty as charged."

"What I don't understand is," Lila said, feeling the heat in her cheeks, "why go through all this trouble?"

"Because you're worth it," he replied, catching hold of her hand and drawing it to his lips. He planted a kiss on the back of her hand and then lowered it, but didn't let go of his grip.