If there’d been a test after church that morning on what the preacher’s sermon had been about, Emily would have failed miserably. Somehow she and Justin had wound up side by side, plastered against each other in a crowded pew. Not even a thousand angels flapping their wings could cool her down with that much heat next to her. So God would just have to understand why she couldn’t focus on what the preacher had to say.
When Skip delivered the benediction and the final amen was said, everyone stood up as if on cue, and she finally had some breathing space to think about something other than making out with Justin right there on the church pew. Patsy bumped her on the thigh with her hip.
“So where was your mind during the services? I know if I’d been that close to a sexy cowboy like Justin, I would have been thinkin’ of how many positions I could get him into,” Patsy said.
“You’re making me blush again,” Emily whispered.
Mavis tapped Emily on the shoulder as they made their way to the fellowship hall. “Would it be all right if I offer to go get all of them and bring them to church on Sunday mornings from here on out? I’d love to do that and to take them home with us for Sunday dinner. Benjy has talked nonstop about Larry and Otis ever since yesterday, and to tell the truth, I really enjoy spending time with those three women. They’re a hoot and they remind me so much of my mother’s younger sisters.”
“What a sweet idea. I’m sure they’d be ecstatic to get to spend Sundays with y’all,” Emily said. “Just tell them what time to be ready, and I’ll make it right with the supervisor.”
Mavis nodded. “Someday me and Skip might be in their shoes. I’m glad we’ll at least have Levi and Benjy and hopefully some grandchildren who’ll pop in and see us when that time comes. Be all right if I ask them now, or should you clear it first?” Mavis asked.
“It’s perfectly all right to ask them now.”
“And you’re welcome to join us too,” Mavis offered. “I heard your lovely voice when we were having congregational singing. It’d sure be nice to have you in our choir.”
“Thank you,” Emily said but she wasn’t committing to anything. Saturday and Sunday were her days off, and she was selfish with every hour.
When they got inside the hall, she caught sight of the ladies near the kitchen. All three of them were putting on colorful bibbed aprons and taking their place behind the long tables full of food.
“Oh, no!” Mavis started that way. “They’re guests. They don’t have to work.”
“Good luck,” Emily said.
When Mavis spoke, they began to shake their heads in unison. “But, we want to help,” Patsy said. “It makes us feel like we’re young again and back in our own little church.”
“And it helps us to feel like we’re fittin’ in. We sure wish we could come here every Sunday. I’ve never felt so much at home since I left Berryville,” Sarah said.
“This spread reminds me of all the potlucks we had in Bells,” Bess said.
Mavis grabbed an apron and joined them. “We’d love to have you as part of our church family. I just asked Emily if I could come get all five of you on Sunday and bring you to church here. Then you could go to Sunday dinner with us.”
Bess rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“Can we come to Sunday school too or just church?” Sarah asked. “We can be ready right after we have our breakfast.”
“We’d love to have you in our senior Sunday school class,” Mavis answered.
Emily turned around so no one could see the tears threatening to string black mascara down her cheeks. And she ran smack into Justin. Her palms shot out to his chest and his arms went around her waist.
“If you want a hug, just ask. I’m more than willin’,” he teased.
She pushed back from him. “You are the biggest flirt in Texas.”
He reached out with a forefinger and brushed away a tear from the corner of her eye. “And that makes you cry? Why?”
“It’s not that,” she said.
“Got something to do with the way the Five fit in with the church family and how excited they are that Mavis has offered to bring them over on Sundays? You could join them,” he said. “What time should I pick you up next Sunday mornin’?”
“Does that count as the date I owe you?” she asked.
“It could,” he said.
“Then okay. Church is at eleven. I’ll meet you here,” she answered.
“On a real date, I pick you up at your door, not meet you somewhere,” he said.
“Okay.” She sighed. “Call me the night before, and I’ll give you instructions on how to get to my apartment.”
Justin took a step forward. “Hey, I’ll let you off the bet if this is going to be a chore.”
“I pay my debts. I’ll be ready.” She felt bad for the way she was acting, so she said, “Besides, my mama will be so pleased to know that I’m going to church two weekends in a row.”
“Honey, don’t pressure Emily if she’s got things to do,” Gloria said sweetly as she moved between Emily and Justin. “Besides we’re only plannin’ on stayin’ at the ranch a couple of more weeks, and Sunday is family day.”
“Gloria, darlin’.” Vernon got her by the hand. “Skip has saved us a place in line. I know how much you love your peach cobbler, and it’s going fast. So let these kids bring up the rear and come with me.”
With a hand on her back, Justin led Emily to the back of the line. “You said your mother would be happy that you are in church two weeks in a row. What about your brothers? Don’t they go every Sunday?”
“Matthew does, but the twins are CEO Christians.” She smiled.
“And that’s what?”
“Christmas and Easter Only Christians, and that’s because Mama makes them go twice a year, in hopes that it’ll count for something. They’ve been pretty wild,” she answered.
“And how about you? You been wild?”
Before she could answer, a short, round cowboy took his place in line behind them and said, “Darlin’, I’m Buddy, but you can call me anything you want to. I don’t care if you’ve been wild or not. You’re about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, next to my sweet Allison.” He held up the hand of a brunette standing right beside him.
“Oh, really. What do you know about a wild woman?” Emily smiled down at the man. Not only was he short, but he was also stocky, and his smile reminded her somewhat of a cartoon possum eating grapes through a barbed wire fence.
“I done roped me a wild one and intend to keep her forever.” Buddy kissed Allison on the cheek and looked up at Justin. “We’re getting married this summer.”
A glance between Allison and Justin told Emily that the woman would have rather been hanging on his arm than Buddy’s.
You’re jealous, aren’t you? Her grandmother was back in her head.
“Am not,” she muttered.
“Am not what?” Justin asked.
“Did I say that out loud?” Emily’s blue eyes widened.
He nodded.
“I’m glad there’s so much noise that only you heard it.” She smiled. “I was arguing with my grandmother.”
“I do that sometimes, only it’s usually with my mama.” Justin’s hand on her back moved her right up to the end of the table, where they both got a disposable plate. “I love potlucks.”
“Me too. I always want to eat some of everything, but that would be impossible with a spread like this,” she said.
“Do y’all live in this area?” Emily glanced over her shoulder at Buddy and Allison.
“I’ve got a little auto shop, and Allison works at the vet’s place over in Bowie.” Buddy beamed.
“Did I hear it right, that you’re leaving the ranch today?” Allison asked.
“Yes, we are. It’s been a fun week, but now it’s time to go back to the center.”
“I bet it has.” Allison glared at her.
“You have no idea.” Emily met her gaze and didn’t blink. Then she turned around and asked Justin, “So does our church date next week include dinner afterward?”
“Of course.” Justin nodded. “Just name the place. Your favorite restaurant or back at the ranch, either one.”
She could feel Allison boring holes in her back, but Emily was willing to bet that if the woman and Justin did have something in the past, he’d never taken her to church.
Justin piled food on his plate until nothing more would fit, and then he looked around for a place with two empty chairs. Then he saw Skip waving and pointing at all the chairs they’d saved.
“Y’all want to sit with us?” Buddy asked.
“Looks like the family has saved chairs for us. But thanks anyway.” Justin was glad that he had an excuse. More than once Allison had gone home with him from the Rusty Spur, enjoyed a bit of hot sex, and made breakfast the next morning for the two of them. Justin sure didn’t want to jeopardize what could happen with Emily with his wild past.
They’d barely gotten seated when Otis asked, “Did you hear? We get to come over here for church every Sunday. It’s just barely inside the county line so we could drive there, but Mavis is going to check us out for the day. Ain’t that just the best news ever?”
“And Otis can look at my sheep,” Benjy said. “He knows about show stock because he raised some when he had a ranch.”
“I saw you talking to Buddy.” Mavis leaned forward and put her hand to the side of her mouth. “Did you hear that he’s proposed to Allison?”
Justin broke open a hot roll and reached for the butter packets in the middle of the table. “He told us, but he was flirting with Emily.”
“That boy will be flirting with the nurses the day he takes his last breath.” Skip chuckled. “It’s the way he is. They’re having their rings special designed, I’m told. They’ll be ready next week, and then they plan to make the big public announcement.”
“Good for him.” Justin didn’t sigh, but he felt like it. Buddy was another of his friends he wouldn’t be seeing at the Rusty Spur on Friday or Saturday nights.
“Weren’t you and Allison a hot little item at one time?” Gloria sat down across the table from them. “Seems like I remember you saying she made some really good sausage gravy.” She was talking to Justin but looking right at Emily.
“Sounds like Buddy is a lucky man to get a wife who can cook.” Emily looked Gloria in the eye and smiled sweetly.
Otis nudged Justin’s shoulder and whispered, “Never interfere in a catfight.”
“What?” Justin frowned.
“They’re establishing their territory, and in case you’re wonderin’, the property is named Justin Maguire. I went through it before I got married.”
“Married?” Justin gasped.
“It’s the end game. Might take a while for them to get there. And you might have to go through a few women to get there, too, but right now your mama is jealous of Emily. Don’t worry, Emily is holding her ground,” Otis said.
“Hey, y’all saved us a place,” Patsy said as she, Sarah, and Bess brought their plates to the table. “That’s so sweet. I can’t tell you what this whole week has meant to us.”
Justin tried to listen as the Fab Five talked about their vacation, but his thoughts kept going back to what Otis had said. His mother had already voiced her opinion of Emily, but could it be possible that Emily was really interested in him?
“You’re awfully quiet,” Emily said.
“Hating to see the week end.”
“I don’t think it is ending. The ladies are discussing quilting and Sundays, and Cade invited the guys back to the ranch anytime they want to visit,” she told him.
“How about you?”
“We’ve got a date for next Sunday,” she reminded him in a whisper and then raised her voice. “Okay, it’s time for good-byes and for us to get on back to the center.”
“I don’t like it but we do have next Sunday to look forward to,” Patsy declared. “We’ll bring dessert to the dinner.”
“Thank you,” Mavis said. “I’ll be there at nine thirty on the dot. And you’ve all got our phone numbers, so call anytime you want to talk.”
Justin walked them out to the van and helped the ladies up the steps. Larry was the last one to get inside, and he lingered for a second. He laid his hand on Justin’s shoulder and said, “Son, anytime you need some advice on building your house, you come on to the center and we’ll go over your plans together. And thank you for everything. This week has been the best time we’ve had in years.”
“You are very welcome, and I’ll sure take you up on that offer. I’ll start drawing up plans for my own house tonight, as soon as I get my things moved to the cabin,” Justin said.
“Anytime you want to sell that cabin, I get first chance,” Otis yelled.
“Oh, no you don’t. Me and Bess have more money than you and we’ll outbid you.” Patsy shook a fist toward him.
“Wagons ho!” Sarah yelled.
“See you later,” Justin told Emily as he shut the door.
He stood in the parking lot and waved until they were completely out of sight. When he turned around and started toward his truck, Buddy was right there, so close that he almost ran into him.
“Didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” Buddy said. “But I wanted to talk to you about Allison. I know you and she…” He cleared his throat. “Well, that y’all had a thing a while back, and I don’t want things to get all stupid between us. We’ve been friends since first grade.”
Justin clamped a hand on Buddy’s shoulder. “What was between us has been over for a long time so there won’t be anything weird going on.”
“Good,” Buddy said. “Now tell me about Emily. Man, she’s a looker, but my friend, it’ll take some kind of cowboy to tame that woman. She and Allison almost got in a little catfight right there in the buffet line.”
“Who says I’m interested in Emily?” That was the second time someone had mentioned those words in the past hour.
“Can’t hide it. I could feel the vibes between y’all. They was almost as hot and heavy as what me and Allison got.” Buddy flashed another one of his signature grins. “Got to go. Allison is waiting in the truck. I never thought I’d get a trophy wife like her. And a word of advice. You’d better seize the moment with Emily.”
“Got to have a moment before you can seize it,” Justin said.
“Make one.” Buddy waved over his shoulder as he walked away.
Justin went straight home and had loaded his personal things in his truck before Retta and Cade arrived. He’d picked up a few snacks from the pantry and was about to head out when they drove up. This would definitely be a change. He’d had the same bedroom since he’d gotten out of his crib, sharing it with Cade until they were in elementary school.
Justin opened the door and then leaned on the fender of his truck and waited for them to get parked. He’d hoped to be gone when they got home. It would have made leaving easier. “Hey, I thought I’d get out before you got home so it wouldn’t be all weird.”
“You don’t have to do this.” Retta hugged him tightly. “You can live with us forever and we’ll be happy.”
“She’s right, brother,” Cade said.
“I know but…” He paused. “You went away to college, and Levi has moved into town until his house is built. Y’all need to get on with making a nursery, and I want to live at the cabin for a while. This isn’t really one hundred percent on my own, since I’ll be in and out all the time for meals.”
Beau came out of nowhere, hopped right into the truck and curled up on the passenger seat. “Looks like I got custody of the dog.” He smiled at Cade.
“Yeah, right. Everyone knows that mutt belongs to Levi.”
“Hey, wait a minute.” Gloria came out of the RV and opened the passenger door. “I still don’t think this is the thing for you to do, but I’m willing to go help you move in.”
“I got it, but thanks for the offer,” Justin said.
She lowered her chin and looked up at him. “Is Emily going to help you?”
“What is it with you? You’ve been after me to settle down for more than a year and now that I take a woman to church, you’re all pissy.”
“You didn’t take her. You just sat with her, but gossip is already spreading like wildfire,” Gloria argued.
“I’m taking her next week and then to dinner afterward. I don’t give a damn about rumors.” He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. “And again, why are you so dead set against her?”
“She’s…” Gloria drew in a long breath and let it out in a whoosh. “She’s a big woman for one thing, and…”
“And what, Mama? I happen to think Emily is gorgeous.”
“Oh, go do whatever you want. You will anyway. Just don’t expect me to like it.” Gloria slammed the door and stormed back to the trailer.
He drove slowly, keeping a watch in the rearview. Cade slipped his arm around Retta’s shoulders, and together they went into the house—their house for the first time since they got married, and rightly so. Cade should have it, since he was the oldest son. Besides, Justin was really looking forward to building something brand-new to pass down to his oldest son.
He shifted his focus back to the path going around the barn and to the back of the ranch. The truck nearly drove itself over the familiar path, and he wondered if his son would have the Maguires’ blue eyes or if they would have Emily’s lighter color? Would his mother ever like Emily if sometime in the future, they did get past one date?
He glanced over at Beau. “What do you think, ole boy? I had to practically get down on my knees and beg her to go out with me, and now it’s a church date rather than a nice evening alone. Think there’s any way that we’ll ever share children?”
Never say never. His father’s voice was so clear that he checked the rearview mirror to be sure that Vernon Maguire wasn’t in the bed of the truck.